have a nephew whom you
have met, who is devoted to me."

"Mr. Gerald Fentolin," Mr. Dunster remarked drily.

"Precisely," Mr. Fentolin declared. "Well, I admit frankly the truth of
what you say. Your--shall we say capture, was by way of being a gigantic
fluke. My nephew's instructions simply were to travel down by the train
to Harwich with you, to endeavour to make your acquaintance, to follow
you on to your destination, and, if any chance to do so occurred, to
relieve you of your pocket-book. That, however, I never ventured to
expect. What really happened was, as you have yourself suggested, almost
in the nature of a miracle. My nephew showed himself to be possessed of
gifts which were a revelation to me. He not only succeeded in travelling
with you by the special train, but after its wreck he was clever enough
to bring you here, instead of delivering you over to the mercies of a
village doctor. I really cannot find words to express my appreciation of
my nephew's conduct."

"I could," Mr. Dunster muttered, "very easily!"

Mr. Fentolin sighed gently.

"Perhaps our points of view might differ."

"We have spent a very agreeable few minutes in explanations," Mr.
Dunster continued. "Would it be asking too much if I now suggest that we
remove the buttons from our foils?"

"Why not?" Mr. Fentolin assented smoothly. "Your first question to
yourself, under these circumstances, would naturally be: 'What does Mr.
Fentolin want with me?' I will answer that question for you. All that I
ask--it is really very little--is the word agreed upon."

Mr. Dunster held his cigar a little way off and looked steadfastly at
his host for a moment. "So you have interpreted my cipher?"

Mr. Fentolin spread out the palms of his hands in a delicate gesture.

"My dear Mr. Dunster," he said, "one of the simplest, I think, that was
ever strung together. I am somewhat of an authority upon ciphers."

"I gather," Mr. Dunster went on, although his cigar was burning itself
out, "that you have broken the seal of my dispatches?"

Mr. Fentolin closed his eyes as though he had heard a discord.

"Nothing so clumsy as that, I hope," he murmured gently. "I will not
insult a person of your experience and intelligence by enumerating the
various ways in which the seal of a dispatch may be liquefied. It is
quite true that I have read with much pleasure the letter which you are
carrying from a certain group of very distinguished men to a certain
person