As Norton entered, the man, who rose, threw a cigarette into the fire
place, then reached over, selected another cigarette and lighted it.
The room was thick with the odor of some foreign tobacco.
"Well, Norton?" challenged this stranger, in a low voice.
"I've been aboard the new submarine, Monsieur Lemaire," replied the
young man. "I went with a party of newspaper writers, pretending to be
one of their calling."
"An excellent idea, Norton. And you saw the very boyish officers of
the boat?"
"Only one of them. The other two were paying a call on board the
gunboat. I saw Somers."
"You gathered some idea of how to pump him for the information wanted,
of course?"
"No; I didn't," retorted Norton, scowling. "I learned, very soon, that
Somers is one whom we want to leave out of our count in getting
information?"
"Why so?"
"Well, M. Lemaire, if you meet that young fellow, and try to draw him
out, you'll understand. He can talk longer, and tell less, than any
young fellow I've met. He seems to guess just what you want to know,
and then he carefully tells you something else."
"Ah, well, out of three young men, we shall find one who will tell us all
we need to know," laughed M. Lemaire, gayly.
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