Three
I’d always taken a certain amount of interest in my father’s police work,but nothing had prepared me for the moment when I should come to takea direct and personal interest in it.
I had not yet seen the Old Man. He had been out when I arrived, andafter a bath, a shave, and change I had gone out to meet Sophia. When Ireturned to the house, however, Glover told me that he was in his study.
He was at his desk, frowning over a lot of papers. He jumped up when Icame in.
“Charles! Well, well, it’s been a long time.”
Our meeting, after five years of war, would have disappointed a French-man. Actually all the emotion of reunion was there all right. The Old Manand I are very fond of each other, and we understand each other prettywell.
“I’ve got some whisky,” he said. “Say when. Sorry I was out when yougot here. I’m up to the ears in work. Hell of a case just unfolding.”
I leaned back in my chair and lit a cigarette.
“Aristide Leonides?” I asked.
His brows came down quickly over his eyes. He shot me a quick apprais-ing glance. His voice was polite and steely.
“Now what makes you say that, Charles?”
“I’m right then?”
“How did you know about this?”
“Information received.”
The Old Man waited.
“My information,” I said, “came from the stable itself.”
“Come on, Charles, let’s have it.”
“You mayn’t like it,” I said. “I met Sophia Leonides out in Cairo. I fell inlove with her. I’m going to marry her. I met her tonight. She dined withme.”
“Dined with you? In London? I wonder just how she managed to do that!
The family was asked—oh, quite politely, to stay put.”
“Quite so. She shinned down a pipe from the bathroom window.”
The Old Man’s lips twitched¹ for a moment into a smile.
“She seems,”’ he said, “to be a young lady of some resource.”
“But your police force is fully² efficient,” I said. “A nice Army typetracked her to Mario’s. I shall figure in the reports you get. Five foot el-even, brown hair, brown eyes, dark-blue pinstripe suit, etc.”
The Old Man looked at me hard.
“Is this—serious?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “It’s serious, Dad.”
There was a moment’s silence.
“Do you mind?” I asked.
“I shouldn’t have minded—a week ago. They’re a well-established fam-ily—the girl will have money—and I know you. You don’t lose your headeasily. As it is—”

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