human
There was a lady with him, too,
gpt
What sort of a looking woman?
human
Tall, dark, with very black eyes.
gpt
Miss Hollingsworth!
human
Just the idea that occurred to me,
gpt
It was she, beyond the shadow of a doubt. She is in the scheme, too, then. That woman is capable of anything. At last we have a clew, and a strong one.
human
But why, questioned Al,
gpt
For several reasons, Mr. Wattles replied.
human
In the first place, she is a woman who likes mischief for its own sake--there are such people, you know. Then, she is under the influence of Farley; that is a fact that I have known for a long time. That man can make her do almost anything he wishes.
gpt
Is she in love with him?
human
Sometimes I have thought so, and sometimes I have thought she almost hated him. He seems to exercise a sort of hypnotic influence over her; that is the only way in which I can explain it.
gpt
If she is in love with him, suggested Al,
human
Not when you consider everything. Remember that the woman has a grudge against you. You haven't forgotten that episode at the Boomville Opera House, have you? You were the indirect means of throwing her out of an engagement.
gpt
That is so.
human
You can depend upon it, went on the manager,
gpt
Where did the couple say they were going?
human
They said, was the reply,
gpt
Did they say where they were going to call?
human
They did not.
gpt
Did they say what train they wanted to catch?
human
No, sir.
gpt
Where is the driver that took them out? Has he returned yet?
human
He came back long ago, and has gone home.
gpt
Did he say where he took them?
human
No, sir, he said nothing about the matter; all we were talking about was the theater fire.
gpt
Well, said Mr. Wattles, with a wink at Al,
human
I wanted to ask a few more questions,
gpt
It wouldn't have done any good, my boy. The man told us all he knew about the case.
human
I'm not so sure about that, demurred Al.
gpt
It seems rather queer to me that the driver should say nothing at all about such a peculiar case when he got back to the stable. According to the report of the stage hand he must have been posted about Farley's intention. He was really a party to the crime.
human
Exactly; and that, of course, is just the reason he said nothing when he got back. But we can find out all that later on. Now, in my opinion, they--Farley, Hollingsworth and their victim--did really take a train. The question now is, what train?
gpt
Perhaps we can learn that at the railway station.
human
Just what I was going to say. We will go to the station now and find out what trains leave at about the time that our friends would have been likely to reach the place.
gpt
Rockton is not a very big place; there are not many trains a day.
human
No; we shan't have any trouble in getting the information we want.