The youth’s eyes had brightened at the suggestion of financial dealings, and French felt he would learn all the other could tell him. He therefore continued without waiting for a reply.
“The thing is this: I am joining my friend, M. Dangle, aboard the L’Escaut at the first opportunity. It was arranged between us that one of us should take with him a couple of dozen of champagne. I want to know whether he took the stuff, or whether I am to. Can you help me at all?”
The clerk’s English, though fairly good, was not quite equal to such a strain, and French had to repeat himself less idiomatically. But the boy grasped his meaning at last, and then at once dashed his hopes by saying he had never heard of any M. Dangle.
“There he is,” French went on, producing his photograph. “You must have seen him scores of times.”
And then French got the reward of his pertinacity. A look of recognition passed over the clerk’s features, and he made a gesture of comprehension.
“Mais oui, m’sieur; yes, sir,” he answered quickly, “but that is not M. Danggalle. I know him: it is M. Charles.”
“That’s right,” French returned, trying to keep the triumph out of his voice. “His name is Dangle Charles. I know him as M. Dangle, because he is one of four brothers at our works. But of course he would give his name here as M. Charles. But now, can you tell me anything about the champagne?”
The clerk shook his head. He had not known upon what business M. Charles had called at the office.
“Oh, well, it can’t be helped,” French declared. “I thought that perhaps when he was in with you last Wednesday you might have heard something about it. You don’t know what luggage he took aboard the L’Escaut?”
The clerk had not been aware that M. Charles had embarked on the freighter, still less did he know of what his luggage had consisted. But as French talked on in his pleasant way, the following facts became apparent; first, that Dangle for some weeks past had been an occasional visitor at the shipping office; second, that on the previous Wednesday he had been closeted with the partners for the greater part of the day; third, that the L’Escaut had evidently sailed on an expedition of considerable importance and length, for a vast deal of stores had gone aboard her, about which both partners had shown very keen anxiety; fourthly, that not only had M. Merkel, the senior partner, himself sailed on her, but it was likely that he intended to be away some time as M. Lowenthal had moved into his room, and lastly, that the L’Escaut had come up from the firm’s yard during the Wednesday night and had anchored in the river off the Steen until she left about 3:00 p.m. on the Thursday.