"I could not lie, my dear Lexman. And honestly, I had forgotten
the existence of the letter; if that is what you are referring to,
but I am trying to do what I can for you and for your wife."

"My wife!"

"She is waiting for you," said the other.

He turned his head, listening.

Across the moor came the dull sullen boom of a gun.

"You haven't time for argument. They discovered your escape," he
said. "Get in."

John clambered up into the frail body of the machine and Kara
followed.

"This is a self-starter," he said, "one of the newest models of
monoplanes."

He clicked over a lever and with a roar the big three-bladed
tractor screw spun.

The aeroplane moved forward with a jerk, ran with increasing gait
for a hundred yards, and then suddenly the jerky progress ceased.
The machine swayed gently from side to side, and looking over, the
passenger saw the ground recede beneath him.