"Make it a hundred and fifty."
"Done!"
Denton placed in the hands of Nicholas Bundy his letters of instruction from Mr. Kenyon.
"They will help our case," said Nicholas. "I think we shall be able to bring our common enemy to terms."
CHAPTER XL.
THE THUNDERBOLT FALLS.
M R. KENYON returned from the South baffled in his enquiries about his wife. Henceforth his life was one unceasing anxiety. He had pretended that his wife was dead, and she might at any time return alive to the village. This would place him in a very disagreeable position. He might, indeed, say that she was insane, and that he had been compelled to place her in an asylum. But everybody would ask: "Why did you not say this before? Why report that your wife was dead?" and he would be unprepared with an answer.
Indeed, he feared that the discovery of his conduct would make him legally liable to an unpleasant extent.
We already know that he had employed Denton to dog the steps of Oliver and Bundy. All at once Denton ceased to communicatewith him. For five days not a word had come to him from Chicago. He naturally felt disturbed.
"What has got into Denton? Why doesn't he write to me? Can he have betrayed me?"