Thirty-three SENSATION IN THE ORIENT CAF?
How Bobby and Frankie got out of the post office without disgracing them-selves neither of them ever knew.
Outside, with one accord, they looked at each other and shook withlaugher.
“At the Vicarage—all the time!” gasped¹ Bobby.
“And I looked through four hundred and eighty Evans,” lamentedFrankie.
“Now I see why Bassington-ffrench was so amused when he realized wedidn’t know in the least who Evans was!”
“And of course it was dangerous from their point of view. You andEvans were actually under the same roof.”
“Come on,” said Bobby. “Marchbolt’s the next place.”
“Like where the rainbow ends,” said Frankie. “Back to the dear oldhome.”
“Dash it all,” said Bobby, “we must do something about Badger². Haveyou any money, Frankie?”
Frankie opened her bag and took out a handful of notes.
“Give these to him and tell him to make some arrangement with hiscreditors and that Father will buy the garage and put him in as manager.”
“All right,” said Bobby. “The great thing is to get off quickly.”
“Why this frightful³ haste?”
“I don’t know—but I’ve a feeling something might happen.”
“How awful. Let’s go ever so quickly.”
“I’ll settle Badger. You go and start the car.”
“I shall never buy that toothbrush,” said Frankie.
Five minutes saw them speeding out of Chipping Somerton. Bobby hadno occasion to complain of lack of speed.
Nevertheless, Frankie suddenly said:
“Look here, Bobby, this isn’t quick enough.”
Bobby glanced at the speedometer needle, which was, at the moment,registering eighty, and remarked dryly:
“I don’t see what more we can do.”
“We can take an air taxi,” said Frankie. “We’re only about seven milesfrom Medeshot Aerodrome.”
“My dear girl!” said Bobby.
“If we do that we’ll be home in a couple of hours.”
“Good,” said Bobby. “Let’s take an air taxi.”
The whole proceedings⁴ were beginning to take on the fantastic charac-ter of a dream. Why this wild hurry to get to Marchbolt? Bobby didn’tknow. He suspected that Frankie didn’t know either. It was just a feeling.

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