Part 8 (1/2)
”Then who _is_ she?”
Saunders drew a deep breath, and stared hard at Mark for what seemed a long time to both. The detective broke the tension.
”Griffin,” he almost shouted, ”either I am a fool, and ought to be given a job as town crier, or you are the cleverest I've ever gone up against, or--”
”Or,” Mark's voice was still quiet, ”I may be entirely lacking in the knowledge which you possess. Get it off your mind, man--better do it soon, for you will _have to_ later on, you know. I have _quite_ made up my mind on that.”
”Yes,” Saunders seemed half satisfied, ”yes, you may not know--it really looks as if you didn't. Are you the simon-pure Mark Griffin, brother of Baron Griffin of the Irish peerage?”
”Yes. Where did you get that last bit of information?”
Saunders ignored the query.
”Did you really drop in here as a traveler, aiming at nothing in particular?”
”Yes.”
”Did you never know Ruth--”
”Miss--”
”Miss Ruth Atheson before?”
”No.”
”Ever hear of her?”
”No.”
”Are you really--interested in her?”
”Yes.”
”Do you intend to stay interested?”
”Yes.”
”I _was_ mistaken. You don't know, and I guess it's my duty to tell you the truth. This girl is a _runaway_.”
”What?” Mark was rising.
Saunders put out his hand. ”Easy now, Griffin, easy now. Just wait.
I am going to tell you something. I see that you really know nothing, and it's up to me to enlighten you. As I said, Ruth Atheson is _not_ Ruth Atheson. She's the daughter of a grand duke. I can't tell you the name of the Grand Duchy, but I'll say this: it isn't very far from a certain Big Kingdom we hear a great deal about now--in fact the Duchy is a dependency of the Big Kingdom--more than that, the so-called Ruth Atheson is heiress presumptive to the throne. She'll some day be the Grand d.u.c.h.ess.”
Mark sat stunned. It was with difficulty that he could speak. He saw a tragedy that Saunders could not see. Then he broke out:
”But you? How do you know?”
”It's my business to know--the business you don't like. I was instructed to watch her. She got out of Europe before certain people could reach her--”
”But,” objected Mark, ”how do I know you are telling the truth?”