Tavernake was just wondering whether he should
retire, when she came back.
"Listen, Mr. Tavernake," she said, "how far away are your rooms?"
"Down at Chelsea," he answered, "about two miles and a half."
"Take a taxi and drive there," she commanded, "or stop. You will
find my car outside. I will telephone down to say that you are
to use it. Change into your evening clothes and come back for
me. I want you to take me out to supper."
He looked at her in amazement. She stamped her foot.
"Don't stand there hesitating!" she ordered. "Do as I say! You
don't expect I am going to help you to buy your wretched property
if you refuse me the simplest of favors? Hurry, I say! Hurry!"
"I am really very sorry," Tavernake interposed, "but I do not
possess a dress suit. I would go, with pleasure, but I haven't
got such a thing."
She looked at him for a moment incredulously. Then she broke
into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. She sat down upon the
edge of a couch and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Oh, you strange, you wonderful person!" she exclaimed. "You
want to buy an estate and you want to borrow twelve thousand
pounds, and you know where Beatrice is and you won't tell me, and
you are fully convinced, because you burst into a house through
the wall, that you saved poor Pritchard from being poisoned, and
you don't possess a dress suit! Never mind, as it happens it
doesn't matter about the dress suit. You shall take me out as
you are.
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