Ris sometime during the course of the day," said Ashton-Kirk, as an
afterthought. "Would it be convenient for you to let him know that I can
be seen at six?" The fear that his soothing words had driven from her
eyes, swept back into them; he saw her tremble and steady herself
against the door-frame. "I cannot let him know," she said. "I have not
seen him since--since the time I have mentioned. I have waited,
telephoned, sent messages, even gone in person. But I could not find
him. No one seems to know anything of his whereabouts." CHAPTER X
ASHTON-KIRK ASKS QUESTIONS For some time after Miss Vale had gone,
Ashton-Kirk stood at one of the windows and looked down at the sordid,
surging, dirty crowd in the street. The worn horses went dispiritedly up
and down; the throaty-voiced men clamored strangely through their
beards; children played in the black ooze of the gutters; women bundled
in immense knitted garments and with their heads wrapped in shawls,
haggled over scatterings of faded, weak looking vegetables. The vendors
grew frantic and eloquent in their combats with these experienced
purchasers; their gestures were high, sharp and loaded with protest.
Then Pendleton came. He was burdened with newspapers and wore an excited
look. "I brought these, thinking that perhaps you had not seen them," he
exclaimed, throwing the dailies among the others upon the floor. "But I
note that your morning's reading has been very complete. Now tell me,
Kirk, what the mischief do you think of all this?" "I suppose, you refer
to the published reports of the Hume case?" "Of course! As far as I am
concerned, there is not, just now, any other thing of consequen
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