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"Yes. I got uneasy. People seemed to be watching me. It scared me--badly." She

put her hand to her head. "It's almost the last thing I remember before waking up

in the hospital...."

"Go on," said Sir James, in his quiet penetrating tones. "What do you remember?"

She turned to him obediently.

It was at Holyhead. I came that way--I don't remember why...."

That doesn't matter. Go on."

In the confusion on the quay I slipped away. Nobody saw me. I took a car. Told

the man to drive me out of the town. I watched when we got on the open road. No

other car was following us. I saw a path at the side of the road. I told the man to

wait."

She paused, then went on. "The path led to the cliff, and down to the sea between

big yellow gorse bushes--they were like golden flames. I looked round. There

wasn't a soul in sight. But just level with my head there was a hole in the rock. It

was quite small--I could only just get my hand in, but it went a long way back. I

took the oilskin packet from round my neck and shoved it right in as far as I

could. Then I tore off a bit of gorse--My! but it did prick--and plugged the hole

with it so that you'd never guess there was a crevice of any kind there. Then I

marked the place carefully in my own mind, so that I'd find it again. There was a

queer boulder in the path just there--for all the world like a dog sitting up

begging. Then I went back to the road. The car was waiting, and I drove back. I

just caught the train. I was a bit ashamed of myself for fancying things maybe,

but, by and by, I saw the man opposite me wink at a woman who was sitting next

to me, and I felt scared again, and was glad the papers were safe. I went out in

the corridor to get a little air. I thought I'd slip into another carriage. But the

woman called me back, said I'd dropped something, and when I stooped to look,

something seemed to hit me--here." She placed her hand to the back of her head.

"I don't remember anything more until I woke up in the hospital."

There was a pause.

"Thank you, Miss Finn." It was Sir James who spoke. "I hope we have not tired

you?"

"Oh, that's all right. My head aches a little, but otherwise I feel fine."

186

The Secret Adversary