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Updated: May 3, 2025
The doctor readjusted his pince-nez, and seated himself with some deliberation on the foot of the bed. "The instinct to assist a hunted fellow-creature," he observed, "is almost universal." Then he paused. "I take it, Mr. Lyndon, that you are not particularly anxious to rejoin your friends in Princetown?" I shook my head. "Not if there is a more pleasant alternative." Savaroff grunted.
"I will accept the offer on one condition that I can have a week in London before beginning work." With an oath Savaroff started up from the window-sill. "Gott in Himmel! and who are you to make terms?" he exclaimed roughly. "Why, we have only to send you back to the prison and you will be flogged like a dog!" "In which distressing event," I observed, "you would not get your explosive."
McMurtrie had given me a sovereign and some loose silver for immediate expenses, and I stopped at the bookstall to buy myself some papers. I selected a Mail, a Sportsman, Punch, and the Saturday Review. I lingered over the business because it seemed to annoy Savaroff: indeed it was not until he had twice jogged my elbow that I made my final selection.
McMurtrie was sitting on the seat just opposite, pouring out the contents of a flask into a small metal cup. Against the cabin door leaned Savaroff, eyeing me with his usual expression of hostile mistrust. The third passenger was the man with the auburn beard, whom I had seen in the launch on the day I picked up Mr. Gow.
"The German Government have made us a very good offer for your invention, provided of course that it will do what you claim." "It will do what I claim all right," I said coolly, "but I don't wish to sell it to the German Government." There was a sort of explosive gasp from von Brünig and Savaroff, and I saw McMurtrie's eyes narrow into two dangerous cat-like slits.
I looked at him closely. For once there was no trace of mockery in his eyes. "I should like it very much indeed, if it was possible," I answered. McMurtrie leaned forward a little. "It is possible," he said quietly. There was a short pause. Savaroff pulled out a cigar, bit off the end, and spat it into the fireplace. Then he reached sideways to the chest of drawers for a match.
Joyce made a gesture of perplexity. "I know," she said. "It's an absolute mystery to me too. I've been puzzling and puzzling over it till my head aches, and I can't see any sort of explanation at all." "The only thing that's quite plain," I said, "is the fact that McMurtrie and Savaroff have been lying to me from the start. They are no more powder-merchants than you are.
I knew I was putting them in a difficulty, for by this time they must be all aware that Latimer was still on their track, and it was obviously conceivable that my attempted arrest might be due in some way to my connection with them; anyhow I saw that even Savaroff was beginning to regard me a shade less suspiciously. "Have you brought any of the powder with you?" asked McMurtrie.
He stepped forward into the room, followed by Savaroff, who closed the door behind him. The latter then lounged across and sat down on the window-sill, McMurtrie remaining standing by my bedside. "You have read the Mail, I see," he said, picking up the paper. "I hope you admired the size of the headlines." "It's the type of compliment," I replied, "that I have had rather too much of."
I have no excuse for stopping in bed except lack of clothes." He nodded and sat down on the window-sill. "I daresay we can find a way out of that difficulty. My friend Savaroff would, I am sure, be delighted to lend you some garments to go on with. You seem to be much of a size." "Well, I should be delighted to accept them," I said.
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