van was just all that the warm precincts of the cheerful day could be. I even cast one longing ling’ring look at Higgy. And at that moment the first clerkly man – the indecisive one – took a good look at me. Not at all an interested look – but, after all, he wouldn’t have another chance. “Hold hard,” he said. “I think that girl’s on the list.” He turned to the other fellow. “Where’s the requisition book?” he asked. “I’ve got an idea you’ll find this girl’s mug in it, after all.” And the other fellow fumbled in a drawer. Presently he was ransacking the whole van. “That’s funny,” he said. “In fact, it’s uncommon awkward. I don’t often lose the requisition book.” And he took a squint at me. “But you’re right,” he said. “She’s there, for certain. I’ve got it! She’s one of Marsden’s girls.” “Do you think so?” said the first man – a bit doubtfully. “I don’t seem to remember–” “Of course she is,” said the decided man. And he turned to me. “You’re one of Marsden’s girls, aren’t you?”
Jean Halliwell paused and followed Meredith’s gaze thoughtfully out to the plane trees. ‘Well, it seemed that or the Forth. “Of course I am,” I said. “I’m Marsden’s best girl.” And after that, as you might say, the die was cast.’
Meredith reached over and peered into the teapot. ‘It was a bold move,’ he said.
‘Well, if they had no occasion for a plain girl, Marsden’s girl it must be. And, if Marsden’s girl at all, why not his best girl? I certainly didn’t at all know what I was letting myself in for – any more than you did when you became Vogelsang. But anything was better than a sack. My kittenish days, as you must have remarked, are long since over, and that sort of drowning just didn’t appeal. So I became one of Marsden’s girls and remained so until we did our bolt this afternoon. Indeed, I don’t suppose it has yet occurred to them that I am anything else.’ Jean Halliwell fished out her last night’s packet of cigarettes. ‘And that’s all I have to tell.’
Meredith looked at her in perplexity. ‘But my dear Jean – if my years may give me the privilege of calling you so – you have brought your astonishing narrative only to the point–’
‘But the rest you can pretty well infer. Marsden is some rival racketeer in objets d’art . And he had lifted the Mykonos Marbles from the Properjohn-Bubear lot – who must in turn somehow have contrived to lift them from their home in Budapest. That was why somebody of Marsden’s was wanted who might be induced to spill the beans.’
‘Spill the beans?’ Meredith shook his head. ‘Do you know, I believe your idiom in these matters is sometimes as obsolete as my own? And here, surely, is a sign of the instability of the times. Formerly, canting language was quite durable, and Robert Greene’s foists and coney-catchers would have been substantially intelligible to Fielding’s Jonathan Wild. But nowadays the language of criminals renews itself every lustre.’ He shook his head and sighed. ‘But this is typical of the futility of the scholar’s calling today. We take refuge from unpleasant present facts in the mere fripperies of philology. And your predicament was certainly an unpleasant fact enough. If it were not that here you are safe and sound in this room, I could scarcely bear to think of it.’
‘It was awkward enough.’ Jean nodded soberly. ‘I knew none of the things that I was supposed to know, and that those rather unscrupulous people were determined to learn. So the next few days had their actively displeasing side. And my return to Town was altogether lacking in amenity. Just what would have happened in the end I don’t at all know. But then you walked in – and extremely grateful I am. Moreover’ – and Jean smiled happily – ‘the balance to date is all on the credit side. It was taken for granted that I knew so much that in actual
Jean Halliwell paused and followed Meredith’s gaze thoughtfully out to the plane trees. ‘Well, it seemed that or the Forth. “Of course I am,” I said. “I’m Marsden’s best girl.” And after that, as you might say, the die was cast.’
Meredith reached over and peered into the teapot. ‘It was a bold move,’ he said.
‘Well, if they had no occasion for a plain girl, Marsden’s girl it must be. And, if Marsden’s girl at all, why not his best girl? I certainly didn’t at all know what I was letting myself in for – any more than you did when you became Vogelsang. But anything was better than a sack. My kittenish days, as you must have remarked, are long since over, and that sort of drowning just didn’t appeal. So I became one of Marsden’s girls and remained so until we did our bolt this afternoon. Indeed, I don’t suppose it has yet occurred to them that I am anything else.’ Jean Halliwell fished out her last night’s packet of cigarettes. ‘And that’s all I have to tell.’
Meredith looked at her in perplexity. ‘But my dear Jean – if my years may give me the privilege of calling you so – you have brought your astonishing narrative only to the point–’
‘But the rest you can pretty well infer. Marsden is some rival racketeer in objets d’art . And he had lifted the Mykonos Marbles from the Properjohn-Bubear lot – who must in turn somehow have contrived to lift them from their home in Budapest. That was why somebody of Marsden’s was wanted who might be induced to spill the beans.’
‘Spill the beans?’ Meredith shook his head. ‘Do you know, I believe your idiom in these matters is sometimes as obsolete as my own? And here, surely, is a sign of the instability of the times. Formerly, canting language was quite durable, and Robert Greene’s foists and coney-catchers would have been substantially intelligible to Fielding’s Jonathan Wild. But nowadays the language of criminals renews itself every lustre.’ He shook his head and sighed. ‘But this is typical of the futility of the scholar’s calling today. We take refuge from unpleasant present facts in the mere fripperies of philology. And your predicament was certainly an unpleasant fact enough. If it were not that here you are safe and sound in this room, I could scarcely bear to think of it.’
‘It was awkward enough.’ Jean nodded soberly. ‘I knew none of the things that I was supposed to know, and that those rather unscrupulous people were determined to learn. So the next few days had their actively displeasing side. And my return to Town was altogether lacking in amenity. Just what would have happened in the end I don’t at all know. But then you walked in – and extremely grateful I am. Moreover’ – and Jean smiled happily – ‘the balance to date is all on the credit side. It was taken for granted that I knew so much that in actual
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