“I put her in the carriage myself. Have you not heard from her?”
“No. I wired this morning, and expect an answer at any moment. But what is this about the South of France? We go to Leicestershire next week.”
“I can’t say, of course. Your wife seemed to be a little upset about something. She only mentioned her intention casually—in fact, when I asked if we would meet soon.”
The other laughed, a little oddly in the opinion of his astute observer, and dismissed the matter by the remark that the expected message from his wife would soon clear the slight mystery attending her movements during the past eighteen hours.
The two men set themselves to the congenial task of criticizing the horses trotting up and down the straw-covered track, and Sir Charles had purchased a nice half-bred animal for forty guineas when his groom again saluted him.
“Please, sir,” said the man, “here’s another telegram, and Thompson told me to ask if it was the right one.”
Sir Charles frowned at the interruption—a second horse of a suitable character was even then under the hammer—but he tore open the envelope. At once his agitation became so marked that Bruce cried:
“Good heavens, Dyke, what is it? No bad news, I hope?”
The other, by a strong effort, regained his self-control.