As she spoke she pulled his coat off her shoulders, and tried to throw it over his, but he resisted, saying that he could not possibly have time to catch cold, if he went back to work in a few minutes. Yet he already felt the horrible dampness that came up out of the overflow shaft and settled on everything in glistening beads. It only made him understand how cold she must be, after sitting idle for two hours.
"Do you think we shall get out to-night?" Sabina asked suddenly, with the coat in her hand.
"I hope so," he answered.
She stood up, and looked at the cavity he had made in the wall.
"Where will that lead to?" she enquired.
He had risen, too.
"It ought to lead into the coach-house, so far as I can judge."
Instinctively, he went forward to examine the hole, and at that moment Sabina cleverly threw the coat over his shoulders and held it round his neck with both her hands.
"There!" she cried. "You are caught now!" And she laughed as lightly as if there were no such thing as danger.
Malipieri wondered whether she realized the gravity of the situation, or whether she were only pretending to be gay in order to make it easier for him. In either case she was perfectly brave.