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."It's not such a bad thing to be if the machine is good enough.I'd like to beRolls Phantom III Continental Tour-ing Saloon with a V12 cylinder engine,7,340 cc capacity.But right now I'd settle for almost anything on wheels ingood running order.""Simon, will you please stop! I'm not interested in your silly cars.I want toget my Necklace back."The Saint moved towards the door."All right then, but aren't you a bit tired of hiking? It's a long way towalk.""Where?" asked Leopold in perplexity."Back to Schloss Duppelstein.""But if the Gestapo know about this place," Frankie ar-gued, "Max must havebeen arrested, and "The Saint's voice was suddenly steely."Look here, sweet-heart, let's getsomething straight.You asked for my help.You got it for better or forworse until death do, etcetera.I'll get your Necklace back, but you musttrust me.""You did not try to stop them taking it," Leopold insisted."True," agreed the Saint."But one of us might have been killed in theattempt, probably Frankie as she was the nearest.Look what happened to Anton.That reminds me.I suppose we'll have to notify the police eventually, so we'dbetter leave everything here just as it is.""Since he was shot by the Gestapo," Leopold said, "why would the police beinterested?"Simon regarded him pityingly."You blessed innocent dimwit," he said."Those two goons weren't the Gestapo.If they had been, and they were under orders not to shoot us out of hand,they'd at least have loaded us up and carted us off to one of their specialrest homes.They wouldn't have left us here to get loose or be rescued bysomebody."The other two stared at him open-mouthed.Leopold said: "Then you think ""That we were much too ready to buy that Gestapo story.There are still plentyof other villains in the world, plain ordi-nary commercial ones, and theyhaven't gone out of business just because Himmler came in.Obviously some ofPage 67 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlthem, somehow, have got wind of you and your necklace, and they want it forpurely mercenary reasons."Frankie finally made up her mind."We're in your hands completely from now on, Simon.""Okay," said the Saint."Then may I go back to that car business I was talkingabout? I feel that there ought to be something here that Anton could have usedif necessary, even if it isn't a Rolls."It turned out to be a rather ancient Adler van, stabled in an open shedadjoining the cottage; but the key was trustfully in the ignition and theengine started after a few turns and ran purposefully if noisily.Simon went back indoors and happily reported his find."We'll never catch our two playmates in it," he said, "but it should get usback to Max's.And that's an immediate priority except to change theseclothes, which the cops have probably had descriptions of by now.""Max must have left something for us here," Leopold said, "in case we arrivedwet from having to swim back across the river.Wait a minute.I'll go andlook."He went into the bedroom, and in a moment or so he re-turned bearing an armfulof clothes."It's all right," he said, looking pleased with himself."These are our ownthings.Frankie, there is an outfit in there for you.""Good thinking, Leo," Simon approved generously."So you hop in there,Frankie, and put on your party dress or whatever it is, while Leopold and Iget changed here, and we'll be off.I must say I'm ready for some of theamenities of Max's château."It did not take them long to get changed and packed into the one banquetteseat of the shabby little van.The Saint drove, with Frankie pleasantlysqueezed close to him in the middle.He had no doubt that a similar contact onher other side helped Leopold to endure the discomfort of his wound.The rutted cart track by which the Rat and the Gorilla had reached thecottage, which was little more than a cleared space along which logs could bedragged in the work of forest-ation, eventually debouched on to a bettersecondary road.Banking on a usually reliable sense of direction, the Saintturned right, and in a few kilometres a signpost told him that they hadrejoined the road by which Annellatt had brought him to the river crossing theprevious evening.Now the route back to Schloss Duppelstein was only a problem for his memory,which in such situations had almost never failed him.A growing sense of jubilation crept into him and began to dissipate hisearlier fatigue."We're on our way again, boys and girls," he proclaimed."And with one painless in our necks.Maybe we're still un-popular on account of a slightargument at the border, but at least we know that we don't have the Gestapo tocontend with.And anything less than that has got to be less formida-ble." Anew-found optimism in him was effervescent and in-fectious."Common or gardenvillains we can eat for canapes and I'm sure Uncle Max has the underworldconnections to put us on their tails!"2As it turned out, for the rest of the trip they were not even challenged.Either the alarum had been slow to disseminate from the border, or the localconstabulary maintained reason-able working hours and were not about to goprowling after supper on the off-chance of running into some fugitives whoshould have had enough sense to be holed up somewhere for the night by thattime.When they reached Schloss Duppelstein, to their surprise the main gate of theCastle was open.It was usually locked at night.Max must have been expectingvisitors, or perhaps someone had just left and the gates had not been closedafter him.Maybe, because of Anton's absence, the routine of the Castle hadPage 68 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlbeen upset.They walked across the courtyard without seeing any sign of life except alight high up in Max's study, another one in a ground-floor room, beneath thestate rooms in the central block, and the lights of the great chandelier inthe entrance hall.The front door was unlocked, and as they entered the hall they met the youngfootman Erich coming up from down-stairs, a pair of trousers hanging over hisarm.His eyes wid-ened when he saw the trio."Ach, Frau Gräfin!" he blurted."Thank God you are back safely.The Herr Baronwill be greatly relieved.""Where is he, Erich?" Frankie asked as she swayed on her feet.The footman stared at her with concern."Are you unwell, Gnädigste?""No, just tired.Very, very tired.But where is your Master?""He is upstairs in his study, Gnädigste.If you will allow me to go ahead Iwill tell him that you are here." He caught sight of the blood on Leopold'sbandage."The Herr Graf is in-jured!" he stammered."It is nothing, Erich," Leopold said, managing a smile."An unfortunateaccident.A mere pinprick."Erich turned to Simon."And you, mein Herr, are you all right?" he asked in heav-ily accentedEnglish."Right as rain, whatever that means," replied Simon breez-ily."But we coulddo with a good stiff drink and then bed.""Ach, yes sir," said Erich."Unfortunately Anton is away tonight, but I willget you something right away.Would you care to go into the library? There isa fire there still and I have not yet locked up for the night.""That's true enough," said the Saint."The alarm must be switched off or wecouldn't have got in.By the way, why were the front gates open?""Anton usually sees to that, sir.I was going to attend to it, but I am newhere and not very used to the routine." He flut-tered his handsapologetically."There is so much to do.Also the Master had visitors latetonight.I was about to put these away," he indicated the trousers on his arm,"and when I had done so I was going to lock the place up and switch on thealarm.""Right," said the Saint
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