"Is that your name--your real name?" he muttered.
"Never had another that I know of," Dunn answered.
Deede Dawson sat down again on the chair. He was still plainly
very disturbed and shaken, and Ella seemed scarcely less agitated,
though Dunn, watching them both very keenly, noticed that she was
now looking at Deede Dawson with a somewhat strange expression and
with an air as though his extreme excitement puzzled her and made
her--afraid.
"Nothing wrong with the name, is there?" Dunn muttered again.
"No, no," Deede Dawson answered. "No. It's merely a coincidence,
that's all. A coincidence, I suppose, Ella?"
Ella did not answer. Her expression was very troubled and full of
doubt as she stood looking from her stepfather to Dunn and back
again.
"It's only that your name happens to be the same as that of a friend
of ours--a great friend of my daughter's," Deede Dawson said as
though he felt obliged to offer some explanation. "That's all--a
coincidence. It startled me for the moment." He laughed. "That's
all. Well, my man, it happens there is something I can make you
useful in. If you do prove useful and do what I tell you, perhaps
you may get let off. I might even keep you on in a job. I won't
say I will, but I might. You look a likely sort of fellow for work,
and I daresay you aren't any more dishonest than most people.
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