After him came Mr Algernon Sidney Fairweather.
2
Mr Fairweather wore a dark suit with a gold watch chain looped across the place where in his youth he might once have kept his waist. He carried a light gray Homburg and a tightly rolled umbrella with a gold handle. He looked exactly as if a Rolls Royce had just brought him away from an important board meeting.
The Saint inspected him with sober admiration mingled with cordial surprise; and neither of those expressions conveyed one per cent of what was really going on in his mind.
"Algy," he said softly, "what have I done to deserve the honour of seeing you darken my proletarian doors?"
"I… er — Um!" said Mr Fairweather, as if he had not made up his mind what else to say. Teal interposed himself between them. "I was just about to take Mr Templar under arrest," he explained grimly.
"You were — Um! Were you? May I ask what the charge was, Inspector?"
"I suspect him of being concerned in kidnapping Lady Valerie Woodchester."
Fairweather started.
"Lady—" He swallowed. "Kidnapped? But—"