"Murderedth?" he gasped, shrinking back.
The clergyman was shattered by horror.
"By the river ... almost torn to pieces...."
The danseuse screamed loudly. A figure bounded up behind them, and a hand seized the clergyman's throat in a savage grip. The furious, distorted face of George Copplestone glared down at him. He struggled, freeing himself with all his strength.
"Copplestone," he choked, "something dreadful has happened to Miss Manderson. I found her by the river ... horribly torn...."
From another direction, Tranter reached them, breathless.
"What is the matter? What has happened?"
The financier clung to him.
"Mith Manderthon ... murderedth."
Tranter shook him off, and stood very still. The agony on his face passed unnoticed. As the theatrical manager and Mrs. Astley-Rolfe arrived at a run, Copplestone, with a sound like the cry of a raging animal, grasped the unhappy clergyman by the arm, and dashed off towards the river.