six-inch
ordnance map of the whole of the east of England divided into many
sections, and upon these I was carefully marking out, as result of my
survey, the weak points of our land in case an enemy invaded our shores
from the North Sea. All telegraphs, telephones, and cables from London
to Germany and Holland I was especially noting, for would not the
enemy's emissaries, before they attempted to land, seize all means of
communication with the metropolis? Besides this I took note of places
where food could be obtained, lists of shops, and collected a quantity
of other valuable information.

In this work I had been assisted by half a dozen of the highest officers
of the Intelligence Department of the War Office, as well as other
well-known experts--careful, methodical work prior to writing my
forecast of what must happen to our beloved country in case of invasion.
The newspapers had referred to my long journey of inquiry, and often
when I arrived in a town, our car, smothered in mud, yet its powerful
engines running like a clock, was the object of public curiosity, while
Bennett, with true chauffeur-like imperturbability, sat immovable,
utterly regardless of the interest we created. He was a
gentleman-driver, and the best man at the wheel I ever had.

When we were in a hurry he would travel nearly a mile a minute over an
open road, sounding his siren driven off the fly-wheel, and scenting
police-traps, with the happy result that we were never held up for
exceeding the limit. We used to take it in turns to drive--three hours
at a time.

On that particular night, when we entered Salisbury from Wincanton Road,
having come up from Exeter, it had been raining unceasingly all day, and
we presented a pretty plight in our yellow fishermen's oilskins--which
we had bought weeks before in King's Lynn as the only means of keeping
dry--dripping wet and smothered to our very eyes in mud.

After a hasty wash I entered the coffee-room, and found that I was the
sole diner save a short, funny, little old lady in black bonnet and
cape, and a young, rather pretty, well-dressed girl, whom I took to be
her daughter, seated at a table a little distance away.

Both glanced at me as they entered, and I saw that ere I was half
through my meal their interest in me had suddenly increased. Without
doubt, the news of my arrival had gone round the hotel, and the waiter
had informed the pair of my identity.

It was then eight o'clock, and I had