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"Certainly a queer place for a man who professes to be a peer of the realm to visit!" he muttered. "Well, now, what do you propose to do, Millwaters?" "Hang about here and watch," whispered the clerk. "Look out!" A face, heavy and bloated, appeared at a hatch-window at the back of the room, and a gruff voice made itself heard. "Any orders, gents?"
The berry-faced landlord had now shut down the hatch, and his two bar-parlour customers were alone and unobserved. Perkwite drew away from the window, pulling Millwaters by the sleeve. "Careful!" he said. "There's something seriously wrong here, Millwaters! What's Miss Wickham being brought down here for? See, they've gone into that surgery, and the car's going off.
Two or three of the other men came out with Cave, but Millwaters noticed that Cave immediately separated from them. He was evidently impressing upon them that he was in a great hurry about something or other, and sped away from them, Millwaters's cold eye upon him.
Once or twice in this chase the quarry lifted a hand to an approaching taxicab, only to find each was engaged; it was not until he and his pursuer were in front of the Great Western Hotel that Cave found an empty cab, hailed it, and sprang in. Millwaters grinned quietly at that; he was used to this sort of chase, and he had memorized car and number before Cave had been driven off.
"He'll think we're doing a bit of trade, so we've nothing to do but stand in this window and keep an eye on the street. Out of this I'm not going till I see whether that fellow comes out or stops in!" Some time had passed, and Millwaters had been obliged to repeat his order for bottled Bass before anything took place in the street outside. Suddenly he touched his companion's elbow.
Millwaters knew Mr. Perkwite very well as a promising young barrister whom Carless and Driver sometimes favoured with briefs. Mr. Perkwite's presence did not disturb him; he moved into the farther corner, and Mr. Perkwite slipped inside. The car moved off in pursuit of the one in front. "So you're on that game, Mr. Perkwite?" remarked Millwaters. "Ah!
"There's been another arrival at Number 23 not five minutes since. Another of our little lot!" "Who?" demanded Perkwite. "Viner!" replied Millwaters. "Came peeping and perking along the street, took a glimpse of the premises and the adjacent purlieus, rang at Number 23, and was let in by the party that came with Miss Wickham! Now, whatever can he be doing there, Mr. Perkwite?"
Let's get away, find a taxicab, and go to your but, good heavens!" he went on, breaking off as two men came into the yard. "Here's one of Carless' clerks, and Perkwite the barrister. What are you doing here?" he demanded, as Millwaters and Perkwite hurried up. "Are you after anybody along there in that house the one at the end?" "We're after a good many things and people in Dr.
And who might have got you on to it, if one may ask?" "You know that I was at your people's office yesterday?" said Perkwite. "Saw you there," replied Millwaters. "It was about this business," said the barrister. "Did you see me in the police-court this morning?" "I did listening for all you were worth," answered the clerk. "And I dare say you saw me go with the rest of them to Mr.
Its owner went swiftly ahead, with Millwaters in pursuit on one pavement, and the barrister on the other, until he finally turned into a narrower and shabbier thoroughfare. Then the clerk hurried across the road, attracted Perkwite's attention, winked at him as he passed without checking his pace, and whispered two or three words. "Wait by the street-corner!"
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