He unrolled a big map of Europe on the wall.

'I can't tell you where you'll get on the track of the secret, but I
can put a limit to the quest. You won't find it east of the Bosporus
- not yet. It is still in Europe. It may be in Constantinople, or in
Thrace. It may be farther west. But it is moving eastwards. If you
are in time you may cut into its march to Constantinople. That
much I can tell you. The secret is known in Germany, too, to those
whom it concerns. It is in Europe that the seeker must search - at
present.'

'Tell me more,' I said. 'You can give me no details and no
instructions. Obviously you can give me no help if I come to grief.'

He nodded. 'You would be beyond the pale.'

'You give me a free hand.'

'Absolutely. You can have what money you like, and you can get
what help you like. You can follow any plan you fancy, and go
anywhere you think fruitful. We can give no directions.'

'One last question. You say it is important. Tell me just how
important.'

'It is life and death,' he said solemnly. 'I can put it no higher and
no lower. Once we know what is the menace we can meet it. As
long as we are in the dark it works unchecked and we may be too
late. The war must be won or lost in Europe. Yes; but if the East
blazes up, our effort will be distracted from Europe and the great