.."
He was thus incoherently raging when the scene was
interrupted by the arrival of the landlord and inn
servants in various degrees of deshabille, and to them
I gave my temporary lunatic in charge.
"Take him to his room," I said, "he's only drunk."
These were my words; but I knew better. After all my
study of Mr. Bellairs, one discovery had been reserved
for the last moment--that of his latent and essential
madness.
CHAPTER XX
STALLBRIDGE-LE-CARTHEW
LONG before I was awake the shyster had disappeared,
leaving his bill unpaid. I did not need to inquire
where he was gone, I knew too well, I knew there was
nothing left me but to follow; and about ten in the
morning, set forth in a gig for Stallbridge-le-Carthew.
The road, for the first quarter of the way, deserts the
valley of the river, and crosses the summit of a chalk-
down, grazed over by flocks of sheep and haunted by
innumerable larks. It was a pleasant but a vacant
scene, arousing but not holding the attention; and my
mind returned to the violent passage of the night
before.
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