Wrentham at first affected an air of indifference, but the affectation was instantly laid aside when his brother sharply repeated the detective’s warning and told him that the forged bill was in the hands of those who would make prompt use of it if he did not repay their generosity by a frank revelation of the schemes by which he had ruined Philip Hadleigh.
They were interrupted by the entrance of a little old man who was mumbling complainingly that he must and would have his beer and his pipe before he went home. This was spoken to a modestly dressed young woman who was gently remonstrating with him. The old man shuffled across the floor to a seat. Tuppit opened the door of the balcony quickly and went out with his brother. In the dusk they could not be observed from the street. Wrentham had not quite closed the door when he followed his brother. There was more hurried conversation and argument on Tuppit’s part.
‘What is it they want me to do?’ asked Wrentham sullenly.
‘This is it,’ answered Tuppit eagerly. ‘The real bill was given to me for your child’s and wife’s sake on the appeal of Mr Philip—Coutts Hadleigh would have sent you to penal servitude. The first thing you have to do is to let Mr Philip know that your insinuations about Miss Heathcote were made for the purpose of distracting his mind from the business, so that you might be free to play your own game.’
‘Well?’
‘The next thing is, that as you have been dealing with firms whose clerks have given you invoices for double the amounts you paid them, you have to refund the money.’
Wrentham with elbows on his knees rested his brow on his hands.
‘I didn’t say anything about Madge Heathcote that wasn’t true.’
‘But you hinted a great deal that wasn’t true, and you must own up to your purpose for doing it, or as I live, I shall bear witness against you myself.’