By the time they had finished the last drawer, Lessingham had quite a
little collection of charts, more or less finished, in his hand.
"I don't know where else to look," she said. "You might go through
those and see if they are of any use. What is it, Mills?" she added,
turning to the door.
Mills had entered noiselessly, and was watching the proceedings at
Sir Henry's desk with a distinct lack of favour. He looked away
towards his mistress, however, as he replied.
"The young woman has called with reference to a situation as
parlour-maid, your ladyship," he announced. "I have shown her into
the sewing room." Lady Cranston glanced at the clock.
"I sha'n't be more than five or ten minutes," she promised Lessingham.
"Just look through those till I come back."
She hurried away, leaving Lessingham alone in the room. He stood
for a moment listening. On the left-hand side, through the door
which had been left ajar, he could hear the click of billiard balls
and occasional peals of laughter. On the right-hand side there was
silence. He moved swiftly across the room and closed the door leading
into the billiard room, deposited on the sofa the charts which he had
been carrying, and hurried back to the secretary. With a sickening
feeling of overwhelming guilt, he drew from his pocket a key and
opened, one by one, the drawers through which they had not searched.
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