Chapter 5

 Fell from his hand and splashed all over the table and his trousers . He leaped up brushing the latter down with Colonel Murga's table - napkin . “ Damn , ' he exclaimed forcibly . " Put your hands up , ' she ordered again . He looked across at her and the slightest suspicion of a smile flickered about his lips , then slowly he raised his hands and waited .

Lucy certainly presented rather a comical figure to tackle burglar ; she was little and slight , and with the long bob at which she kept her hair , she looked much younger than her years . It was thick and black and cut in a fringe on her forehead ; she had to keep it unwaved since she could not afford money for hairdressers or even for attending to her hair at home .

But she did brush it night and morning , so that it shone like lacquer . Her face was white and her deep blue eyes shadowed ; her features had a certain gamin quality about them ; her mouth was too large for beauty , but it had generous curves and if she had been able to use lipstick would have been attractive . There was a powdering of freckles across the bridge of her slightly retroussée nose . Her dressing - gown was a hideous garment and buttoned right up to the throat , and the slippers she was wearing - other cast - offs of Aunt Lilian-- were too large for her so that she shuffled .

She was holding a revolver very determinedly , but it wobbled and she had to use her other hand to steady it ; he guessed that she had never handled such a weapon before and was dead scared of it going off . The smile about his lips deepened while he waited . ' I've still got my hands up , ' he reminded her. ' What do you want me to do next ? ' ' Put back all the spoons and forks and other things you have stolen .