"For me," he said, "Miss Dunois is what she pretends to be. I have so informed my Government at home and its representatives at Washington."
"Have you heard anything yet?"
"Yes, a telegram in cipher from Washington late this afternoon."
"Favourable to her?"
"Yes. Our Amba.s.sador is taking up immediately the clues Miss Dunois furnished me last night. Also, he has cabled at length to my home Government. At this hour, no doubt, d"Eblis, Bolo, probably an ex-minister or two, are being watched. And in this country your Government is now in possession of facts which must suggest a very close surveillance of the activities of Ferez Bey."
"Where is he?"
Renoux shook his head:
"He _was_ in New York. But he gave us the slip. An eel!" he added, rising. "Oh, we shall pick up his slimy traces again in time. But it is mortifying.... Well, thank you, mon ami. I must go." And he started toward the hall.
"Have you a car anywhere?" asked Barres.
"Yes, up the road a bit." He glanced through the sidelight of the front door, carelessly. "A couple of men out yonder dodging about.
Have you noticed them, Barres?"
"No! Where?"
"They"re out there in the shadow of your wall. I imagined that I"d be followed." He smiled and opened the front door.
"Wait!" whispered Barres. "You are not going out there alone, are you?"
"Certainly. There"s no danger."
"Well, I don"t like it, Renoux. I"ll walk as far as your car----"
"Don"t trouble! I have no personal apprehension----"
"All the same," muttered the other, continuing on down the front steps beside his comrade.
Renoux shrugged good-humouredly his disapproval of such precaution, but made no further protest. n.o.body was visible anywhere on the grounds. The big iron gates were still locked, but the wicket was open. Through this they stepped out onto the macadam.
A little farther along stood a touring car with two men in it.
"You see?" began Renoux--when his words were cut by the crack of a pistol, and the red tail-light of the car crashed into splinters and went dark.
"Well, by G.o.d!" remarked Renoux calmly, looking at the woods across the road and leisurely producing an automatic pistol.
Then, from deeper in the thicket, two bright flames stabbed the darkness and the crash of the shots re-echoed among the trees.
Both men in the touring car instantly turned loose their pistols; Renoux said, in a voice at once perplexed and amused:
"Go home, Barres. I don"t want people to know you are out here....
I"ll see you again soon."
"Isn"t there anything----"
"Nothing. Please--you would oblige me by keeping clear of this if you really desire to help me."
There were no more shots. Renoux stepped leisurely into the tonneau.
"Well, what the devil do you gentlemen make of this?" Barres heard him say in his cool, humorous voice. "It really looks as though the boches were getting nervous."
The car started. Barres could see Renoux and another man sitting with pistols levelled as the car glided along the fringe of woods. But there were no more shots on either side, and, after the car had disappeared, Barres turned and retraced his way.
Then, as he entered his own gate by the side wicket, and turned to lock it with his own key, an electric torch flashed in his face, blinding him.
"Let him have it!" muttered somebody behind the dazzling light.
"That"s not one of them!" said another voice distinctly. "Look out what you"re doing! Douse your glim!"
Instantly the fierce glare faded to a cinder. Barres heard running feet on the macadam, the crash of shrubbery opposite. But he could see n.o.body; and presently the footsteps in the woods were no longer audible.
There seemed to be nothing for him to do in the matter. He lingered by the wicket for a while, peering into the night, listening. He saw nothing; heard nothing more that night.
XXVI
"BE-N EIRINN I!
Barres senior rose with the sun. Also with determination, which took the form of a note slipped under his wife"s door as he was leaving the house:
"DARLING:
"I lost last night"s fishing and I"m hanged if I lose it to-night!
So don"t ask me to fritter away a perfectly good evening at the Gerhardt"s party, because the sun is up; I"m off to the woods; and I shall remain there until the last trout breaks.
"Tell the little Soane girl that I left a rod for her in the work-room, if she cares to join me at the second lake. Garry can bring her over and leave her if he doesn"t wish to fish. Don"t send a man over with a lot of food and shawls. I"ve a creel full of provisions, and I am sufficiently clad, and I hate to be disturbed and I am never grateful to people who try to be good to me. However, I love you very dearly.
"Your husband,
"REGINALD BARRES."
At half past seven trays were sent to Mrs. Barres and to Lee; and at eight-thirty they were in the saddle and their horses fetlock deep in morning dew.
Dulcie, sipping her chocolate in bed, marked their departure with sleepy eyes. For the emotions of the night before had told on her, and when a maid came to remove the tray she settled down among her pillows again, blinking unresponsively at the invitation of the sun, which cast over her a fairy net of gold.
Thessalie, in negligee, came in later and sat down on the edge of her bed.
"You sleepy little thing," she said, "the men have breakfasted and are waiting for us on the tennis court."