From the depths of a side pocket he fished up a folded newspaper, which he handed to her.
"Read these," he said, pointing to a couple of bits in the social column, juxtaposed.
Following his finger, Esther read aloud:
"Arrivals at Claridge's include Señora Toda and her daughter, Señorita Inez Toda, who, after spending the winter in the Riviera, are now returning to their home in Argentina."
"Captain Arthur Holliday, well known in Paris and in Cannes, is staying at Claridge's before sailing from Marseilles for South America, where he has important interests."
Esther lapsed into the vernacular of her adopted country.
"Well, what do you know about that?" she exclaimed, turning wide eyes on her companion. "So he is going, after all."
"So it appears. His Spanish friends have him in tow. I wish them joy."
Esther was silent, wondering if the thought in her mind had also occurred to Roger, namely that Holliday had at last given up hope that Sir Charles would die. She wondered, too, how the news would affect Lady Clifford. Perhaps, indeed, the latter had known days ago of his departure, in which case her violent emotional burst, as well as her illness, became more comprehensible.
They made a big circuit, and an hour and a half later turned homeward, approaching the house from a different direction. While still a little distance away they caught sight of a small Aberdeen terrier in the act of disappearing around the corner of a leafy avenue. The dog, red collar and all, had a familiar appearance.