He drew out two delicate pilastered shallow vertical drawers.
‘Oh, them, sir. You can push papers in them, but there’s nothing really secret about them. The most usual place is to open the little middle cupboard – and then at the bottom of it usually there’s a little depression and you slide the bottom out and there’s a space. But there’s other ways and places. This desk is the kind that has a kind of well underneath.’ ‘That’s not very secret either, is it? You just slide back a panel ‘ ‘The point is, it looks as though you’d found all there was to find. You push back the panel, there’s the cavity and you can put a good many things in there that you want to keep a bit from being pawed over and all that. But that’s not all, as you might say. Because you see, here there’s a little piece of wood in front, like a little ledge. And you can pull that up, you see.’ ‘Yes,’ said Tommy, ‘yes, I can see that. You pull that up.’ ‘And you’ve got a secret cavity here, just behind the middle lock.’ ‘But there’s nothing in it.’ ‘No,’ said Albert, ‘it looks disappointing. But if you slip your hand into that cavity and you wiggle it along either to the left or the right, there are two little thin drawers, one each side.
There’s a little semi-circle cut out of the top, and you can hook your finger over that – and pull gently towards you -‘ During these remarks Albert seemed to be get6ng his wrist in what was almost a contortionist position. ‘Sometimes they stick a little.
Wait – wait – here she comes.’ ‘Albert’s hooked forefinger drew something towards him from inside. He clawed it gently forward until the narrow small drawer showed in the opening. He hooked it out and laid il before Tommy, with the air of a dog bringing his bone to his master. · ‘Now wait a minute, sir. There’s something in here, something wrapped up in a long thin envelope. Now we’ll do the other side.’
He changed hands and resumed his contortionist clawings.
Presently a second drawer was brought to light and was laid beside the first one.
‘There’s something in here, too,’ said Albert. ‘Anothe sealed-up envelope that someone’s hidden here one time or another. I’ve not tried to open either of them – I wouldn’t do such a thing.’ His voice was virtuous in the extreme. ‘I left that to you – But what I say is – they may be clues ‘
Together he and Tommy extracted the contents of the dusty drawers. Tommy took out first a sealed envelope rolled up lengthways with an elastic band round it. The elastic hand. parted as soon as it was touched.
‘Looks valuable,’ said Albert.
Tommy glanced at the envelope. It bore the superscription
‘Confidential’.
‘There you are,’ said Albert. ‘”Confidential”. It’s a clue.’
Tommy extracted the contents of the envelope. In a faded handwriting, and very scratchy handwriting at that, there wm a half-sheet of notepaper. Tommy turned it this way and that and Albert leaned over his shoulder, breathing heavily.
‘Mrs MacDonald’s redpe for Salmon Cream,’ Tommy read.
‘Given to me as a special favour. Take 2 pounds of middle cul of salmon, 1 pint of lersey cream, a wineglass of brandy and fresh cucumber.’ He broke off. ‘I’m sorry, Albert, it’s a clu which will lead us to good cookery, no doubt.’ Albert uttered sounds indicative of disgust and disappointment.
171 ‘Never mind,’ said Tommy. ‘Here’s another one to try.’ The next sealed envelope did not appear to be one of quite such antiquity. It had two pale grey wax seals affixed to it, each bearing a representation of a wild rose.
‘Pretty,’ said Tommy, ‘rather fanciful for Aunt Ada. How to cook beef steak pie, I expect.’ Tommy ripped open the envelope. He raised his eyebrows.
Ten carefully folded five-pound notes fell out.
‘Nice thin ones,’ said Tommy. ‘They’re the old ones. You know, the kind we used to have in the war. Decent paper.
Probably aren’t legal tender nowadays.’ ‘Money!’ said Albert. ‘What she want all that money for?’ ‘Oh, that’s an old lady’s nest egg,’ said Tommy. ‘Aunt Ada always had a nest egg. Years ago she told me that every woman should always have fifty pounds in five-pound notes with her in case of what she called emergendes.’ ‘Well, I suppose it’ll still come in handy,’ said Albert.