Page:Arthur Stringer--The House of Intrigue.djvu/289

Rh "I'll explain that, me darling, when I get out there to your side," was the answer that came over the wire.

It rather made me sit up. I didn't relish the thought of that particular person visiting my particular house of refuge. For, at some undefined moment during my talk at the phone, the slightly Celtic intonation of that voice had solved the riddle for me. I at last knew my man. It was Pinky McClone himself who was talking over the wire.

"Listen," I said to him with sudden decision. "It won't be safe for you to come out here!"

"I know it won't!" was Pinky's resolute answer. "But all the powers of heaven won't be keeping me away from you!"

"I'm not thinking of the powers of heaven," I tried to tell him, as I ventured a second wild guess. "I'm thinking of the man who's trying to keep us apart!"

"Do you know what I'm going to do when I meet that man?" demanded the voice over the wire.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm going to kill him!" was the altogether disturbing reply that came in to me.

I sat there staring so blankly ahead of me that it was some time before I became actually aware of the