Read Online Hide My Eyes by Margery Allingham - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Margery Allingham
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annoyance. “That’s the very least I can do. He has altered one of your cheques from eleven pounds to seventy, robbing you of fifty-nine pounds as surely as if he’d taken it from your purse. By condoning …”
“I haven’t done that.” She spoke sharply. “I may feel towards Gerry as if he were my own, but I won’t stand for him doing anything really wrong. As soon as I noticed it, didn’t I write to you at once? I feel guilty because I know I’ve got bad handwriting and I must have made it very easy and tempted him if he was pushed for money.” She hesitated and then continued very carefully as she struggled to express herself. “Gerry has got to be pulled up good and sharp. But I want to keep out of it, not only because
I
don’t want to lose his confidence but because I don’t want him to lose
me
. Do you see what I mean?”
“Perfectly” he assured her dryly. “You realise that he depends on you. You’re behaving like a mother thinking solely of the child. You always do. I’m not blaming you, my dear girl. In fact I’m stretching far too many points to abet you. But I can’t say I like it.”
“Of course you don’t. It’s criminal.” She made the admission with awe. “It could mean prison for him if he did it to someone else. That’s why I had to do something. But he’s a dear, Matt, a kind good boy when you know him. Freddy liked him very much. We first met him as a young officer in the war and he’s been dropping in to see me on and off ever since. We’ve grown very fond of one another. He couldn’t turn out to be a real bad hat after all these years, could he?”
It was a plea, and Mr. Phillipson, who was fond of her too, knew exactly what she meant.
“Oh, he’s not the ordinary irresponsible type,” he assured her. “There are brains there and considerable charm and he certainly seemed quite frank.”
“Did he tell you he lived in Reading?” She made the enquiry cautiously and as if she feared his answer. But for once Mr. Phillipson was not noticing. He was trying very hard to be charitable.
“Outside Reading,” he corrected her. “He has part share in a garage there, but I gather there has been some trouble with the partner’s wife. I was inclined to believe his story. In my experience women in business … well, there’s no point in going into that, but the possessive wife is always cropping up in these stories. Anyway, the story he told was one I could well believe and, to a certain extent, sympathise with.”
“All Gerry’s stories are.” Polly spoke absently. She was stirring her coffee round and round and her mild eyes were troubled.
“And what exactly do you mean by that?” he demanded. “Aren’t those the facts as you know them? Has he lied to me?”
“No, dear. I’m sure he hasn’t.” She was flustered. “I only meant that Gerry sometimes presents things in the way that is most likely to convince the audience he happens to be talking to. I mean he might leave out the bit about the woman when talking to me, and he might make the partner his brother and the garage a factory, to sound bigger, you see?”
“Has he done that?”
“Oh no, dear, no. I’m sure I’ve heard about the Reading garage.”
Matthew Phillipson, warm and well fed and flattered by her obvious dependence on him, sat looking at her sternly.
“Yes … it’s a very good thing the matter’s in my hands,” he observed at last. “I don’t like clever women, Polly, never did. To me, you’re worth a dozen of them, just as you are. We’ll do what can be done for this wretched chap. If he honours his word and turns up with the money tonight that’ll be the end of it, but I shouldn’t see much more of him.”
She smiled at him gratefully but her lips were still forming the words which she did not like to utter.
“The people in your office will know all about it?” she said at last.
“No, they won’t. I’ve prepared for that. He’s coming in after five. I shall wait
“I haven’t done that.” She spoke sharply. “I may feel towards Gerry as if he were my own, but I won’t stand for him doing anything really wrong. As soon as I noticed it, didn’t I write to you at once? I feel guilty because I know I’ve got bad handwriting and I must have made it very easy and tempted him if he was pushed for money.” She hesitated and then continued very carefully as she struggled to express herself. “Gerry has got to be pulled up good and sharp. But I want to keep out of it, not only because
I
don’t want to lose his confidence but because I don’t want him to lose
me
. Do you see what I mean?”
“Perfectly” he assured her dryly. “You realise that he depends on you. You’re behaving like a mother thinking solely of the child. You always do. I’m not blaming you, my dear girl. In fact I’m stretching far too many points to abet you. But I can’t say I like it.”
“Of course you don’t. It’s criminal.” She made the admission with awe. “It could mean prison for him if he did it to someone else. That’s why I had to do something. But he’s a dear, Matt, a kind good boy when you know him. Freddy liked him very much. We first met him as a young officer in the war and he’s been dropping in to see me on and off ever since. We’ve grown very fond of one another. He couldn’t turn out to be a real bad hat after all these years, could he?”
It was a plea, and Mr. Phillipson, who was fond of her too, knew exactly what she meant.
“Oh, he’s not the ordinary irresponsible type,” he assured her. “There are brains there and considerable charm and he certainly seemed quite frank.”
“Did he tell you he lived in Reading?” She made the enquiry cautiously and as if she feared his answer. But for once Mr. Phillipson was not noticing. He was trying very hard to be charitable.
“Outside Reading,” he corrected her. “He has part share in a garage there, but I gather there has been some trouble with the partner’s wife. I was inclined to believe his story. In my experience women in business … well, there’s no point in going into that, but the possessive wife is always cropping up in these stories. Anyway, the story he told was one I could well believe and, to a certain extent, sympathise with.”
“All Gerry’s stories are.” Polly spoke absently. She was stirring her coffee round and round and her mild eyes were troubled.
“And what exactly do you mean by that?” he demanded. “Aren’t those the facts as you know them? Has he lied to me?”
“No, dear. I’m sure he hasn’t.” She was flustered. “I only meant that Gerry sometimes presents things in the way that is most likely to convince the audience he happens to be talking to. I mean he might leave out the bit about the woman when talking to me, and he might make the partner his brother and the garage a factory, to sound bigger, you see?”
“Has he done that?”
“Oh no, dear, no. I’m sure I’ve heard about the Reading garage.”
Matthew Phillipson, warm and well fed and flattered by her obvious dependence on him, sat looking at her sternly.
“Yes … it’s a very good thing the matter’s in my hands,” he observed at last. “I don’t like clever women, Polly, never did. To me, you’re worth a dozen of them, just as you are. We’ll do what can be done for this wretched chap. If he honours his word and turns up with the money tonight that’ll be the end of it, but I shouldn’t see much more of him.”
She smiled at him gratefully but her lips were still forming the words which she did not like to utter.
“The people in your office will know all about it?” she said at last.
“No, they won’t. I’ve prepared for that. He’s coming in after five. I shall wait
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