“The plans of the gear are in Uncle Burt’s safe, over in Westmount — all the results of Dad’s work up till now. And there’s a paper with them which says that all rights in them belong to Burt Northwade — with no time limit specified. It was supposed to be until the loan was repaid, but the contract doesn’t say so. Dad hasn’t any mind for legal trickeries, and he signed the papers while I was away. I didn’t know about it till it was too late.”
“One gathers,” said the Saint composedly, “that this is the house you propose to burgle.”
She gazed at him without flinching, gray eyes frank and resolute, even with that strain of wistful loneliness in them.
“Listen, stranger,” she said softly. “This is still the game of Let’s Pretend, isn’t it? Pretending that this evening is right outside the world. Because that’s the only reason why I’m telling you all this. I’m going to burgle Uncle Burt’s house, if I can. I’m going to try and get hold of his keys and open his safe and take those papers away, including the contract Dad signed. Dad hasn’t any hope of paying back that five thousand dollars. And Uncle Burt knows it. He’s practically completed arrangements to sell the gear to Ford. There’s no legal way of stopping him. It’s one of those cases where possession is nine points of the law. If we had that contract back, as well as the plans, Uncle Burt would never have the face to go into a court and publish the terms of it, which he’d have to do if he wanted to make any claim. Do you think I’m quite mad?”
“Only a little.”
She turned the stem of her wineglass between her fingers, looking at him quietly.
“Maybe I am. But have you ever heard of the Saint?”
“The Robin Hood of Modern Crime?” murmured Simon, with only the faintest lift of an eyebrow for expression.
“I think it’s the sort of thing he’d do,” she said. “It’s justice, even if it’s against the law. I wish I could meet him. He’d understand. I think he’d say it was worth taking a chance on. You’re very understanding, too, stranger. You’ve listened to me awfully patiently, and it’s helped a lot. And now you shall talk about anything else you like, and will you please forget it all?”
Simon Templar smiled.