C. B. would have preferred to accept neither food nor drink while in that house, but as his object was to win Copely Syle’s confidence he accepted, and, producing his pipe, said, `D'you mind if I smoke?'
`No, no. Please do.' The Canon carried over two whiskies, handed one to his caller, and went on, `I trust you have not come to tell me that de Grasse has bungled this affair. It is to me of the utmost importance.'
`I gathered that.' C. B. began to fill his pipe. `So I'm afraid you won't be very pleased to hear what I have to say. Mind, it's through no fault of de Grasse that things have gone wrong, but on account of the interference of that infernal young man, John Fountain.'
The Canon made an impatient gesture. `Then de Grasse has bungled the affair! How utterly infuriating. With his resources he should never have allowed a boy like Fountain to get the best of him. That is no excuse. No excuse whatever! But tell me what happened.'
In his usual leisurely manner C. B. then related all that had taken place, from Jules de Grasse luring Ellen as he now called her away the previous evening, to her escape that morning; except that he refrained from making any mention of his own participation in these events. When he had done, the Canon said petulantly
`Really ! To think that a man like de Grasse should allow two children to set him at defiance. But he is not the type to lie down under such treatment. No doubt he means to teach that young man a lesson; and even if he has to use force will get the girl back again from Mrs. Fountain to night.'
`I don't somehow think he'll be able to get her to night,' said C. B. slowly.
`Why not? His wound may incapacitate him personally, but it should not prevent his sending Jules and some of his people to carry her off.'
C. B. felt confident that next morning's post would bring the Canon an airmail letter from de Grasse with full particulars of the latest situation; so there being no point in concealing it overnight, he replied, `It's not quite as simple as that. The girl is no longer with Mrs. Fountain. She is in prison.'
`What!' Copely Syle's drink slopped over, and he jumped to his feet. `What's that you say? In prison! Surely de Grasse has not been idiot enough to bring a charge against her for shooting him?'
`No, it's not that.'
`What then?'
`We don't know ourselves. At least de Grasse didn't know when I left him. All we know is that soon after she landed this morning she was taken into custody. Perhaps she thinks she killed de Grasse, so gave herself up pending enquiries. Or, as she has been living under a false name, it may be something to do with her passport.'
`But this is calamitous!' The Canon's heavy under lip trembled and his babyish face screwed up, so that for a moment C. B. thought he was about to burst into tears. An instant later it became apparent that the contortion of his features was due to rage. Abandoning all control, he began to stamp up and down the room, flinging wide his arms and reviling de Grasse in the most filthy language for his incompetence. Then, turning about, he screamed curses at C. B. for having brought him such unwelcome tidings.
C. B. watched the performance with detached interest, pulled on his pipe, and said with a suggestion of a smile, `It's no good swearing at me; and cursing de Grasse can do your case nothing but harm.'
At his quiet words the Canon's fury subsided as swiftly as it had arisen. He took a gulp of his drink and muttered, `You are right. This is no fault of yours, and curses should be used only with solemn intent.'
`Exactly; so if you are hoping that de Grasse may yet pull the chestnuts out of the fire for you, it's silly to hamper his efforts with even the most casual vibrations of ill wishing.'
Copely Syle gave him a half furtive glance, and asked, `What do you know of such matters?'
`Oh, quite a bit.' C. B. shrugged the question aside. Having sown the seed, and feeling that enough had now passed between them for him to begin his probe without arousing suspicion, he said, `I can understand your being annoyed at young Fountain having thrown a spanner in the works; but surely the girl being temporarily in prison scarcely justifies your getting into such a tizzy? The odds are that she'll be out before the end of the week; then de Grasse's boys should have little trouble in collecting her for you.'
`The end of the week!' Copely Syle threw up his plump hands and the little veins in the whites of his eyes became suffused with blood from the intensity of his annoyance. `That's no good! No earthly good! This matter is one of the utmost urgency. Surely I cannot have failed to make that plain to de Grasse?'
C. B. felt that he was getting warm, and nodded with becoming solemnness. `Yes, I feel sure you did. That must be why he was so upset this morning. Of course, I'm not in on this thing, except as an old friend whom he knew he could trust to bring you an account of what has happened to date. I know only the bare outline of the affair merely that you are anxious to get this young woman back to England. But why the frantic haste?'
`Because to day is the 4th. I must have her here by the 6th.'
`Can't you possibly rearrange your plans so that a few days' delay won't make any difference?'
`You might as well suggest that I should attempt to stop the stars in their courses,' snapped the Canon. `The 6th of March is her birthday. At nine forty five that evening she comes of age. If she is not under my control by then the hopes that I have cherished for years will be dashed.'
`Oh, I see; this is a family affair and a case of a young woman having kicked over the traces,' remarked C. B., deliberately misunderstanding. `Naturally, then, you are anxious to have her back in time to bury the hatchet on her twenty first birthday. May I ask what relationship she bears you?'
`None; but I have known her since birth, and am, in a sense, her guardian.'
`Has she given you this sort of trouble before, or behaved like a flighty type generally?'
`On the contrary. She has lived a very retired life, and shown no inclination to do otherwise.'
The quiet indifference of C.B.’s tone when he made his next remark did much to lessen its impertinence. `Then, as she didn't run away with a man, there's some hope of her still being a virgin?'
The Canon's pale eyes narrowed a trifle and he said quickly, `What leads you to speculate on that?'
`The thought automatically came into my mind that a combination of three times seven years and virginity have immense mystical significance. In fact, there is no state which even approaches its tremendous potence for good or evil; and that if ... But no, this is your affair and nothing to do with me.'
`If what?’ the Canon insisted.
`Why, that if the hesitant manner in which you admit your guardianship of this young woman is due to your status being unofficial; er like, shall we say, one who prefers to remain in shadow. ..'
Copely Syle had slowly risen to his feet. As he did so he seemed to increase in stature. His plump face lost all trace of babyishness. It looked old now, but extraordinarily strong and menacing. Suddenly he burst out harshly:
`You have said either too much or too little. Explain yourself, or it will be the worse for you.'
C.B.’s work brought him into touch with all types of tough customers; so, although he knew that he was on exceptionally dangerous ground, he remained outwardly imperturbable, and even smiled slightly as he replied
`Hold your horses, Canon. There's nothing to get excited about. I thought I had made it clear that I'm not one of de Grasse's thugs, and that our association is simply that of two people who have been of use to one another from time to time. You have no need to fear that he suspects the reason for your interest in the girl and may start trying to blackmail you. I shouldn't have suspected it myself but for what you've just told me and the fact that, although you may not remember it, we've met before.'