"
"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.
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