CHAPTER XIV

A SUMMONS FROM DR. McMURTRIE

She had risen from the sofa as I entered and was standing in the centre of the room.  The neatly cut, close-fitting dress that she was wearing suited her dark beauty to perfection and showed off the lines of her lithe, slender figure.  She gave me a curious momentary impression of some sort of graceful wild animal.

“Ah!” she exclaimed softly.  “I am glad you weren’t late.  I have to go away quite soon.”

I took the hand she held out to me.  “My dear Sonia,” I said, “why didn’t you let me know that you were going to be the visitor?”

“I didn’t know myself,” she answered.  “The doctor meant to come, but he was called away unexpectedly this afternoon, so he sent me instead.  I have got a letter for you from him.”  She let go my fingers gently, and picking up her bag which was lying on the table, opened it and took out an envelope.

“Shall I read it now?” I asked.

She nodded.

I slit up the flap and pulled out a folded sheet of foolscap from inside.  It was in McMurtrie’s handwriting, but there was no date and no address.

“DEAR MR. NICHOLSON,

“All the necessary arrangements have now been made with regard to your workshop at Tilbury.  It is situated on the marshes close to the river, three miles east of the town and a mile to the west of Cunnock Creek.  You can reach it either by the main road which runs half a mile inland, or by walking along the saltings under the sea-wall.

“You cannot mistake the place, as it is an absolutely isolated building, consisting of a small cabin or hut, with a large shed attached for your work.  It is not luxurious, but we have at least fitted up the interior of your living-room as comfortably as possible, and you will find in the shed everything that you specified in your list as being necessary for your experiments.

“I should be glad if you would arrange to go down there and start work the day after tomorrow.  There is a train from Fenchurch Street to Tilbury at 11.45 in the morning, and if you will catch that I will see that there is a trap to meet you at the station and drive you out along the road as near to the place as it is possible to get.  This hardly gives you the full week in London which you wished for, but circumstances have arisen that make it of great importance to us to be able to place your invention on the market as quickly as possible.  From your own point of view the sooner the work is done the sooner you will be in possession of funds, and so able to make any use of your liberty you choose.

“Sonia has the keys of the building, and will give them you with this letter.