'I can only say that I don't remember any of this,' I said carefully. 'I'm very sorry.' I tried to look away from her.
She smiled and stood up to leave. Then she held out her hand to me, and I took it for a second. 'Oh yes, you remember,' she said, with a sweet, unhappy smile.
'Goodbye, Elwyn Bellford.'
That night I went to the theatre and when I returned to my hotel, a quiet man in dark clothes was waiting for me.
17. 17.mp3
'Mr Pinkhammer,' he said, 'can I speak with you for a minute? There's a room here.'
I followed him into a small room. A man and a woman were there. The woman was still beautiful, but her face was unhappy and tired. I liked everything about her. The man, who was about forty, came to meet me.
'Bellford,' he said, 'I'm happy to see you again. I told you that you were working too hard. Now you can come home with us. You'll soon be all right.'