Things that one would shrink from attempting normally are easily tackled in a flush of anger. Without giving myself time to reflect, I walked straight to the house of Lord Nasby.
Lord Nasby was the millionaire owner of the Daily Budget. He owned other papers—several of them, but the Daily Budget was his special child. It was as the owner of the Daily Budget that he was known to every householder in the United Kingdom. Owing to the fact that an itinerary1 of the great man’s daily proceedings2 had just been published, I knew exactly where to find him at this moment. It was his hour for dictating3 to his secretary in his own house.
I did not, of course, suppose that any young woman who chose to come and ask for him would be at once admitted to the august presence. But I had attended to that side of the matter. In the card-tray in the hall of the Flemmings’ house I had observed the card of the Marquis of Loamsley, England’s most famous sporting peer. I had removed the card, cleaned it carefully with bread-crumbs, and pencilled upon it the words: “Please give Miss Beddingfeld a few moments of your time.” Adventuresses must not be too scrupulous4 in their methods.
The thing worked. A powdered footman received the card and bore it away. Presently a pale secretary appeared. I fenced with him successfully. He retired5 defeated. He again reappeared and begged me to follow him. I did so. I entered a large room, a frightened-looking shorthand-typist fled past me like a visitant from the spirit-world. Then the door shut and I was face to face with Lord Nasby.
A big man. Big head. Big face. Big moustache. Big stomach. I pulled myself together. I had not come here to comment on Lord Nasby’s stomach. He was already roaring at me.
“Well, what is it? What does Loamsley want? You his secretary? What’s it all about?”
“To begin with,” I said with as great an appearance of coolness as I could manage, “I don’t know Lord Loamsley, and he certainly knows nothing about me. I took his card from the tray in the house of the people I’m staying with, and I wrote those words on it myself. It was important that I should see you.”
For a moment it appeared to be a toss up as to whether Lord Nasby had apoplexy or not. In the end, he swallowed twice and got over it.
“I admire your coolness, young woman. Well, you see me! If you interest me, you will continue to see me for exactly two minutes longer.”
“That will be ample,” I replied. “And I shall interest you. It’s the Mill House Mystery.”
“If you’ve found ‘The Man in the Brown Suit,’ write to the Editor,” he interrupted hastily.
“If you will interrupt, I shall be more than two minutes,” I said sternly. “I haven’t found ‘The Man in the Brown Suit,’ but I’m quite likely to do so.”
In as few words as possible I put the facts of the Tube accident and the conclusions I had drawn6 from them before him. When I had finished he said unexpectedly:
“What do you know of brachycephalic heads?”
I mentioned Papa.
“The Monkey man? Eh? Well, you seem to have a head of some kind upon your own shoulders, young woman. But it’s all pretty thin, you know. Not much to go upon. And no use to us—as it stands.”
“What d’you want, then?”
“I want a job on your paper to investigate this matter.”
“Can’t do that. We’ve got our own special man on it.”
“And I’ve got my own special knowledge.”
“What you’ve just told me, eh?”
“Oh, no, Lord Nasby. I’ve still got something up my sleeve.”
“Oh, you have, have you? You seem a bright sort of girl. Well, what is it?”
“When this so-called doctor got into the lift, he dropped a piece of paper. I picked it up. It smelt8 of moth9 balls. So did the dead man. The doctor didn’t. So I saw at once that the doctor must have taken it off the body. It had two words written on it and some figures.”
“Let’s see it.”
Lord Nasby stretched out a careless hand.
“I think not,” I said, smiling. “It’s my find, you see.”
“I’m right. You are a bright girl. Quite right to hang on to it. No scruples10 about not handing it over to the police?”
“I went there to do so this morning. They persisted in regarding the whole thing as having nothing to do with the Marlow affair, so I thought that in the circumstances I was justified11 in retaining the paper. Besides, the inspector12 put my back up.”
“Short-sighted man. Well, my dear girl, here’s all I can do for you. Go on working on this line of yours. If you get anything—anything that’s publishable—send it along and you shall have your chance. There’s always room for real talent on the Daily Budget. But you’ve got to make good first. See?”
I thanked him, and apologized for my methods.
“Don’t mention it. I rather like cheek—from a pretty girl. By the way, you said two minutes and you’ve been three, allowing for interruptions. For a woman, that’s quite remarkable13! Must be your scientific training.”
I was in the street again, breathing hard as though I had been running. I found Lord Nasby rather wearing as a new acquaintance.
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1
itinerary
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| n.行程表，旅行路线；旅行计划 | |
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2
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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3
dictating
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的现在分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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4
scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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5
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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6
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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7
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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8
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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9
moth
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| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
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10
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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11
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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12
inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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13
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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