I

“No more would most people. Now here’s a genuine one. I’ll show you the differences⁠—very slight they are, but you’ll soon learn to tell them apart. Take this magnifying glass.”

At the end of five minutes’ coaching, both Tommy and Tuppence were fairly expert.

“What do you want us to do, Inspector Marriot?” asked Tuppence. “Just keep our eyes open for these things?”

“A great deal more than that, Mrs. Beresford. I’m pinning my faith on you to get to the bottom of the matter. You see, we’ve discovered that the notes are being circulated from the West End. Somebody pretty high up in the social scale is doing the distributing. They’re passing them the other side of the Channel as well. Now there’s a certain person who is interesting us very much. A Major Laidlaw⁠—perhaps you’ve heard the name?”

“I think I have,” said Tommy. “Connected with racing, isn’t that it?”

“Yes. Major Laidlaw is pretty well known in connection with the Turf. There’s nothing actually against him, but there’s a general impression that he’s been a bit too smart over one or two rather shady transactions. Men in the know look queer when he’s mentioned. Nobody knows much of his past or where he came from. He’s got a very attractive French wife who’s seen about everywhere with a train of admirers. They must spend a lot of money, the Laidlaws, and I’d like to know where it comes from.”

“Possibly from the train of admirers,” suggested Tommy.

“That’s the general idea. But I’m not so sure. It may be coincidence, but a lot of notes have been forthcoming from a certain very smart little gambling club which is much frequented by the Laidlaws and their set.