‘If mademoiselle permits?’ he murmured, bowing, but hardly looking at her, as he pulled out a chair nearly opposite her and sat down. He gave his order and then, business being as it were off his mind, he relaxed so far as to look around. He glanced at the girl, seemed suddenly to recognise her, gave a mild start of surprise and leant forward with another bow. ‘Mademoiselle will perhaps pardon if I presume,’ he said, in his best manner, ‘but I think we have met before or, if not quite, almost.’ The girl raised her eyebrows but did not speak. ‘In the office of M. Boirac,’ went on the detective. ‘You would not, of course, notice, but I saw you there busy with a fine typewriter.’ Mademoiselle was not encouraging. She shrugged her shoulders, but made no reply. La Touche had another shot. ‘I am perhaps impertinent in addressing mademoiselle, but I assure her no impertinence is meant. I am the inventor of a new device for typewriters, and I try to get opinion of every expert operator I can find on its utility. Perhaps mademoiselle would permit me to describe it and ask hers?’ ‘Why don’t you take it to some of the agents?’ She spoke frigidly. ‘Because, mademoiselle,’ answered La Touche, warming to his subject, ‘I am not quite certain if the device would be sufficiently valuable. It would be costly to attach and no firm would buy unless it could be shown that operators wanted it. That is what I am so anxious to learn.’ She was listening, though not very graciously. La Touche did not wait for a reply, but began sketching on the back of the menu. ‘Here,’ he said, ‘is my idea,’ and he proceeded to draw and describe the latest form of tabulator with which he was acquainted. The girl look at him with scorn and suspicion. ‘You’re describing the Remington tabulator,’ she said coldly. ‘Oh, but, pardon me, mademoiselle. You surely don’t mean that? I have been told this is quite new.’ ‘You have been told wrongly. I ought to know, for I have been using one the very same, as what you say is yours, for several weeks.’ ‘You don’t say so, mademoiselle? That means that I have been forestalled and all my work has been wasted.’ La Touche’s disappointment was so obvious that the girl thawed slightly. ‘You’d better call at the Remington depot and ask to see one of their new machines. Then you can compare their tabulator with yours.’ ‘Thank you, mademoiselle, I’ll do so to-morrow. Then you use a Remington?’ ‘Yes, a No. 10.’ ‘Is that an old machine? Pardon my questions, but have you had it long?’ ‘I can’t tell you how long it has been at the office. I am only there myself six or seven weeks.’ Six or seven weeks! And the murder took place just over six weeks before! Could there be a connection, or was this mere coincidence?