Surfeit of Lampreys Read Online Free PDF Page A

know?”
    â€œWell, I know it is. I expect those enormous men are Big Fours.”
    â€œI wish they’d move on,” said Frid. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we fell into their hands one of these days.”
    â€œWhy?” asked Roberta.
    â€œWell, the twins were saying at breakfast yesterday that they thought the only thing to be done was for them to turn crooks and be another lot of Mayfair boys.”
    â€œIt was rather a good idea, really,” said Henry. “You see Colin said he’d steal incredibly rich dowager’s jewels and Stephen would establish his alibi at the Ritz or somewhere. Nobody can tell them apart, you know.”
    â€œAnd then, you know,” added Frid, “if one of them was arrested they’d each say it was the other and as one of them must be innocent they’d have to let both of them go.”
    â€œFrom which,” said Henry, “you will have gathered we are in the midst of a financial crisis.”
    Roberta started at the sound of that familiar phrase.
    â€œOh, no !” she said.
    â€œOh, yes,” said Henry, “and what’s more it’s a snorter. Everybody seems to be furious with us.”
    â€œMummy’s going to pop the pearls this afternoon,” added Frid, “on her way to the manicurist.”
    â€œShe’s never done that before,” said Henry. “This is the Strand, Robin. That church is either St. Clement Dane or St. Mary-le-Strand and the next one is whatever that one isn’t. We’d better explain about the crisis, I suppose.”
    â€œI wish you would,” said Roberta. In her bemused condition the Lampreys’ affairs struck a friendly and recognizable note. She could think sharply about their debts but she could scarcely so much as gape at the London she had greatly longed to see. It was as if her powers of receptivity were half-anesthetized and would respond only to familiar impressions. She listened attentively to a long recital of how Lord Charles had invested a great deal of the money he still mysteriously possessed in something called San Domingoes and how it had almost immediately disappeared. She heard of a strange venture in which Lord Charles had planned to open a jewellery business in the City, run on some sort of commission basis, with Henry and the twins as salesmen. “And at least,” said Frid, “there would have been Mummy’s things that she got out of pawn when Cousin Ruth died. It would have been better to sell than to pop them, don’t you think?” This project, it appeared, had depended on somebody called Sir David Stein who had recently committed suicide, leaving Lord Charles with an empty office and a ten years’ lease on his hands.
    â€œAnd so now,” said Henry, “we appear to be sunk. That’s Charing Cross Station. We thought we would take you to a play to-night, Robin.”
    â€œAnd we can dance afterwards,” said Frid. “Colin’s in love with a girl in the play so I expect he’ll want her to come whizzing on with us which is rather a bore. Have you asked Mary to come, Henry?”
    â€œNo,” said Henry. “We’ve only got five seats and the twins both want to come and anyway I want to dance with Robin, and Colin’s actress isn’t coming.”
    â€œWell, Stephen could take Mary off your hands.”
    â€œHe doesn’t like her.”
    â€œMary is Henry’s girl,” explained Frid. “Only vaguely, though.”
    â€œWell, she’s quite nice really,” said Henry.
    â€œCharming, darling,” said Frid handsomely.
    Roberta suddenly felt rather desolate. She stared out of the window and only half-listened to Henry who seemed to think he ought to point out places of interest.
    â€œThis is Trafalgar Square,” said Henry. “Isn’t that thing in the middle too monstrous? Lions, you see, at each corner, but of course you’ve met them in