Emperor's Snuff-Box by John Dickson Carr

Author:John Dickson Carr [Carr, John Dickson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4804-7247-1
Publisher: Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller
Published: 2014-02-26T00:18:00+00:00

XII

IN THE DRAWING ROOM downstairs, Eve and Toby had the place to themselves. Only one standard-lamp, with a golden-yellow shade, had been turned on; and this in a far corner of the room. Neither of them wanted to have a good look at the other’s face.

Eve was searching for her handbag, which in the present muddled state of her wits she could not find. She kept walking aimlessly round the room, examining the same places over and over; but, as she seemed to be approaching the door, Toby hurried to it and stood in front of it.

“You’re not going?” he demanded.

“I want my handbag,” Eve said blindly. “Then I must go. Will you stand away from that door, please?”

“But we’ve got to talk this thing out!”

“What is there to talk about?”

“The police think —”

“The police, as you heard,” Eve told him, “are coming to arrest me. So I’d better go over and pack a bag, hadn’t I? They’ll allow me that, I hope.”

A baffled expression crossed Toby’s face. He put up one hand and rubbed his forehead. Justice must be done: he did not realize how self-consciously noble he looked, how martyr-like and heroic, with his chin up and an obvious determination to do the right thing whatever it cost his feelings.

“You understand,” he said, “I’ll stand by you. Don’t for a minute think I won’t!”

“Thank you.”

Sensing no irony, Toby kept a thoughtful eye on the floor. He had begun to reflect.

“Whatever happens, they mustn’t arrest you. That’s the great thing. I doubt if they mean it anyway. They’re probably bluffing. But I’ll see the British Consul tonight. You see, if they arrested you—well, the bank wouldn’t like it.”

“I hope none of you would like it.”

“You don’t understand these things, Eve. Hockson’s is one of the oldest financial institutions in England. And Caesar’s wife and all that, as I’ve often said before. You mustn’t blame me just because I try to safeguard our position.”

Eve held tight to her nerves.

“Do you believe I killed your father, Toby?”

She was surprised at the look of shrewdness which animated his rather stolid features, a flash of something deeper than she had ever noticed in Toby Lawes.

“You never killed anybody,” he retorted. His forehead darkened. “That damned maid of yours is behind all this, or I’m a Dutchman. She —”

“What do you know about her, Toby?”

“Nothing.” He drew a deep breath. “But I do think it’s a little hard on me,”—the querulous note rose in his voice,—“just when we were getting on so well, and everything was so pleasant, that you should pick up with this Atwood fellow again.”

“Is that what you believe?”

Toby was in agony.

“What else can I believe? Come on, now: let’s be honest! Mind you, I’m not quite so old-fashioned as you think, in spite of Janice’s joking. In fact, I flatter myself I’m pretty broad-minded. I don’t know, or want to know, anything about your past life before you met me. I can forgive and forget all that.”

Eve stopped short, and merely looked at him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.