"I'm out for a walk.
I like walking at night. Nobody stops you and says silly things, and I like the stars, and things smell better, and everyday things look all mysterious."
"All of that I grant you freely," I said.
"But only cats and witches walk in the dark.
They'll wonder about you at home."
"No, they won't.
They never wonder where I am or what I'm doing."
"How are you getting on?" I asked.
"All right, I suppose."
"Miss Holland look after you and all that?"
"Elsie's all right.
She can't help being a perfect fool."
"Unkind - but probably true," I said.
"Hop in and I'll drive you home."
It was not quite true that Megan was never missed.
Symmington was standing on the doorstep as we drove up.
He peered toward us.
"Hullo, is Megan there?"
"Yes," I said.
"I've brought her home."
Symmington said sharply, "You mustn't go off like this without telling us, Megan.
Miss Holland has been quite worried about you."
Megan muttered something and went past him into the house.
Symmington sighed.
"A grown-up girl is a great responsibility with no mother to look after her.
She's too old for school, I suppose."
He looked toward me rather suspiciously.
"I suppose you took her for a drive?"
I thought it best to leave it like that.
Chapter 7
On the following day I went mad.
Looking back on it, that is really the only explanation I can find.
I was due for my monthly visit to Marcus Kent... I went up by train.
To my intense surprise Joanna elected to stay behind.
As a rule she was eager to come and we usually stayed up for a couple of days.
This time, however, I proposed to return the same day by the evening train, but even so I was astonished at Joanna. She merely said enigmatically that she'd got plenty to do, and why spend hours in a nasty stuffy train when it was a lovely day in the country?
That, of course, was undeniable, but sounded very unlike Joanna.
She said she didn't want the car, so I was to drive it to the station and leave it parked there against my return.
The station of Lymstock is situated, for some obscure reason known to railway companies only, quite half a mile from Lymstock itself.
Halfway along the road I overtook Megan shuffling along in an aimless manner.
I pulled up.
"Hullo, what are you doing?"
"Just out for a walk."
"But not what is called a good brisk walk, I gather.
You were crawling along like a dispirited crab."
"Well, I wasn't going anywhere particular."
"Then you'd better come and see me off at the station."
I opened the door of the car and Megan jumped in.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"London.