oach rolled slowly out of the station....

I returned to the car dazedly.

Thinking it over, I decided that we had done the best we could. On
arrival at Bordeaux, my wife and cousin could join the Spanish express,
which was due to leave that city at ten-fifteen; this, if it ran to
time, would bring them to the French capital by seven o'clock the next
morning. Jonah and I would arrive some five hours later....

The Bank was closed, of course, so I drove to the Club forthwith to get
some money. Jonah was not there, but, as he was certain to call, I
left a note with the porter, telling him what had occurred. Then I
purchased our tickets--a lengthy business. It was so lengthy, in fact,
that when it was over I called again at the Club on the chance of
picking up Jonah and bringing him home. He had not arrived....

I made my way back to the villa dismally enough.

My sister and Berry were in the drawing-room.

As I opened the door--

"Wherever have you been?" said Daphne. "Did they catch it?"

I nodded.

"You haven't seen Jonah, I suppose?"

I shook my head.

"But where have you been, Boy?"

I spread out my hands.

"Getting money and tickets. You know their idea of haste. But there's
plenty of time--worse luck," I added bitterly. Then: "I say, what a
dreadful business!" I sank into a chair. "What on earth can have
happened?"

Berry rose and walked to a window.

"Jill's face," he said slowly. "Jill's face." He swung round and
flung out an arm. "She looked old!" he cried. "Jill--that baby looked
old. She thought it was a wire to say he was on his way, and it hit
her between the eyes like the kick of a horse."

Shrunk into a corner of her chair, my sister stared dully before her.

"He must be bad," said I. "Unless he was bad, he 'ld never have wired
like that. If Piers could have done it, I'm sure he 'ld have tempered
the wind."

"'Can you come?'" quoted Berry, and threw up his arms.

Daphne began to cry quietly....

A glance at the tea-things showed me that these were untouched. I rang
the bell, and pleasantly fresh tea was brought. I made my sister
drink, and poured some for Berry and me. The stimulant did us all
good. By common consent, we thrust speculation aside and made what
arrangements we could. That our plans for returning to England would
now miscarry seemed highly probable.

At last my sister sighed and lay back in her chair.

"Why?" she said quietly. "Why? What h