When she had decided to open the latter, and had found the number she wanted, she unhooked the receiver and called for it.
After a few minutes somebody said that he was not in his room, but that he was being paged.
She waited, dully attentive to the far noises which sounded over the wire; then came a voice:
"Yes; who is it?"
She said: "I wished to speak to Mr. Bailey—Mr. Clive Bailey."
"I am Mr. Bailey."
For a moment the fact that she had not recognised his voice seemed to strike her speechless. And it was only when he spoke again, inquiringly, that she said in a low voice: "Clive!"
"Yes.... Is—is it you!"
"Yes."
And in the next heavily pulsating moment her breath came back with her self-control: