The Pawns Count | Page 6

ECOUTENT!
Holderness listened with a frown. Then he turned suddenly to
Lutchester, who was standing by his side.
"It would be too ridiculous, wouldn't it--you couldn't in any way
connect the idea behind that notice with Sandy's disappearance?"
"I was wondering about that myself," Lutchester confessed. "To tell
you the truth, I have been wondering all luncheon-time. If ever a man
broke the letter and the spirit of that simple warning I should say your
excitable young friend, Captain Graham, did."
"But here at Henry's," Holderness protested, "with friends on every side!
Isn't it a little too ridiculous! We'll wait until the last person is out of
the place, anyway," he added.
The crowd soon began to thin. Ferrani, seeing them still waiting,
approached with a little bow.
"Your friend," he asked, "he has not arrived, eh?"
"No sign of him," Holderness replied gloomily.
"What about his hat and coat?" Ferrani inquired, with a sudden

inspiration.
"Great idea," Holderness assented, turning towards the cloakroom
attendant. "Don't you remember my friend, James?" he went on. "He
arrived about half-past one, and threw his coat and hat over to you."
The attendant nodded and glanced towards an empty peg.
"I remember him quite well, sir," he acknowledged. "Number
sixty-seven was his number."
"Where are his things, then?"
"Gone, sir," the man replied.
"Do you remember his asking for them?"
The attendant shook his head.
"Can't say that I do, sir," he acknowledged, "but they've gone right
enough."
A party of outgoing guests claimed the man's attention. Holderness
turned away.
"This thing is getting on my nerves," he declared. "Does it seem likely
that Sandy should chuck his luncheon without a word of explanation,
come out and get his coat and hat and walk off? And, besides, where
was he all the time we were looking for him?"
It was unanswerable, inexplicable. They all looked at one another
almost helplessly. Pamela held out her hand.
"Well," she announced, "I am sorry, but I'm afraid that I must go. I
have a great many things to attend to this afternoon."
"You are going away soon?" Lutchester inquired.
She hesitated, and at that moment Mr. Fischer, who had been saying

farewell to his guests, turned towards her.
"You are not thinking of the trip home yet, Miss Van Teyl?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know," she answered a little evasively. "I'm out of humour
with London just now."
"Perhaps we shall be fellow-passengers on Thursday?" he ventured. "I
am going over on the New York."
"I never make plans," she told him.
"In any case," Mr. Fischer continued, "I shall anticipate our early
meeting in New York. I heard from your brother only yesterday."
She looked at him with a slight frown.
"From James?"
Mr. Fischer nodded.
"Why, I didn't know," she observed, "that you and he were acquainted."
"I have had large transactions with his firm, and naturally I have seen a
good deal of Mr. Van Teyl," the other explained. "He looks after the
interests of us Western clients."
Pamela turned a little abruptly away, and Lutchester walked with her to
the door.
"You will let me see that they bring your car round?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"Thank you, no," she replied, holding out her hand. "I have not yet said
good-by to Captain Holderness and his sister. Good-by, Mr.
Lutchester!"
Her farewell was purposely chilly. It seemed as though the slight

sparring in which they had indulged throughout luncheon-time, had
found its culmination in an antipathy which she had no desire to
conceal. Lutchester, however, only smiled.
"Nowadays," he observed, "that is a word which it is never necessary to
use."
She withdrew her hand from his somewhat too tenacious clasp.
Something in his manner puzzled as well as irritated her.
"Do you mean that you, too, are thinking of taking a holiday from your
strenuous labours?" she asked. "Perhaps America is the safest country
in the world just now for an Englishman who--"
She stopped short, realising the lengths towards which her causeless
pique was carrying her.
"Prefers departmental work to fighting, were you going to add?" he
said quietly. "Well, perhaps you are right. At any rate, I will content
myself by saying au revoir."
He passed through the turnstile door and disappeared. Pamela made her
adieux to Holderness and his sister, and then, recognising some
acquaintances, turned back into the restaurant to speak to them. Fischer,
who had just received his hat and cane from the cloakroom attendant,
stood watching her.
CHAPTER III
Pamela, after a brief conversation with her friends, once more left the
restaurant. In the lobby she called Ferrani to her.
"Has Mr. Fischer gone, Ferrani?" she asked.
"Not two minutes ago," the man replied. "You wish to speak to him? I
can stop him even