began Froissart hotly; but Dawson paid no
heed. He just went on talking, and Froissart, realising that Dawson
could not understand his French, and that he himself could not give
words to his feelings in English, relapsed into wrathful silence. Much
as I respect and admire Dawson, I should not care to be his
subordinate.

"We must keep the cinema show going nice and lively for the Three
Towns," went on Dawson. "A big salvage steamer is coming down
to-morrow to give an air of verisimilitude to the proceedings. Patrol
boats will buzz about the Sound, and the potentates, naval and civil,
will gather from all parts. The unfortunate wrecks out at Picklecombe
Point will be guarded so that no shore boat can get within half a
mile. They won't bear a very close inspection. I hope that none of the
guns will break loose and float about the harbour. That would be what
you might call a blooming contretemps. I shall be pretty busy all the
next two days myself. Though I am a strict teetotaller, I shall get
into shore rig and spend my days in the public bars. I must know what
the Three Towns are talking about, and whether any suspicion of the
truth gets wind. I don't think that it can; at least, for some time.
The stage management has been too good. Later on there may be some
wonderment because none of the men from the _Intrepid_ and _Terrific_
are allowed ashore. A lot of wives and families must be around here,
especially as the _Intrepid_ is a Plymouth ship. Of course it must be
given out that they are all needed to help with the salvage
operations, and no leave is allowed. You, Froissart, might spend your
time reading copies of all telegrams sent out from the Towns. If any
German agent wants to get news of the damage to the battle-cruisers
over to Holland, he will probably travel up to the East Coast and send
a wire on ahead. That is what I hope for. You shall then follow him
up, and make smooth the path of crime. Half our trouble will be lost
unless we can help the spoof news over to the Kaiser, bless him. The
job, at first, will be pretty dull for you, Froissart, and not over
lively for me. I hate pubs, yet for two days I must loaf about them,
pretending to drink. You can read the telegrams, but you can't
understand English well enough to pick up the gossip of the bars. I
must do that myself."

"You have stopped all leave on the battle-cruisers--the real ones, I
mean--but what about the dockyard men," inquired Froissart. "Are th