Part 12 (1/2)

For twentywhat I was to do next I was still perfectly convinced that I anted, but when or how I had no notion I kept looking at an to think that the conference must soon end In a quarter of an hour Royer should be speeding along the road to Ports, and the butler appeared The door of the back room opened, and the First Sea Lord calanced in my direction, and for a second we looked each other in the face

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