Page 89 - The snake's pass

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THE SECRETS OF THE BOG. — 77
this, it would ultimately waste away, and the bones would
become incorporated with the existing vegetation some-
where about the roots, or would lie among the slime at
the bottom."
"Well," said I, "for real cold-blooded horror, commend
me to your men of science."
This passage brought us to the door of Murdock's
house—a plain, strongly-built cottage, standing on a
knoll of rock that cropped up from the plateau round
it. It was surrounded with a garden hedged in by a belt
of pollard ash and stunted alders.
Murdock had evidently been peering surreptitiously
through the window of his sitting-room, for as we passed
in by the gate he came out to the porch. His salutation
was not an encouraging one :
"You're somethin' late this mornin', Mr. Sutherland.
I hope ye didn't throuble to delay in ordher to bring up
this sthrange gintleman. Ye know how particular I am
about any wan knowin' aught of me affairs."
Dick flushed up to the roots of his hair, and, much to
my surprise, burst out quite in a passionate way:
" Look you here, Mr. Murdock, I'm not going to take
any cheek from you, so don't you give any. Of course I
don't expect a fellow of your stamp to understand a gentle-
man's feelings—damn it how can you have a gentleman's
!
understanding when you haven't even a man's ? You
ought to know right well that what I said I would do, I
shall do. I despise you and your miserable secrets and
your miserable trickery too much to take to myself any-