Part 27 (1/2)

Sidney Grice thrust some coins into my hand and said, as he alighted, *That should pay your fare back to my home, or do you want your forty pieces of silver?' He slammed the door and shouted, *Drive on, cabby.' And the hansom lurched forwards, flinging me back into my seat.

I leaned over and looked out, and saw a head bobbing jerkily to the right, but the crowd closed in and Sidney Grice was lost from view. Swamped, for the first time I had known, by humanity.

40.

Diogenes I waited for two hours in the study but my guardian did not return.

*Gone to his club, most likely,' Molly said, tucking one stray strand of hair under her hat and making two more fall out.

*What club is that?'

*Why, the Diogenes. Mr Grice taught me how to say that,' she told me, tossing her head proudly. *He often stays there when he is perplexicated. They have no women and no talking. He likes both those rules a great deal.'

*I imagine he does,' I said. *Turn round.' I tied the bow of her ap.r.o.n for her. *How long have you worked for Mr Grice now?'

*Two years and two months.' She flicked the hallstand half-heartedly with a feather duster. *Which cook says is two years and one month longer than anybody else ever.'

*So why do you stay?' I pinned her hair back up.

Molly wrinkled her nose. *Well, I know he shouts a lot and says cruel things, but I like that. I can't abide masters or mistresses who think you are the best of friends. If I am their friend, why do I have to fetch and carry for them? Mr Grice knows my place and so do I. Also, he is very kind at heart.'

*Kind?'

*Very.'

I went to my room, where I wrote my journal. I took the letters out and held them but I could not read them that night. I touched the gold and put them away to smoke a cigarette out of the window. The city was curiously quiet and there were a thousand stars glinting. At about midnight the front door slammed and heavy jerky footsteps came up the stairs. A few minutes later I heard the bath filling, the pipes clattering against my wall, and an hour later I heard it emptying, the water rus.h.i.+ng down the drainpipe. I stood by my door and flung it open the moment I heard his.

*Oh,' I said, *I did not realize you were home.'

My guardian stood in a full-length red silk dressing gown. He had matching slippers on and a turban made from a white towel. He did not have his eye in or a patch on.

*Well, you do now,' he said, and turned towards his room.

*Why did you take me in?'

Sidney Grice stopped with his hand on the doork.n.o.b, but kept his back to me.

*As I told you, from the charity of my heart.'

*But as you have also told me many times you have no charity and precious little heart.'

He kept hold of the handle but turned to face me.

*Out of vanity,' he said.

He looked so comical, seeming to wink at me with his headdress bobbing about, that I wanted to laugh, but I only said, *How does my presence flatter that?'

For a moment I thought he would say that he had come across my photograph and that he wanted to be seen about town with a beautiful young ward, but he shrugged and said, *There are so many downright lies written about me. I read your book about your father. It was more than a little naive and had a number of factual errors and omissions but-'

*Errors and omissions?'

*Yes.' He wiped a trickle from his temple. *But it made me wish that I had known him... better. I thought you might do the same for me a record my cases a be my Boswell, as it were. Your diaries are not very flattering, but they describe my methods and character far better than anything I have-'

*You have been reading my diaries?'

*Every day.'

I drew myself up and looked him in the eye, but he did not seem the least bit abashed.

*How could you? I suppose you will try to tell me it is part of your duty in caring for me.'

He shook his head and the towel unravelled a little.

*Certainly not. I have little or no right at all to read them, but I have always been inquisitive. It is the fuel of my profession.'

I said, *My diaries are private. I confide things to them that I would not disclose to any man or woman alive. You have gone too far this time, Mr Grice. I cannot stay here to be spied upon. I shall leave in the morning.'

His face fell.

*That would be a great pity.'

*Do not pretend you would miss me.'

*I should not pretend that,' he said, *but it would be a pity for both of us. I should lose my honest chronicler and you, who have nowhere else to go, incidentally, would lose the chance to see that poor girl's murderer brought to justice.'

*I shall stay until the case is solved,' I said, *but you had better be quick about it.'

My guardian's mouth twitched.

*I shall do my best.'

*What errors and omissions?'

Sidney Grice smiled.

*Goodnight, March,' he said. *I shall see you in the morning.' And he turned the handle of his bedroom door.

I went to bed and tried to stay awake, but sleep conquers all in the end.