and electric lights go on outside, in the hall and in the corridors. There are also one or two other things happen which I alone know.â¦â
Cairncross smote his chest as though the tricks were safely locked up there.
âIâd prefer you didnât press me to divulge them. You never know whoâs listening.â
Cromwell said he wouldnât for the world press Cairncross to betray his secrets.
âThank you, sir. I appreciate that. Was there anything more?â
Cromwell almost asked Cairncross to show him how the contraption worked, but it wasnât worth the hullabaloo the security man had described.
âFinally,â said Cairncross, thumbing over his key-ring and eventually producing a key of curious shape.
âSee that? Thereâs only me has that key.â¦â
He pointed to an object like a Yale lock set in the wall of the cubby-hole.
âThatâs the control key. It turns the whole system on or off. Without this key, once the alarmâs set going it keeps on and on till I turn it off.â
âSuppose you sleep through it all?â
âSleep? Me? Iâm one of those who sleep with one eye open. In any case the bell in my bedroom would wake the dead. No, theyâll not catch old Cairncross napping.â¦â
They felt theyâd had quite enough for one afternoon and bade Cairncross good day. As they left he asked them to remember that he was at their disposal at any time of the day or night.
On the way back Cromwell and Littlejohn called at Afton Lodge, Camberwell, to see Alfred Blunt at the old folksâ home. He was enjoying afternoon tea with a number of other inmates who had rallied round him to make him forget his misfortunes. He seemed glad to see his visitors and Littlejohn introduced him to Cromwell.
âAny news yet, sir?â
âNot yet, Mr. Blunt. But weâre doing our best.â
âIâm sure you are, sir. Iâve been hoping youâd call. We wonât need to go to Tamworth with Charles. To cut a long story short, he left me a private envelope which I promised not to divulge or open unless something happened to him. I didnât mention it when last you were here. To tell the truth, Iâd forgotten in the shock. Well, I opened it after youâd gone. Charles wants to be cremated at Golders Greenand his ashes put in his motherâs grave at Tamworth. There were also in the envelope his passport and a savings book in my name with £5,000 in it. He didnât forget me, you see. Always a good son. Though what Iâll do with all that money I donât know. Perhaps Iâll give it to this home. Theyâve been good to me and I donât need much in the time Iâve got left.â
âIâm very glad Charles has looked after you so well, Mr. Blunt. Did he ever tell you he had a banking account somewhere? He seems to have been pretty well off. He would surely not carry his cash about in his pocket.â
âHe never mentioned it. And Iâd be the last to ask him. It would have looked as if I was interfering in his private affairs.â
âDid he ever tell you the name of his employers, the whisky agents?â
âIf he ever did mention it, Iâve forgotten who it was. Iâm sorry, Mr. Littlejohn; Iâm not being much help. But my memory isnât what it was. Iâll be forgetting my own name next.â¦â
The old man seemed to be growing confused in his mind and Littlejohn decided that he had better not press for more information. It would have been useful to learn how Gentleman Charles had conducted his financial affairs. However.â¦
âAnd that was all you found in the envelope, Mr. Blunt? The passport, the savings bank passbook, and was there a letter about his cremation?â
âThatâs all. It wasnât really a letter. Just a paper with his wishes on it in the event of his death. I have it in my room. Iâll get it.â¦â
He
Cairncross smote his chest as though the tricks were safely locked up there.
âIâd prefer you didnât press me to divulge them. You never know whoâs listening.â
Cromwell said he wouldnât for the world press Cairncross to betray his secrets.
âThank you, sir. I appreciate that. Was there anything more?â
Cromwell almost asked Cairncross to show him how the contraption worked, but it wasnât worth the hullabaloo the security man had described.
âFinally,â said Cairncross, thumbing over his key-ring and eventually producing a key of curious shape.
âSee that? Thereâs only me has that key.â¦â
He pointed to an object like a Yale lock set in the wall of the cubby-hole.
âThatâs the control key. It turns the whole system on or off. Without this key, once the alarmâs set going it keeps on and on till I turn it off.â
âSuppose you sleep through it all?â
âSleep? Me? Iâm one of those who sleep with one eye open. In any case the bell in my bedroom would wake the dead. No, theyâll not catch old Cairncross napping.â¦â
They felt theyâd had quite enough for one afternoon and bade Cairncross good day. As they left he asked them to remember that he was at their disposal at any time of the day or night.
On the way back Cromwell and Littlejohn called at Afton Lodge, Camberwell, to see Alfred Blunt at the old folksâ home. He was enjoying afternoon tea with a number of other inmates who had rallied round him to make him forget his misfortunes. He seemed glad to see his visitors and Littlejohn introduced him to Cromwell.
âAny news yet, sir?â
âNot yet, Mr. Blunt. But weâre doing our best.â
âIâm sure you are, sir. Iâve been hoping youâd call. We wonât need to go to Tamworth with Charles. To cut a long story short, he left me a private envelope which I promised not to divulge or open unless something happened to him. I didnât mention it when last you were here. To tell the truth, Iâd forgotten in the shock. Well, I opened it after youâd gone. Charles wants to be cremated at Golders Greenand his ashes put in his motherâs grave at Tamworth. There were also in the envelope his passport and a savings book in my name with £5,000 in it. He didnât forget me, you see. Always a good son. Though what Iâll do with all that money I donât know. Perhaps Iâll give it to this home. Theyâve been good to me and I donât need much in the time Iâve got left.â
âIâm very glad Charles has looked after you so well, Mr. Blunt. Did he ever tell you he had a banking account somewhere? He seems to have been pretty well off. He would surely not carry his cash about in his pocket.â
âHe never mentioned it. And Iâd be the last to ask him. It would have looked as if I was interfering in his private affairs.â
âDid he ever tell you the name of his employers, the whisky agents?â
âIf he ever did mention it, Iâve forgotten who it was. Iâm sorry, Mr. Littlejohn; Iâm not being much help. But my memory isnât what it was. Iâll be forgetting my own name next.â¦â
The old man seemed to be growing confused in his mind and Littlejohn decided that he had better not press for more information. It would have been useful to learn how Gentleman Charles had conducted his financial affairs. However.â¦
âAnd that was all you found in the envelope, Mr. Blunt? The passport, the savings bank passbook, and was there a letter about his cremation?â
âThatâs all. It wasnât really a letter. Just a paper with his wishes on it in the event of his death. I have it in my room. Iâll get it.â¦â
He
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