Detective and mystery stories; French, Joseph (Fictitious character) -- Fiction; Police -- Great Britain -- Fiction
In answer to this there was a short note signed “Joan Merrill,” which
stated that the writer was pleased to hear that Mr. Cheyne was
recovering and that she would see him if he called. The note was
headed 17 Horne Terrace, Burton Street, Chelsea. Cheyne admired the
hand and passed a good deal of his superabundant time speculating as
to the personality of the writer and wondering what a Chelsea lady
could have been doing in the Hendon suburbs after midnight on the date
of his adventure. When, therefore, a few days later he was discharged
from the hospital, he betook himself to Chelsea with more than a
little eagerness.
Horne Terrace proved to be a block of workers’ flats, and inquiries at
No. 17 produced the information that Miss Merrill occupied Flat No.
12—the top floor on the left-hand side. Speculating still further as
to the personality of a lady who would choose such a dwelling, Cheyne
essayed researches into the upper regions. A climb which left him weak
and panting after his sojourn in bed brought him to the tenth floor,
on which one of the doors bore the number he sought. To recover
himself before knocking he felt constrained to sit down for a few
moments on the stairs, and as he was thus resting the door of No. 12
opened and a girl came out.
She was of middle height, slender and willowy, though the lines of her
figure were somewhat concealed by the painter’s blue overall which she
wore. She was not beautiful in the classic sense, yet but few would
have failed to find pleasure in the sight of her pretty, pleasant,
kindly face, with its straightforward expression, and the direct gaze
of her hazel eyes. Her face was rather thin and her chin rather sharp
for perfect symmetry, but her nose tilted adorably and the arch of her
eyebrows was delicacy itself. Her complexion was pale, but with the
pallor of perfect health. But her great glory was her hair. It covered
her head with a crown of burnished gold, and though in Cheyne’s
opinion it lost much of its beauty from being shingled, it gave her an
aureole like that of a medieval saint in a stained glass window. Like
a saint, indeed, she seemed to Cheyne; a very human and approachable
saint, it is true, but a saint for all that. Seated on the top step of
the stairs he was transfixed by the unexpected vision, and remained
staring over his shoulder at her while he endeavored to collect his
scattered wits.
The sight of a strange young man seated on the steps outside her door
seemed equally astonishing to the vision, and she promptly stopped and
stood staring at Cheyne. So they remained for an appreciable time,
until Cheyne, flushed and abashed, stumbled to his feet and plunged
into apologies.
As a result of his somewhat incoherent explanation a light dawned on
her face and she smiled.
“Oh, you’re Mr. Cheyne,” she exclaimed. She looked at him very
searchingly, then invited: “But of course! Won’t you come in?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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