Then she remembered. Billy would know. Billy would tell her.

"Billy--was that boy dead when you left him! The boy in the house
over there."

He was stooping to the Belgian, examining his bandages, and he didn't
answer all at once. He seemed to be meditating.

"Was he?" she repeated.

It struck her that Billy was surprised.

"Because--" She stopped there. She couldn't say to him, "I want to know
whether John left him dead or alive."

"He was dead all right." Sutton's voice came up slow and muffled out of
his meditation.

It was all right. She might have known. She might have known. Vaguely for
a moment she wondered why Billy had come for her and not John; then she
was frightened.

"Billy--John isn't hurt, is he?"

"No. Rather not. A bit done up. I made him go and lie down.... Look here,
we must get out of this."

* * * * *

The McClane Corps were gathered on their side of the messroom. They