II
Grosvenor Square was quietness itself. There were traces of broken glassstill on the pavements. There were even eggs, squashed tomatoes and frag-ments of gleaming metal. But above, the stars were peaceful. Car after cardrove up to the Embassy door to collect the home-going guests. The policewere there in the corners of the square but without ostentation¹.
Everything was under control. One of the political guests leaving spoke² toone of the police officers. He came back and murmured, ‘Not too many ar-rests. Eight. They’ll be up at Bow Street in the morning. More or less theusual lot. Petronella was here, of course, and Stephen and his crowd. Ahwell. One would think they’d get tired of it one of these days.’
‘You live not very far from here, don’t you?’ said a voice in Sir StaffordNye’s ear. A deep contralto voice. ‘I can drop you on my way.’
‘No, no. I can walk perfectly³. It’s only ten minutes or so.’
‘It will be no trouble to me, I assure you,’ said the Countess Zerkowski.
She added, ‘I’m staying at the St James’s Tower.’
The St James’s Tower was one of the newer hotels.
‘You are very kind.’
It was a big, expensive- looking hire car that waited. The chauffeuropened the door, the Countess Renata got in and Sir Stafford Nye followedher. It was she who gave Sir Stafford Nye’s address to the chauffeur⁴. Thecar drove off.
‘So you know where I live?’ he said.
‘Why not?’
He wondered just what that answer meant: Why not?
‘Why not indeed,’ he said. ‘You know so much, don’t you?’ He added, ‘Itwas kind of you to return my passport.’
‘I thought it might save certain inconveniences. It might be simpler ifyou burnt it. You’ve been issued with a new one, I presume–’
‘You presume correctly.’
‘Your bandit’s cloak you will find in the bottom drawer of your tallboy.
It was put there tonight. I believed that perhaps to purchase another onewould not satisfy you, and indeed that to find one similar might not bepossible.’
‘It will mean more to me now that it has been through certain–adven-tures,’ said Stafford Nye. He added, ‘It has served its purpose.’

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