"Then, if she comes this afternoon, you must get that letter from her," was the reply. "I wish to see it."
"Silver declares that you wrote it?"
"He does. Chaldea showed it to him."
"It is in your handwriting?"
"So Mr. Silver declares."
Lambert rubbed the bristles of his three days' beard, and wriggled uncomfortably in his seat. "I can't gather much from these hints," he said with the fretful impatience of an invalid. "Give me a detailed account of this scoundrel's interview with you, and report his exact words if you can remember them, Agnes."
"I remember them very well. A woman does not forget such insults easily."
"Damn the beast!" muttered Lambert savagely. "Go on, dear."
Agnes patted his hand to soothe him, and forthwith related all that had passed between her and the ex-secretary. Lambert frowned once or twice during the recital, and bit his lip with anger. Weak as he was, he longed for Silver to be within kicking distance, and it would have fared badly with the foxy little man had he been in the room at the moment. When Agnes ended, her lover reflected for a few minutes.
"It's a conspiracy," he declared.