"Well, I'll be damned," said Williams, and was silent until Grant dropped him at the Yard.
"Tell the Superintendent I'll be in as soon as I've seen Lord Edward," Grant said, and was driven on to Regent's Park.
In an atmosphere of marble mantelpieces and sheepskin rugs he waited half an hour before Champneis arrived.
"How are you, Inspector? I hear from Binns that you've been waiting. Sorry to subject you to the furnishings longer than is vitally necessary. I hope you drink tea? But if you don't there are what my uncle called 'cordials. A much nicer word than 'drinks, don't you think? Have you news?"
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry to break in with it when you're just after a journey."
"It can't be worse than the drawing-room lecture of my great-aunt's yesterday. I only went for the old lady's sake, but I found that she thought I should have canceled it. It would have been more 'fitting. So tell me the bad news."
Grant told him what had happened, and he listened gravely, the unusual defensive flippancy gone.
"Is she insane?" he asked, when Grant had finished.
"Yes. Reynolds thinks so. It may be hysteria, but he thinks it's insanity. Delusions of greatness, you know."
"Poor wretch. But how did she know where my wife was?"