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She lingered on the steps and waved her hand to him a graceful, somewhat insolent gesture. "All the same, I think I shall do my best to make you forget Margaret," she called out. "Thanks for the lift up. A bientot!" Francis drove direct from Grosvenor Square to his chambers in the Temple, and found Shopland, his friend from Scotland Yard, awaiting his arrival. "Any news?" Francis enquired.
Shopland closed the door behind him. Sir Timothy waited until he heard his departing footsteps. Then he turned back to Francis. "Mr. Ledsam," he said, "I have come to ask you if you know anything of my daughter's whereabouts?" "Nothing whatever," Francis replied. "I was on the point of ringing you up to ask you the same question." "Did she tell you that she was leaving The Sanctuary?"
"Don't go, Shopland, for a minute. We were consulting together about the disappearance of a young man, Reggie Wilmore, the brother of a friend of mine Andrew Wilmore, the novelist." "Disappearance?" Sir Timothy repeated, as he lit a cigarette. "That is rather a vague term." "The young man has been missing from home for over a week," Francis said, "and left no trace whatever of his whereabouts.
"Or I shall even welcome the idea of having you for a son-in-law," Sir Timothy concluded reluctantly. "Make my excuses to Mr. Shopland. Au revoir!" Shopland came in as the door closed behind the departing visitor. He listened to all that Francis had to say, without comment.
"The trouble seems to be, so far as I am concerned, that no one will tell me exactly of what I am suspected? I am to give Mr. Shopland the run of my house, or he will make his appearance in the magistrate's court and the evening papers will have placards with marvellous headlines at my expense. How will it run, Mr. Shopland
"The young lady whom you have already seen," he assented. "At the same time, Mr. Shopland, we must remember this. If Miss Hyslop has any knowledge of the facts which are behind Mr. Bidlake's murder, it is more likely to be to her interest to keep them to herself, than to give them away to the police free gratis and for nothing. Do you follow me?" "Precisely, sir."
"Do they form part of your case?" Francis persisted. Shopland stepped back. "Mr. Ledsam," he said, "I told you, some little time ago, that so far as this particular case was concerned I had no confidences to share with you. I am sorry that you saw that letter.
"There is one of them," Francis said gravely, "whose mind not even your soothing words could lighten." Shopland had risen unobtrusively to his feet. He laid his hand suddenly on Fairfax's shoulder and whispered in his ear. Fairfax, after his first start, seemed cool enough.
I fear that I could not resist the opportunity of I think you young men call it pulling his leg." Every one was listening intently, including Shopland, who had just drifted into the room and subsided into a chair near Francis. "I moved my place, therefore," Sir Timothy continued, "and I whispered in Mr.
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