The next day I had my first opportunity of speaking to the demure one. She was back on the job again even though she shouldn’t have been. And when she put down her last slide she gave a faint expiring groan. Gillett heard it and came over. But it was nothing, she said, just a headache. And she announced then that she was going to take a walk to get rid of it.
It was scarcely one of her brighter ideas because the mist had been hanging over the moor all day. And if she was going to have ’flu or something, she would just be speeding up the process. Gillett certainly tried hard enough to dissuade her. And I think it was the first time I’d ever heard him raise his voice to anyone.
“You’re simply being absurd,” he said. “Let me get you some aspirin.”
But the demure one was obviously being obstinate too. And that seemed to annoy Gillett.
“Well, for goodness’ sake, wait until I’m through with this and then I’ll come with you,” he said.
That, however, apparently wouldn’t satisfy her either. She was already half-way to the door while Gillett was talking to her.
Gillett was still reasoning with her as he went by me.
“I don’t like you going out there,” he said. “Not alone. And with all this mist about. Not after what happened to me. I’d just rather you didn’t.”
I heard the word “silly” on the demure one’s lips and something about “stop fussing.” Then she went. Gillett stood there looking worried.
“I wish to God she would go away for a bit,” he said, feelingly. “She isn’t doing herself any good by stopping here. And I don’t think it’s safe for her. I’d feel a good deal happier if they had the moor patrolled properly.”
Then I saw the other side of him. The shutters came down. He went straight on with his work just where he had left off. His hand on the focusing knob on the microscope was steady and rather distinguished looking. And when someone is staring down a mike you can’t see whether he is still looking anxious or not.
I passed Dr. Mann, who was carrying a slide or something over to the Director’s office, and caught up with the demure one about quarter of a mile from the Institute. She had taken the one decent track that led over the moor. And, even though the mist had thickened up considerably, I could see her a good hundred yards ahead of me.
“Carry your bag, miss,” I said, as I drew alongside her.
She turned sharply when I spoke to her. That was because I was wearing my crepe-rubbers and must have given the effect of creeping up on her. I don’t think that she had been expecting to meet anyone. And I’m pretty sure that she didn’t want to either. When she faced round I could see that she was crying. But I pretended not to notice.
“Mind if I walk with you?” I asked.
The demure one said that she didn’t mind, and we walked on together. But even that didn’t get me very far. Because I couldn’t extract so much as a single word. She just kept her head deliberately turned away from me. And only the occasional sniffs that came in my direction indicated the kind of walk that she was having.
So I waded right in up to my armpits during the long silence.
“I’ve been noticing you,” I said. “You haven’t looked at all well lately.”
I got back a muffled and rather resentful I’m-all-right-thank-you-please-don’t-start-bothering-yourself-about-me kind of answer.
“But we’re all worried about you,” I said. “It’s not good for a girl to get a lot of glass in her hair.”
This time the reply was the same as before only more emphatic.
That meant that I might as well take a real plunge even if it meant getting my ears wet.
“Why not go away for a bit?” I asked. “Give yourself a break.”
But there was evidently something about the whole idea that rankled. And a moment later I knew what it was.
“Did Hilda ask you to say that?” she demanded.
“Hilda among others,” I replied quite truthfully. “It occurred to several of us.”
“Well, I’m not going,” she said. “I’m not going. And it’s no use trying to make me.”
She had turned towards me as she said it and she had stopped crying by now. The whole effect was a bit smudgy at the corners. But there was no further effort at avoiding me. I was looking right into her eyes as she said her piece for the third and last time.
“I’m not going, and that’s definite,” the words were.
But I wasn’t really listening. Not with any attention that is. A girl’s eyes usually look terrible when she’s been crying. But the demure one’s had somehow managed to survive the test. They were deeper violet than ever.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll get a refund on the ticket.”
The path here ran along the bottom of a little valley. And the mist really had begun to fill things up by now. It came sliding over the crest like liquid cotton-wool. I didn’t care for the look of it.
“Gone far enough?” I asked. “Looks a bit sticky round the corner.”
We stood there for a moment watching the mist. By now it wasn’t merely rolling up on us from in front. There was an unpleasant pincer movement on either side as well. It was as though the mist were making a deliberate and intelligent attempt to cut us off. And as we turned somebody fired out of the mist just behind us.
It was so close that I could see the flash. I felt the girl beside me suddenly catch her breath and stumble.
As I grabbed her, I realised that this was the second time that I had held Una in my arms. But never for very long. Last time, Gillett had burst in on us. And at the present moment, I couldn’t forget that somewhere in the mist-pockets on all sides of us, there was a lunatic prowling around with a revolver.