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"Meaning, 'good form' and that sort of thing?" Von Bork sighed as one who had suffered much.

"Meaning British prejudice in all its queer manifestations.

As an example I may quote one of my own worst blunders - I can afford to talk of my blunders, for you know my work well enough to be aware of my successes.

It was on my first arrival.

I was invited to a week-end gathering at the country house of a cabinet minister.

The conversation was amazingly indiscreet."

Von Bork nodded. "I've been there," said he dryly.

"Exactly. Well, I naturally sent a resume of the information to Berlin.

Unfortunately our good chancellor is a little heavy-handed in these matters, and he transmitted a remark which showed that he was aware of what had been said.

This, of course, took the trail straight up to me.

You've no idea the harm that it did me.

There was nothing soft about our British hosts on that occasion, I can assure you.

I was two years living it down.

Now you, with this sporting pose of yours -"

"No, no, don't call it a pose. A pose is an artificial thing. This is quite natural. I am a born sportsman. I enjoy it."

"Well, that makes it the more effective.

You yacht against them, you hunt with them, you play polo, you match them in every game, your four-inhand takes the prize at Olympia.

I have even heard that you go the length of boxing with the young officers.

What is the result? Nobody takes you seriously.

You are a 'good old sport,' 'quite a decent fellow for a German,' a hard-drinking, night-club, knock-about-town, devil-may-care young fellow.

And all the time this quiet country house of yours is the centre of half the mischief in England, and the sporting squire the most astute secret-service man in Europe.

Genius, my dear Von Bork- genius!"

"You flatter me, Baron. But certainly I may claim that my four years in this country have not been unproductive. I've never shown you my little store. Would you mind stepping in for a moment?"

The door of the study opened straight on to the terrace.

Von Bork pushed it back, and, leading the way, he clicked the switch of the electric light.

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