“ ‘Steady!’ I said, as he came gasping up to me. ‘I haven’t got your wife; I haven’t even seen her.’
“ ‘It’s that card-sharper!’ he cried. ‘By God! I’ll shoot him like a dog, if he’s tried any monkey-tricks!’
“ ‘Dry up, and pull yourself together,’ I said angrily. ‘If you’re alluding to Jimmy Mainwaring——’
“And at that moment Jimmy himself stepped out of his office and strolled across the road.
“ ‘You swine, you cursed card-cheat—where’s Sylvia?’
“ ‘What the devil are you talking about?’ said Jimmy, and his voice was tense.
“ ‘She came ashore this afternoon, saying she would return in an hour,’ said the other man. ‘I didn’t know it at the time, Mr.—er—Mainwaring, I believe you call yourself. The boat came back for her, and she was not there. That was four hours ago. Where is she?’
“He was covering Jimmy with his revolver as he spoke.
“ ‘Four hours ago, Clavering! Good heavens! man—put down your gun. This isn’t a time for amateur theatricals.’ He brushed past him as if he was non-existent and came up to me. ‘Did you see Lady Clavering?’
“ ‘Not a trace,’ I answered, and the same fear was in both of us.