'Of course I shall! Manston has no right to carry off my sister unless he's her husband,' said Owen. 'I shall go and separate them.' 'Certainly you will,' said the rector.
'Where's the man?' 'In his cottage.' ''Tis no use going to him, either. I must go off at once and overtake them--lay the case before Manston, and ask him for additional and certain proofs of his first wife's death. An up-train passes soon, I think.' 'Where have they gone?' said Edward.
'To Paris--as far as Southampton this afternoon, to proceed to-morrow morning.' 'Where in Southampton?' 'I really don't know--some hotel. I only have their Paris address.
But I shall find them by making a few inquiries.' The rector had in the meantime been taking out his pocket-book, and now opened it at the first page, whereon it was his custom every month to gum a small railway time-table--cut from the local newspaper.
'The afternoon express is just gone,' he said, holding open the page, 'and the next train to Southampton passes at ten minutes to six o'clock. Now it wants--let me see--five-and-forty minutes to that time. Mr. Graye, my advice is that you come with me to the porter's cottage, where I will shortly write out the substance of what he has said, and get him to sign it. You will then have far better grounds for interfering between Mr. and Mrs. Manston than if you went to them with a mere hearsay story.' The suggestion seemed a good one. 'Yes, there will be time before the train starts,' said Owen.
Edward had been musing restlessly.
'Let me go to Southampton in your place, on account of your lameness?' he said suddenly to Graye.
'I am much obliged to you, but I think I can scarcely accept the offer,' returned Owen coldly. 'Mr. Manston is an honourable man, and I had much better see him myself.' 'There is no doubt,' said Mr. Raunham, 'that the death of his wife was fully believed in by himself.' 'None whatever,' said Owen; 'and the news must be broken to him, and the question of other proofs asked, in a friendly way. It would not do for Mr. Springrove to appear in the case at all.' He still spoke rather coldly; the recollection of the attachment between his sister and Edward was not a pleasant one to him.
'You will never find them,' said Edward. 'You have never been to Southampton, and I know every house there.' 'That makes little difference,' said the rector; 'he will have a cab. Certainly Mr. Graye is the proper man to go on the errand.' 'Stay; I'll telegraph to ask them to meet me when I arrive at the terminus,' said Owen; 'that is, if their train has not already arrived.' Mr. Raunham pulled out his pocket-book again. 'The two-thirty train reached Southampton a quarter of an hour ago,' he said.