"
"The fool!" I cried. "The ignorant, impudent fool!"
"Oh," she declared, "I felt quite ill with indignation. I am afraid I
may regard Inspector Aylesbury as an enemy from now onward, for when I
had recovered from the shock I told him very plainly what I thought
about his intellect, or lack of it."
"I am glad you did," I said, warmly. "Before Inspector Aylesbury is
through with this business I fancy he will know more about his
limitations than he knows at present. The fact of the matter is that he
is badly out of his depth, but is not man enough to acknowledge the
fact even to himself."
She smiled at me pathetically.
"Whatever should I have done if I had been alone?" she said.
I was tempted to direct the conversation into a purely personal
channel, but common sense prevailed, and:
"Is Madame de Staemer awake?" I asked.
"Yes." The girl nodded. "Dr. Rolleston is with her now."
"And does she know?"
"Yes. She sent for me directly she awoke, and asked me."
"And you told her?"
"How could I do otherwise? She was quite composed, wonderfully
composed; and the way she heard the news was simply heroic.
Pages:
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309