"Hold on, though." He
fell silent a moment, and out of that silence came a short laugh.
"I suppose I AM beyond the pale of law, now that I come to think
of it. But you needn't be alarmed, I'm not a really dangerous
criminal."
Later she was to recall that confession with sore misgivings. Now
she only inquired lightly:
"Is that why you ran away from the tram car yesterday?" "Ran away?
I didn't run away," he said, with dignity. "It just happened that
there came into my mind an important engagement that I'd
forgotten. My memory isn't what it should be. So I just turned
over the matter in hand to an acquaintance of mine."
"The matter in hand being me."
"Why, yes; and the acquaintance being Mr. Cluff. I saw him throw
four men out of a hotel once for insulting a girl, so I knew that
he was much better at that sort of thing than I. May I go back now
and sit down?" "Of course. I don't know whether I ought to thank
you about yesterday or be very angry. It was such an extraordinary
performance on your part--"
"Nothing extraordinary about it." His voice came up out of the
shadow, full of judicial confidence.
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