Page:Rowland--The closing net.djvu/212

194 tol and escape in the confusion that would follow.

For precisely this idea had gone through my head. Nowadays when one hears a sharp report the first thing that crosses the mind is the thought that it is a burst tire or a back fire from a motor. As Chu-Chu walked past the window of Rosalie's taxi I was almost on the point of shooting, then jumping out, picking him up and, while the octroi officials were tearing about and the crowd was gathering, slipping off into the bushes and shedding my round hat, goggles and soutane. Underneath I wore a tweed knickerbocker suit and russet shoes, and I had in my pocket a tweed tourist's cap to match the suit, and a Paris Baedeker. It would have taken me just about two seconds to have made the change from a wandering Alsatian French prédicateur to the most harmless of British tourists.

Then why didn't I? It is rather hard to say. I had nothing to fear from Léontine or from Chu-Chu's man. Léontine would have guessed in a flash what had happened, and probably would have helped me if the opportunity offered. Chu-Chu's pal would have been principally interested in doing his own get-away before it was discovered that Chu-Chu's face was skilfully made up. I had noticed when he passed that his nose got its aristocratic bridge from shadow-lines carefully laid on; and his eyes, really light, were made to look dark by the blackening of the lower lashes and perhaps a little atropin. His moustache was faked by the glueing in of white hairs among the black ones already there.

I think that I could have pulled the job off all