“Marsh may be one of them. If not, Stokes has worked on him, and has gained his cooperation.”
“Then my job was to have been taken by some other person?”
“That’s it, Vincent. But Professor Whitburn preferred your application to that of the man who was to work with Stokes. I haven’t been able to look at the list of applicants. That’s the trouble, here. I can’t cross the old man.
“As soon as you arrived, I knew that you had a purpose. I doubted that you were the man Stokes wanted. But I was afraid to reveal my hand until I was sure. Stokes must have known that you were looking at the tower last night because — “
“Marsh saw me inspecting it this morning,” said Harry.
“Ah! That explains it. Where did you go to-night?”
“To meet a man in the village,” said Harry. “I wanted to send a report to The — to headquarters.”
“To The Shadow.” Marquette supplied the name that had been upon Harry’s lips. “Perhaps Stokes followed you. He did not come back here.”
“I suspect that he followed me.”
“Whether or not he saw the man you met,” said Marquette, “he at least decided that you were playing some game of your own. That necessitated immediate action.