field. I'm not one of them! Stewart was overcaustic perhaps, but he spoke the truth. May I ask you, Letty, what made you so certain of your extraordinary analysis? Quite a surprise, your demonstration—illustrated as it was by a most entertainingly produced side-elevation! Dickie, for one, will never again be able to tooth a Cox's Pippin without a blush.”
“I just knew it wasn't right. Even before I held it. Difficult to say why.”
“You didn't seem to have any problems justifying your judgement?”
“I've spent the last six weeks in Athens undergoing a crash course on Minoan civilization with Andrew Merriman. He recommended me to Russell—he wanted to take no chances I was going to let him down. Andrew has many good friends there—professionals and amateurs—all experienced and all happy to talk to me on their favourite subject. And he didn't neglect my practical training.”
“I'm sure Merriman was thorough in all aspects of your instruction,” said Gunning coldly.
“I've been to museums and private collections—cabinets of curiosities have creaked open for me! I've been to excavations but also to goldsmiths and jewellers, forgers' workshops…I've seen such things, William! Wonderful but alarming! I'm not sure I'd accept anything as genuine unless I'd turned it up with my own spade. When the reproductions are skilfully done and the materials used are not subject to decay—like gold and gemstones—well…the only thing you can go by is intuition inspired by your own knowledge and sense of style. But it's never sufficient to say to a man, ‘I've made my mind up in a second and I'm sure I'm right. Just believe me.’ You have to go through the business of counting tiers and testing for tea stains. A useful lesson I learned from Andrew.”
“I trust you were adequately chaperoned for your forays into the Athenian backstreets?”
“Isn't that a bit stuffy—even for you, William?” she retorted. “One has to be more circumspect than in London, of course, and I never went out alone. Andrew was usually available—I stayed with him and Mrs. Merriman. They'd taken a house on the Lykkavettos.”
“Oh—Maud was there, was she? I'm surprised to hear she'd made the journey…Athens? Not the place one might expect her to choose to spend the winter. How was she bearing up?”
“Her usual self. Getting better slowly; ensuring everyone around her suffered the effects of her mysterious condition. Do you know her?”
“I stayed with them in London last summer.”
“So that's where you went! Andrew didn't mention it. What an extraordinary thing to do—”
“Listen, Letty!” He seemed suddenly anxious to turn her back to her original request. “I can tell you where the student hostel is, of course, but…this is a little difficult…surely you or your father has already—I'm guessing now—
invested
a certain sum in this venture? Can you afford to turn about and run for home before you've even got started?”
“Oh, come on—say what you mean, William! My father has
paid
for me to be here. He's donated funds to the Cretan-British Exploration Society, and some of this gratefully received cash has doubtless made its way sideways into the pocket of Theodore Russell, who happens to be the Society's chairman. He makes no mention of it, naturally, but silently acknowledges the transaction by offering hospitality and underwriting the dig he's dreamed up for me. The knowledge that I'm funding this little jaunt probably annoys him like anything, if what you have to tell me is true. But that's the way things are done in this world. I know the system. I
use
the system,” she said repressively. “Oh, hello, Phoebe! We were just…”
Phoebe swept into the room bringing with her the sudden light of a summer morning. “Theo told me I'd find you here, plotting and planning. I've just been hearing about your project. And you're off to the palace? How wonderful!”
She seemed invigorated by the sunshine—even
“I just knew it wasn't right. Even before I held it. Difficult to say why.”
“You didn't seem to have any problems justifying your judgement?”
“I've spent the last six weeks in Athens undergoing a crash course on Minoan civilization with Andrew Merriman. He recommended me to Russell—he wanted to take no chances I was going to let him down. Andrew has many good friends there—professionals and amateurs—all experienced and all happy to talk to me on their favourite subject. And he didn't neglect my practical training.”
“I'm sure Merriman was thorough in all aspects of your instruction,” said Gunning coldly.
“I've been to museums and private collections—cabinets of curiosities have creaked open for me! I've been to excavations but also to goldsmiths and jewellers, forgers' workshops…I've seen such things, William! Wonderful but alarming! I'm not sure I'd accept anything as genuine unless I'd turned it up with my own spade. When the reproductions are skilfully done and the materials used are not subject to decay—like gold and gemstones—well…the only thing you can go by is intuition inspired by your own knowledge and sense of style. But it's never sufficient to say to a man, ‘I've made my mind up in a second and I'm sure I'm right. Just believe me.’ You have to go through the business of counting tiers and testing for tea stains. A useful lesson I learned from Andrew.”
“I trust you were adequately chaperoned for your forays into the Athenian backstreets?”
“Isn't that a bit stuffy—even for you, William?” she retorted. “One has to be more circumspect than in London, of course, and I never went out alone. Andrew was usually available—I stayed with him and Mrs. Merriman. They'd taken a house on the Lykkavettos.”
“Oh—Maud was there, was she? I'm surprised to hear she'd made the journey…Athens? Not the place one might expect her to choose to spend the winter. How was she bearing up?”
“Her usual self. Getting better slowly; ensuring everyone around her suffered the effects of her mysterious condition. Do you know her?”
“I stayed with them in London last summer.”
“So that's where you went! Andrew didn't mention it. What an extraordinary thing to do—”
“Listen, Letty!” He seemed suddenly anxious to turn her back to her original request. “I can tell you where the student hostel is, of course, but…this is a little difficult…surely you or your father has already—I'm guessing now—
invested
a certain sum in this venture? Can you afford to turn about and run for home before you've even got started?”
“Oh, come on—say what you mean, William! My father has
paid
for me to be here. He's donated funds to the Cretan-British Exploration Society, and some of this gratefully received cash has doubtless made its way sideways into the pocket of Theodore Russell, who happens to be the Society's chairman. He makes no mention of it, naturally, but silently acknowledges the transaction by offering hospitality and underwriting the dig he's dreamed up for me. The knowledge that I'm funding this little jaunt probably annoys him like anything, if what you have to tell me is true. But that's the way things are done in this world. I know the system. I
use
the system,” she said repressively. “Oh, hello, Phoebe! We were just…”
Phoebe swept into the room bringing with her the sudden light of a summer morning. “Theo told me I'd find you here, plotting and planning. I've just been hearing about your project. And you're off to the palace? How wonderful!”
She seemed invigorated by the sunshine—even
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