said, "got clear away and left no trace. Wait a minute
and you shall hear! When I have told my story, you shall tell
yours and between us, we'll piece things together!

"Well, when I left the Chief yesterday, I came down here. The
description of Mr. John Hill, your odd man, rather tickled my
fancy. I wanted badly to get at you for a quiet chat and it
seemed to me that if I could borrow Mr. Hill's appearance for a
few hours now and then I might gain access to you without rousing
any suspicion. You see, I knew that old Hill left here about dusk
every afternoon, so I guessed the coast would be clear.

"Clarkson's fitted me out with the duds and the make-up and I got
down to Wentfield by half-past six. The fog was so infernally
thick that it took me more than an hour to get here on foot. It
must have been close on eight o'clock when I pushed open your
front gate. I thought of going boldly into the kitchen and asking
for you, but, fortunately, I decided to have a preliminary prowl
round the place. Through a chink in the curtains of the library I
saw you and a stranger talking together. The stranger was quite
unknown to me; but one thing about him I spotted right off. I saw
that he was disguised; so I decided to hang about a bit and await
developments.

"I loafed around in the fog for about half an hour. Then I heard
a car coming up the drive. I hid myself in the rhododendron bush
opposite the front door and saw two men and a woman get out. They
hurried into the house, so that I didn't have a chance of seeing
their faces. But I got a good, glimpse of the chauffeur as he
bent down to turn out the headlights. And, yes, I knew him!"

"Max, they called him," said Desmond.

"His name was Mirsky when last I saw him," answered Francis, "and
mine was Apfelbaum, if you want to know. He was a German agent in
Russia and as ruthless and unscrupulous a rascal as you'll find
anywhere in the German service. I must say I never thought he'd
have the nerve to show his face in this country, though I believe
he's a Whitechapel Jew born and bred. However, there he was and
the sight of his ugly mug told me that something was doing. But
like a fool I decided to hang on a bit and watch, instead of
going right off in that car and fetching help from Stanning."

"It was just as well you waited," said Desmond, "for if you'd
gone off at once they must have heard the car and the fat would
have been in the fire straight away!"

And he told Franc