ahead, and reach the next stop in plenty of time. He brought the motorcycle to a halt and killed the engine.
ne train roiled slowly over a level crossing. Elene saw the patient faces of the people behind the gate, waiting for the train to pass ao that +hey could croms the line: a fat man on a donkey, a very small !~oy 1-Niding a camel, a horse-drawn cab, a group of iflent old women. The camel couched, the boy began to beat it about the face with a stick and then the scene slid sideways out of view. In a moment the train would he in the station. Elene’s courage deserted her. Not this dme, she thought. I haven’t had time to think of a plan. The next station, let me leave it antil the next Aation. But she had told Billy they would try to get away at this station. If she did nothing he would not trust her any longer. It had to be this time. She tried to devise a plan. What was her priority? To get Billyaway from Wolff. That was the only tljng ~hatzounted. Give Hilly a chance to ran. then try to prevent Wolff from giving chase. She had a sudden, vivid memory of a childhood fight in a filthy Mum street in Alexandria: a big boy, a bully, hitting her, and another boy intervening and struggling with the bully, the smaller boy shouting to her “Run, run!” while she stood watching the fight, horrified but fascinated. She could not remember how it had ended. She looked around. Think quicklyl They were in an open carriage, with fifteen or twenty rows of seats. She and Billy sat side by side, !acing forward.’Wolff was opposite them. Beside him was an empty seat. Behind him was the exit door to the platform. ‘Me other passengers were a mixture of Europeans and wealthy Egyptians, all of them in ‘Western clothing. Everyone was hot, weary and enervated. Several people were Asleep. The train-master was serving tea in glasses to a group of Egyptian Army officers at the far end of the carriage. Through the window she saw a small mosqne, then a French courthouse, then the station. A few trees grew in the dusty soil beside the concrete platform. An old man sat cross-legged beneath a tree, smoking a cigarette. Six boyishlooking Arab soldiers were crowded on to one small bench. A 310 Ken Follett
pregnant woman carried a baby in her arms. The train stopped. Not yet, Elene thought; not yet. The time to move would be when the train was about to pull out again—that would give WoIff less time to catct them She sat feverishly still. There was a clock or, the phtti’ortrr witl- romar: numerals. It had stoppeti at five tc five A rn~,r came to the window offering fruit drink-t, and Wolff w.)ved bir away. A priest in Coptic robes boarded the train and took the seat next to Wolff, saying politely: “Vous permettez, rn’sieur?” Wolff smiled charmingly and replied: ‘Ve vous en prie.” Elene murmured tr Billy: “Wber the whistle blows, run for the door and get off the train.” Her heart beat faster: now she was committed. Billy said notbing. Wolff said: “What was that?” Elene looked away The whistle blew. Billy looked at Elene, hesitating. Wolff frowned. Elene threw herself at Wolff. reaching for his face with her hands. She was suddenly possesseO by rage and hatred toward him for the humiliation, anxietv and pain he had inflicted on her. He put up his arms protectively, but they did not stop her rusb – Her strength astonished her. She raked his fare with her fingernails, and saw blood spurt. The priest gave a shout of surprise. Over the back of Wolffs seat she saw Billy run to the door and struggle to open it. She collapsed on Wolff, banging her face against his forehead. She lifted herself again and tried to scratch his eyes. At last he found his voice, and roared with anger. He pushed himself out of his seat, driving Elene backward. She grabbed at him and caught hold of his shirt front with both hands. Then he hit her. His hand came up from below his waist, bunched into a fist, then struck the side of her jaw. She had not known a punch could hurt so much. For an instant she could not see. She lost her grip on Wolff’s shirt, and fell back into her seat. Her vision returned and she saw him heading for the door. She stood up. Billy had got the door open. She saw him Ring it wide and THE KEY TO REBECCA 311