, in
conversation, and general interest. The first instinct of every one
appeared to be to look upon the whole affair as a ludicrous piece of
mismanagement on the part of the police, and Scotland Yard came in for a
good deal of scathing criticism, as is usual in such cases. But when the
evidence before the magistrates was carefully read, and sundry other
little matters discussed, men's tongues began to run less glibly. Of
course it was impossible that it could be true; and yet the evidence was
certainly strong. In the country generally the first impulse of generous
disbelief was followed by a period of pained and reserved expectancy. In
clubdom, where neither fear of the devil nor love of God had yet been
able to keep the modern man of the world from discussing freely any
subject interesting to him, a gradual but sure reaction against the
possibilities of his innocence set in.

There were plenty of men about still who remembered Sir Geoffrey
Kynaston, and the peculiar manner of his life. During his long absence
from England there had been many rumors about, concerning its reason,
and now these were all suddenly revived. The breach of a certain
commandment, a duel at Boulogne, and many other similar adventures were
freely spoken of. After all, this story, improbable though it sounded,
was far from impossible. It had always been reckoned a little mysterious
that nothing whatever had been known of Bernard Maddison's antecedents,
great though had been his fame, and assiduous his interviewers. As all
these things began slowly to fit themselves together, men commenced to
look grave, and to avoid the subject in the presence of their
woman-kind, who were one and all unswerving in their loyalty to that
dear, delightful Bernard Maddison, who had written those exquisite
books. But in the smoking-room and among themselves views were gradually
adopted which it would have been heresy to avow in the drawing-room.

No man appeared to take less interest in the event and the discussion
of it than Sir Allan Beaumerville. Known generally amongst his
acquaintances as a cynic and pessimist, men were pretty sure what his
opinion would be. But he never expressed it. Whenever he strolled up to
any group in the smoking-room or library of the club, and found them
discussing the Maddison murder case, he turned on his heel and walked
another way. If it were broached in his presence it was the signal for
his retirement, and any question concerning