He saw her nod her head. He climbed upward, being careful to avoid the broken rungs of the ladder. He turned at the top and reached down to her. She passed up the two bags which he took and laid on the edge of the pier. Her hand grasped his extended fingers. She thrust out the boat as she leaped the gap and trusted herself to him. They stood in the gloom at the brink of the dark canal.
“All clear,� he said, after listening. “There goes the boat out toward the sea. We’ll hurry inland and find a quiet spot. You’re damp. The feathers of your hat look like Avenue A.�
She drew her jacket about her breast. Her eyes were bright as she turned and pointed toward the two bags.
“Carry them,� she said. “Lead and I’ll follow. It’s almost dawn.�
“We’ll find a dry spot,� said he, lifting the bags and starting over the quay. “We’ll lay low till noon, then we’ll figure out the best get-away from Holland. I think the railroads will be watched.�
“I could carry the package to London without being suspected.�
He squared his shoulders and walked on. His hands gripped the bags with white strength. She realized that she had not gained his confidence in the matter of the cipher-key. Her feet dragged. She glanced back now and then.
He came, after taking a long detour, to another canal which roughly paralleled the one they had crossed. There was a tiny wooded isle in the center
of this canal. A narrow bridge of planks stretched from the shore to the island.
“A summer place,� he said. “That’ll do, Saidee.�