Under His Thumb — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

76 UNDER HIS THUMB. tion, you understand, which you would give youn right hand to recall.” “So IT might.’? The young man’s face grew pale with sudden, intense feeling, and he said: *“‘You’d- better not brunt me, George. I’m a poor stick to de- pend upon.’ Dyer placed one hand on the other’s arm, and eagerly said: “Vou must do this thing, Clarence Blain, and you must not yield to your fatal weakness. ”’ ‘Better not trust me,’’ the other reiterated, shak- ing his head. ‘“‘T must.” ‘‘Write the message, and I’ll carry it.” ‘I dare not.’’ ‘Write it in cipher.’’ ‘Cipher messages are solved by skilled detectives. There must be no tangible evidence, nothing for the detectives to get hold of.’’ ‘Then send by some other messenger. Name the man whom you can trust, and I will send him to you. But the worst of all is a fellow like me. Why, I shall be drunk before another sunset. ”’ “You will resist the temptation when I have. im- parted my secret. ”’ ‘Don’t trust me.’ ‘| must, Clarence. Listen—you shall serve me, and you will be prudent, though you have never been before.”’ Steve, breathless in his eagerness, crouched closer to the opening, intent upon catching this precious secret, which hada bearing upon the murder mys- tery. ; But, to his intense disappointment, George Dyer bent his lips close to the ear of Blain, and rapidly comicbooks.co m