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The idea was not original to them," said Mr. Carter gravely. "It was suggested,

and the poison very carefully instilled, by a past-master in the art. The paragraph

in the New York paper suggested the plan to him, and by means of it he wove a

web that nearly enmeshed you fatally."

I never liked him," said Julius. "I felt from the first that there was something

wrong about him, and I always suspected that it was he who silenced Mrs.

Vandemeyer so appositely. But it wasn't till I heard that the order for Tommy's

execution came right on the heels of our interview with him that Sunday that I

began to tumble to the fact that he was the big bug himself."

"I never suspected it at all," lamented Tuppence. "I've always thought I was so

much cleverer than Tommy--but he's undoubtedly scored over me handsomely."

Julius agreed.

Tommy's been the goods this trip! And, instead of sitting there as dumb as a

fish, let him banish his blushes, and tell us all about it."

Hear! hear!"

There's nothing to tell," said Tommy, acutely uncomfortable. "I was an awful

mug--right up to the time I found that photograph of Annette, and realized that

she was Jane Finn. Then I remembered how persistently she had shouted out

that word 'Marguerite'--and I thought of the pictures, and--well, that's that. Then

of course I went over the whole thing to see where I'd made an ass of myself."

Go on," said Mr. Carter, as Tommy showed signs of taking refuge in silence once

more.

That business about Mrs. Vandemeyer had worried me when Julius told me

about it. On the face of it, it seemed that he or Sir James must have done the

trick. But I didn't know which. Finding that photograph in the drawer, after that

story of how it had been got from him by Inspector Brown, made me suspect

Julius. Then I remembered that it was Sir James who had discovered the false

Jane Finn. In the end, I couldn't make up my mind--and just decided to take no

chances either way. I left a note for Julius, in case he was Mr. Brown, saying I

was off to the Argentine, and I dropped Sir James's letter with the offer of the job

by the desk so that he would see it was a genuine stunt. Then I wrote my letter to

Mr. Carter and rang up Sir James. Taking him into my confidence would be the

best thing either way, so I told him everything except where I believed the papers

249

The Secret Adversary