Part 5 (2/2)

Only for a second, but it was enough to reat man before, and he had never seeninto his eyes, and that sonition You can't ht, aonly It came involuntarily, for in a moment it died, and he passed on In a maze of wild fancies I heard the street door close behind him

I picked up the telephone book and looked up the number of his house We were connected at once, and I heard a servant's voice

'Is his Lordshi+p at hoo,' said the voice, 'and has gone to bed He is not very well tonight Will you leave aoff and almost tumbled into a chair My part in this business was not yet ended It had been a close shave, but I had been in time

Not a moment could be lost, so I marched boldly to the door of that back roo

Five surprised faces looked up from a round table There was Sir Walter, and Drew the War Minister, whoraphs There was a slim elderly man, as probably Whittaker, the Admiralty official, and there was General WinStanley, conspicuous fro scar on his forehead Lastly, there was a short stout rey moustache and bushy eyebroho had been arrested in the middle of a sentence

Sir Walter's face showed surprise and annoyance

'This is Mr Hannay, of whoetically to the company 'I'etting back my coolness 'That remains to be seen, Sir,' I said; 'but I think it entleo?'

'Lord Alloa,' Sir Walter said, reddening with anger 'It was not,' I cried; 'it was his living inized me, someone I have seen in the lastup Lord Alloa's house and was told he had coone to bed'

'Who - who -' someone stammered

'The Black Stone,' I cried, and I sat down in the chair so recently vacated and looked round at five badly scared gentlemen

CHAPTER NINE

The Thirty-Nine Steps

'Nonsense!' said the official froot up and left the room while we looked blankly at the table He ca face 'I have spoken to Alloa,' he said 'Had hiht home after Mulross's dinner'

'But it's madness,' broke in General Winstanley 'Do you mean to tell me that that man came here and sat beside me for the best part of half an hour and that I didn't detect the imposture? Alloa must be out of his mind' 'Don't you see the cleverness of it?' I said 'You were too interested in other things to have any eyes You took Lord Alloa for granted If it had been anybody else you ht have looked more closely, but it was natural for him to be here, and that put you all to sleep'

Then the French ood Our enemies have not been foolish!+'

He bent his wise brows on the assembly

'I will tell you a tale,' he said 'It happened al I was quartered in a re for big barbel in the river A little Arab mare used to carry ot at Tiood sport, and theand squealing and sta her with my voice while my mind was intent on fish I could see her all the tiht, out of a corner of my eye, tethered to a tree twenty yards away After a couple of hours I began to think of food I collected , andthe tarpaulin on her back -' He paused and looked round

'It was the s I turnedat a lion three feet offAn old eWhat was left of the mare, a mass of blood and bones and hide, was behind hih of a hunter to know a true yarn when I heard it

'I stuffed -rod into his jaws, and I had a pistol Also my servants came presently with rifles But he left his ers

'Consider,' he said 'The mare had been deadme ever since I never saw the kill, for I was accusto, and I never marked her absence, fortawny, and the lion filled that part If I could blunder thus, gentlemen, in a land where men's senses are keen, why should we busy preoccupied urban folk not err also?'

Sir Walter nodded No one was ready to gainsay him

'But I don't see,' went on Winstanley 'Their object was to get these dispositions without our knowing it Now it only required one of us to ht for the whole fraud to be exposed'

Sir Walter laughed dryly 'The selection of Alloa shows their acuht? Or was he likely to open the subject?'

I remembered the First Sea Lord's reputation for taciturnity and shortness of te that puzzles ood his visit here would do that spy fellow? He could not carry away several pages of figures and strange names in his head'

'That is not difficult,' the Frenchraphic , but went through these papers again and again I think we may assume that he has every detail staer I could do the sa for it but to change the plans,' said Sir Walter ruefully

Whittaker was looking very glum 'Did you tell Lord Alloa what has happened?' he asked 'No? Well, I can't speak with absolute assurance, but I'e unless we alter the geography of England'

'Another thing must be said,' it was Royer who spoke 'I talked freely when thatof the military plans of my Government I was permitted to say so much But that information would be worth many millions to our enemies No, my friends, I see no other way The man who came here and his confederates must be taken, and taken at once'

'Good God,' I cried, 'and we have not a rag of a clue'

'Besides,' said Whittaker, 'there is the post By this time the neill be on its way'

'No,' said the Frenchman 'You do not understand the habits of the spy He receives personally his reward, and he delivers personally his intelligence We in France know so of the breed There is still a chance, MES AMIS These men must cross the sea, and there are shi+ps to be searched and ports to be watched Believe me, the need is desperate for both France and Britain'

Royer's grave good sense see fumblers But I saw no hope in any face, and I felt none Where a the fifty millions of these islands and within a dozen hours e to lay hands on the three cleverest rogues in Europe?

Then suddenly I had an inspiration

'Where is Scudder's book?' I cried to Sir Walter 'Quick,in it'

He unlocked the door of a bureau and gave it to ain, THIRTY-NINE STEPS - I COUNTED THEM - HIGH TIDE 1017 PM

The Adone mad

'Don't you see it's a clue,' I shouted 'Scudder knehere these fellows laired - he knehere they were going to leave the country, though he kept the name to hih tide was at 1017'

'They ht,' someone said