When Shirley had had to make a plan for escaping from the police all by herself it had been so sordid and frightening that she had felt as if she wasn’t ever going to be clean again—like falling into dirty water and not being able to get out, and not having any clean clothes to put on if you did get out. Making plans with Anthony was quite different. The whole thing had turned into a gay adventure, with all sorts of nice things waiting for them at the end of it. So they made their plans very cheerfully. Anthony was going to drive her to Ledlington and leave her at the station hotel with one of his suit-cases for luggage, and she was to stay there until he came for her. Meanwhile he would go up to town, and first thing in the morning he would go round to Revelston Crescent all dutiful nephew, and of course Mrs Huddleston would pour out the whole story of the lost brooch. Then Anthony would tell her that they hadn’t looked for it properly, and would proceed to find it in the fireplace, or the coalscuttle, or slipped down between the back and seat of the sofa, or in any other place that seemed suitable.
