e knew too, or had the slightest inkling of the
yarn which Pinto had spun. And then the man enlightened her.

"Political," he said.

"Exactly; political," she said easily. "But you will realise that it is
not necessarily he himself who is making this flight."

"I did understand that he was making the flight himself," said the
aviator in surprise.

"But"--she was desperate now--"has he never told you of the other
gentleman who was coming, the other political person who really must go
to Portugal at once?"

"No, he certainly did not," said Cartwright; "he told me distinctly that
he was going himself."

The girl leaned back in her chair, baffled, but thoughtful.

"Oh, of course, he told you that," she said with a knowing smile. "You
see, there are some things he is not allowed to tell you. But do not be
surprised if you have two passengers instead of one."

"I shan't be surprised, I shall be pleased. The machine will carry half
a dozen," said Cartwright readily, "but I certainly thought----"

"Wait till you see him," said the girl, waving a warning finger with
mock solemnity.

He found her a cheerful companion through the meal, but there were
certain intervals of abstraction in her cheerfulness, intervals when she
was thinking very rapidly and reconstructing the plan which Pinto had
made. So he was one of the rats who were deserting the sinking ship and
leaving the Colonel and Crewe to face the music. And Crewe--that was the
thought uppermost in her mind.

When she parted from the pilot she had only one thought--to warn the
colonel of Pinto's treachery--and Crewe. And somehow Crewe seemed to
bulk most importantly at that moment.

CHAPTER XXXVI

LOLLIE PROPOSES

What should she do? It was her sense of loyalty which brought the
colonel first to her mind. She must warn him. She went into a Tube
station telephone box and rang through but received no answer. Her quest
for Crewe had as little result. She drove off to the flat, thinking that
possibly the telephone might be out of order or that they would have
returned by the time she reached there, but there was no answer to her
ring. She went out again into the street in despair and walked slowly
towards Regent Street. Then she saw two people ahead of her, and
recognised the swing of the colonel's shoulders. She broke into a run
and overtook them. The colonel swung round as she uttered his name and
peered at her.

"Lollie!" he said in surprise, and he