“Somebody cut the cords,” he said. “Look here—and here!” and he pointed out fragments of the strong cord with which the captive had been bound.
“That’s so. Do you think he did it himself?” asked Philip, disappointed.
“No; he was too securely tied. I took care of that. Somebody came along and released him.”
“I hope he had to stay all night, at any rate,” said Philip.
“That we cannot discover at present. One thing is certain—he’s free.”
“I’m sorry I came,” muttered Philip. “I have had this long walk for nothing.”
“You haven’t had the satisfaction of releasing him, I suppose, you mean?”
“No, I don’t. I wanted to see how he looked. It’s too bad he got away.”
“There’s nothing for it but to go back,” said Congreve. “You’d better look out for him. He may want to pay you off.”
“He’d better not try it,” said Philip, but he seemed uneasy at the thought.