“Most decidedly I do. And I want to know what the hell you think that has to do with you?”
“It may have nothing and it may have everything,” Roger said calmly. “But I advise you to tell me, if not for your own sake at least for the lady’s.”
If this was a chance shot, it had certainly got home. Jefferson’s face took on a deeper tinge and his eyes widened in sheer fury. He clenched his fists till the knuckles showed up white and menacing.
“Damn you, Sheringham, that’s about enough!” he muttered, advancing towards the other. “I don’t know what the devil you think you’re playing at, but—”
A sudden bluff darted into Roger’s mind. After all, what was a man like Jefferson doing as secretary to a man like Stanworth? He decided to risk it.
“Before you do anything rash, Jefferson,” he said quickly, “I’d like to ask you another question. What was Stanworth blackmailing you for?”
There are times when bluff pays. This was one of them. Jefferson stopped short in his stride, his hands fell limply to his sides and his jaw drooped open. It was as if he had been struck by a sudden and unexpected bullet.
“Sit down and let’s talk things over quietly,” Roger advised, and Jefferson resumed his seat without a word.
Roger reviewed the situation rapidly in his mind.
“You see,” he began in conversational tones, “I know quite a lot of what’s been going on here, and in the circumstances I really have no alternative but to find out the rest. I admit that it places me in rather an awkward situation, but I can’t see that I can very well do anything else. Now what I suggest, Jefferson, is that we both put our cards on the table and talk the thing over as two men of the world. Do you agree?”
Jefferson frowned. “You don’t appear to give me much option, do you? Though what it has to do with you, I’m really hanged if I can see.”
It was on Roger’s lips to retort that Jefferson would very probably be hanged if he didn’t, but fortunately he was able to control himself.
“I should have thought that would have been obvious,” he said smoothly. “I can hardly leave things as they are, can I? Still, we’ll pass over that for the present. Now Stanworth was, as I know, a blackmailer, and there can be no doubt as to that affecting the situation in no small degree.”
“What situation?” Jefferson asked in puzzled tones.
Roger glanced at him shrewdly. “The situation,” he said firmly. “I think we both understand to what I am referring.”
“I’m blessed if I do,” Jefferson retorted.
“Of course if you take up that attitude—!” Roger said tentatively. “Still, perhaps it’s a little early to get down to brass tacks,” he added, after a moment’s pause. “We’ll confine ourselves to the other aspect for a time, shall we? Now Stanworth, I take it, had some definite hold over you. Would you mind telling me exactly what that was?”
“Is this necessary?” Jefferson demanded shortly. “My private affair, you know. Why the deuce should you want to concern yourself in it?”
“Don’t talk like that, Jefferson, please. You must see what course you’ll force on me if you do.”
“Damned if I do! What course?”
“To put the whole thing in the hands of the police, naturally.”
Jefferson started violently. “Good God, you wouldn’t do that, Sheringham!”
“I don’t want to do so, of course. But you really must be frank with me. Now please tell me all about your relations with Stanworth. I may tell you, to save you trouble, that I am already in full possession of all the similar facts with regard to—well, the lady in the case.”
“The devil you are!” Jefferson exclaimed in undisguised astonishment. “Oh, well, if I’ve got to tell you, I suppose I must. Though what in the name of goodness it can have to—However!”
He leaned back in his chair and began to fiddle abstractedly with the papers in front of him.
“It was this way. My regiment was in India. Pal of mine and I were both in love with the same girl. No bad blood or anything like that. Good friends all the time. He got her. Wanted to get married at once, but very hard up, of course. We all were. He’d got a lot of debts, too. Damned fool went and drew a check on another man’s account. Forged it, if you like. Absurd thing to do; bound to come out. There was a hell of a row, but we managed to keep it confined to a few of us. Chap came and confessed to me; asked what on earth he’d better do. They hadn’t found out who’d done it yet, but when they did it would be all up with him. Lose the girl and everything; she was fond enough of him, but straight as a die herself. Couldn’t have stood the disgrace. Well, what could I do? Couldn’t stand by and see all this happen. Went to the colonel and told him I’d done the blessed thing. Only thing to do.”
“By Jove, you sportsman!” Roger exclaimed involuntarily.
“Sportsman be damned! Wouldn’t have done it for him alone. I was thinking of the girl.”
“And what happened?”
“Oh, it was hushed up as much as possible. I had to send in my papers, of course, but the fellow didn’t prosecute. Then that hound Stanworth got wind of the story somehow and managed to lay his hands on the check, which had never been destroyed. Perfect godsend to him, of course. Gave me choice of taking on this job with him or letting the whole thing be passed on to the police. No alternative. I had to take on the job.”
“But why on earth did he want you as his secretary? That’s what I can’t understand.”
“Simple enough. He wanted to push his way in among the sort of people I knew. I was a sort of social sponsor for him. Damned unpleasant job, of course, but what
