e stable lad, perhaps.

Having extinguished the head-lights, I walked back to the Hall by the
stile and footpath, avoiding the lodge-gates, and managed to slip up to
my master's room, just as the stable-clock was chiming the half hour.

The candles were unlit. All was therefore in order. The dressing-bag
was, however, not there. I searched for it in vain. Then stealing out
again I sped by the footpath back to the car.

Somebody hailed me in the darkness as I approached the spot where I had
left her.

I recognized the spy's voice.

"Have you see Herr Brackenbury?" he asked in his broken English.

I halted, amazed. The spy had, it seemed, outwitted us and upset all our
plans!

Scarcely could I reply, however, before I heard a movement behind me,
and two figures loomed up. They were my master and Shand.

"All right?" inquired the American in a low voice, to which the spy gave
an affirmative answer.

"Light those lamps, Nye," ordered my master quickly. "We must get away
this instant."

"But----" I exclaimed.

"Quick, my dear fellow! There's not a moment to lose. Jump in, boys," he
urged.

And a couple of minutes later, with our lamps glaring, we had turned out
upon the broad highway and were travelling at a full forty miles an hour
upon the high road to Leicester.

What could it all mean? My master and his companion seemed on the most
friendly terms with the spy.

Ten miles from the lodge-gates of Edgcott at a cross-road we picked up
an ill-dressed man whom I recognised as the Baptist missionary, Richard
Raven, and with the Honourable Bob at my side directing me we tore on
through the night, traversing numberless by-roads, until at dawn I
suddenly recognised that we were on the North Road, close to Codicote.

A quarter of an hour later we had run the car round to the rear of
Shand's pretty rose-embowered cottage, and all descended.

I made excuse to the Honourable Bob that the screw top of the radiator
was missing, whereupon von Rausch laughed heartily, and picking up a
piece of wire from the bench he bent it so as to form a hook, and with
it fished down in the hot water inside.

His companions stood watching, but judge my surprise when I saw him of a
sudden draw forth a small aluminium cylinder, the top of which he
screwed off and from it took out a piece of tracing-linen tightly
folded.

This he spread out, and my quick eyes saw that it was a carefully drawn
tracing of a portion of the new type of