passed over the girl's face.

"They've been telling me things--dreadful things--that my memory went,
and that there are years I shall never know about--years lost out of my
life."

"You didn't realize that yourself?"

The girl's eyes opened wide.

"Why, no. It seems to me as though it were no time since we were being
hustled into those boats. I can see it all now." She closed her eyes
with a shudder.

Julius looked across at Sir James, who nodded.

"Don't worry any. It isn't worth it. Now, see here, Jane, there's
something we want to know about. There was a man aboard that boat with
some mighty important papers on him, and the big guns in this country
have got a notion that he passed on the goods to you. Is that so?"

The girl hesitated, her glance shifting to the other two. Julius
understood.

"Mr. Beresford is commissioned by the British Government to get those
papers back. Sir James Peel Edgerton is an English Member of Parliament,
and might be a big gun in the Cabinet if he liked. It's owing to him
that we've ferreted you out at last. So you can go right ahead and tell
us the whole story. Did Danvers give you the papers?"

"Yes. He said they'd have a better chance with me, because they would
save the women and children first."

"Just as we thought," said Sir James.

"He said they were very important--that they might make all the
difference to the Allies. But, if it's all so long ago, and the war's
over, what does it matter now?"

"I guess history repeats itself, Jane. First there was a great hue
and cry over those papers, then it all died down, and now the whole
caboodle's started all over again--for rather different reasons. Then
you can hand them over to us right away?"

"But I can't."

"What?"

"I haven't got them."

"You--haven't--got them?" Julius punctuated the words with little
pauses.

"No--I hid them."

"You hid them?"

"Yes. I got uneasy. People seemed to be watching me. It scared
me--badly." She put her hand to her head. "It's almost the last thing I
remember before waking up in the hospital...."

"Go on," said Sir James, in his quiet penetrating tones. "What do you
remember?"

She turned to him obediently.

"It was at Holyhead. I came that way--I don't remember why...."

"That doesn't matter. Go on."

"In the confusion on the quay I slipped away. Nobody saw me. I took a
car. Told the man to drive me out of the town. I watched when we got on
the open road. No other car