“But I don’t believe a word of the whole story. Lowndes had too much whisky before going to bed, and having his mind full of the tales you had told him, he dreamed that he saw a woman in the room, and started in pursuit of a wholly imaginary figure. You know he admits he had nothing stolen. The only part of the story which I do believe is his own idiotic flight through a door and a window, and the bath in the river which sobered him.”
“All right,” said Conybeare. “It’s no business of mine whether you believe Lowndes or not. Let us drop the subject.”
But to Clifford there was only one subject in the world, and as he could not talk about that, he would not talk about anything. He sat moodily silent for ten minutes, paying no heed to the conversation of the other two, and then abruptly took his leave.
As soon as he had gone, Conybeare showed great excitement.
“Look here,” said he, with determination, “that fellow’s being ruined by his infatuation for this little jade. If we don’t manage to bring matters to a climax, he’ll be beforehand with us by going down and marrying her, or some such folly. We’ve tried sending down an amateur detective, and it’s been a failure. Let’s try a professional one.”
But Willie hung back.
“I don’t quite like to do that,” objected he. “Supposing the girl didn’t do it, after all, you know? It would make us feel rather small, wouldn’t it? And then, of course, Clifford would be more madly infatuated than ever. He would rush down with a license in one pocket and a ring in the other, and she’d come back ‘Mrs. King’ in the twinkling of an eye.”
“Well, and why on earth shouldn’t he, if the girl’s all right?” said Conybeare, composedly. “I should have nothing to say against that.”
“But I should,” persisted Willie. “If you hadn’t persuaded me to think her a thief, I should have liked her to be ‘Mrs. Jordan.’ And if she does turn out to be innocent—”
“She won’t,” replied Conybeare, placidly. “I am not in love with the girl, and I can see with clear eyes. But she’s so preciously artful that it would take a clever chap to bring her to book. I shall call round at a Detective Agent’s to-morrow.”