I saw that
happen once. It was a nice young chap, and a pretty girl fooled him--got
him into a peck of trouble. What you want to remember is that good spies
never seem like spies."
If I looked as I felt just then, the search-light that swept me must
have startled him. I could feel my face flushing, my hands clenching as
I caught his drift. I swung round.
"What's this about?" I demanded sharply. But I knew.
"Well," said the secret-service man discreetly, "I saw something pretty
funny the first night out, Mr. Bayne. It was safe enough with me; I can
tell a gentleman from a spy; but if an officer had seen it, the thing
wouldn't have been a joke. Suppose we put it this way. There's a person
on board I think I know. I haven't got the goods, I'll own, but I
don't often make mistakes. My advice to you, sir, is to steer clear of
strangers. And if I were you, I--"
"That'll do, thanks!" I cut him short. "I can take care of myself. I
don't say your motives are bad,--you may think this is a favor,--but I
call it a confounded piece of meddling, and I'll trouble you to let it
end.
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