"Really?"
"They're holding a very good dance up at that house," said the Saint sardonically. "I should hate you to spoil it. All the wealth of the county is congregated together. If you could only have seen the jewels—"
She had opened her bag, and there was a white slip of pasteboard in her hand. She held it up so that he could see.
"I think this will admit me."
"Let me see it."
He had taken it from her fingers before she realized what he was doing. And yet he did not appear to have snatched it.
"Quite a good forgery," he remarked — "if it is a forgery.
But I could believe you capable of engineering a real invitation, Jill."
"It's quite genuine. And I want it back — please!"
Simon Templar looked down the muzzle of the automatic and seemed to see something humorous there.