Philippa swung round upon him.
"What do you mean by that?" she demanded. "Don't you want to thank
him for saving your life?"
"My dear, I certainly do," Sir Henry replied, "but just now--well,
I am a little taken aback. Gone to London, eh? Tore away without
warning in the middle of the night to London! And coming back, too
--that's the strange part of it!"
One would think, from Sir Henry's expression, that he was finding
food for much satisfaction in this recital of Lessingham's sudden
disappearance.
"He is a wonderful fellow, this Lessingham," he added thoughtfully.
"He must have--yes, by God, he must have--In that storm, too!"
"If you could speak coherently, Henry," Philippa observed, "I should
like to say that I am exceedingly anxious to know why Mr. Lessingham
has deserted us so precipitately."
Sir Henry would have taken his wife's arm, but she avoided him. He
shrugged his shoulders and plodded up the steep path by her side.
"The whole question of Lessingham is rather a problem," he said.
"Of course, you and Helen have seen very much more of him than I
have. Isn't it true that people have begun to make curious remarks
about him?"
"How did you know that, Henry?" Philippa demanded.
"Well, one hears things," he replied. "I should gather, from what
I heard, that his position here had become a little precarious.
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