“Miss Trevert?”
Robin repeated the name in amazement.
“I don’t understand,” he said. “Why on earth should Jeekes blacken his employer’s character to Miss Trevert? What conceivable motive could he have had? Did she tell you this?”
“No,” said Manderton; “I heard him tell her myself.”
“Do you mean to tell me,” protested Robin, growing more and more puzzled, “that Jeekes told Miss Trevert this offensive and deliberate lie in your presence!”
“Well,” remarked Mr. Manderton slowly, “I don’t know about his saying this in my presence exactly. But I heard him tell her for all that. Walls have ears, you know—particularly if the door is ajar!”
He looked shrewdly at Robin, then dropped his eyes to the floor.
“He also told her that Le Hagen and you were in business relations ...”
Robin sat up at this.
“Ah!” he said shortly. “I see what you’re getting at now. Our friend has been trying to set Miss Trevert against me, eh? But why? I don’t even know this man Jeekes except to have nodded ‘Good-morning’ to him a few times. Why on earth should he of all men go out of his way to slander me to Miss Trevert, to throw suspicion ...”