Sir Humphrey saw his guest off the premises and returned to the drawing room. "Frank, it is apparent to anyone who knows you that you are in possession of facts which you did not see fit to divulge to our friend Watson," he said severely.
"Lots of'em," agreed Frank.
"Do you know," said Sir Humphrey, "that it is the duty of every honest citizen…'
Amberley held up his hand. "I do, sir. But I've been asked to solve this little problem."
"I should not have thought," said his uncle, "that putting the police in full possession of all the facts - and, I may add, of whatever suspicions you may be nourishing - was incompatible with solving the mystery."
"No?" said Frank. "Well, perhaps you haven't worked with Messrs Watson, Fraser and Company. I think you'd better leave it to me, Uncle."
"I have every intention of so doing," replied Sir Humphrey with dignity. "I have not the slightest desire to meddle in these very distasteful affairs."
Chapter Six
Felicity was left in undisputed possession of the hammock all the afternoon. Amberley had succeeded so well in shaking off the sloth she had condemned that he left for London in his Bentley immediately the chief constable had gone. Lady Matthews was distressed and murmured: "Beignets de sole," but not even this gastronomic bait could induce her nephew to postpone his trip until after lunch. Lunch at Greythorne was apt to be a prolonged affair, and even in a fast car the journey to town took over an hour.
He reached London before two o'clock and drove at once to his flat in the Temple. His man, Peterson, was in charge there and displayed no surprise at seeing him. He remained for half an hour and among other things found time to eat a hastily prepared lunch. He then drove to the Times office, where he spent a tedious but ultimately satisfactory hour with a stack of back numbers. His researches carried him several years into the past, and he somewhat savagely cursed the inaccuracy of females on the all-important subject of dates. But he ultimately discovered the information he sought and left the Times office for a general post office. There he wrote out a long cable in code and dispatched it. His last objective was a firm of private inquiry agents. His business there did not take him long, and by half-past four the Bentley was heading south, down the Kingston By-Pass.