d when I heard his
story, I may say that he did save his skin. He gave the whole show
away, down to the passwords that were to pass between you when you met."

He suddenly turned to Phipps and smiled.

"It's curious how the idea came to me. I've done a good bit of secret
service work myself, and felt in such a funk sometimes that I've
realised the temptation to give the show away if I were nailed. Well,
as I looked at Tiel, I said to myself, 'There, but for the grace of
God, stands Robin Blacklock!' And then suddenly it flashed into my
mind that we were really not at all unlike one another--same height,
and tin-opener nose, and a few streaks of anno domini in our hair, and
so on."

"I know, old thing," said his friend, "it's the wife-poisoning type.
You see 'em by the dozen in the Chamber of Horrors."

Their Teutonic captive seemed to wax a little impatient.

"What happened then?" he demanded.

"What happened was that I decided to continue Mr Tiel's journey for
him. The arrest and so on had lost a day, but I knew that the night of
your arrival was left open, and I had to risk it. That splash of salt
water on your motor bike, and your resource in dodging pursuit, just
saved the situation, and we arrived at the house on the same night."

"So that was why you were late!" exclaimed von Belke. "Fool that I was
not to have questioned and suspected!"

"It might have been rather a nasty bunker," admitted Blacklock, "but
luckily I got you to lose your temper with me when I reached that
delicate part of my story, and you forgot to ask me."

"You always were a tactful fellow, Robin," murmured Phipps.

"Of course," resumed Blacklock, "I was in touch with certain people who
advised me what scheme to recommend. My only suggestion was that the
officer sent to advise us professionally should be one whose appearance
might lead those who did not know him to suspect him capable of
treasonable inclinations. My old friend, Captain Phipps----"

"Robin!" roared his old friend, "I read your bloomin' message. You
asked for the best-looking officer on the staff, and the one with the
nicest manners. Get on with your story!"

These interludes seemed to perplex their captive considerably.

"You got a pretended traitor? I see," he said gravely.

"Exactly. I tried you first with Ashington of the _Haileybury_--whom I
slandered grossly by the way. If you had happened to know him by sight
I should have passed on to another