He offered to secure a conveyance for me, and was very considerate,
but I decided to call up Green Fancy on the telephone. I wanted to be
sure that there was no trick. To my surprise, O'Dowd came to the
telephone. I was greatly relieved when I actually heard his voice. I
have known him for years, and the belief that he had at last allied
himself with Prince Sebastian,--after being on the opposite side, you
see,--was cause for rejoicing.
"He was amazed. It seems that I was not expected until the next
afternoon. The car was out on an errand to some little village in the
mountains, he said, but he would telephone at once to see if it could
be located. Afterwards it turned out that the message announcing my
arrival a day ahead of the time agreed upon was never delivered."
"Sprouse's fine work, I suppose," put in Barnes.
"I haven't the remotest doubt. Nor do I doubt that he intended to
waylay me at some point along the road. O'Dowd failed to catch the car
at the village and was on the point of starting off on horseback to
meet me, when it returned. He sent it ahead and followed on horseback.
You know how I was picked up at the cross-roads. It is all so like one
of those picture puzzles.
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