t me,
and I do want a few words with you."

"This charming young spy," muttered Benson quickly, to himself, "is
beginning to feel that I'm not enough interested to be coaxed away from
my duty by flatteries. I take it she means to show her real hand, and
try to play it in earnest. If that's the case, I want to know what she
is going to say."

Aloud he replied:

"It will be easy enough to send my friend away with the others,
Mademoiselle. When we reach the automobile all I shall have to do will
be to look straight at him."

"Ah! You have a code of signals--you two?" Mlle. Nadiboff laughed,
delightedly.

"A code?" repeated Jack. "No; we have never needed one. But my chum is
an unusually bright and quick young man."

CHAPTER IX

"DOG, WHO IS YOUR MASTER?"

Seeing Jack and the young Russian woman so interested in their talk, the
others had gradually strolled away from them.

Hennessy had already succeeded in securing an invitation to return to
Spruce Beach in Mr. Farnum's hired auto.

Hal Hastings presently turned, as though to step over to Mlle. Nadiboff's
car, but he caught a swift look from Jack, and turned back. Hal had not
yet heard of the grave suspicion against the young woman, and could not
guess what this move of his chum's meant. Hastings, however, was swift
to take the hint.

"You have not overstated your friend's intelligence," murmured the young
Russian gleefully. "At a short look from you he retreats."

"Oh, Hal and I always understand each other," smiled Jack.

"That is very interesting. And yet I do not like Mr. Hastings as I
like you," replied the young woman.

She looked at him with a friendly, little flash in her eyes. Had Jack
been a few years older, and not warned, he might have been snared by
this experienced flirt. As it was, he did not take the trouble to
answer her last little speech.

Just before they stepped into the car Mlle. Nadiboff uttered a few quick
words, in some foreign tongue, to her man at the steering wheel. The
auto sped away. Jack noted only, at first, that they were now going
further from Spruce Beach. The road down which they drove, however,
was a beautiful one, and the submarine boy did not much mind where they
went, provided he could find out how Mlle. Nadiboff meant to make the
approach against his loyalty to the submarine company.

"Do you know, my Captain, that you are hardly a flattering escort?"
began Mlle. Nadiboff, after they had