"Stop that row!" he exclaimed furiously. "Do you hear? Stop it!"
"I can't help it, Raggerton," gasped Calverley. "He gave me such a
turn--the mandarin, you know."
"What!" ejaculated Raggerton.
He dashed across to the closet, looked in, and turned upon Calverley
with a snarl. Then he walked out of the room.
"Brodribb," said Thorndyke, "I should like to have a word with you and
Jervis outside." Then, as we followed him out on to the landing, he
continued: "I have something rather interesting to show you. It is in
here."
He softly opened an adjoining door, and we looked into a small
unfurnished room. A projecting closet occupied one side of it, and at
the door of the closet stood Captain Raggerton, with his hand upon the
key. He turned upon us fiercely, though with a look of alarm, and
demanded:
"What is the meaning of this intrusion? and who the deuce are you? Do
you know that this is my private room?"
"I suspected that it was," Thorndyke replied quietly. "Those will be
your properties in the closet, then?"
Raggerton turned pale, but continued to bluster. "Do I understand that
you have dared to break into my private closet?" he demanded.
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