Beggar’s Choice

XLIII

I moved round and faced him. I moved slowly, because the whole thing was such a surprise and my mind seemed to have stuck. I couldn’t get it to work on this being my uncle’s hand on my shoulder. I had a sort of dazed feeling which was probably due to my not having had anything to eat.

After a moment I began to get there. Uncle John was clapping me on the back and saying things in a loud angry voice; but the anger wasn’t for me, it was for A

“I heard what you said-what? You’re very clever at persuading people, but you can’t persuade me out of what I’ve heard with my own ears-what? You can’t do that-not if you were twice as clever as you think you are! I heard what you said to him! Do you hear that-what? I heard you with my own ears, and how you have the face to stand there and look at me, I don’t know!”

A

My uncle turned to me.

“She was trying to make me believe you’d taken the Queen A

“It’s sewn into the corner of my coat,” I said.

He let go of me and stood back. It must have been a bit of a shock. If I hadn’t been feeling so stupid, I might have broken it a bit more gently. He looked at me, and he looked at A

My uncle thumped the table.

“And who put it there?” he said.

I didn’t answer him. I went over to the bureau and picked up a penknife. I thought it was time the Queen A

A

“Who put it in your coat?” said my uncle. Then, when I didn’t answer, he got angry and banged again. “You don’t sew, do you-what? Some one put it there, and I want to know who!”

A

“You are very chivalrous all of a sudden, Car! Don’t you know who sewed the bow in your coat?”

I said, “Yes. Don’t you want to catch that train of yours, A

“Train?” said my uncle. “What train? Where’s she going?”

The door opened, and William came in. He was trying to look as if he didn’t know that there was something up. I felt sorry for him-it’s his ambition to be the perfect butler, but he hasn’t got a butler’s face.

“The car’s at the door, miss,” he said. Then he tried not to look at us and went out again, fairly boiling with curiosity.

A

“I’m going to my husband,” she said in her best tragedy voice.

My uncle’s jaw dropped about half a foot.

“Your what?”

“My husband,” said A

My uncle got very red in the face. He began to speak, stopped, and got redder still.

A

“Good-by,” she said, and she began to move towards the door; but she had only got half-way, when she stopped.

She looked round at me, and I thought she was going to say something, but she didn’t. She went quickly out of the room and shut the door.

My uncle stared after her, angry and confused.

“Bless my soul! Married?” he said. “What? Married? What’s all this?” He jerked his shoulders back as if he was throwing something off. “Well, I wish him joy of her!”

It was whilst he was speaking that I saw there was some one else in the room. I very nearly jumped, because there was a sort of effect of his having appeared out of nothing. As a matter of fact, as soon as I had time to think, I realized that he had come in with my uncle. I hadn’t seen him, because he had been standing behind me. But A

Well, I looked at him and pulled myself together. He was a little man with thin, neat hair, sharpish gray eyes, and the sort of nose that is made for a pince-nez. The pince-nez sat neatly on the nose. He wore a natty gent’s suiting, and he took a very small size in black boots. I had never seen him before, but I knew him at once.

He put up his hand and fiddled with his pince-nez, and he said,

“Good morning, Mr. Fairfax.”

It was Z.10 Smith.

It was such a relief that I felt as if a ton of bricks had been suddenly lifted off me. The beastliest part of the whole beastly nightmare I had been wandering about in was the perfectly damnable idea that Z.10 was acting for A

I said, “Good morning, Mr. Smith,” and my uncle stopped staring after A

“Well,” he said-“well? So you recognize him-what? What did you think? Did you guess he came from-me what?”

“No, I didn’t,” I said. I was feeling a bit angry. “I wish I had!” I said.

My uncle broke into a shout of laughter.

“You weren’t meant to! No, no-not a bit of it! His name’s really Smith, you know-Smith and Wilkins, Enquiry Agents.”

He took me by the arm and walked me away to the other side of the room, dropping his voice till I could hardly hear what he said.

“Worried about you-began to think A

I looked round and saw Z.10 vanishing discreetly. I heard the door close behind him. I don’t think my uncle noticed. He went on, still holding me tight and mumbling between embarrassment and discretion:

“Thought I’d find out how you were getting on-couldn’t do it myself-got him instead-Smith-Perkins recommended him-very efficient-what?-discreet-confidential-had to take him into my confidence a good deal-about A

“She knew,” I said.

“Yes-Smith said so-said she butted in-sent that fellow Markham ferreting round-kept the appointment Smith had made with you-” He broke into a half laugh and slapped my shoulder. “He saw her carry you off, and didn’t know what to make of it, by Jove!”

“How did she know?” I asked.

“Listened when I was telephoning. You don’t think of things like that-not with your own family-but that’s what she must have done-eavesdropped-opened letters too, I shouldn’t wonder!” He made a sound of disgust. “Who’s this fellow she’s married? He’ll be sorry for himself before he’s through-what?”

“Or she will,” I said.

My uncle looked up hopefully.

“What? Is he that sort? I hope he is-I hope he is!”

Then he let go of me and stepped back.

“You don’t bear me a grudge, do you-what? I didn’t think you did-not when you spoke about me.”

“When I spoke about you?”

He got very red.