“Come up and see for yourself, Mr Dare,” he said, as he crawled out of sight; and Mr Dare followed him. It was a long tent-shaped apartment formed by the pitch of the roof, well-lit by electric lights and littered with electric apparatus--a number of powerful accumulators, spark coils, condensers, inductances, a heavily built morse key, and so on,--everything necessary for sending long-distance wireless messages. Mr Dare gazed about him in amazement. “There is no doubt about it then?” he jerked uncomfortably. “Not a doubt. How many lives all this may have cost us, God only knows. However, he’s scotched now, and it’s one to me.” “Rhenius!” jerked Mr Dare again. “I can hardly credit it even yet. Such a good fellow he always seemed, and we all liked him so! It’s amazing--and damnable.” “Damnable it is, sir. And there’s too damned much of it going on. We’re infants in these matters and altogether too soft and lenient. However, this one won’t send out any more news.” “What is the penalty?” “If it’s as bad as I believe, he’ll be shot. We shall know better when all these papers and things have been gone into. He’s been a centre for spy-news, unless I’m very much mistaken, but this ought to end him, as far as this world’s concerned anyway.” They went down the ladder again and Gretton replaced it below the skylight and hailed his men, “Bring him along there.” And presently, preceded by one stalwart and followed by the other the prisoner was brought down. The actual sight of this man who had been on such friendly terms with him, had been admitted to every house in the neighbourhood on the most intimate footing, had doctored them all in the most skilful way possible, who was even then in attendance on their good friend the Colonel,--and who all the time was playing the spy for Germany, gave John Dare a most gruesome shock. He felt absolutely sick at heart. “Rhenius!” he gasped. “Is it possible?” But Dr Rhenius looked at him without a sign of recognition and spoke no word. He was hurried away down the stairs. Inspector Gretton left two of his men in charge of the house, and with the rest and his prisoners went off in a taxi which he called up by the Doctor’s telephone. Mr Dare went back home feeling bruised and sore. Duplicity and treachery such as this cut at the roots of one’s faith in humanity. If he had been told this thing he would not have believed it. Nothing less than what he had seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears would have convinced him. But he was convinced and saddened. He went across to Oakdene first thing in the morning. His wife had to be told. The Colonel’s welfare had to be seen to--another medical attendant provided,--explanations concocted. “What is it, John?” asked Mrs Dare, as soon as she set eyes on his face. “Bad news?” “Yes, Meg,--bad news. But not touching any of ours,”--at which the anxious strain in her face relaxed somewhat. “Dr Rhenius is in prison as a spy----”