Violet played a little, and practiced some new song, and Mrs. Mildmay ventured to pass through the French window into the garden, the captain accompanying her.
It was after they had left the room that Violet, happening to glance at the carpet, saw a scrap of paper by her side.
It was the captain's note.
"'The pleece inspector's cum down to-day,'" she said; "why, where can this have come from?"
For the moment she thought that it must be the letter which the captain had received, but the scrap of paper had so little of the appearance of a missive that had come through the post, and the information seemed to have still less connection with the captain, that she dismissed the idea.
"Strange," she said, and, with a laugh, she put the piece of paper in her pocket.
The captain had pulled it from his with his pocket handkerchief.