“The Japanese—where are they?”
“At the other side of the circle. Don’t worry about them. They’re only kids when it comes to my game. Now, wait till I get the things I need.” She slipped past him in the closet, and he heard faint rustlings as she gathered her paraphernalia. Soon she was back at the panel. The last stanza of the hymn was drawing to a close. “Be sure you follow directions,” she whispered.
“I will.” He pressed her hand gratefully.
“And—and you won’t forget me.”
With a sudden yearning that seemed to be beyond her control, she leaned her body against him. Her warm breath was on his face; her arm found its way around him and held him convulsively.
“Oh,” she whispered, “I can’t bear to have you go. Don’t forget me—please don’t forget me.”
“I shall never forget you, and what you have done for me,” he answered gravely.
“You will come back and see me—sometime?”
“I will come back. And I should like to bring a friend, who will have even more cause to thank you than I have."
“A friend?” A tinge of apprehension colored the question: “A—a woman?”