"Inspired."
"You are on the side of the law this time, then!" I exclaimed triumphantly.
He smiled.
"I confess it. The newspapers which speak of my perilous condition exaggerate. Nevertheless," he went on, "I have decided to spend a week here. The surroundings are pleasant and the rest is good. During that week you will take my place."
"The devil I shall!" I murmured, gazing at his head swathed with bandages.
"One reason," Mr. Thomson condescended to explain, "for my retirement from an active pursuit of—shall we call it my hobby?—is that, notwithstanding my repeated efforts to keep it in the background, my personality has become too well known amongst the inner circle of those against whom our energies are directed. In this present instance, the scene for a very stirring little drama in the history of to-day is laid in a comparatively small manufacturing town in the heart of Yorkshire. Whatever form of disguise I might select, my presence in that place would certainly be detected. Besides, the task before us is one in which direct action is impossible. We can only bait the trap and wait, and if the quarry refuses to enter, we must choose another trap and another bait. A good deal will rest with you, Lister. If you are completely successful in the undertaking which I shall presently disclose to you, you will receive a parting gift of ten thousand pounds for division amongst the three of you."
"It is princely," I acknowledged enthusiastically.
"If you succeed," Mr. Thomson continued, "it is a flea bite. Now leave me. To-morrow you will depart for the Grand Hotel at Blackham. Before midnight to-night you will receive from me a written report which will contain all the information you require. Read it, commit it to memory and destroy it. If you need further advice or help, do not hesitate to apply to me. There is a telephone here at my elbow, and I shall never be so ill as the papers may lead you to believe. Good fortune to you!"
I left our chief and returned to Clarges Street, impressed with a conviction that we were about to enter upon the most important enterprise which had yet come our way.