A pert and Cockney voice squeaked into my ear that Miss Vi Vassity wasn't at home. That nobody knew when she was coming back. That the time to expect her was the time when she was seen coming in!
Charming trait! But why did the comedienne with the brass-bright hair choose to pass on that characteristic to my mistress?
I tried another number. "Nought, nought, nought Gerrard, please. I want to speak to Mr. Burke."
A rich brogue floated back to me across the wires. "What's attached to the charmin' girlish voice that's delighting my ears?"
"Who should ut be? This is the great, the notorious Burke himself."
"I mean," I called flurriedly, "is that my Mr. Burke?"
"I'd ask to be called nothing better!" declared the voice. "Thry me!"
I raged, flushing scarlet, and thanking heaven that those irrepressible blue Irish eyes did not see my angry confusion.
I called back: "This is important, Mr. Burke. I want to ask you about my mistress. Miss Million has not come back, and I want you to tell me if you know where she has gone."
"Is there anything I'd refuse a young lady? I'd tell you in one minute if I knew, me dear."
"You don't know?" anxiously. "Where did you last see her?"
"Isn't it my own black and bitter loss that I'll confide to ye now? Miss Million, d'ye say? Faith, I've never seen her at all!"
"Not anny night. Can't I come round and dhry those tears for her pretty maid?" demanded the voice that I now heard to be Irish with a difference from the softly persuasive accent of the Honourable Jim.
It went on: "Sure, I can see from here the lovely gyrull you must be, from your attractive voice! Where'r' ye speakin' from? Will I call on ye this afternoon, or will ye come round to----"
"Do you mind telling me your other name?"
"Christian names already? With all the pleasure in life, dear," came back the eager answer. "Here's a health to those that love me, and me name's Julian!"
With another gasp I hung up the receiver, cutting off this other, this unknown "J. Burke," whom I had evoked in my flurry and the anxiety that caused the addresses in the telephone book to dance before my eyes.
I got the number of the Honourable James Burke, and found myself speaking, I suppose, to somebody in the Jermyn Street hairdresser's shop, above which, as I'd heard from Mr. Brace, the Honourable Jim lived in a single room.