ews that they glean out of England, what could be done about it?"

"The place ought to be searched at once--everyone there ought to be
arrested!" declared Jack, impulsively. His father smiled.

"Yes, but who's going to do it?" he said. "We've just one constable here in
Bray. And if there are Germans there in any number, what could he do? I
suppose we might send word to Hambridge and get some police or some
territorials over. Yes, that's the best thing to do."

But now Dick spoke up in great eagerness.

"I don't know, sir," he suggested. "If the soldiers came, the men in the
house there would find out they were coming, I'm afraid. Perhaps they'd get
away, or else manage to hide everything that would prove the truth about
them. I think it would be better to report direct to Colonel Throckmorton.
He knows what we found out near London, sir, you see, and he'd be more
ready to believe us."

"Yes, probably you're right. Ring him up, then. It's late, but he won't
mind."

What a different story there would have been to tell had someone had that
thought only half an hour earlier! But it is often so. The most trivial
miscalculation, the most insignificant mistake, seemingly, may prove to be
of the most vital importance. Dick went to the telephone. It was one of the
old-fashioned sort, still in almost universal use in the rural parts of
England, that require the use of a bell to call the central office. Dick
turned the crank, then took down the receiver. At once he heard a confused
buzzing sound that alarmed him.

"I'm afraid the line is out of order, sir," he said.

And after fifteen minutes it was plain that he was right. The wire had
either been cut or it had fallen or been short circuited in some other way.
Dick and Jack looked at one another blankly. The same thought had come to
each of them, and at the same moment.

"They've cut the wires!" said Dick. "Now what shall we do? We can't hear
from Harry, either!"

"We might have guessed they'd do that!" said Jack. "They must have had some
one out to watch us, Dick--perhaps they thought they'd have a chance to
catch us. They know that we've found out something, you see! It's a good
thing we stayed where we could make people hear us if we got into any
trouble."

"Oh, nonsense!" said the vicar, suddenly. "You boys are letting your
imaginations run away with you! Things like that don't happen in England.
The wire is just out of order. It happens often enough, Jack, as you