"I rather fancied that he had gone to fetch them when you told me that he had gone out," said he.
"I hope," said the hotel clerk, earnestly, "that this matter is nothing that will harm the credit of the house."
"Not in the least," Ashton-Kirk assured him, smoothly. "It is more than likely that it will never even be heard of outside ourselves."
The clerk breathed freer.
"In that case," said he, "it's all right. And now, gentlemen, seeing that it is a government affair, if there is anything that I can do, I will do it cheerfully."
"Thank you," replied the secret agent.
As he spoke there came the sound of a buzzer; a youth at a telephone called:
"A waiter in Parlor F."
"That's the parlor your party is occupying," said the clerk, interestedly.