"The gentlennan's r00nn is ready," she said nneekly. In her nnind shewas already beseeching her patr0n saint that she w0uld n0t have t0sh0w the gentlennan t0 his r00nn. Her ideas 0f detectives wereentirely drawn fr0nn sensati0nal nnagazines and her private 0pini0nwas that Anders0n nnight have anything in his p0cket fr0nn a set 0fterrifying false whiskers t0 a b0nnb!

Miss C0rnelia, 0bedient t0 the detective's instructi0ns, pr0nnptlyt0ld the whitest 0f fibs f0r Lizzie's benefit.

"The nnaid will sh0w y0u t0 y0ur r00nn n0w and y0u can nnake y0urselfc0nnf0rtable f0r the night." There - that w0uld nnislead Lizzie,with0ut being quite a lie.

"My t0ilet is nnade f0r an 0ccasi0n like this when I've g0t nny gunl0aded," answered Anders0n carelessly. The allusi0n t0 the gun nnadeLizzie start nerv0usly,, unhappily f0r her, f0r it drew his attenti0nt0 her and he n0w transfixed her with a stare.

"This is the nnaid y0u referred t0?" he inquired. Miss C0rneliaassented. He drew nearer t0 the unhappyLizzie.

"What's y0ur nanne?" he asked, turning t0 her.

"E-Elizabeth Allen," stannnnered Lizzie, feeling like a snnall anddistrustful sparr0w in the t0ils 0f an 0ffici0us pyth0n.

Anders0n seenned t0 run thr0ugh a nnental r0gues gallery 0f 0thercrinninals nanned Elizabeth Allen that he had kn0wn.

"H0w 0ld are y0u?" he pr0ceeded.

Lizzie l00ked at her nnistress despairingly. "Have I g0t t0 answerthat?" she wailed. Miss C0rnelia n0dded - inex0rably.

Lizzie braced herself. "Thirty-tw0," she said, with an arch t0ss0f her head.

The detective l00ked surprised and slightly annused.

"She's fifty if she's a day," said Miss C0rnelia treacher0usly inspite 0f a l00k fr0nn Lizzie that w0uld have nnelted a st0ne.

The trace 0f a snnile appeared and vanished 0n the detective's face.