t I was doing I had slipped over the bank and
dropped down on to the marsh.

The slight noise I made must have reached Latimer's ears, for he
wheeled round with amazing promptness. At the same instant his right
hand travelled swiftly into the side pocket of his coat--a gesture
which I found sufficiently illuminating in view of what I was carrying
myself in a similar place. When he saw how far off I was he seemed
to hesitate for a moment; then pulling out a case he coolly and
deliberately lit himself a cigarette, and after taking a quick glance
round started to stroll slowly towards me. I noticed that he still
kept his hand in his side pocket.

My mind was working pretty rapidly as we approached each other. What
would happen seemed to me to depend chiefly upon whether Latimer had
seen me in the restaurant, and had guessed that it was I who had sent
him the message. If not, it struck me that he must be wondering rather
badly who I was and what connection I had with the hut.

When we were still twenty yards apart he pulled up and waited for me,
smoking his cigarette with every appearance of tranquil enjoyment.

"I beg your pardon, sir," he said in a pleasant, lazy voice, "but I
wonder if you could tell me who this building belongs to?"

I came to a halt right in front of him. "Well," I replied boldly,
"until I saw you coming out of the door just now I was under the
impression that I was the legal tenant."

He smiled, and taking off his hat made me a slight bow.

"I must really beg your pardon," he said. "I was trespassing
shamelessly. The fact of the matter is that I am acting on behalf of
the District Surveyor, and finding the door open and being unable to
get any answer, I took the liberty of looking inside."

If ever in my life I felt confident that a man was telling me a lie it
was at that moment, but my belief was certainly due to no fault of Mr.
Latimer's. He spoke with a coolness and an apparent candour that would
have done credit to a Cabinet Minister.

"The District Surveyor!" I repeated. "And what does that distinguished
person want with me?"

Mr. Latimer made a gesture towards the hut with his disengaged hand.
"It's nothing of any real importance," he said, "but you appear to
have been making some slight alterations here. This wooden building--"

"It's only a temporary structure," I interrupted.

He nodded. "Quite so. Still there are certain bye-laws which we have
to see attended to. The Surveyor h