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“No, of course not stolen ones. Seditious—blasphemous—most probably pornographic.”
“Oh—oh I see.”
“No you don’t. But possibly you understand.”
She did not quibble. “Is that worth killing over?”
“If it was graphic enough, and there was enough of it,” he replied. “It could be worth a lot of money.”
Two gentlemen crossed the street ahead of them, one swinging a cane.
“You mean they could sell it for a lot.” She could be equally pedantic. “It’s worth nothing.”
He pulled a face. “Didn’t think you’d know what it was.”
“I’ve been an army nurse,” she said tardy.
“Oh.” For a moment he was confused, off balance. He did not wish to think of her as being aware of such things, much less to have seen them. It offended him. Women, especially decent women, should never have to see the obscenities of the darkest human imagination. Unconsciously he increased his speed, almost knocking into a man and woman. The man glared at him and muttered something.
Hester was obliged to break into a trot to keep up.
“Are we going to look for it?” she asked, gasping. “Please slow a little. I cannot speak or listen at this rate.”
He obeyed abruptly and she shot a couple of paces past him.
“I am,” he answered. “You’re not.”
“Yes I am.” It was a single, contradictory, pigheaded statement. There was no question or pleading in it.
“No you are not. It may be dangerous….”
“Why should it? They said there would be no one there tomorrow, and there certainly won’t be today. They’d never break the Sabbath.”
“I’m going tonight, while it’s dark.”
“Of course we are. It would be absurd to go in the daylight; anyone might see us.”
“You’re not coming!”
Now they were stopped and causing an obstruction on the footpath.
“Yes I am. You’ll need help. If it really is a secret room, it won’t be all that easy to find. We may have to knock for hollow places, or move—”
“All right!” he said. “But you must do as you’re told.”
“Naturally.”
He snorted, and once again set off at a rapid pace.
It was a little before eleven, and pitch-dark except for the lantern which Hester held, when she and Monk finally stood in the huge print room and began their task. To avoid unnecessary noise they had had to break in. It had taken some time, but Monk possessed skills in that field which startled Hester, though he offered no account of how he had come by them. Possibly he did not recall himself.
For over an hour they searched, slowly and methodically, but the building was very solidly and pl
ainly built. It was simply a barnlike structure, similar to the warehouses on either side of it, for the purpose of printing books. There was no ornament or carving, no alcoves, mantels, sets of shelves or anything else which could mask an opening.
“He was drunk,” Monk said in disgust. “He just loathed Hamish so much he was trying to make trouble, anything he could think of, no matter how absurd.”
“We haven’t been searching very long yet,” she argued.
