‘You’d better not,’ said Kennedy, and walked back to his seat. ‘Abbershaw, you, Michael, and Mr Campion had better go down with the girls, and Wyatt, Martin, and I will wait for the signal of the broken glass. Who’s going to do that? It had better be a girl. Miss Oliphant, will you do it?’
Meggie nodded.
‘As soon as one man is at the carving-table and the other serving us,’ she said.
Kennedy smiled at her. ‘That’s it,’ he said. ‘Now is that clear?’ he went on, glancing around him, his eyes dancing with excitement. ‘Abbershaw, you get the bloke’s arms, Prenderby, you’re responsible for gagging the sportsman! –’
‘Yes?’ said Campion, who was apparently gibbering with excitement. ‘And what can I do?’
‘You stand by,’ said Kennedy, with something suspiciously like a sneer on his handsome young face.
‘Oh, very well,’ said Mr Campion, looking considerably disappointed. ‘I’ll stand ready to dot the fellow with a bottle if necessary.’
‘That’s the idea,’ agreed Chris Kennedy somewhat grudgingly, and returned to the others. ‘Of course,’ he said, ‘it’ll be a bit of a shock for the two lackey-thugs to see you all turning up bright and happy after your adventures; still, I think the idea is to walk in as if nothing had ever happened. You can indulge in a certain amount of bright conversation if you like, to put them off the scent. That’s where you’ll come in useful,’ he added, turning to Campion. ‘Talk as much as you like. That’s the time to be funny.’
‘Righto,’ said Mr Campion, brightening visibly. ‘I’ll show them my two-headed penny. I’ll be awfully witty. “They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I began to play they knew at once that I had taken Kennedy’s Patent Course. How they cheered me on –” ’
‘Oh, shut up,’ said Martin Watt, grinning good-naturedly. ‘The fun starts at dinner, then. Oh, and by the way, when we’ve pinched these fellows’ guns, what do we do with the laddies? Leave them lying about?’