woman! Of course I shall know a great deal more
about her tomorrow morning. But I've already been
able to gather a good deal today. There's been a regular
nest of spies in this town, with antennae stretching
out over the whole of this part of the southwest coast.
Would you be surprised to learn that your cousin's
good old Anna has a married daughter in the business --
a daughter married to an Englishman?"

"You don't mean George Pollit?" asked James Hayley
eagerly.

"Yes -- that's the man's name! Why, d'you know
him?"

"I should think I do! I helped to get him out of a
scrape last year. He's a regular rascal."

"Aye, that he is indeed. He's acted as post office to
this man Hegner. It's he, the fellow they call Alfred
Head, the Dean's friend, the city councillor, who has
been the master spy." Again he laughed, this time
rather unkindly. "I think we've got the threads of it
all in our hands by now. You see, we found this man
Pollit's address among the very few papers which were
discovered at that Spaniard's place near Southampton.
A sharp fellow went to Pollit's shop, and the man
didn't put up any fight at all. They're fools to employ
that particular Cockney type. I suppose they chose him
because his wife is German----"

There came a loud ring at the front door, and James
Hayley jumped up. "I'd better see what that is," he
said. "The woman we've got here is such a fool!"

He went out into the hall, and found Rose Blake.

"We heard about Anna just after we got to London,"
she said breathlessly. "A man in the train mentioned
it to Jervis quite casually, while speaking of

[[360]]

p359 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p360w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p361

v?