“I hope there’s nothing wrong?” I said.
“Well, we’ve had some rather upsetting news. Nothing wrong exactly, but upsetting. It alters our plans a bit. I was just going to tell you. Me and Mr. Edmund have been talking things over a bit.”
His big right hand was pinching up creases in the table-cloth and setting it all crooked in a maddening way.
“Well?” I said interrogatively.
“I don’t often drink between meals, Mr. Davoren, but I think I’ll have a brandy and soda if you don’t mind.”
“Of course,” I said, as he touched the gong on the table and gave his instructions to Hassan.
“Perhaps you’ll join me?” he asked hopefully.
I elected to have some whisky, so as to put him a little more at his ease, for he was perturbed to an extent that was quite distressing.
I anticipated nothing but some trouble, possibly some loss, in connection with the business, and was chiefly anxious to know whether Jakoub had been authorised to alter our course.
Captain Welfare swallowed about half of his brandy and soda and mopped his forehead, still regarding me with a look of perplexity and distress.