“Wiggins.”
“And he has disappeared?”
“He was not there when I left, sir. And he could not have been there when the thief entered.”
“Why not?”
“Because he would not have allowed the thief to enter, sir. He has strict orders.”
“Humph! Come along.”
They hastened up the Central Way, in a northerly direction. The rain had kept off, and the illuminations, which were superb, evidently met with the ecstatic approval of the Y.M.C.A. adherents, who paraded to and fro, and filled the flying cars, with the hectic enjoyment of people who feel that closing time is near. The progress made by Carpentaria and his companion was therefore not of the quickest.
“It’s more than an hour since,” said Mr. Gloucester, daring to show his. discontent.
“What is?” asked Carpentaria.
“Since the crime occurred.”