“Well, so you’ve found me,” he cried, with a laugh. “It’s no good your thinking of taking me, unless you’ve brought a stretcher, for I can’t walk.”
“We sha’n’t take you without doctor’s orders, if you’re ill, sir.”
“Well, he won’t give you the order, so you’d better leave your warrant, and run away and play.” 308
“I have to warn you, sir,” said the officer pompously, “that anything you say will be taken down in evidence against you.”
“Well, take that down in evidence—what I’ve just said. You’re a smart lot to look everywhere except in the most likely place. Take that down as well.”
“We don’t want any impudence. You’re our prisoner; we shall put an officer in the house.”
“Well, all I ask is that you won’t make things more unpleasant for my mother and father than is absolutely necessary. Now, get out. I’m reading an interesting book. If you should see Mr. Ormsby, you can give him my kind regards, and tell him he’s a bigger cad than I thought, and, when I’m free, I’ll repeat the dose I gave him at our club dinner. Say I’m sorry I didn’t rob his bank of seventy thousand instead of seven thousand.”
“Do I understand, sir,” said the officer, taking out his notebook, “that you confess to defrauding the bank of seven thousand dollars?”
“Oh, certainly! I’ll confess to anything you like, only get out.”
Netty had taken refuge in the drawing-room, where she locked herself in, inspired with an unreasoning terror, and a dread of seeing her brother handcuffed and carried out of the house. The 309 rector and his wife stood face to face in the study, with the table between them.