Page:The Secret of the Caves.djvu/28
"It's about my brother," she said. "My twin brother, Todham. He's a very clever man—a professor. Perhaps you've heard of him. Professor Todham Todd, Ph.D. It all started when Todham and I went on that railway journey to visit Cousin Albert. At the time I said that I had a strange feeling that something was going to happen, and perhaps we had better not go, but Todham said I was foolish, so we went. And I was right. It turned out that I was right after all."
"Yes?" said Mr. Hardy encouragingly, wondering to what all this was leading.
"I was quite right," declared Miss Todd emphatically. "Because something did happen. There was a wreck. The train jumped off the track. It was a terrible wreck. There were five people killed and it was a blessing Todham and I weren't killed too. But we were hurt. We were badly hurt. I've never felt the same since. My nerves have never been right. As for Todham, he always had been a nervous sort of man, and after that wreck he went all to pieces. The doctor said he would be all right after a while, that all he needed was rest and quiet, and I believed he was right. But we sued the railway for damages."
"Did you win the suit?" asked Mr. Hardy.
"It has not come to trial. The lawyers delayed everything. In the meantime, poor Tod-