Possibly he leaves England and only comes back at intervals.
Then comes the discovery of the garret, and he is instantly
informed of it. We again trace the presence of some confederate
in the household. Jonathan, with his wooden leg, is utterly
unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto. He takes
with him, however, a rather curious associate, who gets over this
difficulty, but dips his naked foot into creasote, whence comes
Toby, and a six-mile limp for a half-pay officer with a damaged
tendo Achillis."
"But it was the associate, and not Jonathan, who committed the
crime."
"Quite so. And rather to Jonathan's disgust, to judge by the way
he stamped about when he got into the room. He bore no grudge
against Bartholomew Sholto, and would have preferred if he could
have been simply bound and gagged. He did not wish to put his
head in a halter. There was no help for it, however: the savage
instincts of his companion had broken out, and the poison had
done its work: so Jonathan Small left his record, lowered the
treasure-box to the ground, and followed it himself. That was
the train of events as far as I can decipher them. Of course as
to his personal appearance he must be middle-aged, and must be
sunburned after serving his time in such an oven as the Andamans.
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