his statement. "You know him," he
went on in the same tone.

Mr Vladimir stopped, and became guttural. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't. It's Verloc who says that."

"A lying dog of some sort," said Mr Vladimir in somewhat Oriental
phraseology. But in his heart he was almost awed by the miraculous
cleverness of the English police. The change of his opinion on the
subject was so violent that it made him for a moment feel slightly sick.
He threw away his cigar, and moved on.

"What pleased me most in this affair," the Assistant went on, talking
slowly, "is that it makes such an excellent starting-point for a piece of
work which I've felt must be taken in hand--that is, the clearing out of
this country of all the foreign political spies, police, and that sort
of--of--dogs. In my opinion they are a ghastly nuisance; also an element
of danger. But we can't very well seek them out individually. The only
way is to make their employment unpleasant to their employers. The
thing's becoming indecent. And dangerous too, for us, here."

Mr Vladimir stopped again for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"The prosecution of this Verloc will demonstrate to the public both the
danger and the indecency."

"Nobody will believe what a man of that sort says," said Mr Vladimir
contemptuously.

"The wealth and precision of detail will carry conviction to the great
mass of the public," advanced the Assistant Commissioner gently.

"So that is seriously what you mean to do."

"We've got the man; we have no choice."

"You will be only feeding up the lying spirit of these revolutionary
scoundrels," Mr Vladimir protested. "What do you want to make a scandal
for?--from morality--or what?"

Mr Vladimir's anxiety was obvious. The Assistant Commissioner having
ascertained in this way that there must be some truth in the summary
statements of Mr Verloc, said indifferently:

"There's a practical side too. We have really enough to do to look after
the genuine article. You can't say we are not effective. But we don't
intend to let ourselves be bothered by shams under any pretext whatever."

Mr Vladimir's tone became lofty.

"For my part, I can't share your view. It is selfish. My sentiments for
my own country cannot be doubted; but I've always felt that we ought to
be good Europeans besides--I mean governments and men."

"Yes," said the Assistant Commissioner simply. "Only you look at Europe
from its other end. But,"