Under His Thumb — page 84: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“UNDER HIS THUMB. "5 There was a more attentive listener over their heads than they suspected. “T want to ask you, > he continued, ‘“‘if you have a suspicion concerning the murder of your father’ S partner?’’ “Thought likely you had something to do with it, since you skipped out of sight so promptly.”’ “You are mistaken. J had no motive for doing it. Yet, if they should catch me I should be convicted beyond a doubt.”’ | ‘And you sent for me to get me to sympathize with your case, and thus to help you out of your dif- ficulty2”’ Clarence Blain shrewdly asked. “No, Ido not. Iexpect you to believe me guilty like the rest.’’ “No reason why I shouldn’t.”’ “Then why did you not bring a policeman with your”’ “Oh, I don’t happen to be mean. And besides, | wouldn’t take the trouble unless I was sure. What do you want of me?’’ ‘“T wish you to take a message to your father.”’ ‘Why didn’t you send it same as you did to me?” ‘Because it is too important to be written, or to in- trust to any one not interested.”’ | “Verbal message, then?’’ | “Ves, And you must not treat it carelessly—you must not——’’ Dyer hesitated, and Blain? now intensely inter- ested, asked: ‘‘T must not what?’ ‘‘Lose your head with that inside of it.”’ ‘Get drunk, you mean?” | “That is it. You might drop a word in that condi- (El) EOmMmIGboo ¢s) m