Chapter 17At nine o’clock at night Campion and Sutane were still together and still acutely embarrassed by each other’s presence. It had been an uncomfortable evening. Uncle William had watched over Campion and what he considered was Campion’s duty with all the faithful obstinacy of a bobtail sheep dog and had only consented to go when the departure of the last train for Birley became imminent.
He left them in the Savoy grill and padded off, pausing in the doorway to cast an admonishing glance at his older friend. Sutane’s eyes, which were dark without being bright, narrowed and a faint smile passed over his crooked mouth.
“Lovable old boy,” he observed. “The ass par excellence.”
Campion nodded absently. The moment which he had seen approaching all day with relentless, unhurried pace ha
