第67章

I tried to telephone without success and then we found the wire cut outside. Then I had the idea of pumping Behrend. I found him quite chatty and furious against Mortimer, whom he accused of having sold them. He told us that the party would be sure to make for the Dyke Inn, as Nur-el-Din was there.

"By this time Strangwise and his party had got at least an hour clear start of us. I had set a man to repair the telephone and in the meantime was thinking of sending another on foot to Stanning to fetch one of our cars. Then I found the motor-bike and despatched one of the military policemen on it to Stanning.

"In about half an hour's time he was back with a car in which were Gordon and Harrison and some more military police. I put Matthews in charge of the party and sent them off to the Dyke Inn, though I felt pretty sure we were too late to catch the trio. That was really the reason I stayed behind; besides, Iwanted to look after you. I got a turn when I saw you spread out all over the carpet, old man, I can tell you."Desmond, who had listened with the most eager attention, did not speak for a minute. The sense of failure was strong upon him. How he had bungled it all!

"Look here," he said presently in a dazed voice, "you said just now that Matthews mistook Mrs. Malplaquet for Miss Mackwayte. Why should Matthews think that Miss Mackwayte was down here? Did she come down with you?"Francis looked at him quickly.

"That crack on the head makes you forget things," he said. "Don't you remember Miss Mackwayte coming down here to see you yesterday afternoon Matthews thought she had stayed on..."Desmond shook his head.

"She's not been here," he replied I'm quite positive about that!"Francis sprang to his feet.

"Surely you must be mistaken," he said in tones of concern. "The Chief sent her down yesterday afternoon on purpose to see you.

She reached Wentfield Station all right; because the porter told Matthews that she asked him the way to the Mill House."An ominous foreboding struck chill at Desmond's heart. He held his throbbing head for an instant. Someone had mentioned Barbara that night in the library but who was it? And what had he said?

Ah! of course, it was Strangwise. "So that's what she wanted with Nur-el-Din!" he had said;Desmond felt it all coming back to him now. Briefly he told Francis of his absence from the Mill House in response to the summons from Nur-el-Din, of his interview with the dancer and her story of the Star of Poland, of his hurried return just in time to meet Mortimer, and of Mortimer's enigmatical reference to the dancer in the library that night.

Fancis looked graver and graver as the story proceeded. Desmond noted it and reproached himself most bitterly with his initial failure to inform the Chief of the visits of Nur-el-Din and Mortimer to the Mill House. When he had finished speaking, he did not look at Francis, but gazed mournfully out of the window into the chilly drizzle of a sad winter's day.