“Not at all. Glad to see you.”
“Thank you, sir. You’ve got a tidy sorto’ place ’ere. Now if I was you I’d bank up that celery a little more, an’ them artichokes want cuttin’ back. Awful things artichokes is to grow on you, if you gives ’em a chance.”
“What do you know about gardening?”
“Most all there is to know, I expect, considerin’ that I was once in that way myself. Indeed I ’opes some day, if ever I can scrape up enough money, to buy a little place I know out ’Ampstead way. But there, I didn’t come ’ere to talk of gardens; I came over on quite another matter. Krantz sent me.”
“Krantz!”
“Yes. You see that Doctor Bergius ’as got something up ’is sleeve. We can’t quite make ’im out. ’E’s a great one, ’e is. There ain’t a greater international crook on the Continent to-day. ’E was ragin’ mad because Krantz got the system away from ’im, and now ’e swears ’e’ll get even, and do the Casino one in the eye.”
“That reminds me,” said Hugh. “What happened that night after we got away?”
“Oh, they thought you’d got at a knife with your free ’and and cut the ropes. I joined the chase and ’eaded ’em in the wrong direction. You see my bein’ with Vulning was an idea of Krantz’s. He suspected that Vulning ’ad the papers and got me to approach ’im. I pretended I’d fallen out with Krantz; and after a bit Vulning told me ’e ’ad the papers. It was me suggested ’e get you to translate ’em. Krantz was to come to your rescue. But we didn’t bargain on the other gang. However, it came off all right.”
“What do you want of me now?”
“Well, you see, I’m no longer in the confidence of that crowd. The doctor distrusted me from the first. There was the business of the window for one thing. Why didn’t I ’appen to fasten it properly? Anyhow they won’t ’ave anything to do with me now; and I can’t get to the bottom of the game they are playin’. But I do know they are ’avin’ an important meetin’ to-morrow at Vulning’s villa. It’s at two o’clock. There will only be Vulning and the doctor and Castelli. Now we were thinkin’ if we could get Vulning out of the way, and you could take his place....”