s."

He laughed bitterly.

"To cut that part short, two years ago in autumn we had Glynd staying
with us down here for shooting. There were some others, of course--Mrs.
Jack, Bobbie Elphinton, and Lady Bobbie--but you know the lot."

"I did."

"Ah," he said, "you've been well out of it these years. Well, the shoot
was to break up on a Friday, and I'd arranged to go to town that day
with the rest. Vere didn't intend to come. She said she was feeling
tired, and was going to have a Friday to Monday rest cure. That's the
thing, you know, nowadays. You get a Swedish _masseuse_ down to stay,
and go to bed and drink milk. Vere had engaged a _masseuse_ to come on
the Friday night. On the Thursday, the day before we were all going to
town, Glynd hurt his foot getting over a fence into a turnip field--at
least I thought so."

He stopped.

"Everyone thought so, I believe--except, of course, Vere. I wonder if
they did, though?" he added moodily. "Or whether I was the only--But
what does it matter now? Glynd said he only wanted a couple of days'
rest to be all right again, and asked me if he might stay on at the
Abbey till the Monday. Of course I said 'Yes; if he wouldn't want a
hostess.' Because Vere said to me, when she heard of it, that she must
have her rest cure all the same. Glynd swore he'd be quite happy alone.
So he stayed, and the rest of us came up to town on the Friday. Well,
on the Saturday morning I was walking across the park when I met the
Swedish _massense_ who was to have gone down to Vere on the Friday
night. I knew her, because Vere had often had her before in London.
'Hullo!' I said. 'You ought to be down at Inley Abbey with my wife.'
'No, my lord,' she said. 'Why not?' 'I've had a wire from Lady Inley not
to go.' 'A wire!' I said. 'When did you get it?' 'On Thursday night, my
lord.' You mean last night?' I said, thinking Vere must have changed her
mind after we had left. 'No,' said the woman; 'on Thursday night, late.'
Then I remembered that, after Glynd had hurt his foot and asked to stay,
Vere had gone out alone for a drive in her cart, to get a last breath of
air before the rest cure. She must have sent the telegram herself then.
All of a sudden I seemed to understand a lot of things.'"

He had let his cigar out, and now he noticed that he had. He tossed it
into the fire.

"I said, 'Good-morning' to the woman quite quietly, went back to the
house, and told my man I shouldn't be at home that night."