pon a mission of state, and had written
long messages full of tender protestations, and given them to a
newspaper correspondent to cable home "to his wife." The correspondent
had thought it such a touching example of conjugal devotion that he
told about it at a dinner-party when he came back; and he was struck by
the sudden silence that fell. "The messages had been sent to a code
address!" chuckled the Major. "And every one at the table knew who had
got them!"

A few days after this, Montague received a telephone message from
Siegfried Harvey, who said that he wanted to see him about a matter of
business. He asked him to lunch at the Noonday Club; and Montague
went--though not without a qualm. For it was in the Fidelity Building,
the enemy's bailiwick: a magnificent structure with halls of white
marble, and a lavish display of bronze. It occurred to Montague that
somewhere in this structure people were at work preparing an answer to
his charges; he wondered what they were saying.

The two had lunch, talking meanwhile about the coming events in
Society, and about politics and wars; and when the coffee was served
and they were alone in the room, Harvey settled his big frame back in
his chair, and began:--

"In the first place," he said, "I must explain that I've something to
say that is devilish hard to get into. I'm so much afraid of your
jumping to a wrong conclusion in the middle of it--I'd like you to
agree to listen for a minute or two before you think at all."

"All right," said Montague, with a smile. "Fire away."

And at once the other became grave. "You've taken a case against this
company," he said. "And Ollie has talked enough to me to make me
understand that you've done a plucky thing, and that you must be
everlastingly sick of hearing from cowardly people who want you to drop
it. I'd be very sorry to be classed with them, for even a moment; and
you must understand at the outset that I haven't a particle of interest
in the company, and that it wouldn't matter to me if I had. I don't try
to use my friends in business, and I don't let money count with me in
my social life. I made up my mind to take the risk of speaking to you
about this case, simply because I happen to know one or two things
about it that I thought you didn't know. And if that's so, you are at a
great disadvantage; but in any case, please understand that I have no
motive but friendship, and so if I am butting in, excuse me."

When Siegfri