"I say, Bundle," said Jimmy anxiously, "you haven't been reading too much sensational literature, have you?" Bundle threw him a glance of dignified reproach. "Well," said Jimmy, "I'm not yet like the Red Queen. I can't believe six impossible things before breakfast." "It's after breakfast," said Bundle. "Or even after breakfast. We've got a perfectly good hypothesis which fits the facts--and you won't have it at any price, simply because like the old riddle, you want to make things more difficult." "I'm sorry," said Bundle, "but I cling passionately to a mysterious No. 7 being a member of the house-party." "What does Bill think?" "Bill," said Bundle coldly, "is impossible." "Oh!" said Jimmy. "I suppose you've told him about the Countess? He ought to be warned. Heaven knows what he'll go blabbing about otherwise." "He won't hear a word against her," said Bundle. "He's--oh, simply idiotic. I wish you'd drive it home to him about that mole." "You forget I wasn't in the cupboard," said Jimmy. "And anyway I'd rather not argue with Bill about his lady friend's mole. But surely he can't be such an ass as not to see that everything fits in?" "He's every kind of ass," said Bundle bitterly. "You made the greatest mistake, Jimmy, in ever telling him at all." "I'm sorry," said Jimmy. "I didn't see it at the time--but I do now. I was a fool, but dash it all, old Bill--" "You know what foreign adventuresses are," said Bundle. "How they get hold of one." "As a matter of fact, I don't," said Jimmy. "One has never tried to get hold of me." And he sighed. For a moment or two there was silence. Jimmy was turning things over in his mind. The more he thought about them, the more unsatisfactory they seemed. "You say that Battle wants the Countess let alone," he said at last. "Yes." "The idea being that through her he will get at someone else?" Bundle nodded. Jimmy frowned deeply as he tried to see where this led. Clearly Battle had some very definite idea in his mind. "Sir Stanley Digby went up to town early this morning, didn't he?" he said. "Yes." "O'Rourke with him?" "Yes, I think so." "You don't think--no, that's impossible?" "What?" "That O'Rourke can be mixed up in this in any way?" "It's possible," said Bundle thoughtfully. "He's got what one calls a very vivid personality. No, it wouldn't surprise me if--oh, to tell the truth, nothing would surprise me! In fact, there's only one person I'm really sure isn't No. 7." "Who's that?" "Superintendent Battle." "Oh! I thought you were going to say George Lomax." "Ssh, here he comes." George was, indeed, bearing down upon them in an unmistakable manner. Jimmy made an excuse and slipped away. George sat down by Bundle. "My dear Eileen, must you really leave us?" "Well, Father seems to have got the wind up rather badly. I think I'd better go home and hold his hand."