Twenty LORAINE’S ADVENTURES

Loraine Wade¹ sat up in bed and switched on the light. It was exactly tenminutes to one. She had gone to bed early—at half past nine. She pos-sessed the useful art of being able to wake herself up at the required time,so she had been able to enjoy some hours of refreshing² sleep.
Two dogs slept in the room with her, and one of these now raised hishead and looked at her inquiringly.
“Quiet, Lurcher,” said Loraine, and the big animal put his head downagain obediently, watching her from between his shaggy eyelashes.
It is true that Bundle had once doubted the meekness³ of Loraine Wade,but that brief moment of suspicion had passed. Loraine had seemed so en-tirely reasonable, so willing to be kept out of everything.
And yet, if you studied the girl’s face, you saw that there was strength ofpurpose in the small, resolute⁴ jaw⁵ and the lips that closed together sofirmly.
Loraine rose and dressed herself in a tweed coat and skirt. Into onepocket of the coat she dropped an electric torch. Then she opened thedrawer of her dressing⁶ table and took out a small ivory-handled pistol—al-most a toy in appearance. She had bought it the day before at Harrods andshe was very pleased with it.
She gave a final glance round the room to see if she had forgotten any-thing, and at that moment the big dog rose and came over to her, lookingup at her with pleading eyes and wagging its tail.
“No, Lurcher. Can’t go. Missus can’t take you. Got to stay here and be agood boy.”
She dropped a kiss on the dog’s head, made him lie down on his rugagain, and then slipped noiselessly out of the room, closing the door be-hind her.
She let herself out of the house by a side door and made her way roundto the garage, where her little two-seater car was in readiness. There wasa gentle slope, and she let the car run silently down it, not starting the en-gine till she was some way from the house. Then she glanced at the watchon her arm and pressed her foot down on the accelerator.
She left the car at a spot she had

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