‘Spy?’ Richard repeated calmly. ‘Yes; it is an epithet that has been applied to me before.’ He glanced at Teresa, who met his glance fairly. ‘To continue,’ he said: ‘I have abandoned my inquiries. To be precise, I gave up my mission this morning; therefore, since I am here again, I am not here as a spy.’
‘What led you to abandon your mission, Mr. Inquiry Agent?’ asked Raphael, stroking his gray beard.
‘I gave it up, Mr. Craig,’ said Richard plumply, ‘out of regard for your daughter.’
‘Indeed!’ Raphael remarked, with the frostiest politeness. ‘So my daughter is fortunate enough to have won your regard?’
‘But,’ said Mr. Craig, ‘all this does not account for your presence here to-night, Mr. Inquiry Agent.’
‘I am here now----’ Richard began, and then stopped.
‘Mr. Redgrave is here now,’ Teresa said, at the same time seating herself, ‘because I asked him to come.’
‘I went to London in the Décauville to Mr. Redgrave’s office, and----’
The old man sprang up thunderously, and the newspaper fell out of his pocket. Richard quietly picked it up from the floor. It was that day’s _Westminster Gazette_.
‘Bridget went with me,’ said Teresa, quailing before her father’s outburst.
It was evident from both their respective demeanours that Mr. Craig’s temper was not one of absolute serenity.
‘Bridget!’ sneered Raphael. ‘You went down to London to ask Mr. Redgrave to come up to Hockliffe?’
‘I went to ask him to abandon his inquiries.’
‘But still, you brought him back with you?’
‘Miss Craig was in a very awkward situation,’ said Richard.
‘I agree with you,’ the old man interposed.
‘And I was anxious to do anything in my power to help her.’
‘And you helped her by visiting this house at one o’clock in the morning during my absence?’
‘Father,’ said Teresa pleadingly, ‘can’t you and I discuss that aspect of the question afterwards? What is it that you want to ask Mr. Redgrave?’
‘My girl,’ said Mr. Craig, ‘we will, if you please, discuss it now. Mr. Redgrave is equally involved with yourself. Remember that it was you that insisted on joining this little conference. You insisted on coming into the room.’ Then he turned to Redgrave. ‘What was the exact nature of the difficult situation in which you say my daughter was placed?’