ms all right.
She waits well."

Tuppence lingered a moment longer by the door which she had carefully
neglected to close, and heard him say:

"Quite safe, I suppose?"

"Really, Boris, you are absurdly suspicious. I believe she's the cousin
of the hall porter, or something of the kind. And nobody even dreams
that I have any connection with our--mutual friend, Mr. Brown."

"For heaven's sake, be careful, Rita. That door isn't shut."

"Well, shut it then," laughed the woman.

Tuppence removed herself speedily.

She dared not absent herself longer from the back premises, but she
cleared away and washed up with a breathless speed acquired in hospital.
Then she slipped quietly back to the boudoir door. The cook, more
leisurely, was still busy in the kitchen and, if she missed the other,
would only suppose her to be turning down the beds.

Alas! The conversation inside was being carried on in too low a tone
to permit of her hearing anything of it. She dared not reopen the
door, however gently. Mrs. Vandemeyer was sitting almost facing it, and
Tuppence respected her mistress's lynx-eyed powers of observation.

Nevertheless, she felt she would give a good deal to overhear what was
going on. Possibly, if anything unforeseen had happened, she might get
news of Tommy. For some moments she reflected desperately, then her
face brightened. She went quickly along the passage to Mrs. Vandemeyer's
bedroom, which had long French windows leading on to a balcony that ran
the length of the flat. Slipping quickly through the window, Tuppence
crept noiselessly along till she reached the boudoir window. As she
had thought it stood a little ajar, and the voices within were plainly
audible.

Tuppence listened attentively, but there was no mention of anything
that could be twisted to apply to Tommy. Mrs. Vandemeyer and the Russian
seemed to be at variance over some matter, and finally the latter
exclaimed bitterly:

"With your persistent recklessness, you will end by ruining us!"

"Bah!" laughed the woman. "Notoriety of the right kind is the best way
of disarming suspicion. You will realize that one of these days--perhaps
sooner than you think!"

"In the meantime, you are going about everywhere with Peel Edgerton.
Not only is he, perhaps, the most celebrated K.C. in England, but his
special hobby is criminology! It is madness!"

"I know that his eloquence has saved untold men from the gallows," said
Mrs. Vandemeyer calmly. "What