Mr. Zero Read Online Free Page B

again.”
    â€œHe rang you up again? Where?”
    â€œIn Bruton Street. And he said he wanted me to do something else, and I said I couldn’t, and I thought I heard Francis coming, so I rang off. And he rang up next day, and the minute I heard his voice I hung up, and he went on ringing for ages, and I just let him. And then I got a big cut out of a paper, and it just said, ‘Two hundred and fifty pounds reward.’ And next day this bit of paper—” she touched the torn piece on her knee—“and today there was the other one to say he was going to tell Francis, and if he does, I shall die.”
    Gay took her hand away, walked to the window, stared blankly at the fog, and came back again.
    â€œYou’ll have to tell Francis,” she said.
    Sylvia’s colour failed suddenly and completely.
    â€œHe’ll kill me,” she said in a frightened whisper.
    â€œNonsense, Sylly!”
    â€œHe said he would.”
    â€œFrancis said he’d kill you?”
    Sylvia’s eyes were terrified.
    â€œNo, no—the man—he said he’d kill me if I told Francis—and he would—he said he’d kill me if I even thought about telling Francis.”
    â€œWhen did he say all this?”
    â€œI think it was last night,” said Sylvia vaguely. “I didn’t mean to listen, but he said I must. And we’re going down to Cole Lester, and if I don’t take him the papers, he’ll tell Francis—”
    â€œWhat papers does he want this time?” said Gay.
    Sylvia looked at her with brimming eyes.
    â€œThe ones Francis keeps in the safe in his study,” she said.

V
    Algy Somers jumped out of the taxi, ran up the six steps which led up to Miss Agatha Hardwicke’s front door, and rang the bell. Almost before it had finished ringing the door opened and Gay appeared. That was one of the nice things about Gay, she never kept you waiting. If you said nine o’clock, nine o’clock it was. Algy had bitter memories of girls to whom nine meant anything this side of ten o’clock.
    Gay said, “Hully, Algy!” ran down the steps, jumped into the taxi, and settled herself, all in one quick flash.
    Algy Somers was one of the very kind-hearted people who helped to make life with Aunt Agatha endurable by taking her out. The fact that she was wearing the same old black dress in which she had dined and danced ever since the parents had departed to Madeira was not to interfere in any way with her enjoyment, neither did she mean to lose a single minute of it. That was another nice thing about Gay, she enjoyed everything so much. Her eyes shone and her cheeks glowed as she turned to Algy and enquired,
    â€œWhere are we going?”
    Algy looked at her admiringly, and then looked away, because he was a careful young man and girls were apt to get wind in the head if looked at like that. Gay, of course, wasn’t like other girls, but still you had to watch your step. He said,
    â€œI’m awfully sorry about dinner. I had to stay over time. Carstairs had a lot of stuff he wanted typed—confidential stuff, you know, so I couldn’t take it home and do it later.”
    Gay looked away. She looked straight out in front of her over the bonnet of the car and along the dark street. It was one of those quiet streets where the houses look as if everyone in them always went to bed at ten o’clock. She said in a small, vague voice,
    â€œMr. Carstairs is Mr. Lushington’s private secretary, isn’t he?”
    Algy stared at her profile.
    â€œWell, you ought to know that by now.”
    Gay laughed suddenly.
    â€œIf you’d been talking to the sort of person I’ve been talking to this afternoon, you wouldn’t be sure you knew anything. I wouldn’t have sworn to my own name by the time I got away. I hope you don’t expect me to be bright and sparkling, because that sort of thing leaves you as dull as