'I don't just remember, sir.'
'Ah, Podgers, you are neglecting the big things in that house. Sure
you can't remember?'
'No, sir.'
'Once the money is in and the safe locked up, what does the clerk do?'
'Goes to his room, sir.'
'Where is this room?'
'On the third floor, sir.'
'Where do you sleep?'
'On the fourth floor with the rest of the servants, sir.'
'Where does the master sleep?'
'On the second floor, adjoining his study.'
'The house consists of four stories and a basement, does it?'
'Yes, sir.'
'I have somehow arrived at the suspicion that it is a very narrow
house. Is that true?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Does the clerk ever dine with your master?'
'No, sir. The clerk don't eat in the house at all, sir.'
'Does he go away before breakfast?'
'No, sir.'
'No one takes breakfast to his room?'
'No, sir.'
'What time does he leave the house?'
'At ten o'clock, sir.'
'When is breakfast served?'
'At nine o'clock, sir.'
'At what hour does your master retire to his study?'
'At half-past nine, sir.'
'Locks the door on the inside?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Never rings for anything during the day?'
'Not that I know of, sir.'
'What sort of a man is he?'
Here Podgers was on familiar ground, and he rattled off a description
minute in every particular.
'What I meant was, Podgers, is he silent, or talkative, or does he get
angry? Does he seem furtive, suspicious, anxious, terrorised, calm,
excitable, or what?'
'Well, sir, he is by way of being very quiet, never has much to say
for himself; never saw him angry, or excited.'
'Now, Podgers, you've been at Park Lane for a fortnight or more. You
are a sharp, alert, observant man. What happens there that strikes you
as unusual?'
'Well, I can't exactly say, sir,' replied Podgers, looking rather
helplessly from his chief to myself, and back again.
'Your professional duties have often compelled you to enact the part
of butler before, otherwise you wouldn't do it so well. Isn't that the
case.'
Podgers did not reply, but glanced at his chief. This was evidently a
question pertaining to the service, which a subordinate was not
allowed to answer. However, Hale said at once,--
'Certainly. Podgers has been in dozens of places.'
'Well, Podgers, just call to mind some of the other households where
you have been employed, and tell me any particulars in which Mr
Summertrees' establishment differs from them.'
Podgers pondered a long time.
'Well, sir, he do stick to writing pretty close.'
'Ah, that's his profession, you see, Podgers. Hard at it from
half-past nine till towards seven, I imagine?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Anything else, Podgers? No matter how trivial.'
'Well, sir, he's fond of reading too; leastways, he's fond of
newspapers.'
'When does he read?'
'I've never seen him read 'em, sir; indeed, so far as I can tell, I
never knew the papers to be opened, but he takes them all in, sir.'
'What, all the morning papers?'
'Yes, sir, and all the evening papers too.'
'Where are the morning papers placed?'
'On the table in his study, sir.'
'And the evening papers?'
'Well, sir, when the evening papers come, the study is locked. They
are put on a side table in the dining-room, and he takes them upstairs
with him to his study.'
'This has happened every day since you've been there?'
'Yes, sir.'
'You reported that very striking fact to your chief, of course?'
'No, sir, I don't think I did,' said Podgers, confused.
'You should have done so. Mr. Hale would have known how to make the
most of a point so vital.'
'Oh, come now, Valmont,' interrupted Hale, 'you're chaffing us. Plenty
of people take in all the papers!'
'I think not. Even clubs and hotels subscribe to the leading journals
only. You said _all_, I think, Podgers?'
'Well, _nearly_ all, sir.'
'But which is it? There's a vast difference.'
'He takes a good many, sir.'
'How many?'
'I don't just know, sir.'
'That's easily found out, Valmont,' cried Hale, with some impatience,
'if you think it really important.'
'I think it so important that I'm going back with Podgers myself. You
can take me into the house, I suppose, when you return?'
'Oh, yes, sir.'
'Coming back to these newspapers for a moment, Podgers. What is done
with them?'
'They are sold to the ragman, sir, once a week.'
'Who takes them from the study?'
'I do, sir.'
'Do they appear to have been read very carefully?'
'Well, no, sir; leastways, some of them seem never to have been
opened, or else folded up very carefully again.'
'Did you notice that extracts have been clipped from any of them?'
'No, sir.'
'Does Mr. Summertrees keep a scrapbook?'
'Not that I know of, sir.'
'Oh, the case is perfectly plain,' said I, leaning back in my chair,
and regarding the puzzled Hale with that cherubic expression of
self-satisfaction which I know is so annoying to him.
'_What's_ perfectly plain?' he demanded, more gruffly perhaps than
etiquette would have sanctioned.
'Summertrees is no coiner, nor is he linked with any band of coiners.'
'What is he, then?'
'Ah, that opens another avenue of enquiry. For all I know to the
contrary, he may be the most honest of men. On the surface it would
appear that he is a reasonably industrious tradesman in Tottenham
Court Road, who is anxious that there should be no visible connection
between a plebian employment and so aristocratic a residence as that
in Park Lane.'
At this point Spenser Hale gave expression to one of those rare
flashes of reason which are always an astonishment to his friends.
'That is nonsense, Monsieur Valmont,' he said, 'the man who is ashamed
of the connection between his business and his house is one who is
trying to get into Society, or else the women of his family are trying
it, as is usually the case. Now Summertrees has no family. He himself
goes nowhere, gives no entertainments, and accepts no invitations. He
belongs to no club, therefore to say that he is ashamed of his
connection with the Tottenham Court Road shop is absurd. He is
concealing the connection for some other reason that will bear looking
into.'
'My dear Hale, the goddess of Wisdom herself could not have made a
more sensible series of remarks. Now, _mon ami_, do you want my
assistance, or have you enough to go on with?'
'Enough to go on with? We have nothing more than we had when I called
on you last night.'
'Last night, my dear Hale, you supposed this man was in league with
coiners. Today you know he is not.'
'I know you _say_ he is not.'