His eyes twinkled and he wiped his moustache on his napkin and leaned back contentedly.
"Perhaps it would be as well. . . ."
Then he appeared to think better of what he was going to say and added:
"I did make another little purchase from a sailor I met, but it won't be along until to-morrow."
"Then you have been into the East End?" I cried, jubilantly.
"Who said I had?"
"Nobody! But I guessed it!"
At that, he suddenly became quiet and extremely deaf. Evidently, he had gone further than he had intended, and for the rest of the evening he maintained an air of contemplative silence, broken once or twice by mumbled protests that he was very tired.
So it came about that both Molly and I had to wait until the next day before our curiosity was satisfied.
Returning home about six o'clock as usual, I let myself in and began leisurely removing my coat. I had just hung it up on the hall stand when the kitchen door opened and Nanny emerged in a great hurry. She was followed by a scuffling noise, a squeak, and then a loud crash of breaking crockery. It sounded just as if she had suddenly let out the fury of some miniature tornado which was hustling round a china shop.