This had immediate results. I heard the door of the stove opened at the back, some logs were thrown in, and directly afterwards Gretchen came out, with an apology for disturbing me.
"It's my work to see to the stoves, sir," she explained with a smirk. "And the door to our quarters is locked."
"All right, Gretchen. It's getting chilly, isn't it?"
"It gets cold in the evenings, sir, and my orders are to see that the stoves are kept going well." She was a little uneasy; and after she had been gone a while, I had a look at the hiding-place.
It was a passage with cupboards on each side, and as the door at the other end was fastened, she had been compelled to return through the room when she had heard me. There was a bolt on my side of that door, and I shot it to prevent her coming back to listen while Nessa and I were together.
I was only a minute or two in the place, but when I left it I found Nessa already in the drawing-room. She had caught me apparently in the act of playing the spy, and her look left no doubt about her opinion.
I laughed. I really could not help it. It was such a preposterous misreading of the situation that the ludicrous absurdity of it appealed to me. Of course my laughter added to her indignation and also to the awkwardness of the meeting.
"You are practising your new profession, I see. It appears to rouse your sense of humour," she said icily.
"It would probably rouse yours also if you understood everything," I retorted, not at all relishing her prompt condemnation.
"I don't see anything particularly humorous in your sneaking into the house of my friends and spying in its holes and corners."
"Perhaps not, but I had a good reason," I said shortly, a bit rattled by her sneer.
"No doubt; but I have no curiosity on such a subject. Rosa has induced me to see you, so I----" She got so far in the same level, cutting tone, evidently putting a great restraint upon herself; but she could not keep it up. Her eyes blazed suddenly, her cheeks flushed, and raising her voice in her indignation she exclaimed: "How dare you come----"
I had to stop that, however, as the old eavesdropper might have followed her to the room and be on keyhole drill. "I am very glad to meet you, Miss Caldicott," I broke in in German loudly enough to be heard outside, and added in a low tone in English: "It is not safe to speak so loudly as you did. Come away from the door;" and I led the way into the conservatory.