“He raised his eyes and looked at her, and a little pulse was beating just above his jaw. Then, after what seemed an interminable time, she gave a little laugh that was half a sob and turned away.
“ ‘I see,’ she said below her breath. ‘I see.’
“But what it was she saw, I didn’t at the moment realise. It was to be made clear a little later.”
The Doctor paused and threw a log on the fire.
“Yes, I found out later what she thought,” he went on after a while, “and for the first and probably the last time in my life I was guilty of a breach of professional confidence. It was about half an hour later that I went round to Jack Digby’s room. Maitland, after thinking it over—and it is possible that I had something to do with his decision—had dismissed the idea of sending for the police. Digby was to clear out by the first train next morning, and was never to make an attempt to communicate with the girl again. And Jack Digby had bowed in silence and gone to his own room. He wouldn’t look at me as he passed; I think he knew that he hadn’t deceived me.
“He was sitting by the open window when I went in, still in his evening clothes, and he looked round with a start as I entered. His face was drawn and grey.
“ ‘My dear chap,’ I said, before he could speak, ‘is it worth while?’
“ ‘I don’t understand what you mean, Doctor,’ he said slowly.
“ ‘Oh, yes, you do!’ I answered. ‘You deceived Mr. Maitland all right—you didn’t deceive me. It was Tom who opened the safe—not you.’
“For a moment I thought he was going to deny it; then he gave a little mirthless laugh.