Charles Stewart nodded eagerly. “Bring me a copy, will you, please? In here—at once!”
Llewellyn left quite imperturbably and Stewart offered a hint of explanation to the others. “My father thought a tremendous lot of Llewellyn, gentlemen—and one of the reasons of his great confidence in him was because of Llewellyn’s keen interest in all of my father’s concerns. He wasn’t a chap who just did his bare duty and no more—he seemed able to identify himself intimately with each one of my father’s many interests—and not least with his mania for collecting.”
Anthony stopped him. “Is Llewellyn a ‘devotee’ of the ‘antique artistic’?” he asked.
“My father found him a most zealous assistant in it, Mr. Bathurst,” replied Charles Stewart, “that’s all I can tell you. I’m afraid I was much less interested myself.”
A tap on the library door heralded the secretary’s reappearance. “There is a copy of what you wanted, Mr. Charles,” he declared. Stewart took it and rapidly glanced over it. “That is a list,” continued Llewellyn, “of every single article in your father’s collection.”
Charles Stewart handed the list to Anthony. “Here you are, Mr. Bathurst! Would you like a copy, too, Inspector?”
Goodall declined with a shake of the head. “All I want I can get from Mr. Bathurst,” he answered. “Remember—this is more his ‘stunt’ than mine. I haven’t yet been informed that anything has been stolen from the room in question”—he looked hard at his questioner. Stewart’s reply came with just the slightest touch of asperity.
“Mr. Bathurst doesn’t get any inspired information from me, Inspector, if that’s what you’re hinting at. He knows that I rather disagree with his idea. The room was closed when the alarm was given, and I’ve never suggested to anybody that anything has been stolen.”
Goodall partly shifted his ground. “Why then is our friend here so insistent on the point?”
Anthony made an attempt at explanation. “I’m not exactly insistent, Inspector,” he explained, “don’t misunderstand me! I haven’t perhaps very much reason at the back of my idea, but I’m just curious to get a look at these treasures that the late Mr. Stewart valued so highly. I have a strong feeling that the visit may help us considerably.”