CHAPTER THE THIRTY-FOURTH

  Nugent shows his Hand

  I CLOSED the First Part of my narrative on the day of the operation, thetwenty-fifth of June.

  I open the Second Part, between six and seven weeks later, on the ninthof August.

  How did the time pass at Dimchurch in that interval?

  Searching backwards in my memory, I call to life again the domestichistory of the six weeks. It looks, on retrospection, miserably dull andempty of incident. I wonder when I contemplate it now, how we got throughthat weary interval--how we bore that forced inaction, that unrelievedoppression of suspense.