"I've been very busy—that is, I've been finding out something."
"What?"
"I've been making inquiries about—Leicester."
"About whom?"
"About Leicester. I've discovered something."
Her heart ceased to beat. What did he mean by speaking to her like this? What could he have discovered about Leicester? Besides, his voice was strange. She no longer heard the low, fluid tones of an Oriental, but the voice of the past.
"What?" she asked.
"I've discovered that Leicester is not dead."
"What!"
"I've discovered that Leicester is not dead. That is why I've been away all the day. It has put everything that is—in a new light."