"You'd want it still more if you knew what we do, miss," said the Inspector drily.
He rummaged in the sergeant's pocket, and, pulling out a pair of light steel handcuffs, snapped them round the wrists of the still unconscious Hudson.
Colin turned to Nancy. "You might bathe this poor fellow's wound, and bandage him up with a clean handkerchief. If he comes round before we get back, make him lie perfectly still on the sofa."
She nodded quietly, and with an approving grunt the Inspector offered her his hand.
"Thank you, miss," he said. "You're a fine young lady, and I couldn't be more pleased to see you safe, not if you were my own daughter." Then, as if half embarrassed by this outburst, he added brusquely. "Come along, doctor! They've got a good start already, and we're only wasting time talking here."
He strode toward the window, and, just pausing to press a kiss on Nancy's fingers, Colin followed him out into the garden.
They made their way rapidly across the lawn and down to the front gate. The moon, which was almost at its full, had already risen, its silver beauty lighting up the roadway as plainly as though it were daytime.
The Inspector glanced up into the sky with some gratitude.
"We shall be able to see where we're going, at all events," he observed. "How far do you think the river is from here?"
"It must be about ten miles to Thames Haven," was Colin's answer. "There's no other place they could have left the yacht—not this side of Canvey Island."