“Quit fooling! How much do you know? And how much do you want?”
The last five words took Tuppence’s fancy mightily, especially after a
meagre breakfast and a supper of buns the night before. Her present part was of
the adventuress rather than the adventurous order, but she did not deny its
possibilities. She sat up and smiled with the air of one who has the situation
thoroughly well in hand.
“My dear Mr. Whittington,” she said, “let us by all means lay our cards
upon the table. And pray do not be so angry. You heard me say yesterday that I
proposed to live by my wits. It seems to me that I have now proved I have some
wits to live by! I admit I have knowledge of a certain name, but perhaps my
knowledge ends there.”
“Yes–and perhaps it doesn’t,” snarled Whittington.
“You insist on misjudging me,” said Tuppence, and sighed gently.
“As I said once before,” said Whittington angrily, “quit fooling, and come
to the point. You can’t play the innocent with me. You know a great deal more
than you’re willing to admit.”
Tuppence paused a moment to admire her own ingenuity, and then said softly:
“I shouldn’t like to contradict you, Mr. Whittington.”
“So we come to the usual question–how much?”
Tuppence was in a dilemma. So far she had fooled Whittington with complete
success, but to mention a palpably impossible sum might awaken his suspicions.
An idea flashed across her brain.
“Suppose we say a little something down, and a fuller discussion of the
matter later?”
Whittington gave her an ugly glance.
“Blackmail, eh?”
Tuppence smiled sweetly.
“Oh no! Shall we say payment of services in advance?”
Whittington grunted.
“You see,” explained Tuppence still sweetly, “I’m so very fond of money!”
“You’re about the limit, that’s what you are,” growled Whittington, with a
sort of unwilling admiration. “You took me in all right. Thought you were quite
a meek little kid with just enough brains for my purpose.”
“Life,” moralized Tuppence, “is full of surprises.”
“All the same,” continued Whittington, “some one’s been talking. You say it
isn’t Rita. Was it—-? Oh, come in.”
The clerk followed his discreet knock into the room, and laid a paper at
his master’s elbow.
“Telephone message just come for you, sir.”
Whittington snatched it up and read it. A frown gathered on his brow.
“That’ll do, Brown. You can go.”
The clerk withdrew, closing the door behind him. Whittington turned to
Tuppence.
“Come to-morrow at the same time. I’m busy now. Here’s fifty to go on
with.”
He rapidly sorted out some notes, and pushed them across the table to
Tuppence, then stood up, obviously impatient for her to go.
The girl counted the notes in a businesslike manner, secured them in her
handbag, and rose.
“Good morning, Mr. Whittington,” she said politely. “At least, au revoir, I
should say.”
“Exactly. Au revoir!” Whittington looked almost genial again, a reversion
that aroused in Tuppence a faint misgiving. “Au revoir, my clever and charming
young lady.”
Tuppence sped lightly down the stairs. A wild elation possessed her. A
neighbouring clock showed the time to be five minutes to twelve.
“Let’s give Tommy a surprise!” murmured Tuppence, and hailed a taxi.
The cab drew up outside the tube station. Tommy was just within the
entrance. His eyes opened to their fullest extent as he hurried forward to
assist Tuppence to alight. She smiled at him affectionately, and remarked in a
slightly affected voice:
“Pay the thing, will you, old bean? I’ve got nothing smaller than a
five-pound note!”
CHAPTER III
A SET BACK
THE moment was not quite so triumphant as it ought to have been. To begin
with, the resources of Tommy’s pockets were somewhat limited. In the end the
fare was managed, the lady recollecting a plebeian twopence, and the driver,
still holding the varied assortment of coins in his hand, was prevailed upon to
move on, which he did after one last hoarse demand as to what the gentleman
thought he was giving him?
“I think you’ve given him too much, Tommy,” said Tuppence innocently. “I
fancy he wants to give some of it back.”
It was possibly this remark which induced the driver to move away.