He had no right to hang up Adrian's great novel on account of his own wretched business.

Letting the latter slide would have been a tribute to his dead friend.

Barbara did her best to soothe her; but we agreed that Jaffery had made a bad start.
A short while afterwards I was in the club again and there I came across Arbuthnot, the manager of Jaffery's newspaper, whom I had known for some years--originally I think through Jaffery.

I accepted the offer of a seat at his luncheon table, and, as men will, we began to discuss our common friend.
"I wonder what has come over him lately," said he after a while.
"Have you noticed any difference ?" I was startled.
"Yes.

Can't make him out." "Poor Adrian Boldero's death was a great shock." "Quite so," Arbuthnot assented.