Without attempting to dispute the conclusion at which Iris had arrived,
he did his best to alleviate her distress. In his opinion, he was
careful to tell her, a discovery of the destination to which Lord Harry
proposed to betake himself, might be achieved. The Irish lord's
allusion to a new adventure, which would occupy him in searching for
diamonds or gold, might indicate a contemplated pursuit of the
assassin, as well as a plausible excuse to satisfy Iris. It was at
least possible that the murderer might have been warned of his danger
if he remained in England, and that he might have contemplated
directing his flight to a distant country, which would not only offer a
safe refuge, but also hold out (in its mineral treasures) a hope of
gain. Assuming that these circumstances had really happened, it was in
Lord Harry's character to make sure of his revenge, by embarking in the
steamship by which the assassin of Arthur Mountjoy was a passenger.
Wild as this guess at the truth undoubtedly was, it had one merit: it
might easily be put to the test.
Hugh had bought the day's newspaper at the station. He proposed to
consult the shipping advertisements relating, in the first place, to
communication with the diamond-mines and the goldfields of South
Africa.
This course of proceeding at once informed him that the first steamer,
bound for that destination, would sail from London in two days' time.
The obvious precaution to take was to have the Dock watched; and
Mountjoy's steady old servant, who knew Lord Harry by sight, was the
man to employ.