“That’ll be a frightful disappointment to Aunt Juliet after sending down to Brannigan’s for those cigarettes. Rose—she’s the under housemaid—told me that. Beastly cigarettes they are, too. Rose said the footman said he wouldn’t smoke them. Ten a penny or something like that. But if Lord Torrington isn’t the Prime Minister what is Aunt Juliet doing out the long gallery?”
“Lord Torrington is rather a boss,” said Frank, “though he’s not the Prime Minister. He’s the head of the War Office.”
Priscilla whistled.
“Great Scott,” she said, “the head of the War Office! And Aunt Juliet hasn’t the least idea what’s bringing him down here. She said so twice.”
“So did Uncle Lucius. He kept wondering after dinner what on earth Lord Torrington wanted.”
“But we know,” said Priscilla. “This is what I call real sport. I have her jolly well scored off now for sending me to bed. I shouldn’t wonder if they made you a knight. It’s pretty well the least they can do.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t know what’s bringing him here unless it’s something to do with Home Rule.”
“Who cares about Home Rule? What he’s coming for is the spies. Didn’t you say that this Torrington man is the head of the War Office? What would bring him down here if it isn’t German spies? And we’re the only two people who know where those spies are. Even we don’t quite know; but we will tomorrow. Just fancy Aunt Juliet’s face when we march them up here in the afternoon, tied hand and foot with the anchor rope, and hand them over to the War Office. We shall be publicly thanked, of course, besides your knighthood, and our names will be in all the papers. Then if Aunt Juliet dares to tell me ever again to go to bed at half past nine I shall simply grin like a dog and run about through the city. She won’t like that. You’re quite, sure, Cousin Frank, that it really is the War Office man who’s coming?”
“Uncle Lucius told me it was Lord Torrington, and I know he’s the head of the War Office because my father’s the under-secretary.”
“That’s all right, then. I was just thinking that it would be perfectly awful if we captured the spies and it turned out that he wasn’t the man who was after them.”