king up the happy home, that's what you're doing, Rayton!"

His lordship at any rate seemed to find the process amusing. He laughed
until the tears stood in his eyes.

"I should love to have seen Philippa's face," he chuckled, "when she
walked into the restaurant and saw you there! You're supposed to be off
on a fishing expedition, aren't you?"

"I went out after whiting," Sir Henry groaned, "and I'd just promised to
chuck it for a time when I got the Admiral's message."

"Well, we'll see to your German spy, anyway," his visitor promised.

"Don't be an ass!" Sir Henry exclaimed irritably. "I don't want the
fellow touched at present. Why, he's been a sort of persona grata at my
house. Hangs around there all the time when I'm away."

"All the more reason for putting an end to his little game, I should
say," was the cheerful reply.

"And have the whole neighbourhood either laughing at my wife and Miss
Fairclough, or talking scandal about them!" Sir Henry retorted.

"I forgot that," his friend confessed ruminatively. "He's a gentlemanly
sort of fellow, from what I hear, but a rotten spy. What do you want
done with him?"

"Leave him for me to deal with," Sir Henry insisted. "I have a little
scheme on hand in which he is concerned."

Rayton scratched his chin doubtfully.

"The fellow may not be such a fool as he seems," he reminded his friend.

"I won't run any risks," Sir Henry promised. "I just want him left
there, that's all. And look here, Rayton, you know what I want from you.
I quite agreed to your proposals as to my anonymity at the time when I
was up in Scotland, but the thing's a secret no longer with the people
who count. Every one in Germany knows that I'm a mine-field specialist,
so I don't see why the dickens I should pose any longer as a sort of
half-baked idiot."

Rayton's eyes twinkled.

"You want to play the Wilson Barrett hero and make a theatrical
disclosure of your greatness," he laughed. "Poor Philippa will fall
upon her knees. You will be the hero of the village, which will probably
present you with some little article of plate. You've a good time
coming, Henry."

"Talk sense, there's a good fellow," the other begged. "You go and see
the Chief and put it to him. There isn't a single reason why I shouldn't
own up now."

"I'll see what I can do," Rayton promised, "but what about this fellow
Lessingham, or whatever else he calls himself, down there? There's a
chap named Griffiths--Comman