"Machen, Arthur - A Double Return" - читать интересную книгу автора (Machen Arthur)

know it. Then, as the hansom verged westward, gliding with its ringing bells
past the great mansions facing the park, Halswell's thoughts went back to the
hotel at Plymouth and the acquaintance he had made there. "Yes; Kerr was an
amusing fellow," he thought; "glad I gave him my card. Louie is sure to get on
with him. Curious thing, too, he was wonderfully like me, if he had been only
clean shaven and not 'bearded like the pard,' Dare say we shall see him before
long; he said he was going to pay a short visit to London. I fancy he must be an
actor; I never saw such a fellow to imitate a man's voice and gestures. I wonder
what made him go off in such a hurry yesterday. Hullo! here we are; hi, cabman!
there's 153."

The twin doors of the hansom banged open; the garden gate shrieked and clanged,
and Halswell bounded up the steps and rapped loudly at the door. The maid opened
it. Even as he said, "Thank you, Jane; your mistress quite well, I suppose?" he
thought he noticed a strange look, half questioning, half surprised, in her
eyes; but he ran past her, up the stairs, and burst into the pretty drawing-
room. His wife was lying on the sofa; but she rose with a cry as he came in.

"Frank! Back again so soon? I am so glad! I thought you said you might have to
be away a week."

"My dear Louie, what do you mean? I have been away three weeks, haven't I? I
rather think I left for Devonshire in the first week of August."

"Yes, of course, my dear: but then you came back late last night."

"What! I came back last night? I slept last night at Plymouth. What are you
talking about?"

"Don't be silly, Frank. You know very well you rang us all up at twelve o'clock.
Just like you, to come home in the middle of the night when nobody expected you.
You know you said in your last letter you were not coming until to-day."

"Louise dear, you must be dreaming. I never came here last night. Here is my
bill at the hotel; you see, it is dated this morning."

Mrs. Halswell stared blankly at the bill; then she got up and rang the bell. How
hot it was! The close air of the London street seemed to choke her. Halswell
walked a few paces across the room then suddenly stopped and shuddered.

"Jane, I want to ask you whether your master did not come here last night at
twelve o'clock; and whether you did not get him a cab early this morning?"

"Yes, mum, at least -"

"At least what? You let him in yourself."

"Yes, mum, of course I did. But, begging your pardon, sir, I thought as how your
voice didn't sound quite natural this morning when you called out to the cabman
to drive to Stepney, because you had changed your mind, and didn't want to go to