"So you are back again, my dear Gerald. A pleasant surprise,
indeed, but what is the meaning of it? And what of my little
commission, eh?"

The young man's face was dark and sullen. He spoke quickly but
without any sign of eagerness or interest in the information he
vouchsafed.

"The storm has stopped all the trains," he said. "The boat did not
cross last night, and in any case I couldn't have reached Harwich.
As for your commission, I travelled down from London alone with the
man you told me to spy upon. I could have stolen anything he had
if I had been used to the work. As it was--I brought the man
himself."

Mr. Fentolin's delicate fingers played with the handle of his chair.
The smile had passed from his lips. He looked at his nephew in
gentle bewilderment.

"My dear boy," he protested, "come, come, be careful what you are
saying. You have brought the man himself! So far as my information
goes, Mr. John P. Dunster is charged with a very important diplomatic
commission. He is on his way to Cologne, and from what I know about
the man, I think that it would require more than your persuasions to
induce him to break off his journey. You do not really wish me to
believe that you have brought him here as a guest?"

"I was at Liverpool Street Station last night," Gerald declared.
"I had no idea how to accost him, and as to stealing any of his