The next moment Jefferson entered.
“Oh, hullo, you two,” he said. “I’ve been looking for you. Can you manage to look after yourselves for the afternoon? Lady Stanworth and Mrs. Plant are in their rooms. Both naturally rather upset. And I’ve got to go into the town to see about a few things.”
“Oh, we’ll be all right,” Roger said easily. “Please don’t bother about us.”
Jefferson glanced round.
“Looking for a book?” he asked.
“No,” said Roger quickly. “As a matter of fact, I was studying this overmantel. I’m rather interested in that sort of thing—carving, and panelling, and old houses. This is really rather a wonderful room. What’s the date, do you know? Early Jacobean, I should say.”
“Somewhere about that,” Jefferson said indifferently. “I don’t know the actual date, I’m afraid.”
“Very interesting period,” Roger commented. “And there’s usually a priest-hole or something like that in houses built at that time. Anything of the sort here? There ought to be, you know.”
“Can’t say, I’m afraid,” Jefferson replied, a little impatiently. “Never heard of one, at any rate. Well, I must be getting along.”
As the door closed behind him, Roger turned to Alec.