FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160  
161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   >>   >|  
s goes," said Mr. Fenwick. The Vicar had another matter of moment to discuss with his wife. Sam Brattle, after having remained hard at work at the mill for nearly a fortnight,--so hard at work as to induce his father to declare that he'd bet a guinea there wasn't a man in the three parishes who could come nigh his Sam for a right down day's work;--after all this, Sam had disappeared, had been gone for two days, and was said by the constable to have been seen at night on the Devizes side, from whence was supposed to come the Grinder, and all manner of Grinder's iniquities. Up to this time no further arrest had been made on account of Mr. Trumbull's murder, nor had any trace been found of the Grinder, or of that other man who had been his companion. The leading policeman, who still had charge of the case, expressed himself as sure that the old woman at Pycroft Common knew nothing of her son's whereabouts; but he had always declared, and still continued to declare, that Sam Brattle could tell them the whole story of the murder if he pleased, and there had been a certain amount of watching kept on the young man, much to his own disgust, and to that of his father. Sam had sworn aloud in the village--so much aloud that he had shown his determination to be heard by all men--that he would go to America, and see whether anyone would dare to stop him. He had been told of his bail, and had replied that he would demand to be relieved of his bail;--that his bail was illegal, and that he would have it all tried in a court of law. Mr. Fenwick had heard of this, and had replied that as far as he was concerned he was not in the least afraid. He believed that the bail was illegal, and he believed also that Sam would stay where he was. But now Sam was gone, and the Bullhampton constable was clearly of opinion that he had gone to join the Grinder. "At any rate, he's off somewhere," said Mr. Fenwick, "and his mother doesn't know where he's gone. Old Brattle, of course, won't say a word." "And will it hurt you?" "Not unless they get hold of those other fellows and require Sam's appearance. I don't doubt but that he'd turn up in that case." "Then it does not signify?" "It signifies for him. I've an idea that I know where he's gone, and I think I shall go after him." "Is it far, Frank?" "Something short of Australia, luckily." "Oh, Frank!" "I'll tell you the truth. It's my belief that Carry Brattle is living about twenty
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160  
161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Grinder
 

Brattle

 

Fenwick

 
constable
 

believed

 

replied

 

illegal

 

murder

 

declare

 

father


afraid

 
opinion
 

Bullhampton

 
Australia
 
twenty
 

Something

 

demand

 

concerned

 

luckily

 

relieved


require

 

appearance

 

living

 

fellows

 

belief

 
signifies
 

mother

 

signify

 

Devizes

 

disappeared


supposed

 

arrest

 
account
 

manner

 

iniquities

 

discuss

 

moment

 

matter

 

remained

 

parishes


guinea
 
fortnight
 

induce

 

Trumbull

 

pleased

 
amount
 

watching

 
continued
 
determination
 

America