German agents, Franz Lehr and Max Freund, were recognised by my
men, disguised as liveried chauffeurs, but in whose service we
have not yet been able to discover.

"Therefore, it might be well for you and Mr. Westmore to remain
near Mademoiselle Dunois during the evening.

"Au revoir! I shall see you at the dance.

"RENOUX."

XXVII

THE MOONLIT WAY

Barres whistled and sang alternately as he tied his evening tie before
his looking glass.

"_And I care not, I,
Who ever she be
I could not love her more!_"

he chanted gaily, examining the effect and buttoning his white
waistcoat.

Westmore, loitering near and waiting for him, referred again,
indignantly, to Renoux's report concerning the presence of Freund and
Lehr at the Northbrook railway station.

"If I catch them hanging around Thessa," he said, "I'll certainly beat
them up, Garry.

"Deal with anything of that sort directly; that's always the best way.
No use arguing with a Hun. When he misbehaves, beat him up. It's the
only thing he understands."

"Well, it's all right for us to do it now, as long as the French
Government knows where Thessa is," remarked Barres, drawing a white
clove-carnation through his buttonhole. "But what do you think of that
dirty swine, Tauscher, planning wholesale murder like that? Isn't it
the fine flower of Prussianism? There's the real and porcine boche for
you, sombre, savage, stupidly ferocious, swinishly persistent, but
never quite cunning enough, never sufficiently subtle in planning his
filthy and murderous holocausts."

Westmore nodded:

"Quite right. The _Lusitania_ and Belgium cost the Hun the respect of
civilisation, and are driving the civilised world into a common
understanding. We'll go in before long; don't worry."

They descended the stairs together just as dinner was announced.

Mrs. Barres said laughingly to her son:

"Your father is still fishing, I suppose, so in spite of his
admonition to me by letter this morning, I sent over one of the men
with some thermos bottles and a very nice supper. He grumbles, but he
always likes it."

"I wonder what Mr. Barres will think of me," ventured Dulcie. "He left
such a pretty little rod for me. Thessa and I have been examining it.
I'd like to go, only--" she added with a wistful smile, "I have never
been to a real party."

"Of course you're going to the Gerhardts'," insisted Lee, laughing.
"Dad is absurd about his fishing.