"By Jove!" he said to himself.
He reached down his A B C and looked out a train for Cosham.
"I may as well go down to dinner," he thought.
His next proceeding was to telephone to his chambers instructing his man to meet him at Waterloo with his suit-case. Then he wrote a telegram to Mrs. Smith announcing that he would dine with her that evening. Thereupon he was ready to tackle the business problems which would absorb his attention until five o'clock.
On arriving at Cosham Park he was taken to the study, where Kate Smith was awaiting him.
"You have heard from Charley?" she said anxiously, after shaking hands.
"Yes. Have you?"
"He wired 'All well.' He is very economical. All his messages have been just those two words, except yesterday's from Honolulu. That was 'Father safe.'"
"That's magnificent. He didn't tell me that, the rascal. Like you, I have nothing before but 'All well.'"
"Do tell me what he wired you this time. I was afraid when we got your telegram that something had happened."