CHAPTER XIII
SLIGHT COMPLICATIONS
They left the subway at Ninety-sixth Street and walked up theDrive. Jimmy, like every one else who saw it for the first time,experienced a slight shock at the sight of the Pett mansion, but,rallying, followed his uncle up the flagged path to the frontdoor.
"Your aunt will be in the drawing-room, I guess," said Mr. Pett,opening the door with his key.
Jimmy was looking round him appreciatively. Mr. Pett's housemight be an eyesore from without, but inside it had had thebenefit of the skill of the best interior decorator in New York.
"A man could be very happy in a house like this, if he didn'thave to poison his days with work," said Jimmy.
Mr. Pett looked alarmed.
"Don't go saying anything like that to your aunt!" he urged. "Shethinks you have come to settle down."
"So I have. I'm going to settle down like a limpet. I hope Ishall be living in luxury on you twenty years from now. Is thisthe room?"
Mr. Pett opened the drawing-room door. A small hairy objectsprang from a basket and stood yapping in the middle of the room.This was Aida, Mrs. Pett's Pomeranian. Mr. Pett, avoiding theanimal coldly, for he disliked it, ushered Jimmy into the room.
"Here's Jimmy Crocker, Nesta."
Jimmy was aware of a handsome woman of middle age, so like hisstep-mother that for an instant his self-possession left him andhe stammered.
"How--how do you do?"
His demeanour made a favourable impression on Mrs. Pett. She tookit for the decent confusion of remorse.
"I was very surprised when your uncle telephoned me," she said."I had not the slightest idea that you were coming over. I amvery glad to see you."
"Thank you."
"This is your cousin, Ogden."
Jimmy perceived a fat boy lying on a settee. He had not risen onJimmy's entrance, and he did not rise now. He did not even lowerthe book he was reading.
"Hello," he said.
Jimmy crossed over to the settee, and looked down on him. He hadgot over his momentary embarrassment, and, as usual with him, thereaction led to a fatal breeziness. He prodded Ogden in hiswell-covered ribs, producing a yelp of protest from thatastounded youth.
"So this is Ogden! Well, well, well! You don't grow up, Ogden,but you do grow out. What are you--a perfect sixty-six?"
The favourable impression which Mrs. Pett had formed of hernephew waned. She was shocked by this disrespectful attitudetowards the child she worshipped.
"Please do not disturb Ogden, James," she said stiffly. "He isnot feeling very well to-day. His stomach is weak."
"Been eating too much?" said Jimmy cheerfully.
"I was just the same at his age. What he wants is half rationsand plenty of exercise."
"Say!" protested Ogden.
"Just look at this," proceeded Jimmy, grasping a handful ofsuperfluous tissue around the boy's ribs. "All that ought to comeoff. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll buy a pair of flanneltrousers and a sweater and some sneakers, and I'll take him for arun up Riverside Drive this evening. Do him no end of good. And agood skipping-rope, too. Nothing like it. In a couple of weeksI'll have him as fit as a--"
"Ogden's case," said Mrs. Pett coldly, "which is verycomplicated, is in the hands of Doctor Briginshaw, in whom wehave every confidence."
There was a silence, the paralysing effects of which Mr. Pettvainly tried to mitigate by shuffling his feet and coughing.Mrs. Pett spoke.
"I hope that, now that you are here, James, you intend to settledown and work hard."
"Indubitably. Like a beaver," said Jimmy, mindful of Mr. Pett'srecent warning. "The only trouble is that there seems to be alittle uncertainty as to what I am best fitted for. We talked itover in uncle Pete's office and arrived at no conclusion."
"Can't you think of anything?" said Mr. Pett.
"I looked right through the telephone classified directory theother day--"
"The other day? But you only landed this morning."
"I mean this morning. When I was looking up your address so thatI could go and see you," said Jimmy glibly. "It seems a long timeago. I think the sight of all those fellows in your office hasaged me. I think the best plan would be for me to settle downhere and learn how to be an electrical engineer or something bymail. I was reading an advertisement in a magazine as we came upon the subway. I see they guarantee to teach you anything fromsheet metal working to poultry raising. The thing began 'You arestanding still because you lack training.' It seemed to me toapply to my case exactly. I had better drop them a line to-nightasking for a few simple facts about chickens."
Whatever comment Mrs. Pett might have made on this suggestion waschecked by the entrance of Ann. From the window of her room Annhad observed the arrival of Jimmy and her uncle, and now, havingallowed sufficient time to elapse for the former to make Mrs.Pett's acquaintance, she came down to see how things were going.
She was well satisfied with what she saw. A slight strain whichshe perceived in the atmosphere she attributed to embarrassmentnatural to the situation.
She looked at Jimmy enquiringly. Mrs. Pett had not informed herof Mr. Pett's telephone call, so Jimmy, she realised, had to beexplained to her. She waited for some one to say something.
Mr. Pett undertook the introduction.
"Jimmy, this is my niece, Ann Chester. This is Jimmy Crocker,Ann."
Jimmy could not admire sufficiently the start of surprise whichshe gave. It was artistic and convincing.
"Jimmy Crocker!"
Mr. Pett was on the point of mentioning that this was not thefirst time Ann had met Jimmy, but refrained. After all, thatinterview had happened five years ago. Jimmy had almost certainlyforgotten all about it. There was no use in making him feelunnecessarily awkward. It was up to Ann. If she wanted todisinter the ancient grievance, let her. It was no business ofhis.
"I thought you weren't coming over!" said Ann.
"I changed my mind."
Mr. Pett, who had been gazing attentively at them, uttered anexclamation.
"I've got it! I've been trying all this while to think where itwas that I saw you before. It was on the _Atlantic_!"
Ann caught Jimmy's eye. She was relieved to see that he was notdisturbed by this sudden development.
"Did you come over on the _Atlantic_, Mr. Crocker?" she said."Surely not? We crossed on her ourselves. We should have met."
"Don't call me Mr. Crocker," said Jimmy. "Call me Jimmy. Yourmother's brother's wife's sister's second husband is my father.Blood is thicker than water. No, I came over on the _Caronia_. Wedocked this morning."
"Well, there was a fellow just like you on the _Atlantic_,"persisted Mr. Pett.
Mrs. Pett said nothing. She was watching Jimmy with a keen andsuspicious eye.
"I suppose I'm a common type," said Jimmy.
"You remember the man I mean," said Mr. Pett, innocentlyunconscious of the unfriendly thoughts he was encouraging in twoof his hearers. "He sat two tables away from us at meals. Youremember him, Nesta?"
"As I was too unwell to come to meals, I do not."
"Why, I thought I saw you once talking to him on deck, Ann."
"Really?" said Ann. "I don't remember any one who looked at alllike Jimmy."
"Well," said Mr. Pett, puzzled. "It's very strange. I guess I'mwrong." He looked at his watch. "Well, I'll have to be gettingback to the office."
"I'll come with you part of the way, uncle Pete," said Jimmy. "Ihave to go and arrange for my things to be expressed here."
"Why not phone to the hotel?" said Mr. Pett. It seemed to Jimmyand Ann that he was doing this sort of thing on purpose. "Whichhotel did you leave them at?"
"No, I shall have to go there. I have some packing to do."
"You will be back to lunch?" said Ann.
"Thanks. I shan't be gone more than half an hour."
For a moment after they had gone, Ann relaxed, happy andrelieved. Everything had gone splendidly. Then a shock ranthrough her whole system as Mrs. Pett spoke
. She spoke excitedly,in a lowered voice, leaning over to Ann.
"Ann! Did you notice anything? Did you suspect anything?"
Ann mastered her emotion with an effort.
"Whatever do you mean, aunt Nesta?"
"About that young man, who calls himself Jimmy Crocker."
Ann clutched the side of the chair.
"Who calls himself Jimmy Crocker? I don't understand."
Ann tried to laugh. It seemed to her an age before she producedany sound at all, and when it came it was quite unlike a laugh.
"What put that idea into your head? Surely, if he says he isJimmy Crocker, it's rather absurd to doubt him, isn't it? Howcould anybody except Jimmy Crocker know that you were anxious toget Jimmy Crocker over here? You didn't tell any one, did you?"
This reasoning shook Mrs. Pett a little, but she did not intendto abandon a perfectly good suspicion merely because it began toseem unreasonable.
"They have their spies everywhere," she said doggedly.
"Who have?"
"The Secret Service people from other countries. Lord Wisbeachwas telling me about it yesterday. He said that I ought tosuspect everybody. He said that an attempt might be made onWillie's invention at any moment now."
"He was joking."
"He was not. I have never seen any one so serious. He said that Iought to regard every fresh person who came into the house as apossible criminal."
"Well, that guy's fresh enough," muttered Ogden from the settee.
Mrs. Pett started.
"Ogden! I had forgotten that you were there." She uttered a cryof horror, as the fact of his presence started a new train ofthought. "Why, this man may have come to kidnap you! I neverthought of that."
Ann felt it time to intervene. Mrs. Pett was hovering much toonear the truth for comfort. "You mustn't imagine things, auntNesta. I believe it comes from writing the sort of stories youdo. Surely, it is impossible for this man to be an impostor. Howwould he dare take such a risk? He must know that you coulddetect him at any moment by cabling over to Mrs. Crocker to askif her step-son was really in America."
It was a bold stroke, for it suggested a plan of action which, iffollowed, would mean ruin for her schemes, but Ann could notrefrain from chancing it. She wanted to know whether her aunt hadany intention of asking Mrs. Crocker for information, or whetherthe feud was too bitter for her pride to allow her to communicatewith her sister in any way. She breathed again as Mrs. Pettstiffened grimly in her chair.
"I should not dream of cabling to Eugenia."
"I quite understand that," said Ann. "But an impostor would notknow that you felt like that, would he?"
"I see what you mean."
Ann relaxed again. The relief was, however, only momentary.
"I cannot understand, though," said Mrs. Pett, "why your uncleshould have been so positive that he saw this young man on the_Atlantic_."
"Just a chance resemblance, I suppose. Why, uncle Peter said hesaw the man whom he imagined was like Jimmy Crocker talking tome. If there had been any real resemblance, shouldn't I have seenit before uncle Peter?"
Assistance came from an unexpected quarter.
"I know the chap uncle Peter meant," said Ogden. "He wasn't likethis guy at all."
Ann was too grateful for the help to feel astonished at it. Hermind, dwelling for a mere instant on the matter, decided thatOgden must have seen her on deck with somebody else than Jimmy.She had certainly not lacked during the voyage for those whosought her society.
Mrs. Pett seemed to be impressed.
"I may be letting my imagination run away with me," she said.
"Of course you are, aunt Nesta," said Ann thankfully. "You don'trealise what a vivid imagination you have got. When I was typingthat last story of yours, I was simply astounded at the ideas youhad thought of. I remember saying so to uncle Peter. You can'texpect to have a wonderful imagination like yours and not imaginethings, can you?"
Mrs. Pett smiled demurely. She looked hopefully at her niece,waiting for more, but Ann had said her say.
"You are perfectly right, my dear child," she said when she wasquite sure the eulogy was not to be resumed. "No doubt I havebeen foolish to suspect this young man. But Lord Wisbeach's wordsnaturally acted more strongly on a mind like mine than they wouldhave done in the case of another woman."
"Of course," said Ann.
She was feeling quite happy now. It had been tense while it hadlasted, but everything was all right now.
"And, fortunately," said Mrs. Pett, "there is a way by which wecan find out for certain if the young man is really JamesCrocker."
Ann became rigid again.
"A way? What way?"
"Why, don't you remember, my dear, that Skinner has known JamesCrocker for years."
"Skinner?"
The name sounded familiar, but in the stress of the moment Anncould not identify it.
"My new butler. He came to me straight from Eugenia. It was hewho let us in when we called at her house. Nobody could knowbetter than he whether this person is really James Crocker ornot."
Ann felt as if she had struggled to the limit of her endurance.She was not prepared to cope with this unexpected blow. She hadnot the strength to rally under it. Dully she perceived that herschemes must be dismissed as a failure before they had had achance of success. Her accomplice must not return to the house tobe exposed. She saw that clearly enough. If he came back, hewould walk straight into a trap. She rose quickly. She must warnhim. She must intercept him before he arrived--and he mightarrive at any moment now.
"Of course," she said, steadying herself with an effort, "I neverthought of that. That makes it all simple. . . . I hope lunchwon't be late. I'm hungry."
She sauntered to the door, but, directly she had closed it behindher, ran to her room, snatched up a hat, and rushed downstairsand out into Riverside Drive. Just as she reached the street,Jimmy turned the corner. She ran towards him, holding up herhands.
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