A bell chimed somewhere in the house.
“Tell me the strings,” she said. “Go on. I’m grown up.”
“There are no strings, April,” he answered. “I feel rather satisfied about Ufferlitz getting killed. You see, some of those stories about me are still true. Once upon a time, before the Hays Office got hold of me, I might easily have killed him myself.”
Her eyes suddenly blurred in front of him.
“ ‘Saint,’ ” she said, and her voice gave the word new meaning. But she didn’t finish.
The butler came in on padded feet, and said, “Lieutenant Condor is asking for Mr Templar.”
Simon stood up.
Her eyes never left him as she stood up too.
“I’ll try and take him away,” he said. “May I come back and finish my drink later?”
Without waiting for an answer he strolled out into the hall to greet the hungry lugubrious figure of Lieutenant Condor. The Saint’s smile was genial and carefree.