I can't and won't have my morning wasted. If you meander in
your statements, I shall simply row back again to the yacht and leave
you there."
"It's a curious thing," said Doyle, "that a gentleman like you would
find a pleasure in preventing a poor man from earning his living."
He spoke truculently. He was evidently very angry indeed.
"Don't," said Meldon, "wander off into generalities and silly
speculations about things which aren't facts. So far from taking a
pleasure in preventing poor men from living, I'm always particularly
anxious to help them when I can."
"You didn't help me then with your damned tricks, the like of which no
gentleman ought to play."
"If you refer to yourself as a poor man," said Meldon, "you're simply
telling a lie. You're rich, nobody knows how rich, but rich enough to
buy up every other man in the town of Ballymoy."
"And if I was itself, is that any reason why them that would be staying
in my hotel should be hunted out of it?"
"Are you talking about Sir Gilbert Hawkesby?"
"I am," said Doyle. "Who else would I have in my mind?"
"And is he gone?"
"He is not gone yet? but he's going without something would be done to
stop him.
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