minedly. "She shan't go any other way."

So Gillian returned to Friars' Holm bearing with her a note from Lady
Arabella in which she asked her god-daughter to pay her a visit. In it,
however, the wily old lady made no mention of her further idea of going
to Harrogate, lest it should militate against an acceptance of the
invitation. Magda demurred a little at first, but Gillian, suddenly
endowed with diplomacy worthy of a Machiavelli, pointed out that if she
really had any intention of ultimately withdrawing into a community the
least she could do was to give her godmother the happiness of spending a
few days with her.

"She will only urge me to give up the idea all the time," protested
Magda. "And I've quite made up my mind. The sooner I can get away
from--from everything"--looking round her with desperate, haunted
eyes--"the better it will be."

Gillian's impulse to combat her decision to rejoin the sisterhood died
on her lips stillborn. It was useless to argue the matter. There was
only one person in the world who could save Magda from herself, and that
was Michael. The main point was to concentrate on getting him back to
England, rather than waste her energies upon what she knew beforehand
must prove a fruitless argument.

"I'll go to Marraine for a couple of nights, anyway," said Magda at
last. "After that, I want to make arrangements for my reception into the
sisterhood."

Gillian returned no answer. She felt her heart contract at the quiet
decision in Magda's voice, but she pinned her faith on Lady Arabella's
ability to hold her, somehow, till she herself had accomplished her
errand to Paris.

CHAPTER XXXI

AGAINST TIME

Gillian, dashing headlong into Victoria Station, encountered Storran
sauntering leisurely out of it, a newspaper under his arm.

"Where are you off to?" he demanded, stopping abruptly. "You look as if
you were in a hurry."

"I am. Don't stop me. I'm catching the boat-train."

Storran pulled out his watch as he turned and fell into step beside her.

"Then you've got a good half-hour to spare. No hurry," he returned
placidly.

Gillian glanced at the watch on her wrist.

"Are you sure?" she asked doubtfully. "If so, my watch must be
altogether wrong!"

"Unbeliever! Come and look at the clock. And, incidentally, give me that
suit-case."

She yielded up the case obediently and, having verified the time,
proceeded towards the platform at a more reasonable gait.

Storran, his