“No,” said Lalage. “Tithers is Joey P.”
“He signed his letter Joseph P.,” said Hilda, “so at first we called him that.”
Titherington usually signs himself Joseph P. I inferred that he was Tithers.
“You liked him?” I said.
“In some ways he’s rather an ass,” said Lalage, “‘and just at first I thought he was inclined to have too good an opinion of himself. But that was only his manner. In the end he turned out to be a fairly good sort. I thought he was going to kick up a bit when I asked him to sign the agreement, but he did it all right when I explained to him that he’d have to.”
“Lalage,” I said, “I’d like very much to see that agreement.”
“Hilda has it. Hilda, trot out the agreement.” Hilda trotted it out of a small bag which she carried attached to her waist by a chain. I opened it and read aloud:
“Memorandum of an agreement made this tenth day of February between the Members of the A.S.P.L., hereinafter called the Speakers, of the one part, and Joseph P. Titherington, election agent, of the other.”
“I call that rather good,” said Lalage.
“Very,” I said, “Selby-Harrison did it, I suppose?”