Welcome to the thirteenth episode of our current Tale for Our Time: The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - although John Wilson, a First Week Founding Member of The Mark Steyn Club, is beginning to doubt that:
This tale reads more like John Buchan than Agatha Christie. You don't suppose they both submitted a manuscript to the publisher at the same time and there was a mix-up in the back room? Nah, that would be more like something from Wodehouse.
Could be. But it was only her second book - and, in a sense, Agatha Christie wasn't quite Agatha Christie yet. As to the Wodehousian mix-up, if I were Salman Rushdie, I'd be tempted to suggest that the same thing must have happened with The Satanic Verses and Broadway Babies Say Goodnight. On the other hand, we do like atypical work by big-time authors - not just atypical Christie but atypical Trollope. And indeed, speaking of Wodehouse, even atypical Plum.
In tonight's episode of The Secret Adversary, Tuppence and her American pal Julius P Hersheimmer are at the home of Sir James Peel Edgerton, KC, MP. Sir James is a very successful barrister, but it is still somewhat startling to find he can afford a pad in Carlton House Terrace.
In my GB News days, I used to cut through it on my nightly post-show show from the studio to my accommodations in St James's, after bidding farewell to my charming producers Lola and Melissa whose route diverged at Parliament Square. Carlton House Terrace has changed over the century, being home these days to eminent bodies such as the Royal Society and the British Academy, as well as the Foreign Secretary. There are still a few private homes on the street. Number Eighteen sold a decade ago for £250 million, which made it the world's most expensive house - although, in fact, the new "owner" was merely purchasing the remaining seventy-eight years of the lease, now presumably down to sixty-seven. No Englishman can afford that price-tag, although at least the present leaseholders are neither Russian oligarchs nor Saudi princes.
Still, it was different in Peel Edgerton's day, which may be why Tuppence does not seem particularly impressed. He, however, is impressed by her - and concerned about her missing friend:
"Now, about this young Tommy of yours——"
"Yes." Tuppence clasped her hands.
"Frankly, things look bad for him. He's been butting in somewhere where he wasn't wanted. Not a doubt of it. But don't give up hope."
"And you really will help us? There, Julius! He didn't want me to come," she added by way of explanation.
"H'm," said the lawyer, favouring Julius with another keen glance.
"And why was that?"
"I reckoned it would be no good worrying you with a petty little business like this."
"I see." He paused a moment. "This petty little business, as you call it, bears directly on a very big business, bigger perhaps than either you or Miss Tuppence know. If this boy is alive, he may have very valuable information to give us. Therefore, we must find him."
Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear me read Part Thirteen of The Secret Adversary simply by clicking here and logging-in. Earlier episodes can be found here.
If you've yet to hear any of our Tales for Our Time, you can do so by joining The Mark Steyn Club. For more details, see here - and don't forget our special Gift Membership. I'll be hosting Part Fourteen of The Secret Adversary right here tomorrow evening. Also on Thursday, Laura Rosen Cohen will be here with the indispensable Laura's Links.