“May I ask in what direction?”

“In the direction of the lake⁠—as far as the boathouse.”

“Aha? As far as the boathouse?”

Under other circumstances I might have resented his curiosity. But tonight I hailed it as another proof that neither he nor his wife were connected with the mysterious appearance at the lake.

“No more adventures, I suppose, this evening?” he went on. “No more discoveries, like your discovery of the wounded dog?”