The Daffodil Mystery

t only curved the lips but filled the large, lustreless eyes. Tarling gave him a rapid survey and drew his own conclusions. The man was a born lackey, plump of fac

took on a look of blank surprise, as he gasped the words."Miss Rider--oh, no, impossible!""Why impossible?" demanded Mr. Lyne sharply."Well, sir, I meant----" stammered the manager, "it is so unlikely--she is such a nice girl----"Thornton Lyne shot a suspicious glance at him."You have no particular reason for wishing to shield Miss Rider, have you?" he asked coldly."No, sir, not at all. I beg of you not to think that," appealed the agitated Mr. Milburgh, "only it seems so--extraordinary.""All things are extraordinary that are out of the common," snapped Lyne. "It would be extraordinary if you were accused of stealing, Milburgh. It would be very extraordinary indeed, for example, if we discovered that you were living a five-thousand pounds life on a nine-hundred pounds salary, eh?"Only for a second did Milburgh lose his self-possession. The hand that went to his mouth shook, and Tarling, whose eyes had never left the man's face, saw the tremendous effort which he was making to recover his equanimity."Yes, sir, that would be extraordinary," said Milburgh steadily.Lyne had lashed himself again into the old fury, and if his vitriolic tongue was directed at Milburgh, his thoughts were centred upon that proud and scornful face which had looked down upon him in his office."It would be extraordinary if you were sent to penal servitude as the result of my discovery that you had been robbing the firm for years," he growled, "and I suppose everybody else in the firm would say the same as you--how extraordinary!""I daresay they would, sir," said Mr. Milburgh, his old smile back, the twinkle again returning to his eyes, and his hands rubbing together in ceaseless ablutions. "It would sound extraordinary, and it would be extraordinary, and nobody here would be more surprised than the unfortunate victim--ha! ha!""Perhaps not," said Lyne coldly. "Only I want to say a few words in your presence, and I would like you to give them every attention. You have been complaining to me for a month past," he said speaking with deliberation, "about small sums of money being missing from the cashier's office."It was a bold thing to say, and in many ways a rash thing. He was dependent for the success of his hastily-formed plan, not only upon Milburgh's guilt, but upon Milburgh's willingness to confess his guilt. If the manager agreed to stand sponsor to this lie, he admitted his own peculations, and Tarling, to whom the turn of the conversation had at first been unintelligible, began dimly to see the drift it was taking."I have complained that sums of money have been missing for the past month?" repeated Milburgh dully.The smile had gone from his lips and eyes. His face was haggard--he was a man at bay."That is what I said," said Lyne watching him. "Isn't that the fact?"There was a long pause, and presently Milburgh nodded."That is the fact, sir," he said in a low voice."And you have told me that you suspected Miss Rider of defalcations?"Again the pause and again the man nodded."Do you hear?" asked Lyne triumphantly."I hear," said Tarling quietly. "Now what do you wish me to do? Isn't this a matter for the police? I mean the regular police."Lyne frowned."The case has to be prepared first," he said. "I will give you full particulars as to the girl's address and her habits, and it will be your business to collect such information as will enable us to put the case in the hands of Scotland Yard.""I see," said Tarling and smiled again. Then he shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't come into this case, Mr. Lyne.""Can't come in?" said Lyne in astonishment. "Why not?""Because it's not my kind of job," said Tarling. "The firs