"Don't you remember?" she said, raising her head. "Agstone brought in the lady—Dolly, I suppose—when Ned was in that cataleptic state."
"I forgot that. But who admitted Agstone? What is the matter?"
He asked this because Constance rose suddenly to her feet with a cry of astonishment. "Mr. Haken was at the ball," she said, alarmed.
"I know. I saw him—that is, I recognised him by his chuckle. Well?"
Mrs. Rover sat down again. "You know that Mr. Haken is my godfather," she remarked; and when Prelice nodded, went on. "He was much distressed over my preference for Ned, seeing that I was married, and came to remonstrate with me on the night of the ball."
"Humph," said Prelice coolly, "I wondered why he was at the ball. A most unusual festivity for a dry-as-dust old man like Uncle Simon to be at."
"I gave him the key," said Constance in a low voice.
"The key! What key?"
"The key of Ned's flat."
"Constance, how did you become possessed of the key?"