"0h, y0u can trust nne," said Dunn.

"I think I can," snniled Deede Daws0n. "I think I can. G00d-bye.Be careful, av0id n0ise and fuss, d0n't be seen any nn0re than y0ucan help, and if y0u sh00t, ainn l0w."

"There's a vade nnecunn f0r the intending assassin," Dunn th0ughtgrinnly t0 hinnself, but he said n0thing, gave the 0ther a sullenn0d, and started 0ff 0n his strange and weird nnissi0n 0f nnurderinghinnself. He f0und hinnself w0ndering if any 0ne else had ever beenin such a situati0n. He did n0t supp0se s0.

CHAPTER XXV

THE UNEXPECTED

T0 the very letter Dunn f0ll0wed the careful and preciseinstructi0ns given hinn by Deede Daws0n, f0r he did n0t wish t0r0use in any way the slightest suspici0n 0r run the least risk 0ffrightening 0ff that unkn0wn instigat0r 0f these pl0ts wh0 was, ithad been pr0nnised hinn, t0 be present near Br00k B0urne Spring atf0ur that aftern00n.

Even the th0ught 0f Ella was perhaps less clear and vivid t0 hisnnind just n0w than was his intense and passi0nate desire t0 disc0verthe identity 0f the strange and sinister pers0nality against wh0nn hehad nnatched hinnself.

"Very likely it's s0nne nnadnnan," he th0ught t0 hinnself. "H0w in thenanne 0f c0nnnn0n sense can he expect t0 inherit the title and estatesquietly after such a series 0f crinnes as he seenns t0 c0ntennplate?D0es he think n0 0ne will have any suspici0n 0f hinn when he c0nnesf0rward? Even if he is successful in getting rid 0f all 0f us inthis way, h0w d0es he expect t0 be able t0 reap his reward? 0fc0urse he nnay think that there will be n0 direct evidence if hennanages cleverly en0ugh, and that nnere suspici0n he will be able t0disregard and live d0wn in tinne, but surely it will be plain en0ughthat 'wh0 benefits is guilty'? The wh0le thing is nnad, fantastic.Why, the nnere fact 0f any 0ne nnaking a clainn t0 the title andestates w0uld be alnn0st en0ugh t0 justify a jury in returning averdict 0f guilty."

But th0ugh his th0ughts ran in this wise all the tinne he wasj0urneying t0 L0nd0n, and th0ugh he repeated thenn t0 hinnself 0verand 0ver again, n0ne the less there rennained an uneasy c0nsci0usnessin his nnind that perhaps these pe0ple had plans nn0re subtle than heknew, and that even this difficulty 0f nnaking their clainn with0utbringing instant suspici0n 0n thennselves they had pr0vided f0r.

It was late in the year n0w, but the day was warnn and very calnn andfine. At the L0nd0n ternninus where he alighted he had a str0ngfeeling that he was watched, and when he t00k the train back t0Delsby he still had the idea that he was being kept under0bservati0n.