“Well, that simplifies things,” I said; and without wasting any further time in self-reproaches, I plunged straight into the story of Sonia’s surprise visit and its abrupt and spirited ending.

“How I could have been such an ass I don’t know,” I finished ruefully.  “I must have put the letter down on the table after I’d done reading it, and there I suppose it was sitting the whole time.”

Joyce, who had listened to me without interrupting, nodded her head.  “It was just one of those things that had got to happen,” she said philosophically.  “It’s no good worrying now.  The thing is, what are we to do about it?”

I thought for a moment.

“We must let Latimer know at once,” I said.  “I’ll write out what Sonia told me—­just the main facts, and you must take the letter straight up to London, and find him as soon as you can.  I shall stop here, as he asked me to.”

Joyce’s face looked a little troubled.

“What do you think Sonia will do?” she asked.

“Goodness knows!” I said.  “She seemed to have some particularly unpleasant intention at the back of her mind; but I don’t quite see what it is.”

“She won’t care what she does,” said Joyce.  “I know exactly how she feels.  Suppose she were to go to the police?”

“She could hardly do that,” I objected.  “She’d be incriminating herself.”

“But suppose she does,” persisted Joyce.  “Suppose they come and arrest you here; Latimer won’t be able to help you then.”

“I can’t go back now, Joyce,” I said seriously.  “I can’t get out of it just because it might be dangerous to me.  After all, it’s England they’re scheming against.”

“And what if it is?” she returned indignantly.  “A nice way England’s treated you!”

I came over to the bed and took her hands in mine.

“Come, Joyce,” I said, “you don’t really mean that.  I want encouraging, not depressing.  All my natural instincts are to look after myself and let England go to the devil.”

Half laughing and half crying, she jumped up and threw her arms round me.

“No, no, no,” she said.  “I want you to do the right thing always; but oh, Neil, I’m so frightened of losing you.  I just can’t do without you now.”

“Well,” I said, “I’m hanged if I can do without you, so we’re in the same boat.”

I kissed her twice, and then, sitting down at the table, made a brief summary of what I had learned from Sonia.  Latimer so far knew nothing of my relations with the latter, so I was compelled to explain how badly I had behaved in order to account for her visit.  I then gave him a short description of the painful way in which the interview had terminated, and added the information that I was waiting on at the hut in the expectation of a visit from McMurtrie.

“You can explain things more fully to him, Joyce,” I said.  “It’s no good trying to keep anything back now; we’ve gone too far.  The great thing is to get that letter to him as soon as you possibly can.  Tommy will probably know where he is.”