“Clever kid,” grinned Rex. “She’s squared a pilot to bring her along.”
They began to run across the meadow to the place where the ’plane would stop. “Best be careful,” panted Simon. “We’ll be in a muddle if it’s not her.”
“It is,” shouted Richard. “I can see her in the back.”
In another minute they were crowding round the ’plane and Marie Lou, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright from the swift flight through the early morning air, had jumped to the ground.
Richard could see that despite the colour in her cheeks, her face was drawn, and her eyes swollen by crying. She gave him a long searching look as she said, quickly:
“Richard — what happened? Why did you leave me behind?”
He seized her hands and for a moment could hardly speak, it was such an enormous relief to see her safe and sound. “Marie Lou...” he stammered, “Marie Lou ... Simon bungled things, he thought you were going by train... and I was hit on the head, so they brought me with them, unconscious, in the car.... I’ve been through agonies this morning!”
“Oh, Richard,” she gave a little sob. “I thought I should go mad last night. I waited in the aerodrome till three this morning. I was terrified. I thought you had been killed or captured — and then when I heard that you had all been seen on the road in the car... I thought... oh, I do not know... it was awful!”
“You heard that — but how?”
“When it seemed that there was no more chance that you should come I went back to the hotel — the lounge was almost in darkness and I ran straight into Valeria Petrovna — she had been walking up and down all night waiting for news.”