Rizzio laughed. “Highly potential but--er--not dangerous. Why should he be? He’s your typical Briton--sport-loving, calm and nerveless in the most exacting situations--I was at Lords, you know, when Hammersley made that winning run for Marylebone--two minutes to play. Every bowler they put up----” “It’s hardly a time for bats,” put in Kipshaven dryly. “What we need is fast bowlers--with rifles.” The object of these remarks sat serenely, smiling blandly around the table, but made no reply. In the pause that followed Sandys was heard in a half whisper to Byfield. “What’s this I hear of a leak at the War Office?” Captain Byfield glanced down the table. “Have you heard that?” “Yes. At the club.” Captain Byfield touched the rim of his glass to his lips. “I’ve heard nothing of it.” “What?” from a chorus. “Information is getting out somewhere. I violate no confidences in telling you. The War Office is perturbed.” “How terrible!” said Lady Joyliffe. “And don’t they suspect?” “That’s the worst of it. The Germans got wind of some of Lord Kitchener’s plans and some of the Admiralty’s--which nobody knew but those very near the men at the top.” “A spy in that circle--unbelievable,” said Kipshaven. “My authority is a man of importance. Fortunately no damage has been done. The story goes that we’re issuing false statements in certain channels to mislead the enemy and find the culprit.” “But how does the news reach the Germans?” asked Rizzio. “No one knows. By courier to the coast and then by fast motor-boat perhaps; or by aëroplane. It’s very mysterious. A huge _Taube_, yellow in color, flying over the North Sea between England and the continent has been sighted and reported by English vessels again and again and each flight has coincided with some unexpected move on the part of the enemy. Once it was seen just before the raid at Falmouth, again before the Zeppelin visit to Sandringham.” “A yellow dove!” said Lady Kipshaven. “A bird of ill omen, surely.” “But how could such an aëroplane leave the shores of England without being remarked?” asked Kipshaven. “Oh,” laughed Sandys, “answer me that and we have the solution of the problem. A strict watch is being kept on the coasts, and the government employees--the postmen, police, secret-service men of every town and village from here to the Shetlands are on the lookout--but not a glimpse have they had of him, not a sign of his arrival or departure, but only last week he was reported by a destroyer flying toward the English coast.” “Most extraordinary!” from Lady Kipshaven. “It’s a large machine?” asked Rizzio. “Larger than any aëroplane ever built in Europe. They say Curtis, the American, was building a thousand horsepower machine at Hammondsport--in the States. This one must be at least as large as that.” “But surely such a machine could not be hidden in England for any length of time without discovery.”