I asked at once whether he had been told of the pocket book. Yes, it
appeared he had. He had seemed very interested, but had immediately
ordered his dinner hour to be advanced and then hurried away without
putting further questions.
Was his haste a consequence of what he was told, or merely a
coincidence? Well, I was resolved to leave that point in doubt no later
than his return. I hardly debated at all the question of what to do. The
baffling business of groping in the dark, and daily scheming to discover
a window, without giving myself away, had gone on long enough. I had
found a head at last and I meant to hit it. It might turn out to be the
wrong head; still, I felt convinced I could scarcely fail to discover
something fresh.
But though I proposed to take a bold course and make a short cut to the
heart of this infernal mystery, I realised perfectly that if the cut
actually led me there, it would prove an exceedingly dangerous by-way.
It was such a gamble that I shrank from summoning my cousin until it had
come off, but I wrote out the code telegram we had arranged and put it
in my pocket ready for emergencies. Of the doctor's two servants the
younger anyhow was absolutely trustworthy I was convinced, and I meant
to send her with the wire to the post office while I kept guard over the
prisoner.
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