Before he left the room, he instructed Dennis to tell Miss Henley what had happened, and to let her judge for herself whether he had been needlessly alarmed by, what she was pleased to call, "a mere trifle." Dennis Howmore must have been more than mortal, if he could have related his narrative of events without being influenced by his own point of view.

On the first occasion when he mentioned Arthur Mountjoy's name, Iris showed a sudden interest in his strange story which took him by surprise.
"You know Mr.Arthur ?" he said.
"Knew him!" Iris repeated.

"He was my playfellow when we were both children.

He is as dear to me as if he was my brother.

Tell me at once--is he really in danger ?" Dennis honestly repeated what he had already said, on that subject, to his master.