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generally--a Mrs. Vandemeyer. At first I'd been only grateful to her for being so
kind to me; but all the time I felt there was something about her I didn't like, and
on the Irish boat I saw her talking to some queer-looking men, and from the way
they looked I saw that they were talking about me. I remembered that she'd been
quite near me on the Lusitania when Mr. Danvers gave me the packet, and before
that she'd tried to talk to him once or twice. I began to get scared, but I didn't
quite see what to do.
"I had a wild idea of stopping at Holyhead, and not going on to London that day,
but I soon saw that that would be plumb foolishness. The only thing was to act as
though I'd noticed nothing, and hope for the best. I couldn't see how they could
get me if I was on my guard. One thing I'd done already as a precaution--ripped
open the oilskin packet and substituted blank paper, and then sewn it up again.
So, if anyone did manage to rob me of it, it wouldn't matter.
"
What to do with the real thing worried me no end. Finally I opened it out flat--
there were only two sheets--and laid it between two of the advertisement pages of
a magazine. I stuck the two pages together round the edge with some gum off an
envelope. I carried the magazine carelessly stuffed into the pocket of my ulster.
"At Holyhead I tried to get into a carriage with people that looked all right, but in
a queer way there seemed always to be a crowd round me shoving and pushing
me just the way I didn't want to go. There was something uncanny and
frightening about it. In the end I found myself in a carriage with Mrs. Vandemeyer
after all. I went out into the corridor, but all the other carriages were full, so I had
to go back and sit down. I consoled myself with the thought that there were other
people in the carriage--there was quite a nice-looking man and his wife sitting
just opposite. So I felt almost happy about it until just outside London. I had
leaned back and closed my eyes. I guess they thought I was asleep, but my eyes
weren't quite shut, and suddenly I saw the nice-looking man get something out of
his bag and hand it to Mrs. Vandemeyer, and as he did so he WINKED....
"I can't tell you how that wink sort of froze me through and through. My only
thought was to get out in the corridor as quick as ever I could. I got up, trying to
look natural and easy. Perhaps they saw something--I don't know--but suddenly
Mrs. Vandemeyer said 'Now,' and flung something over my nose and mouth as I
tried to scream. At the same moment I felt a terrific blow on the back of my
head...."
She shuddered. Sir James murmured something sympathetically. In a minute
she resumed:
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