waiter the story of how Mrs. Halliday had been in bed with a severe cold ever since her arrival, and how Mr. Halliday, like a truly devoted American husband, had never left her side. This evening was the first evening they had been out. Mrs. Halliday had felt so much better that Mr. Halliday had decided that a short spin in the country, well wrapped up in a closed car, might do her a lot of good.
'On a nice warm winter's night!' commented Teal sarcastically. 'And, of course, in the dark she could enjoy the scenery! Yes, that's a very good story.'
The source of information was understood to remark that such eccentricities were to be expected of wealthy Americans.
'Yes, very wealthy Americans,' agreed Teal.
He picked up a small leather valise. It was empty. Further investigation showed that it was the one and only item of their property that Mr. and Mrs. Halliday had left in the suite.
'Did they take any rugs with them?' asked Teal.
'They borrowed two from the hotel, sir, for the drive.'
'It's amazing what a lot of stuff you can carry under a rug,' said Teal, 'if you know the trick of packing it.'
Returning downstairs to the manager's office, he learnt, as he expected, that the car had been ordered by the hotel on behalf of Mr. Halliday.
'We arrange these things,' said the manager.
'And sometimes,' said Teal, with a certain morose enthusiasm, 'you pay for them, too.'
The manager was not entirely green.
'I suppose,' he said, 'we needn't expect them back?'
'You needn't,' said Teal. 'That's another eccentricity of these very wealthy Americans.'
He hurried back to Scotland Yard, and by the time he arrived there he had decided that there was only one place in England where Jill Trelawney and Simon Templar could plausibly be going that night.
He tried to telephone to Essenden, and was informed that the line was out of order. Then he tried to get in touch with the assistant commissioner, but Cullis had left the Yard at six o'clock, and was not to be found either at his private address or at his club.
Teal was left with only one thing to do; for he had a profound contempt for all police officials outside the Metropolitan area.
At ten minutes to ten he was speeding through the west of London in a police car; and he realized, grimly, that he was unlikely to arrive at Essenden's anything less than two hours too late.
HOW JILL TRELAWNEY KEPT AN APPOINTMENT,
AND SIMON TEMPLAR WENT PADDLING
ESSENDEN poured himself out another drink, and pushed the decanter towards the centre of the table.
It was quiet in Essenden Towers that night. Lord Essenden had seen to that. With some ingenuity, and a solicitude which hitherto he had not been in the habit of manifesting, he had suggested to Lady Essenden that her appreciation of country life would be enhanced by an occasional visit to London, In fact, he said, he had taken a box at the Orpheum Theatre, for that very night.
It was unfortunate that at the last moment, when they had been on the point of setting out for London,
