ithout much mirth. "I do wish you would not come,"
she said.

But he did, and they drove together through the town, past the bulb
gardens, to the wooden house with the dark-tiled roof. There
Rawson-Clew paid the coachman and dismissed the carriage while Julia
rang the bell.

In time the servant came to the door. "Ach!" she cried at the sight of
Julia, and, "G-r-r-r!" and other exclamations, uttered very gutturally
and with upraised hands. She was a country girl from some remote
district, and she spoke a very unintelligible patois; at least
Rawson-Clew found it so, his companion, apparently, was used to it.

Julia listened to the exclamations, and apparently to congratulations
on her safe return, said in a friendly manner that she had a terrible
adventure, and then asked where Mevrouw was.

Mevrouw was out, and Mijnheer was out too; a torrent more information
followed, but Julia did not pay much attention to it, she turned to
Rawson-Clew with the smile on her lips with which she laughed at
herself.

"Denah saved her money and won her move," she said; "it serves me
right. I under-rated her--this is what always comes of under-rating
the enemy."

"Do you mean she knew where these people are?" Rawson-Clew asked.

"That is about it, she knew and I did not."

"What are you going to do?"

"Wait till they come back, there is nothing else."

He moved as if he thought to follow her into the house, but she did
not approve of that. "You cannot wait with me," she said; "it is one
thing to bring me home, quite another to wait with me here."

He, however, thought differently, but he did not argue the point.
"Thank you," he said, "I prefer to wait; I consider I am conducting
this now, not you."

He was a little annoyed by her ridiculous persistence, but she looked
at him with the dancing lights coming back in her eyes. "Oh, well, if
you prefer to wait," she said, "but I'm afraid you must do it alone."
And before he realised what she was doing, she had run off, down the
path, across an empty flower-bed and among some brushes behind.

In considerable anger he turned to follow her, but he pulled himself
up; there was very little use in that and no need for it either; he
was sure she was far too skilful a tactician to imperil an affair by
unwise flight; this was a blind merely--unless, of course, she thought
of setting out to find these Dutch people, wherever they might be. He
asked the staring servant where her master and