Part 33 (1/2)

Mr. Benjamin pa.s.sed on without remark, and entered the inner office. It was easy indeed to see that something had gone wrong. Mr. Levy was walking restlessly up and down, with a newspaper in his hand, and muttering to himself in a disturbed manner. At his son's entrance he stopped short, and looked at him angrily.

”Benjamin, my boy,” he said, rustling the paper before his face, ”you've been made a fool of. Scotland Yard have licked us!”

Mr. Benjamin yawned, and tilted his hat on the back of his head.

”What's up now, guv'nor?” he inquired.

His father laid the paper flat on the desk before him, and pointed to one of the paragraphs with trembling fingers.

”Read that! Read that!” he exclaimed.

His obedient son glanced at it, and pushed the paper away in contempt.

”Stale news,” he remarked shortly.

Mr. Levy looked at him amazed.

”Maybe you knew all about it,” he remarked a little sarcastically.

”May be I did,” was the cool reply.

”And yet you have let them be beforehand with us!” Mr. Levy exclaimed angrily. ”If this was to be done, why did we not do it?”

”Because we've got a better game to play,” answered the junior partner of the firm, with a hardly restrained air of triumph.

Mr. Levy regarded his son with a look of astonishment, which speedily changed into one of admiration.

”Is this true, Benjamin?” he asked. ”But--but----”

”But you don't understand,” Benjamin interrupted impatiently. ”Of course you don't. And you'll have to wait a bit for an explanation, too, for here's the very person I was expecting,” he added, raising himself on his stool, and looking out of the window. ”Now, father, just you sit quiet, and don't say a word,” he went on quickly. ”Leave it all to me; I'll pull the thing through.”

Mr. Levy had only time to express by a pantomimic sign his entire confidence in his son's diplomacy before Miss Thurwell was announced.

She was shown in at once.

”I had your telegram,” she began hurriedly. ”What does it mean? Can you do anything?”

Mr. Benjamin placed a chair for her, and took up his favorite position on the hearthrug.

”I hope so, Miss Thurwell,” he said quietly. ”First of all, of course you are aware that Mr. Maddison's arrest was as much of a surprise to us as to any one. We neither had any hand in it, nor should we have dreamed of taking any step of the sort.”

”I thought it could not be you,” she answered. ”How do you think it came about?”

Mr. Levy, junior, shrugged his shoulders.

”Quite in the ordinary course,” he answered. ”So I should think. The police have never let the matter really drop, and I should imagine that he had been watched for some time. How it came to pa.s.s, however, it is not worth while discussing now. The question with you, I presume, is--can he be saved?”

”Yes, that is it,” Helen answered quietly, but with deep intensity. ”Can he be saved? Do you know anything? Can you help?”