He swung round to face the spurious Gainsborough. As he did so something caught his eye and he moved toward the portrait. Gladwin followed and inquired:
“But you not only knew it was a fake, but when I bought it and what I paid for it.”
“I knew about it,” came the jaunty reply, “because I painted it.”
He moved another step nearer the painting as Gladwin gasped.
“Yes,” he went on lightly, running his hand along the bottom of the frame, “according to this gentleman,” and he nodded over his shoulder to Kearney, who had kept pace with him, backing to cover the doorway, “your ‘Blue Boy’ was painted by the greatest picture expert in the world!”
As the last word came laughingly from his lips the room was plunged in darkness.