"Go on, Molly," said Tony. "We are all listening to you." "If we can get to Valona," said Molly, speaking in a rapid and eager voice, "what is there to stop us getting to the other place--the Château of Saint Anna?" There was another and longer pause. "Good Lord!" remarked Jimmy, and with this non-committal observation he reseated himself at the table. "Well?" continued Molly defiantly. "We can't do anything without running a big risk, so while we're about it we may just as well shove all our money on the best chance." "But surely," protested Guy, "if there is an utterly hopeless----" "Let Molly explain," said Tony. "We can criticize her afterwards." Once again there was a brief silence. "It's like this," said Molly. "At the present moment, so far as we know, there isn't a soul on Peter's side who has the remotest notion that we're in Livadia. That's our strongest card, and if we don't play it for all it's worth we shall be simply chucking the game away." She wheeled round on Jimmy. "Where is this Château, exactly?" she asked. "Can you get to it from here in your car without going through Portriga or the other place--Valona?" Jimmy nodded. "We should turn off the main road up into the hills about five miles from here. The car would manage it all right, but as for getting there--" he grinned cheerfully--"well, from what the Colonel told Tony, I should think we had about as much chance as a snowflake in hell." "You needn't worry about that part of it," returned Molly coolly. "So long as you know the road you can leave the rest to me." She put her hand into her breast pocket, and produced the thick and impressive looking half sheet of note-paper, which she had shown Tony in the flat. "If that won't get us past a few soldiers," she added, throwing it on the table, "we may as well turn the boat round now and go straight home." "By Jove!" exclaimed Tony. "I believe you've got hold of the right idea, Molly!" Guy looked from one to the other of them in a sort of baffled bewilderment. "I may be very stupid," he said, "but I can't see in the least what you hope to do even if we reach the Château." Molly drew in a long breath. "There's only one thing to do," she said slowly. "Somehow or other this Princess girl and I have got to change places. There's absolutely no other way in which we can possibly work it." If she had suddenly placed a live bomb upon the table, Guy's face could hardly have assumed a more startled expression. Even Jimmy, who did not seem to be easily perturbed, remained staring at her for a moment with his mouth open. "Change places!" repeated Guy at last. "Are you speaking seriously?"