13 The Saint Intervenes (Boodle)

As they walked back towards the Newdick helicopter the pilot studied it with a puzzled frown.

'Is that one of our machines?' he said.

'More or less,' Simon told him.

'It looks as if it had been put together wrong,' said the pilot worriedly. 'Have you been having trouble with it?'

The Saint shook his head.

'I think you'll find,' he answered, 'that it's been put to­gether right.'

He demonstrated what he meant, and when they returned the test pilot took the machine up again himself and tried it a second time. Other test pilots tried it. Engineers scratched their heads over it and tried it. Telephone calls were made to London. A whole two hours passed before Simon Templar dropped the machine beside Mr. Newdick's sheds and re­lieved the inventor of the agonies of anxiety which had been racking him.

'I was afraid you'd killed yourself,' said Mr. Newdick with emotion; and indeed the thought that his miraculous benefactor might have passed away before being separated from his money had brought Mr. Newdick out in several cold sweats.

The Saint grinned.

'I just buzzed over to Reading to look up a friend,' he said untruthfully. 'I like your helicopter. Let us go inside and talk business.'

When he returned to Patricia, much later that day, he was jubilant but mysterious. He spent most of the next day with Mr. Newdick, and half of the Saturday which came after, but he refused to tell her what he was doing. It was not until that evening, when he was pouring beer once more for Monty Hayward, that he mentioned Mr. Newdick again; and then his announcement took her breath away.

'I've bought that helicopter company,' he said casually.

'You've what?' spluttered Monty.

'I've bought that helicopter company and everything it owns,' said the Saint, 'for forty thousand pounds.'

They gaped at him for a while in silence, while he calmly continued with the essential task of opening bottles.

'The man's mad,' said Patricia finally. 'I always thought so.'

'When did you do this?' asked Monty.

'We fixed up the last details of the deal today,' said the Saint. 'Oscar is due here at any minute to sign the papers.'

Monty swallowed beer feverishly.

'I suppose you wouldn't care to buy my shares as well?' he suggested.

'Sure, I'll buy them,' said the Saint affably. 'Name your price. Oscar's contribution gives me a controlling interest, but I can always handle a bit more. As ordered by Patricia, I'm going into business. The machine is to be rechristened the Templar helicopter. I shall go down to history as the man who put England in the air. Bevies of English beauty, wearing their Templar longerons—stays, braces, and everything complete——'

The ringing of his door-bell interrupted the word-picture and took him from the room before any of the questions that were howling through their bewildered minds could be asked.

Mr. Newdick was on the mat, beaming like a delighted fox. Simon took his hat and umbrella, took Mr. Newdick by the arm, and led him through into the