ught it straight back to him at the War Office.

AUGUSTUS. Good heavens! And you mean to tell me that Blueloo was such a
dolt as to believe that she could succeed? Does he take me for a fool?

THE LADY. Oh, impossible! He is jealous of your intellect. The bet is
an insult to you: don't you feel that? After what you have done for our
country--

AUGUSTUS. Oh, never mind that. It is the idiocy of the thing I look at.
He'll lose his bet; and serve him right!

THE LADY. You feel sure you will be able to resist the siren? I warn
you, she is very fascinating.

AUGUSTUS. You need have no fear, madam. I hope she will come and try
it on. Fascination is a game that two can play at. For centuries the
younger sons of the Highcastles have had nothing to do but fascinate
attractive females when they were not sitting on Royal Commissions or on
duty at Knightsbridge barracks. By Gad, madam, if the siren comes here
she will meet her match.

THE LADY. I feel that. But if she fails to seduce you--

AUGUSTUS [blushing]. Madam!

THE LADY [continuing]--from your allegiance--

AUGUSTUS. Oh, that!

THE LADY.--she will resort to fraud, to force, to anything. She will
burgle your office: she will have you attacked and garotted at night in
the street.

AUGUSTUS. Pooh! I'm not afraid.

THE LADY. Oh, your courage will only tempt you into danger. She may get
the list after all. It is true that the guns are moved. But she would
win her bet.

AUGUSTUS [cautiously]. You did not say that the guns were moved. You
said that Blueloo had ordered them to be moved.

THE LADY. Well, that is the same thing, isn't it?

AUGUSTUS. Not quite--at the War Office. No doubt those guns WILL be
moved: possibly even before the end of the war.

THE LADY. Then you think they are there still! But if the German War
Office gets the list--and she will copy it before she gives it back to
Blueloo, you may depend on it--all is lost.

AUGUSTUS [lazily]. Well, I should not go as far as that. [Lowering his
voice.] Will you swear to me not to repeat what I am going to say to
you; for if the British public knew that I had said it, I should be at
once hounded down as a pro-German.

THE LADY. I will be silent as the grave. I swear it.

AUGUSTUS [again taking it easily]. Well, our people have for some reason
made up their minds that the German War Office is everything that
our War Office is not--that it carries promptitude, efficiency, and
organization to a pitch o