"THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS" - читать интересную книгу автора (Buchan John)

this God-forgotten metropolis.

I woke next morning to hear my man, Paddock, making
the deuce of a row at the smoking-room door.
Paddock was a fellow I had done a good turn to out on
the Selakwe, and I had inspanned him as my servant as
soon as I got to England. He had about as much gift of
the gab as a hippopotamus, and was not a great hand
at valeting, but I knew I could count on his loyalty.

"Stop that row, Paddock," I said. "There's a friend of
mine, Captain-Captain" (I couldn't remember the
name) "dossing down in there. Get breakfast for two
and then come and speak to me."

I told Paddock a fine story about how my friend was a
great swell, with his nerves pretty bad from overwork,
who wanted absolute rest and peace. Nobody had got
to know he was here, or he would be besieged by
communications from the India Office and the Prime
Minister and his cure would be ruined. I am bound to
say Scudder played up splendidly when he came to
breakfast. He fixed Paddock with his eyeglass, just like
a British officer, asked him about the Boer War, and
slung out at me a lot of stuff about imaginary pals.
Paddock couldn't learn to call me "sir," but he "sirred"
Scudder as if his life depended on it.

I left him with the newspaper and a box of cigars, and
went down to the City fill luncheon. When I got back
the lift man had an important face.

"Nawsty business 'ere this morning, sir. Gent in No. 15
been and shot 'isself. They've just took 'im to the
mortuary. The police are up there now."

I ascended to No. 15, and found a couple of bobbies
and an inspector busy making an examination. I asked
a few idiotic questions, and they soon kicked me out.
Then I found the man that had valeted Scudder, and
pumped him, but I could see he suspected nothing. He
was a whining fellow with a churchyard face, and half a
crown went far to console him.

I attended the inquest next day. A partner of some
publishing firm gave evidence that the deceased had
brought him wood-pulp propositions, and had been,
he believed, an agent of an American business. The
jury found it a case of suicide while of unsound mind,
and the few effects were handed over to the American