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Page 87
"For amateurs I don't think we're doing at all badly," protested
Bill.
"No; not for amateurs. But if we had been professionals, I
believe we should have gone at it from the other end. The Robert
end. We've been wondering about Mark and Cayley all the time.
Now let's wonder about Robert for a bit."
"We know so little about him."
"Well, let's see what we do know. First of all, then, we know
vaguely that he was a bad lot--the sort of brother who is hushed
up in front of other people."
"Yes."
"We know that he announced his approaching arrival to Mark in a
rather unpleasant letter, which I have in my pocket."
"Yes."
"And then we know rather a curious thing. We know that Mark told
you all that this black sheep was coming. Now, why did he tell
you?"
Bill was thoughtful for a moment.
"I suppose," he said slowly, "that he knew we were bound to see
him, and thought that the best way was to be quite frank about
him."
"But were you bound to see him? You were all away playing golf."
"We were bound to see him if he stayed in the house that night."
"Very well, then. That's one thing we've discovered. Mark knew
that Robert was staying in the house that night. Or shall we put
it this way--he knew that there was no chance of getting Robert
out of the house at once."
Bill looked at his friend eagerly.
"Go on," he said. "This is getting interesting."
"He also knew something else," went on Antony. "He knew that
Robert was bound to betray his real character to you as soon as
you met him. He couldn't pass him off on you as just a travelled
brother from the Dominions, with perhaps a bit of an accent; he
had to tell you at once, because you were bound to find out, that
Robert was a wastrel."
"Yes. That's sound enough."
"Well, now, doesn't it strike you that Mark made up his mind
about all that rather quickly?"
"How do you mean?"
"He got this letter at breakfast. He read it; and directly he
had read it he began to confide in you all. That is to say, in
about one second he thought out the whole business and came to a
decision--to two decisions. He considered the possibility of
getting Robert out of the way before you came back, and decided
that it was impossible. He considered the possibility of
Robert's behaving like an ordinary decent person in public, and
decided that it was very unlikely. He came to those two
decisions instantaneously, as he was reading the letter. Isn't
that rather quick work?"
"Well, what's the explanation?"
Antony waited until he had refilled and lighted his pipe before
answering.
"What's the explanation? Well, let's leave it for a moment and
take another look at the two brothers. In conjunction, this
time, with Mrs. Norbury."
"Mrs. Norbury?" said Bill, surprised.
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