"Oh, I will see that he doesn't run round too much," said the doctor, laughingly.
Martin and the doctor proceeded to London, and at the doctor's suggestion secured quarters in the suburbs, instead of at the London Bridge Hotel, where the former usually put up. Here Blount called, Martin having advised him of his residence at Croydon. He had not forgiven Martin for refusing assistance in the matter of the trial for duelling, and was rather reserved at first; but after detailing the various occurrences in which they were both interested, he succumbed to the admiration expressed by Martin and thawed out a little.
"And there is another thing I had almost forgotten," he continued. "This fellow Jacobs is without a doubt forging a will for Hall's use," and he then related the substance of the arrest of Jacobs' office boy, his subsequent relations with him and the use he had made of him. "I have a copy of the will as it is being prepared, although it is not satisfactory yet, according to what the boy tells me. Here it is. As you see names, places, and amounts are all blank—left to be filled in by Mr. Hall when the proper time arrives. This proves that he has not recovered the papers and that Jaggers tells the truth about 'The Knifer' having them. When we secure him we then wind up Mr. Hall's affairs in short order. The locket, the robbery by Jaggers, and the forgery of the will, will be enough to hang him higher than Haman.
"Morgan is now in Paris trying to find who bought the draft, and if as we suspect it is Hall, then it will not be a hard matter to find the diamond dealer from whom he obtained the cash. And now, Mr. Martin, how much time have we, before it will be absolutely necessary to close in on him?"
"I can't tell yet," returned Martin, "I must wait until Fred Carden either comes himself or reports."
He spoke wearily as though tired of the matter, and Blount ascribed it to his late illness. Doctor Fox, who had begun to notice the change in Martin since leaving Hanley Hall, and suspected the true cause, was now willing that his patient should become even excitedly interested in something—anything was better than this dull indifference—and he sought to awaken Martin's interest in various ways, but without success.
The day following Blount's visit brought O'Brien with news that Hall had arrived, and following O'Brien came Carden.
Blount was off again after "The Knifer," and O'Brien and Doctor Fox were both out when Carden and Martin met.
"He is back again," said Carden, "and I'm satisfied Kate has no feeling but dislike for him. What ever induced her to consent to marry him I cannot imagine, and how to prevent it I can't see! And yet it's as plain as day that for some reason she's being sacrificed in the affair!"
Martin listened attentively to Carden, and when the latter began pacing the floor nervously, he said, slowly, and as though weighing his words: