Liar! It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him whether his glass eye had fallen out during his terpsichorean efforts! It was, however, perfectly evident to me that he intended to deny that he had been in the hotel during the night, and probably had had time to establish some sort of an alibi. I therefore decided to move cautiously in the matter.
I turned on my heel and went into the dining-room to breakfast without another word.
But I made it my business during the morning to inquire of the hall porter, who I found had been on duty up to eleven o'clock on the previous night, whether Mr. Saumarez—for that I discovered was the name he had entered in the hotel visitors' book—had left the hotel on the previous evening.
The porter unhesitatingly informed me that he had to go to a ball at
Bristol!
Really, when I left this man I began to wonder whether I had been dreaming, until I recollected the glass eye which was securely locked up in my dressing-case, such things not being produced in dreams and found under the pillow in the morning wrapped in an old telegram as this had been.
I went next to the chambermaid who presided over the corridor in which
Mr. Saumarez' room was.
Being a good-looking girl I gave her half-a-crown and chucked her under the chin.
"Look here, Maria," I said, "just tell me whether 340, Mr. Saumarez, was in or not last night. I'm rather curious to know and have got a bet on about it with a friend."
She looked at me knowingly and giggled.
"Why, out, sir, of course," she replied; "he came in at half-past ten this morning with his boots unblacked. We all know what that means."