The Pit Prop Syndicate

of the smoking room in the Rovers' Club in Cranbourne Street. They had dined together, and were enjoying a slack hour and a little desultory conversation before moving on, some to catch trains to the

mbers of Parliament, political secretaries, and minor government officials, who, though its position was not

he ceiling above. The gentle hum of the traffic made a pleasant accompaniment to their conversation, as the holding down of a soft pedal fills in and supports dreamy organ music. But for

en rather silent, but it was suddenly borne in on him that it was his duty, as one of the hosts of the evening, to contribute somewhat more fully towards

go through it every year on my trip round the wine exporters. This year a rather queer thing happened when I was about half an hour's run from

Jelfs, a man sitting at one end of the group. "We shall giv

it of the party. He was a good soul, but borin

in his visit to the sawmill and his discovery of the alteration in the number of the lorry. He gave the facts exa

d Drake, another of the m

came and gave me some petrol, and I cleared out. The po

e little sidelong nod which indicated to the oth

he lorry was at first 4 and then 3. Are y

o you

or a No. 4 lorry to change, after lunch, let u

d in the laugh

od-humoredly. "It was 4 on the road, and 3 at the mill,

But," he persisted, "you must not hold back material e

ced, eager-looking young man who had not yet s

have mentioned it before, only it seeme

ou know," Drake said critically, and after som

h his train, and the party broke up. As they left

e latter queried. "If

pale blue eyes and light, rather untidy-looking hair, formed a true index of his nimble, somewhat speculative mind. What he did, he did with his might. He was keenly interested in whatever he took up, showing a tendency, indeed, to ride his hobbies to death. He had a particular penchant for puzzles of all kinds, and many a knotty

erchants on some matter of Customs. The acquaintanceship thus formed had ripene

lliard had a flat in a side street off Knightsbridge, while Merriman liv

on't you?" he invited. "It's

ere seated at another open window in the sm

Hilliard turned the conversation to t

nterested in that tale of yours. It's quite an intriguing little mystery. I su

man l

looked at it too often for there to be the slightest doubt. It was No. 3 as certainly as I'm alive. But the number at the bridge is different. There was nothing to draw my attention to it, and I only glanced at it casually. I would say that I was mi

ard n

ely. "Don't think me impertinent, old man," he went on with a sidelong glance, "but I imagine

n in his thoughts more or less continuously since he returned to town, he

n," Hilliard went on.

came to a

nted, and all that. But, Hilliard, here's the point. She knew! There's something, and she knows it too. She got quite scared when that driver fixed me with his eyes, and tried to get me away, and she was quite unmistakably relieved when the incident passed. Then later her father suggested s

's eyes

d. "I suppose the man couldn't have b

't think so. I believe she wanted to try to account

d not accou

ll-shock, as you know, and it didn't look like it to me. I don't suggest she wasn't

r a moment, and then

le scene, but I forgot to tell you that the driver went up to him and said something in a low tone, and the manager started and looked at me and seemed annoyed. But it was very slight an

lly guess what you had noticed, and he would warn his boss that you had tumbled to it. The manager would look surprised

I thought. But again, I

he conversation turned into other channels. Finally the clocks chimin

r he had a note

ing," it read. "I have a scheme on, and I hope y

er ten the two men were occupying the same arm-chairs at the same open

ed when they had conversed for a few moment

ficulty in replying. Merriman could see that h

s," Hilliard said at length.

when she had heard the mock-turtle's story, but h

inking there was anything in it. Now I'm going to make a SUGGESTION with even more hesitation, for it'

w, and he went on fluently a

o, let us say there is something peculiar about it; something, at all events, to call one's attention to it,

e latter sat listening carefully, but did not

ade only, mind you. As far as you learned, these people's boat runs

answered, "but that doesn't mean there aren't

m this country to the middle of a wood near Bordeaux? Something, mind you,

ut I don't see what t

ing, and yet it's an

t see

our pit-props come from Norway and the Baltic. But the ships that

talking of something quite definite, and M

" he said, "but I'm blessed if

the Landes, indeed, possibly cheaper, for there is water there available for power. But your freight will be much less if you can

man n

ard resumed, "and the Norwegian freight is lower, the Norwegian pro

Things looked efficient, and that

shook h

wegians about the export of timber. Mind you, it may be all right, but

n was p

n't go on with it. Mr. Coburn

ent forwar

his saying so is in itself suspicious? Why should he want t

lliard, I don't for the life of me know what you're

s we're keenest on is an import trade that doesn't pay?" He paused a moment, then added slowly: "Because if a trade which doesn't pay is

man g

liard! You me

laughed d

mean smugglin

sink into his companion'

randy district. You see what I'm getting at. My department would naturally be interested in a myste

unaccountably. The vision of Madeleine Coburn's clear, honest eyes returned forcibly to his recollection. "I'm afraid you're out of

narrowly and with some su

and I haven't. But those two points are at least INTERESTING-

eve there's a

rests me. I was going to make a proposal,

ntary annoyance

, old man," he said i

holidays short

away now, but he'll be bac

you know he's crocked up and won't be out of bed for a month. My proposal is that you come in his place, and that instead of crossing France in the orthodox way by the Seine, we try to work through from Bordeaux by the Garonne.

te recovered his good humor. "But I'm not a

and canals is great sport. And then we can go on to Monte and any of those places you

liard. If you think you can put up with

ity was not desperately keen, and he did not feel like taking a great deal of trouble to satisfy it. At all events he was not going to do any spying, if that was what Hilliard wanted, for he did not for a moment accept that smuggling theory. But when they were in the neighborhood he supposed it would be permissible to call and see the Coburns. Miss Coburn had seemed lonely. It would be decent to try to cheer her up. They might invite h

houghts, and he realized his frien

or emergencies. I got fifteen knots out of her once, but she averages about twe

is she?" as

anals. Two four-cylinder engines, either of which will run her. Engines and wheel ami

you would cross the Bay of

rough once. Of course, I'd keep near the coast and run for shelter

much worse than that. The fact is," he went on in a burst of confidence,

ard n

my holidays a week earlier than you. I don't want to hang about all that time waiting for you. I'll get a man and tak

. Nothing cou

n Merriman left for home it had been arranged that he should follow Hil