No answer!  The door was locked.  She listened.  She put her ear against the door in order to catch the faintest sound of life within.  But she could only hear the crude, sharp ticking of the cheap clock which, as she knew, Aguilar had supplied to Jane Foley.  The vision of Jane lying unconscious or dead obsessed her.  Then she thrust it away and laughed at it.  Assuredly Aguilar and Jane must have received some alarm as to a reappearance of the police; they must have fled while there had yet been time.  Where could they have gone?  Of course, through the garden and plantation and down to the sea-wall, whence Jane might steal to the yacht.  Audrey turned back towards the stairs, and the vast intimidating emptiness of the gloomy house, lit by a single flickering candle, assaulted her.  She had to fight it before she could descend.  The garden door was latched, but not locked.  Extinguishing the candle, she went forth.  The gusty breeze from the estuary was now damp on her cheek with the presage of rain.  She hurried, fumbling as it were, through the garden.  When she achieved the hedge the spectacle of the yacht, gleaming from stem to stern with electricity, burst upon her; it shone like something desired and unattainable.  Carefully she issued from the grounds by the little gate and crossed the intervening space to the dyke.  A dark figure moved in front of her, and her heart violently jumped.

“Is that you, madam?”

It was the cold, imperturbable voice of Aguilar.  At once she felt reassured.

“Where is Miss Foley?” she demanded in a whisper.

“I’ve got her down here, ma’am,” said Aguilar.  “I presume as you’ve been to the house.  We had to leave it.”

“But the door of the tank-room was locked!”

“Yes, ma’am.  I locked it a-purpose....  I thought as it would keep the police employed a bit when they come.  I seen my cousin Sarah when I went to tell Miss Ingate as you instructed me.  My cousin Sarah seen Keeble.  They been to Frinton to Mrs. Spatt’s, and they found out about that.  And now the ’tec’s back, or nearly.  I reckon it was the warrant as was delaying him.  So I out with Miss Foley.  I thought I could take her across to the yacht from here.  It wouldn’t hardly be safe for her to walk round by the dyke.  Hurley may have several of his chaps about by this time.”

“But there’s not water enough, Aguilar.”

“Yes, madam.  I dragged the old punt down.  She don’t draw three inches.  She’s afloat now, and Miss Foley’s in her.  I was just a-going off.  If you don’t mind wetting your feet——­”

In one minute Audrey had splashed into the punt.  Jane Foley took her hand in silence, and she heard Jane’s low, happy laugh.

“Isn’t it funny?” Jane whispered.

Audrey squeezed her hand.