“Yes. Haven’t you seen the yacht at the Hard?”
“No! I did hear something about it, but I’ve been too busy to run after yachts. We’ve been too busy, haven’t we, Miss Foley? I even have to keep my dog locked up. I don’t know what you’ll say. Aud—Mrs. Moncreiff! I really don’t! But we acted for the best. Oh! How dreadfully exciting my life does get at times! Never since I played the barrel organ all the way down Regent Street have I—! Oh! dear!”
“Have my tea, and do sit down, Winnie, and remember you’re an Essex woman!” Audrey adjured her, going to the china cupboard to get more cups.
“I’ll just tell you all about it, Mrs. Moncreiff, if you’ll let me,” Jane Foley began with a serene and happy smile, as she limped to a chair. “I’m quite ready to take all the consequences. It’s the police again, that’s all. I don’t know how exactly they got on the track of the Spatts at Frinton. But I dare say you’ve seen that the police have seized a lot of documents at our head-quarters. Perhaps that explains it. Anyway I caught sight of our old friend at Paget Gardens nosing about, and so as soon as it was dark I left the Spatts. It’s a horrid thing to say, but I never was so glad about anything as I was at leaving the Spatts. I didn’t tell them where I was going, and they didn’t ask. I’m sure the poor things were very relieved to have me go. Miss Ingate tells me to-day she’s heard they’ve both resigned from the Union. Mr. Spatt went up to London on purpose to do it. And can you be surprised?”
“Yes, you can, and yet you can’t!” exclaimed Miss Ingate. “You can, and yet you can’t!”
“I met Miss Ingate on Frinton front,” Jane Foley proceeded. “She was just getting into her carriage. I had my bag and I asked her to drive me to the station. ‘To the station?’ she said. ‘What for? There’s no train to-night.’”
“No more there wasn’t!” Miss Ingate put in, “I’d been dining at the Proctors’ and it was after ten, I know it was after ten because they never let me leave until after ten, in spite of the long drive I have. Fancy there being a train from Frinton after ten! So of course I brought Miss Foley along. Oh! It was vehy interesting. Vehy interesting. You see we had to think of the police. I didn’t want the police coming poking round my house. It would never do, in a little place like Moze. I should never hear the last of it. So I—I thought of Flank Hall. I——”
Jane Foley went on:
“Miss Ingate was sure you wouldn’t mind, Mrs. Moncreiff. And personally I was quite certain you wouldn’t mind. We left the carriage at Miss Ingate’s, and carried the bag in turns. And I stood outside while Miss Ingate woke up Mr. Aguilar. It was soon all right.”
“I must say Aguilar was vehy reasonable,” said Miss Ingate. “Vehy reasonable. And he’s got a great spite against my dear Inspector Keeble. He suggested everything. He never asked any questions, so I told him. You do, you know. He suggested Miss Foley should have a bed in the tank-room, so that if there was any trouble all the bedrooms should look innocent.”