Jake had attracted some attention when he first met Nicky in Washington, but the sadly overworked Department of Justice could not provide a squad of escorts for every German or pro-German suspect. Before the war was over the secret army under Mr. Bielaski reached a total of two hundred and fifty thousand, but the number of suspects reached into the millions. From Nicky Easton alone a dozen activities radiated; and studying him and his communicants was a slow and complex task.
Mr. Larrey decided that the best way to get a line on Jake would be to take a job alongside him and “watch his work.” It was the easiest thing in the world to get a job at Davidge’s shipyard; and it was another of the easiest things in the world to meet Jake, for Jake was eager to meet workmen, particularly workmen like Larrey, who would listen to reason, and take an interest in the gentle art of slowing up production. Larrey was all for sabotage.
One evening Jake invited him to his house for further development. On that evening Mamise dropped in. She did not recognize Larrey, but he remembered her perfectly.
He could hardly believe his camera eyes at first when he saw the great Miss Webling enter a workman’s shanty and accept Jake Nuddle’s introduction:
“Larrey, old scout, this is me sister-in-law. Mamise, shake hands with me pal Larrey.”
Larrey had been the first of her shadows in New York, but had been called off when she proved unprofitable and before she met Easton. And now he found her at work in a shipyard where strange things were happening! He was all afire 221 with the covey of spies he had flushed. His first impulse was to shoot off a wire in code to announce his discovery. Then he decided to work this gold-mine himself. It would be pleasanter to cultivate this pretty woman than Jake Nuddle, and she would probably fall for him like a thousand of brick. But when he invited himself to call on her her snub fell on him like a thousand of brick. She would not let him see her home, and he was furious till Jake explained, “She’s sweet on the boss.”
Larrey decided that he had better call on Davidge and tip him off to the past of his stenographer and get him to place her under observation.
The next day Davidge came back from his protracted journey. He had fought a winning battle for an allotment of steel. He was boyish with the renewal of battle ardor, and boyish in his greeting of Mamise. He made no bones of greeting her before all the clerks with a horribly embarrassing enthusiasm:
“Lord! but I’ve been homesick to see you!”
Miss Gabus was disgusted. Mamise was silly with confusion.