‘Well, we didn’t get much out of Ye Ed., did we?’ said Laura, an hour or two later.
‘Only that young Mr Grant, although permanently employed as a reporter, is allowed to act as a freelance when the editor has no particular assignment for him; only that the editor’s his father’s friend and, for that reason, he a person of some importance on the paper; only that he receives an expenses allowance out of all proportion to his salary—’
‘Ye Ed. being his father’s friend would account for that, I suppose. It’s his way of giving him an allowance which doesn’t actually come out of his own pocket. Quite an idea, in a way. Wonder what the other reporters think of it?’
‘I doubt whether there are any other reporters, child.’
‘Ye Ed. is his own newshound? How dashed improper! I thought they always sat glued to a swivel chair and wore a green eye-shade and got all hectic beacuse they’d got a blank half-column or their advertisers weren’t kicking in the dough at the appointed time.’
‘From what I gathered, the editor covers all the purely local or Freagairian excitements, sometimes accompanied by a photographer, but that young Mr Grant has a roving commission, over a wide area, but no photographer.’
There’s an office boy, anyway. Did you see him? – a freckled, intelligent-looking kid of about fifteen.’
The son of the editor, I understood.’
‘You seem to have understood a whole lot more than I did. You think the kid is left in charge while father is out nosing around for news? Is that the set-up?’
‘It may be. You know, young Mr Grant was not reporting our Conference
‘Well, he said he liked crowds and the bright lights and soft music, so I expect he went to the pictures and did himself well at the best restaurants and all that kind of thing.’
‘I think he may have spent some of his time in Leith, child.’
‘How that place is beginning to crop up! What’s its importance in this tangled history?’
‘What is its
‘Shades of Cartaret Training College and the ghost of one Tweetman, whose jogger notes I inherited from one Cartwright! Remember? Oh, no, you weren’t in on that one. Leith is the port for Edinburgh, not that that bit of information was in Tweetman’s notes, those being of local importance only. Leith – my Uncle Hamish used to point in its direction when I was a child of tender years and during those times when he used to instruct, inform and entertain me on the heights of Edinburgh Castle. And talking of Edinburgh, what about that bit of young Grant’s story?’
‘The death of the man in the street?’
‘I told you at the time that it was murder.’
‘He seemed quite sure of it, too. It must have startled him when he recognised you as the woman who had made one of the crowd with him at that time.’
‘Once seen, never forgotten,’ said Laura smugly. ‘But what did you want me to tell you about Leith?’
‘Leith does not quite fit in with my ideas and yet it has been mentioned. What I am in quest of is something smaller, less important and populated by people who can emulate the three wise monkeys – people, in short, who are conservative, inbred, not particularly interested in strangers, can mind their own business and—’
‘Newhaven,’ said Laura. ‘My uncle took me there once to have a special fish dinner. It’s a fishing port just west of Leith and the fish dinners there are quite something. The population are all decended from Danes and Dutchmen and keep themselves to themselves. They don’t care to marry anybody from outside and their women are enormously tough and strong. They seem to be a community quite on their own. How will Newhaven suit your book?’
‘So beautifully that I regard you with reverence, my dear Laura.’
‘It’s Uncle Hamish you should regard with reverence. There’s nothing about the environs of Edinburgh that he doesn’t know. What do we do? – dash to Newhaven and put the inhabitants in a panic? I really doubt whether we could.’
‘I feel sure we could not. Neither would it be desirable. We need not even go to Newhaven at present – if, indeed, at all.’
‘Pity! I could easily manage another of those fish dinners. What next, then?’
‘Next we find out the significance of the fabulous animals and supply the authorities with a code. To do this we shall need a digest from Lloyd’s Register of Shipping.’
‘I begin to see daylight – at least, I think I do. You mean that each of Macbeth’s fabulous beasts represents a ship?’
‘That is my theory, and, of course, it is nothing
‘And these ships use Newhaven as a base?’
‘If I am right, these ships bring sugar and coffee from a self-governing island, and, so far as anybody on this side is concerned, they are owned by a reputable and honest trading company whose name we shall learn in due course.’
‘How do we get hold of Lloyds’ Register?’
‘We do not. I write to a friend of mine who sees a copy yearly upon publication. He is one of Lloyds’ underwriters and will thoroughly enjoy playing detective for us.’
‘And while he’s doing that?’
