There was another pause. Roger frowned at Anthony. Anthony continued to preserve unbroken silence; the situation was evidently beyond him.
It was rather beyond Roger too, but he flung himself valiantly into the breach once more. “Have you been waiting long?” he enquired desperately.
“Not very.”
“Oh!—Well—he ought to be in any minute now.”
“I see.”
There was another pause.
“Look here,” said Roger still more desperately, “what are we to talk about?”
Woodthorpe smiled faintly. “I suppose it is a bit awkward for you fellows,” he remarked.
“Infernally awkward,” Roger agreed warmly. “I don’t know what the etiquette is on these occasions at all. Besides, they’ll be coming in to lay the supper in a minute. Shall I tell them to lay a place for you, by the way?”
“I don’t know. That rather depends on the inspector, doesn’t it?”