his—shall I say manners or manner?”
“Oh, I bear him no malice,” replied Ashe good-humoredly, “But I’m glad he’s gone, because—well, because I don’t want him to know how jolly right he is.” And he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the roof of green leaves.
“You are sure,” said Paynter, looking at the table, “that Squire Vane is dead?”
“More than that,” said Ashe, still staring at the leaves. “I’m sure of how he died.”
“Ah!” said the American, with an intake of breath, and they remained for a moment, one gazing at the tree and the other at the table.
“Sure is perhaps too strong a word,” continued Ashe. “But my conviction will want some shaking. I don’t envy the counsel for the defense.”
“The counsel for the defense,” repeated Paynter, and looked up quickly at his companion. He was struck again by the man’s Napoleonic chin and jaw, as he had been when they first talked of the legend of St. Securis.
“Then,” he began, “you don’t think the trees—”
“The trees be damned!” snorted the lawyer. “The tree had two legs on that evening. What our friend the poet,” he added, with a sneer, “would call a walking tree. Apropos of our friend the poet, you seemed surprised that night to find he was not walking poetically by the sea all the time, and I fear I affected to share your ignorance. I was not so sure then as I am now.”
“Sure of what?” demanded the other.
“To begin with,” said Ashe, “I’m sure our friend the poet followed Vane into the wood that night, for I saw him coming out again.”
Paynter leaned forward, suddenly pale with excitement, and struck the wooden table so that it rattled.
“Mr. Ashe, you’re wrong,” he cried. “You’re a wonderful man and you’re wrong. You’ve probably got tons of true convincing evidence, and you’re wrong. I know this poet; I know him as a poet; and that’s just what you don’t. I know you think he gave you crooked answers, and seemed to be all smiles and black looks at once; but you don’t understand
Prev.
Back
Top