ent on, addressing the First Sea
Lord again, "that this woman should be at large is a direct menace
to the security of this country and of mine. It is only this
morning that I at length received from Paris the facts which I
have just laid before you. It is for you to order your action
accordingly!"

The little Frenchman folded his arms pompously and gazed at the
ceiling.

"How does she explain her movements prior to her coming to this
country" the First Sea Lord asked the Chief.

For an answer the Chief pressed the bell.

"Samuel, who engaged her, is outside. You shall hear her story
from him," he said.

Samuel entered, exuding business acumen, prosperity, geniality.
He nodded brightly to the Chief and stood expectant.

"Ah, Mr. Samuel," said the Chief, "I wanted to see you about
Nur-el-Din. You remember our former conversation on the subject.
Where did she say she went to when she escaped to Brussels?"

"First to Ostend," replied the music-hall proprietor, "and then,
when the general exodus took place from there, to her mother's
country place near Lyons, a village called Sermoise-aux-Roses."

"And what did she say her mother's name was?"

"Madame Blondinet, sir!"

The Frenchman rapped smartly on a little pocketbook which he had
produced and now held open in his hand.

"There, is a Madame Blondinet who has a large farm near
Sermoise-aux-Roses," he said, "and she has a daughter called
Marcelle, who went to America."

"Why then...?" began the First Sea Lord.

"Attendez un instant!"

The Colonel held up a plump hand.

"Unfortunately for Madame Nur-el-Din, this Marcelle Blondinet
spent the whole of her childhood, in fact, the whole of her life
until she was nineteen years of age, on her mother's farm at a
time when this Marcelle Blondinet was touring Europe with The
Seven Duponts. The evidence is absolute. Mademoiselle here heard
the dancer herself confirm it last night!"

"Thank you, Mr. Samuel," said the Chief, "we shan't require you
any more. But I'm afraid your Nur-el-Din will have to break her
contract with you."

"She's done that already, sir!" said Samuel ruefully.

The Chief sprang to his feet excitedly.

"Broken it already?" he cried. "What do you mean? Explain
yourself! Don't stand there staring at me!"

Mr. Samuel looked startled out of his life.

"There was a bit of a row between her and the stage manager last
night about her keeping the stage waiting again," he said; "and
after lu