E. Phillips Oppenheim - Crime & Mystery Collection - 110+ Thrillers & Detective Tales in One Volume (Illustrated Edition)

The girl began to shiver. He patted her encouragingly.

“That’s all right, dear,” he said… “I dragged him ashore, but he was too far gone. I worked over him half an hour. I know how. And then, as I stood wondering how to get the body to a police station, or where to find help, I seemed to have a wonderful idea. I did it. Grace was against it at first, but I did it. I stripped and I changed clothes with the man. Oh, it was ghastly!” he went on, his voice breaking for a moment. “I put my pocketbook in his pocket and all my trinkets. I wore his clothes, threw his body back into the river, and rowed down to an inn where I told them I’d been overboard and had a ducking. We made a parcel of the clothes, and I got a ready-made suit in the village. It all worked out so well for us. Grace had left her place a week before. She had some money. I had drawn some out of the bank a year ago meaning to keep it for something like this. We just came down here, in an ordinary train like ordinary people, and I’ve been here ever since—and not a soul has disturbed me.”

“And we have been happy,” the girl cried—“happier than I ever dreamed was possible.”

“And now,” King demanded, “What are you going to do about it?”

Angus sat for a few moments in silence. He thought of his last visit to the Chiswick house, the sour-faced woman, the simpering flirtatious daughter. He looked around, and he caught a glimpse of the sweetness of the girl’s face. He saw the passionate cling of her arms to her companion, caught the inner meaning of those deep-set, wistful eyes.

“I’m not going to do a thing,” he answered, “except to shake hands with you both and wish you happiness.”

WELL, any luck?” Peter Bragg asked, as Angus walked into the office two days later. Angus shook his head.

“I’m dead out of luck,” he confessed. “I thought I’d really made a discovery, thought I was in for a big sensation, and I found it’s a mare’s nest.”

Peter Bragg concealed his disappointment admirably.

“Well, well,” he said. “Better luck next time!”

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