ER YOU LEFT, by Jack Redhill, whom I had sent to Dornton Hall
to see how the land lay the night before. It was not that I didn't trust
YOU, but HE had ways of getting news that you wouldn't stoop to. You
can guess, from what I have told you already, that, now Bobby is gone,
there's nothing to keep me here, and I'm following my own idea of
letting the whole blasted thing slide. I only worked this racket for
the sake of him. I'm sorry for him, but I suppose the poor little beggar
couldn't stand these sunless, God-forsaken longitudes any more than
I could. Besides that, as I didn't want to trust any lawyer with my
secret, I myself had hunted up some books on the matter, and found that,
by the law of entail, I'd have to rip up the whole blessed thing, and
Bill would have had to pay back every blessed cent of what rents he had
collected since he took hold--not to ME, but the ESTATE--with interest,
and that no arrangement I could make with HIM would be legal on account
of the boy. At least, that's the way the thing seemed to pan out to me.
So that when I heard of Bobby's death I was glad to jump the rest, and
that's what I made up my mind to do.

But, like a blasted lubber, now that I COULD do it and cut right away,
I must needs think that I'd like first to see Bill on the sly, without
letting on to any one else, and tell him what I was going to do. I'd no
fear that he'd object, or that he'd hesitate a minute to fall in with my
plan of dropping my name and my game, and giving him full swing, while I
stood out to sea and the South Pacific, and dropped out of his mess for
the rest of my life. Perhaps I wanted to set his mind at rest, if he'd
ever had any doubts; perhaps I wanted to have a little fun out of him
for his d----d previousness; perhaps, lad, I had a hankering to see the
old place for the last time. At any rate, I allowed to go to Dornton
Hall. I timed myself to get there about the hour you left, to keep
out of sight until I knew he was returning from the horse show, and to
waylay him ALONE and have our little talk without witnesses. I daren't
go to the Hall, for some of the old servants might recognize me.

I went down there with Jack Redhill, and we separated at the station. I
hung around in the fog. I even saw you pass with Sibyl in the dogcart,
but you didn't see me. I knew the place, and just where to hide where
I could have the chance of seeing him alone. But it was a beastly job
waiting there. I felt like a d--