Lumsden caught the oscillating receiver and clapped it to his ear. This is what she heard:
"What! Both? My God! The boy's alive? Have you got——? What does he say? Yes! At once! At—once!"
He turned so quickly that Fenella, who was standing by his shoulder, was nearly thrown over. She had to catch his arm to keep her balance.
"Is it bad news?"
"Yes, yes! Oh the devil!—the devil!"
"You'll want the car, won't you?"
"Yes. Do you know how to call it? Put the peg in the hole marked 'Garage!' Say: 'At once—dressed or not.' I can drive."
He tried the outer door, cursed at finding it locked, then remembering, took the key from his pocket and flung it open. He shouted. It seemed scarcely a minute before the passage was full of servants, half dressed, the women with their hair loose, and the men fastening their braces—hardly two before the car was at the door, filling the quiet street with the throb of its great pulse.
"Call a cab and get home quick," he said, as he twisted a white muffler round his throat. "You'll find the number of a cab-rank in that red book. Have you got money for your fare?"
"Can't I go with you, Bryan? Can't I help?"