With a sigh, he settled down to a meal of biscuits for which he had no inclination whatever. CHAPTER XXVIII SUSPICIONS It was just on the appointed hour of twelve o'clock that Bundle and Loraine entered the park gates, having left the Hispano at an adjacent garage. Lady Coote greeted the two girls with surprise, but distinct pleasure, and immediately pressed them to stay to lunch. O'Rourke, who had been reclining in an immense arm-chair, began at once to talk with great animation to Loraine, who was listening with half an ear to Bundle's highly technical explanation of the mechanical troubles which had affected the Hispano. "And we said," ended Bundle, "how marvellous that the brute should have broken down just here! Last time it happened was on a Sunday at a place called Little Spedlington under the Hill. And it lived up to its name, I can tell you." "That would be a grand name on the films," remarked O'Rourke. "Birthplace of the simple country maiden," suggested Socks. "I wonder now," said Lady Coote, "where Mr. Thesiger is?" "He's in the billiard-room, I think," said Socks. "I'll fetch him." She went off, but had hardly gone a minute when Rupert Bateman appeared on the scene, with the harassed and serious air usual with him. "Yes, Lady Coote? Thesiger said you were asking for me. How do you do, Lady Eileen--" He broke off to greet the two girls, and Loraine immediately took the field. "Oh, Mr. Bateman! I've been wanting to see you. Wasn't it you who was telling me what to do for a dog when he is continually getting sore paws?" The secretary shook his head. "It must have been someone else, Miss Wade. Though, as a matter of fact, I do happen to know--" "What a wonderful young man you are," interrupted Loraine. "You know about everything." "One should keep abreast of modern knowledge," said Mr. Bateman seriously. "Now about your dog's paws--" Terence O'Rourke murmured _sotto voce_ to Bundle: "'Tis a man like that that writes all those little paragraphs in the weekly papers. 'It is not generally known that to keep a brass fender uniformly bright,' etc.; 'The dorper beetle is one of the most interesting characters in the insect world'; 'The marriage customs of the Fingalese Indians,' and so on." "General information, in fact." "And what more horrible two words could you have?" said Mr. O'Rourke, and added piously: "Thank the Heavens above I'm an educated man and know nothing whatever upon any subject at all." "I see you've got clock golf here," said Bundle to Lady Coote. "I'll take you on at it, Lady Eileen," said O'Rourke. "Let's challenge those two," said Bundle. "Loraine, Mr. O'Rourke and I want to take you and Mr. Bateman on at clock golf." "Do play, Mr. Bateman," said Lady Coote, as the secretary showed a momentary hesitation. "I'm sure Sir Oswald doesn't want you." The four went out on the lawn.