out a look of deep curiosity as she passed through the door.
“That look of hers gave me an idea. ‘Now then, doc,’ I said, and tried to
sit up in bed, but my right foot gave me a nasty twinge as I did so. ‘A slight
sprain,’ explained the doctor. ‘Nothing serious. You’ll be about again in a
couple of days.’ ”
“I noticed you walked lame,” interpolated Tuppence.
Julius nodded, and continued:
” ‘How did it happen?’ I asked again. He replied dryly. ‘You fell, with a
considerable portion of one of my trees, into one of my newly planted
flower-beds.’
“I liked the man. He seemed to have a sense of humour. I felt sure that
he, at least, was plumb straight. ‘Sure, doc,’ I said, ‘I’m sorry about the
tree, and I guess the new bulbs will be on me. But perhaps you’d like to know
what I was doing in your garden?’ ‘I think the facts do call for an
explanation,’ he replied. ‘Well, to begin with, I wasn’t after the spoons.’
“He smiled. ‘My first theory. But I soon altered my mind. By the way, you
are an American, are you not?’ I told him my name. ‘And you?’ ‘I am Dr. Hall,
and this, as you doubtless know, is my private nursing home.’
“I didn’t know, but I wasn’t going to put him wise. I was just thankful for
the information. I liked the man, and I felt he was straight, but I wasn’t
going to give him the whole story. For one thing he probably wouldn’t have
believed it.
“I made up my mind in a flash. ‘Why, doctor,’ I said, ‘I guess I feel an
almighty fool, but I owe it to you to let you know that it wasn’t the Bill Sikes
business I was up to.’ Then I went on and mumbled out something about a girl. I
trotted out the stern guardian business, and a nervous breakdown, and finally
explained that I had fancied I recognized her among the patients at the home,
hence my nocturnal adventures. “I guess it was just the kind of story he was
expecting. ‘Quite a romance,’ he said genially, when I’d finished. ‘Now, doc,’ I
went on, ‘will you be frank with me? Have you here now, or have you had here at
any time, a young girl called Jane Finn?’ He repeated the name thoughtfully.
‘Jane Finn?’ he said. ‘No.’
“I was chagrined, and I guess I showed it. ‘You are sure?’ ‘Quite sure,
Mr. Hersheimmer. It is an uncommon name, and I should not have been likely to
forget it.’
“Well, that was flat. It laid me out for a space. I’d kind of hoped my
search was at an end. ‘That’s that,’ I said at last. ‘Now, there’s another
matter. When I was hugging that darned branch I thought I recognized an old
friend of mine talking to one of your nurses.’ I purposely didn’t mention any
name because, of course, Whittington might be calling himself something quite
different down here, but the doctor answered at once. ‘Mr. Whittington,
perhaps?’ ‘That’s the fellow,’ I replied. ‘What’s he doing down here? Don’t
tell me HIS nerves are out of order?’
“Dr. Hall laughed. ‘No. He came down to see one of my nurses, Nurse Edith,
who is a niece of his.’ ‘Why, fancy that!’ I exclaimed. ‘Is he still here?’
‘No, he went back to town almost immediately.’ ‘What a pity!’ I ejaculated.
‘But perhaps I could speak to his niece–Nurse Edith, did you say her name was?’
“But the doctor shook his head. ‘I’m afraid that, too, is impossible.
Nurse Edith left with a patient to-night also.’ ‘I seem to be real unlucky,’ I
remarked. ‘Have you Mr. Whittington’s address in town? I guess I’d like to
look him up when I get back.’ ‘I don’t know his address. I can write to Nurse
Edith for it if you like.’ I thanked him. ‘Don’t say who it is wants it. I’d
like to give him a little surprise.’
“That was about all I could do for the moment. Of course, if the girl was
really Whittington’s niece, she might be too cute to fall into the trap, but it