“I don’t think much of it. It will blow over,” said Gleam, having looked through the letter. “Wait a bit though,” he added, with a quick glance. “Ecclesby is in the Hough division, isn’t it?”
“Of course,” said Goddard. “That’s why Willaston wrote to me in particular.”
“I’ll keep a look-out,” said Gleam. “Cleaver and Flyte are the leading firm there. Oddly enough, I am connected with them in a roundabout way in the City, through Rosenthal, you know. And then there are Flood & Sons in London.”
“What an encyclopaedia you are!” said Goddard.
Aloysius Gleam laughed, and curled his moustache.
“That reminds me of my mission,” he said.
“Why haven’t you called upon Lady Phayre?” Goddard disregarded the apparent non sequitur, and replied with an air of surprise—
“What have I to do in ladies’ drawing-rooms?”
“Sit, drink tea, and talk political gossip,” said Gleam.
“I wasn’t brought up to it,” replied Goddard.