"Ho," said the butler at length, appearing to swell visibly. "So that's hit. Caught in the very hact, eh?"
"What the devil do you mean?" spluttered Major Bellingford Smart. "I came here at Captain Bourne's invitation to see Mrs. Bourne —"
"Not 'alf you didn't," said the butler austerely. "There ain't no Mrs. Bourne 'ere, and never 'as been. This is the Countess of Halbury's 'ouse, an you don't 'ave to tell me what you are." He turned to the footman. "James, you go hout and fetch a copper, quick. I can look hafter this bloke. Just let 'im try something!"
He commenced to roll up his right sleeve, with an anticipatory glint in his eye. He was a very large butler, ever so much larger than Major Bellingford Smart, and he looked as if he would like nothing better than a show of violence. Even the best butlers must yearn sometimes for the simple human pleasure of pushing their fists into a face that offends them.
"You'll be sorry for this," fumed Major Bellingford Smart impotently. "If this is the Countess of Halbury's house there must be some mistake —"
"Ho, yes," said the butler pleasantly. "There his a mistake, and you made it."
There followed a brief interval of inhospitable silence, until the footman returned with a constable in tow.
"There 'e is," announced the footman; but the butler quelled him with a glance.
"Hofficer," he said majestically, "we 'ave just caught this person red-'anded in the hact of burgling the 'ouse. 'Er ladyship is at present hout dining with Lady Hexmouth. 'Earing the sound of footsteps, we thought 'er ladyship 'ad returned, halthough James remarked that it was not 'er ladyship's custom to let 'erself hin. Then we 'eard a crash as if the card tray in the 'all 'ad been hupset, and we noticed that the lights were hout, so we came along to see what it was."
"I can explain everything, officer," interrupted Major Bellingford Smart. "I was asked to come here to get a Mrs. Bourne's signature to the lease of a flat —"