They discussed this interesting possibility for a short time, and then Roger began to put on his shoes and socks.
“I think that’s really all there is to go into at present,” he said, “so you can have leave of absence for the rest of the morning. You can tell Margaret about our discovery last night and this new visitor Mrs. Vane may have had recently. With any luck she ought to be able to give us a pointer to the gent.”
Anthony rose to his feet. “If I happen to see her, I will,” he said a little stiffly.
“ ‘If I happen to see her, I will!’ ” Roger scoffed. “Oh, very good, Anthony; very good indeed. I must try you with the butter test at lunch. If half-a-pound of butter, placed in the patient’s mouth, shows no sign of melting within⸺”
“What are you going to do?” Anthony asked hurriedly.
“Me? Oh, I’ve got to be busy. I’ve got to lay my trap for young Colin first of all; then I want to have a word with Moresby and hear exactly what he’s made of that London Opinion, if anything (he’s probably concealing it from me in his breast-pocket at this very moment); and lastly I want to tackle this business of the mysterious stranger from the other end. I’m going to cross-examine every inhabitant of the place within a square mile of that ledge to try and find someone who was within sight of it early on Tuesday afternoon. I’m convinced I’m on the right tack; if Margaret can’t help us, I’m going to exhaust the possibilities of that line of information if it takes me a month.”
“But I thought everybody had been questioned about that already?”
“Not so,” Roger replied cunningly. “They were questioned before about seeing Mrs. Vane. There was no word mentioned about a strange man.”
“I see,” said Anthony, balancing irresolutely on each foot in turn. “Yes, that’s a sound scheme.—Well, I’ll be strolling along now, I think, if you don’t want me any more.”
Roger waved a paternal farewell with an Oxford brogue.