Admiral Conyers paid his usual morning visit to the Admiralty, lunched at his club and returned home that evening in a state of suppressed excitement. He found his wife and Geraldine alone and at once took up his favourite position on the hearth-rug. “Amongst the other surprises of the last twenty-four hours,” he announced, “I received one to-day which almost took my breath away. It had reference to a person whom you both know.” “Not poor Captain Granet?” Lady Conyers asked. “You read about him, of course?” “Nothing to do with Granet, poor fellow,” the Admiral continued. “Listen, I was walking, if you please, for a few yards with the man who is practically responsible to-day for the conduct of the war. At the corner of Pall Mall we came face to face with Thomson. I nodded and we were passing on, when to my astonishment my companion stopped and held out both his hands. ‘Thomson, my dear fellow,’ he said, ‘I came round to your rooms to-day but you were engaged three or four deep. Not another word save this--thanks! When we write our history, the country will know what it owes you. At present, thanks!’” “Major Thomson?” Lady Conyers gasped. “Hugh?” Geraldine echoed. The Admiral smiled. “We passed on,” he continued, “and I said to his lordship--‘Wasn’t that Thomson, the Inspector of Field Hospitals?’ He simply laughed at me. ‘My dear Conyers,’ he said, ‘surely you knew that was only a blind? Thomson is head of the entire Military Intelligence Department. He has the rank of a Brigadier-General waiting for him when he likes to take it. He prefers to remain as far as possible unknown and unrecognised, because it helps him with his work.’ Now listen! You’ve read in all the papers of course, that we had warning of what was coming last night, that the reason we were so successful was because every light in London had been extinguished and every gun-station was doubly manned? Well, the warning we received was due to Thomson and no one else!” “And to think,” Lady Conyers exclaimed “that we were half afraid to tell your father that Hugh was coming to dinner!” Geraldine had slipped from the room. The Admiral blew his nose. “I hope Geraldine’s going to be sensible,” he said. “I’ve always maintained that Thomson was a fine fellow, only Geraldine seemed rather carried away by that young Granet. Poor fellow! One can’t say anything about him now, but he was just the ordinary type of showy young soldier, not fit to hold a candle to a man like Thomson.” Lady Conyers was a little startled. “You have such sound judgement, Seymour,” she murmured. Thomson was a few minutes late for dinner but even the Admiral forgave him. “Just ourselves, Thomson,” he said, as they made their way into the dining-room. “What a shock the Chief gave me to-day! You’ve kept things pretty dark. Inspector of Hospitals, indeed!” Thomson smiled.