Greeting Soames deferentially, he turned the key in the only door with a
certain ostentation.
"If a client sends for me," he was in the habit of saying, "he takes
what precaution he likes. If he comes here, we convince him that we
have no leakages. I may safely say we lead in security, if in nothing
else....Now, sir, what can I do for you?"
Soames' gorge had risen so that he could hardly speak. It was absolutely
necessary to hide from this man that he had any but professional
interest in the matter; and, mechanically, his face assumed its sideway
smile.
"I've come to you early like this because there's not an hour to
lose"--if he lost an hour he might fail himself yet! "Have you a really
trustworthy woman free?"
Mr. Polteed unlocked a drawer, produced a memorandum, ran his eyes over
it, and locked the drawer up again.
"Yes," he said; "the very woman."
Soames had seated himself and crossed his legs--nothing but a faint
flush, which might have been his normal complexion, betrayed him.
"Send her off at once, then, to watch a Mrs. Irene Heron of Flat C,
Truro Mansions, Chelsea, till further notice."
"Precisely," said Mr. Polteed; "divorce, I presume?" and he blew into
a speaking-tube. "Mrs. Blanch in? I shall want to speak to her in ten
minutes."
"Deal with any reports yourself," resumed Soames, "and send them to me
personally, marked confidential, sealed and registered. My client exacts
the utmost secrecy."
Mr. Polteed smiled, as though saying, 'You are teaching your
grandmother, my dear sir;' and his eyes slid over Soames' face for one
unprofessional instant.
"Make his mind perfectly easy," he said. "Do you smoke?"
"No," said Soames. "Understand me: Nothing may come of this. If a
name gets out, or the watching is suspected, it may have very serious
consequences."
Mr. Polteed nodded. "I can put it into the cipher category. Under that
system a name is never mentioned; we work by numbers."
He unlocked another drawer and took out two slips of paper, wrote on
them, and handed one to Soames.
"Keep that, sir; it's your key. I retain this duplicate. The case we'll
call 7x. The party watched will be 17; the watcher 19; the Mansions 25;
yourself--I should say, your firm--31; my firm 32, myself 2. In case you
should have to mention your client in writing I have called him 43; any
person we suspect will be 47; a second person 51. Any special hint or
instruction while we're about it?"
"No," said Soames; "that is--every consideration compatible."
Again Mr. Polteed nodded. "Expense?"
Soames shrugged. "In reason," he answered curtly, and got up. "Keep it
entirely in your own hands."