Any one more profusely polite and so tremendously dignified at the same time, had not entered that reception-room in many a day.
“You have a young gentleman, a relative, I may say a ward, of mine visiting with you,” remarked the major, unchilled by the manner of his reception. “I’ve done myself the honor to call and see you about him. Glad he’s in such good hands, but——”
“Oh! you mean Mr. Vernon?” bluntly interrupted the doctor. “He left the city this morning.”
“Left the city!” exclaimed the major. “May I a-a-ask where he’s gone?”
“Not of me, you can’t,” snapped the doctor. “If you want to make any inquiries I must refer you to Mr. Vernon’s counsel, Judge Danvers. I’ve nothing more to say. Excuse me, sir. I have patients to attend to. My time’s not my own. Good-morning. John, show the gentleman out.”
John was just the very man for that kind of duty, and Major Montague went down the front steps with the abiding assurance that he had never been turned out of any other house so politely and ceremoniously in all his life. He ought to have been a good judge of that sort of thing too.
Meantime, Bar and Val found themselves dashing away across country at the best speed of the Eastern express train, and they would have been more or less than boys if they had not set themselves at once to work on a general investigation of the character of their fellow-passengers.
Val might scarcely have been accurate or thorough, but there was something closely approaching professional skill in Bar’s observations.
A little in front of them, across the passage, a double seat had been taken possession of, for the car was not crowded, by a somewhat feeble-looking but very nice, middle-aged lady and one of the brightest, prettiest girls, of fifteen years or thereabouts, that either of the boys had ever seen.
That was all as it should be, but at the very first stopping-place, the car was entered by a flashily-dressed young man, of middle height, who took a brief survey of the passengers, from the door, and then walked deliberately forward and set himself down in the vacant seat by the side of the lady.