"'E just kind o' laughed and shrugged his shoulders and said: 'I've no doubt of that.'"
"Then after that did they agree to go to Grosvenor Square together?"
"I don't rightly know, sir, if the two gentlemen said anything about that, but the visitor 'e went out first, and Mr. de Mountford followed 'im into the outer lobby. Then 'e turned and spoke to me."
"Who did?"
"Mr. de Mountford, sir; the other gentleman wasn't a yard away from 'im and must 'ave 'eard every word 'e said."
"What did he say?"
"'E said to me: 'Power, I say, you've no business to allow people to enter the club rooms like that. You must keep them waiting in the 'all, one will get hopelessly pestered by beggars at this rate.' Them were Mr. de Mountford's very words, sir, I'd take my Bible oath to every one of 'em; and the other gentleman 'e was in the outer lobby, sir, and 'e must 'ave 'eard every syllable. I caught sight of 'is face and, my word, there was murder in 'is eye."
"That'll do, Power," admonished Sir Thomas, thus checking the man's flow of excited eloquence.
"Very good, sir," replied the other humbly.
"And after that what happened?"