nly fair to take the Department of Justice
operative, Larrey, into his confidence. Larrey was perfectly willing
to defer reporting to his office chief until the more dramatic
conclusion; for he had an easily understandable ambition to share in
the glory of it. It was agreed that a closer watch than ever should be
kept on the shipyard and its approaches. Easton had promised to notify
Mamise of his arrival, but he might grow suspicious of her and strike
without warning.

The period of waiting was as maddening as the suspense of the poor
insomniac who implored the man next door to "drop the other shoe."
Mamise suffered doubly from her dual interest in Abbie and in Davidge.
She dared not tell Abbie what was in the wind, though she tried to
undermine gradually the curious devotion Abbie bore to her worthless
husband. But Mamise's criticisms of Jake only spurred Abbie to new
defenses of him and a more loyal affection.

Day followed day, and Mamise found the routine of the office
intolerably monotonous. Time gnawed at her resolution, and she began
to hope to be away when Easton made his attempt. It occurred to her
that it would be pleasant to have an ocean between her and the crisis.
She said to Davidge:

"I wish Nicky would come soon, for I have applied for a passport to
France. Major Widdicombe got me the forms to fill out, and he promised
to expedite them. I ought to go the minute they come."

This information threw Davidge into a complex dismay. Here was another
of Mamise's long-kept secrets. The success of her plan meant the loss
of her, or her indefinite postponement. It meant more yet. He
groaned.

"Good Lord! everybody in the United States is going to France except
me. Even the women are all emigrating. I think I'll just turn the
shipyard over to the other officers of the corporation and go with
you. Let Easton blow it up then, if he wants to, so long as I get into
the uniform and into the fighting."

This new commotion was ended by a shocking and unforeseen occurrence.
The State Department refused to grant Mamise a passport, and dazed
Widdicombe by letting him know confidentially that Mamise was on the
red list of suspects because of her Germanized past. This was news to
Widdicombe, and he went to Polly in a state of bewilderment.

Polly had never told him what Mamise had told her, but she had to let
out a few of the skeletons in Mamise's closet now. Widdicombe felt
compromised in his own loyalty, but Polly b