and unless she was
willing to go it would be impossible to take her. You can't kidnap a
girl and rush her out of the country except in storybooks, colonel."

Boundary interrupted him impatiently.

"Don't you think I know that?" he asked; "your job is, when she's in a
fit state of mind, to take her across and put her somewhere where she's
not coming back for a long time. Do you understand?"

"I understand that part of it very well," said the Greek.

"I'm not to be mixed up in it," said Boundary. "The only thing I can
promise you is that she'll go quietly. I'll have her passports fixed.
She'll be travelling for her health--you understand? When you get to
South America I want you to take her into the interior of the country.
You're not to leave her in the music-halls in one of the coast towns
where English and American tourists are likely to see her."

"But how are you going to----"

"That's my business," said the colonel. "You understand what you have to
do. I'll send you the date you leave and I'll pay her passage and yours.
For any out-of-pocket expenses you can send the bill to me, you
understand?"

Obviously it was not a job to the liking of Phillopolis, but he had good
reason to fear the colonel and acquiesced with a nod. Boundary went back
to where he had left Pinto and found the Portuguese biting his
finger-nails--a favourite spare-time occupation of his.

"Did you fix it?" he asked in a low voice.

"Of course, I fixed it," said the colonel sharply.

"I'm not going to have anything to do with it," said the other, and the
colonel smiled.

"Maybe you'll change your mind," he said significantly.

There was a knock at the door and the colonel himself answered it. He
took the card from the servant's hand and read:

"Mr. STAFFORD KING,
"Criminal Intelligence Department."

He looked from the card to Pinto, then

"Show him in."

CHAPTER XI

THE COLONEL AT SCOTLAND YARD

The two men had not met since they had parted at the door of the North
Lambeth Police Court, and there was in Colonel Boundary's smile
something of forgiveness and gentle reproach.

"Well, Mr. King," he said, "come in, come in, won't you?"

He offered his hand to the other, but Stafford apparently did not see
it.

"No malice, I trust, Mr. King?" said the colonel genially. "You know my
friend Mr. Silva? A business associate of mine, a director of several of
my companies."

"I kn