human
A sudden spasm--nothing more, he said.
gpt
I shall be better presently.
human
Shall I get you a glass of water?
gpt
I have been taken like this once or twice lately, he stammered.
human
I must talk to my doctor about it.
gpt
I shall not want any supper; I've changed my mind. You need not bring it in, he said. Then turning to Pringle,
human
To what place did you say that Mr. Byrne and his daughter were gone?
gpt
To Marhyddoc, in North Wales.
human
Some little fishing or bathing place, I suppose--quiet and salubrious, suitable for an old man like Mr. Byrne. Strange, though, that they never told me they were going. You don't know, Pringle, do you, what their particular reason might be for choosing Marhyddoc, out of all places in the world?
gpt
I don't know that, sir; they gave no hint on that point, said Pringle.
human
But I know this for a fact, that old Mr. Byrne was no more deaf than you or me, sir; that his long white hair was nothing but a wig, and his hump nothing but a sham; and that when he liked he could be as active on his feet as any gentleman of fifty or fifty-five can be.
gpt
How do you know all this?
human
Because I've seen it with my own eyes,
gpt
But what possible object could Mr. Byrne have in disguising himself in the way you mention? and what could be his motive in trying to deceive me?
human
Don't know, sir, I'm sure. But mightn't it all be a plant--a try-on--to get something out of you, either money or information, or something else?
gpt
They got no money out of me--not a single penny, answered Van Duren.
human
And as for information----