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He swung his eyes to the crowd, and the crowd could not return his righteous glare

"Take your vote noill answer no more of your questions"

The doctor and I retired to our private box while the vote was taken It would be, at von Helrung’s request, by secret ballot Warthrop lay across the divan, arms folded over his chest, head upon the ar and refused to watch the vote

The silence between us was not of the comfortable variety Since the death of Chanler, he’d barely spoken to me When he looked at ry The affair had begun with his firm conviction that his friend had been past all salvation--and had ended with the equally steadfast belief that he would save him That the doctor’s faith had been shattered by me, the last soul on earth bound to him in any way, seemed beyond his ability to coe that I decided to breach the wall he had erected between us

"Dr Warthrop, sir?"

He took a deep breath He closed his eyes "Yes, Will Henry, what is it?"

"How did--I’--how did you know to look for me in the Monstrumarium?"

"How do you think?"

"Someone must have seen us?"

He shook his head; his eyes reeanu--he followed us there?"

"No He returned straightaway to von Helrung’s after he discovered you uessed," I concluded It was the only explanation

"No, I did not guess I applied the lesson from the Chanler house h I gave itinstructional in that horrific scene, except the sickening macabre stab at humor scrawled above the bedroom door: Life is

"John hiist explained "Just as he tried to tell ht us the news, I realized at once where he had taken you Don’t you remember what he said? ‘He’ll put you on display in the Beastie Bin, where all you nasty things belong’" He opened his eyes and, raising his head a bit, peeked over the railing "Hood or bad" He lay down again "They found the Nováková girl, by the way, at the bottoe, once they drained the cellar"

I knew she was not the only victim who’d been found in that cellar He notedyou could have done, Will Henry"

And I answered, "That is what I did, sir Nothing"

"Your guilt serves no purpose Will it resurrect the child or change the past? You did exactly what I would have done--what anyone would have done in the circumstance Suppose you had picked up the child and left How ht because of your misplaced altruism? There are hard choices to be y has more than its fair share of them"

He waited for reed with hiasoline upon it to quench the flames, you would cry, ‘Yes, sir! Yes, sir!’ and blow us both to kingdom come!

"I should have saved him," I said

"Saved him? Saved him from what? You had no idea at the ti"

"I should have saved him," I repeated

"Very well Assued to find to whoed And now you ardless, for those are the odds, Will Henry; that is the grihetto You would have saved him from one monster only to deliver him to another no less murderous"

I shook my head "I should have saved hirew red; his dark eyes flashed He was not prepared, perhaps, for my obsequious response to his demand that I become less obsequious!

"Why?" he demanded

"Because I could have," I answered

They were laid to rest side by side, my master’s two loves, in the Chanler family plot, for the father of the most ard son is a father still The elder Chanler did not speak to Warthrop, except for a few threatening words upon the conclusion of the graveside service, to the effect that he intended to strip him down to his last piece of silver Warthrop’s reply: "See you to leavewas in attendance, as well as several otherparty Dobrogeanu shook ravely and pronounced the doctor fortunate to have found a most resourceful and brave assistant

Lilly had coe it, but she hopped out of the hanso black ribbon in her curls, and during the service she sat next tomy hand into hers I did not try to pull it away

"So you are leaving," she said "Was it your plan to leave without saying good-bye?"