"Your Sealingham incident doesn't impress me.

Why not take it at its face value?
As for the letter of condolence, that may have twenty explanations." He passed his hand over his cropped iron-grey head.

"What are you driving at, Duncan?
You know as well as I do--you know more than I do.
I saw it in your face ever since that man opened his mouth." "If you're so sure of everything," said I foolishly, relaxing grip on my self-control, "why did you hound him out of the place for a liar ?" He leaped to his feet and spread himself into a fighting attitude, for all the world like a half-dead bantam cock springing into a new lease of combative life.
"Do you think I'd let a dunghill beast like that crow over me?
Do you think I'd let him imagine for a minute that anything he said could influence me in my public duty?
By God, sir, what kind of a worm do you think I am ?" His sudden fury disconcerted me.

All this time I had been wondering what kind of catastrophe was going to happen during the next few hours.
I am afraid I haven't made clear to you the ghastly racket in my brain.
There was the town all beflagged, everyone making holiday, all the pomp and circumstance at our disposal awaiting the signal to be displayed.
There was the blind conquering hero almost on his way to local apotheosis.

And here were Sir Anthony and I with the revelation of the man Gedge.