"Certainly not," she replied. "You must attend to your work, whatever it is." "That's all very well," he grumbled, "but every one has an hour off for luncheon." "People who win wars don't lunch," she declared severely. "Here's Jimmy--I can hear his voice--and he's brought some one up with him. I'll--let you know about lunch." The door opened. James Van Teyl and Fischer entered together. CHAPTER XIII The first few seconds after the entrance of the two men were monopolised by the greetings of Pamela with her brother. Fischer stood a little in the background, his eyes fixed upon Lutchester. His brain was used to emergencies, but he found himself here confronted by an unanswerable problem. "Say, this is Mr. Lutchester, isn't it?" he inquired, holding out his hand. "The same," Lutchester assented politely. "We met at Henry's some ten days ago, didn't we?" "Mr. Lutchester has brought us a letter from Dicky Green, Jimmy," Pamela explained, as she withdrew from her brother's arms. "Quite unnecessary, as it happens, because I met him in London just before we sailed." "Very glad to meet you, Mr. Lutchester," Jimmy declared, wringing his hand with American cordiality. "Dicky's an old pal of mine--one of the best. We graduated in the same year from Harvard." Conversation for a few minutes was platitudinous. Van Teyl, although he showed few signs of his recent excesses, was noisy and boisterous, clutching at this brief escape from a situation which he dreaded. Fischer on the other hand, remained in the back-ground, ominously silent, thinking rapidly, speculating and theorising as to the coincidence, if it were coincidence, of finding Lutchester and Pamela together. He listened to the former's polite conversation, never once letting his eyes wander from his face. All his thoughts were concentrated upon one problem. The mysterious escape of Sandy Graham, which had sent him flying from the country, remained unsolved. Of Pamela's share in it he had already his suspicions. Was it possible that Lutchester was the other and the central figure in that remarkable rescue? He waited his opportunity, and, during a momentary lull in the cheerful conversation, broke in with his first question. "Say, Mr. Lutchester, you haven't any twin brother, have you?" "No brother at all," Lutchester admitted. "Then, how did you get over here? You were at Henry's weren't you, on the night the _Lapland_ sailed? You didn't cross with us, and there's no other steamer due for two days." "Then I can't be here," Lutchester declared. "The thing's impossible." "Guess you'll have to explain, if you want to save me from a sleepless night," Fischer persisted. Lutchester smiled. He had the air of one enjoying the situation immensely. "Well," he said, "I have had to confess to Miss Van Teyl here, so I may as well make a clean breast of it to you. To every one else I meet in New York, I shall say that I came over on the _Lapland_. I really came over on a destroyer."