s of the
people to show fear. If anything, there was an atmosphere all around of
greater vitality, of greater intensity. The war had come a little nearer
at last than the columns of the daily Press. It was the real thing with
which even the every-day Londoner had rubbed shoulders. From Cockspur
Street to Nelson's Monument the men were lined up in a long queue,
making their way to the recruiting office.

Admiral Conyers paid his usual morning visit to the Admiralty, lunched
at his club and returned home that evening in a state of suppressed
excitement. He found his wife and Geraldine alone and at once took up
his favourite position on the hearth-rug.

"Amongst the other surprises of the last twenty-four hours," he
announced, "I received one to-day which almost took my breath away. It
had reference to a person whom you both know."

"Not poor Captain Granet?" Lady Conyers asked. "You read about him, of
course?"

"Nothing to do with Granet, poor fellow," the Admiral continued.
"Listen, I was walking, if you please, for a few yards with the man who
is practically responsible to-day for the conduct of the war. At the
corner of Pall Mall we came face to face with Thomson. I nodded and we
were passing on, when to my astonishment my companion stopped and held
out both his hands. 'Thomson, my dear fellow,' he said, 'I came round to
your rooms to-day but you were engaged three or four deep. Not another
word save this--thanks! When we write our history, the country will know
what it owes you. At present, thanks!'"

"Major Thomson?" Lady Conyers gasped.

"Hugh?" Geraldine echoed.

The Admiral smiled.

"We passed on," he continued, "and I said to his lordship--'Wasn't that
Thomson, the Inspector of Field Hospitals?' He simply laughed at me. 'My
dear Conyers,' he said, 'surely you knew that was only a blind? Thomson
is head of the entire Military Intelligence Department. He has the rank
of a Brigadier-General waiting for him when he likes to take it. He
prefers to remain as far as possible unknown and unrecognised, because
it helps him with his work.' Now listen! You've read in all the papers
of course, that we had warning of what was coming last night, that the
reason we were so successful was because every light in London had been
extinguished and every gun-station was doubly manned? Well, the warning
we received was due to Thomson and no one else!"

"And to think," Lady Conyers exclaimed "that we were half afraid to tell