he would find Mr. de Mountford in the smoking room; yes,
sir."

"Isn't that rather against club rules to allow strangers to walk in
and out of the rooms?"

"Well, sir, the Veterans' is a new club--and the committee ain't very
partik'lar."

"I see."

So far the questions and answers had followed on one another in quick
succession. Sir Thomas Ryder, with his clever lean head held somewhat
on one side, appeared to be reciting a well-learned lesson, so even
and placid was the tone of his voice and so indifferent the expression
of his furrowed face. One leg was crossed over the other and his
tapering hands, white and wrinkled like his face, toyed with a large
ivory paper knife hardly whiter in colour than they.

He had not told Frederick Power to sit down, as he might have done in
the case of a witness who was a civilian. He preferred to keep the man
standing, and at attention, confident that he would thus get clearer
and sharper replies.

"Well, then," he resumed after a brief interval during which he had
modified his position somewhat, but had not varied the placid
expression of his face, "you told the visitor that he would find Mr.
de Mountford in the smoking room. What happened after that?"

"The gentleman walked in, sir. And he shut the door, sir, after 'im."

"Did you hear anything that went on inside the room?"

"No, sir. I didn't pay no attention at first, sir."

"Then afterward? After awhile, you did pay attention, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir, I did. The door of the smoking room is quite close to the
entrance, sir, and presently I heard loud voices like as if the two
gentlemen was quarrelling."

"Did you hear what was said?"

"No, sir, not the words. But the voices they sounded awful. And one
other gentleman 'e come along from the dining-room, and asked me what
the noise was about. There ain't many members now at the Veterans',
sir, and being a foggy night we was partik'lar quiet. But this
gentleman 'e was curious about the noise, so 'e just opened the
smoking room door and peeped in, and then I did 'ear a few words."

"What were they?"

"Abuse, sir, mostly. One gentleman was goin' on awful, but I couldn't
rightly say which one it was. I 'eard the word 'beggar' and 'lazy,
idling, good-for-nothing' but I couldn't rightly say 'oo said 'em."

"How long did this go on?"

"Oh, a long time, sir! I couldn't say for sure. After a bit it got
quiet in the smoking room. And at about nine o'clock or soon afte