My heart was in my mouth, for at first I
believed from his expression that he had detected the gleam of my
eyeball. But if so, he probably mistook it for a bit of mica in the
rock, and paid no further attention. Then his lips moved, and I put my
ear again to the hole. He seemed to be replying to a question that the
foreman had asked.
"If they do," he said, "they will never guess the real secret."
Thereupon he turned on his heel, kicked a bit of rock off the track,
and strode away towards the entrance. The foreman paused long enough
to turn out the electric lamp, and then followed the doctor.
"Well," asked Hall, "what have you heard?"
I told him everything.
"It fully corroborates the evidence of my own eyes and ears," he
remarked, "and we may count ourselves extremely lucky. It is not
likely that Dr. Syx will be heard a second time proclaiming his
deception with his own lips. It is plain that he was led to talk as he
did to the foreman on account of the latter's having informed him of
the sudden discharge of my men this morning. Their presence within
ear-shot of our hiding-place during their conversation was, of course,
pure accident, and so you can see how kind fortune has been to us.
Pages:
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59