The Mission of Poubalov — page 68: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

64 IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. ‘‘It will be very unpleasant for you, Miss Hilman, and if Mr. Pembroke has told you the result of my investiga- tion, that is really all there is to be said.’”’ ‘*T won’t trouble you to repeat that a gentleman answer ing the description of Mr. Strobel alighted from a closed carriage at the Park Square Station, shortly after the acci- dent on Park Street and bought a ticket for New York, or that Miss White took the same train. I am willing to take it for granted that you have traced Miss White’s move- ments correctly. I want to know what makes you so cer- tain that the gentleman who took the train was Mr. Pane bel?’’ Detective Bowker stared at the young lady a moment; it was his delicate way of expressing surprise. ‘‘The description of the man and the time tallied with Strobel and his accident,*’ he answered, ‘‘to say nothing of the reasons for his running away.”’ ‘Is that all, Mr. Bowker?’”’ ‘*No, it ain’t; that was what we found at first. Don’t it look reasonable——’’ and he proceeded to theorize on the matter until Clara checked him, ‘*T could have heard all that from half the people in Boston,’’ she said, ‘‘if I had paid any attention to the rumor. I supposed professional detectives would base their reports on something better than conjecture, ”’ Bowker shrugged his shoulders. ‘‘What would you say,’’ he asked with a little benrpen;4 ‘if an acquaintance of Strobel’s was to tell you that he saw the gentleman buy his ticket and go to the train?” ‘*Have you such evidence as that? If so, who is it?’ ‘‘T can’t answer the question, Miss Hilman. I have no right to make public the workings of the department. +3 expect to get further evidence this afternoon to prove that Strobel eloped. It’s by no wish of mine, you under- stand, that I tell you these disagreeable things.”’ | ‘‘You needn’t apologize, Mr. Bowker. I came for infor- mation. I understand, then, that you do not regard your investigation as finished.’’ <GOmicbooks.com —