a certain
understanding with certain authorities."

Barres nodded.

"You see? Very well. Then, with delicacy and discretion, we keep in
touch with Mr. Skeel.... And with other people.... You see?... He is
abed in the large house of Mr. Gerhardt over yonder at Northbrook....
Under surveillance.... He moves? We move--very discreetly. You see?"

"Certainly."

"Very well, then. But I am obliged to tell you, also, that the hunting
is not done entirely by our side. No! In turn, I and my men, and also
your agents, are being hunted by German agents.... It is that which
annoys and hampers us, because these German agents continually dog us
and give the alarm to these Irishmen. You see?"

"Who are the German agents? Do you know?"

"Very well indeed. Bernstorff is the head; Von Papen and Boy-ed come
next. Under them serve certain so-called 'Diplomatic Agents of Class
No. 1'--Adolf Gerhardt is one of them; his partners, Otto Klein and
Joseph Schwartzmeyer are two others.

"They, in turn, have under them diplomatic agents of the second
class--men such as Ferez Bey, Franz Lehr, called _K17_. You see? Then,
lower still in the scale, come the spies who actually investigate
under orders; men like Dave Sendelbeck, Johnny Klein, Louis
Hochstein, Max Freund. And, then, lowest of all in rank are the rank
and file--the secret 'shock-troops' who carry out desperate
enterprises under some leader. Among the Germans these are the men who
sneak about setting fires, lighting the fuses of bombs, scuttling
ships, defacing Government placards, poisoning Red Cross bandages to
be sent to the Allies--that sort. But among them are no battalions of
Death. _Non pas!_ And, for that, you see, they use these Irish. You
understand now?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, then! I trust you absolutely, Barres. And so I came over to ask
you--and your clever friends, Mademoiselle Dunois, Miss Soane, Mr.
Westmore, to keep their eyes on this man Skeel to-morrow afternoon and
also to-morrow evening. Because they will be guests at the Gerhardts'.
Is it not so?"

"Yes."

"Well, your Government's agents will be there. They will also be in
the neighbourhood, watching roads and railway stations. I have one man
in service with the Gerhardts--their head chauffeur. If anything
happens--if Skeel tries to slip away--if you miss him--I would be very
grateful if you and your friends notify the head chauffeur, Menard."

"We'll try to do it."

"That's all I want. Just get wor