"Davis, Richard Harding - The Lost House" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davis Richard Harding)

indifferently, "you don't intend to do anything further?"

"What do you want us to do?" cried his friend. "Ring every
door-bell in Sowell Street and ask the parlor-maid if they're
murdering a lady on the top story?"

"Can I keep the paper?" demanded Ford. "You can keep a copy of it,"
consented the Secretary. "But if you think you're on the track of
a big newspaper sensation, I can tell you now you're not. That's
the work of a crazy woman, or it's a hoax. You amateur
detectives----"

Ford was already seated at the table, scribbling a copy of the
message, and making marginal notes.

"Who brought the FIRST paper ?" he interrupted.

"A hansom-cab driver."

"What became of HIM? " snapped the amateur detective.

The Secretary looked inquiringly at James. "He drove away," said
James.

"He drove away, did he?"' roared Ford. "And that was a week ago! Ye
gods! What about Dalesville, Kentucky? Did you cable any one
there?"

The dignity of the diplomat was becoming ruffled.

"We did not!" he answered. "If it wasn't true that her uncle was at
that hotel, it was probably equally untrue that she had friends in
America."

"But," retorted his friend, "you didn't forget to cable the State
Department that you all went in your evening clothes to bow to the
new King? You didn't neglect to cable that, did you?"

"The State Department," returned the Secretary, with withering
reproof, "does not expect us to crawl over the roofs of houses and
spy down chimneys to see if by any chance an American citizen is
being murdered."

"Well," exclaimed Ford, leaping to his feet and placing his notes
in his pocket, "fortunately, my paper expects me to do just that,
and if it didn't, I'd do it anyway. And that is exactly what I am
going to do now! Don't tell the others in the Embassy, and, for
Heaven's sake, don't tell the police. Jimmy, get me a taxi. And
you," he commanded, pointing at the one who had brought the note,
are coming with me to Sowell Street, to show me where you picked up