It was too true—Devlin had found them!
CHAPTER XXXI
DOOMED
They had neither heart nor voice to talk. Not for hours. They seemed to have lived through some terrible nightmare. From the moment when they saw Devlin’s footprints the panorama had moved before them, swiftly, relentlessly. And now they were back again in the house of gloom and terror.
Skippy sat in a daze as he watched Devlin talk. “You can’t complain about me as a host,” he was saying, “after you deliberately desert my generous hospitality what do I do, eh? I bring you safely back and now I’m inviting you to help yourself to some supper. There’s plenty of bacon and beans!”
“Aw, pipe down, Devlin!” Nickie shouted, stung into action. “What you gonna do with us, hah? That’s all we wanta know!”
Devlin was calm, unruffled as ever. “I’ve got something to attend to,” he said icily. “It can’t wait. In fact, you interrupted the task by showing up when you did. But now that I have you where I know you’ll be safe, I’ll leave you for an hour or two. You’re welcome to wash the mud from yourselves and go to bed. I can assure you that you’ll be quite safe tonight!” He coughed significantly. “I’m leaving you boys with an easy mind—there’s no Frost now to double-cross me! Goodnight!”
Skippy shivered until he was certain the man was gone. Then he got up wearily and reached for the coffee-pot. Nickie watched with some surprise.
“You got the heart to eat, hah?”
“Not the heart, Nick—just the stomach.”
“Ugh! I’m sick, Skip—say, kid, ain’t it great the way I just natural like call you Skippy, hah? Just like I always knew it’s your name. I s’pose he’s gonna put poor Frost where nobuddy’ll ever find him, the same’s Timmy. Ugh, I’m sick all through!”