"
"The man did not elect to live in this house," remarked Mr. Jones. "And
by the by, what could he have meant by speaking of circumstances which
prevented him lodging us in the other bungalow? You remember what he
said, Martin? Sounded cryptic."
Martin, who remembered and understood the phrase as directly motived by
the existence of the girl, waited a little before saying:
"Some of his artfulness, sir; and not the worst of it either. That
manner of his to us, this asking no questions, is some more of his
artfulness. A man's bound to be curious, and he is; yet he goes on as if
he didn't care. He does care--or else what was he doing up with a cigar
in the middle of the night, doing a think? I don't like it."
"He may be outside, observing the light here, and saying the very same
thing to himself of our own wakefulness," gravely suggested Ricardo's
governor.
"He may be, sir; but this is too important to be talked over in the
dark. And the light is all right, it can be accounted for. There's a
light in this bungalow in the middle of the night because--why, because
you are not well. Not well, sir--that's what's the matter, and you will
have to act up to it."
The consideration had suddenly occurred to the faithful henchman, in the
light of a felicitous expedient to keep his governor and the girl apart
as long as possible.
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