Part 11 (1/2)

I caht hours of blessed drearam in the midst of muffins and ht tarnished

'I had a busy hour on the telephone after you went to bed,' he said

'I got my Chief to speak to the First Lord and the Secretary for War, and they are bringing Royer over a day sooner This wire clinches it

He will be in London at five Odd that the code word for a SOUS-CHEF D/ETAT MAJOR-GENERAL should be ”Porker”'

He directed me to the hot dishes and went on

'Not that I think it will do h to find out the first arrangeive my head to knohere the leak is

We believed there were only five land who knew about Royer's visit, and you e these things better there'

While I ate he continued to talk,me to my surprise a present of his full confidence

'Can the dispositions not be changed?' I asked

'They could,' he said 'But ant to avoid that if possible They are the result of iood

Besides, on one or two points change is si could be done, I suppose, if it were absolutely necessary

But you see the difficulty, Hannay Our ene to be such fools as to pick Royer's pocket or any childish game like that

They know that would et the details without any one of us knowing, so that Royer will go back to Paris in the belief that the whole business is still deadly secret If they can't do that they fail, for, once we suspect, they know that the whole thing must be altered'

'Then we ain,' I said 'If they thought they could get the information in Paris they would try there It means that they have so to win out'

'Royer dines with my Chief, and then comes to my house where four people will see him--Whittaker from the Admiralty, myself, Sir Arthur Drew, and General Winstanley The First Lord is ill, and has gone to Sheringhaet a certain document from Whittaker, and after that he will be motored to Portsmouth where a destroyer will take him to Havre His journey is too important for the ordinary boat-train He will never be left unattended for a moment till he is safe on French soil The same with Whittaker till he meets Royer

That is the best we can do, and it's hard to see how there can be anythat I'm horribly nervous

This murder of Karolides will play the deuce in the chancelleries of Europe'

After breakfast he asked me if I could drive a car 'Well, you'll beYou're about his size You have a hand in this business and we are taking no risks There are desperate ainst us, ill not respect the country retreat of an overworked official'

When I first ca about the south of England, so I knew soraphy I took Sir Walter to town by the Bath Road and , with a pro through the little toith their freshly watered streets, and past the suardens of the Thames valley I landed Sir Walter at his house in Queen Anne's Gate punctually by half-past eleven The butler was co he did was to take entleht you the Portland Place murderer,' was Sir Walter's introduction

The reply was a wry smile 'It would have been a welcome present, Bullivant This, I presureatly interested ain He has rave reasons his tale must wait for four hours

Then, I can promise you, you will be entertained and possibly edified

I want you to assure Mr Hannay that he will suffer no further inconvenience'

This assurance was proiven 'You can take up your life where you left off,' I was told 'Your flat, which probably you no longer wish to occupy, is waiting for you, and your man is still there As you were never publicly accused, we considered that there was no need of a public exculpation But on that, of course, you must please yourself'