His companion Andrews was little more than a
boy, frank-faced and cheerful, with the breezy manner of one who
is out for a holiday and means to enjoy every minute of it. Both
men were total abstainers, and behaved in all ways as exemplary
members of the society, with the one simple exception that they
were assassins who had often proved themselves to be most capable
instruments for this association of murder. Lawler had already
carried out fourteen commissions of the kind, and Andrews three.
They were, as McMurdo found, quite ready to converse about their
deeds in the past, which they recounted with the half-bashful
pride of men who had done good and unselfish service for the
community. They were reticent, however, as to the immediate job
in hand.
"They chose us because neither I nor the boy here drink," Lawler
explained. "They can count on us saying no more than we should.
You must not take it amiss, but it is the orders of the County
Delegate that we obey."
"Sure, we are all in it together," said Scanlan, McMurdo's mate,
as the four sat together at supper.
"That's true enough, and we'll talk till the cows come home of
the killing of Charlie Williams or of Simon Bird, or any other
job in the past.
Pages:
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242