"Arthur!" she called, and positively shook the victim. "Arthur!"
Mr. Prohack looked at her, dazed by the electric light which she had ruthlessly turned on over his head.
"There's a woman been caught in the area. She's a fat woman, and she must have been there all night. The cook locked the area gate and the woman was too fat to climb over. Brool's put her in the servants' hall and fastened the door, and what do you think we ought to do first? Send for the police or telephone to Mr. Crewd--he's the detective you saw last night?"
"If she's been in the area all night you'd better put her to bed, and give her some hot brandy and water," said Mr. Prohack.
"Arthur, please, please, be serious!" Eve supplicated.
"I'm being as serious as a man can who has been disturbed in this pleasant fashion by a pretty woman," said Mr. Prohack attentively examining the ceiling. "You go and look after the fat lady. Supposing she died from exposure. There'd have to be an inquest. Do you wish to be mixed up in an inquest? What does she want? Whatever it is, give it her, and let her go, and wake me up next week. I feel I can sleep a bit."
"Arthur! You'll drive me mad. Can't you see that she must be connected with the necklace business. She _must_ be. It's as clear as day-light!"
"Ah!" breathed Mr. Prohack, thoughtfully interested. "I'd forgotten the necklace business."
"Yes, well, I hadn't!" said Eve, rather shrewishly. "I had not."
"Quite possibly she may be mixed up in the necklace business," Mr. Prohack admitted. "She may be a clue. Look here, don't let's tell anybody outside--not even Mr. Crewd. Let's detect for ourselves. It will be the greatest fun. What does she say for herself?"
"She said she was waiting outside the house to catch a young lady with a snub-nose going away from my reception--Mimi Winstock, of course."
"Well, hasn't she got a turned-up nose? And she didn't go away from my reception. She's sleeping here," Eve rejoined triumphantly.
"She says she won't say anything else--except to Mimi Winstock."
"Well, then, wake up Mimi as you wakened me, and send her to the servants' hall--wherever that is--I've never seen it myself!"
Eve shook her somewhat tousled head vigorously.
"Certainly not. I don't trust Miss Mimi Winstock--not one bit--and I'm not going to let those two meet until you've had a talk with the burglar."