to see her this afternoon. You was out for your walk, and Flynn
had taken the ladies for a drive, so Elsie was alone at the garage. This
person rode in on the grocer's truck from the village, which is how he
got by the gate. As it happened, Pierre--he was a waiter at the
Tyringham, a Swiss, who understands German--had gone into the garage for
a nap; he's quite old, sir, and has his snooze every afternoon."

"He's entitled to it," I remarked; "he must be a thousand years old."

"From what he heard Pierre thought the man a spy, sir. He wanted Elsie
to steal something from the house, it was a fan he wanted her to take
most particular, and it was to be done soon, to-day if she could manage.
It was for the love of the Fatherland that he wanted her to do it. Did
you notice, sir, that Mrs. Bashford didn't have the fan to-night? Not
that one she carried last night."

I had noticed that she had substituted a tiny Japanese fan for the one
that Montani had inspected so eagerly. When I spoke of the change she
had said the other was too precious for every-day use, and she meant to
keep it locked up.

"I hate to bother you, sir, knowing you----"

The mention of the fan had brought me to an abrupt halt. I resented
having the thing thrust at me in the ecstatic mood in which I had left
the house, but the visit of the German-speaking stranger was serious,
and Antoine knew that his story had startled me. He told me further that
the man had carefully outlined to Elsie just how she could take
advantage of her freedom of the house to appropriate the fan when the
ladies were out and the servants off the second floor. She was to be
paid for her assistance; two hundred dollars had been promised; even
more had been suggested. Elsie and the stranger had left the garage and
passed out of ear-shot before Elsie fully consented; but Pierre had
given Antoine the impression that she would make the attempt.

"It was to be for the Kaiser, for Germany," declared Antoine bitterly.
"And she was to be careful about Flynn. I always thought Flynn was
straight--I did indeed, sir!"

"I think Flynn and his wife are both honest, but we'll take no chance.
Warn the guards to be on the alert. We don't want Elsie to get the idea
that she's being watched; so tell the men to keep away from the garage.
I'll keep an eye on the Flynns. You go home and go to bed...."

The deep calm of the country night had settled upon the shore, and the
Flynns' quarters were perfe