The great fireplace faced the open door of the kitchen; they all sat facing the fire, and so with their backs to the door. Bat, with a tight, strained feeling in his brain, clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair.
“To you, who are a stranger, I say all these things,” said Mrs. Kretz, busy with her needles. “And it is for this: You have been told nothing—because they are afraid. You are Mr. Campe’s friend, and went to help him. But how can you give help where you do not understand?”
But agreed with this.
“But,” said he, his eyes upon a great copper vessel which stood shining dully from the chimney piece, “I could have wished you’d have some other sort of information for me. For this puts me up against something that’ll be pretty hard to do.”
The kitchen doorway was reflected in the sheen of the copper vessel; and, framed in this, his brooding eyes saw a man. It was a soft, bulky figure, with white, fat hands and a round face with small light-coloured eyes. And while he looked, it moved softly past the doorway and was gone.
CHAPTER XI
TELLS SOMETHING OF TWO GENTLEMEN WHO WERE ENCOUNTERED UNEXPECTEDLY
MR. BARTHOLOMEW SCANLON stood up with much calmness.
“I’m obliged to you,” said he nodding first to Mrs. Kretz and then to her daughter. “And I’ll think over what you’ve said. It might lead to something.”
“There is my husband,” said the elder woman. “He thinks women are foolish. You’ll not speak to him?”
“About this? No. I’ll mention it to no one. And,” pausing in his movement toward the door, “if you hear or see anything else which may be useful to Mr. Campe, don’t make me wait for it.”