Baldos stood at the foot of the stone steps, a guard on each side of
him. One of these was the shamefaced Haddan, Dangloss's watchman, whose
vigil had been a failure. The gaze of the suspected guard purposely
avoided that of Beverly Calhoun. He knew that the slightest
communication between them would be misunderstood and magnified by the
witnesses.
"Baldos," said Lorry, from the top step, "it has come to our ears that
you left the castle surreptitiously last night. Is it true that you were
aided by Miss Calhoun?" Baldos looked thankful for this eminently
leading question. In a flash it gave him the key to the
situation. Secretly he was wondering what emotions possessed the slender
accomplice who had said good-bye to him not so many hours before at the
castle gate. He knew that she was amazed, puzzled by his sudden return;
he wondered if she were glad. His quick wits saw that a crisis had
arrived. The air was full of it. The dread of this very moment was the
thing which had drawn him into the castle grounds at early dawn. He had
watched for his chance to glide in unobserved, and had snatched a few
hours' sleep in the shelter of the shrubbery near the park wall.
"It is not true," he said clearly, in answer to Lorry's question. Both
Beverly and Marlanx started as the sharp falsehood fell from his
lips. "Who made such an accusation?" he demanded.
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