Her lips quivered.
And suddenly she took a step forward and kissed him.
"Good-bye," she murmured in a choking voice.
Koster's face suddenly lit up with a bright red flame.
He meant to say something, but then turned away, got into the car, set off with a bound and raced down the hairpin bends without looking round.
We watched him.
The car thundered along the main street and climbed the zig-zag ascent like a solitary firefly,-the pallid field of the searchlight moving over the grey snow ahead.
At the summit the car stopped and Koster waved.
He stood out dark against the light.
Then he vanished, and for a loag time still we, heard only the hum of the engine growing steadily fainter.
Pat stood leaning forward, listening as long as anything was still to be heard.
Then she turned to me.
"The last ship has left, Robby." "The second last," I replied. "I'm the last.
And do you know what I propose doing?
I'm going to look for a new anchorage.
I don't like the room in the annex any more.
I don't see why we shouldn't live together.
I'm going to try and get a room in your neighbourhood."
She smiled.
"Quite impossible.
You'll never do it.
How are you going to start?"
"Would you be glad if I did manage it?"
"What a question!
It would be grand, darling.
Almost as good as at Mother Zalewski's."
"Right.
Then just leave me to get busy for half an hour."
"All right.
I'll play a game of chess with Antonio.
That's one thing I've learnt up here."
I went to the office and explained that I should be staying rather longer and would like a room on the same floor with Pat.
An elderly, flat-chested matron refused indignantly because of the house regulations.
"Who made the regulations?" I asked.
"The Management," retorted the matron, smoothing the folds of her dress.
Rather reluctantly she did finally inform me that the doctor in charge had discretion in exceptional cases.
"But he has gone now," she added. "At night he goes home and is not to be disturbed except on business."
"Good," said I, "then I'll trouble him on business.
A matter of the house regulations."
The doctor lived in a small house next to the sanatorium.
He received me immediately and gave me permission at once.
"Judging from the start, I didn't expect it to be quite so easy," said I.
He laughed.
"Aha, you ran into old Rexroth probably?
Well, I'll just telephone."
I returned to the office.
Rexroth beat a dignified retreat as she caught sight of my defiant face.
I arranged everything with the secretary and gave the manservant the job of shifting my stuff across and getting me a few bottles of drink.
Then I went to Pat in the hall.
"Have you managed it?" she asked.