Part 45 (1/2)
”Bless you, sir, if anyone is about he will be, for he is always the first stirring But here he is, sir, to answer your questions for himself No, sir, no, it is as much as my place is worth to let him see me touch your money Afterwards, if you like”
As Sherlock Holmes replaced the half-crohich he had drawn fro elderlyin his hand
”What's this, Dawson!” he cried ”No gossiping! Go about your business! And you, what the devil do you want here?”
”Ten ood sir,” said Holmes in the sweetest of voices
”I've no tiers here Be off, or youat your heels”
Hol in the trainer's ear He started violently and flushed to the temples
”It's a lie!” he shouted ”An infernal lie!”
”Very good Shall we argue about it here in public or talk it over in your parlour?”
”Oh, come in if you wish to”
Holmes smiled ”I shall not keep you more than a few minutes, Watson,” said he ”Now, Mr Brown, I am quite at your disposal”
It enty rays before Hole as had been brought about in Silas Brown in that short time His face was ashy pale, beads of perspiration shone upon his brow, and his hands shook until the hunting-crop wagged like a branch in the wind His bullying, overbearingatwith its master
”Your instructions will be done It shall all be done,” said he
”Thereround at him The other winced as he read the menace in his eyes
”Oh, no, there shall be no e it first or not?”
Hol ”No, don't,” said he, ”I shall write to you about it No tricks, now, or--”
”Oh, you can trust me, you can trust me!”
”Yes, I think I can Well, you shall hear fro the tre hand which the other held out to hi's Pyland
”A more perfect compound of the bully, coward, and sneak than Master Silas Brown I have seldoether
”He has the horse, then?”
”He tried to bluster out of it, but I described to hi that he is convinced that I atching him Of course you observed the peculiarly square toes in the impressions, and that his own boots exactly corresponded to theain, of course no subordinate would have dared to do such a thing I described to hi to his custoe horse wandering over the nizing, froiven the favourite its name, that chance had put in his power the only horse which could beat the one upon which he had put his money Then I described how his first i's Pyland, and how the devil had shown him how he could hide the horse until the race was over, and how he had led it back and concealed it at Mapleton When I told hi his own skin”
”But his stables had been searched?”
”Oh, an old horse-faker like hie”
”But are you not afraid to leave the horse in his power now, since he has every interest in injuring it?”
”My dear fellow, he will guard it as the apple of his eye He knows that his only hope of mercy is to produce it safe”
”Colonel Ross did not impress me as a man ould be likely to show much mercy in any case”
”The matter does not rest with Colonel Ross I follow my own methods and tell asunofficial I don't knohether you observed it, Watson, but the colonel's manner has been just a trifle cavalier to me I am inclined now to have a little a to him about the horse”
”Certainly not without your permission”
”And of course this is all quite a minor point compared to the question of who killed John Straker”
”And you will devote yourself to that?”
”On the contrary, we both go back to London by the night train”
I was thunderstruck by my friend's words We had only been a few hours in Devonshi+re, and that he should give up an investigation which he had begun so brilliantly was quite incomprehensible to me Not a word more could I draw from him until ere back at the trainer's house The colonel and the inspector were awaiting us in the parlour
”My friend and I return to town by the night-express,” said Hol little breath of your beautiful Dartmoor air”
The inspector opened his eyes, and the colonel's lip curled in a sneer
”So you despair of arresting the ed his shoulders ”There are certainly grave difficulties in the way,” said he ”I have every hope, however, that your horse will start upon Tuesday, and I beg that you will have your jockey in readiness Might I ask for a photograph of Mr John Straker?”
The inspector took one froory, you anticipate all ht ask you to wait here for an instant, I have a question which I should like to put to the maid”
”I must say that I am rather disappointed in our London consultant,” said Colonel Ross bluntly as my friend left the room ”I do not see that we are any further than when he came”
”At least you have his assurance that your horse will run,” said I
”Yes, I have his assurance,” said the colonel with a shrug of his shoulders ”I should prefer to have the horse”
I was about to make soain