ou might take a look
upstairs--that door in the corner leads to the upper rooms, I
fancy whilst I'm telephoning to Mr. Okewood. He must know about
this without delay. You, Harrison, keep an eye on the girl!"

He went through the door leading into the bar, and they heard him
speaking on the telephone which hung on the wall behind the
counter. He returned presently with a white tablecloth which he
threw over the prostrate figure on the floor.

Then he turned to the dancer.

"Stand up," he said sternly, "I want to speak to you."

Nur-el-Din cast a frightened glance over her shoulder at the
floor beside the table where Rass lay. On seeing the white pall
that hid him from view, she became somewhat reassured. She rose
unsteadily to her feet and stood facing Matthews.

"In virtue of the powers conferred upon me by the Defence of the
Realm Acts, I arrest you for espionage... Matthews rolled off in
glib, official gabble the formula of arrest ending with the usual
caution that anything the prisoner might say might be used
against her at her trial. Then he said to Harrison:

"Better put them on her, Harrison!"

The plain clothes man took a pace forward and touched the
dancer's slender wrists, there was a click and she was
handcuffed.

"Now take her in there," said Matthews pointing to the bar.
"There's no exit except by this room. And don't take your eyes
off her. You understand? Mr. Okewood will be along presently with
a female searcher."

"Sir!" said the plain clothes man with military precision and
touched the dancer on the shoulder. Without a word she turned and
followed him into the bar.

Gordon entered by the door at the end of the room.

"I'd like you to have a look upstairs, sir," he said to Matthews,
"there's not a soul in the house, but somebody has been locked up
in one of the rooms. The door is still locked but one of the
panels has been forced out. I think you ought to see it!"

The two men passed out of the tap-room together, and mounted the
stairs. On the landing Matthews paused a moment to glance out of
the window on to the bleak and inhospitable fen which was almost
obscured from view by a heavy drizzle of rain.

"Brr!" said Mr. Matthews, "what a horrible place!"

Looking up the staircase from the landing, they could see that
one of the panels of the door facing the head of the stairs had
been pressed out and lay on the ground. They passed up the stairs
and Matthews, putting one arm and his hea