She went up to her bedroom and paced up and down restlessly. Leaning out of the wide open window, she could hear nothing from the direction of Bittle’s house. Looking the other way, she could see the black shape of Carn’s cottage. There was a light in one downstairs window: apparently the doctor had not yet retired. She thought of going round and chatting to him until the time had run out, for if all was well and the Saint arrived and found her out he would be sure to try Carn first for news of her. For a little while she hesitated: her acquaintance with Carn was very slight. But in a moment the sound of the windows downstairs being closed and secured filled her with an unreasoning panic.
She opened her door and flew down the stairs. She could hear Miss Girton pacing heavily across the lounge; but she sped past the door as silently as she could, crossed the hall, and let herself out.
The cool breath of the night air restored her to reason, but she did not turn back. She closed the door without a sound and walked resolutely round to Carn’s house. Her ring was answered at once by the man himself, and she remembered that he kept no servant on the premises.
The doctor’s genial red face was one florid expression of surprise.
“My dear Miss Holm!”
“Am I disturbing you?” she smiled. “I began to feel terribly dull and depressed, and I thought a little course of you would be a tonic. That is, if you can bear it?”
He became aware of the fact that he was preventing her from entering, and stood aside.
“You honour me,” he said. “But I’m quite alone. . . .”
“Doctors are above suspicion, aren’t they?” she laughed. “And I promise to behave.”
He still seemed a little self-conscious, but led the way into his study. She was a little puzzled at his awkwardness, and wondered why even such an uncouth man as he had not been smoothed down by his professional training. Nevertheless, his manner, if ungraceful, was plainly irreproachable. He brought up an armchair for her and swept a mass of papers off the table into a drawer. She noticed that there were some sections of large-scale surveys among them, and he explained: