well-forced laugh, "you would find several excellent reasons for
wanting a week in London."

My acting must have been good, for I could have sworn I saw a faint
expression of relieved contempt flicker across McMurtrie's face.

"I see. A little holiday--a brief taste of the pleasures of liberty!
Well, that seems to me a very natural and reasonable request. What do
you think, Savaroff?"

That gentleman contented himself with a singularly ungracious grunt.

"I don't think there would be much risk about it," I said boldly. "If
you can change my appearance as completely as you say you can, no one
would be the least likely to recognize me. After three years of that
dog's life up there I can't settle down in a hut on the Thames marshes
without having a few days' fun first. I should be very careful what
I did naturally. I have had quite enough of the prison to appreciate
being outside."

McMurtrie nodded. "Very well," he said slowly. "I see no objection to
your having your 'few days' fun' in London if you want them. It would
be safer perhaps to get you away from this house as soon as possible.
I should think three weeks would be quite enough for our purposes
here--and I daresay it will take us a month to fix up a satisfactory
place for you to work in." Then he paused. "Of course if you go to
town," he added, "you will have to stay at some address we shall
arrange for, and you will have to be ready to start work directly we
tell you to."