Ahalfsmilecametotheother'slips.
"Anditisthis—boywhowilldefeatthemastercriminalofourtime?"
"This—boy, asyousay! ButIsometimesfancyIseeashadowbehind."
"Youmean?"
"PeelEdgerton."
"PeelEdgerton?" saidthePrimeMinisterinastonishment.
"." Hestrucktheopenletter."He'sthere—workinginthedark, silently, unobtrusively.I', 'sonthecasenow, butdoesn', Igotratheranoddrequestfromhimtheotherday."
"Yes?"
"'."
"Well?"
Cartershruggedhisshoulders.
"Icouldn'—poorlydressed—.
"Andyoufancythatthetwomattersareconnectedinsomeway?"
", ofcourse."
Therewasapause, :
"'llgetanythingoutofhimhedoesn''snodoubthecanthrowlightononeortwoobscurepointsinyoungBeresford', hereheis!"
'smind."Mysuccessor, perhaps!"
"We'vehadaletterfromyoungBeresford," , comingtothepointatonce."You'veseenhim,Isuppose?"
"Yousupposewrong," saidthelawyer.
"Oh!" .
SirJamessmiled, andstrokedhischin.
"Herangmeup," hevolunteered.
"Wouldyouhaveanyobjectiontotellingusexactlywhatpassedbetweenyou?"
"—asamatteroffact, —'sroomhehaddiscoveredaphotograph." Thelawyerpaused, thencontinued: ": 'You'reontoit, .' ThenhewentontotellmesomethingIdidn', Annette, whosavedhislife."
"What?"
"." Thelawyerpausedagain."Thatwasgood, youknow—, , '? Itoldhim, dulyweighingtheevidence, ."
"Yes?"
",afterMissCowleyflungitonthefloor, certainwordmighthavebeenerasedandalteredwiththeexpressintentionofsettingsearchersonafalsetrail."
, andreadaloud:
"Comeatonce, AstleyPriors, Gatehouse, —TOMMY."
"Verysimple," saidSirJames, ", ."
"Whatwasthat?"
"Thepage-boy'."
"ThenyoungBeresfordisnow?"
