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have come in by the front door without our seeing and hearing him."

I can't help it. I FEEL he's here!"

She looked appealingly at Sir James, who replied gravely:

With due deference to your feelings, Miss Tuppence (and mine as well for that

matter), I do not see how it is humanly possible for anyone to be in the flat

without our knowledge."

The girl was a little comforted by his wards.

"Sitting up at night is always rather jumpy," she confessed.

Yes," said Sir James. "We are in the condition of people holding a seance.

Perhaps if a medium were present we might get some marvellous results."

Do you believe in spiritualism?" asked Tuppence, opening her eyes wide.

The lawyer shrugged his shoulders.

There is some truth in it, without a doubt. But most of the testimony would not

pass muster in the witness-box."

The hours drew on. With the first faint glimmerings of dawn, Sir James drew

aside the curtains. They beheld, what few Londoners see, the slow rising of the

sun over the sleeping city. Somehow, with the coming of the light, the dreads and

fancies of the past night seemed absurd. Tuppence's spirits revived to the normal.

Hooray!" she said. "It's going to be a gorgeous day. And we shall find Tommy.

And Jane Finn. And everything will be lovely. I shall ask Mr. Carter if I can't be

made a Dame!"

At seven o'clock Tuppence volunteered to go and make some tea. She returned

with a tray, containing the teapot and four cups.

Who's the other cup for?" inquired Julius.

The prisoner, of course. I suppose we might call her that?"

Taking her tea seems a kind of anticlimax to last night," said Julius thoughtfully.

119

The Secret Adversary