"Blessed if it isn't our friend, Mr. Jessel," he remarked. "Who ever would have thought of seeing you here again? Anyhow, I take it very kindly your looking us up so soon. Come in, old chap, come in. You must excuse the missus and me. I'm only just back from my little holiday, you know. We don't do this sort of thing in the front garden every night."
Mr. Jessel smiled and Mrs. Kenly opened her eyes widely. She had never known her husband to be so effusive with a lodger, new or old. But like a wise woman she said nothing, but, blushing a little, seconded her husband's invitation.
"If—if I had known you were expected," said Jessel turning to Kenly, "I would have postponed my call for an hour. Perhaps you will allow me to come back a little later."
"Not at all," said Kenly heartily. "Come in and have a cup of tea with us. I'm sure the wife will be proud to give you one."
Mrs. Kenly opened her eyes wider than ever. She could very well have dispensed with her late lodger's company, but she had suddenly realised that her husband must have some hidden reason for his geniality. Had he not arrived at Jessel's very heels? Scenting a mystery she played up to the Inspector's lead, and Jessel, visibly gratified by the warmth of the greeting, no longer rejected the proffered hospitality. In a very few minutes he was seated at the detective's table doing justice to the delicacies which Mrs. Kenly produced from larder and cupboard in honour of her lord's return.
He had soon revealed the motive for his call. He wanted to know if the room he had occupied was still unlet, for, if so, he desired, having suddenly lost his situation, to return to the place where he had been so comfortable. Mrs. Kenly hardly knew what to reply. She was already in negotiation with another party. But her inclination towards so quiet and well behaved a lodger as Mr. Jessel, strengthened by the surreptitious nod of approval from her husband, ultimately led to her declaring that she thought the negotiations in progress might be broken off and Mr. Jessel installed in his former quarters.
Cornelius was delighted, and said so.
"I should like to come in this very night," he said. "I have nowhere but an hotel to go to, and I never can sleep at an hotel."
Again in obedience to her husband's mute request Mrs. Kenly, after a decent amount of hesitation, acceded to his wishes, and when the shadow-man at last left them it was merely to fetch his baggage.
Mrs. Kenly accompanied the returned lodger to the door, and when she returned to the parlour she found that her husband had disappeared.