"I suppose we ought to do that at once," Guest answered, and picked up the instrument.
"I say, this is an appalling business!" Halliday said. "Of course the police must be sent for, but I'm thinking of Lady Billington-Smith."
"Pardon me, sir, but has her ladyship been apprised of the — the accident?"
"Good God, yes! everyone knows. It was Mrs. Twining who found him."
"Oh dear, dear!" said Finch. "It is not, if I may say so, a sight for a lady."
Stephen Guest was speaking into the mouthpiece of the telephone. "I'm speaking from the Grange, from General Sir Arthur Billington-Smith's… Yes. There has been an accident… Yes, to the General. He's dead… No, not a natural death… You'll be up right now?… All right."
"What are we to do?" Halliday asked. "We can't leave him like this!"
"I think, sir, if I were to lock the door of this room it would be the best thing," said Finch. "With your permission I will do so, and keep the key until the police arrive."
"Yes, you'd better," agreed Guest. He cast a cursory glance down at the dead man. "Nothing for us to do here. We'd better be getting back to the women-folk."
At that moment a bell shrilled in the distance. Finch frowned slightly. "I think that is the front door, sir. If you will come now I will lock the room up before I answer the door."