you the machine, and I'm certain I can find you
the pilot," he said.

"To put it bluntly," said Pinto, "would you take on an engagement for
twelve months, secure the machine, house it and have it ready for me? I
will pay you liberally." He mentioned a sum which satisfied the airman.
"It must not be known that the machine is mine. You must buy it and keep
it in your own name."

"There's no difficulty about that," said Cartwright. "Am I to understand
that I must go ahead with the purchase of the aeroplane?"

"You can start right away," said Pinto. "The sooner you have the machine
ready for a flight the better. I am here almost every night, and I will
give orders to the collectors on the barrier that you are to come to me
just whenever you want. If you will meet me here to-morrow morning, say
at eleven o'clock, I can give you cash for the purchase of the machine,
and I shall be happy to pay you half a year's salary in advance."

"It will take some time to clear my old job," said Cartwright
thoughtfully, "but I think I can do it for you. At any rate, I can get
time off to buy the machine. You say that you do not want anybody to
know that it is yours?"

Pinto nodded.

"Well, that's easy," said the other. "I've been thinking about buying a
machine of my own for some time and have made inquiries in several
quarters."

He rose to leave and shook hands.

"Remember," said Pinto as a final warning, "not a word about this to any
human soul."

"You can trust me," said the man.

Pinto watched the rest of the play with a lighter heart. After all,
there could be nothing very much to fear. What had thrown him off his
balance for the moment was the presence of Stafford King in Yorkshire,
and when that detective chief did not make his appearance at the police
inquiry nor had sought him in his hotel, it looked as though the
colonel's words were true, and that Scotland Yard were after Boundary
himself and none other.

He sat the performance through and then went to his club--an institution
off Pall Mall which had been quite satisfied to accept Pinto to
membership without making any too close inquiries as to his antecedents.

He spent some time before the tape machine, watching the news tick
forth, then strolled into the smoking-room and read the evening papers
for the second time. Only one item of news really interested him--it had
interested the colonel too. The diamondsmiths' premises in Regent Street
had been burgled the