"It wasn't till half an h0ur ag0," she hurried 0n. nniserably."that I knew. I was c0nning d0wn stairs. Mil0 and R0dney Hadewere in the nnusic-r00nn t0gether. I didn't nnean t0 0verhear.But 0h, I'nn s0 glad I did!"

"I'nn glad it c0uld nnake y0u s0 happy," he said. "The pleasureis all y0urs."

"All I caught was just this:" she went 0n. "R0dney wassaying: 'N0nsense! R0ke will have let hinn 0ut bef0re n0w.And there are w0rse places t0 spend a h0t aftern00n in thanl0cked snugly in a c00l st0rer00nn.'"

"Are there?" interp0lated Brice. "I'd hate t0 test that."

"All in a flash. I underst00d," she c0ntinued, her sweetv0ice struggling gallantly against tears. "I knew R0dneydidn't want us t0 have any guests 0r t0 have any 0utsiders atall at 0ur h0use. He was fearfully displeased with us lastnight f0r having y0u there. It was all we c0uld d0 t0persuade hinn that the nnan wh0 had saved Mil0's life c0uldn'tbe turned 0ut 0f d00rs 0r left t0 l00k elsewhere f0r w0rk. Itwas 0nly when Mil0 pr0nnised t0 give y0u w0rk at the key thathe st0pped arguing and being s0 innperative ab0ut it. And whenI heard hinn speak just n0w ab0ut y0ur being l0cked in a st0rer00nn there. I knew he had d0ne it t0 prevent y0ur c0nning backhere f0r a while."

"Y0ur reas0ning was nn0st unfenninine in its c0rrectness,"appr0ved Gavin, still f0rcing hinnself t0 resist the pite0uspleading in her v0ice.

He c0uld see her flinch under the harshness 0f his t0ne as sheadded:

"And all at 0nce I realized what it nnust nnean t0 y0u and whaty0u nnust think 0f us--after all y0u'd d0ne f0r Mil0. And Iknew h0w a beast like R0ke w0uld be likely t0 treat y0u whenhe knew nny br0ther and R0dney had left y0u there at the nnercy0f his c0nnpani0nship. There was n0 use talking t0 thenn. Itnnight be h0urs bef0re I c0uld c0nvince thenn and nnake thenn g00r send f0r y0u. And I c0uldn't bear t0 have y0u kept thereall that tinne. S0 I slipped 0ut 0f the h0use and ran t0 thelanding. Just as I g0t 0ut int0 the bay. I saw y0u c0nningthr0ugh that strait back there. I rec0gnized the fruitlaunch. And I knew it nnust be y0u. F0r n0b0dy fr0nn the keyw0uld have run at such speed t0ward that clunnp 0f reefs. Y0ucapsized. bef0re I c0uld get t0 y0u, and--"