ondin anyway." He ran his finger down the columns. "Ah!
what's this? Motor ship Girondin, 350 tons, built and so on. 'The Landes
Pit-Prop Syndicate, Ferriby, Hull.' Hull, my son. There we are."

"Hull! I know Hull," Merriman remarked laconically. "At least, I was
there once."

"We shall know it a jolly sight better than that before we're through,
it seems to me," his friend replied. "Let's hope so, anyway."

"What's the plan, then? I'm on, provided I have a good sleep at home
tonight first."

"Same here," Hilliard agreed as he filled his pipe. "I suppose Hull by
an early train tomorrow is the scheme."

Merriman borrowed his friend's pouch and refilled his pipe in his turn.

"You think so?" he said slowly. "Well, I'm not so sure. Seems to me we
can very easily dish ourselves if we're not careful."

"How so?"

"We agreed these folk were wide-awake and suspicious of us. Very well.
Directly our visit to them is over, we change our plans and leave
Bordeaux. Will it not strike them that our interest in the trip was only
on their account?"

"I don't see it. We gave a good reason for leaving."

"Quite; that's what I'm coming to. We told them you were recalled to
your office. But what about that man Morton, that was to spy on us
before? What's to prevent them asking him if you really have returned?"

Hilliard sat up sharply.

"By Jove!" he cried. "I never thought of that."

"And there's another thing," Merriman went on. "We turn up at Hull, find
the syndicate's depot and hang about, the fellow in charge there
sees us. Well, that's all right if he hasn't had a letter from France
describing us and enclosing a copy of that group that Captain Beamish
took at the chateau."

Hilliard whistled.

"Lord! It's not going to be so simple as it looks, is it?"

"It isn't. And what's more, we can't afford to make any mistakes. It's
too dangerous."

Hilliard got up and began to pace the room.

"I don't care," he declared savagely. "I'm going through with it now no
matter what happens."

"Oh, so am I, for the matter of that. All I say is we shall have to show
a bit more intelligence this time."

For an hour more they discussed the matter, and at last decided on a
plan. On the following morning Hilliard was to go to his office, see his
chief and ask for an extension of leave, then hang about and interview
as many of his colleagues as possible, telling them he had been
recalled, but was not now required. His chief was n