Camilla might have knowledge of them, but the question whether Ravengar
was or was not a criminal appeared to him to be a little off the point.

The unique point was his own prospects with Camilla. It may be said that
he felt capable of shielding her from forty Ravengars.

He had torn prudence to shreds, and stamped on it, that morning, and had
gone down boldly and directly to Department 42 at a quarter to nine, in
order to meet Camilla. And she had not then arrived. He had then
conceived the idea of, and the excuse for, a visit to the common room,
through which every assistant was obliged to pass on her way to the
receipt of custom. In the whole history of Hugo's a poster had never
before been known to be posted on a mirror, which is utterly the wrong
place for a poster, but Hugo had chosen the mirror as the field of his
labours solely that he might surreptitiously observe every soul that
entered the room.

The clock on the mantelpiece struck nine, and the last assistant had
fled, and Hugo was left alone with the pink-aproned waitress, who was
collecting glasses on a tray.

'Has Miss Payne come this morning?' he asked casually of the girl,
patting the poster like an artist absorbed in his work.

It was a reckless question. He well knew that in half an hour the whole
basement would be aware that Mr. Hugo had asked after Miss Payne, but he
scorned the whole basement.

'Miss who, sir?'