‘Ruth—Gertie Heckett!’ he cried. ‘Good gracious me, how could I have been so stupid? Why, of course you can tell me all about it. How comes the child away from Josh?’
Marston looked under his eyes at his companion.
‘How should I know anything about Josh Heckett’s domestic; affairs?’ he said coldly.
‘Why you see him, I suppose, now and then?’
‘My dear fellow, I thought you knew that I had cut all that crew long ago. I know no more of him than you do.’
‘Well, at any rate you know Gertie Heckett, for you mentioned her name.’
‘Of course I know her,’ answered Marston, speaking slowly and deliberately, ‘but only through her protectress, Miss Adrian. Gertie has been “rescued”—I believe that is the correct expression—and the Adrians have adopted her. The Adrians are old friends of mine.’
Gurth said ‘Oh,’ and was silent.
He couldn’t understand that beautiful creature being an old friend of dare-devil Ned Marston.
Lion had come on well ahead, and it was fully two minutes before Gertie and Ruth came out of a shop and found themselves face to face with Marston and Gurth.