"A devil. You've talked to Bruce, Doctor. What do you make of him?"
"Was I supposed to make something?"
The man shook his head impatiently. "Allan should not have told him how
much he was to inherit. He's in a black mood and penniless."
"You're letting Allan ride the mare," Dr. Stone pointed out.
"Yes." There was a moment of silence. "What else could I do? He believes
in himself. Could I risk shaking his courage and turning him into a
coward? See you later."
The blind man stood whistling his soundless whistle. Presently he touched
the dog. "Lady, outside." The revelry of Allan's guests was subdued in
the distance.
"Are we going home, Uncle David?" Joe asked.
"We're going to the bridge," said Dr. Stone.
Dusk crept out of the sky and darkness gathered in the hollows. They
skirted a field of stubble and plunged into woodland, and Joe could feel
the hard pumping of his heart. The bridge again! Did his uncle expect to
find something there? The murmur of water came to them, and he lengthened
his stride and struck out ahead.
"Behind me, Joe," Dr. Stone called sharply.
The boy drew back. From the rear he saw his uncle urge Lady forward until
both walked at an extraordinary fast pace. The sound of running water was
stronger now, clear and distinct in the evening quiet. Fearlessly,
without hesitation, the blind man went ahead into the unknown, trusting
himself to the guidance of the beast.
Lady reached the bridge. And then, in one swift movement, she seemed to
half leap and turn. Her powerful body blocked the man's path, found his
legs and pressed him back.
"Joe!" There was no change in the serene self-control of the voice.
"Yes, Uncle David."
"Give me your hand. Step out upon the bridge--one foot only, one foot
lightly. And hold on to my hand with all your strength."
The boy put a trembling foot upon the wooden planking. The next instant,
with a strangled cry, he leaped toward the man and, even as he leaped,
found himself pulled back violently.
"It moved, Uncle David."
"I thought so."
"What does it mean?"
"It means murder," the blind man said grimly.
Joe wiped cold sweat from his forehead. Who was to die? Allan? Who
planned it?
"The gypsies, Uncle David?"
"No." Quietly, without haste, the man filled his pipe. "Remember, they
are a clan. The old woman would not have spoken of death if the men of
her tribe were concerned in this. Besides, who would hire them for this
sort of work and risk paying blackmail all the days of his life? I am
concerned with something else. Alec Landry called me to witness their
presence should there be mischief. Bruce took pains to explain why he had
not driven them off. Both men may have spoken the truth, but it is not
likely. One or both of them lied."
Night had fallen. In the darkness Dr. Stone smoked as placidly as though
death and horror were not at his elbow. Lady still kept her body between
him and the ravine.
"Two men," he said, "one with a fortune to gain, one with a crime to
cover. Do they work together, or do they work alone? Is one innocent? If
so, which one?"