“You! What’s up? Surely you know the plan—-”
Kramenin interrupted him, using the words that have created many
unnecessary panics:
“We have been betrayed! Plans must be abandoned. We must save our own
skins. The girl! And at once! It’s our only chance.”
Whittington hesitated, but for hardly a moment.
“You have orders–from HIM?”
“Naturally! Should I be here otherwise? Hurry! There is no time to be
lost. The other little fool had better come too.”
Whittington turned and ran back into the house. The agonizing minutes went
by. Then–two figures hastily huddled in cloaks appeared on the steps and were
hustled into the car. The smaller of the two was inclined to resist and
Whittington shoved her in unceremoniously. Julius leaned forward, and in doing
so the light from the open door lit up his face. Another man on the steps behind
Whittington gave a startled exclamation. Concealment was at an end.
“Get a move on, George,” shouted Julius.
The chauffeur slipped in his clutch, and with a bound the car started.
The man on the steps uttered an oath. His hand went to his pocket. There
was a flash and a report. The bullet just missed the taller girl by an inch.
“Get down, Jane,” cried Julius. “Flat on the bottom of the car.” He thrust
her sharply forward, then standing up, he took careful aim and fired.
“Have you hit him?” cried Tuppence eagerly.
“Sure,” replied Julius. “He isn’t killed, though. Skunks like that take a
lot of killing. Are you all right, Tuppence?”
“Of course I am. Where’s Tommy? And who’s this?” She indicated the
shivering Kramenin.
“Tommy’s making tracks for the Argentine. I guess he thought you’d turned
up your toes. Steady through the gate, George! That’s right. It’ll take ’em at
least five minutes to get busy after us. They’ll use the telephone, I guess, so
look out for snares ahead–and don’t take the direct route. Who’s this, did you
say, Tuppence? Let me present Monsieur Kramenin. I persuaded him to come on
the trip for his health.”
The Russian remained mute, still livid with terror.
“But what made them let us go?” demanded Tuppence suspiciously.
“I reckon Monsieur Kramenin here asked them so prettily they just couldn’t
refuse!”
This was too much for the Russian. He burst out vehemently:
“Curse you–curse you! They know now that I betrayed them. My life won’t
be safe for an hour in this country.”
“That’s so,” assented Julius. “I’d advise you to make tracks for Russia
right away.”
“Let me go, then,” cried the other. “I have done what you asked. Why do
you still keep me with you?”
“Not for the pleasure of your company. I guess you can get right off now
if you want to. I thought you’d rather I tooled you back to London.”
“You may never reach London,” snarled the other. “Let me go here and now.”
“Sure thing. Pull up, George. The gentleman’s not making the return trip.
If I ever come to Russia, Monsieur Kramenin, I shall expect a rousing welcome,
and—-”
But before Julius had finished his speech, and before the car had finally
halted, the Russian had swung himself out and disappeared into the night.
“Just a mite impatient to leave us,” commented Julius, as the car gathered
way again. “And no idea of saying good-bye politely to the ladies. Say, Jane,
you can get up on the seat now.”
For the first time the girl spoke.
“How did you ‘persuade’ him?” she asked.
Julius tapped his revolver.
“Little Willie here takes the credit!”
“Splendid!” cried the girl. The colour surged into her face, her eyes
looked admiringly at Julius.
“Annette and I didn’t know what was going to happen to us,” said Tuppence.
“Old Whittington hurried us off. We thought it was lambs to the slaughter.”
“Annette,” said Julius. “Is that what you call her?”
His mind seemed to be trying to adjust itself to a new idea.
“It’s her name,” said Tuppence, opening her eyes very wide.
“Shucks!” retorted Julius. “She may think it’s her name, because her
memory’s gone, poor kid. But it’s the one real and original Jane Finn we’ve got
here.”
“What?” cried Tuppence.