Gregori shook his head.
“Oh, no,” he said, “that would be too dangerous. I have hired ten, from a man in Eastbourne who is used to handling machinery. He has no idea what sort of factory this is and I have told him it is a preparation of lead we are shipping to the docks. Young Stockmar will meet the convoy in London. Our own men are on board the ship and will load the stuff.”
“It is a bit risky,” said Colling Jacques shaking his head, “sending all that money through London without a guard.”
“It would be more risky to guard it,” said the other calmly, “our only chance lies in not rousing the suspicion of the contractor who has promised to come down himself to superintend the carriage to the docks. His people won’t be allowed to handle any of it and I have told him especially that it is dangerous to touch the packages—now, Kate, you must be sensible about this business of Pretherston.”
She shrugged her shoulders and leant back against the windowsill, her hands behind her.
“I suppose it is necessary,” she said in her cool even tone and the Colonel heaved a sigh of relief.
“Gad, that’s the way to look at it, my girl,” he said admiringly. “I knew you wouldn’t fail us.”
She said nothing.
“You said there were ten shares,” she asked presently, “do you count me—as one who is sharing?”
“You stand in with me, my dear,” said the Colonel, patting her on the shoulder, “don’t you be afraid. I have never denied you anything, have I?”
She shook her head.
“I have never been aware that you denied me anything,” she said absently.
“When is this—” she could not find words to complete the sentence.
“Pretherston,” said Gregori—“oh, we can’t do anything yet. I think you will agree, Colonel. We must make absolutely sure that he is not being followed and that he has not half the Metropolitan police force within call. I shall do nothing at all till tomorrow night.”
She inclined her head.
“I see,” she said simply and then, “I think I will go to my room.”
They had made her comfortable quarters in what had been once the foreman’s office. She passed through the great sheds slowly and stopped for a moment to look at the powerful engine which stood near the closed doors, a tiny feather of steam at its safety valve, then she went into her room.
XVIII
The Colonel Was a Gentleman at the Last
It was ten o’clock the following morning before any of the gang saw the girl. She had spent a sleepless night revising her philosophies and arranging the future as she saw it.
Mulberry who had put away his rifle and was appearing in the capacity of an urbane general-manager greeted Kate with a nod.
He was superintending the transference of the ingots to the waiting trolleys which stood on the road at the top of the chalk pit and were approached by a zigzag path which had been cut in the face of the bluff by the original owner of the property.
Later Mr. Mulberry climbed up the path to interview the stout contractor.
“I will pay you in advance,” said Mr. Mulberry beaming benevolently and producing a wad of notes from his pocket book. “You have full instructions as to where these packages are to go?”
“Yes, sir,” said the man. “To the Thames Docks and I am to hand them over to the gentleman who engaged me the day before yesterday.”
“Mr. Stockmar,” said Mulberry.
“That is the name, sir. Are these things valuable?”
Mulberry shook his head.
“Scientifically they are of the greatest value, commercially they are of no value. You have probably heard of dioxide of lead, the heaviest metal that the earth holds?”
“I can’t say that I have, sir,” said the contractor frankly. “I am not much of a scientist.”
“It is a very useful element,” lied Mr. Mulberry glibly, “in the creation of paper. It is highly inflammable but not explosive so long as it is handled by experts like my men here,” he waved his hand to the procession of swarthy labourers who were coming up the hill, each bearing a package on his shoulder.
“They are Italians, aren’t they, sir?”
Mr. Mulberry nodded.
“They are the only people who can handle this chemical,” he explained.
“I see, sir,” said the master carman wisely, “some of these foreigners are wonderful chaps with chemicals.”
He looked down into the hollow.
“Mighty nice young lady that, sir,” he said respectfully, not knowing whether Kate, who had just emerged from the building and was wandering aimlessly across the yard, was an employee or a friend.
“Oh, yes, that is my confidential secretary,” said Mr. Mulberry.
“Mighty nice, if I may be allowed to say so, very ladylike.”
“Yes, yes,” said Mr. Mulberry.
He lingered long enough to see the last packages laid on the floor of the last truck, shook hands with the contractor with great affability and strode nonchalantly down the slope and none to see him would have imagined that he had just entrusted nearly three million pounds’ worth of gold, to the tender mercies of a chance carman.
He was halfway down the first of the slopes when he met Kate coming up.
“Kate,” he said in a low voice, “if you are going up to the top and that fellow asks you who you are, you must tell him you are my confidential secretary. I hope you don’t mind, I had to explain you.”
She nodded and continued her slow walk until she came to the road. The cars were now buzzing preparatory to making a start. The contractor, whom she had met before, gave her a cheery nod.
“Have you a piece of paper?” she asked.
“I’ve a card, miss,” he said.
“That will do,” she said; “lend me your pencil.”
She wrote a few lines and handed them to the man.
“I am the managing director’s confidential secretary,” she said.
“I know, miss,” replied the man.
He looked at the card with a frown.
“You are to take the trucks first of all to this address and see the
