"If you can be brave so can I," he said. "And perhaps Lawrence will bring off one of his wonderful problems. But one thing I am pretty sure of--it has nothing to do with your employer, Countess Lalage."
Lawrence came in puffing one of his eternal cigarettes. His manner was full of confidence.
"I wanted to have a chat with you two people," he said. "In the first place I have made a startling discovery. Of course you know that the victim of the Corner House tragedy changed £400 for notes at the National Credit Bank. We know that somehow or other half those notes found their way into the possession of our friend Bruce here. Now, did it not strike you as strange that nobody should worry about the other half?"
"Perhaps already disposed of elsewhere?" Hetty suggested.
"Perhaps. Or the poor fellow might have had them in his pocket with the list. But the notes were there, and, as a matter of fact, I have quite recently had them all in my hands."
Bruce's listless manner departed. His respect for Lawrence began to revive again.
"When did you see them?" he asked. "Did Prout----"
"Prout! That estimable man is not likely to help much in a complicated case like this. As a matter of fact I saw those notes in Isaac Isidore's chambers this morning, they had been paid to him in a certain fashionable house where they were gambling heavily last night. Can you guess where the house is?"
Bruce shook his head. Hetty shook her finger at him disapprovingly.
"How slow you are," she said. "Where does anything happen that touches on this case? And I know where there was some heavy gambling going on last night. The incident took place in the drawing-room of No. 1, Lytton Avenue."