Part 49 (2/2)
”Ah,” he said, ”I begin to see a light! But go on, dick; I expect you have now cleared the ground”
”dick has ht to have been a barrister,”
Mordaunt re to be just to you and Jim,” dick resumed ”I have shi+rked my duty; I trusted you, Lance, and when I found you out it hurt”
”You trusted me until you found Jim was the better man! Well, it looks as if others had copied your exan and dick resuht Jim and Carrie were nearly drowned You all knoas on the sands Well, I caone to look for the geese” dick paused and taking out a plan that he put on the table, addressed Jied the punt up the bank and carried out the anchor Is this sketch of the spot accurate?”
Mordaunt moved abruptly, but controlled himself and stood very quiet; Jiot dark
”So far as I reain, or move the anchor?”
”I did not I was puzzled when I found her floating and the anchor covered”
dick gave Bernard the plan ”The punt ought not to have floated before Jiot back You will note the rows of dots They stand for footsteps The first was Jim's; then Shanks came and pulled the punt back into the channel--I saw theup and down It is plain he wanted to leave Jim on the middle sand when the tide rose”
”How did you know the steps were Shanks'?” Bernard asked
”The night was very cold, sir, but he was bare-footed”
”Your surht Anybody else would have worn boots or waders But there are three rows of tracks”
dick hesitated, then answered quietly: ”The last were Lance's He passed the punt close; I don't know if he touched her, but it was plain that she would soon float and Jim was not about”
”This is frankly unthinkable, dick!” Mrs Halliday exclaimed
For a moment or two the others were silent and their attitudes indicated that the strain was heavy Mrs Halliday's face was flushed, Jim's was very stern, and Bernard knitted his brows dick and Mordaunt stood motionless but tense at opposite ends of the table
”Your staterave, dick,” Bernard remarked ”Are you persuaded the steps were Lance's?”
”I knew the ues, and saw him a short distance off I think he saw me, because he vanished; he went down into the hollow of the creek, where I have drawn a ring I went afterwards and carefully exaround I think that is all, sir”
”It is enough,” said Bernard, very dryly ”You iht be cut off by the tide and refused to ine Jier was plain to Lance, if it was not then plain to you? You went away”
”I knew Carrie and Jake were farther out on the sands, and caun to warn Ji but went off; he tried to hide froreement and then inquired: ”Why have you been frank about it now, after saying nothing for so mainly touches Lance and me”
”His horrible treachery touches us all,” Mrs Halliday declared ”If it were knoe should be forced to leave the neighborhood We could not face a scandal like this”
”I iine it will not be known,” Bernard remarked with an ironical s to state?”