"Good Lord! Grayne, you've done it now," said Sir Bridgman. "L. J. thinks the world of that chap." "He's a most impertinent fellow," said Sir Lyster with heat. "Clever men frequently are," laughed Sir Bridgman. "It seems to me that everybody's getting under the influence of John Dene. I suppose it's Bolshevism," he muttered to himself. Half an hour later Colonel Walton was seated in earnest conversation with Mr. Llewellyn John. "It's very awkward, very awkward," said Mr. Llewellyn John; "still, you must act along your own lines. It's no good creating a department and then allowing another department to dictate to it; but it's very awkward," he added. "It would be more awkward, sir, if Sage were allowed to go," said Colonel Walton. "Of course, of course," said Mr. Llewellyn John, "that's unthinkable. If I were only told," he muttered, "if I were only told. They keep so much from me." Then after a pause he added, "I'm inclined to blame you, though, Walton, for not--not----" Mr. Llewellyn John hesitated. "Keeping John Dene under proper observation," suggested Colonel Walton quietly. "Exactly." Mr. Llewellyn John looked at him quickly. "He was always guarded." "Then you----" began Mr. Llewellyn John. "Our men were tricked." "Tricked!" Mr. Llewellyn John looked startled. "Yes," continued Colonel Walton. "McLean was on duty that night. Immediately he saw John Dene hail a taxi, he jumped into his own taxi; but he had hardly started when he was run into by a small runabout, and the other taxi got away." "But the number of----" "Fictitious both, the taxi and the run-about. We thought it expedient not to detain the man who ran into McLean," Colonel Walton added. For nearly a minute Mr. Llewellyn John sat staring at the Chief of Department Z. "It's most unfortunate, disastrous in fact," he said at length. "We must try and get into touch with Auchinlech by wireless." "I'm afraid it will be useless," was the response. "There's the War Cabinet to be considered," murmured Mr. Llewellyn John to himself. "The war does not----" He hesitated. "Make men tractable," suggested Colonel Walton helpfully. "Exactly," agreed Mr. Llewellyn John. "They may not take the same view as Sir Lyster and myself with regard to that memorandum of ours to Dene. It's very awkward happening just now," he added, "with all this trouble about interning aliens." "What am I to do, sir? There is very little time." "Do," said Mr. Llewellyn John, "why run your department in your own way, Walton." "I have an absolutely free hand?" enquired Colonel Walton. "Absolutely," said Mr. Llewellyn John; "but I wish you could tell me more." "To be quite frank, I'm as much in the dark as you are. Sage is as obstinate as a pack-mule and as sure-footed. He's no respecter of----" "Prime Ministers or First Lords," suggested Mr. Llewellyn John with a smile. "Exactly."