The Saint and Mr Teal (Once More the Saint)

Toby Halidom lighted a cigarette and read the letter through again, word by word. In some way it lifted a terrible load from his mind, brought him a great breath of relief in the fullness of knowledge that it gave him. And, as he read, there was a queer little smile on his lips that any headmaster of Harrow would have been sur­prised to see. ...

He put the letter in the empty grate, set a match to it, and watched the sheets flare and curl and blacken. "Go on and prosper." . . . And then, with a heart that felt suddenly light and clear, he went to the open window and leaned on the sill, looking out into the blue-grey lightening of that morning of the 22nd of November. Somewhere a clock was striking the hour of eight.

(bm)