“To get it settled?” Drummond lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair. “Listen, James, and I will outline the case. The maiden lives at a house called The Larches, near Godalming, with her papa. Not far away is another house called The Elms, owned by a gentleman of the name of Henry Lakington—a nasty man, James, with a nasty face—who was also at the Carlton yesterday afternoon for a short time. And now we come to the point. Miss Benton—that is the lady’s name—accuses Mr. Lakington of being the complete IT in the criminal line. She went even so far as to say that he was the second most dangerous man in England.”
“Indeed, sir. More coffee, sir?”
“Will nothing move you, James?” remarked his master plaintively. “This man murders people and does things like that, you know.”
“Personally, sir, I prefer a picture-palace. But I suppose there ain’t no accounting for ’obbies. May I clear away, sir?”
“No, James, not at present. Keep quite still while I go on, or I shall get it wrong. Three months ago there arrived at The Elms the most dangerous man in England—the IT of ITS. This gentleman goes by the name of Peterson, and he owns a daughter. From what Miss Benton said, I have doubts about that daughter, James.” He rose and strolled over to the window. “Grave doubts. However, to return to the point, it appears that some unpleasing conspiracy is being hatched by IT, the IT of ITS, and the doubtful daughter, into which Papa Benton has been unwillingly drawn. As far as I can make out, the suggestion is that I should unravel the tangled skein of crime and extricate papa.”
In a spasm of uncontrollable excitement James sucked his teeth. “Lumme, it wouldn’t ’alf go on the movies, would it?” he remarked. “Better than them Red Indians and things.”
“I fear, James, that you are not in the habit of spending your spare time at the British Museum, as I hoped,” said Drummond. “And your brain doesn’t work very quickly. The point is not whether this hideous affair is better than Red Indians and things—but whether it’s genuine. Am I to battle with murderers, or shall I find a house-party roaring with laughter on the lawn?”
“As long as you laughs like ’ell yourself, sir, I don’t see as ’ow it makes much odds,” answered James philosophically.
“The first sensible remark you’ve made this morning,” said his master hopefully. “I will go prepared to laugh.”
He picked up a pipe from the mantelpiece, and proceeded to fill it, while James Denny still waited in silence.