"He also knew something else," went on Antony. "He knew that
Robert was bound to betray his real character to you as soon as
you met him. He couldn't pass him off on you as just a travelled
brother from the Dominions, with perhaps a bit of an accent; he
had to tell you at once, because you were bound to find out, that
Robert was a wastrel."

"Yes. That's sound enough."

"Well, now, doesn't it strike you that Mark made up his mind
about all that rather quickly?"

"How do you mean?"

"He got this letter at breakfast. He read it; and directly he
had read it he began to confide in you all. That is to say, in
about one second he thought out the whole business and came to a
decision--to two decisions. He considered the possibility of
getting Robert out of the way before you came back, and decided
that it was impossible. He considered the possibility of
Robert's behaving like an ordinary decent person in public, and
decided that it was very unlikely. He came to those two
decisions instantaneously, as he was reading the letter. Isn't
that rather quick work?"

"Well, what's the explanation?"

Antony waited until he had refilled and lighted his pipe before
answering.