I nodded. A thing I liked about Albeury was that he made up his mind almost instantlythat he never hesitated a moment.
"All the same, Mr. Osborne," he added quickly, "you must pardon my saying that I consider you barely sane. It's no business of mine, I know, but do for God's sake think what you are doing before you bind yourself for life to such a womanthink of it, for life!"
"That's all right," Jack answered quietly. "Don't distress yourself. I know exactly what I am doing, and"
He paused, looking hard at Albeury.
"From now onward," he said slowly, "Jasmine Gastrell will be a wholly different woman. I am going away with her at once, Albeury; to-morrow, at latestwe may even leave to-night. We shall not return to England for a yearthat I promise you. For a year I shall see neither Berrington nor you nor any of my friends. But in a year's time you and Berrington and I, and Jasmine too, will meet again, and then"
The telephone in the flat rang loudly. Albeury sprang up. An instant later he was in the hall, preventing Simon from answering the call. Quickly he returned, while the bell continued ringing.
"What's your codeMorse?" he said sharply to the men.
"Nosecret," the elder man answered.
"Quick, thengo; if it's not for you, say so."
Carefully the man Albeury had cross-questioned unhooked the receiver. He held it to his ear, and an instant later nodded. Then, with the pencil which hung down by a string, he tapped the transmitter five times, with measured beat.