"I'm afraid to keep it here. I wanted to find out if you were up--that's why I called."
"The taxi's waiting now. I'll be at your door in fifteen minutes."
He heard the click as she hung up the receiver; and nothing more. With an exclamation of annoyance he swung round from the desk.
"Somebody coming?" enquired Iff brightly.
Staff eyed him with overt distrust. "Yes," he said reluctantly.
"Miss Searle bringing the evanescent collar, eh?"
"Plagued nuisance," commented Iff. "And me wanting to go to sleep the worst I ever did."
"Don't let this keep you up," said Staff.
"But," Iff remonstrated, "you can't receive a lady in here with me asleep on your divan."
"I don't intend to," Staff told him bluntly. "I'm going to meet the taxi at the door, get into it with her, and take that infernal necklace directly to Miss Landis, at her hotel."
"The more I see of you," said Mr. Iff, removing his coat, "the more qualities I discover in you to excite my admiration and liking. As in this instance when with thoughtfulness for my comfort"--he tore from his neck the water-soaked rag that had been his collar--"you combine a prudent, not to say sagacious foresight, whereby you plan to place the Cadogan collar far beyond my reach in event I should turn out to be a gay deceiver."
By way of response, Staff found his hat and placed it handily on the table, went to his desk and took from one of its drawers a small revolver of efficient aspect, unloaded and reloaded it to satisfy himself it was in good working order--and of a sudden looked round suspiciously at Mr. Iff.
The latter, divested of his clothing and swathed in a dressing-gown several sizes too large for him, fulfilled his host's expectations by laughing openly at these warlike preparations.
"I infer," he said, "that you wouldn't be surprised to meet up with Cousin Arbuthnot before sunrise."
"I'm taking no chances," Staff announced with dignity.
"Well, if you should meet him, and if you mean what you act like, _and_ if that gun's any good, _and_ if you know how to use it," yawned Mr. Iff, "you'll do me a favour and save me a heap of trouble into the bargain. _Good_ night."
He yawned again in a most business-like way, lay down, pulled a blanket up round his ears, turned his back to the light and was presently breathing with the sweet and steady regularity of a perfectly sound and sincere sleeper.