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It may be the last that either of us will eat, you know." "Poof!" exclaimed Von Hamner, who was feeling not a little nettled at this quiet challenge to test his personal courage. "You are the last man on earth that I should have suspected of superstition, my dear Hendry. But, there, give your orders, and we will go to lunch, and then about four o'clock we may make our call in Candler's Court."
The way in which he said "try and shoot me" did not sound well in their ears, but Nicol Hendry thought that the work had to be put through now or not at all. He took a couple of steps towards Phadrig, and a couple of sharp snaps told Von Hamner that their prisoner was safe. But the prisoner did not seem to think so. He raised his hands and looked at the handcuffs.
"If we had done that we should know even more about you than we do now and that ought to be enough to hang you." He had spluttered the words out before Hendry had time to stop him. He expected a tragedy there and then, but it did not happen. Phadrig took the telegram out of his coat pocket, handed it to Von Hamner with a graceful bow, and said: "Your information is quite correct, gentlemen.
Then his speech changed to German, and he went on: "You, sir, are M. Nicol Hendry, and your friend is the Herr von Hamner, Chief of the Berlin Section. What can I do to serve you?" It was anything but the greeting that they expected. They thought that they had tracked the real criminal to his last hiding-place.
"It looks like we can't never do anything at all," moaned Frances, "'thout grown folks 've got to know 'bout it." "Yes, and laugh fit to pop theirselfs open," said her fellow-prisoner. "I can't never pass by Owen Gibbs and Len Hamner now 'thout they laugh just like idjets and grin just like pole-cats."
You could no more make me guilty of that than you could hang me for the deaths of those foolish spies of yours. Now, what is it to be? Pardon me, Herr von Hamner: the bracelets inconvenience you. Allow me." He took the handcuffs between his finger and thumb, shook the chain, and they dropped into his hand. "You will feel more comfortable now."
His clothes fell away from his body in rotting shreds, and before Nicol Hendry and Von Hamner had quite grasped the full meaning of the horror that was happening before their eyes, all that was left of him was a little heap of yellow bones with a few fragments of cloth clinging to them. "Gentlemen," said Franklin Marmion, "there are some things which cannot be told.
Von Hamner crawled back to his chair. He did not like the look of a dead man who had come to life again. Nicol Hendry held out his hand, and said: "And is it really you, Professor? Mr Amena here has just had news that you were dead 'fallen overboard in the Baltic from Prince Oscarovitch's yacht. Body not recovered, is what the telegram says." "The body is here right enough, M. Hendry.
C. Hamner, his heirs and assigns forever, against the claims of themselves, their heirs, and against the claims of all and every person or persons whatever. Said Cromwell and wife further warrant said negro woman, Milly, to be sound and healthy, and slaves for life.
Phadrig put his hand up, and when the smoke had drifted away, he held it out to Von Hamner, and said: "I think that is your bullet, mein Herr." The bullet was lying in the palm of his hand, a little out of shape through passing the rifling, but still the same bullet. The German's face turned a reddish-grey, and Nicol Hendry, with all his courage, was not feeling particularly well.
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