character of this affair suggested itself to me, I thought it
should be dealt with with special secrecy, and ventured to come
over here.”
“That’s right,” approved the great Personage, glancing down
complacently over his double chin. “I am glad there’s somebody
over at your shop who thinks that the Secretary of State may be
trusted now and then.”
The Assistant Commissioner had an amused smile.
“I was really thinking that it might be better at this stage for
Heat to be replaced by – ”
“What! Heat? An ass – eh?” exclaimed the great man, with distinct
animosity.
“Not at all. Pray, Sir Ethelred, don’t put that unjust
interpretation on my remarks.”
“Then what? Too clever by half?”
“Neither – at least not as a rule. All the grounds of my surmises
I have from him. The only thing I’ve discovered by myself is that
he has been making use of that man privately. Who could blame him?
He’s an old police hand. He told me virtually that he must have
tools to work with. It occurred to me that this tool should be
surrendered to the Special Crimes division as a whole, instead of
remaining the private property of Chief Inspector Heat. I extend
my conception of our departmental duties to the suppression of the
secret agent. But Chief Inspector Heat is an old departmental
hand. He would accuse me of perverting its morality and attacking
its efficiency. He would define it bitterly as protection extended
to the criminal class of revolutionises. It would mean just that
to him.”
“Yes. But what do you mean?”
“I mean to say, first, that there’s but poor comfort in being able
to declare that any given act of violence – damaging property or
destroying life – is not the work of anarchism at all, but of
something else altogether – some species of authorised
scoundrelism. This, I fancy, is much more frequent than we
suppose. Next, it’s obvious that the existence of these people in
the pay of foreign governments destroys in a measure the efficiency
of our supervision. A spy of that sort can afford to be more
reckless than the most reckless of conspirators. His occupation is
free from all restraint. He’s without as much faith as is
necessary for complete negation, and without that much law as is
implied in lawlessness. Thirdly, the existence of these spies
amongst the revolutionary groups, which we are reproached for
harbouring here, does away with all certitude. You have received a
reassuring statement from Chief Inspector Heat some time ago. It
was by no means groundless – and yet this episode happens. I call
it an episode, because this affair, I make bold to say, is
episodic; it is no part of any general scheme, however wild. The
very peculiarities which surprise and perplex Chief Inspector Heat
establish its character in my eyes. I am keeping clear of details,
Sir Ethelred.”
The Personage on the hearthrug had been listening with profound
attention.
“Just so. Be as concise as you can.”
The Assistant Commissioner intimated by an earnest deferential
gesture that he was anxious to be concise.
“There is a peculiar stupidity and feebleness in the conduct of
this affair which gives me excellent hopes of getting behind it and
finding there something else than an individual freak of
fanaticism. For it is a planned thing, undoubtedly. The actual
perpetrator seems to have been led by the hand to the spot, and
then abandoned hurriedly to his own devices. The inference is that
he was imported from abroad for the purpose of committing this
outrage. At the same time one is forced to the conclusion that he
did not know enough English to ask his way, unless one were to
accept the fantastic theory that he was a deaf mute. I wonder now
– But this is idle. He has destroyed himself by an accident,
obviously. Not an extraordinary accident. But an extraordinary
little fact remains: the address on his clothing discovered by the
merest accident, too. It is an incredible little fact, so
incredible that the explanation which will account for it is bound
to touch the bottom of this affair. Instead of instructing Heat to