The Overseer had a long conversation with Ponok, which seemed to the Count to go on for an infuriatingly long time.
Then at last the overseer said,
“Ponok tells me, mijnheer, that he does not wish to make any trouble for Miss Barclay, but she told him you were her friend so we feel that we can trust you.”
“I promise you,” the Count said solemnly, “that I would do nothing to hurt or harm Miss Barclay in any way.”
The Overseer translated this to Ponok, who then burst into a very long speech, which was punctuated only by a continuous nodding of the Overseer’s head to show that he understood.
When at last Ponok came to the end of what he was saying. the Count, as if he could contain himself no longer, asked,
“Where is she? What has happened to her?”
“Ponok say,” the Overseer replied, “t
