“Can you see any policemen inside?” whispered Elsie.
Parkinson got down and opening the door took out a small tree which he carried up to the porch and there deposited. Carrados followed.
“At all events there isn’t much wrong,” said Bellmark. “He’s smiling all the time.”
“No, it isn’t really a smile,” explained Elsie; “it’s his normal expression.”
She went out into the hall just as the front door was opened.
“It is the ‘Scarlet-fruited thorn’ of North America,” Bellmark heard the visitor remarking. “Both the flowers and the berries are wonderfully good. Do you think that you would permit me to choose the spot for it, Mrs Bellmark?”
Bellmark joined them in the hall and was introduced.
“We mustn’t waste any time,” he suggested. “There is very little light left.”
“True,” agreed Carrados. “And Coccinea requires deep digging.”
They walked through the house, and turning to the right passed into the region of the vegetable garden. Carrados and Elsie led the way, the blind man carrying the tree, while Bellmark went to his outhouse for the required tools.