Page:Bentley- Trent's Last Case (Nelson, nd).djvu/35

Rh 'Look here, Molloy,' the voice broke out querulously, 'the thing may be a case for me, or it may not. We can't possibly tell. It may be a mystery; it may be as simple as bread and cheese. The body not being robbed looks interesting, but he may have been outed by some wretched tramp whom he found sleeping in the grounds and tried to kick out. It's the sort of thing he would do. Such a murderer might easily have sense enough to know that to leave the money and valuables was the safest thing. I tell you frankly, I wouldn't have a hand in hanging a poor devil who had let daylight into a man like Sig Manderson as a measure of social protest.'

Sir James smiled at the telephone–a smile of success. 'Come, my boy, you're getting feeble. Admit you want to go and have a look at the case. You know you do. If it's anything you don't want to handle, you're free to drop it. By the by, where are you?'

'I am blown along a wandering wind,' replied the voice irresolutely, 'and hollow, hollow, hollow all delight.'

'Can you get here within an hour?' persisted Sir James.