The twilight was deepening into dusk, Pursuivant turned back toward the lodge, where windows had begun to glow warmly, and muffled motor-noises bespoke the parking of automobiles. There were other flecks of light, too. For myself, I felt beaten and weary, as though I had fought to the verge of losing against a stronger, wiser enemy.
"Look around you, Connatt. At the clumps of bush, the thickets. What do they hide?"
I knew what he meant. I felt, though I saw only dimly, the presence of an evil host in ambuscade all around us.
"They're waiting to claim her, Connatt. There's only one thing to do."
"Then let's do it, at once."
"Not yet. The moment must be his moment, one hour before midnight. Escape, as I once said, will not be enough. We must conquer."
I waited for him to instruct me.
"As you know, Connatt, I will make a speech before the curtain. After that, I'll come backstage and stay in your dressing-room. What you must do is get the sword that you use in the second act. Bring it there and keep it there."
"I've told you and told you that the sword meant nothing against him."
"Bring it anyway," he insisted.