Part 9 (1/2)
”I a beyond my expectations,” said Ellerey
”Are you?”
”Believeapart in a corner of one of the rooh to overhear their conversation Lord Cloverton glanced over his shoulder to make sure of this before he went on quietly:
”I have heard that Desi at cards and for other dishonorable practices I took you to be this saht,the Aly in the eye ”The Desentle and country had no further need of He was foully murdered by a lie The Desmond Ellerey who has the honor to speak to you is a Captain of Horse in the service of his Majesty Ferdinand IV
of Wallaria, and looks for favor and reward only fro and country he serves”
He turned on his heel as he spoke, and the Aure was lost in thecrowd
CHAPTER V
TWO VISITORS
Lord Cloverton sat in his private roohtly-closed lips showing that he was deeply occupied in a proble been solved, gave him considerable anxiety He had pushed his chair back from the table, and his attention was concentrated on the papers he held in his hand They had coh he had read each one carefully on its arrival, he had put theether They were all before hi reading theether the inforible story It was not an easy task, and the result he arrived at gave him little satisfaction
”This pestilential felloill make trouble for us,” he said to hiain
”Absolutely no doubt of his guilt,” he read slowly fro, of course, but the evidence was exceedingly strong against him That he accepted the verdict and disappeared in the manner he did, would seem to confirm the truth That is what I cannot understand,” said the A the point to the empty room ”Why did he accept it and disappear? Why didn't he stand and face the frowning world and beat it? That is what I should have expected from such a man, and with such eyes, too”
He took up another paper
”The question can hardly be reopened, gest that there was any error of justice in thean action for slander in the civil courts, and for this purpose be persuaded to return to England”
The Ambassador shook his head; he had not much faith in persuasion in this case Then he turned to another letter and read one paragraph in it more than once It impressed him
”'I feel convinced that Desmond Ellerey is an innocentable to explain them That he accepted the inevitable I think I can understand, considering the weight of evidence against hiainst his determination to offer his sword to another country, I can appreciate his point of view since his career had been ruined in his own If you think any good will coestion contained in your letter, I will certainly do so, and shall, of course, not mention that I have heard from you, or that we are known to each other'” The Anature--”'Charles Martin' An excellent ht”
He turned over another paper signed Ralph Ellerey
”He does not count,” said the Aesture of conte to read it again Then he rang a bell upon his table, and a man entered
”Ask Captain Ward to co the room with little short steps when the Captain entered ”Do you know a Deses by the Western Gate, Ward?”
”I know there is such aabout hierous I want you to keep an eye upon his movements He is friendly with Monsieur De Froilette, and is in her Majesty's favor I do not want you to make Ellerey's acquaintance I don't want him to knoho you are, for the present at any rate”
”I understand”
”I should be glad to see hi that, I ah to hope he may ht be arranged,” was the answer