“That all? Did you know the Gertstein people well before?”

“As a matter of fact I have known Mrs. Gertstein all my life. She is a sort of distant relative of mine and very much younger than her husband. We were at school together. I can see what you’re driving at, Mr. Labar,” she proceeded. “My father, who was a civil servant, died just over a year ago, leaving me a small, a very small, income. My mother has been dead for many years. I struggled along for some months, but I am afraid that I am one of those persons who need something more than a bread and butter existence. So when Adèle⁠—that’s Mrs. Gertstein⁠—offered me this position, I took it. I’m well paid for the little I do and live in a style that I could not otherwise afford.”