. That was all.

He remembered what Vinson had said to him in the flat:

"What is so terrifying about this spying business is that one never
knows whom one is obeying, whose orders one ought to follow, who is
your friend, who is your chief: one fine day you learn that you have
had leave granted you: you then receive, in some way or another,
directions to go to some place or another.... You go there ... you
meet people you do not know, who ask you questions, sometimes
seemingly trivial, sometimes obviously of the gravest importance....
It is up to you to find out whether you are face to face with your spy
chiefs, or if, on the contrary, you have not fallen into a trap set by
the police to catch spies.... You cannot go to a rendezvous with a
quiet mind: how do you know that you will not be returned between two
gendarmes!... It is impossible to ask for information: equally
impossible to ask for help, should you be in imminent danger.... Spies
do not know one another: they are disowned by whoever employs them:
they are humble wheels hidden in an immense mechanism.... It matters
little if they are broken to pieces, they can so easily be replaced!"

Fandor's recollection of these statements did not tend to make him
cheerful. He summed up the situation, and came to a decision.

"I have been given leave I did not ask for: somebody must have asked
it for me. This 'someone' is the chief spy, already in touch with
Vinson, or the chief spy at Verdun, who has been warned of Vinson's
arrival: the post card I received from an unknown individual has
nothing on it but the indications of a route already known to me, that
from Verdun to the frontier. I shall follow that route as a
pedestrian, and I look forward to meeting some interesting persons on
the way."

Surrounded by the noisy disorder of the barrack room, amidst men
rising hastily that they might not be reported missing at the morning
muster, which would shortly take place in the courtyard, Fandor-Vinson
dressed quickly. He put on his sword-belt, ascertained that his
servant had sufficiently polished the brass buttons on his tunic, his
sabre, and other trappings. The adjutant for the week entered.

"You are off at once, Vinson?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good! I will arrange for the fatigues--very pleased to! Ah, you are
new here, are you not? Well, I will give you a bit of good advice. Be
in the barracks on the stroke of the hour. Remember, men on leave must
not play tricks with p