Fay said nothing.
“See these?� exclaimed Sir Richard, pointing at the boxes upon the mahogany table. “See them?�
MacKeenon stepped back into the gloom of the room. Fay followed the direction of Sir Richard’s polished fingernail. He raised his brows in polite query. He still remained mute.
“Damnit man!� said the chief of the Intelligence Division, “Wake up! Show interest! It’s easy enough for us to send you back.�
The cracksman acknowledged this threat by
leaning closer to the boxes. He studied the cryptic numbers on their sides. He turned his head slightly and laid the plaid cap on the edge of the table.
“They’d be easy opened,� he offered professionally.
“Bah! That isn’t what we want. What we want is this—without mincing words. We want your coöperation. Let’s be brief as time and get to the heart of the matter. These boxes, three in number, contain the secrets of the entire dye industry. They were obtained in Switzerland during the middle period of the war. They are in cipher!â€�
“German?� asked Fay with cold concern.
“Yes, damnit, German! No other nation could show such fiendish cunning in hiding so simple a thing. The cipher is one to which neither Scotland Yard, the Intelligence Bureau of the Army and Navy, French experts on such matters, nor the American Secret Service have been able to find the slightest clue.�