y. Do you remember that name?" "Yes," I said, "when I
went up to London a week ago you asked me to book a cabin in that name
on the boat that goes tomorrow. I gave you the ticket." "Here it is," he
said, producing it from his pocket.

'"Now," Manderson said to me, poking his cigar-butt at me with each
sentence in a way he used to have, "George Harris cannot leave England
tomorrow. I find I shall want him where he is. And I want Bunner where
he is. But somebody has got to go by that boat and take certain papers
to Paris. Or else my plan is going to fall to pieces. Will you go?" I
said, "Certainly. I am here to obey orders."

'He bit his cigar, and said, "That's all right; but these are not just
ordinary orders. Not the kind of thing one can ask of a man in the
ordinary way of his duty to an employer. The point is this. The deal
I am busy with is one in which neither myself nor any one known to be
connected with me must appear as yet. That is vital. But these people I
am up against know your face as well as they know mine. If my secretary
is known in certain quarters to have crossed to Paris at this time and
to have interviewed certain people--and that would be known as soon
as it happened--then the game is up." He threw away his cigar-end and
looked at me questioningly.

'I didn't like it much, but I liked failing Manderson at a pinch still
less. I spoke lightly. I said I supposed I should have to conceal my
identity, and I would do my best. I told him I used to be pretty good at
make-up.

'He nodded in approval. He said, "That's good. I judged you would not
let me down." Then he gave me my instructions. "You take the car right
now," he said, "and start for Southampton--there's no train that will
fit in. You'll be driving all night. Barring accidents, you ought to get
there by six in the morning. But whenever you arrive, drive straight to
the Bedford Hotel and ask for George Harris. If he's there, tell him you
are to go over instead of him, and ask him to telephone me here. It is
very important he should know that at the earliest moment possible. But
if he isn't there, that means he has got the instructions I wired today,
and hasn't gone to Southampton. In that case you don't want to trouble
about him any more, but just wait for the boat. You can leave the car at
a garage under a fancy name--mine must not be given. See about changing
your appearance--I don't care how, so you do it well. Travel by the boat
as George H