"Who for?" I asked quickly.
Colonel von Quarovitch looked puzzled.
"H'm! That is rather difficult to answer; they would say, most likely, that you were the emissary of Russia, Austria, or Bornia; most probably the latter, since they are our neighbours."
His argument was certainly sound; and I searched my brains for a solution.
"Don't you ever speculate, Colonel?" I asked.
"Eh?"
"I thought you had invested a certain sum, a little while ago, in some rubber company."
"Eh?" he said again.
Mr. Neville chuckled.
I continued: