Her voice died away to a whisper. Miss Farquharson was gazing at her with a very stern expression.
“I can’t,” said Mr. Goddard, “and won’t allow myself to be hustled into a perfectly illegal act. The thing’s——”
“You’ll have to do it sooner or later,” said Lord Manton. “Why not do it at once? After all, what does it matter about the man Red? It won’t do him any harm to be arrested. If he doesn’t deserve it for murdering Dr. O’Grady and the rest of them, he’s sure to deserve it for something else that we know nothing about.”
“I’m not thinking about Mr. Red’s feelings in the matter. I don’t care if he’s hanged, drawn, and quartered, so long as Miss Blow does it herself. But I’m not going to be dragged into a——”
“Look here,” said Lord Manton in a whisper, “you must do it, Goddard. If you don’t, I shall never get these ladies out of the house.”
“Very well,” said Mr. Goddard, “I’ll do it; but I’ll do it on your authority. Make out a warrant in proper form and sign it. Then I’ll go and arrest Red.”
“Certainly,” said Lord Manton. “I haven’t got the—ah—the necessary papers here, you know. I don’t keep them in the house. Go down to the Clerk of Petty Sessions, Miss Blow. You’ll find him in his office. Get him to fill the form in the proper way. He’ll understand. Then send it up to me by one of the police. I’ll sign it and hand it on to Mr. Goddard. I think that will be the most satisfactory arrangement we can make. Don’t you?”
He appealed to Miss Farquharson, carefully avoiding Miss Blow’s eye.