inued. "The whole of
our available fleet is engaged in carrying out what they call a
demonstration in the North Sea. They have patrol boats out in every
direction, and only the short distance wireless signals are being used.
Everything, of course, is in code, yet we know this for a fact: a
good deal of private information passing between the Admiral and his
commanders was known in Germany three hours after the signals themselves
had been given. It is suspected--more than suspected, in fact--that
these messages were picked up by Mr. Fentolin's wireless installation."

"I don't suppose he could help receiving them," Hamel remarked.

"He could help decoding them and sending them through to Germany,
though," Kinsley retorted grimly. "The worst of it is, he has a private
telephone wire in his house to London. If he isn't up to mischief,
what does he need all these things for--private telegraph line, private
telephone, private wireless? We have given the postmaster a hint to have
the telegraph office moved down into the village, but I don't know that
that will help us much."

"So far as regards the wireless," Hamel said, "I rather believe that it
is temporarily dismantled. We had a sailor-man over, the morning before
yesterday, to complain of his messages having been picked up. Mr.
Fentolin promised at once to put his installation out of work for a
time."

"He has done plenty of mischief with it already," Kinsley groaned.
"However, it was Dunster I came down to make enquiries about. I couldn't
help hoping that you might have been able to put us on the right track."

Hamel sighed.

"I know nothing beyond what I have told you."

"How did he look when he went away?"

"Very ill indeed," Hamel declared. "I afterwards saw the nurse who had
been attending him, and she admitted that he was not fit to travel. I
should say the probabilities are that he is laid up again somewhere."

"Did you actually speak to him?"

"Just a word or two."

"And you saw him go off in the car?"

"Gerald Fentolin and I both saw him and wished him good-by."

Kinsley glanced at the clock and rose to his feet. "Walk down to the
station with me," he suggested. "I needn't tell you, I am sure," he went
on, as they left the hotel a few minutes later, "that if anything does
turn up, or if you get the glimmering of an idea, you'll let me know?
We've a small army looking for the fellow, but it does seem as though he
had disappeared off the face of the