Part 36 (1/2)
”And if Toby remembered their numbers?”
”You could have changed them for ten s.h.i.+lling notes in Cheltenham.”
”All these elaborate precautions!”
”You can't be too precautions when you're dealing with a woman like that.... Is this all you've given her?”
”All?”
”Yes. Did you ever give her anything any other time?”
”Well--possibly--from time to time--”
”Have you any idea of the total amount?”
”I can't say off-hand. And I can't see what it has to do with it.”
”It has everything to do with it. Can you find out?”
”Certainly, if I look up my old cheque books.”
”You'd better do that now.”
He turned, gloomily, to his writing-table. The cheque books for the current year and the year before it betrayed various small loans to Mrs.
Levitt, amounting in all to a hundred and fifty pounds odd.
”Oh, dear,” said Barbara, ”all that's down against you. Still--it's all ante-Wednesday. What a pity you didn't pay her that fifty-five before your interview.”
”How do you mean?”
”It's pretty certain she's misinterpreted your paying it now so soon.”
”After the interview? Do you really think she misunderstood me, Barbara?”
”I think she wants you to think she did.”
”You think she's trying--trying--to--”
”To sell you her silence? Yes, I do.”
”Good G.o.d! I never thought of that. Blackmail.”
”I don't suppose for a minute she thinks she's blackmailing you. She's just trying it on.... And she may raise her price, too. She won't rest till she's got that five hundred out of you.”
Mrs. Levitt's next communication would appear to have supported Barbara's suspicion, for Mr. Waddington was compelled to answer it thus:
”DEAR MRS. LEVITT:
”You say you were 'right then' and that my 'promises' were 'conditional'”--