"The Marchioness's late husband,—for she doubtless is his Lordship's wife,—was a lunatic."
"A lunatic!" said Lord George.
"We do not quite know when he died, but we believe it was about a month or two before the date at which his Lordship wrote home to say that he was about to be married."
"Then that child cannot be Lord Popenjoy," said the Dean with exultation.
"That's going a little too fast, Mr. Dean. There may have been a divorce."
"There is no such thing in Roman Catholic countries," said the Dean. "Certainly not in Italy."
"I do not quite know," said the lawyer. "Of course we are as yet very much in the dark. I should not wonder if we found that there had been two marriages. All this is what we have got to find out. The lady certainly lived in great intimacy with your brother before her first husband died."
"How do you know anything about it?" asked Lord George.
"I happened to have heard the name of the Marchese Luigi, and I knew where to apply for information."
"We did not mean that any inquiry should be made so suddenly," said Lord George angrily.