“Yes, I think so, but she will not be out late. Otherwise, she would have
taken the latchkey.”
“Good. I will call upon her about ten o’clock. What time are you supposed
to return?”
“About nine-thirty or ten, but I could go back earlier.”
“You must not do that on any account. It might arouse suspicion if you did
not stay out till the usual time. Be back by nine-thirty. I will arrive at ten.
Mr. Hersheimmer will wait below in a taxi perhaps.”
“He’s got a new Rolls-Royce car,” said Tuppence with vicarious pride.
“Even better. If I succeed in obtaining the address from her, we can go
there at once, taking Mrs. Vandemeyer with us if necessary. You understand?”
“Yes.” Tuppence rose to her feet with a skip of delight. “Oh, I feel so
much better!”
“Don’t build on it too much, Miss Tuppence. Go easy.”
Julius turned to the lawyer.
“Say, then. I’ll call for you in the car round about nine-thirty. Is that
right?”
“Perhaps that will be the best plan. It would be unnecessary to have two
cars waiting about. Now, Miss Tuppence, my advice to you is to go and have a
good dinner, a REALLY good one, mind. And don’t think ahead more than you can
help.”
He shook hands with them both, and a moment later they were outside.
“Isn’t he a duck?” inquired Tuppence ecstatically, as she skipped down the
steps. “Oh, Julius, isn’t he just a duck?”
“Well, I allow he seems to be the goods all right. And I was wrong about
its being useless to go to him. Say, shall we go right away back to the Ritz?”
“I must walk a bit, I think. I feel so excited. Drop me in the park, will
you? Unless you’d like to come too?”
“I want to get some petrol,” he explained. “And send off a cable or two.”
“All right. I’ll meet you at the Ritz at seven. We’ll have to dine
upstairs. I can’t show myself in these glad rags.”
“Sure. I’ll get Felix help me choose the menu. He’s some head waiter,
that. So long.”
Tuppence walked briskly along towards the Serpentine, first glancing at her
watch. It was nearly six o’clock. She remembered that she had had no tea, but
felt too excited to be conscious of hunger. She walked as far as Kensington
Gardens and then slowly retraced her steps, feeling infinitely better for the
fresh air and exercise. It was not so easy to follow Sir James’s advice, and put
the possible events of the evening out of her head. As she drew nearer and
nearer to Hyde Park corner, the temptation to return to South Audley Mansions
was almost irresistible.
At any rate, she decided, it would do no harm just to go and LOOK at the
building. Perhaps, then, she could resign herself to waiting patiently for ten
o’clock.
South Audley Mansions looked exactly the same as usual. What Tuppence had
expected she hardly knew, but the sight of its red brick stolidity slightly
assuaged the growing and entirely unreasonable uneasiness that possessed her.
She was just turning away when she heard a piercing whistle, and the faithful
Albert came running from the building to join her.
Tuppence frowned. It was no part of the programme to have attention called
to her presence in the neighbourhood, but Albert was purple with suppressed
excitement.
“I say, miss, she’s a-going!”
“Who’s going?” demanded Tuppence sharply.
“The crook. Ready Rita. Mrs. Vandemeyer. She’s a-packing up, and she’s
just sent down word for me to get her a taxi.”
“What?” Tuppence clutched his arm.
“It’s the truth, miss. I thought maybe as you didn’t know about it.”
“Albert,” cried Tuppence, “you’re a brick. If it hadn’t been for you we’d
have lost her.”
Albert flushed with pleasure at this tribute.
“There’s no time to lose,” said Tuppence, crossing the road. “I’ve got to
stop her. At all costs I must keep her here until—-” She broke off. “Albert,
there’s a telephone here, isn’t there?”
The boy shook his head.
“The flats mostly have their own, miss. But there’s a box just round the
corner.”
“Go to it then, at once, and ring up the Ritz Hotel. Ask for Mr.