"There is
little time to lose."

Marishka obeyed and in a moment the man in the Norfolk jacket was seated
beside her, the chauffeur had thrown in the gears, and the machine was
moving swiftly upon its way. She sank back into the comfortable cushions
with a sigh of satisfaction which did not escape her companion.

"It was fortunate that I should have been in this neighborhood," he said
with a strange smile. It was not until then that she noticed the
slightly thick accents with which he spoke and she glanced at his
profile hurriedly. His nose was aquiline and well cut, but the
suggestion of his nationality was elusive. In spite of his evident
gentility, his good looks, his courtesy and his friendship with Hugh
Renwick, Marishka now had her first belated instinct that all was not as
it should be. The man beside her looked past the chauffeur down the road
ahead, turning one or two glances over his shoulder into the cloud of
dust behind them. She noticed now that the car had not gone in the
direction of the village, but had reached the country road which led to
the west and was moving at a high speed which seemed to take the waiting
Renwick little into consideration. All the windows of the car were
closed, and she had a sense of being restrained--suffocated. For a while
she did not dare to give her thoughts utterance, but as the car reached
the Prague highroad and turned to the right, she started and turned in
alarm to the man beside her.

"You told me that Herr Renwick was waiting for us just beyond the
village. Where is----?"

The question trembled and died on her lips for the eyes of the man
beside her answered before it was asked.

"I regret," he said evenly, "that there is no time to wait for Herr
Renwick."

"You--you have----" she stammered helplessly.

"I beg that the Countess Strahni will not be unduly disturbed."

"Where are we going? This is the road to Prague. Tell me where you are
taking me. I insist----"

He smiled at her again, but did not reply.

Marishka was now really alarmed and looked out of the closed windows at
the flying hedgerows in desperation, wondering what she must do and
trying to think how this dreadful mishap had befallen her. Hugh
Renwick--his note to her--this stranger with the remarkable eyes who
always smiled! Where was the missing link--what the deduction? But it
was no time in which to lose one's courage. She turned toward the man
beside her who was regarding her calmly.

"