And the friends shook hands and parted.
Alexander threw himself into his cab, and drove off to Scotland Yard.
There he saw the chief of police, and had a long talk with him. Under the seal of confidence, he explained something of the circumstances of his marriage, his temporary estrangement from his wife, who bore his family name; and of his subsequent accession to the title and estate of Killcrichtoun—a title which, it appeared, his wife shrank from sharing until they should be reconciled. This, he said, he divulged that the chief might understand why it was that he took so deep an interest, and was willing to pay so high a reward, and give besides all his own time and attention for the recovery of the lost child.
These circumstances and all others he deemed necessary he explained to the chief, who, by the way, had heard it all before from Dick, although he did not deem it discreet to interrupt Lord Killcrichtoun’s narrative by telling him so.
Alexander also made some suggestions as to the best manner of conducting the further search, that the chief declared to have been inspired.
After leaving Scotland Yard, Alexander went to his apartments at Mivart’s, where he found that his valet had unpacked and arranged his clothes and toilet apparatus, and had brought up the letters and papers that had accumulated for him during him absence.
He looked over his letters, but found nothing of great importance.
Then he sent for the clerk of the house and made inquiries as to who had called on him, or what had happened concerning him during the last month.
He heard in reply several things in which we are not interested, and one thing in which we are, rather—namely, the visit of two ladies, who inquired for him in connection with the missing child.
Of course he knew at once that the ladies referred to must have been Anna and Drusilla, and the child little Lenny.