“Why, hello, Ben!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were here.”
With a convulsive start, Ben Potter swung around and Craige recoiled a step or two. The rage stamped on Potter’s countenance had distorted it almost beyond recognition.
“God bless my soul!” Craige ejaculated. “Ben, what is it?”
Potter passed a hand across his face and with an effort regained some semblance of self-control.
“Nothing, nothing,” he stammered. “Where’s Kitty?”
“I am sure I don’t know.” Craige’s astonishment increased. “Probably upstairs.”
Potter brushed past him without a word and disappeared into the hall. Craige advanced farther into the library and paused in indecision. From where he stood he faced the Dutch door, the upper half of which stood open, and thus had an uninterrupted view of the garden.
It did not need remarkably keen eyesight to recognize the man and woman standing near the sun-dial. Craige stared at the tableau for fully a minute, then turned thoughtfully away just as Leigh Wallace took the package from Nina Potter.
Kitty, awakened from her sleep by Ben Potter’s unceremonious entrance into her bedroom, was gazing at her cousin in utter bewilderment.
“What are you saying?” she demanded for the second time.