maps in existence with them. But Uncle Arthur had one. And so had I.
There was a pause, then: "I have you, Caroline. Proceed."
"I located the missing vessel this afternoon. Four or five miles north-west of here. I went on board to-night."
"You did what, Caroline?"
"Went on board. The old crew has gone home. There's a new crew aboard. A smaller crew."
"You located Betty and Dorothy?" Despite the fact that we both had scramblers fitted to our radio phones, making intelligible eavesdropping impossible, Uncle Arthur always insisted that we spoke in a roundabout riddle fashion and used code names for his employees and himself. Girls' names for our surnames, initials to match. An irritating foible, but one that we had to observe. He was Annabelle, I was Caroline, Baker was Betty, Delmont, Dorothy and Hunslett, Harriet. It sounded like a series of Caribbean hurricane warnings.
"I found them." I took a deep breath. "They won't be coming home again, Annabelle."
"They won't be coming home again," he repeated mechanically. He was silent for so long that I began to think that he had gone off the air. Then he came again, his voice empty, remote. "I warned you of this, Caroline."
"Yes, Annabelle, you warned me of this."
"And the vessel?"
"Gone."
"Gone where?"
"I don't know. Just gone. North, I suppose."
"North, you suppose." Uncle Arthur never raised hfe voice, when he went on it was as calm and impersonal as ever, but the sudden disregard of his own rules about circumlocution betrayed the savage anger in his mind. "North where? Iceland? A Norwegian fjord? To effect a trans-shipment of cargo anywhere in a 'million square miles between the mid-Atlantic and the Barents Sea? And you lost her. After all the time, the trouble, the planning, the expense, you've lost her!" He might have spared me that bit about the planning, it had been mine all the way. "And Betty and Dorothy." The last words showed he'd taken control of himself again.
"Yes, Annabelle, I've lost her." I could feel the slow anger in myself. "And there's worse than that, if you want to listen to it."
"I'm listening."
I told him the rest and at the end of the he said: "I see. You've lost the vessel. You've lost Betty and Dorothy. And now our friends know about you, the one vital element of secrecy is gone for ever and every usefulness and effectiveness you might ever have had is completely negated." A pause. "1 shaft expect you in my office at nine p.m. to-night. Instruct Harriet to take the boat back to base."
"Yes, sir." The hell with his Annabelle. "I had expected that. I'vefailed. I've let you down. I'm being pulled off."
"Nine o'clock to-night, Caroline. I'll be waiting."
"You'll have a long wait, Annabelle."
"And what might you mean by that?" If Uncle Arthur had had a low silky menacing voice then he'd have spoken those words in a low silky menacing voice. But he hadn't, he'd only this flat level monotone and it carried infinitely more weight and authority than any carefully modulated theatrical voice that had ever graced a stage.
"There are no planes to this place, Annabelle. The mail-boat doesn't call for another four days. The weather'sbreaking down and I wouldn't risk our boat to try to get to the mainland. I'm stuck here for the time being, I'm afraid."
"Do you take me for a nincompoop, sir?" Now he was at it. "Go ashore this morning. An air-sea rescue helicopter will pick you up at noon. Nine p-m. at my office. Don't keep me waiting."
This, then, was it. But one last try. "Couldn't you give me another twenty-four hours, Annabelle?"
"Now you're being ridiculous. And wasting my time. Good-bye."
"I beg of you, sir."
"I'd thought better of you than that. Good-bye."
"Good-bye. We may meet again sometime. It's not likely. Good-bye,"
I switched the radio off, lit a cigarette and waited. The call-up came through in half a minute. I waited another half-minute and switched on. I was very calm. The die was cast and I didn't give a
There was a pause, then: "I have you, Caroline. Proceed."
"I located the missing vessel this afternoon. Four or five miles north-west of here. I went on board to-night."
"You did what, Caroline?"
"Went on board. The old crew has gone home. There's a new crew aboard. A smaller crew."
"You located Betty and Dorothy?" Despite the fact that we both had scramblers fitted to our radio phones, making intelligible eavesdropping impossible, Uncle Arthur always insisted that we spoke in a roundabout riddle fashion and used code names for his employees and himself. Girls' names for our surnames, initials to match. An irritating foible, but one that we had to observe. He was Annabelle, I was Caroline, Baker was Betty, Delmont, Dorothy and Hunslett, Harriet. It sounded like a series of Caribbean hurricane warnings.
"I found them." I took a deep breath. "They won't be coming home again, Annabelle."
"They won't be coming home again," he repeated mechanically. He was silent for so long that I began to think that he had gone off the air. Then he came again, his voice empty, remote. "I warned you of this, Caroline."
"Yes, Annabelle, you warned me of this."
"And the vessel?"
"Gone."
"Gone where?"
"I don't know. Just gone. North, I suppose."
"North, you suppose." Uncle Arthur never raised hfe voice, when he went on it was as calm and impersonal as ever, but the sudden disregard of his own rules about circumlocution betrayed the savage anger in his mind. "North where? Iceland? A Norwegian fjord? To effect a trans-shipment of cargo anywhere in a 'million square miles between the mid-Atlantic and the Barents Sea? And you lost her. After all the time, the trouble, the planning, the expense, you've lost her!" He might have spared me that bit about the planning, it had been mine all the way. "And Betty and Dorothy." The last words showed he'd taken control of himself again.
"Yes, Annabelle, I've lost her." I could feel the slow anger in myself. "And there's worse than that, if you want to listen to it."
"I'm listening."
I told him the rest and at the end of the he said: "I see. You've lost the vessel. You've lost Betty and Dorothy. And now our friends know about you, the one vital element of secrecy is gone for ever and every usefulness and effectiveness you might ever have had is completely negated." A pause. "1 shaft expect you in my office at nine p.m. to-night. Instruct Harriet to take the boat back to base."
"Yes, sir." The hell with his Annabelle. "I had expected that. I'vefailed. I've let you down. I'm being pulled off."
"Nine o'clock to-night, Caroline. I'll be waiting."
"You'll have a long wait, Annabelle."
"And what might you mean by that?" If Uncle Arthur had had a low silky menacing voice then he'd have spoken those words in a low silky menacing voice. But he hadn't, he'd only this flat level monotone and it carried infinitely more weight and authority than any carefully modulated theatrical voice that had ever graced a stage.
"There are no planes to this place, Annabelle. The mail-boat doesn't call for another four days. The weather'sbreaking down and I wouldn't risk our boat to try to get to the mainland. I'm stuck here for the time being, I'm afraid."
"Do you take me for a nincompoop, sir?" Now he was at it. "Go ashore this morning. An air-sea rescue helicopter will pick you up at noon. Nine p-m. at my office. Don't keep me waiting."
This, then, was it. But one last try. "Couldn't you give me another twenty-four hours, Annabelle?"
"Now you're being ridiculous. And wasting my time. Good-bye."
"I beg of you, sir."
"I'd thought better of you than that. Good-bye."
"Good-bye. We may meet again sometime. It's not likely. Good-bye,"
I switched the radio off, lit a cigarette and waited. The call-up came through in half a minute. I waited another half-minute and switched on. I was very calm. The die was cast and I didn't give a
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