O'Dowd's estimate of the man's cleverness was
amply supported by what Barnes knew of him. He knew him to be the
personification of craftiness, and of daring. It was not surprising
that he had been tricked by this devil's own genius. He recalled his
admiration, his wonder over the man's artfulness; he groaned as he
thought of the pride he had felt in being accorded the privilege of
helping him!
Sitting glumly in a corner of the tap-room, watching but not listening
to the spouting Mr. Rushcroft, (who was regaling the cellarer and two
vastly impressed countrymen with the story of his appearance before
Queen Victoria and the Royal Family), Barnes went over the events of
the past twenty-four hours, deriving from his reflections a few fairly
reasonable deductions as to his place in the plans of the dauntless
Mr. Sprouse.
In the first place, Sprouse, being aware of his somewhat ardent
interest in the fair captive, took a long and desperate chance on his
susceptibility. With incomprehensible boldness he decided to make an
accomplice of the eager and unsuspecting knight-errant! His cunningly
devised tale,--in which there was more than a little of the truth,--
served to excite the interest and ultimately to win the co-operation
of the New Yorker.
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