He carried a telegram
upon a salver.
"For you, sir," he announced, addressing Captain Griffiths. "An
orderly has just brought it down."
Griffiths looked at the pink envelope and frowned. He tore it open,
however, without a word. As he read, his long, upper teeth closed
in upon his lip. So he stood there until two little drops of blood
appeared.
Then he turned to Mills.
"There is no answer," he said.
The man bowed and left the room. He walked slowly and he looked
back from the doorway. It was scarcely possible for even so
perfectly trained a servant to escape from the atmosphere of tragedy.
"Something tells me," Lessingham remarked coolly, as soon as the
door was closed, "that that message concerns me."
The Commandant made no immediate reply. He straightened out the
telegram and read it once more under the lamplight, as though to
be sure there was no possible mistake. Then he folded it up and
placed it in his waistcoat pocket.
"The notion of your arrest, sir," he said to Lessingham harshly,
"is apparently distasteful to some one at headquarters who has not
digested my information. I am withdrawing my men for the present."
"You're not going to arrest him?" Philippa cried.
"I am not," Captain Griffiths answered. "But," he added, turning
to Lessingham, "this is only a respite. I have more evidence
behind all that I have offered.
Pages:
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198