Now he was ready to start.
He spent the morning in the garden. Here, for the first time, he met Mr. Hill, the odd man, who, on seeing him, became intensely busy picking up handfuls of leaves and conveying them to a fire which was smouldering in a corner. Desmond essayed to enter into conversation with him but the man was so impenetrably deaf that Desmond, tiring of bawling, “It’s a fine day!” in Mr. Hill’s ear, left him and strolled over to the shed where the motor-cycle was stored. Here he amused himself for more than an hour in taking the machine to pieces and putting it together again. He satisfied himself that the bike was in working order and filled up the tank. He had an idea that this means of conveyance might come in useful.
The day was so mild that he lunched by the open window with the sunshine casting rainbows on the tablecloth through the wine-glasses. He was just finishing his coffee when the housekeeper came in and told him he was wanted on the telephone.
Desmond sprang from his chair with alacrity. His marching orders at last! he thought, as he hurried across the hall to the library.
“Hullo!” he cried as he picked up the receiver.
“Is that Mr. Bellward?” answered a nasal voice.
“Bellward speaking!” said Desmond, wondering who had called him up. The voice was a man’s but it was not the abrupt clear tones of the Chief nor yet Mr. Matthews’ careful accents.
“Madame Le Bon wishes to see you!”
Madame Le Bon? thought Desmond. Why, that was the name that Nur-el-Din had given him. “I am Madame Le Bon, a Belgian refugee,” she had said.
“Do you know whom I mean?” the voice continued.