Red Hat Girl

"But you don't think I'm really a child, do you?" she said shrewdly, andadded, "I expect you know rather more about girls than UncleDerek does. He just lived with his sister. Then she stretched out her hand and said, veryprettily, Thank you so much. I hope I haven't interrupted someimportant work you had to do," and went out.
　　Egerton stood looking at the door that had closedbehind her. He pursed up his lips, whistled a moment, shook his head and sat down again,picked up a pen and tapped thoughtfully on his desk. He drew some papers towards him, thenthrust them back and picked up his telephone.
　　"Miss Cordell, get me Colonel Luscombe, will you?Try his club first. And then the Shropshire address."
　　He put back the receiver. Again he drew his paperstowards him and started reading them but his mind was not on what he was doing. Presentlyhis buzzer went.