Page:Marsh--The seen and the unseen.djvu/193



VII.

THE ASSASSIN

CHAPTER I. KENNARD passed the paper to Nash.

"Read that," he said

Nash did as he was told; he read the advertisement to which Kennard was pointing with his finger. We give that advertisement, rendered from the original French into English:—

"An individual wishes to be rid of the insupportable burden of existence. For particular reasons this individual wishes to leave behind a certain sum of money. In exchange, therefore, for a suitable amount the advertiser will undertake to perform any deed which shall inevitably result in death.—Address, Tired, 30 bis. Rue de Pekin."

"Candid almost to a fault," was Willie Nash's comment "Gerbert, what do you think of this?"

Having read it, M. Gerbert shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, what of it? It is nothing."

"You think it is nothing."

"It is either a hoax—in which case it is plainly nothing, or it is true—and what is it then? How many people are there, do you suppose, who are tired of their lives—look at me, for instance, look at me! 169