The whole of the morning and part of the afternoon I had spent in a bathroom, supervising the disconnection, severance and inspection of the waste-pipe which served the basin. When, hot and dejected, I made my report at half-past three, Adèle thanked me as prettily as if I had found the pearls.
I retired to wash and change into flannels.
It must have been two hours later when I looked up from the operation of combing Nobby and took my pipe from my mouth.
"Oh, Adèle," I said simply, "I do love you so."
Adèle put out a hand and touched my hair.
As I got upon my feet, one end of her necklace hung trailing over the edge of my trousers where I had turned them up. They were the pair I had worn at tennis the day we had gone to the fair, and it must have fallen into the fold when we were finding the thorn.
Adèle saw it too, but, when I would have stooped, she shook her head.
Then I looked into her eyes, and there found such a light that I forgot the pearls and the rolling world with them.
As she slipped into my arms, she threw back her head.
"Once, at Port Said, you kissed me," she whispered. "And again at Rome." I nodded. "But this is your own home."
"Yes," I said steadily. "And here I plight thee my troth."
The brown eyes closed, and a glorious smile swept Into the beautiful face.
The unexpected arrival of the laundry van at five minutes to eight, with, amongst other things, a month's table-linen, had pardonably dislocated the service of dinner.
Whilst the table was being relaid we spent the time in the library, gathered about the violet-tongued comfort of a chestnut-root fire.
"You know," said Jonah, looking up from an armchair, "if we don't----Good Heavens!" His exclamation was so violent that we all jumped. "Why," he cried, staring at Adèle, "you've found them!"
A common cry of amazement broke from Daphne, Berry and Jill, and our guest started guiltily and put a hand to her throat.
"O-o-oh, I "--she shot an appealing glance at me--"we quite forgot. Boy found them in the garden, whilst he was combing Nobby."
"You hear?" he said. "They quite forgot.... They stumble upon jewels worth a month of strike pay--baubles whose loss has stupefied the County, and forget to mention it. And I spent two hours this afternoon in a gas-mask studying the plan of the drains and calculating whether, if the second manhole was opened and a gorgonzola put down to draw the fire, Jonah could reach the grease-trap before he became unconscious." He raised his eyes to heaven and groaned. "The only possible excuse," he added, "is that you're both in...."