on the chance of catching any odd remarks that
might be useful. On the way back here two others picked us up on the
relay system."

"Do you think she knew who we were?" enquired Colonel Walton.

"No, just an off chance. We were callers on the Skipper, and might let
something drop. It's a regular thing, picking up the callers,
generally when they've got some distance away though."

"They must have learned quite a deal about numismatics," said Colonel
Walton drily.

"A constitutional government is a great obstacle to an efficient Secret
Service, it imposes limitations," remarked Sage regretfully.

Colonel Walton looked across in the act of lighting his cigar.

"There are six hundred and seventy of them at Westminster. In war-time
we require a system of the _lettre-de-cachet_. And now," said Sage,
rising, "I think I'll get a couple of hours' sleep, I've been pretty
busy. By the way," he said, with his hand upon the door-handle, "I
think we might get the papers of that fellow on the Bergen boat, also a
photograph, clothing, and full details of his appearance."

Colonel Walton nodded and Malcolm Sage took his departure.

II

"It's curious."

Malcolm Sage was seated at his table carefully studying several sheets
of buff-coloured paper fastened together in the top left-hand corner
with thin green cord. In a tray beside him lay a number of similar
documents.

He glanced across at a small man with a dark moustache and determined
chin sitting opposite. The man made a movement as if to speak, then
apparently thinking better of it, remained silent.

"How many false calls did you say?" enquired Sage.

"Nine in five days, sir," was the response.

Malcolm Sage nodded his head several times, his eyes still fixed on the
papers before him.

One of his first acts on being appointed to Department Z. was to give
instructions, through the proper channels, that all telephone-operators
were to be warned to report to their supervisors anything that struck
them as unusual, no matter how trivial the incident might appear,
carefully noting the numbers of the subscribers whose messages seemed
out of the ordinary. This was quite apart from the special staff
detailed to tap conversations, particularly call-box conversations
throughout the Kingdom.

A bright young operator at the Streatham Exchange, coveting the reward
of five pounds offered for any really useful information, had called
attention to the curious fact th