this lady who pays you ten francs?" I asked.

"I do not know her name--but," he added, with an offensive leer,
"she's worth looking over by gentlemen like you. Do you want to see
her? She's in there click-clicking away on the key with her pretty
little fingers--bon sang! A morsel for a king, gentlemen."

"Wait here," I said, disgusted, and walked toward the stone station.
The treacherous cur came running after me. "There's a side door," he
whispered; "step in there behind the partition and take a look at
her. She'll be done directly: she never stays more than fifteen
minutes. Then you can use the telegraph at your pleasure, captain."

The side door was partly open; I stepped in noiselessly and found
myself in a small, dusky closet, partitioned from the telegraph
office. Immediately the rapid clicking of the Morse instrument came to
my ears, and mechanically I read the message by the sound as it
rattled on under the fingers of an expert:

"--Must have already found out that the signals were not authorized
by the government. Before the _Fer-de-Lance_ returns to her station
the German cruiser ought to intercept her off Groix. Did you arrange
for this?"

There was a moment's silence, then back came rattling the reply in the
Morse code, but in German:

"Yes, all is arranged. The _Augusta_ took a French merchant vessel
off Pont Aven yesterday. The _Augusta_ ought to pass Groix this
evening. You are to burn three white lights from Point Paradise if a
landing-party is needed. It rests with you entirely."

Another silence, then the operator in the next room began:

"You say that Lorient is alarmed by rumors of Uhlans, and therefore
sends the treasure-train back to Brest. The train, you assure me,
carries the diamonds of the crown, bar-silver, gold, the Venus of
Milo, and ten battle-flags from the Invalides. Am I correct?"

"Yes."

"The insurgents here, under an individual in our pay, one John
Buckhurst, are preparing to wreck the train at the Lammerin trestle.

"If the _Augusta_ can reach Point Paradise to-night, a landing-party
could easily scatter these insurgents, seize the treasures, and
re-embark in safety.

"There is, you declare, nothing to fear from Lorient; the only thing,
then, to be dreaded is the appearance of the _Fer-de-Lance_ off Groix.
She is not now in sight; I will notify you if she appears. If she does
not come I will burn three white lights in triangle on Paradise
headland."

A short pause, t