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Page 196
I'll talk to him again. But I can't do more than that, m'dear. I really can't.''
Realizing that she could get no more out of the old man and that she was delaying him, although he was too polite to tell her outright to go, Linda thanked him and left. In one way she was more at ease. Partly that was because what the general said made good sense. It was unreasonable to harm Mrs. Bates while Peter was still around and still her favorite. In addition to that, General Barthemeles's clear conviction that Peter either was in no danger or could take care of anything that threatened him gave her more confidence than Peter's own assertion that he would be safe.
Nonetheless, it was quite clear to Linda that the general now knew something he had not known when she spoke to him about the attacks in London and that he had no intention of telling her what he knew. It was frustrating that all three of themPeter, Mrs. Bates, and the Generalknew who was guilty and she, who had been present at every incident, could not guess. It was frustrating, but not really strange. They all knew each other so well. Probably some characteristic act or piece of family history had identified the person.
Linda had gone out on the deck after talking to the general; she leaned on the rail and carefully rethought each attack, including, for the sake of completeness, the incident on the landing of the stairs in London. There was nothingexcept the two pushes, on Mrs. Bates and on Peterthat

 
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