“A little whim of mine, Mrs. Prescott. Nothing more.” He rose.
“You’ll stay to lunch, Mr. Bathurst. I insist.”
Anthony did, and when about to take his departure sometime afterwards realized that his hostess was a singularly able woman.
He shook hands with her. “Good-bye, Mr. Bathurst. You have hopes?”
“I have,” he said gravely. “And fears. We are on the verge of a very horrible discovery. But it can’t be helped. Good-bye.”
Mrs. Prescott looked white and troubled as he spoke. “Good-bye,” she murmured.
Anthony made off down the road—a prey to conflicting thoughts. Then he encountered a surprise, that quickly jolted him back to realities. Two figures passed by on the other side; well in his view. He stared in surprise. Major Hornby and Lieutenant Barker! “What the devil——” He stopped in the shadow of a wall and watched them curiously. They knocked at and entered the house that he had just left!
“Now—what on earth,” he muttered. A hand touched him on the arm, and a voice exclaimed eagerly: “Tell me—quickly—whose house is that, Mr. Bathurst?” The hand was the hand of the Law—and the voice the voice of Inspector Baddeley.
CHAPTER XX
MARY RECEIVES HER SECOND PROPOSAL
When Anthony left us that morning there was much speculation as to where he had gone and deny it as I might, I am pretty certain that the company generally regarded me as being in his confidence.