Battle scratched his cheek. He seemed unwilling to speak. He began to pace up and down the room, as though making up his mind. At last he turned to the girl.
“See here, Lady Eileen, I’m going to trust you. The Countess’s conduct is suspicious. I know that as well as you do. It’s very suspicious—but we’ve got to go carefully. There mustn’t be any unpleasantness with the Embassies. One has got to be sure .”
“I see. If you were sure …”
“There’s something else. During the war, Lady Eileen, there was a great outcry about German spies being left at large. Busybodies wrote letters to the papers about it. We paid no attention. Hard words didn’t hurt us. The small fry were left alone. Why? Because through them, sooner or later, we got the big fellow—the man at the top .”
“You mean?”
“Don’t bother about what I mean, Lady Eileen. But remember this. I know all about the Countess. And I want her let alone.
“And now,” added Superintendent Battle ruefully, “I’ve got to think of something to say to Sir Stanley Digby!”