“About a century and a half, I should think. It’s taken down for cleaning, of course; but it’s never been shifted out of the Room since it came here. It fits the wall space exactly; and there’s no point in hanging it in a fresh place.”
“You’ve got one or two pretty good pictures, too. I like the Dutch one in your uncle’s study.”
“Girl trying on jewels? It’s not at all bad.”
“What is it? Seventeenth century? I know next to nothing about these things.”
Eric professed ignorance.
“You’ve come to the wrong shop. I know as little about these things as you do yourself. Try my uncle. He’s got a turn for them; and he can tell you the history of most of them.”
Westenhanger had secured the information he needed. He changed the subject, and, very shortly afterwards, he left Eric to his book.
“Now,” he said to himself, as he walked back to the house, “is that absolutely everything linked up at last? I can’t afford to have another fiasco through overlooking things. Let’s see. The Latin text? Right! Then the chess problem? Right, also. Then the two English texts? O.K. now, I think.” He went back to the Corinthian’s Room and stood for a few seconds before the tapestry of Diana’s hunting.
“Yes,” he concluded, “I think that’s all right also. That’s all, isn’t it? No, it isn’t! I’d forgotten that leather thing. The chances are it has nothing to do with the affair; but one ought to give it a trial.”
He sat down and filled his pipe while he speculated.