Roger took off his hat and laid the paper carefully inside to shield it from the wind, and they resumed their journey.
“What did you think of Miss Cross?” Anthony asked very airily, gazing at the easy feats of a neighbouring gull with an appearance of intense interest.
“Oh, all right,” Roger said with malicious indifference. “Perfectly ordinary sort of girl, I thought, didn’t you?”
“Personally, she struck me as being rather an exceptional one,” Anthony said coldly.
“Did she? Ah, well! Bit long in the nose, wasn’t she?”
“Long in the nose!” exclaimed the indignant Anthony. “Why, her nose is absolutely⸺” He caught sight of Roger’s grin and broke off abruptly. “Damn you!” he growled, flushing vividly.
“Ah, you young people!” Roger continued to grin. “Ah, youth, happy youth! Ah⸺”
“Roger, you ass, be serious for a minute. Do you think that girl’s in any danger?”
“I do indeed,” Roger said with a quick change to gravity. “At least, I don’t know about danger, but I certainly think she’s in a very awkward position. Very awkward indeed.”
“But you don’t think—you don’t think there can be anything in—well, what the inspector seems to be thinking, do you?”