You will admit that the whole plan has been worked
out with surprising completeness and foresight." "Yes," I answered;
"there is no doubt that the fellow is a most infernally clever
scoundrel. May I ask if you have any idea who he is?"
"Well," Thorndyke replied, "seeing that, as Carlyle has unkindly pointed
out, clever people are not in an overwhelming majority, and that, of the
clever people whom I know, only a very few are interested in my
immediate demise, I am able to form a fairly probable conjecture."
"And what do you mean to do?"
"For the present I shall maintain an attitude of masterly inactivity and
avoid the night air."
"But, surely," I exclaimed, "you will take some measures to protect
yourself against attempts of this kind. You can hardly doubt now that
your accident in the fog was really an attempted murder."
"I never did doubt it, as a matter of fact, although I prevaricated at
the time. But I have not enough evidence against this man at present,
and, consequently, can do nothing but show that I suspect him, which
would be foolish. Whereas, if I lie low, one of two things will happen;
either the occasion for my removal (which is only a temporary one) will
pass, or he will commit himself--will put a definite clue into my hands.
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