“Oh, no,” said the young lady. “Miss Drake had dinner here in the Hotel.”
“Really,” said Tommy, “are you sure of that? I mean—how do you know?”
“Oh, I saw her.”
“I asked because I understood she was dining with some friends in Torquay,” explained Tommy.
“Oh, no sir, she dined here.” The young lady laughed and blushed a little. “I remember she had on a most sweetly pretty frock. One of those new flowered chiffons all over pansies.”
“Tuppence, this tears it,” said Tommy when they had been shown upstairs to their room.
“It does rather,” said Tuppence. “Of course that woman may be mistaken. We will ask the waiter at dinner. There can’t be very many people here just at this time of year.”
This time it was Tuppence who opened the attack.
“Can you tell me if a friend of mine was here last Tuesday?” she asked the waiter with an engaging smile. “A Miss Drake, wearing a frock all over pansies I believe.” She produced a photograph. “This lady.”
The waiter broke into immediate smiles of recognition.
“Yes, yes, Miss Drake. I remember her very well. She told me she came from Australia.”
“She dined here?”
“Yes. It was last Tuesday. She asked me if there was anything to do afterwards in the town.”