"What was the good, my dear fellow? It would only have worried
you."
"Well, what did he say?"
"That he was sorry he had been run in before getting back to
town, as he had proposed doing himself the honor of paying me a
call; however, he trusted it was only a pleasure deferred, and he
begged me not to go and get lagged myself before he came out. Of
course he knew the Melrose necklace was gone, though he hadn't
got it; and he said that the man who could take that and leave
the rest was a man after his own heart. And so on, with certain
little proposals for the far future, which I fear may be the very
near future indeed! I'm only surprised he hasn't turned up yet."
He looked again towards the lobby, which he had left in darkness,
with the inner door shut as carefully as the outer one. I asked
him what he meant to do.
"Let him knock--if he gets so far. The porter is to say I'm out
of town; it will be true, too, in another hour or so."
"You're going off to-night?"
"By the 7.15 from Liverpool Street. I don't say much about my
people, Bunny, but I have the best of sisters married to a
country parson in the eastern counties. They always make me
welcome, and let me read the lessons for the sake of getting me
to church. I'm sorry you won't be there to hear me on Sunday,
Bunny. I've figured out some of my best schemes in that parish,
and I know of no better port in a storm.
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