mustnât leave Parisâdidnât von Jago tell you that?â
âHe merely said I must co-operate with you.â
âAs soon as I have taken the photographs, you must go straight to Schlasserâoh, Iâm sorry, I forgot. Not Hans Schlasser, but the very respectable Monsieur Delaine. Heâll make it easy for you to get back to Berlin.â
She shrugged her beautiful shoulders.
âBut I donât require his help.â
âFräulein, you must not be presumptuous. Already to-night you have shown far too many signs of it.â
This time his mannerâand wordsâcowed her.
âHavenât I done enough?â she inquired.
He almost spat the rejoinder at her.
âThe cause of the Fatherland must be always the first consideration of any secret agent.â He turned away as though his choler would master him if he carried on any further talk. âHave you got the camera?â he demanded of Pierre.
âIt is here, Herr Lieutenant.â The speaker took a tiny camera from a secret drawer which he had unlocked in the table.
âGood. Now, fix these papers against the wall, but donât mark them.â
Pierre laughed.
âYou can trust me, Herr Lieutenant. It is not the first time.â
âI know; but in matters of this importance you canât be too careful.â
The girl interposed: âArenât you taking a big risk with photography? Supposing the pictures turned out no good?â
Von Ritter licked his lips.
âYou need not worry; I have never failed to get a good picture yet.â
While the two were talking, Pierre had fixed the first paper against the wall.
âNow the flash-powder.â
Pierre filled a small flash apparatus.
âIt will be an instantaneous exposure,â continued von Ritter, âand then back go the papers into our friendâs dispatch-case, where they are locked up all safe and sound exactly as they were when he left London. When he comes to he will consequently never know what has happened. Are you ready?â
âReady, Herr Lieutenant,â said Pierre.
Von Ritter pointed the camera at the paper.
âGo!â he called.
A flash of magnesium from the flash machine filled the room with glaring light. The girl put her hands over her eyes.
âExcellent,â announced the Prussian. âThat is the first one. Now for the others.â
When the various papers had been photographed von Ritter superintended the disposal of them back into the dispatch-case.
âWe must be careful to replace them exactly as they were,â he said. âWe donât want our friend the Englishman to suspect that they have been tampered with. Thereâthey are exactly as in the beginning.â Locking the dispatch-case, he placed it on the chair from which he had originally taken it. âNow put these keys back into his pocket and then we will go into my room and Iâll write my report for Headquarters.â Disregarding Pierre, he turned to the girl. âAnd after that you must get away quickly, Minna.â
âBut first I must write a note.â Taking a fountain pen from her bag, she scribbled on a piece of paper, reading the words aloud as she wrote:
âDarling, I hadnât the heart to waken you, you slept so peacefully. I have now gone to see my sick friend. I will ring you up in the morning.â
The two men laughed.
âIs that all you wish to tell him?â observed von Ritter cynically.
âNo. I will add a little more.â
âYou need sleep so badly that I have broken my promise to wake you in an hour. With all my undying love,
âM arie .â
âThere!â She placed the paper by the side of the empty wine bottle on the table. âHeâll find this when he wakes up; it will help to console him, perhaps.â
âAlthough he is such a fool, he is bound to be suspicious.â
âWhat does it matter?â returned the girl. âI