P G Wodehouse – Something New

Mr. Judson paused, subjected the surrounding scenery to a cautious scrutiny and resumed.

“I took a suit of Freddie’s clothes away to brush just now; and happening”–Mr. Judson paused and gave a little cough–“happening to glance at the contents of his pockets I come across a letter. I took a sort of look at it before setting it aside, that it was from a fellow named Jones; and it said that this girl, Valentine, was sticking onto young Freddie’s letters what he’d written her, and would see him blowed if she parted with them under another thousand. And, as I made it out, Freddie had already given her five hundred.

“Where he got it is more than I can understand; but that’s what the letter said. This fellow Jones said he had passed it to her with his own hands; but she wasn’t satisfied, and if she didn’t get the other thousand she was going to bring an action for breach. And now Freddie has given me a note to take to this Jones, who is stopping in Market Blandings.”

Joan had listened to this remarkable speech with a stunned amazement. At this point she made her first comment:

“But that can’t be true.”

“Saw the letter with my own eyes, Miss Simpson.”

“But—-”

She looked at Ashe helplessly. Their eyes met–hers wide with perplexity, his bright with the light of comprehension.

“It shows,” said Ashe slowly, “that he was in immediate and urgent need of money.”

“You bet it does,” said Mr. Judson with relish. “It looks to me as though young Freddie had about reached the end of his tether this time. My word! There won’t half be a kick-up if she does sue him for breach! I’m off to tell Mr. Beach and the rest. They’ll jump out of their skins.” His face fell. “Oh, Lord, I was forgetting this note. He told me to take it at once.”

“I’ll take it for you,” said Ashe. “I’m not doing anything.”

Mr. Judson’s gratitude was effusive.

“You’re a good fellow, Marson,” he said. “I’ll do as much for you another time. I couldn’t hardly bear not to tell a bit of news like this right away. I should burst or something.”

And Mr. Judson, with shining face, hurried off to the housekeeper’s room.

“I simply can’t understand it,” said Joan at length. “My head is going round.”

“Can’t understand it? Why, it’s perfectly clear. This is the coincidence for which, in my capacity of Gridley Quayle, I was waiting. I can now resume inductive reasoning. Weighing the evidence, what do we find? That young sweep, Freddie, is the man. He has the scarab.”

“But it’s all such a muddle. I’m not holding his letters.”

“For Jones’ purposes you are. Let’s get this Jones element in the affair straightened out. What do you know of him?”

“He was an enormously fat man who came to see me one night and said he had been sent to get back some letters. I told him I had destroyed them ages ago and he went away.”

“Well, that part of it is clear, then. He is working a simple but ingenious game on Freddie. It wouldn’t succeed with everybody, I suppose; but from what I have seen and heard of him Freddie isn’t strong on intellect. He seems to have accepted the story without a murmur. What does he do? He has to raise a thousand pounds immediately, and the raising of the first five hundred has exhausted his credit. He gets the idea of stealing the scarab!”

“But why? Why should he have thought of the scarab at all? That is what I can’t understand. He couldn’t have meant to give it to Mr. Peters and claim the reward. He couldn’t have known that Mr. Peters was offering a reward. He couldn’t have known that Lord Emsworth had not got the scarab quite properly. He couldn’t have known–he couldn’t have known anything!”

Ashe’s enthusiasm was a trifle damped.

“There’s something in that. But–I have it! Jones must have known about the scarab and told him.”

“But how could he have known?”

“Yes; there’s something in that, too. How could Jones have known?”

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