"Thank you. Almost enough to make me say I'll go," she cried with a toss of the head.
"Naturally. But it is true, for this reason. When we get to Osnabrück there will probably be a telegram from old Gratz; these people are likely to want something more than that, however; and I am sure to be detained while they communicate with him. But he can't let me down, even if he guesses I've helped myself to those tickets, because I'm necessary to him for the von Erstein affair: a much more vital matter to him than the tickets. The whole thing will be cleared up and I shall be able to follow you home. Very likely catch you up before you leave Rotterdam."
"Then if it's going to be so easy, why shouldn't I stop?"
"For the simple reason that the papers for you are only to be used on this particular date, and there would be no end of a fuss in getting any others."
"You really and truly wish me to go on?"
"If you care a rap for my safety you won't hesitate another moment."
She looked very troubled. "If I do, I won't go a step farther than the first town across the frontier, and if you don't join me soon I shall come back," she declared. "I shall. I'll tell every one that you've got into all this solely on my account and that I'm quite ready to go even to an internment camp."
Knowing her detestation of such a thing, I could appreciate all that lay behind this statement. It touched me too closely for me to reply immediately. Thank Heaven, she wouldn't be allowed to come back; but there was no need to tell her so. "Let it go at that, Nessa. The first town you'll stop at will be Oldenzaal, and I'll come to you there. You're due there about five in the morning; but you won't get there by that time if we keep stopping in this fashion. It can't be Osnabrück yet; there's half an hour before we're due there. I wish they'd hurry up."
We had stopped at some station the name of which I couldn't see and stuck there some minutes.
"Can't be anything wrong, can there?" asked Nessa nervily.