“There is no country in the world, Miss Bower, where such privileges are extended to a prisoner under remand. I, as Mr. Garlett’s legal adviser, have free private access to him. But you cannot expect the same privilege. Whatever you have to say to him will be said in the presence of two warders.”
He saw that this was a great surprise to her, and she looked deeply troubled.
“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” he exclaimed. “I’ll put the case to the Governor. I suppose you’ve met him?”
“I remember that he was in the cricket pavilion at that big match last May, and I even had a talk with him. But I don’t suppose he’ll remember me.”
“You do yourself an injustice!” exclaimed the old lawyer gallantly. “I expect Colonel Brackbury remembers you very well indeed. In any case I will put the matter to him personally. I take it, Miss Bower,” he looked at her hard, “that you really require to see Mr. Garlett on business?”
“I would willingly tell you why I wish to see him, but I have given my word to tell no one.” She hesitated, and then, “I have been asked to put a certain question to him.”
“Kentworthy making the poor girl do his dirty work,” thought Mr. Toogood. Aloud he observed:
“Well, my dear young lady, I’ll see what can be done. I know the Governor will stretch a point if he can. He is on very cordial terms with your uncle, and I seem to remember that he’s a regular cricket maniac. Funny, isn’t it, that such things should make any difference? But they do! I’ve found out that the lawyer who doesn’t allow for the oddities of human nature makes a great mistake—I mean professionally. I hope you’ve left every one quite well at home, eh?—I mean at Bonnie Doon?”
“I’ve been in London,” she answered, “so I haven’t seen them since the day before yesterday.”
“That fixes it!” said the lawyer to himself. “I wonder what Kentworthy wants that poor girl to get out of Garlett? Surely he’s never told her to find out who was in the wood with him? That would be hard on her. Yet he may be beginning to see what I’ve always seen, that Garlett’s one hope is to bring some other woman into the case.”