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Speaker 1: The call Biolgen in Blackwood. The incident story it never was, perhaps,

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began tamely, almost meanly. It ended upon a note of strange,

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unearthly wonder that has haunted him ever since. In Hedley's memory,

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at any rate, it stands out as the loveliest, the

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most amazing thing he ever witnessed. Other emotions, too, contributed

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to the vividness of the picture. That he had felt

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jealousy towards old pal Arthur Deane shocked him in the

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first place. It seemed impossible until it actually happened, But

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that the jealousy was proved afterwards to have been without

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a cause shocked him still more. He felt ashamed and

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miserable for him. The actual incident began when he received

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a note from Missus Blondin asking him to the priory

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for a weekend or for longer if he could manage it.

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Captain Arthur Deane, she mentioned, was staying with her at

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the moment, and a warm welcome awaited him Iris. She

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did not mention Iris Manning, the interesting and beautiful girl

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for whom it was well known he had a considerable weakness.

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He found a good sized house party. There was fishing

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in the Little Sussex River tennis golf not far away.

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Well to motor cars brought the remoter country across the

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downs into easy reach. Also, there was a bit of

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duck shooting for those who cared to wake at three

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a m. And paddle up stream to the marshes where

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the birds were feeding. Have you brought your gun? Was

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the first thing Arthur said to him when he arrived.

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Like a fool, I left mine in town. I hope

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you haven't put in, miss Manning, because if you have,

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I must get up one fine morning at three o'clock.

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She laughed merrily, and there was an undernote of excitement

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in the laugh. Captain Headley showed his surprise that you

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were a Diana had escaped my notice. I'm ashamed to say,

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he replied lightly. Yet I've known you some years, haven't I.

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He looked straight at her, and the soft yet searching

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eye turning from his friend met his own securely. She

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was appraising him for the hundredth time that he, for

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the hundredth time, was thinking how pretty she was and

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wondering how long the prettiness would last after marriage. I'm not,

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he heard her answer, that's just it. But I've promised, rather,

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said Arthur gallantly, and I shall hold you to it,

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he added still more gallantly. Too gallantly, Headley thought, I

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couldn't possibly get up at cock Crow without a very

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special inducement, could I? Now you know me, Dick. Well, anyhow,

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I've brought my gun, Heedley replied evasively. So you've no excuse,

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either of you. You'll have to go. And while they

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were laughing and chattering about it, Missus Blondin clinched the

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matter for them. Provisions were hard to come by. The

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larder really needed a brace or two of birds. It

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was the least they could do in return for what

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she called amusingly her armistice hospitality. So I expect you

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to get up at three, she chaffed them, and return

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with your victory birds. It was from this preliminary skirmish

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over the tea table on the law five minutes after

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his arrival, that Dick Headley realized easily enough the little

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game in progress. As a man of experience, just on

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the wrong side of forty, it was not difficult to

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see the cards each held, he sighed. Had he guessed

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an intrigue was on foot, he would not have come yet.

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He might have known that wherever his hostess was, there

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were the vultures gathered together. Matchmaker by choice and instinct,

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Missus Blondin could not help herself. True to her name,

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she was always balancing on matrimonial tight ropes for others.

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Her cards, at any rate, were obvious enough. She had

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laid him on the table for him, he easily read

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her hand. The next twenty four hours confirmed his reading.

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Having made up her mind that Iris and Arthur were

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destined for each other, she had grown impatient. They had

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been ten days together, yet Iris was still free. They

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were good friends, only with calculation. She therefore took a

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step that must bring things further. She invited Dick Headley,

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whose weakness for the girl was common knowledge. The card

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was indicated, she played it. Arthur must come to the

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point or see another man carry her off. This, at

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least she planned, little, dreaming that the dark king of

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Spades would interfere. Miss Manning's hand also was fairly obvious,

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for both men were extremely eligible parties. She was getting

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on one or other was to become her husband before

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the party broke up. This, in crude language, was certainly

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in her cards. Though being a nice and charming girl.

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She might camouflage Madge cleverly to herself and others. Her

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eyes on each man in turn, when the shooting expedition

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was being discussed, revealed her part in the little intrigue.

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Clearly enough. It was all thus far as commonplace as

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could be. But there were two more hands. Hedley had

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to read his own and his friends, and these, he

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admitted honestly, were not so easy to take his own first.

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It was true he was fond of the girl, and

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had often tried to make up his mind to ask

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her without being conceited. He had good reason to believe

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his affection was returned and that she would accept him.

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There was no ecstatic love on either side, for he

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was no longer a boy of twenty, nor was she

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unscathed by tepestuous love affairs that had scorched the first

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bloom from her face and heart. But they understood one another.

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They were an honest couple. She was tired of flirting.

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Both wanted to marry and settle down. Unless a better

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man turned up, she probably would say yes without humbug

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or delay. It was this last reflection that brought him

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to the final hand. He had to read here, he

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was puzzled. Arthur Deane's role in the teacup strategy for

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the first time since they had known one another, seemed strange.

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Uncertain why because though paying no attention to the girl openly,

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he met her clandestinely, unknown to the rest of the

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house party, and above all, without telling his intimate pal.

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At three o'clock in the morning, the house party was

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in full swing, with a touch of that wild, reckless

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gaiety which followed the end of the war. Let us

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be happy before a worse thing comes upon us was

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in many hearts. After a crowded day, they danced till

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early in the morning, while doubtful weather prevented the early

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shooting expedition. After duck the third night, Headley contrived to

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disappear early to bed. He lay there thinking he was

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puzzled over his friend's roll over the clandestine meeting. In particular,

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it was the morning before, waking very early, he had

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been drawn to the window by an unusual sound, the

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cry of a bird. Was it a bird? In all

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his experience, he had never heard such a curious, half

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singing call before. He listened a moment, thinking it must

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have been a dream. Yet with the odd cry, still

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ringing in his ears. It was repeated close beneath his

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open window, a long, low pitched cry with three distinct

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following notes in it. He sat up in bed and

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listened hard. No bird that he knew could make such sounds.

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But it was not repeated a third time, and out

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of sheer curiosity, he went to the window and looked out.

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Dawn was creeping over the distant downs. He saw the

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outline in the gray pearly light. He saw the lawn below,

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stretching down to the little river at the bottom, where

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a curtain of faint mist hung in the air. And

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on this lawn he also saw Arthur Deane with iris manning.

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Of course, he reflected, they were going after the duck.

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He turned to look at his watch. It was three o'clock.

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The same glance, however, showed him his gun standing in

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the corner, so they were going without a gun. A

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sharp pang of unexpected jealousy shot through him. He was

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just going to shout out something, or rather wishing them

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good luck, or asking if they had found another gun, perhaps,

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when a cold touch crept down his spine. The same

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instant his heart contracted. Dean had followed the girl into

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the summerhouse, which stood on the right. It was not

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the shooting expedition at all. Arthur was a meeting for

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another purpose. The blood flowed back, filling his head. He

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felt an eavesdropper, a sneak, a detective. But for all that,

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he felt also jealous, and his jealousy seemed chiefly because

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Arthur had not told him of this. Then he lay

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thinking in bed on the third night. The following day

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he had said nothing, but he crossed the corridor and

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put the gun in his friend's room. Arthur, for his part,

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had said nothing either. For the first time in their long,

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long friendship, there lay a secret between them. To Hedley,

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the unexpected revelation came with pain. For something like a

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quarter of a century, these two had been bosom friends.

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They had camped together, been in the army together, taken

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their pleasure together, each the full confidant of the other

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in all the things that go to make up men's lives.

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Above all, Hedley had been the one and only recipient

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of Arthur's unhappy love story. He knew the girl, knew

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his friend's deep passion, and also knew his terrible pain.

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When she was lost at sea. Arthur was burned out,

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finished out of the running. So far as marriage was concerned.

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He was not a man to love a second time.

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It was a great and poignant tragedy. Hedley is confidante

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knew all, but more than that, Arthur, on his side,

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knew his friend's weakness for Iris Manning knew that a

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marriage was still possible and likely between them. They were

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true as steel to one another, and each man, oddly enough,

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had once saved the other's life, thus adding to the

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strength of a great natural tie. Yet now one of them,

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feigning innocence by day even indifference, secretly met his friend's

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girl by night and kept the matter to himself. It

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seemed incredible with his own eyes. Hettly had seen him

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on the lawn, passing in the faint gray light through

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the mist into the summerhouse where the girl had just

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preceded him. He had not seen her face, but he

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had seen the skirt sweep round the corner of the

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wooden pillar. He had not waited to see them come

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out again. So he now lay wondering what role his

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old friend was playing in this little intrigue. That their hostess,

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missus blondin helped to stage, and oddly enough, one minor

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details headed in his mind with a curious vividness as

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naturalist hunter nature lover. The cry of that strange bird,

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with its three mournful notes, perplexed him exceedingly. A knock

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came at his door, and the door pushed open. Before

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he had time to answer, Dean himself came in. Wise man,

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he exclaimed in an easy tone, got off to bed.

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Iris was asking where you were. He sat down on

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the edge of the mattress where Hedley was lying with

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a cigarette and an open book he had not read.

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The old sense of intimacy and comradeship rose in the

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latter's heart. Doubt and suspicion faded. He prized his great friendship.

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He met the familiar eyes. Impossible, he said to himself,

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Absolutely impossible. He's not playing a game. He's not a rotter.

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He pushed over his cigarette case and Arthur lighted one.

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Done in, he remarked shortly with the first puff. Can't

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stand it anymore. I'm off to town tomorrow. Headley stared

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in amazement. Set up already, he asked, why, I rather

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like it. It's quite amusing. What's wrong, old man? This

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match making, said Dean, bluntly, always throwing that girl at

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my head. If it's not the duck shooting stunt at

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three am, it's something else. She doesn't care for me,

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and I don't care for her. Besides, he stopped, and

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the expression of his face changed. Suddenly. A sad, quiet

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look of tender yearning came into his clear brown eyes.

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You know, Dick, he went on in a low, half

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reverent tone. I don't want to marry I never can.

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Dick's heart stirred within him, Mary, he said understandingly. The

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other nodded, as though the memories were still too much

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for him. I'm still miserably lonely for her, he said,

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can't help it. Simply, I feel utterly lost without her.

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Her memory to me is everything. He looked deep into

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his pal's eyes. I'm married to that, he added, very firmly.

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They pulled their cigarettes a moment in silence. They belonged

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to the male type that conceals a motion behind schoolboy language.

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It's hard luck, said Headley gently. Rotten luck, old man,

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I understand. Arthur's head nodded several times in succession as

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he smoked. He made no remark for some minutes. Then presently,

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he said, as though it had no particular importance, for

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thus old friends show frankness to each other. Besides, anyhow,

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it's you the girl's dying for, not me. She's blind,

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it's a bad old blond, and even when I'm with her,

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thrust with her by that old matchmaker, for my sins,

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it's you. She talks about. All the talk leads up

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to you and yours. She's devilish fond of you. He

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paused a moment and looked searchingly into his friend's face.

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A sailed man, are you I mean, do you mean

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business there? Because excuse me interfering, But you'd better be careful.

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She's a good sort, you know, after all. Yes, Arthur,

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I do like her a bit, Dick told him frankly.

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But I can't make up my mind quite. You see,

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it's like this, And they talked the matter over his

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old friend's will, until finally Arthur chucked his cigarette into

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the grate and got up to go dead to the world,

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he said with a yawn. I'm off to bed. Give

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you a chance too, he added with a laugh. It

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was after midnight. The other turned as though something had

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suddenly occurred. To him by the bye, Arthur, he said, abruptly,

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what bird makes this sound? He heard it the other morning?

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Most extraordinary cry? You know everything that flies? What is it?

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And to the best of his ability he imitated the

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strange three note cry he had heard in the dawn

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two mornings before. To his amazement and keen distress, his friend,

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00:15:04,399 --> 00:15:07,559
with a sound like a stifled groan, sat down upon

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the bed without a word. He seemed startled. His face

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was white. He stared. He passed a hand as in pain,

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across his forehead. Do it again, he whispered, in a hushed,

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00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:26,200
nervous voice, once again for me, and Hedley, looking at him,

246
00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:31,120
repeated the queer notes, a sudden revulsion of feeling rising

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through him. He's fooling me, after all, ran in his heart,

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my old old pal. There was silence for a whole minute.

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Then Arthur, stammering a bit, said lamely, a certain hush

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00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,240
in his voice. Still, where in the world did you

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00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:52,759
hear that? And when Dick Headley sat up in bed,

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he was not going to lose this friendship, which to

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him was more than the love of woman. He must

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help his pal was in distress and difficulty there were

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circumstances he realized that might be too strong for the

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00:16:06,639 --> 00:16:10,440
best man in the world. Sometimes, no, by God, he

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would play the game and help him out. Arthur Old

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Chap he said, affectionately, almost tenderly. I heard it two

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00:16:18,399 --> 00:16:21,840
mornings ago on the lawn below my window. Here. It

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woke me up. I I went to look three in

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00:16:25,759 --> 00:16:30,200
the morning about Arthur amazed him. Then he first took

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00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:34,919
another cigarette and lit it steadily. He looked round the room, vaguely, avoiding,

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00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:39,120
it seemed, the other's eyes. Then he turned pain in

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00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:44,080
his face and gazed straight at him. You saw nothing,

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00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:47,639
he asked, in a louder voice, but a voice that

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00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:51,360
had something very real and true in it. It reminded

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00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:53,679
headly of the voice he heard when he was fainting

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from exhaustion, and Arthur had said, take it, I tell

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you I'm all right, and it passed over the floor

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as though his own throat and sight and heart were

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black with thirst. It was a voice that had command

272
00:17:06,599 --> 00:17:10,200
in it, a voice that did not lie because it

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00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:14,880
could not yet did lie, and could lie when occasion warranted.

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Hedley knew a second's awful struggle. Nothing, he answered quietly,

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00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:26,559
after his little pause. Why for perhaps two minutes his

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00:17:26,559 --> 00:17:32,200
friend hit his face. Then he looked up. Only he whispered,

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00:17:32,559 --> 00:17:36,079
because that was our secret lover's cry. It seems so

278
00:17:36,279 --> 00:17:39,119
strange you heard it and not I. I felt her

279
00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:44,440
so close of late Mary. The white face held very steady,

280
00:17:44,759 --> 00:17:47,880
the firm lips did not tremble. But it was evident

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00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:50,640
that the heart in you anguish. That was deep and poignant.

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We used it to call each other in the old days.

283
00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,640
It was our private call. No one else in the

284
00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:01,359
world knew it but Mary and myself. Hedley was flabbergasted.

285
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He had no time to think. However, it's odd you

286
00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,799
should hear it and not I, his friend repeated. He

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00:18:08,839 --> 00:18:15,519
looked hurt, bewildered, wounded. Then suddenly his face brightened. I know,

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00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:19,240
he cried. Suddenly, you and I are pretty good pals.

289
00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:22,640
There's a tie between us and all that why it's

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00:18:23,079 --> 00:18:26,920
tell telepathy or whatever they call it. That's what it is.

291
00:18:28,799 --> 00:18:31,599
He got up abruptly. Dick could think of nothing to

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say but to repeat the other's words. Of course, of course,

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that's it, he said, telepathy. He stared anywhere but at

294
00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:44,119
his pal. Night night he heard from the door and

295
00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,240
before he could do more than reply in similar vein,

296
00:18:48,039 --> 00:18:53,240
Arthur was gone. He lay you for a long time, thinking, thinking.

297
00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,359
He found it all very strange. Arthur in this emotional

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00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:01,440
state was new to him. He turned it over and over. Well,

299
00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,960
he had known good men behave queerly when wrought up.

300
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,680
That recognition of the bird's cry was strange, of course,

301
00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:11,160
but he knew the cry of a bird when he

302
00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:13,839
heard it, though he might not know the actual bird.

303
00:19:14,319 --> 00:19:19,400
That was no human whistle Arthur was inventing. No, that

304
00:19:19,599 --> 00:19:23,559
was not possible. He was worked up then over something

305
00:19:24,119 --> 00:19:27,759
a bit hysterical perhaps, And it happened before, though in

306
00:19:27,799 --> 00:19:30,799
a milder way. When his heart attacks came on. They

307
00:19:30,799 --> 00:19:33,920
affected his nerves and head a little. It seemed he

308
00:19:34,039 --> 00:19:37,880
was a deep sort. Dick remembered, thought turned and twisted

309
00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:43,039
in him, offering various solutions, some absurd, some likely. He

310
00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:46,559
was a nervous, high strung fellow underneath Arthur was. He

311
00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:50,880
remembered that. Also. He remembered anxiously again that his heart

312
00:19:51,039 --> 00:19:54,240
was not quite sound. Though what that had to do

313
00:19:54,319 --> 00:19:57,599
with the present tangle he did not see. Yet. It

314
00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:00,200
was hardly likely that he would bring in Mary as

315
00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:05,440
an invention, an excuse Mary the most sacred memory in

316
00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:10,440
his life, the deepest, truest best. He had sworn anyhow,

317
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that Iris Manning meant nothing to him. Through all his speculations,

318
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behind every thought ran this horrid, working jealousy. It poisoned him.

319
00:20:20,759 --> 00:20:24,240
It twisted truth. It moved like a wicked snake through

320
00:20:24,319 --> 00:20:28,519
mind and heart. Arthur, gripped by his new absorbing love

321
00:20:28,599 --> 00:20:32,480
for Iris Manning, lied, He couldn't believe it. He didn't

322
00:20:32,519 --> 00:20:36,839
believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Yet jealousy persisted in

323
00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,400
keeping the idea alive in him. It was a dreadful thought.

324
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,880
He fell asleep on it, but his sleep was uneasy,

325
00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:48,720
with feverish, unpleasant dreams that rambled on in fragments without

326
00:20:48,759 --> 00:20:53,519
coming to conclusion. Then suddenly, the cry of the strange

327
00:20:53,559 --> 00:20:58,599
bird came into his dream. He started, turned over, woke up.

328
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The cry still continued. It was not a dream. He

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00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,519
jumped out of bed. The room was gray with early morning,

330
00:21:08,079 --> 00:21:11,359
the air fresh in a little chill. The cry came

331
00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,960
floating over the lawn as before. He looked out, pain

332
00:21:15,079 --> 00:21:19,200
clutching at his heart. Two figures stood below, a man

333
00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:22,640
and a girl, and the man was Arthur Dean. Yet

334
00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:26,079
the light was so dim, the morning being overcast, that

335
00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:28,839
had he not expected to see his friend, he would

336
00:21:28,839 --> 00:21:32,680
scarcely have recognized the familiar form in that shadowy outline

337
00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:36,839
that stood close beside the girl. Nor could he perhaps

338
00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:42,079
ever recognized iris manning. Their backs were to him. They

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00:21:42,119 --> 00:21:46,240
moved away, disappearing again into the little summerhouse, and this

340
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time he saw it beyond question the two were hand

341
00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:53,519
in hand. Vague and uncertain as the figures were in

342
00:21:53,559 --> 00:21:57,440
the early twilight, he was sure of that the first

343
00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:03,000
disagreeable sensation of surprise discussed anger that sickened him, turned quickly, however,

344
00:22:03,319 --> 00:22:07,359
into one of another kind Altogether, A curious feeling of

345
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,960
superstitious dread crept over him, and a shiver ran again

346
00:22:12,039 --> 00:22:16,279
along his nerves. Hello, Arthur, he called from the window.

347
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There was no answer. His voice was certainly audible in

348
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:25,519
the summerhouse, but no one came. He repeated the call

349
00:22:25,599 --> 00:22:28,920
a little louder. Waited in vain for thirty seconds. Then

350
00:22:29,079 --> 00:22:33,440
came the same moment to a decision that even surprised himself,

351
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,359
for the truth was he could no longer bear the

352
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suspense of waiting. He must see his friend at once

353
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and have it out with him. He turned and went

354
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deliberately down the corridor to Dean's bedroom. He would wait

355
00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:48,640
there for his return and know the truth from his

356
00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:52,640
own lips. But also another thought had come. The gun.

357
00:22:53,599 --> 00:22:56,720
He had quite forgotten it. The safety catch was out

358
00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:00,319
of order. He had not warned him. He found the

359
00:23:00,319 --> 00:23:04,480
door closed but not locked. Opening it cautiously, he went in,

360
00:23:05,759 --> 00:23:08,480
but the unexpectedness of what he saw gave him a

361
00:23:08,519 --> 00:23:13,200
genuine shock. He could hardly suppress a cry. Everything in

362
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:16,960
the room was neat and orderly, no sign of disturbance anywhere,

363
00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:21,079
and was not empty. There in bed, before his very

364
00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:24,640
eyes was Arthur. The clothes were turned back a little.

365
00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:27,559
He saw the pajamas opened at the throat. He lay

366
00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:34,880
sound asleep, deeply, peacefully asleep. So surprised, indeed was heavily

367
00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:39,279
that after staring a moment, almost unable to believe his sight,

368
00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:41,920
he then put out a hand and touched him gently,

369
00:23:42,279 --> 00:23:46,160
cautiously on the forehead. But Arthur did not stir or wing.

370
00:23:46,759 --> 00:23:50,319
His breathing remained deep and regular. He lay sleeping like

371
00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:54,839
a baby. Edley glanced round the room, noticed the gun

372
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:56,920
in the corner, where he himself had put it the

373
00:23:57,000 --> 00:23:59,720
day before, and then went out, closing the door behind

374
00:23:59,759 --> 00:24:04,640
him softly. Arthur Dean, however, did not leave for London

375
00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:07,880
as he had intended, because he felt unwell and kept

376
00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,759
to his room upstairs. It was only a slight attack, apparently,

377
00:24:11,839 --> 00:24:14,880
but he must lie quiet. There was no need to

378
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:17,279
send for a doctor. He knew just what to do.

379
00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:21,200
These passing attacks were common enough. He would be up

380
00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:25,200
and about again very shortly. Hedley kept him company, saying

381
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,519
no single word of what had happened. He read aloud

382
00:24:28,519 --> 00:24:31,279
to him, chatted and cheered him up. He had no

383
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,440
other visitors. Within twenty four hours he was himself once more.

384
00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,440
He and his friend had planned to leave the following day,

385
00:24:40,319 --> 00:24:43,000
but Headley that last night in the house felt an

386
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,400
odd uneasiness and could not sleep. All night long, he

387
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:50,079
sat up reading, looking out of the window, smoking in

388
00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:52,480
a chair where he could see the stars and hear

389
00:24:52,559 --> 00:24:55,559
the wind, and watched the huge shadow of the downs.

390
00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:59,519
The house lay very still as the hours passed. He

391
00:24:59,559 --> 00:25:02,599
dozed once or twice. Why did he sit up in

392
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:06,640
this unnecessary way? Why do you leave his door, Ajar,

393
00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,279
so that the slightest sound of another door opening, or

394
00:25:10,359 --> 00:25:13,839
of steps passing along the corridor must reach him. Was

395
00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:18,319
he anxious for his friend? Was he suspicious? What was

396
00:25:18,359 --> 00:25:23,279
his motive? What his secret purpose? Headley did not know,

397
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:27,000
and could not even explain it to himself. He felt uneasy.

398
00:25:27,039 --> 00:25:30,200
That was all he knew. Not for worlds would he

399
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,480
have let himself go to sleep or lose full consciousness

400
00:25:33,519 --> 00:25:37,680
that night? It was very odd. He could not understand himself.

401
00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:40,960
He merely obeyed a strange, deep instinct that bade him

402
00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:45,160
wait and watch. His nerves were jumpy, and his heart

403
00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:53,079
lay some inexplicable anxiety that was pain. The dawn came slowly,

404
00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:56,640
The stars faded one by one. The line of the

405
00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:00,880
downs showed their grand, bare curves against the sky, cool

406
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:04,559
and cloudless. The September morning broke above the little Sussex

407
00:26:04,599 --> 00:26:08,720
Pleasure House. He sat and watched the east grow bright.

408
00:26:09,319 --> 00:26:12,279
The early wind brought a scent of marshes and the

409
00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:16,000
sea into his room. Then suddenly it brought a sound

410
00:26:16,039 --> 00:26:19,359
as well, the haunting cry of the bird, with its

411
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:22,799
three following notes. And this time there came an answer.

412
00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:27,599
Hedley knew then why he had sat up. A wave

413
00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,839
of emotion swept him as he heard an emotion he

414
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:36,599
could not attempt to explain. Dread, wonder, longing seized him.

415
00:26:37,119 --> 00:26:39,880
For some seconds. He could not leave his chair because

416
00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:43,119
he did not dare to. The low pitched cries of

417
00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:46,640
call and answer rang in his ears like some unearthly music.

418
00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:50,200
With an effort, he started up, went to the window

419
00:26:50,240 --> 00:26:53,559
and looked out. This time, the light was sharp and clear,

420
00:26:54,319 --> 00:26:57,599
no mist hung in the air. He saw the crimsoning

421
00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:02,359
sky reflected a band of shining metal in the reach

422
00:27:02,519 --> 00:27:06,799
of river. Beyond the lawn, he saw dew on the

423
00:27:06,839 --> 00:27:10,319
grass a sheet of pallid silver. He saw the summer

424
00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:14,480
house empty of any passing figures. For this time. The

425
00:27:14,519 --> 00:27:17,640
two figures stood plainly in view before his eyes upon

426
00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:22,640
the lawn. They stood there, hand in hand, sharply defined,

427
00:27:23,279 --> 00:27:28,039
unmistakable in form and outline. Their faces, moreover turned upwards

428
00:27:28,079 --> 00:27:31,279
to the window where he stood, staring down in pain

429
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:37,759
and amazement at them, At Arthur, Dean and Mary. They

430
00:27:37,759 --> 00:27:40,279
looked into his eyes. He tried to call, but no

431
00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:43,640
sound left his throat. They began to move across the

432
00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,839
dew soaked lawn. They went, he saw, with a floating,

433
00:27:48,039 --> 00:27:52,319
undulating motion towards the river, shining in the dawn. Their

434
00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:56,000
feet left no marks upon the grass. They reached the bank,

435
00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,559
but did not pause in their going. They rose a little,

436
00:28:00,039 --> 00:28:04,559
loading like silent birds, across the river. Turning in midstream,

437
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,559
they smiled towards him, waved their hands with a gesture

438
00:28:08,599 --> 00:28:13,599
of farewell. Then rising still higher into the open dawn,

439
00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:18,279
their figures passed into the distance, slowly melting away against

440
00:28:18,279 --> 00:28:23,079
the sunlit marshes and the shadowing downs beyond, they disappeared.

441
00:28:24,519 --> 00:28:28,640
Headley never quite remembers actually leaving the window, crossing the room,

442
00:28:28,839 --> 00:28:32,160
or going down the passage. Perhaps he went at once.

443
00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:35,759
Perhaps he stood gazing into the air above the downs

444
00:28:35,759 --> 00:28:39,720
for a considerable time, unable to tear himself away. He

445
00:28:39,799 --> 00:28:43,519
was in some marvelous dream, it seemed. The next thing

446
00:28:43,519 --> 00:28:46,359
he remembers, at any rate, was that he was standing

447
00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:50,720
beside his friend's bed, trying, in his distraught anguish of heart,

448
00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:55,200
to call him from that sleep which on earth knows

449
00:28:55,279 --> 00:28:59,839
no awakening, and of the call