The other, pausing only until he had spoken,
proceeded:
"You engaged this man, I repeat, to kidnap your brother's son and heir,
under the pretence of bringing him to see a puppet-show. Now, Sir Thomas
Gourlay," proceeded the stranger, "suppose that the friends of
this child, kidnapped by you, shall succeed in proving this fact by
incontestable evidence, in what position will you stand before the
world?"
"Much in the same position in which I stand now. In Red Hall, as its
rightful proprietor, with my back probably to the fire, as it is at
present."
It is undeniable, however, that despite all this haughty coolness of the
baronet, the charge involved in the statement advanced by the stranger
stunned him beyond belief; not simply because the other made it, for
that was a mere secondary consideration, but because he took it for
granted that it never could have been made unless through the medium of
treachery; and we all know that when a criminal, whether great or small,
has reason to believe that he has been betrayed, his position is not
enviable, inasmuch as all sense of security totters from under him.
Pages:
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555