Parkinson, the unquenchable stickler for decorum, paused after receiving the general instructions for the day just long enough to create a sense of hesitation. Mr Carrados, merely concerned with an after-breakfast cigarette, divined the position with his usual unerring instinct.
‘Yes, Parkinson, ‘ he remarked encouragingly; ‘is there anything going on?’
A clumsily-folded newspaper enabled the punctilious attendant to salve his conscience as he returned slowly to the table. He shook out the printed sheets into a more orderly arrangement by way of covering the irregularity.
‘I understand, sir, ‘ he replied in the perfectly controlled respectful voice that accorded with his deliberate actions ‘I understand that this morning’s foreign intelligence is of a disquieting nature.’
The blind man’s hand went unfalteringly to an open copy of The Times lying by him and there a single deft finger touched off the headlines with easy certainty.
”On the Brink of War.’ ‘Threatened German Mobilization’, ‘ he read aloud. ”The Duty of Great Britain.’ Yes, I don’t think that ‘disquieting’ over-states the position.’
‘No, sir. So I gathered from what I had already heard. That is why I thought it better to speak to you about a trifling incident that has come under my notice, sir.’