Clerk. [Entering] Yes, sir?

Twisden.  Tell them to call a taxi.

Clerk. [Who has a startled look] Yes, sir.  Mr Graviter has come in, air, with General Canynge.  Are you disengaged?

Twisden.  Yes.

     The Clerk goes out, and almost immediately Graviter and Canynge
     enter.  Good-morning, General. [To Graviter]

Well?

Graviter.  Sir Frederic got up at once and said that since the publication of the numbers of those notes, information had reached him which forced him to withdraw from the case.  Great sensation, of course.  I left Bromley in charge.  There’ll be a formal verdict for the defendant, with costs.  Have you told Dancy?

Twisden.  Yes.  He’s in there deciding what he’ll do.

Canynge. [Grave and vexed] This is a dreadful thing, Twisden.  I’ve been afraid of it all along.  A soldier!  A gallant fellow, too.  What on earth got into him?

Twisden.  There’s no end to human nature, General.

Graviter.  You can see queerer things in the papers, any day.

Canynge.  That poor young wife of his!  Winsor gave me a message for you,
Twisden.  If money’s wanted quickly to save proceedings, draw on him. 
Is there anything I can do?

Twisden.  I’ve advised him to go straight off to Morocco.

Canynge.  I don’t know that an asylum isn’t the place for him.  He must be off his head at moments.  That jump-crazy!  He’d have got a verdict on that alone—­if they’d seen those balconies.  I was looking at them when I was down there last Sunday.  Daring thing, Twisden.  Very few men, on a dark night—­He risked his life twice.  That’s a shrewd fellow—­young De Levis.  He spotted Dancy’s nature.

     The young Clerk enters.

Clerk.  The taxi’s here, sir.  Will you see Major Colford and Miss Orme?

Twisden.  Graviter—­No; show them in.

     The young Clerk goes.

Canynge.  Colford’s badly cut up.

     Margaret Orme and Colford enter.

Colford. [Striding forward] There must be some mistake about this, Mr
Twisden.

Twisden.  Hssh!  Dancy’s in there.  He’s admitted it.

     Voices are subdued at once.

Colford.  What? [With emotion] If it were my own brother, I couldn’t feel it more.  But—­damn it!  What right had that fellow to chuck up the case—­without letting him know, too.  I came down with Dancy this morning, and he knew nothing about it.

Twisden. [Coldly] That was unfortunately unavoidable.

Colford.  Guilty or not, you ought to have stuck to him—­it’s not playing the game, Mr Twisden.