The Secret Adversary (Tommy & Tuppence 1)

They looked at the little man, stupefied. He nodded cheerfully.

“It’s a pity,” he said. “A great pity, especially as I gather, SirJames, that the matter is important. But there it is, she can tell younothing.”

“But why, man? Darn it all, why?”

The little man shifted his benevolent glance to the excited youngAmerican.

“Because Janet Vandemeyer is suffering from a complete loss of memory.”

_“What?”_

“Quite so. An interesting case, a _very_ interesting case. Not souncommon, really, as you would think. There are several very well knownparallels. It’s the first case of the kind that I’ve had under my ownpersonal observation, and I must admit that I’ve found it of absorbinginterest.” There was something rather ghoulish in the little man’ssatisfaction.

“And she remembers nothing,” said Sir James slowly.

“Nothing prior to May 7, 1915. After that date her memory is as good asyours or mine.”

“Then the first thing she remembers?”

“Is landing with the survivors. Everything before that is a blank. Shedid not know her own name, or where she had come from, or where she was.She couldn’t even speak her own tongue.”

“But surely all this is most unusual?” put in Julius.

“No, my dear sir. Quite normal under the circumstances. Severe shock tothe nervous system. Loss of memory proceeds nearly always on the samelines. I suggested a specialist, of course. There’s a very good man inParis--makes a study of these cases--but Mrs. Vandemeyer opposed theidea of publicity that might result from such a course.”

“I can imagine she would,” said Sir James grimly.

“I fell in with her views. There is a certain notoriety given to thesecases. And the girl was very young--nineteen, I believe. It seemeda pity that her infirmity should be talked about--might damage herprospects. Besides, there is no special treatment to pursue in suchcases. It is really a matter of waiting.”

“Waiting?”

“Yes, sooner or later, the memory will return--as suddenly as itwent. But in all probability the girl will have entirely forgotten theintervening period, and will take up life where she left off--at thesinking of the _Lusitania_.”

“And when do you expect this to happen?”

The doctor shrugged his shoulders.

“Ah, that I cannot say. Sometimes it is a matter of months, sometimesit has been known to be as long as twenty years! Sometimes another shockdoes the trick. One restores what th

e other took away.”

“Another shock, eh?” said Julius thoughtfully.

“Exactly. There was a case in Colorado----” The little man’s voicetrailed on, voluble, mildly enthusiastic.

Julius did not seem to be listening. He had relapsed into his ownthoughts and was frowning. Suddenly he came out of his brown study,and hit the table such a resounding bang with his fist that every onejumped, the doctor most of all.

“I’ve got it! I guess, doc, I’d like your medical opinion on the planI’m about to outline. Say Jane was to cross the herring pond again, andthe same thing was to happen. The submarine, the sinking ship, every oneto take to the boats--and so on. Wouldn’t that do the trick? Wouldn’t itgive a mighty big bump to her subconscious self, or whatever the jargonis, and start it functioning again right away?”

“A very interesting speculation, Mr. Hersheimmer. In my own opinion, itwould be successful. It is unfortunate that there is no chance of theconditions repeating themselves as you suggest.”

“Not by nature, perhaps, doc. But I’m talking about art.”

“Art?”

“Why, yes. What’s the difficulty? Hire a liner----”

“A liner!” murmured Dr. Hall faintly.

“Hire some passengers, hire a submarine--that’s the only difficulty, Iguess. Governments are apt to be a bit hide-bound over their engines ofwar. They won’t sell to the first-comer. Still, I guess that can be gotover. Ever heard of the word ‘graft,’ sir? Well, graft gets there everytime! I reckon that we shan’t really need to fire a torpedo. If everyone hustles round and screams loud enough that the ship is sinking, itought to be enough for an innocent young girl like Jane. By the timeshe’s got a life-belt on her, and is being hustled into a boat, witha well-drilled lot of artistes doing the hysterical stunt on deck,why--she ought to be right back where she was in May, 1915. How’s thatfor the bare outline?”

Dr. Hall looked at Julius. Everything that he was for the momentincapable of saying was eloquent in that look.

“No,” said Julius, in answer to it, “I’m not crazy. The thing’sperfectly possible. It’s done every day in the States for the movies.Haven’t you seen trains in collision on the screen? What’s thedifference between buying up a train and buying up a liner? Get theproperties and you can go right ahead!”

Dr. Hall found his voice.

“But the expense, my dear sir.” His voice rose. “The expense! It will be_colossal!_”

“Money doesn’t worry me any,” explained Julius simply.

Dr. Hall turned an appealing face to Sir James, who smiled slightly.

“Mr. Hersheimmer is very well off--very well off indeed.”

The doctor’s glance came back to Julius with a new and subtle quality init. This was no longer an eccentric young fellow with a habit of fallingoff trees. The doctor’s eyes held the deference accorded to a reallyrich man.

“Very remarkable plan. Very remarkable,” he murmured. “The movies--ofcourse! Your American word for the kinema. Very interesting. I fear weare perhaps a little behind the times over here in our methods. And youreally mean to carry out this remarkable plan of yours.”

“You bet your bottom dollar I do.”

The doctor believed him--which was a tribute to his nationality. If anEnglishman had suggested such a thing, he would have had grave doubts asto his sanity.

“I cannot guarantee a cure,” he pointed out. “Perhaps I ought to makethat quite clear.”

“Sure, that’s all right,” said Julius. “You just trot out Jane, andleave the rest to me.”

“Jane?”

“Miss Janet Vandemeyer, then. Can we get on the long distance to yourplace right away, and ask them to send her up; or shall I run down andfetch her in my car?”

The doctor stared.

“I beg your pardon, Mr. Hersheimmer. I thought you understood.”

“Understood what?”

“That Miss Vandemeyer is no longer under my care.”