there. That will be useful.'
'I'm sorry you can't be there,' said Jimmy. 'But on the whole I think it's all for the best.'
'I'm not so sure I shan't be there,' said Bundle. 'Codders hates me like poison – but there are other ways.'
She became meditative.
'And what about me?' asked Loraine in a small, meek voice.
'You're not on in this act,' said Jimmy instantly. 'See? After all, we've got to have someone outside to – er –'
'To what?' said Loraine.
Jimmy decided not to pursue this tack. He appealed to Bundle.
'Look here,' he said, 'Loraine must keep out of this, mustn't she?'
'I certainly think she'd better.'
'Next time,' said Jimmy kindly.
'And suppose there isn't a next time?' said Loraine.
'Oh, there probably will be. Not a doubt of it.'
'I see. I'm just to go home and – wait.'
'That's it,' said Jimmy, with every appearance of relief. 'I thought you'd understand.'
'You see,' explained Bundle, 'three of us forcing our way in might look rather suspicious. And you would be particularly difficult. You do see that, don't you?'
'Oh, yes,' said Loraine.
'Then it's settled – you do nothing,' said Jimmy.
'I do nothing,' said Loraine meekly.
Bundle looked at her in sudden suspicion. The tameness with which Loraine was taking it seemed hardly natural. Loraine looked at her. Her eyes were blue and guileless. They met Bundle's without a quiver even of the lashes. Bundle was only partly satisfied. She found the meekness of Loraine Wade highly suspicious.
Chapter 10
BUNDLE VISITS SCOTLAND YARD
Now it may be said at once that in the foregoing conversation each one of the three participants had, as it were, held something in reserve. That 'Nobody tells everything' is a very true motto.
It may be questioned, for instance, if Loraine Wade was perfectly sincere in her account of the motives which had led her to seek out Jimmy Thesiger.
In the same way, Jimmy Thesiger himself had various ideas and plans connected with the forthcoming party at George Lomax's which he had no intention of revealing to – say – Bundle.
And Bundle herself had a fully-fledged plan which she proposed to put into immediate execution and which she had said nothing whatever about.
On leaving Jimmy Thesiger's rooms, she drove to Scotland Yard, where she asked to see Superintendent Battle.
Superintendent Battle was rather a big man. He worked almost entirely on cases of a delicate political nature. On such a case he had come to Chimneys four years ago, and Bundle was frankly trading on his remembering this fact.
After a short delay, she was taken along several corridors and into the Superintendent's private room. Battle was a stolid-looking man with a wooden face. He looked supremely unintelligent and more like a commissionaire than a detective.
He was standing by the window when she entered, gazing in an expressionless manner at some sparrows.
'Good afternoon, Lady Eileen,' he said. 'Sit down, won't you?'
'Thank you,' said Bundle. 'I was afraid you mightn't remember me.'
'Always remember people,' said Battle . He added: 'Got to in my job.'
'Oh!' said Bundle, rather damped.
'And what can I do for you?' inquired the Superintendent.
Bundle came straight to the point.
'I've always heard that you people at Scotland Yard have lists of all secret societies and things like that that are formed in London .'
'We try to keep up to date,' said Superintendent Battle cautiously.
'I suppose a great many of them aren't really dangerous.'
'We've got a very good rule to go by,' said Battle . 'The more they talk, the less they'll do. You'd be surprised how well that works out.'
'And I've heard that very often you let them go on?'
Battle nodded.
'That's so. Why shouldn't a man call himself a Brother of Liberty and meet twice a week in a cellar and talk about rivers of blood – it won't hurt either him or you and if there is any trouble any time, we know where to lay our hands on him.'
'But sometimes, I suppose,' said Bundle slowly, 'a society may be more dangerous than anyone imagines?'
'Very unlikely,' said Battle .
'But it might happen,' persisted Bundle.
'Oh, it might,' admitted the Superintendent.
There was a moment or two's silence. Then Bundle said quietly:
'Superintendent Battle, could I have a list of secret societies with headquarters in Seven Dials?'
It was Superintendent Battle's pride to have never been seen to display emotions of any kind. Bundle could have sworn that just for a moment his eyelids flickered. He was taken aback. Only for a moment. After that, he was his usual wooden self.
'Strictly speaking, Lady Eileen, there is no longer such place as Seven Dials.'
'No?'
'No. Most of it is pulled down and rebuilt on. It was rather a low quarter, but nowadays it is a respectable and high class part of town. Not at all a romantic spot to search for mysterious secret societies.'
'Oh!' said Bundle, rather taken aback.
'But all the same I should like to know what put that neighbourhood in your head, Lady Eileen.'
'Have I got to tell you?'
'Well, it saves trouble, if we know where we are, so to speak.'
Bundle hesitated for an instant.
'There was a man shot,' she said slowly. 'I thought I had run him over.'
'Mr. Ronald Devereux?'
'You know about it, of course. Why has there been nothing in the papers?'
'Do you really want to know that, Lady Eileen?'
'Yes, please.'
'Well, we just thought we should like to have a clear twenty-four hours – see? It will be in the papers tomorrow.'
'Oh!' Bundle studied him, puzzled.
What was hidden behind that immovable face? Did he regard the shooting of Ronald Devereux as an ordinary crime or as an extraordinary one?
'He mentioned Seven Dials when he was dying,' said Bundle slowly.
'Thank you,' said Battle . 'I'll make a note of that.'
He wrote a few words on the blotting pad in front of him.
Bundle started on another tack.
