She was aware that his lordship had emitted a hollow croak, but she took it as his method of endorsing her statement—not as a warning.
“I wrote Lord Dreever a note this evening,” she went on, “telling him that I couldn’t possibly——”
She broke off in alarm. With the beginning of her last speech Sir Thomas had begun to swell, until now he looked as if he were in imminent danger of bursting. His face was purple. To Molly’s lively imagination his eyes appeared to move slowly out of his head, like a snail’s. From the back of his throat came strange noises.
“S-s-so——” he stammered.
He gulped and tried again.
“So this,” he said, “so this—so that was what was in that letter, eh?”
Lord Dreever smiled weakly.
“Eh?” yelled Sir Thomas.
His lordship started convulsively.
“Er—yes,” he said. “Yes, yes—that was it, don’t you know!”