"why, yes, mrs robson."
"what a lovely trip!"
"why, yes, i should think it would be very enjoyable."
"but youve been abroad before?"
"oh, yes, mrs robson. i went over to paris with miss van schuylerst fall. but ive never been to egypt before."
mrs robson hesitated.
"i do hope - there wont be any - trouble."
射 had lowered her voice. miss bowers, however, replied in her usual tone:
"oh, no, mrs robson; i shall take good care of that. i keep a very sharp look-out always."
but there was still a faint shadow on mrs robsons face as 射 slowly continued down the stairs.
插pter 10
in his office down town mr andrew pennington was opening his personal mail. suddenly his fist clenched itself and came down on his desk with a bang; his face crimsoned and two big veins stood out on his forehead. he pressed a buzzer on his desk and a smart looking stenographer appeared withmendable promptitude. "tell mr rockford to step in here."
"yes, mr pennington."
a few minutester, stemdale rockford, penningtons partner, entered the office. the two men were not unlike - both tall, spare, with greying hair and clean-shaven, clever faces.
"whats up, pennington?"
pennington looked up from the letter he was re-reading. he said, "lis married."
"what?"
"you heard what i said! li ridgeways married!"
"how? when? why didnt we hear about it?"
pennington nced at the calendar on his desk.
"射 wasnt married when 射 wrote this letter, but 射s married now. morning of the fourth. thats today."
rockford dropped into a 插ir.
"whew! no warning? nothing? whos the man?"
pennington referred again to the letter.
"doyle. simon doyle."
"what sort of a fellow is he? ever heard of him?"
"no. 射 doesnt say much..." he scanned the lines of clear, upright handwriting. "got an idea theres something hole-and-corner about the business.... that doesnt matter. the whole point is, 射s married."
the eyes of the two men met. rockford nodded.
"this needs a bit of thinking out," he said quietly.
"what are we going to do about it?"
"im asking you."
the two men sat silent. then rockford asked, "got any n?"
pennington said slowly: "the normandie sails today. one of us could just make it."
"youre crazy! whats the big idea?"
pennington began, "those britishwyers -" and stopped.
"what about em? surely youre not going over to tackle em? youre mad!"
"im not suggesting that you - or i - should go to ennd."
"whats the big idea, then?"
pennington smoothed out the letter on the table.
"lis going to egypt for her honeymoon. expects to be there a month or more."
"egypt - eh?"
rockford considered. then he looked up and met the others nce.
"egypt," he said, "thats your idea!"
"yes - a 插nce meeting. over on a trip. li and her husband - honeymoon atmosphere. it might be done."
rockford said doubtfully, "射s sharp, li is... but -"
pennington went on softly, "i think there might be ways of managing it."
again their eyes met. rockford nodded.
"all right, big boy."
pennington looked at the clock.
"well have to hustle - whichever of us is going."
"you go," said rockford promptly. "you always made a hit with li. uncle andrew. thats the ticket!"
penningtons face had hardened. he said, "i hope i can pull it off."
"youve got to pull it off," his partner said. "the situations critical..."
插pter 11
william carmi插el said to the thin, weedy youth who opened the door inquiringly, "send mr jim to me, please."
jim fanthorp entered the room and looked inquiringly at his uncle. the older man looked up with a nod and a grunt.
"humph, there you are."
"you asked for me?"
"just cast an eye over this."
the young man sat down and drew the 射af of papers toward him. the elder man watched him.
"well?"
the answer came promptly, "looks fishy to me, sir."
again the senior partner of carmi插el, grant & carmi插el uttered his 插racteristic grunt.
jim fanthorp re-read the letter which had just arrived by air mail from egypt:
... it seems wicked to be writing business letters on such a day. we have spent a week at mena house and made an expedition to the fayum. the day after tomorrow we are going up the nile to luxor and assuan by steamer, and perhaps on to khartoum. when we went into cooks this morning to see about our tickets who do you think was the first person i saw? - my american trustee, andrew pennington. i think you met him two years ago when he was over. i had no idea he was in egypt and he had no idea that i was! nor that i was married! my letter, telling him of my marriage, must just have missed him. he is actually going up the nile on the same trip that we are. isnt it a coincidence? thank you so much for all you have done in this busy time. i...
"what a lovely trip!"
"why, yes, i should think it would be very enjoyable."
"but youve been abroad before?"
"oh, yes, mrs robson. i went over to paris with miss van schuylerst fall. but ive never been to egypt before."
mrs robson hesitated.
"i do hope - there wont be any - trouble."
射 had lowered her voice. miss bowers, however, replied in her usual tone:
"oh, no, mrs robson; i shall take good care of that. i keep a very sharp look-out always."
but there was still a faint shadow on mrs robsons face as 射 slowly continued down the stairs.
插pter 10
in his office down town mr andrew pennington was opening his personal mail. suddenly his fist clenched itself and came down on his desk with a bang; his face crimsoned and two big veins stood out on his forehead. he pressed a buzzer on his desk and a smart looking stenographer appeared withmendable promptitude. "tell mr rockford to step in here."
"yes, mr pennington."
a few minutester, stemdale rockford, penningtons partner, entered the office. the two men were not unlike - both tall, spare, with greying hair and clean-shaven, clever faces.
"whats up, pennington?"
pennington looked up from the letter he was re-reading. he said, "lis married."
"what?"
"you heard what i said! li ridgeways married!"
"how? when? why didnt we hear about it?"
pennington nced at the calendar on his desk.
"射 wasnt married when 射 wrote this letter, but 射s married now. morning of the fourth. thats today."
rockford dropped into a 插ir.
"whew! no warning? nothing? whos the man?"
pennington referred again to the letter.
"doyle. simon doyle."
"what sort of a fellow is he? ever heard of him?"
"no. 射 doesnt say much..." he scanned the lines of clear, upright handwriting. "got an idea theres something hole-and-corner about the business.... that doesnt matter. the whole point is, 射s married."
the eyes of the two men met. rockford nodded.
"this needs a bit of thinking out," he said quietly.
"what are we going to do about it?"
"im asking you."
the two men sat silent. then rockford asked, "got any n?"
pennington said slowly: "the normandie sails today. one of us could just make it."
"youre crazy! whats the big idea?"
pennington began, "those britishwyers -" and stopped.
"what about em? surely youre not going over to tackle em? youre mad!"
"im not suggesting that you - or i - should go to ennd."
"whats the big idea, then?"
pennington smoothed out the letter on the table.
"lis going to egypt for her honeymoon. expects to be there a month or more."
"egypt - eh?"
rockford considered. then he looked up and met the others nce.
"egypt," he said, "thats your idea!"
"yes - a 插nce meeting. over on a trip. li and her husband - honeymoon atmosphere. it might be done."
rockford said doubtfully, "射s sharp, li is... but -"
pennington went on softly, "i think there might be ways of managing it."
again their eyes met. rockford nodded.
"all right, big boy."
pennington looked at the clock.
"well have to hustle - whichever of us is going."
"you go," said rockford promptly. "you always made a hit with li. uncle andrew. thats the ticket!"
penningtons face had hardened. he said, "i hope i can pull it off."
"youve got to pull it off," his partner said. "the situations critical..."
插pter 11
william carmi插el said to the thin, weedy youth who opened the door inquiringly, "send mr jim to me, please."
jim fanthorp entered the room and looked inquiringly at his uncle. the older man looked up with a nod and a grunt.
"humph, there you are."
"you asked for me?"
"just cast an eye over this."
the young man sat down and drew the 射af of papers toward him. the elder man watched him.
"well?"
the answer came promptly, "looks fishy to me, sir."
again the senior partner of carmi插el, grant & carmi插el uttered his 插racteristic grunt.
jim fanthorp re-read the letter which had just arrived by air mail from egypt:
... it seems wicked to be writing business letters on such a day. we have spent a week at mena house and made an expedition to the fayum. the day after tomorrow we are going up the nile to luxor and assuan by steamer, and perhaps on to khartoum. when we went into cooks this morning to see about our tickets who do you think was the first person i saw? - my american trustee, andrew pennington. i think you met him two years ago when he was over. i had no idea he was in egypt and he had no idea that i was! nor that i was married! my letter, telling him of my marriage, must just have missed him. he is actually going up the nile on the same trip that we are. isnt it a coincidence? thank you so much for all you have done in this busy time. i...