"Oh!" said Barker. "By the by, have you seen any of your lawyer people to-day?" Barker had expected that Claudius would confide to him the trouble Screw was raising. But as Claudius did not begin, Barker asked the question.
"Yes," answered the Doctor, "Screw has been here. In fact he is just gone."
"Anything wrong?" inquired the tormentor.
"No, nothing wrong that I know of," said Claudius. Then he suddenly turned sharply on Barker, and looked straight at him. "Did you expect to hear that there was anything wrong?" he asked quickly. Claudius had a very unpleasant way of turning upon his antagonist just a minute before the enemy was ready for him. Barker had found this out before, and, being now directly interrogated, he winced perceptibly.
"Oh dear, no," he hastened to say. "But lawyers are great bores sometimes, especially where wills are concerned. And I thought perhaps Screw might be wearying you with his formalities."
"No," said Claudius indifferently, "nothing to—" he was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was the Duke's servant, a quiet man in gray clothes and gray whiskers. He had a bald head and bright eyes.
"His Grace's compliments, sir, and can you see him now, sir?"
"Yes, I will come in a moment," said Claudius.
"I think, sir," said the man, "that his Grace is coming to your rooms."
"Very good. My compliments, and I shall be glad to see him." The gray servant vanished.