"Well—I'm not sure that I know where my wife is. She was here a minute ago, talking to Lady Corbett."
He looked round. A wide screen guarded the door on to the platform. He could see Lady Corbett and Fanny disappearing behind it.
"I—I'll go and look for her," he said. He meditated treachery.
Treachery to poor Elise.
He followed them through the door and down the steps into the concealed corridor. He found Ralph Bevan there. Horace had gone.
"I say, Ralph, I wish you'd take Fanny home. She's tired. Get her out of this. I shall be here quite half an hour longer; settling up accounts. You might tell Kimber to come back for me and Miss Madden."
Now to get to the entrance you had to pass through the swing door into the hall and down the side aisle to the bottom, so that Mrs. Levitt witnessed Mrs. Waddington's exit with Ralph Bevan. Mr. Waddington. waited till the hall doors had closed on them before he returned.
"I can't find my wife anywhere," he said. "She wasn't in the cloak-room, so I think she must have gone back with Horace."
Mrs. Levitt would think that Fanny had disappeared while he was looking for her, honourably, in the cloak-room.
"I saw her go out," said Mrs. Levitt coldly, "with Mr. Bevan."
"I suppose he's taking her home," he said vaguely. His best policy was vagueness. "And now, my dear lady, I wish I could take you home. But I shall be detained here some little time. Still, if you don't mind waiting a minute or two till Kimber comes back with the car, he shall drive you."