"Number Ten," de Kervoisin said with conviction, "you are an artist. I have seen our friend here," he went on, turning to Naniescu, "in any number of disguises, but never two alike, and every new one a surprise!"
"You flatter me, sir," Number Ten said with an almost imperceptible sneer.
"But I am afraid you must be very tired," de Kervoisin resumed affably. "I told the general last night that he might just as well have sent one of his subordinates on this errand."
"I like to finish my work myself," Number Ten rejoined curtly.
Whereupon Naniescu threw up his hairy, fat hands and exclaimed in wonderment:
"Ils sont impayables, ces Anglais!"
"Then we may take it," de Kervoisin went on, "that the work is finished?"
"Yes, finished," Number Ten replied. "We spotted the car on the road about five kilomètres from Cluj. The patrol summoned the driver to stop, but the man had obviously had his orders; he swerved sharply to the right and put on speed to try and rush through. So I shot him."
"Ah! these English," Naniescu exclaimed complacently; "they are wonderful!"
But de Kervoisin only expressed the mildest possible surprise by a very slight lifting of his eyebrows.