Stars For The Toff

protection. I am sure there is no cause at all for alarm. Coffee, sir? Or tea? Or something stronger?”

Tea,” said Rollison, “and we’ll talk in the morning.”

“Very good, sir.”

“Jolly.”

“Yes, sir?”

“What happened tonight?”

“Lucifer Stride called, sir, to ask your opinion of Madam Melinska’s chances of being proved innocent. While we were talking I heard the prisoner stirring in the spare room, and went to investigate—and as I went through the door I was attacked from behind. But not by Stride, sir.”

“Can you be sure?”

“He uses a quite unmistakable perfume, sir. I feel quite certain I would have noticed it.”

“So you don’t know the attacker. Jolly, what do you think of Madam Melinska?”

Jolly looked upon him earnestly, obviously weighing his words with great care.

“If I may say so, sir, I think she is harbouring a viper in her bosom. I would not trust the young woman an inch, despite her quite remarkable gifts. Apart from that—we did agree that we might be aptly described as anachronisms, didn’t we, sir?”

“We did.”

“At the risk of appearing to be old-fashioned, sir—my impression is that Madam Melinska is a very good person, quite incapable of deceit or trickery, fraud or dishonesty of any kind. It is an opinion which your aunt shares fully. In fact, sir, Lady Hurst will be deeply distressed and—ah—displeased if you are not able to establish Madam Melinska’s innocence.”

Rollison lifted his brows quizzically.

“Even if she is guilty?”

“I don’t think Lady Hurst or I consider it a possibility that she is guilty, sir.” After a pause, Jolly asked: “Will you have your tea here, sir, or in your room?”

“In my room,” said Rollison, faintly.

*     *     *

Rollison woke to an unusual sound at this hour; men’s voices. First Jolly’s then the voices of strangers, one deep and somehow not English, the other native Cockney. Police? wondered Rollison. Ebbutt’s men? Then he heard the man with the deep voice saying:

“I think that’s the lot, sir.”

“I certainly hope so.” Jolly sounded unbelieving. Five sacks, did you say?”

“S’right,” the Cockney said. “Full to blinking overflowing, mate. S’long.”

Heavy footsteps followed, and the front door closed. There was silence. Five sacks? What would come in sacks and astonish Jolly? Rollison got out of bed and pulled on a blue dressing- gown, then went to the door and peered out.

Jolly was saying in a baffled voice: There must be a thousand in each.”

A thousand what?

Rollison reached the door of the living-room and saw five postal sacks dumped near the desk. Letters, thought Rollison, startled. Jolly, in his shirt-sleeves, stood and stared gloomily at the sacks.

“Someone’s written to us,” Rollison remarked.

Jolly started and turned round.

“Good morning, sir. I didn’t hear you. Yes, they have indeed.”

“I wonder if these could be letters of encouragement from strangers rooting for Madam Melinska,” mused Rollison. He untied one of the sacks and took out a handful of letters. “London, W.l—London, S.E.7— Guildford, Surrey—Amersham, Bucks— Isleworth, Middx. You try a few, Jolly.” He sat at his desk and slit open the five letters, then unfolded the first; a cheque fell out, for three guineas. The letter read:

“With very best wishes for your success in defending Madam Melinska—a small  contribution to the cost of her defence.”

Rollison opened the next letter; it contained a postal order for five shillings. The attached note read:

“In defence of the truth.”

Jolly said: “A cheque for two pounds, sir, from someone who signs himself “Well-Wisher,” and a money order for thirteen shillings and sixpence, with a long letter on writing-paper inscribed with the signs of the Zodiac.”

“Open a few more,” Rollison told him.

Ten minutes later he picked up a pile of cheques and money orders, and made a rough calculation. Jolly watched him intently.

“Fifty-seven in all, and a total not far short of a hundred pounds,” Rollison announced. “And there are at least five thousand.”

“Ten thousand, I would say, sir.”

“Say two hundred times our hundred pounds,” Rollison said. “Jolly, it can’t be!”