I began to understand. Max was scratching his head, and Eliza, whose red-rimmed eyes showed how tired she was, was gazing at Miss Davenport and trying to follow that learned lady’s explanation.

“And we’ve got garlic in our kitchen,” I said.

“Plenty, I hope. And then there is the silver. Has anyone any silver jewelry?”

“I wear no jewelry,” said Lucy. “It is a matter of Principle.”

Charlotte shook her head helplessly, but Eliza took a little chain from around her neck.

“I’ve got this, miss,” she said, “only it’s very precious, because Maxie gave it to me, if you please, miss.” It was the broken half of a small silver coin. Miss Davenport examined it closely.

“How very curious,” she said. “But it is too small for our purpose, I fear. Well—there is nothing for it. We shall have to use this.” So saying, she took a large and very handsome silver bracelet from her wrist. It was a lovely thing: like a solid chain, with a rim on either side set with delicate beads, like dew, and deep and lustrous in color.

“That was a present from…one who was very dear to me,” she said.

“Signor Rolipolio!” said Eliza. “Sorry, miss.”

“That will do, Eliza. But you are quite right. However, its chemical composition is what matters, not its tender associations. Your brother, Hildi,” she went on, turning to me, “will have to cast this into the form of a bullet.”

“Peter, miss? But—”

“I am sure he will be able to manage it. Every huntsman can cast bullets. The melting point of silver, though, is considerably higher than that of lead; it may take some time. It would be as well to start soon.”

There was no standing up to her. I was to go with Peter, it seemed, him with a silver bullet in his gun and me with pocketfuls of garlic, and rescue the girls from the hunting lodge. The silver bullet was a last resort, since the idea was not to destroy Zamiel (some hope, I thought privately) so much as to baffle him and turn him back on the count. We’d need horses, too, to bring the girls back to safety afterward.

“And what’ll you do, miss?” said Eliza.

“This matter will not be finished until certain inquiries have been made. I shall have to make them personally; so I must leave for Geneva at once. You, Eliza, and Grindoff must take the girls to the castle—make sure you deliver them into the hands of the count himself and tell him some story about finding them lost in the woods. Girls, you must appear full of remorse, but without any suspicion at all. As for you, Hildi, your part is very dangerous, I do not deny it; but I have every confidence in you. And now we must leave this very comfortable hut and make our separate ways down the mountain….”