Hartridge’s reply was guarded. “No man is infallible, Mr. Tregarvon. I speak only of the things I know.”
“Then there is a chance that, in spite of your geological deduction, Thaxter and the men he represents have more accurate data?”
This time the professor’s rejoinder was fairly cryptic. “The earth holds many secrets. During the long interval in which the Ocoee properties were allowed to lie idle and uncared for, it was anybody’s privilege to investigate them. I am violating no confidence in saying that the people who are now trying to induce you to sell have made a number of surveys. They probably know your ground foot by foot.”
Once more Tregarvon found himself confronted by the dead wall of Hartridge’s reservations. That the professor was making reservations he did not doubt for an instant. There was still some bar to perfect frankness, and he seemed powerless to break it down. In sheer desperation he shunted the talk to the field of the obstacles.
“It seems to be conclusively proved that the drill-dulling is chargeable to Thaxter, acting through the man Sawyer,” he said. “But Tryon refuses to believe that the other harassings have been inspired by the trust.”
They had reached the Highmount boundary, and Hartridge paused with his hand on the gate latch.
“I am entirely at one with your foreman in that belief, Mr. Tregarvon,” he rejoined. “Now that we are again upon amicable terms, I may confess that I have been greatly interested in the problem which these harassments have presented—the solving of problems being one of my small recreations. Did you leave an enemy at home who would be vindictive enough to follow you here?”
Tregarvon shook his head. “So far as I know, I hadn’t an enemy in the wide world when I came here.”
“Then you have developed one in situ, as it were, and a very unscrupulous one. Have you formed any theory of your own?”
“None that is worth considering. At first, I suspected the McNabbs, fancying that their enmity might be a holdover on account of the old lawsuit about the land titles. That was before I knew that I had two of them working for me in the drill-gang. Later—I am ashamed to confess it—I thought that possibly Judge Birrell might have passed the word that I was to be driven out. That was a pure absurdity, of course.”