Finally he became convinced, by certain psychic
processes of the mind, that some one was staring at him. He looked
about in all directions. At last his eyes rested on a squat, misshapen
figure far over by the ferry entrance.
He had no difficulty in recognizing Ernie Cronk. His presence there
was disquieting in more than one sense. Dick had said that Braddock
was "hanging 'round" with his brother. This, of itself, was sufficient
to create alarm in David's mind. He searched the scurrying throng for
a glimpse of the drab, sinister figure of Christine's father, all the
while conscious that Ernie Cronk's baleful gaze was upon him. The
beady eyes seemed to penetrate shifting obstructions, never changing,
never wavering.
David considered briefly, and then decided to consult the cripple. As
he made his way over to him he noted that Ernie was flashily dressed,
almost to the point of grotesqueness. One might have forgiven the
vivid checked suit on the person of a buoyant barber, but it was
grewsome in its present occupation. Its gaudy, insistent cheapness
leaped out at the observer with much the same appeal for favor that
one imputes to the garments of a clown.
Pages:
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427