"Very well, then. You will tell him that trains will be waiting
below Surbiton, at precisely ten o'clock tonight. Runways will be
built to let the men climb the embankment, and they can entrain
there. You will remember that ?"

"Yes, sir."

"You might as well understand what it's all about," said the
major. "You see, we're moving a lot of troops. And it is of the
utmost importance for the enemy to know all about the movement
and, of course, just as important for us to keep them from
learning what they want to know. So we are covering the movement
as well as we can. Even if they learn some of the troops that are
going, we want to keep them from finding out everything. Their
spy system is wonderfully complete and we have to take every
precaution that is possible. It is most important that you
deliver this message to Colonel Throckmorton. Repeat it to me
exactly," he commanded.

They did so, and, seemingly satisfied, he let them go. But just
as they were leaving, he called them back.

"You'd go back by the underground, I suppose," he said. "I'm not
sure that you can get through for the line is likely to be taken
over, temporarily, at any moment. Take a taxicab -- I'll send an
orderly with you to put you aboard. Don't pay the man anything;
we are keeping a lot of them outside on government service, and
they get their pay from the authorities."

The orderly led them to the stand, some distance from the station,