‘He’s gone. At present I’m in charge.’
‘Then will you do this for me? I repeat that you shall never have any reason to regret it.’
‘I will if you’ll accept all responsibility.’
‘I’ll do that with the greatest pleasure.’
Bellingham looked at his watch.
‘It’s about twenty minutes to nine. The train’s scheduled for Basingstoke at 9.6. If we wire to Basingstoke at once they ought to be ready for them when they come.’
‘Good!’
The wire was sent.
We were shown into Bellingham’s office to await results. Lessingham paced agitatedly to and fro; he seemed to have reached the limits of his self-control, and to be in a condition in which movement of some sort was an absolute necessity. The mercurial Sydney, on the contrary, leaned back in a chair, his legs stretched out in front of him, his hands thrust deep into his trouser pockets, and stared at Lessingham, as if he found relief to his feelings in watching his companion’s restlessness. I, for my part, drew up as full a précis of the case as I deemed advisable, and as time permitted, which I despatched by one of the company’s police to Scotland Yard.
Then I turned to my associates.