FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   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   >>   >|  
uses. Through pressure of authority he had obtained keys to both warehouses. There would be a trap on the roof of that house. Doubtless it would be covered with tin; fairly impregnable if latched below. But he could find out. From the third-floor windows of either warehouse the drop was not more than six feet. If anywhere in town poor old Stefani Gregor would be in one of those rooms. But to storm the house frontally, without being absolutely sure, would be folly. Gregor would be killed. The house was in fact an insane asylum, occupied by super-insane men. Warned, they were capable of blowing the house to kingdom come, themselves with it. Problem Five was a mere vanishing point. He doubted if he would ever see those emeralds. What an infernal pity! He built a coronet and leaned back, a wisp of smoke darting up from the bowl of his pipe. "I say, you know, but that's a ripping game to play!" drawled a tired voice over his shoulder. Cutty turned his head, to behold Hawksley, shaven, pale, and handsome, wrapped in a bed quilt and swaying slightly. "What the deuce are you doing out of your room?" growled Cutty, but with the growl of a friendly dog. Hawksley dropped into a chair weakly. "End of my rope. Got to talk to someone. Go dotty, else. Questions. Skull aches with 'em. Want to know whether this is a foretaste of the life I have a right to live--or the beginning of death. Be a good sport, and let's have it out." "What is it you wish to know?" asked Cutty, gently. The poor beggar! "Where I am. Who you are. What happened to me. What is going to happen to me," rather breathlessly. "Don't want any more suspense. Don't want to look over my shoulder any more. Straight ahead. All the cards on the table, please." Cutty rose and pushed the invalid's chair to a window and drew another up beside it. "My word, the top of the world! Bally odd roost." "You will find it safer here than you would on the shores of Kaspuskoi More," replied Cutty, gravely. "The Caspian wouldn't be a healthy place for you now." With wide eyes Hawksley stared across the shining, wavering roofs. A pause. "What do you know?" he asked, faintly. "Everything. But wait!" Cutty fetched one of the photographs and laid it upon the young man's knees. "Know who this is--Two-Hawks?" A strained, tense gesture as Hawksley seized the photograph; then his chin sank slowly to his chest. A moment later Cutty was profoundly astonished to see som
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Hawksley
 

shoulder

 

Gregor

 

insane

 

Straight

 
suspense
 
window
 

invalid

 

pushed

 
gently

beginning

 

happen

 
beggar
 

breathlessly

 

happened

 
foretaste
 

shores

 
faintly
 

Everything

 
photographs

fetched

 

strained

 

moment

 
profoundly
 
astonished
 

slowly

 

gesture

 
seized
 
photograph
 

Kaspuskoi


Questions

 
replied
 

stared

 

wavering

 
shining
 

Caspian

 

gravely

 

wouldn

 

healthy

 
swaying

frontally

 
absolutely
 

Stefani

 

killed

 

capable

 

blowing

 

kingdom

 

Warned

 

asylum

 
occupied