The Chief got to his feet and held out a massive hand. “Right,” he said, “I’m mighty glad. And I think you’ve made a wise decision. Now I’ve got a lot of work to do. Moore has full instructions for you both. Anything else you want to know he can tell you. Wait here for ten minutes. Good-by and good luck!” With that he went to the door. Then he suddenly turned back to me again: “And by the way, Clayton!” “Yes, sir,” I answered, smiling. “Don’t talk about this business to anybody—_anybody_. Is that clear with you?” “Quite clear,” I assured him. “You’ll meet some of the other operatives perhaps. You’re almost sure to. But unless they come to you with the proper credentials for this job, which Moore will explain to you, don’t tell them things. There’s a reason.” Moore interrupted. “Don’t you think, Chief, that we might tell him the reason?” The Chief frowned. Then suddenly he made a wry face again. “All right, I suppose so. The fact of the matter is, Clayton, that for the first time in its history either we’ve had the rottenest of bad luck, or—there’s a leak somewhere in the Department. Now you understand.” Without another word he strode to the door again and went out. I turned to Moore and found him smiling whimsically. “Nothing slow about your Chief,” I remarked. He laughed. “Not so’s you could notice it!” Then he held out his hand. “Well,” he said, “I think you’re the sort of fellow I’d like to have with me in a real row. This is going to be a real row. Don’t make any mistake about that. But I believe we’re going to pull it off, eh?” “I’ll give you mine on that,” I told him, and we shook hands. Chapter IV Roving Commissions After the Chief left, Moore gave me my instructions for that night. We were to leave the room separately. I was to get into the same taxi which I would find waiting and I was to pick up Moore at the corner of Waverley Place and Fifth Avenue. I followed instructions, found the taxi waiting and told the man to drive to Washington Square. Five minutes later my driver stopped without being told and Moore jumped in beside me. The driver started off uptown at once. Moore turned to me with a smile. “Well, I guess you’ll do. You caught the idea like a shot. Now let’s get to business, for we’ve got one heluva lot to talk about.” “Fire ahead.” “One of the first things I am to impress on you is the fact that from now on both our lives may depend upon eternal vigilance. A single false step, a single unguarded word or glance may easily mean—finish—for us. Stow that away in your brain and don’t forget it. Take it out and look at it every five minutes if you can.” He paused a moment. “I’m not fussy myself, Clayton. I’ve gone into this game for my own reasons. But this is the meanest-looking job I’ve ever tackled, and that’s the truth. And I don’t want to get bumped off before we’ve put the job through.” “I’ll remember,” I told him, “and I’m just as eager to put it through as you are.”