'Yes. I've always felt that, too.'
'All right, then, let's declare an armistice. What's done's done, and there's no sense in continuing a slanging match. I m prepared to take your word for it that you didn't really mean to tempt me, if you'll take mine that the comet absolutely overcame all the decent instincts I've ever had and the Principles of a lifetime. Naturally, we're hating each other at the moment, because we're normal again and we've both got certain standards which the other caused temporarily to be thrown down the drain; but we've got to try our damnedest to get back to the natural friendly footing we were on yester. day round about midday.'
She nodded slowly. 'Yes, you're quite right. It won't be easy, and how I'll be able to look Sam in the face I can't think. But I'm sure now that you couldn't help what happened. I've said awful things to you and I'm sorry.'
'I don't know how I'll face Sam again either. But I'm equally sorry about all the nasty things I said to you. I'm sure you know I didn't really mean them.' For the first time that morning he smiled, and he held out his hand.
She took it and with a firm hand-clasp they made their peace.
'How are you feeling?' he asked after a moment.
'Pretty mouldy. How about you?'
'Hardly at the top of my form. Still, I think we ought to get a move on.'
She stretched her arms and yawned. 'Wouldn't it be better to get another hour or two's sleep and set out in the dawn?'
'No. We'll be safe while darkness lasts.'
'Safe?' she echoed.
'Yes. But that's just as long as we will be,' he answered grimly. 'This accursed comet's so close to us now that even when the sky's cloudy its rays come through. You saw that for yourself from about four o'clock yesterday afternoon, and today it's certain to be much stronger. If we don't reach Stapleton by the time the sun gets up we'll be liable to go off the deep end again, just as we did last night.'
'I see. Then we'd better start at once.'
He laughed.
'I didn't mean to be rude or anything,' she added quickly, 'But we mustn't let that sort of thing happen again.'
'Well, we've only got about five miles to cover so we ought to be able to make it,' he said standing up.
They had nothing to pack so they set off at once, side by side, down the steep hill towards Pebble Combe.
When they reached the village, about half an hour later, Hemmingway happened to glance towards a villa standing quite close to the road. In the faint light he saw that there was a shed beside it and that the door of the shed was ajar. Touching Lavina's arm, he said:
'Wait here a moment,' and turned in up the garden path.
pjjs luck was in. As he had half-hoped that there might be there was a bicycle in the shed. Quite unperturbed by the thought that he was stealing, he wheeled it out and back to the roadway. If he had been called upon to justify his act he would have defended it on the grounds that it was essential for Lavina and himself to get to Stapleton before sunrise and that, barring accidents, the bicycle would ensure their being able to do so.
Having adjusted the saddle he got on to it and Lavina
mounted the step.
Everything went well until just after they had crossed the main Dorking-Reigate Road. When they were on the outskirts of Betchworth another earth-tremor ran across the night-shrouded land.
The bicycle wobbled violently. Although Hemmingway applied the brakes he could not control it as it swerved to the side of the road and they both fell off, landing in a ditch.
Having picked themselves up they sat there for a few moments, while fainter tremors continued to agitate the earth.
'With this sort of thing going on here,' Hemmingway said, 'God knows what must be happening in the volcanic zones—-places like the West Indies and Peru.'
'Thank goodness we're out in the open anyhow,' Lavina sighed. 'At least we won't be killed by bricks falling on our heads, or be buried alive under a building.'
When the tremors had ceased they mounted the bicycle again; but they proceeded very cautiously as here and there they came upon cracks in the tarmac of the road's surface, some of them as much as two or three inches wide, which made the going difficult.
In Betchworth a number of people were endeavouring to cope with the effects of the recent 'quake. A water main had burst at one end of the street and was flooding the roadway, while a little farther on there was a strong smell of escaping gas and they knew that at any moment there might be a nasty ^plosion. Just outside the village they saw that a jerry-built cottage had subsided and some men were dragging the victims from its ruins; but there was a faint greyness now in the eastern sky so, knowing that dawn was close at hand, Hemmingway Pressed on.
Another two miles and in the greyish light the gates of Stapleton Court at last came into sight before them. They ran along the moss-grown drive and past the lake up to the old Georgian mansion. As they dismounted before the front doot Hemmingway glanced at his watch and saw that they had done the last stage of their journey in just an hour.
The house was in darkness; its inmates apparently sleeping or else, perhaps, already on board the Ark. Lavina was just moving towards the front door when Hemmingway touched her arm.
'One second. I hadn't thought about it before but d'you mean to tell your uncle how Roy died?'
She hesitated. 'Perhaps it would be kinder not to.'
'Sure,' Hemmingway nodded. 'Let him think Roy got separated from you with Derek and that they may both turn up here at the last moment.'
'Derek . . .' she drew in her breath quickly. 'For the moment I'd forgotten that you'd left him behind.'
'On the contrary,' Hemmingway's voice was sharp. 'It was he who stole my car and left us in the lurch. He may be here already, in which case he's probably told your uncle about Roy. But if he hasn't made it, and does so during the day, one of us can tip him off not to say anything.'
'But you wouldn't have known about me if Derek hadn't escaped. And if Roy had still been alive the two of them would have been imprisoned and escaped together. How can we get over that?'
'We'll just say Derek said he lost Roy in the excitement and didn't know what had happened to him after he'd escaped himself. It's better for your uncle to imagine that Roy is still alive and has an equal chance with everybody else when the balloon goes up tonight, than to know that he's dead already, don't you think?'
'Yes. I hate having to lie about anything, but poor Uncle Oliver would be terribly cut up if he knew the truth.'
They were looking at each other, not at the house door, so they did not see it open a crack as Hemmingway said:
'Well, this is just one of those cases where we've got to do a bit of lying for the sake of sparing somebody else's feelings.'
Out of the corner of her eye Lavina glimpsed a faint line of light coming from the slightly open doorway. Turning at once she ran to it and cried:
'Hullo, there! It's us. We're here at last.'
The moment she moved, the door was swung wide open and Margery stood outlined in the dim light of a solitary candle which she had left on a table farther down the hall.
'So it's you!' she exclaimed. 'I heard voices so I came to see.'
'Oh, Margery!' With unaccustomed abandon Lavina flung herself into her sister's arms. 'I am so glad to see you. We've had a simply frightful time.'
'There, there!' Margery patted her back and kissed her affectionately. In spite of her jealousy she was really very fond of Lavina. 'We've been most terribly anxious about you—all of us—and we had to lock Sam up to prevent his going back to London to look for you yesterday.'
'Then, he got here safely! Thank God for that!' Lavina breathed, and, turning, she added: 'You know Hemmingway, don't you?'