“I’ve no intention of giving him away, and, as a matter of fact, I think you are a little prejudiced against him. After all, he’s not your greatest danger. There’s a cabal against you among your shareholders.”
She knew by the way he looked at her that he admired her acumen. “Yes,” he agreed; “I’ve suspected that.”
“There are two courses open to you; the first is to put off your expedition.”
The answer was to the effect she had anticipated. “I can’t do so, for several reasons.”
“The other is to call at Nanaimo and wait until, we’ll say, next Thursday. If there’s need for you to come back, I think it will arise by then; but it might be better if you called at Comox too—after you leave the latter you’ll be unreachable. Well, if it seems necessary, I’ll send you a warning. If you hear nothing, you can go on.”
Vane reflected hastily. Jessie, as she had told him, had opportunities of picking up valuable information about the business done in that city, and he had confidence in her.
“Thank you,” he said. “It will be the second service you have done me, and I appreciate it. Anyway, I promised Nairn I’d call at Nanaimo, in there was a wire from him.”
“It’s a bargain, and now we’ll talk of something else,” said Jessie, and she drew him into an exchange of badinage, until noticing that Evelyn once or twice glanced at her with some astonishment she presently got rid of him. She could understand Evelyn’s attitude and did not wish her friendliness with the offender to appear unnatural after what she had said about him.
At length the guests began to leave, but most of them had gone when Vane rose to take his departure. His host and hostess went with him to the door, but though he once or twice glanced round eagerly, there was no sign of Evelyn. He lingered a few moments on the threshold after Mrs. Nairn had given him a kindly send-off; but nobody appeared in the lighted hall, and after another word with Nairn he went moodily down the steps to join Jessie and Carroll, who were waiting for him below. As the group walked down the garden path, Mrs. Nairn looked at her husband.
“I do not know what has come over Evelyn this night,” she remarked.