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He sprang out of bed, bathed, dressed, and ate his breakfast. Then he lit a cigarette, repacked his dressing-case, and descended into the hall. He made his way to the hall porter's enquiry office. "I am going to pay some calls in the city," he announced "Mr. Romilly is my name and I may not be able to get back here before my boat sails. I am going on the Elletania.
"Well, all you poor idiots who write things have some fine tale to tell their typewriter," she remarked. "You seem as though you mean it, though. Where did you meet Elizabeth Dalstan?" "I came over with her on the Elletania," he answered thoughtlessly. She gave a little start. Then she turned upon him almost in anger. "Well, of all the simpletons!" she exclaimed.
He'd found out the date you came into your rooms here the day this man Romilly disappeared but I told him that I'd known you and done work for you before then long enough before the Elletania ever reached New York. That kind of stumped him." "Why did you do that?" Philip demanded. "Dunno," the girl replied, with a shrug of the shoulders. "Just a fancy.
Felix, this is Miss Grimes Martha Grimes, you know," she added, calling to the young man who was accompanying her. "You must remember why, what's the matter with you, Felix?" She broke off in her speech. Her companion was staring at Philip, who was returning his scrutiny with an air of mild interrogation. "Say," the young man enquired, "didn't I meet you on the Elletania? Aren't you Mr.
I want to live, and I will live, and I grudge every moment out of which I am not extracting the fullest amount of happiness. That's because I've paid. It's the woman's bargaining instinct, you know. She wants to get value.... Now I want to hear about Miss Dalstan. Where did you meet her, and how did you get her to accept your play?" "She was on the Elletania," he explained.
Douglas Romilly?" Philip shook his head. "My name is Ware," he pronounced, "Merton Ware. I have certainly never been on the Elletania and I don't remember having met you before." The young man whose name was Felix appeared almost stupefied. "Gee whiz!" he muttered. "Excuse me, sir, but I never saw such a likeness before never!"
"Shall I have the privilege of your personal surveillance?" "I think not, Mr. Ware. To tell you the truth, this is rather a p.p.c. visit. I've booked my passage on the Elletania, sailing to-morrow from New York. I am taking a trip over to England to make a few enquiries round about the spot where this Mr. Douglas Romilly hails from Detton Magna, isn't it?"
"So that's the way you give yourself away, is it? Just here from Jamaica, eh! Nothing to do with Douglas Romilly! Never heard of the Elletania, did you! I'd like to see you on the grid at police headquarters for five minutes, with one of our men asking you a few friendly questions! You'd look well, you would! You ought to go about with a nurse!" Philip had all the appearance of a guilty child.
"I don't think so," he said, "As a matter of fact, I am sure we haven't, because you are one of the men whom I hoped some day to come across over here. I couldn't possibly have forgotten a meeting with you." Mr. Raymond Greene's blue eyes looked as though they saw visions. "But surely," he expostulated, "the Elletania my table on the Elletania, when Miss Dalstan crossed " Philip laughed easily.
Romilly?" was the reply, in a man's pleasant voice. "Mr. Douglas Romilly?" "Yes!" "Good! I'm Gayes Mr. Gayes of Gayes Brothers. My people wrote me last night from Leicester that you would be here this morning. You are crossing, aren't you, on the Elletania?" Philip remained monosyllabic. "Yes," he admitted cautiously. "Can't you come round and see us this morning?" Mr. Gayes invited.
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