"Yes, yes, with the greatest pleasure!" cried Mr. Rodney, feebly temporising.
"Thank you! You're a man, after all! We'll kill him yet, between us!"
Mr. Rodney gasped. Still, he preferred the rôle of murderer to the rôle of dead body, on the whole. He therefore thought it best to reply:
"I hope so—I sincerely hope so."
"My belief is this," continued the Duke, knitting his brows ferociously, "that the fellow is already more than half dead."
"Dear me!"
"Although he had sufficient strength left to crawl away and hide himself—Heaven knows where."
"Oh!"
"Either he'll die in some attic or basement, under a pump, or in a sink or somewhere, like the rat he is, or he'll break out of the place and make a bee-line for Bungay. In that event, we shall follow him directly it's dawn."