"I won't say that. The ladies at the château were astir."
"And they saw you?"
"No. I had reached my own car, and was on the point of driving off when I saw them coming through the gates of the château."
"You would not have liked them to have seen you, I imagine," Naniescu put in with a chuckle.
"They wouldn't have known me," Number Ten retorted quietly.
"Heu! heu!" the general rejoined with a shrug. "There are certain eyes that are reported to be very sharp."
"Anyway," Number Ten broke in coolly, "no one saw me except an oaf from the village, so why discuss the point?"
And strangely enough General Naniescu, usually so dictatorial and so arrogant, did not seem to resent the gruffness of this man who was in his pay. On the contrary, he laughed good-humouredly and rested his fat hand with a gesture of almost affection on the shoulder of the spy.
"Ah, ces chers Anglais!" he sighed fatuously, whilst de Kervoisin turned quite politely to Number Ten with the bland question: "And what is your next move, my dear friend?"
"To get those articles out of the fair Uno," Naniescu interposed hurriedly before the other had time to reply. "That point must not be lost sight of."