stache.

"Well," said the officer, "what are you doing here?"

The driver straightened up as if in surprise.

"Blow-out, sir," he said, touching his cap. "I'm carrying these young
gentlemen from Waterloo to Ealing, sir. Had to come around on account of
the roads."

"You have your way lost, my man. Why not admit it?" said the officer,
showing his white teeth in a smile. He turned to Harry and Dick. "Boy
Scouts, I see," he commented. "You carry orders concerning the movement of
troops from Ealing? They are to entrain--where?"

"Near Croydon, sir, on the Brighton and South Coast line," said Harry,
lifting innocent eyes to his questioner.

"So! They go to Dover, then, I suppose--no, perhaps to Folkestone--oh, what
matter? Hurry up with your tire, my man!"

He watched them still as the car started. Then he went back to the house.

"Whatever did you tell him that whopper about Croydon for?" whispered Dick.
"I wasn't going to tell him anything--"

"Then he might have tried to make us," answered Harry, also in a whisper.
"Did you notice anything queer about him?"

"Why, no--"

"'You have your way lost!' Would any Englishman say that, Dick? And
wouldn't a German? You've studied German. Translate 'You've lost your way'
into German. 'Du hast dein weg--' See? He was a German spy!"

"Oh, Harry! I believe you're right! But why didn't we--"

"Try to arrest him? There may have been a dozen others there, too. And
there was the driver. We wouldn't have had a chance. Besides, if he thinks
we don't suspect, we may be able to get some valuable information later. I
think--"

"What?"

"I'd better not say now. But remember this--we've got to look out for this
driver. I think he'll take us straight to Ealing now. When we get to the
barracks you stay in the cab--we'll pretend we may have to go back with
him."

"I see," said Dick, thrilling with the excitement of this first taste of
real war.

Harry was right. The driver's purpose in making such a long detour,
whatever it was, had been accomplished. And now he plainly did his best to
make up for lost time. He drove fast and well, and in a comparatively short
time both the scouts could see that they were on the right track.

"You watch one side. I'll take the other," said Harry. "We've got to be
able to find our way back to that house."

This watchfulness confirmed Harry's suspicions concerning the driver,
because he made two or three circuits that could have no other purpo