McMurtrie got up with the cup in his hand and came across to where I was sitting.

“Drink this,” he said.

“This,” proved to be some excellent old brandy, which I tossed off with no little gratitude.  It was exactly what I wanted to pull me together.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.

I felt myself carefully before replying.  “I’m all right now,” I said.  “I got rather a crack in the ribs, but I don’t think anything’s gone.”

“We seem to have arrived just in time to prevent your arrest,” he said quietly.  “Perhaps you will be good enough to explain what has happened?  At present we are rather in the dark.”

He spoke with his usual suavity, but there was a veiled menace in his voice which it was impossible to overlook.  Savaroff scowled at me more truculently than ever.  It was obvious that both of them were entirely ignorant of Sonia’s part in the affair, and suspected me of some extraordinary bit of clumsiness.  I prepared myself for some heavy lying.

“I know precious little more about it than you do,” I said coolly.  “I was getting things ready for you this morning, when I happened to look out of the window, and saw three men crawling towards the hut on their hands and knees.  As one of them was wearing a policeman’s uniform, I thought I had better cut and run.  Well, I cut and ran.  I made for the creek because I thought you might be there.  You weren’t; but there was a dinghy on the shore, which I suppose belonged to a small yacht that was anchored out in the channel.  Anyhow, I took the liberty of borrowing it.  I meant to row out into the river, and try to pick you up before they could get hold of a boat and follow me.  If it hadn’t been for these infernal coast-guards, I’d have managed it all right.  I don’t think they really had anything to do with the business, but they just happened to be passing, and of course when the police shouted to them they cut in at once.”  I paused.  “And that’s the whole story,” I finished, “as far as I know anything about it.”

They had all three listened to me with eager attention.  Even the man with the auburn beard had kept on looking away from his steering to favour me with quick glances out of his hard blue eyes.  I think I came through the combined scrutiny with some credit.

McMurtrie was the first to break the ensuing silence.

“Have you any idea how you have betrayed yourself?  You can speak quite freely.  Our friend Mr. von Bruenig knows the position.”

I thought it best to take the offensive.  “I haven’t betrayed myself,” I said angrily.  “Somebody must have done it for me.  I’ve not left the hut since I came down except for an occasional breath of air.”

“But earlier—­when you were in London?” he persisted.

I shook my head.  “I have been down here a week.  You don’t imagine the police would have waited as long as that.”

I knew I was putting them in a difficulty, for by this time they must be all aware that Latimer was still on their track, and it was obviously conceivable that my attempted arrest might be due in some way to my connection with them; anyhow I saw that even Savaroff was beginning to regard me a shade less suspiciously.