“Then let me tell you, Superintendent, that you have been misinformed!” said the General. John Hyde? Never heard of the feller in my life!”
It was apparent to Superintendent Hannasyde that the General was displeased. He was required instantly to explain to the General what Scotland Yard meant by it. He did explain, as briefly as he was able, but the General, stating that he had no interest in Scotland Yard's damned activities and didn't want to hear about them,, demanded to know who was the impudent scoundrel who had dared to make use of his name? When he found that Hannasyde could give him no information on this Point he said, upon his word, he wondered what Scotland Yard was doing. He made it abundantly plain to the Superintendent that he expected him immediately to trace the perpetrator of this impudent hoax. He himself had every intention of getting to the bottom of the matter.
Hannasyde left him, twenty minutes later, breathing vengeance, and felt sorry for the hapless editor who was shortly to receive a call from him. He himself visited the offices of the newspaper, but could discover little there. The notice had been typewritten, enclosed in a half-sheet of Cavalry Club writing-paper with the name and address of General Sir Montague Hyde also typed on it.
“Then it wasn't Brown,” said the Sergeant decidedly. “He's got a nerve all right, but not enough nerve to go waltzing into the Cavalry Club and asking for a bit of notepaper. Why, I wouldn't have myself! Come to think of it, whoever pulled this one must have got nerve enough for a rhinoceros.”
“Yes,” said Hannasyde, and added with a reluctant smile: “Also a certain sense of humour. And I took Ferguson off!”
“You did?” said the Sergeant. “I suppose he hadn't got any black boots?”
Hannasyde ignored this heavy sarcasm, and replied: “It was no use having Matthews watched if he knew of it. He succeeded in giving Ferguson the slip three times, you know.”
“If you ask me,” said the Sergeant severely, “he complained about the boots just on purpose to get you to take Ferguson off.”
“He complained about the boots to annoy me,” said Hannasyde. “He could have shaken him off at any time he pleased. If you know you're being followed it's child's play to get clear in London.” He thought for a moment. “If it was he who put that notice in the paper what was his object?”
“Bit of comic relief,” suggested the Sergeant.