He was standing by the window when she entered, gazing in an expressionless manner at some sparrows.
“Good afternoon, Lady Eileen,” he said. “Sit down, won’t you?”
“Thank you,” said Bundle. “I was afraid you mightn’t remember me.”
“Always remember people,” said Battle. He added: “Got to in my job.”
“Oh!” said Bundle, rather damped.
“And what can I do for you?” inquired the Superintendent.
Bundle came straight to the point.
“I’ve always heard that you people at Scotland Yard have lists of all secret societies and things like that that are formed in London.”
“We try to keep up to date,” said Superintendent Battle cautiously.
“I suppose a great many of them aren’t really dangerous.”
“We’ve got a very good rule to go by,” said Battle. “The more they talk, the less they’ll do. You’d be surprised how well that works out.”
“And I’ve heard that very often you let them go on?”
Battle nodded.
“That’s so. Why shouldn’t a man call himself a Brother of Liberty and meet twice a week in a cellar and talk about rivers of blood—it won’t hurt either him or us. And if there is any trouble any time, we know where to lay our hands on him.”
“But sometimes, I suppose,” said Bundle slowly, “a society may be more dangerous than anyone imagines?”
“Very unlikely,” said Battle.