by
the persistent amiability of his tone. "The governor will be the man
to tell you something about that. I wish you would say you would see my
governor. He's the one who does all our talking. Let me take you to him
this evening. He ain't at all well; and he can't make up his mind to go
away without having a talk with you."

Heyst, looking up, met Lena's eyes. Their expression of candour seemed
to hide some struggling intention. Her head, he fancied, had made an
imperceptible affirmative movement. Why? What reason could she have? Was
it the prompting of some obscure instinct? Or was it simply a delusion
of his own senses? But in this strange complication invading the
quietude of his life, in his state of doubt and disdain and almost of
despair with which he looked at himself, he would let even a delusive
appearance guide him through a darkness so dense that it made for
indifference.

"Well, suppose I do say so."

Ricardo did not conceal his satisfaction, which for a moment interested
Heyst.

"It can't be my life they are after," he said to himself. "What good
could it be to them?"

He looked across the table at the girl. What did it matter whether she
had nodded or not? As always when looking into her unconscious eyes, he
tasted something like the dregs of tender pity. He had decided to go.
Her nod, imaginary or not imaginary, advice or illusion, had tipped the
scale. He reflected that Ricardo's invitation could scarcely be anything
in the nature of a trap. It would have been too absurd. Why carry subtly
into a trap someone already bound hand and foot, as it were?

All this time he had been looking fixedly at the girl he called Lena. In
the submissive quietness of her being, which had been her attitude ever
since they had begun their life on the island, she remained as secret
as ever. Heyst got up abruptly, with a smile of such enigmatic and
despairing character that Mr. Secretary Ricardo, whose abstract gaze had
an all-round efficiency, made a slight crouching start, as if to dive
under the table for his leg-knife--a start that was repressed, as soon
as begun. He had expected Heyst to spring on him or draw a revolver,
because he created for himself a vision of him in his own image. Instead
of doing either of these obvious things, Heyst walked across the
room, opened the door and put his head through it to look out into the
compound.

As soon as his back was turned, Ricardo's hand sought the girl's arm
under t