Part 32 (2/2)

”But I am keeping you,” said Charley, who took the remark as an intimation that he might go. ”Tell me when I may come again?” he said, rising.

”Stop a bit--stop a bit, Mr Vining: I never like doing things in a hurry. Let's economise time; and we can now you are here,” said Mr Whittrick. ”It may save my sending to Long's Hotel, and wasting time, and men, and cab-hire, and perhaps not then to find you. I shall have a reply directly to a question I have asked. And, besides, you have entirely omitted to give me the young lady's age and name.--Ah, Smith, that will do,” he said, as a clerk entered the room with a sheet of paper.

The clerk left the room; and then, after running through the ma.n.u.script note, Mr Whittrick took out a double eyegla.s.s, rubbed it leisurely, and then fixed it by its spring upon the bridge of his nose.

”You'd be surprised, Mr Vining,” he said, ”what a deal of difficulty I have to get clerks who write a plain legible hand. I'm a terrible scrawler myself; but then my writing has to keep up with my thoughts, and has to struggle hard, with the certainty of failure always before it. But my clerks are well paid to do nothing else but copy; and really at times, either from hurry or carelessness, their stuff is almost undecipherable. But let me see; I think I have managed this, though.”

”Is that anything relating to my search?” said Charley excitedly.

”Stop a minute, my dear sir, and we'll see,” said Mr Whittrick; and then he held the slip of paper in his hand as if about to read aloud.

Volume 2, Chapter XVIII.

SECOND-HAND.

At the last words uttered by Mr Whittrick, Charley Vining started forward, and gazed at the speaker as if he would have devoured the ordinary-looking slip of paper rustling before him. It was with the greatest difficulty that he refrained from s.n.a.t.c.hing the memorandum from its holder; for in every respect save one, Mr Whittrick, of the black-velvet cap, was outwardly an excessively slow man. He had crawled to the speaking-tube and crawled back, and when he took the slip of paper from the clerk, it was as if the effort was too much for him--so much, in fact, that he had hard work to wipe his double eyegla.s.ses.

But we said that there was an exception, and this lay in Mr Whittrick's eyes, which gave a sharpness to his whole appearance, as they twinkled and darted and played as it were, while they displayed the activity of their owner's brains.

But, apparently satisfied that if he kept him waiting half an hour longer, Charley Vining would not say anything that would be of service for information of any kind, Mr Whittrick commenced reading:

”9th instant. Miss Ella Bedford, age about twenty; fair; grey eyes; thick braided hair--_not false_; height about five feet two; dressed in deep mourning; arrived by forty-five, a.m., train from Laneton. Robert Wilks, porter, Number 93, called four-wheeled cab, V.R. 09876, John Round driver. Luggage: canvas-covered box, black enamelled bag, and leather wallet, _not addressed_. Set down at 19 Crescent Villas, Regent's-park--Mr Saint Clair Marter's. Cab man paid. No farther communication; but footman averse to taking in luggage, whether from idleness or particular reasons not known; shall know shortly, if necessary. Cab returned to terminus.”

”Let me see,” continued Mr Whittrick, turning the paper on the other side. ”No, that is all we know at present;” and he looked at Charley, who, mute with astonishment, was staring hard at him.

”Why, good heavens! how did you know that?” he cried. ”That is all I wanted to know.”

”At present--at present!” said Mr Whittrick, with a smile.

”But I expected days of waiting and anxiety,” cried Charley, eagerly seizing the paper.

”Possibly,” said Mr Whittrick; ”but there are times, you see, when we are speedy in our movements.”

”But I am astounded!” cried Charley. ”You make me almost to believe in magicians.”

Mr Whittrick smiled deprecatingly and shrugged his shoulders.

”How did you obtain the information?” cried Charley.

”My dear sir,” said Mr Whittrick, ”that is my profession. If you go to a doctor and he gives you a prescription which cures you, do you ask him how he discovered his drugs? Of course not. You came to me for a.s.sistance, and showed me that you were ready to pay liberally for that a.s.sistance, and, of course, I set to work instanter.”

”But is that--are you sure--that Miss--that the young lady is there?”

”Certainly not,” said Mr Whittrick; ”some time has pa.s.sed since then.

But I am ready to make affidavit that she was there. Now then, sir, what can I do for you next?”

”Nothing more,” said Charley; ”I am quite satisfied.”

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