The Saint Meets His Match (She was a Lady)

'You don't understand, Jill. I've been finding a way out.'

He walked rockily to the cupboard that Donnell had indicated and dragged open the doors. After some fumbling he was able to open the sliding door at the back, and then he found a switch. The light showed a flight of steps leading down into a damp and musty darkness.

'Our way out!' declaimed Weald grandiosely.

'Very interesting,' said the girl, 'but we don't happen to be going that way.'

He stared.

'Not going that way?'

'How the Angels of Doom would miss you!' she said caustically. 'Without you they'd be absolutely helpless. The great brain, always clear and alert in times of crisis.'

'Jill!'

'Oh, be quiet!' Her sarcasm turned to contempt sud­denly. 'When you're sober you're futile, and when you're drunk you maunder. I don't know which is worse. Now pull yourself together. Donnell is ready to do his part, and his boys are with him, but he's looking to you and me to pull him through. The Angels have never failed yet, and they can't fail now.'

'But, Jill ——'

'And a little less of the 'Jill,' ' she cut in icily. 'This place can stand a siege for a week, and we can still get out that way if we have to. But I'm going to let Templar in—right in—and there's going to be no mistake about him this time.'

He swayed towards her.

'And I say we're going out this way—now!' he shouted. 'I've had about enough of being ordered about by you, and being snubbed, and treated like a child. Now you're going to do what I say, for a change. Come on!'

She regarded him with a calculating eye.

'About one more drink,' she said, 'and you'd be dead drunk. On the whole, I think I'd prefer that to your present state.'

'Oh you would, would you?'

The resentment which Weald had been afraid to let loose before Donnell he had no need to control now. He grasped her shoulders with clumsy hands.

'That's the sort of talk I'm not standing from you any longer,' he said shrilly. 'You're going to stop it, right now, do you see? From now on I'm going to give the orders and you're going to obey them. I love you!'

'You're mad,' she said coldly. But for the first time in her life a little imp of fear plucked at her heart.

He thrust his face down close to hers. She could smell the drink on his breath.

'I'm not mad. I've been mad before, but I'm sensible now. I want to take you away—out of here—out of England—out into the world! I'm going to give you jewels, and beautiful clothes. And you're going to love me, and there's going to be no one else. You're going to forget all this nonsense abut your father. You're not going to think about it any more. It's going to be just you and me, Jill! Lovely Jill—'

She flung him off so that he went reeling back against the wall and almost fell. Then she jerked from her bag the little automatic she always carried, but he leapt at her like a tiger and tore it out of her hands.

'No, Jill, that's not the way. Not like that. Like this,'

His arms went round her.