‘Enjoying himself,’ replied Barty, coolly; ‘he came into the theatre and Villiers introduced him to me; then Mr Wopples asked us all to supper.’
‘You went, of course?’
‘Rather, old chap; what do you take us for?’—this from Barty, with a knowing wink.
‘What time did Vandeloup leave?’ asked Slivers, not paying any attention to Barty’s pantomime.
‘About twenty minutes to twelve.’
‘Oh! I suppose that was because he had to drive out to the Pactolus?’
‘Not such a fool, dear boy; he stayed all night in town.’
‘Oh!’ ejaculated Slivers, in an excited manner, drumming on the table with his fingers, ‘where did he stay?’
‘At the Wattle Tree Hotel.’
Slivers mentally made a note of this, and determined to go there and find out at what time Vandeloup had come home on the night in question, for this suspicious old man had now got it into his head that Vandeloup was in some way responsible for Villiers’ disappearance.