But
immediately after, he made an effort to pull himself together, picking
up a book he had laid down to wipe his forehead and holding it so close
to his nose that the printed page must have been a mere blur, unless he
were very near-sighted. Thus he sat for some time; yet I felt that no
look thrown by the other two was lost on him. He seemed to know each
time one of them peered over the newspaper; and when at last the train
slowed down by the Admiralty Pier all his nervousness returned. His
small, thin hands, freckled on their backs, hovered over one piece of
luggage after another, as if he could not decide how to pile the things
together.
Naturally I had not brought my man with me on this errand, therefore I
had let my suitcase go into the van, that I might have both hands free,
and I had nothing to do when the train stopped but jump out and make for
the boat. Nevertheless I lingered, folding up a newspaper, and tearing
an article out of a magazine by way of excuse; for it was not my object
to be caught in a crowd and hustled, perhaps, by some clever wretches
who might be lying in wait for what I had in my pocket. It seemed
impossible that anyone could have learned that I was playing messenger
between the British Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Maxine de Renzie:
still, the danger and difficulty of the apparently simple mission had
been so strongly impressed on me that I did not intend to neglect any
precaution.
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