"Mr. Underwood has enemies," he said calmly. "Mr. Selby, for instance, is not friendly to him. Of course you know that, and you will understand that anything he may say to you about his rival ought to be discounted. I don't need to suggest to you which is the more worthy of faith and credit. One is a gentleman, the other isn't. Of course there could never for a moment be a question of counting the two men equal." And then, fearful from the terrified dismay on her face that if he kept on she would say something that would give the situation away, he switched the conversation off upon tracks of glittering generality, and spun it out as long as he dared. If it really were Selby in the back room waiting for him to go, he was going to give him his money's worth! He even ventured on a form of open flattery which he guessed would make Selby furious and which certainly made Miss Hadley stare at him in innocent amazement. When the lengthening shadows forced him at last to take his leave, he took it with a lingering deliberation that measured out exasperation to his hidden enemy drop by drop.
He went immediately to his own room in the hotel, which, it will be remembered, overlooked the Hadley house, and sat down by the open window to read the evening papers. There was no reason, surely, why he should not sit by his own window! He had to wait nearly half an hour, but he was rewarded. At the end of that time Selby came out of the house and, with a dark glance toward the hotel, hurried up the street.
Burton laughed softly, but after a while he began to wonder just what he had gained by his absurd punishment of the eavesdropper. Nothing, probably, except a malicious satisfaction which was not particularly creditable to him. He instinctively disliked Selby; but unless Selby could be shown to have an active hand in the mysterious disturbances which had been laid at Henry's door, he had no quarrel with him. It was questionable wisdom to antagonize Selby unnecessarily at this stage of the proceedings. However, the first thing to do now was to see Dr. Underwood and consult with him as to the steps to be taken for securing legal counsel.
It was noticeable that the necessity of calling at the Red House immediately lightened the burden of the day's affairs.
[CHAPTER XIV]
BURTON'S TURN
The surgery, whatever claim it may originally have had to the title, appeared now to be the doctor's den and smoking-room. Mrs. Bussey indicated that he would find the doctor there, and Burton did not attempt to conceal from himself the pleasure with which he discovered that Leslie was with her father, and that she gave no sign of any intention to beat an immediate retreat.
"How is my patient?" he asked, with an elaborate assumption of the popular physician's "bedside manner."
"Mighty glad to see you," said Dr. Underwood, with a look that made the words go home. "Leslie and I have been sitting here cultivating a magnificent crop of the blues. There was trouble enough before, but this affair--"
"Is the best possible thing that could have happened, because it will bring matters to a crisis," answered Burton. "I told you that I am firmly convinced that your son is innocent, and I hold to that belief in spite of the unnatural conduct of his father in feeling discouraged. I have been talking with Mr. Underwood in the jail."