فصل بیست و هشتم

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

Anne’s Story

As soon as I got to Kimberley I sent a telegram to Suzanne, and she joined me as quickly as she could. I was surprised to find that Suzanne really was fond of me - I thought she was just enjoying me as an entertaining friend for a short time - but she had stayed on at the Falls after I disappeared, hoping I was somewhere nearby. She cried happily when we met.

When we weren’t feeling quite so emotional, I sat down on the bed and told her the whole story.

‘Oh, Anne, dear,’ she said when I had finished. ‘How do you know that this young man of yours is telling the truth? You believe every word he says.’

‘Of course I do,’ I cried.

‘But I don’t see anything at all, except his good looks,’ Suzanne smiled, ‘and his wild behaviour, just like in those adventure stories you love so much.’

I quickly turned the conversation to Sir Eustace.

‘I heard from Pagett before I left the Falls,’ Suzanne said. ‘He’s leaving Cape Town today to join Sir Eustace in Johannesburg.’

‘Good,’ I said. ‘I will meet his train here.’ I wanted to see Pagett as soon as possible, and this was my best chance. We decided that I should go alone. Pagett would be less willing to speak in front of the two of us.

According to the hotel porter, Pagett’s train would stop at Kimberley at 5/40 on the following afternoon, though he did not think it would get through to Johannesburg. He was sure the line had been blown up by a bomb, he told me cheerfully!

I was waiting at the station when the train arrived. Everybody jumped out and began walking up and down. I saw Pagett, and he immediately became nervous. ‘Dear me, Miss Beddingfeld, I thought you had disappeared.’

‘I have reappeared, Mr Pagett, with something important to ask you. What were you doing at Marlow on 8th January?’

He jumped violently. ‘Really, Miss Beddingfeld-‘

‘You were there!’

‘I - I was, yes.’

‘Won’t you tell me why?’

‘Hasn’t Sir Eustace already told you?’

‘Sir Eustace? Does he know?’

‘I am almost sure he does. I hoped he had not recognized me, but from things he has said, I fear he did. In any case, I mean to explain the matter and offer to leave my job.’

A whistle blew, and the people began to climb back into the train.

‘Mr Pagett, why did you go to Marlow?’

‘It was wrong of me, but natural.’

‘What was natural?’ I cried.

He was back in the train now, leaning down to speak to me. And in three short sentences he told me. At last I knew Pagett’s secret! It was not at all what I had expected.

I walked slowly back to the hotel. There, a telegram was given to me. It contained full and clear instructions for me to go to a station this side of Johannesburg, where I would be met by a driver. It was signed, not Andy, but Harry.

I sat down to do some very serious thinking.