see a young lady go by the twelve-twenty--one of the young
ladies staying with Miss Dearling. Oh, for heaven's sake hurry up and
answer, man!"

The man scratched an unshaven chin with irritating consideration.

"Yes, I seen her," he said at last. "She came in running--caught the
train to London--she...."

But Micky had gone; he would have to drive to town, he decided. If
Esther had got to know the truth, better hear it from him than from
that brute.

He drove off at breakneck speed. It seemed miles and miles to London;
no matter how much of the winding road he covered, it unfolded again
before his eyes, and mercilessly again.

He went straight to Charing Cross; he left the car in the yard and
dashed in to inquire about trains; he searched a time-table; 12.59--3
o'clock--4.5 ... he looked up at the clock--three minutes past four
now. Micky dashed across the big hall to a gate where a signboard said
"Dover Express"; he had no ticket; he pushed by the protesting
inspector; the guard was waving his flag; some one grabbed at Micky
and missed as he flung himself breathless and panting into the last
coach of the moving train.

CHAPTER XXVII

Micky sat for a few moments breathless and exhausted before he pulled
himself together, and taking off his hat wiped his hot forehead.

The train was gathering speed; he let down the window with a run and
looked out; the station was out of sight altogether; they were
crossing the bridge under which the silent Thames flowed sluggishly.

A breath of cold air touched his hot face and he shivered suddenly and
drew the window up once more.

Something had driven his thoughts back to his first meeting with
Esther, to the cold silence of the night, and the hard desperation of
her voice as she said--

"I didn't mean to go home any more--I shouldn't have ever gone home
again if I hadn't met you...."

If she got to Paris before he saw her she would feel like this again.
Micky groaned.

Fortunately he had the carriage to himself, but it was a third-class
compartment, and not a corridor carriage. He cursed his luck here; if
there had been a corridor he could have gone the length of the train
and seen if Esther were on it. As it was, he would have to wait till
they reached Dover, and even then perhaps he would never find her.

He tried to calm himself with the conviction that everything would be
all right, but in his heart he was despairing; if he found Esther and
brought her