,
military-looking figure of a man, shook hands with Lord Maltenby.

"My most profound apologies, sir," he said, as he accepted a chair. "The
Countess was kind enough to say that if I were not able to get away in
time for dinner, I might come up afterwards."

"You are sure that you have dined?"

"I had something at Mess, thank you."

"A glass of port, then?"

The Colonel helped himself from the decanter which was passed towards
him and exchanged greetings with several of the guests to whom his host
introduced him.

"No raids or invasions, I hope, Colonel?" the latter asked.

"Nothing quite so serious as that, I am glad to say. We have had a
little excitement of another sort, though. One of my men caught a spy
this morning."

Every one was interested. Even after three years of war, there was still
something fascinating about the word.

"Dear me!" Lord Maltenby exclaimed. "I should scarcely have considered
our out-of-the-way part of the world sufficiently important to attract
attentions of that sort."

"It was a matter of communication," the Colonel confided. "There was an
enemy submarine off here last night, and we have reason to believe that
a message was landed. We caught one fellow just at dawn."

"What did you do with him?" the Bishop asked.

"We shot him an hour ago," was the cool reply.

"Are there any others at large?" Julian enquired, leaning forward.

"One other," the Colonel acknowledged, sipping his wine appreciatively.
"My military police here, however, are very intelligent, and I should
think it very doubtful whether he can escape."

"Was the man who was shot a foreigner?" the Earl asked. "I trust that he
was not one of my tenants?"

"He was a stranger," was the prompt assurance.

"And his companion?" Julian ventured.

"His companion is believed to have been quite a youth. There is a
suggestion that he escaped in a motor-car, but he is probably hiding in
the neighbourhood."

Lord Maltenby frowned. There seemed to him something incongruous in the
fact that a deed of this sort should have been committed in his domain
without his knowledge. He rose to his feet.

"The Countess is probably relying upon some of us for bridge," he said.
"I hope, Colonel, that you will take a hand."

The men rose and filed slowly out of the room. The Colonel, however,
detained his host, and Julian also lingered.

"I hope, Lord Maltenby," the former said, "that you will excuse my men,
but they tell me tha