“Nan—­gone!  And it’s too late to stop her!”

“It’s not!” The words leapt from Sandy’s lips.  “We must stop her!”

The absolute determination in his voice infected Kitty.  She felt her courage rising to the emergency.

“What can we do?” she asked quietly.  She was as steady as a rock now.

Sandy dropped into a chair, absent-mindedly lighting one of the “gaspers” he had so recently purchased.

“We must work it out,” he said slowly.  “Rooke told you they were going to Clovelly, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Well, they’re not going anywhere near.  That was just a blind.  They took the London road.”

“Even that mightn’t mean they were going to London.  They could branch off anywhere.”

“They could,” agreed Sandy, puffing thoughtfully at his cigarette.  “But we’ve got to remember Rooke has a house in Westminster—­nice little backwater.  It’s just on the cards they might go there first—­wherever else they intended going on to afterwards—­just to pick up anything Rooke might want, arrange about letters and so on.”

“Yes?” There was a keen light in Kitty’s eyes.  She was following Sandy’s thought with all a woman’s quickness.  “And you think you might overtake them there?”

“I must do more than that.  I must be there first—­to receive them.”

“Can you do it in the time?”

“Yes.  By train.  They’re travelling by car, remember.”

Kitty glanced at the clock.

“It’s too late for you to catch the early train from St. Wennys Halt.  And there’s no other till the afternoon.”

“I shan’t risk the afternoon train.  It stops at every little wayside station and if it were ten minutes late I’d miss the express from Exeter.”

“Then you’ll motor?”

“Yes, I’ll drive to Exeter, and catch the train that gets in to town about half-past seven.  Maryon isn’t likely to reach London till about an hour or so after that.”

“That’s settled, then.  The next thing is breakfast for two,” said Kitty practically.  “I’d only just begun when you came, and I—­I’ll start again to keep you company.  You must be absolutely starving by now.”

She rang the bell and gave her orders to the servant who appeared in answer.

“What about Aunt Eliza?” she went on when they were alone again.  “I’ll ’phone her you’re having breakfast here, shall I?”

“Yes.  And, look here, we’ve got to make things appear quite ordinary.  The mater knows I’m supposed to be taking Nan for a run this afternoon.  You’d better say I’m coming straight back to fetch the car, as we’re starting earlier.”

Kitty nodded and hurried off to the telephone.

“It’s all right,” she announced, when she returned.  “Aunt Eliza took it all in, and merely remarked that I spoilt you!” She succeeded in summoning up a faint smile.

“Then that coast’s clear,” said Sandy.  “Who else?  There’s Roger.  What shall you do if he comes over to-day?”