FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  
ay if you like," said Stonor, grinning. "The police _are_ thick sometimes in dealing with clever fellows like you." "Well, I'll tell you. I came up to this country because I choose to live alone. My reasons are my own affair. I'm not wanted by the police of this or any other country. But I don't choose to be spied on and followed up. That's why I got out of the way." "Did you live alone down there?" asked Stonor casually. "What do you mean?" "Well, there was that lady who left Carcajou Point with you." "Oh, that was just a temporary affair," said Imbrie, with a leer. Stonor, thinking of Clare, could have struck him for it. With an effort he swallowed his rage. "Did you never have any visitors?" he asked coolly. Imbrie favoured him with a lightning glance. "What put that idea into your head?" Stonor lied in the good cause. "One of the Indians said you had a visitor." "When?" "Just a few days before we went down." "What kind of visitor?" "A man much like yourself," said Stonor. Imbrie lost his grin for the moment. "It's a lie," he said thickly. "Oh, well, it's no crime to have a visitor," said Stonor smoothly. Imbrie saw his mistake, and quickly commanded himself. He laughed easily. "Just my way," he said. "I'm cracked on the subject of living alone." They had to spell at short intervals during the day, for Stonor's horse was growing very tired. Whenever they halted they began to fence with words in much the same way, each trying to discover the other's weak joint without letting down his own guard. It seemed to Stonor that, under his cynical insolence, his prisoner was growing ever more anxious. On one occasion Imbrie said with a careless air: "Did you see the big falls when you were down the river?" "No," said Stonor instantly. "Very fine sight." It occurred to Stonor that a certain amount of curiosity on his part would appear natural. "What are they like?" Imbrie looked at him through slightly narrowed lids. "Big horse-shoe effect. The water falls all around in a sort of half-circle, and there are tremendous rocks below. The water falls on the rocks." This description sounded purposely misleading. The place, of course, was not like that at all. Stonor thought: "What does he tell me that for? Living there all that time, it isn't possible he hasn't seen the falls. In his diary he mentioned going there." Suddenly the explanation came to him. "I know! He's trying to tempt
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Stonor
 

Imbrie

 

visitor

 
growing
 
affair
 
choose
 

country

 

police

 

prisoner

 

cynical


insolence
 
occasion
 

anxious

 

careless

 

letting

 

Whenever

 

halted

 

Suddenly

 

explanation

 

mentioned


discover
 

occurred

 

circle

 
tremendous
 

effect

 
Living
 
purposely
 

misleading

 

thought

 

sounded


description

 

amount

 
instantly
 
curiosity
 

slightly

 
narrowed
 

looked

 

natural

 

Carcajou

 

casually


temporary

 

effort

 
swallowed
 

thinking

 
struck
 
clever
 

fellows

 

dealing

 
grinning
 

reasons