Page:Burton Stevenson--The marathon mystery.djvu/138

116 With a hand not wholly steady, I opened the door. Tremaine was sitting in the chair where I had left him and was just lighting another cigarette.

He arose with a smile as I came in.

“I must be going,” he said. “And you will keep an eye on Cecily?”

“Yes, I’ll be glad to,” I assented. Surely, I need hesitate at no means to learn the truth about him.

“And be as gay as you please,” he added. “You’re doing me a great favour, which I shall take care to repay some day. Good-night.”

“Good-night,” I answered and closed the door.

As I turned, Godfrey walked calmly out of the bedroom. I waited till I heard Tremaine’s door close. Then I opened mine softly and looked up and down the hall. It was empty.

“You’re getting cautious,” said Godfrey, as I closed the door a second time.

“Yes—I’m beginning to fear him. You heard?”

“Every word.”

“And what do you think of him?”

“I think,” said Godfrey slowly, “that he’s one of the most consummate scoundrels I ever had to deal with. However, we’ll unmask him—he’s letting us into his citadel.”

“Yes,” I said, “and I hesitated”

“I saw you did; and I was trembling for fear you’d refuse—your notions of honour are a little too finely drawn.”

“I think I should have refused,” I said, “if I hadn’t been called away to the telephone, and so had time to