Ben's face twitched for a moment with a passing emotion.
"I guess that would have been Henry Underwood's affair," he said indifferently, and turned his face away.
But Ben made no answer to this, and Burton left him. He ran down the stairs and looked into the surgery, the door of which was standing open.
"Come inside," the doctor said, pulling him in and shutting the door behind him. "What am I to think of this?"
"You know perfectly well. You are as white as--as I would be if I showed what I felt. Where was Henry when that fire started?"
"He came into the house not ten minutes ago,--"
"--and went up to his room. Do you believe in evil spirits that carry out the secret wishes of men who are--criminally insane?"
"I should hate to say I didn't, because the idea offers so interesting a field for speculation that it strikes me it would be amusing to entertain it. But what suggests the question?"
The doctor looked at him with miserable eyes. "Who started that fire?" he asked, almost inaudibly.
Burton answered in the same undertone. "I did. But don't mention it. I'm afraid my reputation might suffer."
The doctor stared at him with such obvious dismay that Burton laughed aloud.
"By deputy, of course! I'm not crazy, Doctor, but I confess I am somewhat excited. I can't stop to explain further, because I have an engagement."
"Engagement be hanged. You are inventing that. Explain what you mean."
"If I hadn't an engagement, I should invent one, to get away from you. I don't want to talk to you. And I shall have a continuous engagement for the rest of the day. Good day to you."
"Pooh-pooh to you," responded the doctor, derisively. But the miserable look had been taken from his face.
Burton used his room telephone at the hotel to call up Watson, and even so he did not give his name.
"It's all right so far. We'll go ahead as planned," he said.
Next he went to the station to meet Rachel. The west-bound train to which her car, "Oversee," was attached, came puffing in with the air of importance which every one and everything that ministered to Rachel came sooner or later to assume. He walked down to the end of the long platform, and there was the familiar car, and, what was not so to be taken for granted, there was Rachel herself on the steps, waving an impatient hand to him.