The Complete Tommy & Tuppence Collection Read Online Free PDF

suggest that I should do that to a similarly garbed female?”
    â€œDon’t be silly. You tread on her foot, or pick up her handkerchief, or something like that. If she thinks you want to know her she’s flattered, and will manage it for you somehow.”
    â€œYou overrate my manly charms,” murmured Tommy.
    â€œOn the other hand,” proceeded Tuppence, “my millionaire would probably run for his life! No—marriage is fraught with difficulties. Remains—to make money!”
    â€œWe’ve tried that, and failed,” Tommy reminded her.
    â€œWe’ve tried all the orthodox ways, yes. But suppose we try the unorthodox. Tommy, let’s be adventurers!”
    â€œCertainly,” replied Tommy cheerfully. “How do we begin?”
    â€œThat’s the difficulty. If we could make ourselves known, people might hire us to commit crimes for them.”
    â€œDelightful,” commented Tommy. “Especially coming from a clergyman’s daughter!”
    â€œThe moral guilt,” Tuppence pointed out, “would be theirs—not mine. You must admit that there’s a difference between stealing a diamond necklace for yourself and being hired to steal it?”
    â€œThere wouldn’t be the least difference if you were caught!”
    â€œPerhaps not. But I shouldn’t be caught. I’m so clever.”
    â€œModesty always was your besetting sin,” remarked Tommy.
    â€œDon’t rag. Look here, Tommy, shall we really? Shall we form a business partnership?”
    â€œForm a company for the stealing of diamond necklaces?”
    â€œThat was only an illustration. Let’s have a—what do you call it in bookkeeping?”
    â€œDon’t know. Never did any.”
    â€œI have—but I always got mixed up, and used to put credit entries on the debit side, and vice versa—so they fired me out. Oh, I know—a joint venture! It struck me as such a romantic phrase to come across in the middle of musty old figures. It’s got an Elizabethan flavour about it—makes one think of galleons and doubloons. A joint venture!”
    â€œTrading under the name of the Young Adventurers, Ltd.? Is that your idea, Tuppence?”
    â€œIt’s all very well to laugh, but I feel there might be something in it.”
    â€œHow do you propose to get in touch with your would-be employers?”
    â€œAdvertisement,” replied Tuppence promptly. “Have you got a bit of paper and a pencil? Men usually seem to have. Just like we have hairpins and powder puffs.”
    Tommy handed over a rather shabby green notebook, and Tuppence began writing busily.
    â€œShall we begin: ‘Young officer, twice wounded in the war—’ ”
    â€œCertainly not.”
    â€œOh, very well, my dear boy. But I can assure you that that sort of thing might touch the heart of an elderly spinster, and she might adopt you, and then there would be no need for you to be a young adventurer at all.”
    â€œI don’t want to be adopted.”
    â€œI forgot you had a prejudice against it. I was only ragging you! The papers are full up to the brim with that type of thing. Now listen—how’s this? ‘Two young adventurers for hire. Willing to do anything, go anywhere. Pay must be good.’ (We might as well make that clear from the start.) Then we might add: ‘No reasonable offer refused’—like flats and furniture.”
    â€œI should think any offer we get in answer to that would be a pretty un reasonable one!”
    â€œTommy! You’re a genius! That’s ever so much more chic. ‘No unreasonable offer refused—if pay is good.’ How’s that?”
    â€œI shouldn’t mention pay again. It looks rather eager.”
    â€œIt couldn’t look as eager as I feel! But perhaps you are right. Now I’ll read it straight through. ‘Two young adventurers for hire. Willing to do anything, go