She gave the signal to the driver of the landau to move on, and both she and her mother bestowed friendly smiles on the young man, as he took off his hat. Gerald watched the carriage climb up the long street and vanish over the crest of the hill. Then he walked back again to the hotel, wondering why Mrs. Crosbie was so anxious to retain his friendship when she became Mrs. Rebb. He knew that Madge was a flighty woman, although much cleverer than she pretended to be, and was sure that she had some reason for all this friendliness and chatter.
However, he had more important things to think about than Mrs. Crosbie's airs and graces, and spent a wakeful night building up theories and knocking them down again. By dawn he had arrived at the conclusion that Geary was the criminal. "I expect," thought Haskins, while taking his bath, "that Geary found his hold over Rebb was getting lax, so he deliberately killed Bellaria, knowing that the Major had gone to the Pixy's House, in the hope of getting blackmail by threatening to throw the blame of the murder on his master. And by the murder he secured to Rebb an income out of which large sums could be paid. Yes. I really believe that Geary will prove to be the guilty person. But how am I to fix the crime on him?"
This was a hard question to answer, and Gerald waited for the arrival of Tod to put it to him, since two heads are better than one. The solicitor arrived at midday, along with Arnold, having come from Belldown--so they explained--by railway. Tod looked anxious, and not so healthy as he had done in London, but Haskins put this down to the man's unavoidable fretting after his bride. Arnold had not changed in the least, and appeared to be as tiny and gnome-like as ever. First and foremost the two men, being hungry, had dinner, and then Gerald conducted them both to the hotel drawing-room--a gorgeous apartment, which had been placed at his disposal by Mrs. Jennings, for an extra pound on the bill. Having the apartment to themselves, the three men saw that the door was closed, and then sat down to talk. Gerald immediately asked the question which had been trembling on his tongue from the moment he set eyes on his friend.
"In the first place, Tod," he said impatiently, "what took you and Arnold to Belldown?"
"That is a long story," said Tod leisurely.
"Then tell it as shortly as you can."
"One moment, let us do things in order. First let me know your doings here, Jerry."
"But----" began Haskins with irritation.
Tod cut him short. "See here, Jerry," said he firmly. "I am supposed to be your solicitor, and it is my place to conduct the business. I want things done in order. First your story and then mine. Both will be extremely interesting, I have no doubt."
Gerald stared. "Why should you think that I have anything to tell?"