"Ah!" said Superintendent Battle. "That's a pity. Gentlemen who have no sense of humour get to taking themselves too seriously--and that leads to mischief." "I can't imagine Pongo getting into mischief," said Jimmy. "He's done extremely well for himself so far--dug himself in with old Coote and looks like being a permanency in the job." "Superintendent Battle," said Bundle. "Yes, Lady Eileen?" "Don't you think it very odd that Sir Oswald didn't say what he was doing wandering about in the garden in the middle of the night?" "Ah!" said Battle. "Sir Oswald's a great man--and a great man always knows better than to explain unless an explanation is demanded. To rush into explanations and excuses is always a sign of weakness. Sir Oswald knows that as well as I do. He's not going to come in explaining and apologizing--not he. He just stalks in and hauls _me_ over the coals. He's a big man, Sir Oswald." Such a warm admiration sounded in the Superintendent's tones that Bundle pursued the subject no further. "And now," said Superintendent Battle, looking round with a slight twinkle in his eye, "now that we're together and friendly like--I _should_ like to hear just how Miss Wade happened to arrive on the scene so pat." "She ought to be ashamed of herself," said Jimmy. "Hoodwinking us all as she did." "Why should I be kept out of it all?" cried Loraine passionately. "I never meant to be--no, not the very first day in your rooms when you both explained how the best thing for me to do was to stay quietly at home and keep out of danger. I didn't say anything, but I made up my mind then." "I half suspected it," said Bundle. "You were so surprisingly meek about it. I might have known you were up to something." "I thought you were remarkably sensible," said Jimmy Thesiger. "You would, Jimmy dear," said Loraine. "It was easy enough to deceive you." "Thank you for these kind words," said Jimmy. "Go on, and don't mind me." "When you rang up and said there might be danger, I was more determined than ever," went on Loraine. "I went to Harrods and I bought a pistol. Here it is." She produced the dainty weapon, and Superintendent Battle took it from her and examined it. "Quite a deadly little toy, Miss Wade," he said. "Have you had much--er--practise with it?" "None at all," said Loraine. "But I thought if I took it with me--well, that it would give me a comforting feeling." "Quite so," said Battle gravely. "My idea was to come over here and see what was going on. I left the car in the road and climbed through the hedge and came up to the terrace. I was just looking about me when--plop--something fell right at my feet. I picked it up and then looked to see where it could have come from. And then I saw the man climbing down the ivy and I ran." "Just so," said Battle. "Now, Miss Wade, can you describe that man at all?" The girl shook her head. "It was too dark to see much. I think he was a big man--but that's about all."