The offices of Egerton, Forbes & Wilborough werein Bloomsbury, in one of those imposing and dignified squares which have as yet not feltthe wind of change. Their brass plate was suitably worn down to illegibility. The firm hadbeen going for over a hundred years and a good proportion of the landed gentry of Englandwere their clients. There was no Forbes in the firm any more and no Wilboroughs. Insteadthere were Atkinsons, father and son, and a Welsh Lloyd and a Scottish McAllister. Therewas, however, still an Egerton, descendant of the original Egerton. This particularEgerton was a man of fifty-two and he was adviser to several families which had in theirday been advised by his grandfather, his uncle, and his father.
At this moment he was sitting behind a largemahogany desk in his handsome room on the first floor, speaking kindly but firmly to adejected looking client. Richard Egerton was a handsome man, tall, dark with a touch ofgrey at the temples and very shrewd grey eyes. His advice was always good advice, but heseldom minced his words.
"Quite frankly you haven't got a leg to stand upon, Freddie," he wassaying. "Not with those letters you've written."
"You don't think –」Freddie murmured dejectedly.
"No, I don't,"said Egerton. "The only hope is to settleout of court. It might even be held that you've renderedyourself liable to criminal prosecution."
"Oh, look here, Richard, that's carrying things a bit far."
There was a small discreet buzz on Egerton's desk. He picked up the telephone receiver with a frown.
"I though I said I wasn't to be disturbed."
There was a murmur at the other end. Egerton said, "Oh. Yes – Yes, I see. Ask her to wait, will you."
He replaced the receiver and turned once more to hisunhappy looking client.
"Look here, Freddie," hesaid, "I know the law and you don't.You're in a nasty jam. I'll do mybest to get you out of it, but it's going to cost you a bit. Idoubt it they'd settle for less than twelve thousand."
"Twelve thousand!" Theunfortunate Freddie was aghast. "Oh, I say! I haven't got it, Richard."
"Well, you'll have toraise it then. There are always ways and means. If she'llfight the case it'll cost you a lot more."
"You lawyers!" saidFreddie. "Sharks, all of you!"
He rose to his feet. "Well,"he said, "do your bloody best for me,Richard old boy."
He took his departure, shaking his head sadly.Richard Egerton put Freddie and his affairs out of his mind, and thought about his nextclient. He said softly to himself, "The Honourable ElviraBlake. I wonder what she's like…」 He lifted his receiver. "Lord Frederick's gone. Send up Miss Blake, will you."
The door opened, the clerk announced Miss ElviraBlake and the girl walked into the room. Egerton rose from his chair and came towards her.In appearance, he thought, she did not resemble either of her parents. Tall, slim, veryfair, Bess's colouring but none of Bess's vitality, with an old-fashioned air about her; though that was difficult tobe sure of, since the fashion in dress happened at the moment to be ruffles and babybodices.
"Well, well," he said,as he shook hands with her. "This is a surprise. Last time Isaw you, you were eleven years old. Come and sit here." Hepulled forward a chair and she sat down.
"I suppose," saidElvira, a little uncertainly, "that I ought to have writtenfirst. Written and made an appointment. Something like that, but I really made up my mindvery suddenly and it seemed an opportunity, since I was in London."
"And what are you doing in London?"
"Having my teeth seen to."
"Beastly things, teeth," said Egerton. "Give us trouble from the cradle tothe grave. But I am grateful for the teeth, if it gives me an opportunity to see you. Letme see now; you've been Italy, haven't you, finishing your education there at once of these places all girls go tonowadays?"
"Yes," said Elvira, "the Contessa Martinelli. But I've left there nowfor good. I'm living with the Melfords in Kent until I make upmy mind if there's anything I'dlike to do."
"Well, I hope you'llfind something satisfactory. You're not thinking of auniversity or anything like that?"
"No," said Elvira, "I don't think I'd beclever enough for that." She paused before saying, "I suppose you'd have to agree to anything if Idid want to do?"
Egerton's keen eyesfocused sharply.
"I am one of your guardians, and a trustee underyour father's will, yes," he said."Therefore, you have a perfect right to approach me at anytime."
Elvira said, "Thank you,"politely. Egerton asked:
"Is there anything worrying you?"
"No. Not really. But you see, I don't know anything. Nobody's ever told me things.One doesn't always like to ask."
He looked at her attentively.
"You mean things about yourself?"
"Yes," said Elvira. "It's kind of you to understand. Uncle Derek –」she hesitated.
"Derek Luscombe, you mean?"
"Yes. I've alwayscalled him uncle."
"I see."
"He's very kind,"said Elvira, "but he's not the sort of person who ever tells you anything. He just arrangesthings, and looks a little worried in case they mightn't bewhat I'd like. Of course he listens to a lot of people –women, I mean – who tell him things. LikeContessa Martinelli. He arranges for me to go to schools or to finishing places."
"And they haven't beenwhere you wanted to go?"
"No, I didn't meanthat. They've been quite all right. I mean they've been more or less where everyone else goes."
"I see."
"But I don't knowanything about myself, I mean what money I've got, and howmuch, and what I could do with it if I wanted."
"In fact," saidEgerton, with his attractive smile, "you want to talkbusiness. Is that it? Well, I think you're quite right. Let's see. How old are you? Sixteen – seventeen? 「
"I'm nearly twenty."
"Oh dear. I'd no idea."
"You see," explainedElvira, "I feel all the time that I'm being shielded and sheltered. It's nice in away, but it can get very irritating."
"It's an attitude that's gone out of date," agreed Egerton, "but I can quite see that it would appeal to Derek Luscombe."
"He's a dear,"said Elvira, "but very difficult, somehow,to talk to seriously."
"Yes, I can see that that might be so. Well, howmuch do you know about yourself, Elvira? About your family circumstances?"
"I know that my father died when I was five andthat my mother had run away from him with someone when I was about two, I don't remember her at all. I barely remember my father. He was very old and hadhis leg up on a chair. He used to swear. I was rather scared of him. After he died I livedfirst with an aunt or a cousin or something of my father's,until she died, and then I lived with Uncle Derek and his sister. But then she died and Iwent to Italy. Uncle Derek has arranged for me, now, to live with the Melfords who are hiscousins and very kind and nice and have two daughters about my age."
"You're happy there?"
"I don't know yet. I've barely got there. They're all very dull. Ireally wanted to know how much money I've got."
"So it's financialinformation you really want?"
"Yes," said Elvira. "I've got some money, I know. Is it a lot?"
Egerton was serious now.
"Yes," he said. "You've got a lot of money. Your father was a veryrich man. You were his only child. When he died, the title and the estate went to acousin. He didn't like the cousin, so he left all his personalproperty, which was considerable, to his daughter – to you,Elvira. You're a very rich woman, or will be, when you aretwenty-one."
"You mean I am not rich now?"
"Yes," said Egerton, "you're rich now, but the money is not yours todispose of until you are twenty-one or marry. Until that time it is in the hands of yourTrustees. Luscombe, myself and another." He smiled at her. "We haven't embezzled it or anything like that. It's still there. In fact, we've increased yourcapital considerably by investments."
"How much will I have?"
"At the age of twenty-one or upon your marriage,you will come into a sum which at a rough estimate would amount to six or seven hundredthousand pounds."
"This is a lot," saidElvira, impressed.
"Yes, it is a lot. Probably it is because it issuch a lot that nobody has ever talked to you about it much."
He watched her as she reflected upon this. Quite aninteresting girl, he thought. Looked an unbelievably milk-and-water Miss, but she was morethan that. A good deal more. He said, with a faintly ironic smile:
"Does that satisfy you?"
She gave him a sudden smile.
"It ought to, oughtn'tit?"
"Rather better than winning the pools," he suggested.
She nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. Then shecame out abruptly with a question.
"Who gets it if I die?"
"As things stand now, it would go to your next ofkin."
"I mean – I couldn't make a will now, could I? Not until I was twenty-one. That's what someone told me."
"They were quite right."
"That's really ratherannoying. If I was married and died I suppose my husband would get the money?"
"Yes."
"And if I wasn'tmarried my mother would be my next of kin and get it. I really seem to have very fewrelations – I don't even know mymother. What is she like?"
"She's a veryremarkable woman," said Egerton shortly. "Everybody would agree to that."
"Didn't she ever wantto see me?"
"She may have done… Ithink it's very possible that she did. But having made in –certain ways – rather a mess of her ownlife, she may have thought that it was better for you that you should be brought up quiteapart from her."
"Do you actually know that she thinks that?"
"No. I don't reallyknow anything about it."
Elvira got up.
"Thank you," she said."It's very kind of you to tell meall this."
"I think perhaps you ought to have been told moreabout things before," said Egerton.
"It's ratherhumiliating not to know things," said Elvira. "Uncle Derek, of course, think I'm just a child."
"Well, he's not a veryyoung man himself. He and I, you know, are well advanced in years. You must makeallowances for us when we look at things from the point of view of our advanced age."
Elvira stood looking at him for a moment or two.
"But you don't think I'm really a child, do you?" she said shrewdly, andadded, "I expect you know rather more about girls than UncleDerek does. He just lived with his sister. Then she stretched out her hand and said, veryprettily, Thank you so much. I hope I haven't interrupted someimportant work you had to do," and went out.
Egerton stood looking at the door that had closedbehind her. He pursed up his lips, whistled a moment, shook his head and sat down again,picked up a pen and tapped thoughtfully on his desk. He drew some papers towards him, thenthrust them back and picked up his telephone.
"Miss Cordell, get me Colonel Luscombe, will you?Try his club first. And then the Shropshire address."
He put back the receiver. Again he drew his paperstowards him and started reading them but his mind was not on what he was doing. Presentlyhis buzzer went.
"Colonel Luscombe is on the wire now, Mr. Egerton.「
"Right. Put him through. Hallo, Derek. RichardEgerton here. How are you? I've just been having a visit fromsomeone you know. A visit from your ward."
"From Elvira?" DerekLuscombe sounded very surprised.
"Yes."
"But why – what onearth – what did she come to you for? Not in any trouble?"
"No, I wouldn't sayso. On the contrary, she seemed rather – well, pleased withherself. She wanted to know all about her financial position."
"You didn't tell her,I hope?" said Colonel Luscombe, in alarm.
"Why not? What's thepoint of secrecy?"
"Well, I can't helpfeeling it's a little unwise for a girl to know that she isgoing to come into such a large amount of money."
"Somebody else will tell her that, if we don't. She's got to be prepared, you know. Money is aresponsibility."
"Yes, but she's somuch of a child still."
"Are you sure of that?"
"What do you mean? Of course she's a child."
"I wouldn't describeher as such. Who's the boy friend?"
"I beg your pardon."
"I said who's the boyfriend? There is a boy friend in the offing, isn't there?"
"No, indeed. Nothing of the sort. What on earthmakes you think that?"
"Nothing that she actually said. But I've got some experience, you know. I think you'llfind there is a boy friend."
"Well, I can assure you you're quite wrong. I mean, she's been most carefullybrought up, she's been at very strict schools, she's been in a very select finishing establishment in Italy. I should know ifthere was anything of that kind going on. I dare say she's metone or two pleasant young fellows and all that, but I'm surethere's been nothing of the kind you suggest."
"Well, my diagnosis is a boy friend – and probably an undesirable one."
"But why, Richard, why? What do you know aboutyoung girls?"
"Quite a lot," saidEgerton dryly. "I've had threeclients in the last year, two of whom were made wards of court and the third one managedto bully her parents into agreeing to an almost certainly disastrous marriage. Girls don't get looked after the way they used to be. Conditions are such that it's very difficult to look after them at all –」
"But I assure you Elvira has been most carefullylooked after."
"The ingenuity of the young female of the speciesis beyond anything you could conjecture! You keep an eye on her, Derek. Make a fewinquiries as to what she's been up to."
"Nonsense. She's justa sweet simple girl."
"What you don't knowabout sweet simple girls would fill an album! Her mother ran away and caused a scandal –remember? – When she was younger thanElvira is today. As for old Coniston, he was one of the worst rips in England."
"You upset me, Richard. You upset me very much."
"You might as well be warned. What I didn't quite like was one of her other questions. Why is she so anxious to knowwho'd inherit her money if she dies?"
"It's queer yoursaying that, because she asked me that same question."
"Did she now? Why should her mind run on earlydeath? She asked me about her mother, by the way."
Colonel Luscombe's voicesounded worried as he said: "I wish Bess would get in touchwith the girl."
"Have you been talking to her on the subject –to Bess, I mean?"
"Well, yes…. Yes Idid. I ran across her by chance. We were staying in the same hotel, as a matter of fact. Iurged Bess to make some arrangements to see the girl."
"What did she say?" askedEgerton curiously.
"Refused point blank. She more or less said thatshe wasn't a safe person for the girl to know."
"Looked at from one point of view I don't suppose she is," said Egerton. "She's mixed up with that racing fellow, isn't she?"
"I've heard rumours."
"Yes, I've heard themtoo. I don't know if there's muchin it really. There might be, I suppose. That could be why she feels as she does. Bess's friends are strong meat from time to time! But what a woman she is, ehDerek? What a woman."
"Always been her own worst enemy," said Derek Luscombe, gruffly.
"A really nice conventional remark," said Egerton. "Well, sorry I bothered you, Derek,but keep a look out for undesirables in the background. Don'tsay you haven't been warned."
He replaced the receiver and drew the pages on hisdesk towards him once more. This time he was able to put his whole attention on what hewas doing.
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