"Of course you're not to do a thing more than you want to," said Dunbar. "But this is where you could be of use. The thing that we're mainly afraid of is young Crispin. Hesther can get out of her room easily enough. It is only a short drop on to an outhouse roof, and then a short drop from there again, but if young Crispin is moving about, coming into her room and so on, it may be very difficult. What I suggest is that you stay with the older Crispin looking at his collections and the rest until half-past twelve or so, then bid him a fond good-night and go. Wait for a quarter of an hour in the grounds. Jabez will be there, and then at about a quarter to one he will let you into the house again. Crispin Senior should be up in the tower by then, but if he isn't you can pretend that you have lost something, take him back into the small library where the prints are and keep him well occupied until after one. If he _has_ gone up to his tower, Hesther will leave a small piece of white paper under her door _if_ Crispin Junior is in the way and hanging about. In that case I should knock on his door, apologise, say that you lost your gold match-box, had to come back for it as they are all leaving early the next day, think it must be in the small library; he goes back with you to look for it and--you keep him there. Do you think you could manage that?" "I will," said Harkness. "There's more than that. One of the principal reasons that Hesther refused to consider any of this was--well, running off alone with me in the middle of the night. But if you are with us--some one, if I may say so, so entirely----" "Respectable," Harkness suggested as Dunbar hesitated. "Well, yes--if you don't mind that word. It alters everything, don't you see. Especially as you've never seen me before, aren't in love with her or anything." "Exactly," said Harkness gravely. "There you are. The thing's full of holes. It can fall down in all sorts of places, and if Crispin catches us and knows what we are up to it won't be pleasant. But there's nothing else. No other plan that seems any less dangerous. Are you for it, sir?" "I'm for it," said Harkness. At that moment the little marble clock struck the half-hour. "My God!" Harkness cried, "I should be at the hotel this very minute. If I miss them there's our plan spoiled." He gripped Dunbar's hand once and was off. IX He went racing through the darkness, the two thoughts changing, mingling, changing incessantly over and over in his brain--that he must catch them at the hotel before they left it, and that he loved, he loved her, he loved her with an intensity that seemed to increase with every step that he ran.