I described my telephone chat with Mrs. Shaylor and my call at Castlenau in further detail.
“Strange!” he remarked, reflecting deeply. “Really, I had no idea that Audley had ventured to be seen again.”
“Ventured!” I echoed. “Why did he disappear?” His remark betrayed certain knowledge that he had never divulged to me.
“My dear fellow,” he laughed. “He disappeared, as you know, but I assure you I haven’t the slightest knowledge of either his motive or his intention. I believed Feng to be as much in the dark as I am. But it is evident that he knows and has held back his knowledge from me. I can’t understand it,” he added, his countenance clouding again.
Then, after a moment’s reflection he said with a smile:
“But, after all, why should I, or you worry, my dear Yelverton? You have surely cut the little woman out of your heart. If you haven’t—you’re a fool.”
“I haven’t,” I replied frankly.
“You still love her?” he asked, looking keenly at me as I sipped my wine.
I nodded.
“Then you are still a fool! I should have thought that after all your experience of being misled, duped and ridiculed, you would have seen how impossible it was.”