"Well," said Stubbs, "I have discovered a strange thing. It's a big thing and there are many men in the French army implicated in it. Most likely in the British, too, and I know that it has touched the ranks of the enemy."
"What is it, a conspiracy?" asked Chester.
"It is," said Stubbs, "and it's a whopper. I haven't been able to find the names of any of the leaders and I wouldn't know what to do if I did learn who they are. This one thing, rather than anything else, is likely to disrupt the aims of the Allies."
"Then you had better tell General Petain about it," declared Hal.
"I suppose I should," said Stubbs, as he drew out his pipe and proceeded to fill it.
He was quiet a moment as he ran his fingers in his vest pocket, seeking a match.
"Say, I'm a good one, ain't I?" he demanded, forgetting his grammar absolutely.
"What's the matter now?" asked Hal.
"Matter is that I can never keep a match. Have you got one?"
"Fortunately for you, I have," said Chester. "I don't carry them, as a rule, having no use for them, but I chanced to find a box of safety matches to-day."