“That was him!� She reached and lifted the revolver. She cocked it and lowered her right hand. “I’ll keep it,� she said determinedly. “You switch
out the light and leave now. If he comes, I’ll empty all five cartridges into him. I’d do it gladly!�
Fay started toward the switch on the wall. He glanced at the long windows. One was up where he had left a possible escape. The light of a London morning showed through this opening.
He snapped off the switch. The two stood in the center of the room as he stepped back to her side. He felt her presence in deep breathing. A softness came over him. It was five years since he had talked to a woman.
“Saidee,� he said. “Dutch Gus won’t bother you now. It’s daybreak. You know him! He never works in the light!�
“But tonight I may—â€�
“Tonight I leave for Holland—or elsewhere. What do you say we chuck the job for the Yard and take up the old trail? There’s Havre and the other ports where American gold flows. There’s Monte Carlo, still doing business. The world is torn wide open. We can clean up a million.â€�
“And get caught!�
“No! I’ve the greyhound and my old nerve. We can go toward the north and west and double back by way of Stavanger, Norway. We can work the boats. The commercial war is on! What will the cipher do for us? The Yard will thank me if I get it, and perhaps remit that five years I owe to Dartmoor. That’s all I’ve got to look forward to.�
“Isn’t it enough, Chester?�