“Be cautious that you do not mention Mr. Carew's arrival here. There is a writ out against him for debt, and he has come up here to be out of the way.”
Raper heard the words without even discontinuing to write, and merely muttered a brief “Very well,” in reply.
When Fagan re-entered the chamber, he found my father just rallying from a fainting-fit, which loss of blood and agitation together had brought on. Two or three glasses of wine, hastily swallowed, restored him, and he was again able to converse.
“Can you be traced to this house? Is there any clew to you here?” asked Fagan, resuming his former seat.
“None, so far as I know. The affair occurred thus—”
“Pardon my interrupting you,” broke in Fagan; “but the most important thing at this moment is, to provide for your safety, in the event of any search after you. Have you any ground to apprehend this?”
“None whatever. You shall hear the story.”
“They are talking of it outside!” whispered Fagan, with a gesture of his hand to enforce caution; “let us listen to them.” And he slowly unlocked the door, and left it to stand ajar.
The outer shop was by this time filling with the small fruit-vendors of the capital,—a class peculiarly disposed to collect and propagate the gossip of the day; and Fagan well knew how much the popular impression would depend upon the coloring of their recital.
“'T is lucky,” said one, “that his watch and money was on him, or they 'd say at once it was the boys done it.”