“Will you ask Sir James if I can see him for a few minutes? I have an
important message for him.”
The butler retired, returning a moment or two later.
“Sir James will see you. Will you step this way?”
He ushered them into a room at the back of the house, furnished as a
library. The collection of books was a magnificent one, and Tuppence noticed
that all one wall was devoted to works on crime and criminology. There were
several deep-padded leather arm-chairs, and an old-fashioned open hearth. In the
window was a big roll-top desk strewn with papers at which the master of the
house was sitting.
He rose as they entered.
“You have a message for me? Ah”–he recognized Tuppence with a
smile–“it’s you, is it? Brought a message from Mrs. Vandemeyer, I suppose?”
“Not exactly,” said Tuppence. “In fact, I’m afraid I only said that to be
quite sure of getting in. Oh, by the way, this is Mr. Hersheimmer, Sir James
Peel Edgerton.”
“Pleased to meet you,” said the American, shooting out a hand.
“Won’t you both sit down?” asked Sir James. He drew forward two chairs.
“Sir James,” said Tuppence, plunging boldly, “I dare say you will think it
is most awful cheek of me coming here like this. Because, of course, it’s
nothing whatever to do with you, and then you’re a very important person, and of
course Tommy and I are very unimportant.” She paused for breath.
“Tommy?” queried Sir James, looking across at the American.
“No, that’s Julius,” explained Tuppence. “I’m rather nervous, and that
makes me tell it badly. What I really want to know is what you meant by what
you said to me the other day? Did you mean to warn me against Mrs. Vandemeyer?
You did, didn’t you?”
“My dear young lady, as far as I recollect I only mentioned that there were
equally good situations to be obtained elsewhere.”
“Yes, I know. But it was a hint, wasn’t it?”
“Well, perhaps it was,” admitted Sir James gravely.
“Well, I want to know more. I want to know just WHY you gave me a hint.”
Sir James smiled at her earnestness.
“Suppose the lady brings a libel action against me for defamation of
character?”
“Of course,” said Tuppence. “I know lawyers are always dreadfully careful.
But can’t we say ‘without prejudice’ first, and then say just what we want to.”
“Well,” said Sir James, still smiling, “without prejudice, then, if I had a
young sister forced to earn her living, I should not like to see her in Mrs.
Vandemeyer’s service. I felt it incumbent on me just to give you a hint. It is
no place for a young and inexperienced girl. That is all I can tell you.”
“I see,” said Tuppence thoughtfully. “Thank you very much. But I’m not
REALLY inexperienced, you know. I knew perfectly that she was a bad lot when I
went there–as a matter of fact that’s WHY I went—-” She broke off, seeing
some bewilderment on the lawyer’s face, and went on: “I think perhaps I’d better
tell you the whole story, Sir James. I’ve a sort of feeling that you’d know in
a minute if I didn’t tell the truth, and so you might as well know all about it
from the beginning. What do you think, Julius?”
“As you’re bent on it, I’d go right ahead with the facts,” replied the
American, who had so far sat in silence.
“Yes, tell me all about it,” said Sir James. “I want to know who Tommy
is.”
Thus encouraged Tuppence plunged into her tale, and the lawyer listened
with close attention.
“Very interesting,” he said, when she finished. “A great deal of what you
tell me, child, is already known to me. I’ve had certain theories of my own
about this Jane Finn. You’ve done extraordinarily well so far, but it’s rather
too bad of–what do you know him as?–Mr. Carter to pitchfork you two young
things into an affair of this kind. By the way, where did Mr. Hersheimmer come
in originally? You didn’t make that clear?”
Julius answered for himself.
“I’m Jane’s first cousin,” he explained, returning the lawyer’s keen gaze.