Contraband

      Milly's eyes grew larger and rounder than ever. 'You must be very brave and very strong,' she said.

      He drew himself up instinctively among the raspberry canes and tensed the muscles of his fine shoulders. 'All in the day's work,' he said casually, 'and of course police training helps a lot. We're taught jujutsu you know, and various wrestling holds, which gives us a bit of an advantage. I rather like a rough and tumble now and again. It keeps me fit. Are you are you interested in cricket?'

      'I love it,' said Milly, who had once in her life been taken to the Oval. 'I think it's a splendid game, don't you?'

      'Yes. I'm pretty keen myself. As a matter of fact I play for the first eleven of the Flying Squad.'

      'Fancy your being in the Flying Squad; that must be awfully thrilling. You have to chase car bandits, don't you?'

      'Yes. I've done quite a lot of that, but it's not so interesting as this special job I've just been given. It's a real big thing, this ' is, and if I pull it off it might mean promotion again.'

      'Oh, I do hope you do. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they made you a Commissioner?'

      Gerry smiled. 'That's a bit too much to hope for yet I'm afraid, but you never know if I might not end up as an A.C., in another twenty years or so.'

      If the truth be told they ate more of the raspberries than  they picked yet the little basket that Milly carried was full now and there was not room in it for another one. They would both have liked to linger longer but there did not seem to be any excuse to do so and for the moment neither could think of another line of conversation so, in an embarrassed silence, they returned to the big house.

      Mrs. Bird met them with the news that Milly's breakfast was ready and pressed the Inspector to join her for a second meal. He accepted for the pleasure of remaining a little longer, managed two cups of tea and a further ration of raspberries, then when there no longer seemed any reasonable excuse for delaying his departure another moment he reluctantly said goodbye, but Milly volunteered to walk with him as far as the gate of the Park and see him off.

      In a silence that was almost painful they walked down the east drive side by side and leaving the park crossed the field to the Inspector's plane. He unscrewed the pickets and stowed them in the cockpit then turned to say goodbye.

      Milly held out a frail little hand and laid it in his big brown one. 'Shall we shall we be seeing you again soon? she asked

      He smiled. 'I hope so; just as soon as I can manage it. With crooks in this place it's part of my job now to keep my eye on it.'

      'Well, knowing that, we shan't be the least bit frightened/ she said simply. 'But do take care of yourself, won't you?'

      'Rather,' he grinned, 'as you've been nice enough to ask me to.

11

The Beautiful Hungarian

      Sir Pellinore Gwaine-Cust stretched out his long legs and regarded Gregory with an approving stare. 'And what's the next move my boy what’s the next move?' he asked with sudden briskness.

      'Lunch,' said Gregory. 'I'm a complete fool to introduce you to the girl, of course, because it's almost certain you'll cut me out. But someone's got to give us both lunch at the Carlton and I thought it might as well be you.'

      'Cut you out, eh! Well, if she's all you say she is, dammit, I might have a shot at it, specially if you don't do' your stuff better than you did at Deauville. Are you certain she's at the Carlton, though?'

      'Yes. I rang up to find out immediately I got home.'

      'D'you speak to her?'

      'Good Lord no. I just ascertained from the office that they had an angel called Szenty beneath their roof. She hasn't the least idea that Wells got on to her in the first place through the fellow she sold the stockings to in Regent Street when she was staying there before. You see, she'd never heard of Wells's existence until he presented himself as a business man at her office in Paris. She can't know we've rumbled Quex Park either and that Mrs. Bird told us Lord Gavin engaged her while he was staying at the Carlton in February which gave us a second line on it being their port of call in London.'

      'Then she's not expecting you. She may be out.'

      'I doubt it. She couldn't have got in till about three o'clock this morning so the chances are all against her being up and doing before midday. Anyhow, I thought the risk small enough to snatch a few hours' sleep. Not that I needed them particularly but it's my old campaigner's habit of taking a nap while the going's good. Quite sound really, as I may be up again all night tonight.'

      Smart and fresh in a double-breasted light grey summer suit Gregory certainly did not look as though he had spent a good portion of his night crawling over Calais down land and scrambling through the coppices of a Kentish park.

      'I don't quite see, though,' Sir Pellinore said after a moment, 'where I come in about this luncheon business. What the deuce d'you want to drag me into it for?'

      Gregory grinned. 'For one thing, it might amuse you; but, for another, I can't just go and hang around the Carlton on my own. Sabine's a clever woman and she'd smell a rat at once; guess the police had run her to earth there, and that I was acting with them. That's the one thing we've got to keep out of her lovely little head at all costs. My plan of campaign is to walk round the corner now and park myself in the lounge; tip a bellhop to keep his eyes open for her then, when she turns up, I shall be just as surprised and delighted as though I had really run into her casually. I shall immediately inform her I am waiting there for you and that we're lunching together. Then you come on the scene proving that I'm not a liar and my meeting with her a pure coincidence.'

      Sir Pellinore grunted. 'And what do I do if you please? Stand about in the street looking like a loony until you come and whistle for me?'

      'Certainly not. You'll be in Justerini's office, next door. You always get your drink there so they'll be delighted to see you and refresh you with another ration of this excellent sherry. Immediately the bellhop lets me know that Sabine's come down in the lift he'll slip out of the Pall Mall entrance and fish you out of Justerini’s. Then you will stroll in to find me doing my stuff with her in the lounge.'

      'Say she's already got a luncheon appointment?'

      'In that case, you'll have to content yourself with my company I'm afraid. We've got to chance that but unless it's a very important appointment indeed you can put your money on my persuading her to break it.'

      'Conceited young devil,' laughed Sir Pellinore. 'All right, you win. But what's the procedure saying we manage to get this wench as far as the luncheon table?'

      'You order the best lunch that you can think of, which should be pretty good, and later on you pay for it. Then you go off to your club, or the house here, for a nice afternoon nap, suitable to a man of your years, leaving me in sole possession of the lady.'

      'What happens then?'

      'Allah, who knows all things, will give me inspiration, but my main policy is to stick to her as long as I possibly can on one excuse or another. Tonight's the seventh and in our now famous telegram the numbers 43 and 47 follow that date, so presumably they'll be operating again, but from different bases. If I can hang on to Sabine long enough maybe she'll telephone while I'm with her or let slip some little bit of information which will give me a chance to follow her up when I can't keep her with me any longer.'