«Did you get nothing at the house?»
«Only Levy's private diary. I brought it away with me. Here it is. It doesn't tell one much, though. It's full of entries like: “Tom and Annie to dinner”; and “My dear wife's birthday; gave her an old opal ring”; “Mr. Arbuthnot dropped in to tea; he wants to marry Rachel, but I should like someone steadier for my treasure”. Still, I thought it would show who came to the house and so on. He evidently wrote it up at night. There's no entry for Monday.»
«I expect it'll be useful,» said Lord Peter, turning over the pages. «Poor old buffer. I say, I m not so certain now he was done away with.»
He detailed to Mr. Parker his day's work.
«Arbuthnot?» said Parker, «is that the Arbuthnot of the diary?»
«I suppose so. I hunted him up because I knew he was fond of fooling round the Stock Exchange. As for Milligan, he looks all right, but I believe he's pretty ruthless in business and you never can tell. Then there's the red-haired secretary — lightnin' calculator man with a face like a fish, keeps on sayin' nuthin' — got the Tar-baby in his family tree, I should think. Milligan's got a jolly good motive for, at any rate, suspendin' Levy for a few days. Then there's the new man.»
«What new man?»
«Ah, that's the letter I mentioned to you. Where did I put it? here we are. Good parchment paper, printed address of solicitor's office in Salisbury, and postmark to correspond. Very precisely written with a fine nib by an elderly business man of old-fashioned habits.»
Parker took the letter and read:
Salisbury. Solicitors MILFORD HILL, SALISBURY 17 November, 192-. Sir: With reference to your advertisement to-day in the personal column of The Times , I am disposed to believe that the eyeglasses and chain in question may be those I lost on the L. B. amp; S. C. Electric Railway while visiting London last Monday. I left Victoria by the 5:45 train, and did not notice my loss till I arrived at Balham. This indication and the optician's specification of the glasses, which I enclose, should suffice at once as an identification and a guarantee of my bona fides. If the glasses should prove to be mine, I should be greatly obliged to you if you would kindly forward them to me by registered post, as the chain was a present from my daughter, and is one of my dearest possessions. Thanking you in advance for this kindness, and regretting the trouble to which I shall be putting you, I am Yours very truly, THOS. CRIMPLESHAM. Lord Peter Wimsey, 110, Piccadilly, W. (Encl.)