CASE III: THE NEMESIS OF FIRE


I

By some means which I never could fathom, John Silence always contrived
to keep the compartment to himself, and as the train had a clear run of
two hours before the first stop, there was ample time to go over the
preliminary facts of the case. He had telephoned to me that very
morning, and even through the disguise of the miles of wire the thrill
of incalculable adventure had sounded in his voice.

"As if it were an ordinary country visit," he called, in reply to my
question; "and don't forgot to bring your gun."

"With blank cartridges, I suppose?" for I knew his rigid principles with
regard to the taking of life, and guessed that the guns were merely for
some obvious purpose of disguise.

Then he thanked me for coming, mentioned the train, snapped down the
receiver, and left me, vibrating with the excitement of anticipation, to
do my packing. For the honour of accompanying Dr. John Silence on one of
his big cases was what many would have considered an empty honour--and
risky. Certainly the adventure held all manner of possibilities, and I
arrived at Waterloo with the feelings of a man who is about to embark on
some dangerous and peculiar mission in which the dangers he expects to
run will not be the ordinary dangers to life and limb, but of some
secret character difficult to name and still more difficult to cope