“And wait for an answer?”
“Yes, sir—always.”
“Now think, Pyne: did every one answer you this morning?”
The man inclined his head emphatically. “Yes, sir.”
“And no one was late to breakfast?”
“Every one was on time promptly—as usual, sir.”
Vance leaned over and deposited his cigarette ash in the grate.
“Did you happen to see any one leaving the house or returning to it this morning before breakfast?”
The question was put casually, but I noted a slight quiver of surprise in the butler’s thin drooping eyelids.
“No, sir.”