Watkins nodded his head.
"And hextremely pretty, too, if I may say so, your ludship."
Hugh looked helplessly at Nikka and me.
"I say, this is a yarn!" he exclaimed. "Watty, for God's sake, get a grip on yourself. Begin at the beginning, and tell everything."
He grinned.
"Conceal nothin', you old reprobate, especially, if there were any amorous episodes with this lady."
"Your ludship! Mister Hugh, sir!" Watkins's expression was a study in injured innocence. "You will 'ave your bit of fun, I suppose. As for me, sir, if I was for making love to some female I'd take one that was not so free with her strength."
"Are you sure it was a woman?" interrupted Nikka.
"Judge for yourself, sir, Mister Nikka. After you gentlemen left me, I tidied up the room, and quite a time had passed, I should judge, when I heard a click, and one of the windows opened in the south oriel."
"That's the one Toutou and his man escaped through," I broke in. "They probably fixed the lock."