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Show The Secret Adversary , "BLACKMAIL, EH?" SYNOPSIS Realizing that she has a possible chance of being saved, as the Lusiuania ts sinking, a stranger gives a young American girl a rackage which he asks her to deliver to the American ambassador ambas-sador In England. She is saved. In London, former Lieut. "Tommy" "Tom-my" Beresford and Miss Prudence Cowley "Tuppence" discharged array nurse, form an organization. "The Young Adventurers, Ltd." They are both broke and consequently conse-quently ready for unorthodox methods. They write out an advertisement- CHAPTER I Continued. 2 Mr. Whlttlngton spoke again : "If you will call upon me tomorrow morning at eleven o'clock, I will lay the details of my proposition before you." "At eleven o'clock?" said Tuppence doubtfully. "At eleven o'clock." Tuppence made up her mind. "Very well. I'll be there." "Thank you. Good evening." He raised his hat with a flourish, and walked away. Tuppence remained for some minutes gazing after him. Then she gave a curious movement of her shoulders, rather as a terrier shakes himself. "The adventures have begun." she murmured to herself. "What does he want me to do, I wonder? There's something about you, Mr. Whittington, Whitting-ton, that I don't like at all. But, on the other hand, I'm not the least bit afraid of you. And ns I've said he-fore, he-fore, and shall doubtless say again, little Tuppence can look after herself, her-self, thank youl" And with a short, sharp nod of her head she walked briskly onward. As a result of further meditations, however, how-ever, she turned aside from the direct route and entered a post office. Tuppence Tup-pence wrote rapidly: "Don't put In advertisement. Will explain tomorrow." tomor-row." She addressed It to Tommy nt his club, from which In one short month he would have to resign, unless un-less a kindly fortune permitted bin-to bin-to renew his subscription. It wanted some live minutes to eleven when Tuppence reached the block of buildings In which the offices of-fices of the Ksthonia Glassware company com-pany were situated. To arrive before the time would look overeager. So Tuppence decided to walk to the end of the street and back again. She did so. On the stroke of eleven she plunged into the recesses of the building. build-ing. The Ksthonia Glassware company com-pany was on the top floor. Tuppence knocked. In response to a voice from w ithin, she turned the ban lie and walked Into a small rather dirty outer office. A middle-aged clerk got down from a high stool at a desk near the window win-dow and came toward her Inquiringly. "I have an appointment with Mr. Whlt;iiu-ion," said Tuppence. "Will you cme this way, please?" He crossed to a partition door with "1'rlvate" on It. knocked, then opened the door and stood aside to let her pass In. Mr. Whlttlngton was sente.l behind a large desk covered with papers. Tuppence felt her previous Judgment confirmed. There was something wrong about Mr. Whlttlngton. The combination of his sleek prosperity and his shifty eye was not attractive. He looked up and nodded. "So you're turned up. all right? That's good. Sit down, will you?" Tuppence sat meekly with downcast yes whilst Mr. Whlttlngton sorted "If You will Call Upon Me Tomorrow Morning at Eleven o'Clock, I Will Lay the Detaile of My Proposition Befors You." nnd rustled amongst his papers. Finally be pushed them away, nml lejiiu'd oviT the desk. "No'v, inv dear young lady, let us come io business." Ills large face br'adcneil Into a sii.'ie. "You "mil "..rk? Well, ,ve work to olTcr w.il. What should you say now to e.MXI down, and all expenses paid?" Mr. Whlnliigl.'.ii leaned back In his chnlr. and thrust his thumbs Into the 'irn.holes of bis w nUleoiit. 'I nppeiice eye. 1 1 1 1 1 i warily. "And the nnluv of the w ork 7" nlie lenoi mled By Agatha Christie Copyright Dodd, Mead & Company "Nominal purely nominal. A pleasure pleas-ure trip, that Is all." "Where to?" Mr. Whittington smiled again. "Taris." "Oh!" said Tuppence thoughtfully. To herself she said: "Of course, if father heard that he would have a lit! But somehow I don't see Mr. Whittington Whit-tington in the role of the gay deceiver." de-ceiver." "Yes," continued Whittington. "What could be more delightful? To put the clock back a few- years a very few, I am sure and re-enter one of those charming penslonnats de Jeunes filles with which Tarls abounds " Tuppence Interrupted him. "A penslonnat?" "Exactly. Madame Colombler's In the Avenue de Neuilly." Tuppence knew the name well. Nothing could have been more select. She had had several American friends there. She was more than ever puzzled. "You want me to go to Madame Colombler's? Co-lombler's? For how long?" "That depends. Possibly three months." "And that Is all? There are no other conditions?" "None whatever. By the way, you are English, are you not?" "Yes." "Yet you speak with a slight American Ameri-can accent?" "My great pal in hospital was a little American girl. I dare say I picked It up from her. I can soon get out of it again." "On the contrary, It might be simpler sim-pler for you to pass as an American. Details about your past life n England Eng-land might be more difficult to sustain. Yes. I think that would he decidedly better. Then " "One moment. Mr. Whittington! You seem to be taking my consent for granted." Whittington looked surprised. "Surely you are not thinking of re-fus'ng? re-fus'ng? I o::n assure you that Madame Ma-dame Colombler's Is a most high-class and orthodox establishment. And the terms are most liberal." "Exactly." said Tuppence. "That's Just It. The terms are almost too liberal. Mr. Whlttlngton. I cannot see any way In which I can be worth that amount of money to you." "No?" said Whittington softly. "Well. I will tell you. I could doubtless doubt-less obtain someone else for vcrv mu.ii less. What I am willing to pay for Is a young la ly with sufficient Intelligence In-telligence and presence of mind to sustain her rift well, nnd also one who w'll hate tuITlclent discretion not to nk tx many questions." Tuppence smiled n little. She felt that Whittington bad scored. "There's another thing. So far there ,1,1S 1 ' no mention of Mr. l'.eres- ford. Where does he come in?" "Mr. I'.eresford ?" "My partner." said Tuppence with dignity. "You saw us together yesterday." yester-day." "Ah, yes. But I'm afraid we shan't require his services." "Then It's o.T!" Tuppence rose. "It's both i.r neither. Sorry but that's how It Is. i;,Hl morning, Mr. Whlttlngton." Whlt-tlngton." "Walt a minute. I.et us see If something some-thing can't be managed. Sit down again. Miss" He paused Interrogatively. Interroga-tively. Tuppence's conscience gave her passing twinge as she remembered the archdeacon. She seized hurriedly on the first name that came Into her head. "Jnne linn," she said hastily; and then paused open-mouthed nt the effect of those two simple words. All the genlnlity had faded out of Whlttlngton's face. It wns purple with rage, and the veins stiod out on his forehead. And behind It nil there lurked a sort of Incredulous dismay. He leaned forward nnd hissed savagely sav-agely : "So that's your little game. Is It?" Tuppence, though utterly taken nback, nevertheless kept her head. She had not the faintest comprehension comprehen-sion of his meaning, but she was naturally natu-rally qulck-w Itted, and felt It Imperative Impera-tive to "keep her end up," ns she phrased It. Whlitlngton went on : "Been playing with me, hnvo you. nil the time, like n cat nnd mouse? Knew nil the time what I wanted you for, but kept up the comedy. Is that It, eh?" lie was cooling down. The red color was ebbing out of his face, lie eyed here keenly. "Who's been blabbing? lilta?" Tuppence shook her head. She was doubt fid ns to how long she could sustain this Illusion, hut she realized the Importance of not dragging nn unknown i;itn Into It. "No," she replied with perfect truth. "lilta knows nothing nhout mo." "How much do you know ?" hr shot out. "Very little Ind 1," answered Tup. ponn. and was pleased to note thai Whlttlngton's uneasiness was augmented aug-mented Instead of nlhiyeil. "Anyway," he snarled, "you knew enough to come In here and plump out that name." "II might be my own name," Tup penii- pointed out. "It's likely, Isn't It, that there would be two glrhi with n naniH like thai? Onlt fooling I How much .lo you know ? And bow much do you want?" The last flv words took Tuppence's " fancy mightily, especially after a meager breakfast and a supper of buns the night before. She sat up and smiled with the air of one who has the situation thoroughly well In hand. "My dear Mr. Whlttlngton, " she sold, "let us by all means lay our cards upon the table. And pray do not be so angry. You heard me say yesterday that I proposed to live by my wits. It seems to me that I have now proved I have some wits to live by! I admit I have knowledge of a certain name, but perhaps my knowledge knowl-edge ends there." "As I said once before," said Whittington Whit-tington angrily, "quit fooling, and come to the point. You can't play the Innocent with me. You know a great deal more than you're willing to admit." Tuppence paused a moment to admire ad-mire her owd Ingenuity, and then said softly : "I shouldn't like to contradict you, Mr. Whittington." "So we come to the usual question how much?" Tuppence was In a dilemma. So far she had fooled Whittington with complete success, but to mention a Whittinoton Snatched It and Read It. palpably Impossible sum might awaken his suspicions. An Idea flashed across her brain. "Suppose we say a little something down, and a fulier discussion of the matter later?" Whlttlngton gave her nn ugly glance. "Blackmail, eh?" Tuppence spilled sweetly. "Oh, no! Shall we say payment of services in advance?" Whittington grunted. "'You're about the limit, that's what you are," he growled, with H sort of unwilling admiration. "You took me ' In all right. Thought you were quite , 2 meek little kid with Just enough brains for my purpose. All the same, someone's been talking. You say It isn't Bita. Was it ? oh. come In." The clerk followed his discreet knock Into the room, and laid a paper nt his master's elbow-. "Telephone message Just come for you, sir." Whlttlngton snatched It up nnd rend It. A frown gathered on his brow. "That'll do, Brown. You ran go." The clerk withdrew. Whlttlngton turned to Tuppence. "Come tomorrow nt the same time. lm busy now. Here's fiftv to go on with." He rapidly sorted out some notes, nnd pushed them across the table to Tuppence. The girl counted the notes, secured them In her handbag, nnd rose. "G.wl morning, Mr. Whlttlngton" she said politely. "At least, nu re-volr. re-volr. I should say." "Exactly. An revolr. my clever nnd charming young lady." Tuppcmv sped lightly down the stairs. A wild elation possessed her. "Let's give Tommy a surprise i" murmured Tuppence, and hailed a taxi. The cab drew up outside the tube station. Tommy was Just within the entrance. Ills eyes opened to their fullest extent as he hurried forward to assist Tuppence to alight. she smiled nt him alTectlonately, nnd remarked re-marked slightly affected voice: "Bay the thing, will yu, ,, .n? I've got nothing smaller than a tho pound nolo!" CHAPTER A Setback. The moment was not q,,, ,. M. mnphnnl as It ought to l,ve been T heiin with, the resource r To,,,',,,,-., pockets were somewhat limited. (he end the Cue was managed ""'"." Mr I'.eiesl'ord , length able to relieve his feelings "what the dickens did , ,,, take a tax I for?" "I wa, f,id dgb, !, ,,., nni keep you w,,ltl!:," ,ld Tp1)M.(1 gently. "And really nd t,ulv. I haven't got an thing smaller than a live pound note. Now let's go i lunch. How about the Saoy?" Tommy grinned. "How about the lilt??" "tin second thoiui,,,, , ,,ri,rr I l"eadllly. , ,.,.,. w have to take another taxi. Gome "'"if this a new brand of humorT Or Is your brain unhinged?" Inquired Tommy. "Tuppence, otd girl, what has really come over your "Oh unbelieving one I" Tuppence wrenched open her bng. "Look here, and here, and here!" Tommy groaned. "I must have been drinking nn-awnres! nn-awnres! Am I dreaming, Tuppence, or do I really behold a large quantity of five-pound notes being waved about In a dangerous fashion V "Even so, O King! Now, will you come and have lunch V "I'll come anywhere. But what have you been doing? Holdln? up bank?" "All In good time." "And now tell me," said Tommy, unable to restrain his pent-up curiosity curios-ity any longer, as they sat In Btate In the Piccadilly. Miss Cowley told him. "And the curious part of It Is," she ended, "that I really did Invent the name of Jane Finn I I didn't want to give my own because of poor father In case I should get mixed up In any thing shady." "Perhaps that's so," said Tommy slowly. "But you didn't Invent It." "Whatr "No. I told It to you. Don't yon remember, I said yesterday I'd ovei heard two people talking about a female fe-male called Jane Finn? That's what j brought the name into your mind so pat." "So you did. I remember now. How extraordinary " Tuppence j tailed ofT Into silence. Suddenly sh ! aroused herself. "What were they like, the two men you passed 7" "One was a big fat sort of chap, i Clean shaven, I think and dark." j "That's him," cried Tuppence, In an j un grammatical squeal. "That's Whit- j tlngton! What was the other man : like?" j "I can't remember. I didn't notice him particularly. It was really the outlandish name that caught my at- j tentlon." ! "And people My that coincidence y don't happen !" Tup pence tackled i her luncheon happily. ! But Tommy had become serious. "Look here. Tuppence, oil girl, what is this going to lea 1 to?" i "More money," re; !:el l.'.s companion. 'T know that. Yo'fe cn!y got er.e Idea in your l ead. What I mean Is, what about the next step? How are you going to keep the game up? After all. you know, you can't bluff h'.rn forever. for-ever. Y'ou're sure to slip up sooner or later. And. anyway. I'm not at Rll sure that It Isn't actionable ! Isck-mnll. Isck-mnll. you know." "Nonsense. Blackrr.all Is saylr.j you'll tell unless you are given r.ior.ey. -Now. there's nothing I could te'l. he- , cause I don't really know ar.ythir.g. I've got a plan. Obviously what we've got to do is to find out more about It all." Tommy applauded. " Don't Jeer. We can cr.'y fin 1 o., through W!.!:;:r.gton. We r..ut d:- Cover whore be lives, w! he doe s'.euth him. in fact: Now I enn't do It. becaus,. ., knows r c, ri:t he cr.'y saw you for a minute or two in Lyons'. lies not I'.ke'.y to nvcgn'.re you. My plan Is this" Tuppence w.r.t en calmly: -III go nict-.e tomorrow. I'll P"t him of? again like I did today. It doesn't matter If I don't get any more money at .nx Fifty pounds ought to lst us a few das. You'll hang about outside. When I come out I shan't speak to you n Case he's W O f .-!'.. 1?... T-l. . . ' i i.tKe up niT stand : somewhere near, and when he conies j out of the building I'll drvp a hand- ! kerchief or something, and oT you go:" "0!T I go w here?" " "Follow him. of course, sillv What ! do you think of the Idea?" "Sort of thing on reads about In ' books. reopU, iii wonder what I'm np to. Anyway, It will be rather a lark." They met by arrangement the following fol-lowing morning and preceded city, ward. Tommy remained on the opposite oppo-site side of the re.,,1 while Tuppence plunged Into the building. Tommy strolled slowly down to the end of the sIrtv,. Just ns he came nbreast of the bull,), ings. Tuppence darted notvsi. the road Tommy! The place Is shut. I cant make nnyonv hear." "That's odd." "Isn't It? feme up with me. snd let s try again. " Tommy followed her. As ther P-"ed the third floor landing young clerk ciiine out of nn office. Ho nr,. taled a moment, then addressed him-self him-self to Tuppence. "Were you wanting the Ksthonia Glassware? "Ves. please." ''It's closed down, since ye.terdar t.-nioo,,. rompany ping wound up. . No, ,.. I',,, ever heard of '( ;."lf. But anyway the office I. "-lost Co en with hat voo'r. i doing now. Find Jan Fain." ''" m-: cuNTixn. i v I |