The Saint Meets His Match

by Charteris Leslie

"And now, Jill, has the specimen behind this tie pin been getting what you might call uppish?"

"He was—"

"Ah-ha!" The Saint revolved his automatic. "I don't. want to be premature, Antonio, but this looks bad for your matrimonial prospects. If you remember what I was saying just now—"

"But you got here in time," Jill protested. "What are you going to do?"

"Oh!" said the Saint, almost reluctantly. "Hasn't he been really nasty?"

"Not really."

The Saint sighed.

"The old story book again," he murmured unhappily. "You know, I've always wondered what would happen if the hero missed his train and blew in half an hour too late. And I suppose we shall never know… But what was the idea?"

She told him, exactly as Gugliemi had told her, while the Italian stood pallidly silent under the continued menace of the Saint's automatic. And when, at the end of the story, Simon turned suddenly on him, Gugliemi almost jumped out of his skin.

"You really mean to tell me the police passed you that yarn?" demanded the Saint. "And you expect me to believe it?"