She was busy at the sideboard. She said: "Tell me something about yourself."
Isles thought she had a charming voice.
"Is that going to get us anywhere?" he asked evenly.
She looked at him over her shoulder. He was still smiling.
She thought he would be a rather difficult man to lose one's temper with. She brought the whisky and soda to him.
She said: "Isn't it rather natural, Mr. Isles, that when a woman entrusts a commission of some importance to a man she might like to know something about him?"
Isles nodded.
She went to a table; came back with a cigarette box; offered it to Isles; took one herself. He lighted the cigarettes.
"That's very reasonable," he said. "But supposing, for the sake of argument, my past history wasn't very good. I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I? On
