(1929) The Three Just Men Read Online Free PDF Page B

to play the part of a lady by somebody who wasn’t quite sure of the constituents of the part. Captain Newton she did not know at the time, or she would have guessed the dress authority.
    “I’m going to take you back to Chester Square after Mr. Oberzohn—such a funny name, isn’t it?—has done with you. Monty insisted upon my bringing the Rolls. Monty is my brother; he’s rather classical.”
    Mirabelle wondered whether this indicated a love of the Greek poets or a passion for the less tuneful operas. Joan (which was her real name) meant no more than classy: it was a favourite word of hers; another was “morbid.”
    Half an hour later the inquisitive chauffeur put his foot on the starter and sent his car on the trail of the Rolls, wondering what Mirabelle Leicester had in common with Joan Alice Murphy, who had brought so many rich young men to the green board in Captain Newton’s beautiful drawing-room, where stakes ran high and the captain played with such phenomenal luck,
    “And there you are,” said Gonsalez complacently. “I’ve done a very good day’s work. Oberzohn has gone back to his rabbit-hutch to think up new revolutions—Miss Mirabelle Leicester is to be found at 307, Chester Square. Now the point is, what do we do to save the valuable life of Mr. Sam Barberton?”
    Manfred looked grave. “I hardly like the thought of the girl spending the night in Newton’s house,” he said.
    “Why allow her to remain there?” asked Poiccart in his heavy way.
    “Exactly!” Leon nodded.
    George Manfred looked at his watch.
    “Obviously the first person to see is friend Barberton,” he said, “If we can prevail on him to spend the evening with us, the rest is a simple matter—”
    The telephone bell rang shrilly and Leon Gonsalez monopolized the instrument.
    “Gloucester? Yes.” He covered the receiver with his hand. “I took the liberty of asking Miss Alma Goddard to ring me up…her address I discovered very early in the day: Heavytree Farm, Daynham, near Gloucester…yes, yes, it is Mr. Johnson speaking. I wanted to ask you if you would take a message to Miss Leicester…oh, she isn’t at home?” Leon listened attentively, and, after a few minutes: “Thank you very much. She is staying at Doughty Court? She wired you…oh, nothing very important. I—er—am her old science master and I saw an advertisement… oh, she has seen it, has she?”
    He hung up the receiver.
    “Nothing to go on,” he said. “The girl has wired to say she is delighted with her job. The aunt is not to come up until she is settled, and Mirabelle is sleeping at Doughty Court.”
    “And a very excellent place too,” said Manfred. “When we’ve seen Mr. Barberton I shouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t sleep there after all.”
    Petworth Hotel in Norfolk Street was a sedate residential hostel, greatly favoured by overseas visitors, especially South Africans. The reception clerk thought Mr. Barberton was out: the hall porter was sure.
    “He went down to the Embankment—he said he’d like to see the river before it was dark,” said that confidant of so many visitors.
    Manfred stepped into the car by Leon’s side—Poiccart seldom went abroad, but sat at home piecing together the little jigsaw puzzles of life that came to Curzon Street for solution. He was the greatest of all the strategists: even Scotland Yard brought some of its problems for his inspection.
    “On the Embankment?” Manfred looked up at the blue and pink sky. The sun had gone down, but the light of day remained. “If it were darker I should be worried…stop, there’s Dr. Elver.”
    The little police surgeon who had passed them with a cheery wave of his hand turned and walked back.
    “Well, Children of the Law”—he was inclined to be dramatic—“on what dread errand of vengeance are you bound?”
    “We are looking for a man named Barberton to ask him to dinner,” said Manfred, shaking hands.
    “Sounds tame to me: has he any