“Looks as if we’d have to make a tour of Russia!” remarked Simon, with a chuckle.
“I say,” said the young-old man, suddenly, “you might do a job of work for me, will you? When you get back to London — that is, if you do,” he added, smiling under his moustache — “just drop into the Thatched House Club and ask for Colonel Marsden; give him this message from Jack Straw: ‘Stravinsky’s got twelve, and six, and four’. Will you? He’ll know what that means — think you can remember?”
“Colonel Marsden — Stravinsky’s got twelve, and six, and four,” repeated the Duke. “Yes, I shall remember.”
“Splendid. I’ll probably get that bit through another way as well, but one can’t have too many lines. I’ll tell you another thing. If you do make a round trip of the Shulimoff estates, and get anywhere near Tobolsk, keep your eyes skinned — there’s a great deal of activity going on up there just now, and we’d like to know what it’s all about, if it’s just another commercial stunt connected with the Five Year Plan, or something military. Give Marsden anything you pick up; it’s all the odd bits of information, pieced together, that make a whole, you know.”
De Richleau smiled. “I trust that we shall not be called upon to visit Siberia, but you may be certain that we shall keep our eyes open if we do!”
“That’s the spirit. Sorry I can’t ask you fellows back to the Club for a drink, but my position is hardly — er — official, you know — Look out!”
They had almost reached the farther door of the aviary. Turning quickly, they saw a seedy-looking individual, dressed like a clerk, who had entered without their having heard him. He was apparently studying a hawk. After a second he glanced slyly in their direction, and both Simon and the Duke were quick to notice that he had a cast in one eye!
Both made a movement to leave the vicinity of their elderly friend, but as they turned again they found that Jack Straw had vanished — silently and completely away!
VII — Simon “Almost” Falls in Love
Later that morning, as Simon waited in the lounge of the Hotel Metropole, he wondered if Valeria Petrovna had remembered her promise to lunch with him. It was already a quarter past one, and she had not yet put in an appearance. He thought it more than probable that she had never taken his invitation seriously, and to guard against this possibility, on his return from the Zoo, he had caused the hall porter to ring up and leave a message at her apartment.