'Dis lottery ticket,' he said. 'It must be woit plenty.'
'It is, Hoppy. It's worth two million dollars.'
'Chees, boss --' Mr Uniatz counted on his fingers. 'What I couldn't do wit' five hundred grand!'
Simon frowned at him.
'What do you mean-five hundred grand?'
'I t'ought ya might make dat my end, boss. De last time, ya cut me in two bits on de buck. Half a million for me an' one an' a half for you. Or is dat too much?' said Hoppy wistfully.
'Let's work it out when we get it,' said the Saint shortly; and then the door opened and Christine came out.
She nodded in answer to his question.
'He's asleep already,' she said. And then: 'I don't see why I should turn your friend out of his bed. I can sleep in a chair and keep an eye on Joris quite easily.'
'Good Lord, no,' said the Saint breezily. 'Hoppy can sleep anywhere. He sleeps on his feet most of the day. You can't even tell the difference until you get used to him. If Joris wants anything, Hoppy will fix it; and if Hoppy can't fix it he'll call me; and if it's anything serious I'll call you. But you need all the rest you can get, the same as Joris.'
He pushed Hoppy gently but firmly away towards his vigil and unlocked the other room with the key he had taken from downstairs. He switched on the lights and followed her in, locking the door after him and taking the key out to give to her.
'Keep it like that-just in case of accidents. It's not so much for tonight as for tomorrow, in case Graner and company get up early. You can lock the communicating door on your side.'
He unlocked it and went through into his own room to rake a dressing gown out of his suitcase. When he turned round she had followed him. He hung the robe over her arm.
'It's the best I can do,' he said. 'I'm afraid my pajamas would be a bit loose on you, but you can have some if you like. Can you think of anything else ?'
'Have you got a spare cigarette?'
He took a packet off the dressing table and gave it to her.
'So if that's all we can do for you --'
She didn't make a move to go. She stood there with her hands in the pockets of her light coat and the dressing gown looped over her arm, looking at him with dried eyes that he suddenly realised might be impish. The light picked the burnished copper out of the curls on her russet head. Her coat was belted at the waist, and thrown open under the belt; under it the thin dress she wore flowed over slender curves that would have been disturbing to watch too closely.
'You didn't tell me why Graner's expecting you,' she said.
He sank on to the end of the bed.
'That's easy. You see, I answered his telegram.'
'You did?'
'Naturally. I knew Felson and Holby were jewel thieves. I recognised the name of Joris as ... Well, frankly, it was associated with a rather famous job of jewel borrowing. And an unknown Mr Graner seemed to be tied up with the whole party. So I figured that Comrade Graner would be worth looking at. I wired him 'Know very man. Have phoned him. Says he will leave immediately'-and signed it 'Felson.''
'You mean you were going to work for him?'
'I never cut a diamond in my life, darling. And I don't work with anybody. I just thought it might pay a dividend if I got to know Reuben a little better. Reuben would pay the dividend-but not for services rendered.'
'I see.' There was a quirk of humour in her straightforward brown eyes. 'You thought you could blackmail him.'
His fine brows slanted up at her in a line of gay, unscrupulous mockery.
'I shouldn't put it like that myself. It probably wouldn't even be literally true. I'm an idealist. You could call me an adjuster of unjust differences. Why should Graner have such a lot of diamonds when I haven't any? If he's anything like what he sounds like from the way you talk about him, it's almost a sacred duty to adjust him. Hence my telegram.'
'But suppose Rodney wired him something different?'
The Saint smiled.
'I don't think either Rodney or George is sending any wires just now,' he said carefully. 'After I picked up the telegram I followed them out of Chicote's to keep an eye on them. As soon as they got outside, a couple of birds in plain clothes flashed badges at them, and then they all got into a taxi and drove away. From the smug expressions of the badge merchants and the worried looks of Rodney and George, I gathered that whatever they were doing in Madrid must have sprung a leak. Anyway, it was good enough to take a chance on.'
'But the others 'll recognise you.'
'I doubt it. It was pretty dark on the road. I wouldn't be too sure of recognising them, apart from the identification marks I left on them-and I had a hat pulled down over my eyes. That's good enough to take a chance on too.'
He put out his cigarette and stood up. The movement brought them face to face; and he put his hands on her shoulders.
