Page:Burton Stevenson--The marathon mystery.djvu/197

Rh sitting, gazing across the water and smoking an odoriferous pipe. Between his knees he held a Winchester repeater and a revolver-butt stuck from a case at his belt.

Delroy laughed quietly as he looked at him.

“Why, you’re a regular arsenal,” he said. “You’re taking it in earnest for sure.”

“Might as well be on th’ safe side, sir,” responded Graham sententiously.

“And where’s the necklace?”

“Lowered from th’ end of th’ pier, sir.”

“No chance of it getting away?”

“I tied th’ knots, sir.”

“All right—that settles it. You’re not going to sit out here all night, I hope?”

“Willum takes his trick at midnight, sir. He’s gone over t’ th’ house t’ bring a cot an’ some beddin’ down t’ th’ boathouse. We’ll take turn an’ turn about.”

“Well,” said Delroy, turning away, “I see I can sleep without worrying any over the safety of the necklace. If there’s anything you want, Graham, in the way of eatables or drinkables, don’t hesitate to send to the butler for them.”

“Thank ’ee, sir; but I guess we’ll let th’ drinkables alone fer th’ present. We’ll cook our own meals on th’ stove in th’ boathouse.”

“What do you want to do that for?”

“Well,” returned Graham slowly, “then we’ll know that they ain’t nothin’ in them thet hadn’t ought t’ be there.”

Delroy laughed again, long and loud, and even Drysdale smiled.