"PREPARE FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION"
The Admiral's secretary at Auldhaig stood at the Commander-in-Chief's elbow. It was close on lunch-time, and the Admiral had still a bulky though fast diminishing pile of documents either to sign or initial before he could complete his morning's work. But, being mortal, even the Commander-in-Chief was hungry, and consequently short-tempered.
"What is it, Elphinhaye?" he demanded tartly. "Can't you deal with it yourself?"
"'Fraid not, sir," replied the secretary, still proffering the newly-arrived telegram.
"What is it?" asked the Admiral again. "Who's it from?"
"Entwistle? Never heard of him."
The secretary coughed deprecatingly. He was slightly surprised and pained to think that his worthy chief had not heard of the famous Secret Service agent.
"Oh, yes; now I do," corrected the Commander-in-Chief. "He was barging about down in Cornwall over that von Gobendorff case, when I was Senior Officer at Trecurnow. Well, what is it now?... By Jove!"
The telegram had been dispatched from York. It read as follows:—
"To S.N.O., Auldhaig. For your information and necessary action:—Discover Captain Fennelburt, R.A.F., to be Leutnant Karl von Preussen (vide dossier 445). He has dispatched the following cablegram to Admiralty, Berlin: 'Q-boat disguised as U 251 left Leith on 9th for Hoorn Reefs."