“And why you treated Adeline Maud as you did,” said Dr. O’Grady. “I don’t exactly know how you did treat her, but if you pursue the Emperor I’ll insist on finding out.”
“I won’t pursue him,” said Lord Manton. “I promise not to. As a matter of fact, I don’t want to pursue him in the least. He paid his rent in advance.”
“Patsy Devlin,” said Dr. O’Grady, “was sheltered, lodged, and fed by the Emperor, and has no complaint whatever to make. Have you, Patsy?”
“I have not. Only for him, they’d have had me hanged for murdering you, doctor; which is what I wouldn’t do, and never thought of.”
“And you don’t want to have the Emperor pursued?”
“I do not,” said Patsy.
“We pass on,” said Dr. O’Grady, “to the case of the two Members of Parliament—if they are Members of Parliament. I don’t want to make myself unnecessarily unpleasant, especially as I understand that their wives, their real wives, are waiting for them——”
“I protest——” said Mr. Dick.
“I always told you, Goddard,” said Lord Manton, “that there was something of this sort, something uncommonly fishy behind the disappearance of these two gentlemen. You’ll recollect that. But I must say I didn’t expect it to be as bad as this.”
“I protest——” said Mr. Dick and Mr. Sanders together.