“What races?” demanded Gaywood.
“Good God, I don’t know!” Gideon replied impatiently?
“No, nor anyone else!” retorted his lordship. “There ain’t any, as you’d know if you kept your eye on Cocker. Of course, he might have gone off to see a mill, but it ain’t much in his line, is it?”
“The thing remains a mystery!” Mr. Cliveden pronounced. “I wonder that you should take it so easily, Ware, for upon my soul I don’t care for the sound of it! I do trust poor Sale may not have met with foul play!”
Two more members came into the room at this moment, and were at once asked if they had heard the news. Foreseeing that the topicwould not lightly be abandoned, Gideon lounged out of the room. The thin man said: “Queer, that! He seemed to set no store by it, did he? Yet one would have thought he must have been the first to have known of his cousin’s intentions. And if he did not I own I should have expected him to show some degree of anxiety. For it can’t be denied that this strange disappearance is of a nature to cause the Duke’s relatives grave disquiet.”
One of the new comers said: “Oh, depend upon it, he knows where Sale is! Sale dined with him last night.”
Everyone’s attention became riveted on the speaker’s face. “Dined with him last night?” echoed Gaywood. “You’re bamming! Ware had not seen Sale: he has just told us so!”
Sir John Aveley opened his eyes at this. “Has he, by Jupiter! Doing it rather too brown, surely! I met Sale on his way to his cousin’s chambers last night.”
There was a sudden silence. The thin man pursed up his mouth, and looked unutterably wise. Gaywood was frowning. After a moment, he said: “Well, if that is so, I daresay Ware had his reasons for keeping mum! Dash it, he and Sale are the best of friends! I should know! Been acquainted with ’em both since my cradle!”
The thin man coughed. “Just so, my dear Gaywood! No doubt he had excellent reasons.”