doctrine--you know what I mean--before we know where we are the whole
East will be in a blaze. India! My God! This contract we were
negotiating would have countered this outward thrust. And you, you
blockhead, you come here and insult the man upon whose word the whole
thing depends."

"I really can't see, sir, how I should know all this."

"You can't see it! But, you fool, you seemed to go out of your way. You
insulted him about the merest quibble--in my house!"

"He said he knew where Wych Street was. He was quite wrong. I corrected
him."

"Wych Street! Wych Street be damned! If he said Wych Street was in the
moon, you should have agreed with him. There was no call to act in the
way you did. And you--you think of going into politics!"

The somewhat cynical inference of this remark went unnoticed.
Lowes-Parlby was too unnerved. He mumbled:

"I'm very sorry."

"I don't want your sorrow. I want something more practical."

"What's that, sir?"

"You will drive straight to Mr. Sandeman's, find him, and apologize.
Tell him you find that he was right about Wych Street after all. If you
can't find him to-night, you must find him to-morrow morning. I give