CHAPTER X
THE SECRETARY
Mr. Sabin, who had parted with Wolfenden with evident relief, leanedback in the cab and looked at his watch.
"That young man," he remarked, "has wasted ten minutes of my time. Hewill probably have to pay for it some day."
"By the bye," the girl asked, "who is he?"
"His name is Wolfenden--Lord Wolfenden."
"So I gathered; and who is Lord Wolfenden?"
"The only son of Admiral the Earl of Deringham. I don't know anythingmore than that about him myself."
"Admiral Deringham," the girl repeated, thoughtfully; "the name soundsfamiliar."
Mr. Sabin nodded.
"Very likely," he said. "He was in command of the Channel Squadron atthe time of the _Magnificent_ disaster. He was barely half a mile awayand saw the whole thing. He came in, too, rightly or wrongly, for ashare of the blame."
"Didn't he go mad, or something?" the girl asked.
"He had a fit," Mr. Sabin said calmly, "and left the service almostdirectly afterwards. He is living in strict seclusion in Norfolk, Ibelieve. I should not like to say that he is mad. As a matter of fact,I do not believe that he is."
She looked at him curiously. There was a note of reserve in his tone.
"You are interested in him, are you not?" she asked.
"In a measure," he admitted. "He is supposed, mad or not, to be thegreatest living authority on the coast defences of England and the stateof her battleships. They shelved him at the Admiralty, but he wrote somevigorous letters to the papers and there are people pretty high up whobelieve in him. Others, of course, think that he is a crank."
"But why," she asked, languidly, "are you interested in such matters?"
Mr. Sabin knocked the ash off the cigarette he was smoking and wassilent for a moment.
"One gets interested nowadays in--a great many things which scarcelyseem to concern us," he remarked deliberately. "You, for instance, seeminterested in this man's son. He cannot possibly be of any account tous."
She shrugged her shoulders.
"Did I say that I was interested in him?"
"You did not," Mr. Sabin answered, "but it was scarcely necessary; youstopped to speak to him of your own accord, and you asked him to supper,which was scarcely discreet."
"One gets so bored sometimes," she admitted frankly.
"You are only a woman," he said indulgently; "a year of waiting seems toyou an eternity, however vast the stake. There will come a time when youwill see things differently."
"I wonder!" she said softly, "I wonder!"
* * * * *
Mr. Sabin had unconsciously spoken the truth when he had pleaded anappointment to Lord Wolfenden. His servant drew him on one side directlythey entered the house.
"There is a young lady here, sir, waiting for you in the study."
"Been here long?" Mr. Sabin asked.
"About two hours, sir. She has rung once or twice to ask about you."
Mr. Sabin turned away and opened the study door, carefully closing itbehind him at once as he recognised his visitor. The air was blue withtobacco smoke, and the girl, who looked up at his entrance, held acigarette between her fingers. Mr. Sabin was at least as surprisedas Lord Wolfenden when he recognised his visitor, but his face wasabsolutely emotionless. He nodded not unkindly and stood looking ather, leaning upon his stick.
"Well, Blanche, what has gone wrong?" he asked.
"Pretty well everything," she answered. "I've been turned away."
"Detected?" he asked quickly.
"Suspected, at any rate. I wrote you that Lord Deringham was watching mesharply. Where he got the idea from I can't imagine, but he got it andhe got it right, anyhow. He's followed me about like a cat, and it's allup."
"What does he know?"
"Nothing! He found a sheet of carbon on my desk, no more! I had to leavein an hour."
"And Lady Deringham?"
"She is like the rest--she thinks him mad. She has not the faintest ideathat, mad or not, he has stumbled upon the truth. She was glad to haveme go--for other reasons; but she has not the faintest doubt but that Ihave been unjustly dismissed."
"And he? How much does he know?"
"Exactly what I told you--nothing! His idea was just a confused one thatI thought the stuff valuable--how you can make any sense of such trashI don't know--and that I was keeping a copy back for myself. He wasworrying for an excuse to get rid of me, and he grabbed at it."
"Why was Lady Deringham glad to have you go?" Mr. Sabin asked.
"Because I amused myself with her son."
"Lord Wolfenden?"
"Yes!"
For the first time since he had entered the room Mr. Sabin's grimcountenance relaxed. The corners of his lips slowly twisted themselvesinto a smile.
"Good girl," he said. "Is he any use now?"
"None," she answered with some emphasis. "None whatever. He is a fool."
The colour in her cheeks had deepened a little. A light shot from hereyes. Mr. Sabin's amusement deepened. He looked positively benign.
"You've tried him?" he suggested.
The girl nodded, and blew a little cloud of tobacco smoke from hermouth.
"Yes; I went there last night. He was very kind. He sent his servant outwith me and got me nice, respectable rooms."
Mr. Sabin did what was for him an exceptional thing. He sat down andlaughed to himself softly, but with a genuine and obvious enjoyment.
"Blanche," he said, "it was a lucky thing that I discovered you. No oneelse could have appreciated you properly."
She looked at him with a sudden hardness.
"You should appreciate me," she said, "for what I am you made me. I amof your handiwork: a man should appreciate the tool of his ownfashioning."
"Nature," Mr. Sabin said smoothly, "had made the way easy for me. Minewere but finishing touches. But we have no time for this sort of thing.You have done well at Deringham and I shall not forget it. But yourdismissal just now is exceedingly awkward. For the moment, indeed, Iscarcely see my way. I wonder in what direction Lord Deringham will lookfor your successor?"
"Not anywhere within the sphere of your influence," she answered. "I donot think that I shall have a successor at all just yet. There was onlya week's work to do. He will copy that himself."
"I am very much afraid," Mr. Sabin said, "that he will; yet we must havethat copy."
"You will be very clever," she said slowly. "He has put watches allround the place, and the windows are barricaded. He sleeps with arevolver by his side, and there are several horrors in the shape oftraps all round the house."
"No wonder," Mr. Sabin said, "that people think him mad."
The girl laughed shortly.
"He is mad," she said. "There is no possible doubt about that; youcouldn't live with him a day and doubt it."
"Hereditary, no doubt," Mr. Sabin suggested quietly.
Blanche shrugged her shoulders and leaned back yawning.
"Anyhow," she said, "I've had enough of them all. It has been verytiresome work and I am sick of it. Give me some money. I want a spree. Iam going to have a month's holiday."
Mr. Sabin sat down at his desk and drew out a cheque-book.
"There will be no difficulty about the money," he said, "but I cannotspare you for a month. Long before that I must have the rest of thismadman's figures."
The girl's face darkened.
"Haven't I told you," she said, "that there is not the slightest chanceof their taking me back? You might as well believe me. They wouldn'thave me, and I wouldn't go."
"I do not expect anything of the sort," Mr. Sabin said. "There are otherdirections, though, in which I shall require your aid. I shall have togo to Deringham myself, and as I know nothing whatever about the placeyou will be useful to me there. I believe that your home is somewherenear there."
"Well!"
"There is no reason, I suppose," Mr. Sabin continued, "why a portion ofthe vacatio
n you were speaking of should not be spent there?"
"None!" the girl replied, "except that it would be deadly dull, and noholiday at all. I should want paying for it."
Mr. Sabin looked down at the cheque-book which lay open before him.
"I was intending," he said, "to offer you a cheque for fifty pounds. Iwill make it one hundred, and you will rejoin your family circle atFakenham, I believe, in one week from to-day."
The girl made a wry face.
"The money's all right," she said; "but you ought to see my familycircle! They are all cracked on farming, from the poor old dad who losesall his spare cash at it, down to little Letty my youngest sister, whocan tell you everything about the last turnip crop. Do ride over and seeus! You will find it so amusing!"
"I shall be charmed," Mr. Sabin said suavely, as he commenced filling inthe body of the cheque. "Are all your sisters, may I ask, as delightfulas you?"
She looked at him defiantly.
"Look here," she said, "none of that! Of course you wouldn't come, butin any case I won't have you. The girls are--well, not like me, I'm gladto say. I won't have the responsibility of introducing a Mephistoclesinto the domestic circle."
"I can assure you," Mr. Sabin said, "that I had not the faintest idea ofcoming. My visit to Norfolk will be anything but a pleasure trip, and Ishall have no time to spare.
"I believe I have your address: 'Westacott Farm, Fakenham,' is it not?Now do what you like in the meantime, but a week from to-day there willbe a letter from me there. Here is the cheque."
The girl rose and shook out her skirts.
"Aren't you going to take me anywhere?" she asked. "You might ask me tohave supper with you to-night."
Mr. Sabin shook his head gently.
"I am sorry," he said, "but I have a young lady living with me."
"Oh!"
"She is my niece, and it takes more than my spare time to entertainher," he continued, without noticing the interjection. "You have plentyof friends. Go and look them up and enjoy yourself--for a week. I haveno heart to go pleasure-making until my work is finished."
She drew on her gloves and walked to the door. Mr. Sabin came with herand opened it.
"I wish," she said, "that I could understand what in this world you aretrying to evolve from those rubbishy papers."
He laughed.
"Some day," he said, "I will tell you. At present you would notunderstand. Be patient a little longer."
"It has been long enough," she exclaimed. "I have had seven months ofit."
"And I," he answered, "seven years. Take care of yourself and remember,I shall want you in a week."