recovered the booty itself apparently intact. All in all, he felt that this was one occasion when even his tyrannical superiors at Scotland Yard would be unable to withhold the commendation which was his due. There was something almost like human tolerance in his sleepy eyes as they glanced around and located Hoppy Uniatz leaning against the wall in the background.
'That was quick work,' he said, making the advance with some difficulty. 'We might have had a lot more trouble if you hadn't been with us.'
Mr Uniatz had a jack-knife of fearsome dimensions in one hand. He appeared to be carving some kind of marks on the butt of his gun. He waved the knife without looking up from his work.
'Aw, nuts,' he said modestly. 'All youse guys need is a little practice.'
Mr Teal swallowed.
Patricia Holm squeezed through between two burly constables and smiled at him.
'Well,' she said sweetly, 'don't you owe us all some thanks? I won't say anything about an apology.'
'I suppose I do,' Teal said grudgingly. It wasn't easy for him to say it, or even to convince himself that he meant it. The sadly acquired suspiciousness that had become an integral part of his souring nature had driven its roots too deep for him to feel really comfortable in any situation where there was even a hint of the involvement of any member of the Saint's entourage. But for once he was trying nobly to be just. He grumbled halfheartedly: 'But you had us in the wrong house, all the same. If Uniatz hadn't happened to notice them coming in here——'
'But he did, didn't he?'
'It was a risk that none of you had any right to take,' Teal said starchily. 'Why didn't the Saint tell me what he
'I've told you,' she said. 'He felt pretty hurt about the way you were trying to pin something on to him. Of course, since he knew he'd never been to Verdean's house, he figured out that the second two men the maid saw were just a couple of other crooks trying to hijack the job. He guessed that Kaskin and Dolf had scared them off and taken Verdean away to go on working him over in their own time——'
That hypersensitive congenital suspicion stabbed Mr Teal again like a needle prodded into a tender boil.
'You never told me he knew their names!' he barked. 'How did he know that?'
'Didn't I ?' she said ingenuously. 'Well, of course he knew. Or at any rate he had a pretty good idea. He'd heard a rumour weeks ago that Kaskin and Dolf were planning a bank holdup with an inside stooge. You know how these rumours get around; only I suppose Scotland Yard doesn't hear them. So naturally he thought of them. He knew their favourite hideouts, so it wasn't hard to find them. And as soon as he knew they'd broken Verdean down, he had me get hold of you while he went on following them. He sent Hoppy to fetch us directly he knew they were coming here. Naturally he thought they'd be going to Verdean's house, but of course Verdean might always have hidden the money somewhere else close by, so that's why I had Hoppy watching outside. Simon just wanted to get even with you by handing you the whole thing on a platter; and you can't really blame him. After all, he was on the side of the law all the time. And it all worked out, Now, why don't you admit that he got the best of you and did you a good turn at the same time?'
Chief Inspector Teal scowled at the toes of his official boots. He had heard it all before, but it was hard for him to believe. And yet it indisputably fitted with the facts as he knew them . . . He hitched his gum stolidly across to the other side of his mouth.
'Well, I'll be glad to thank him,' he growled; and then a twinge of surprising alarm came suddenly into his face. 'Hey, where is he? If they caught him following them——'
'I was wondering when you'd begin to worry about me,' said the Saint's injured voice.
Mr Teal looked up.
Simon
