"If you will pardon my saying it," he said, "your attitude is just a little womanlike. You put away reason for something vaguely intuitive. I always distrust intuition myself."
Ste. Marie frowned a little and looked uncomfortable. He did not relish being called womanlike--few men do; but he was bound to admit that the elder man's criticism was more or less just.
"Moreover," pursued Captain Stewart, "you altogether ignore the point of motive--as I may have suggested to you before. There could be no possible motive, so far as I am aware, for kidnapping or detaining, or in any way harming, my nephew except the desire for money; but, as you know, he had no large sum of money with him, and no demand has been made upon us since his disappearance. I'm afraid you can't get round that."
"No," said Ste. Marie, "I'm afraid I can't. Indeed, leaving that aside--and it can't be left aside--I still have almost nothing with which to prop up my theory. I told you it was only a feeling."
He took up the memoranda which Captain Stewart had laid upon the marble-topped table between them, and read the notes through.
"Please," said he, "don't think I am ungrateful for this chance. I am not. I shall do my best with it, and I hope it may turn out to be important." He gave a little wry smile. "I have all sorts of reasons," he said, "for wishing to succeed as soon as possible. You may be sure that there won't be any delays on my part. And now I must be going on. I am to meet Hartley for lunch on the other side of the river, and, if we can manage it, I should like to start north this afternoon or evening."
"Good!" said Captain Stewart, smiling. "Good! That is what I call true promptness. You lose no time at all. Go to Dinard and Deauville, by all means, and look into this thing thoroughly. Don't be discouraged if you meet with ill success at first. Take Mr. Hartley with you, and do your best."
He paid for the two glasses of apéritif, and Ste. Marie could not help observing that he left on the table a very small tip. The waiter cursed him audibly as the two walked away.
"If you have returned by a week from to-morrow," he said, as they shook hands, "I should like to have you keep that evening--Thursday--for me. I am having a very informal little party in my rooms. There will be two or three of the opera people there, and they will sing for us, and the others will be amusing enough. All young--all young. I like young people about me." He gave his odd little mewing chuckle. "And the ladies must be beautiful as well as young. Come if you are here! I'll drop a line to Mr. Hartley also."
He shook Ste. Marie's hand, and went away down the street toward the rue du Faubourg St. Honoré where he lived.