We'll meet again

I called out his name and the door opened. The masked man whom I had seen before was standing there.

"Well, Mrs. Tregarland," he said. "What have you brought for me?”

"What you asked for.”

"Show me.”

I took the box from the bag and handed it to him. I thought I should faint with fear. It could not be the real one. They would never have let him have that. Would he know?

"Where is my child?" I said.

"You shall have him. We keep our promises. There is one other thing.”

"No! No!" I cried. "Give him to me.”

"It is easy. You must say you found him wandering on the road.”

"I will say anything if you give him to me.”

He turned. I think the figure who was beside him was a woman.

Then Tristan rushed into my arms.

He was half-crying, half-laughing. I said: "Tristan ... my darling... come with me. We're going home.”

I took his hand and ran out of the cottage. I pushed him into the car, started the engine, and we were off.

I wanted to sing paeans of praise, I wanted to thank God, all His angels, Violetta, and Gordon.

My baby was safe with me.

He nestled close to me, holding my skirt in a tight grip. I took a quick look at him. He was smiling and, in a tone of deep satisfaction, he announced: "Got Mummy.”

At that moment there was pandemonium and noise broke out from every side. I heard the sound of shots. I stepped on the accelerator.

Gordon had said: "When Tristan is handed to you, do not lose a moment.

Get into the car, and drive as quickly as you can back to Tregarland.”

So that is what I did.

I wonder if I have ever been so happy in my life as I was when I ran into the house gripping Tristan's hand.

"He's home!" I shouted. "Listen, everybody. Tristan's here.”

They all rushed into the hall. I shall never forget Nanny Crabtree's face. Tears were running down her cheeks. She was the first to reach him.

"My angel!" she cried. "Come home to Nanny!”

Then I saw Violetta smile at Gordon... a smile of deep gratitude and admiration. Then she was hugging me and everyone was talking at once.

They would soon be asking how he was found, and I was not sure what I was expected to say.

Then the questions came.

"It's wonderful, wonderful. Where did you find him, Mrs. Tregarland?”

Violetta said: "We are all so exhausted. We'll hear about it later.

I am going to take Mrs. Tregarland to the nursery with Nanny." She whispered to them: "Better not to talk of it before the child.”

Trust Violetta to know what to do!

Nanny was holding Tristan's hand and would not let it go.

"Come on," Violetta continued. "We'll all go up now. Tristan is worn out.”

They dispersed, disappointed, but there was not one of them who was not overcome with delight because Tristan was home.

Tristan was examined by Nanny. He did not seem to have suffered from his ordeal.

It was difficult to get from him what had actually happened.

Did he leave his bed and go off?

He looked a little vague and nodded.

Why did he do that?

"To see the dinosaurs," he said.

"In the picture book?”

"No... real ones.”

"Where?”

"In the garden.”

"Who told you?”

"The lady.”

"What lady?”

"Her," he said.

"Who?" I asked.

He looked vague.

"Was it a lady you hadn't seen before?" I went on. He still looked puzzled.

"And did you see the dinosaurs?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"Who was there?”

"Her.”

"Was she nice?”

He nodded.

I could see there was nothing to be learned from him. This woman had slipped into the house while Nanny was in a deep sleep; she had taken him down to see the dinosaurs and then, presumably, carried him off.

At least they had not harmed him and I could only think of one overwhelming fact: he was back.

Violetta and I had a long talk with Gordon that evening. I don't suppose he told us everything, but he realized we could not be left entirely in the dark.

Violetta had guessed that Captain Brent had apparently rented Riverside Cottage because he was going to look in on the recuperating soldiers while he was engaged in some important secret work. After the Bashing lights episode, attention had been drawn to our part of the coast, where, it seemed, something subversive might be going on.

It was suspected that someone was transmitting messages to the enemy.

They had made the initial mistake of using equipment which had allowed the signals to be so bright that they were visible. The furor which had ensued in the neighborhood had been a warning to them. They must have rejoiced to have an obvious scapegoat in Gretchen.

"This sort of thing is inevitable in wartime," said Gordon. "Spies are planted before the war starts. Some might have been living the lives of normal people for some time and then were called into service.

There are numbers of such people. And then there are the experts... the full-time spies who will have found some means of getting into the country.”

"What was the box?" I asked.

Gordon hesitated, and then went on: "It has something to do with an invention which will detect the approach of aircraft miles away.