"Curiously enough," replied Rich, slapping at the sleeves of his coat, "I should like a word with him."
He broke off as they all caught sight of Courtney.
"Ah," grunted H.M., peering over his spectacles; "and where have you been?"
"I strolled out to get a breath of fresh air. Mrs. Fane didn't seem to want much watching. She's all right now, I hope."
"No," said H.M. shortly. "She's bad. She's just about as bad as she can be, after these monkey-tricks. Never mind. What's this room here?"
He nodded towards a closed door at the back of the hall on the right-hand side as you faced the rear — just opposite the back drawing room.
"Dining room, sir," answered Agnew.
"Can we use it?"
"I don't see why not."
Agnew opened the door and switched on the lights-discovering nothing more than the spectacle of Uncle Hubert Fane standing at the sideboard, with a bottle tilted to his lips, improving the opportunity to steal a swig of his nephew's choicest liqueur brandy in the dark.