“Oh, Tom, you know. When you want subscriptions and have a snowball where every one has to get some one else to subscribe. I thought of it and I brought in Sally and Sally brought in Bunny and then Mr. Faulks came in--poor Mr. Faulks--and then Mrs. Faulks got into it and her rubies.”
“And now we’re all in it, up to the neck.”
“Yes. Yes, that’s very lucid,” said Reggie. “But a little confusing to an outsider. My brain’s rather torpid, you know. I only want to get on the fire.” He obtained the central position and sighed happily. “Well now, the workin’ hypothesis is that there were no burglars. Somebody thought it would be interesting to put up a perfect crime. For the benefit of the guileless expert.”
They were stricken by a new spasm of dismay. They stared at him. “Yes, you always knew it was a fake,” Cosdon cried. “I guessed that last night when you kept talking about the time.”
“Well, I thought a little anxiety would be good for you. Even the expert has his feelings.”
“It was horrid of us, Mr. Fortune,” Sally cried. “But it wasn’t only meant for you.”
“It was all my fault, Mr. Fortune.” Alice put in her claim and looked at him ruefully and then began to laugh. “But you did seem so bored----”
“Oh, no, no, no. Only my placid nature. Well now, to begin at the beginning. Somebody thought it would be a merry jest to have me on. That was you, Mrs. Beach. For your kindly interest, I thank you.”
Mrs. Beach again showed signs of weeping.
“Please don’t be horrid, Mr. Fortune,” said Sally, fervently.
“I’m trying to be fascinating. But you see I’m so respectable. You unnerve me.”
“I thought of a burglary,” said Mrs. Beach, choking sobs. “And I asked Sally to do it.”
“And she did--all for my sake. Well, one never knows,” Reggie sighed, and looked sentimental.
“It wasn’t you,” said Sally. “I wanted to shock Mr. Faulks.”
“Dear, dear. I shouldn’t wonder if you have.”
“Oh!” Sally shuddered. “That man is on my nerves. He simply follows me about. He scares me. When I found he’d got Tom to ask him here I----”
“Yes, of course, it’s my fault,” Tom Beach cried. “I knew it would come round to that.”
“You didn’t know, dear, how could you?” Sally soothed him. “He doesn’t make love to you. Well, he was here and his mamma and--oh, Mr. Fortune, you’ve seen them. They want shocking. So I talked to Bunny and----”