?" he added with a smile.

Duncombe shrugged his shoulders.

"Nearly made a fool of myself, didn't I?" he remarked, with a levity
which did not sound altogether natural.

"She was an uncommonly fascinating young woman," Lord Runton said, "but
she didn't seem to me very old at the game. She was clever enough to
fool Von Rothe, though. He admits that he told her that he was expecting
a special messenger from Berlin."

Duncombe seemed to have had enough of the subject. He got up and filled
his pipe.

"Is Jack coming down this week?" he asked.

"No! He wired this morning that he can't get away. Sefton isn't coming,
either. Between ourselves, George, something seems to be going on at the
Foreign Office which I don't understand."

"What do you mean?" Duncombe asked. "There has been no hint at any sort
of trouble in the papers."

"That's just what I don't understand," Lord Runton continued. "It is
certain that there is an extraordinary amount of activity at Portsmouth
and Woolwich, but even the little halfpenny sensational papers make no
more than a passing allusion to it. Then look at the movements of our
fleet. The whole of the Mediterranean Fleet is at Gibraltar, and the
Channel Squadron is moving up the North Sea as though to join the Home
Division. All these movements are quite unusual."

"What do you make of them then?" Duncombe asked.

"I scarcely know," Lord Runton answered. "But I can tell you this. There
have been three Cabinet Councils this week, and there is a curious air
of apprehension in official circles in town, as though something were
about to happen. The service clubs are almost deserted, and I know for a
fact that all leave in the navy has been suspended. What I don't
understand is the silence everywhere. It looks to me as though there
were really going to be trouble. The Baltic Fleet sailed this morning,
you know."

Duncombe nodded.

"But," he said, "even if they were ill disposed to us, as no doubt
Russia is just now, what could they do? One squadron of our fleet could
send them to the bottom."

"No doubt," Lord Runton answered. "But supposing they found an ally?"

"France will never go to war with us for Russia's benefit," Duncombe
declared.

"Granted," Lord Runton answered, "but have you watched Germany's
attitude lately?"

"I can't say that I have," Duncombe admitted, "but I should never look
upon Germany as a war-seeking nation."

"No, I dare say not," Lord Runton answered. "Nor