Part 27 (1/2)

”Thank you! I came back sooner than I expected,” Foster replied, rather dryly

Carrace in an easy chair

”Well, I've no doubt you have much to tell h and London, I won't let anybody in”

”Aren't you anxious to know if I delivered the packet?”

”The packet? I had forgotten it,” Carht have written to let me know you took it safe But I dare say you had s to do”

”As it happened, I had,” Foster replied with a touch of griot an answer”

Carht he had not played up ”You can give me the answer afterwards Tell me about Featherstone's place and his people I'm curious about them; particularly his sisters I suppose he has soht he understood Carmen was clever and would not have used such obvious means had she wished to learn if Lawrence had a sister who had attracted him What she wanted was to persuade him that the packet was not iave hed, but he thought the laugh was forced ”Doesn't that sound rather stupid when I sent the thing?”

”Perhaps it does,” said Foster gravely ”Still, I hope you didn't know”

Her coquettish htly forhile her eyes got hard Indeed, there was so feline in her alert pose Now she had, so to speak, unsheathed her claws, he was glad the advantage was heavily on his side For all that, he did not want to hurt her

”Go on,” she said sharply

”Very well I got an anshich I opened I'll show it to you, but won't give it up”

”You opened it!” she exclaimed ”Do you mean to keep a letter that was sent to me?”

”I don't think it was sent to you; that's important”

Carmen smiled defiantly and Foster admired her pluck, since it was obvious that he had found out the trick Still he thought she did not kno important the letter really was

”Then you can quit fencing and get down to business,” she said, and Foster saw that the surface polish she generally as thin The character it concealed was fierce and somewhat primitive He had suspected that Carmen would not be restrained by conventions if she let herself go

”If you'll be patient, I'll try towhat had happened at the factory the night Fred Hulton was killed Carmen was obviously puzzled, which was a relief to him, but he saw comprehension in her look as he went on to relate how he had been watched by the police, and his intervieith Graha changed to horror, and when he stopped he saw that she had got a cruel shock Her face hite, her gaze was fixed, and, her eyes were unusually wide open Still he thought it was through her pride she suffered most Then she braced herself and looked at hiining things when you were hiding in the bogs It's a quite impossible story!”

”It sounds like that, but I have some proof; money for Daly and another man, which I suppose you were to send on It's evidently their share of the plunder”

He took out his wallet and held up the checks, keeping, however, a firht for her lover she would not be scrupulous

”Daly wasn't near the factory the night Fred Hulton was killed I knohere he was,” she said in a strained but defiant voice

”All the better for him,” Foster rejoined ”It's pretty clear that he had a share in the thing”