Page:Harold Macgrath--The girl in his house.djvu/116

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THE GIRL IN HIS HOUSE

have figured in a number of these reports, Mr. Armitage. And there you are. Since this is an honorable affair, open and above-board, we have naturally made no attempt to ascertain either the name or the address of our client; but, like yourself, we suspect him to be her father."

"I am perfectly satisfied," said Armitage. "If I was a bit abrupt, my apologies."

"Don't let that worry you. The job has had us all thinking. We didn't know but the young lady was in some unknown danger. You spoke of her father. Who is he? We know his name, of course, but not what he is."

"Hubert Athelstone, an explorer and archeologist."

Reaching for Who's Who, the chief searched diligently among the A's. He shook his head and pressed a button. "The English Who's Who," he said to the clerk. But the second search was equally fruitless. "That doesn't really matter. An archeologist has to discover a king's tomb to get into those books. On the other hand, he's pretty sure to be a member of the Royal or National Geographical Society. Come

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