"I didn't think of it, sir, until I saw Mrs. Jevons getting out."
He added by way of afterthought, "Besides, I promised Kendal. You and
Mrs. Jevons wasn't to know he was going on to Antwerp."
Viola and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Somewhere behind us from beyond the river a gun boomed and we took no notice of it. We went on laughing.
"He's had us again," she said.
"Yes. We've been done this time. Well—we'd better scoot."
We made a rush for it between guns and got to Baerlere. Once we were out of the village and heading for the Ghent road we were safe.
We were hardly out of sound of the guns when I heard Viola saying, "You know it really was funny of Jimmy."
I said, "He won't think it quite so funny when he hears what we've done."
He didn't think it funny at all. He was furious when he heard what we'd
done. He forbade Viola to follow him again. He threatened to sack
Colville. He said he'd have me sent home to-morrow and kept there, and
Viola should go with me.