n and haggard. His funny little mustache
seemed even to droop from fatigue. Despite his natty uniform, and the
two rows of shiny medals, the Lieutenant looked as though he had not
slept for days.

"Yes, your father is well, and safe," Defoe finally said through a
mouthful of hard roll. "He is in England."

Dave spilled some of the water he was drinking.

"England?" he gasped. "Dad is in England?"

"In London," Defoe said and crammed more roll into his mouth. "It was
all very sudden. Be patient, _mon Capitaine_, and I shall try to
explain. First, a thousand pardons for not arriving sooner, but I was
delayed at the War Ministry. And there was not one of those cursed taxis
we have in Paris, so I was forced to run all the way. You were surprised
and alarmed to find your father gone, eh?"

"I was knocked for a loop," Dave said with a grin. "But, look, tell me.
Why in thunder did Dad go to London? Because of the German invasion into
Holland and Belgium?"

"No," Defoe said. "Some business with your American Ambassador there.
What, I do not know. We were in the lounge having a good night glass of
wine just after you had gone to bed. A wireless message arrived. Your
father said that he had to leave for London at once. An Embassy car took
him to Calais where he could embark on a destroyer. He said that he
would be gone for three days. You were asleep and he did not wish to
wake you. He asked me to take his room, and to be your companion until
he returned. He said he would write you from London. He said it was just
a quick business trip and nothing for you to worry about."

"Yes, yes," Dave said, trying to keep his voice polite. "But what now?"

Lieutenant Defoe gestured expressively with a butter knife in one hand
and a piece of roll in the other.

"Now, everything is changed, _mon Capitaine_," he said. "In a few hours
you and I shall drive together to Calais. There I shall salute you and
bid you farewell. A British destroyer will take you to Dover. And from
there to London you shall travel by train. Your father will meet you at
the station in London. What you will do then, I do not know. Your father
did not honor me with the information."

CHAPTER TWO

_Diving Doom_

The small but speedy Renault car scooted along the broad dusty French
road like a grey-brown bug fleeing for its life. The ride out of Paris
had both thrilled Dave and depressed him. It was exciting to streak past
the long lines of army cars a