“Of course.”
“And Mrs Anson and her charge? Are they at a safe distance?”
“Yes. When I met Heaton he inquired after them. He particularly wished to discover them, and of course I assisted him.”
They both laughed in chorus. But her words in themselves were sufficient proof that she feared the result of our re-union. They impressed upon me the truth of my suspicion, namely, that Mabel held the key to the enigma.
“What does he know?” asked the man, evidently referring to me.
“He is aware of the spot where the affair took place,” she answered.
“What?” gasped her companion in alarm. “That can’t be. He was stone blind, you said!”
“Certainly he was. But by some means—how I can’t say—he has ascertained at least one fact.”
“Did he make any remark to you?”
“Of course he did. He gave me to understand that he was acquainted with the details of the whole affair.” A long silence fell between them.