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Highly coloured bills announcing the glove-fight between Nigger Ned and Malvoli were slapped about the walls. "Well," said Flambeau, "I never murdered anyone, even in my criminal days, but I can almost sympathize with anyone doing it in such a dreary place.
Again and again he repeated the long and short waves of the flaming torch, but no answering light appeared. All was dark upon the towering summit, that loomed up black and lonely against the deep vault of dark, star-lit blue. His was a weird figure, standing in the centre of the circle of uncertain light shed by the flambeau, watching eagerly, and waving his signals with untiring energy.
He heard Flambeau say to Fanshaw that no doubt this meant the pilot must keep both eyes open and be spry.
They didn't have candlesticks because they didn't want them; they held the candles in their hands when they explored the caves." "Is that all?" asked Flambeau after a long pause. "Have we got to the dull truth at last?" "Oh, no," said Father Brown.
But the king, who appeared to wish to be informed, was disposed to give another look at this dismal spot. Gaston perceived his nephew's desire. "Look, sire," said he, taking a flambeau from the hands of M. de Saint-Remy, "this is where he fell. There was a bed there, the curtains of which he tore with catching at them." "Why does the floor seem hollowed out at this spot?" asked Louis.
"My friend," said Flambeau, talking French in his excitement, "not only is your murderer invisible, but he makes invisible also the murdered man." Angus looked round at the dim room full of dummies, and in some Celtic corner of his Scotch soul a shudder started.
"I am afraid of finding it," said Flambeau. The London detective spoke suddenly in a high crowing voice that was meant to be conversational and cheery. "I wonder why he really did hide himself like that. Something nasty, I suppose; was he a leper?" "Something worse than that," said Flambeau. "And what do you imagine," asked the other, "would be worse than a leper?"
Suppose a father forbade a son to gamble and then, following him in a good disguise, threatened the boy with his own sham paternal strictness! Suppose but, here we are, my friend." "My God!" cried Flambeau; "you don't mean " An active figure ran down the steps of the house and showed under the golden lamplight the unmistakable head that resembled the Roman coin.
Seen thus in the glass the white face looked like the face of Judas laughing horribly and surrounded by capering flames of hell. For a spasm Flambeau saw the fierce, red-brown eyes dancing, then they were covered with a pair of blue spectacles. Slipping on a loose black coat, the figure vanished towards the front of the house.
I turned without a word, slipped into my dressing-gown, and with Platts passed aft along the deserted deck. The sea was as calm as a great lake. Ahead, on the port bow, an angry flambeau burnt redly beneath the peaceful vault of the heavens. Platts nodded absently in the direction of the weird flames. "Stromboli," he said; "we shall be nearly through the Straits by breakfast-time."
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