Tuppence withdrew. The smart Annie was not in evidence. In the
hall below a magnificent hall porter had relegated Albert to the
background. Tuppence did not even glance at him as she passed
meekly out.

The adventure had begun, but she felt less elated than she had
done earlier in the morning. It crossed her mind that if the
unknown Jane Finn had fallen into the hands of Mrs. Vandemeyer,
it was likely to have gone hard with her.



CHAPTER X

ENTER SIR JAMES PEEL EDGERTON

TUPPENCE betrayed no awkwardness in her new duties. The daughters
of the archdeacon were well grounded in household tasks. They
were also experts in training a "raw girl," the inevitable result
being that the raw girl, once trained, departed elsewhere where
her newly acquired knowledge commanded a more substantial
remuneration than the archdeacon's meagre purse allowed.

Tuppence had therefore very little fear of proving inefficient.
Mrs. Vandemeyer's cook puzzled her. She evidently went in deadly
terror of her mistress. The girl thought it probable that the
other woman had some hold over her. For the rest, she cooked
like a chef, as Tuppence had an opportunity of judging that
evening. Mrs. Vandemeyer was expecting a guest to dinner, and
Tuppence accordingly laid the beautifully polished table for two.