“Perfectly.”

“Now, pay attention once more, for I shall not be able to speak to you again.  I shall have to give you your directions for finding the way to the Bendler-Strasse.”

She did so and added: 

“Drive carefully, whatever you do.  If we had a smash and the police intervened, it might be most awkward for you.”

“But your chauffeur,” I said, “what will he do?”

“Oh, Carter,” she answered carelessly, “he’s tickled to death ... he’s American, you see ... he drove me out into the Tiergarten just now and took off his livery, then drove me back here, hopped off and went home.”

“But can you trust him?” I asked anxiously.

“Like myself,” she said.  “Besides, Carter’s been to Belgium ... he drove Count Rachwitz, my husband, while he was on duty there.  And Carter hasn’t forgotten what he saw in Belgium!”

She gave me the key of the garage and further instructions how to put the car up.  Carter would give me a bed at the garage and would bring me round to the house early in the morning as if I were applying for the job of male attendant for Gerry.

“I will go down first,” Monica said, “so as not to keep you waiting.  My, but they’re rattled downstairs—­all the crowd at Olga von Radolin’s dance have got hold of the story and the place is full of policemen.  But there’ll be no danger if you walk straight up to me in the hall and keep your face turned away from the crowd as much as possible.”

She kissed Miss Prendergast and slipped away.  What a splendid pair of women they were:  so admirably cool and resourceful:  they seemed to have thought of everything.

“Good night, Miss Prendergast,” I said.  “You have done me a good turn.  I shall never forget it!” And as the only means at my disposal for showing my gratitude, I kissed her hand.

She coloured up like a girl.

“It’s a long time since any one did that to a silly old woman like me,” she said musingly.  “Was it you or your brother,” she asked abruptly, “who nearly broke my poor girl’s heart?”

“I shouldn’t like to say,” I answered; “but I don’t think, speaking personally, that Monica ever cared enough about me for me to plead guilty.”

She sniffed contemptuously.

“If that is so,” she said, “all I can say is that you seem to have all the brains of your family!”

With that I took my leave.

* * * * *

I reached the ballroom vestibule without meeting a soul.  The place was crowded with people, officers in uniform, glittering with decorations, women in evening dress, coachmen, footmen, chauffeurs, waiters.  Everybody was talking sixteen to the dozen, and there were such dense knots of people that at first I couldn’t see Monica.  Two policemen were standing at the swing-doors leading into the street, and with them a civilian who looked like a detective.  I caught sight of Monica, almost at the detective’s elbow, talking to two very elegant-looking officers.  I pushed my way across the vestibule, turned my back on the detective and stood impassively beside her.