Hammond turned and looked at the three men, one after the other, and then his eyes wandered to Despencer, who was standing by, with a sneer on his thin lips. Here were these four men all looking at the matter from different points of view, none of them apparently with any reason to wish ill to Belle Yorke, two of them evidently friendly towards her, and yet they all doubted her alike.
Before he could speak he saw a sudden change come over their faces. A man had just come hurriedly through the doorway leading from the reception-room. It was the Marquis of Severn; and he was in full dress, with the blue ribbon of the Garter across his shirt-front. He caught sight of his nephew, and strode up to him, his face working with emotion.
“Here, Gerald, come this way; I want to speak to you!” he exclaimed, without heeding the presence of the others.
He seized Mauleverer’s arm, and half led, half thrust him out of the room. One or two of the by-standers saw what was happening, and smiled. Hammond turned sharply on Despencer, whose smile was peculiarly malicious.
“I shall be obliged if you can come with me into the conservatory for five minutes. I wish to speak to you privately,” he said.
Despencer bowed with an air of bland unconcern, and followed him, while the voice outside sounded again:
“Alderman Dobbin!”
SCENE VII
A QUESTION OF CHEMISTRY
In order to reach the conservatory Hammond and Despencer had to thread their way through the concert-room. But their task was rendered easier by the fact that Belle Yorke was just standing up to sing. The mob, attracted partly by her reputation as a singer, and partly by the story in circulation about her and their host, whose hurried exit on her appearance had not gone unremarked, were crowding towards that end of the saloon where the piano stood, and thus the two men were able to make their way round the wall at the deserted end.
As Hammond had anticipated, they found the conservatory empty. It was little more than a long, narrow balcony, roofed over with glass, and running along the side of the house.