“I shouldn’t like to have the taste of the man who played a joke of that sort. Who’s your humorist? Douglas is the funny man of the company, but Douglas wouldn’t play a trick of that sort on anyone. That’s certain. Morchard hasn’t that kind of mind. The American has a sense of humour, but not that sort, I’m sure. You don’t attribute it to one of the girls, do you? No? Well, then, that leaves us with . . . let’s see . . . with Mr. Frederick Stickney as the only possible culprit. I don’t think much of your taste in humour, Freddie, and that’s a fact.”
“All the same,” said Eileen Cressage, “I’d prefer it to be a case of practical joking rather than the other thing. Perhaps it will all come right and we shall find the Talisman back again in a few days, just as Mr. Dangerfield said.”
Freddie had recovered from Westenhanger’s attack.
“Well, I’m going to find out who did it,” he declared. “As things stand, we’re all under a cloud. I’m going to get the whole lot into the billiard room later on, if I can, away from the Dangerfields; and I shall put it to them straight that each person ought to account for his doings during the night. Nobody could object to that.”
He glanced at the girl for support and was surprised to see her flush and turn away as though to conceal her face.
“I don’t think you’ll be altogether popular if you start that kind of thing, Mr. Stickney,” she said.
Freddie’s bright little eyes fastened themselves on her face; and his well-trained mind automatically set to work to draw inferences from what he saw. As his friend had said, Freddie’s inferences always tended to discredit somebody or something. He had sense enough, however, to leave his conclusions unspoken.
“It’s a silly idea, Freddie,” said Westenhanger, abruptly.
He also had noticed the girl’s flush; but the only inference he had cared to draw was that Freddie was making her uncomfortable.
“I can’t agree with you.” Freddie was emboldened by the girl’s embarrassment. “I think everyone would be only too glad to exonerate themselves from suspicion. We oughtn’t to be left under a cloud if we can clear ourselves straight off. Decidedly not. I shall insist on it; and I’ll point out what it will look like if anyone refuses.”