I would have greatly liked to tell him of our secret discovery, for,
after all, he was our most intimate friend. Yet I had given a promise
to Roseye and to Teddy and, therefore, could not break it.
That Lionel Eastwell was a real stolid John Bull patriot had been proved
times without number. We all liked him, for he was ever courteous to
Roseye, and always wholehearted and easy-going with both Teddy and
myself.
"You ask a question which I can't answer, Lionel," I replied at last.
"I thought, perhaps, you had some scheme," he laughed airily. "You're
always so very inventive."
Those words, when I remembered them in the light of after events,
sounded somewhat curious.
"Inventive!" I laughed. "How can I put forward any scheme by which to
fight an airship, except that of fast aeroplanes capable of mounting
above the airship and dropping bombs? And, surely, that's one which our
Aircraft Factory have considered long ago."
Lionel shook his head in reply.
"No. There must be some other mode than that--if we could only discover
it. That poor women and children are being blown to pieces while in
their beds is too terrible to contemplate," he declared. "To-day Great
Britain seems inadequately defended. But somebody will, of course,
devise something. We can't remain defenceless much longer. Whenever an
arm of war has been invented, ever since the dark ages, somebody has
always invented something to combat it. It will be so in the case of
the Zeppelin--never fear," he added confidently.
"Let's hope so," I replied, yet, truth to tell, it seemed to me very
much as though he were trying to pump me regarding the secrets of that
brown deal box which was reposing in a locked cupboard in the adjoining
room. Perhaps, of course, mine was an entirely ungrounded suspicion.
But there it was. I hesitated--and wondered.
At that moment Theed--who acted as my mechanic, valet, and
man-of-all-work--rapped at the door and, entering, announced:
"Miss Lethmere, sir."
Next instant Roseye, merry and radiant in a new fur motor-coat and
close-fitting black hat, burst into the room.
She drew back on seeing Lionel, and then, recovering herself in an
instant, exclaimed:
"Oh, Claude, I--thought you were alone! How are you to-day? I've
brought you some flowers."
"Thanks, dear," I replied. "I'm feeling much better to-day. Teddy was
in this morning, and he told me that you'd made a flight soon after
breakfast. How far did you go? I thought you intended to rest for a
bit?"
"I went to Chelmsford," she replied. "I had a little engine-trouble
before I got back, and had to come down in somebody's park. I think it
was somewhere near Watford. But I was able to put it right and get
home, if a trifle lamely."
"So Bertie Maynard told me," remarked Lionel. "I saw him in the club
just before lunch, and he said that you'd had engine-trouble."
"Oh, it wasn't very much really. Only, after Claude's smash, I'm rather
careful," she said.
"One should always take every precaution," declared Lionel seriously, as
he rose and gave her his chair opposite me. "A lot of the boys are far
too daring nowadays. They've followed Pegoud, and take needless risks
long before they are qualified to do so. It's easy enough to make the
sensational loop if you are a practised hand. But when half-trained
pupils try and attempt it--well, they're bound to make a mess of it."
Roseye glanced at me for a moment, and I knew that she was annoyed at
Lionel's presence. He was a good enough fellow in his place as a friend
of her family, and a gossip who entertained her father so constantly,
but she had no desire that he should be present at what she had intended
should be a cosy _tete-a-tete_ over our tea and muffins.
"Well. Have you seen the papers to-day?" I asked, in order to change
the subject. "They are still full of the want of an efficient
air-defence."
"That will come all right, my dear Claude, I'm sure," replied Lionel
who, leaning back against the corner of my writing-table, had lit a
fresh cigarette.
"I sincerely hope so," returned Roseye. "What we sadly need is a Man
who will be really responsible for air-defence--and air-defence alone--
one who can make the most of the weapons that are now in our hands, and
who has the wit, courage and initiative to use our own splendid airmen
as they themselves desire to be employed--namely, to fight the enemy."
"Quite so," I agreed. "We also want arrangements for warning the towns
and cities that air-raids are probable, so that people may take cover
against both bombs and splinters of shell from anti-aircraft guns."
"All that will come in due course," Lionel assured us.
"No doubt," I hastened to say. "Please understand that I'm not
criticising any department of our defences. On the contrary, I only
argue from the point of the man who may be desirous of protecting his
home. Perhaps, as you say, some efficient means will at last be found
by which to deal successfully with the enemy aircraft. If so, the whole
country will eagerly welcome it."
"What we don't like is attacks without any timely warning," said Roseye.
Lionel smiled--with a touch of sarcasm I thought.
"There won't be any more raids for a bit, I feel positive, Miss
Lethmere," was his assurance. "Our friends across the North Sea are not
yet fully prepared with their machinery. The raid on the thirteenth was
but a mere rehearsal of what they hope to do. And, as you argue, we
should certainly be prepared."
"You speak almost as though you know," I remarked, not without some
surprise at his words.
"I only speak after surveying the matter calmly and logically," was his
slow reply. "The German newspapers have--ever since the early days of
the war--threatened to bombard London from the air. This last raid has
shown that they are capable of doing so."
"They're capable of anything!" I cried. "Remember Scarborough!"
"And Belgium," chimed in Roseye.
"Well," said Lionel to me. "You make all sorts of experiments on your
new propellers and things down at Gunnersbury. Why don't you try and
devise some plan by which we can destroy Zeppelins? You're always so
intensely ingenious, Claude."
"So you've just said. But far better men than myself have tried--and
failed," was my diplomatic response.
"But surely some means can be devised!" he cried. "Our flying-boys are
splendid, as you know--and--"
"Except when they come to grief, as I did the other day," I interrupted
with a hard laugh.
"Well, you surely can't complain," was his answer.
"You've had the very devil's luck ever since you took your certificate."
"Admitted. But that doesn't help me to fight Zeppelins," I replied.
"It only wants somebody to do something, to find out some new invention
or other, and the boys will tumble over each other in their eagerness to
go up after enemy airships. Of that, I'm positive," declared Eastwell.
"You've got a lot of plant down at Gunnersbury, haven't you? If so, you
ought to turn your serious attention to this matter which is at the
present moment of the very highest importance to the country."
Roseye glanced at me, and I saw that my visitor's words and bearing
puzzled her.
"What do you make of Lionel's questions?" I asked her ten minutes
later, when Eastwell had risen and left, having taken the gentle hint
that I wished to be alone with Roseye over the tea and muffins.
"I don't know what to make of them, dear," replied the girl, seating
herself again in the big chair.
"Well, I've been watching him for some days," I said slowly. "And, do
you know that, strictly between ourselves, I believe that he has some
suspicion of the direction of our experiments, and is pumping us to see
what he can glean!"
"How can he possibly know? He is, of course, well aware that you've
been devising new propellers, but he can know nothing of our real work.
Neither Teddy nor Theed would ever let drop a single word, and, as you
know, I've never breathed a sentence at home."
"He spoke as though he knew that the enemy intended more raids--but not
just at present."
Roseye suddenly stirred herself and stared at me in amazement with those
big expressive eyes of hers.
"What? do you think--do you really suspect that Lionel Eastwell is our
enemy, Claude?" she asked, suddenly pale and breathless.
"Well--perhaps not exactly that," I replied hesitatingly. "Only his
queer questions, naturally make one think. We know we have enemies,
clever, unscrupulous ones who have not hesitated to attempt to take my
life. Therefore we must both be wary--extremely wary--for we never know
where the next pitfall may be concealed."
"I quite agree with all that, dear," answered Roseye, looking at me
earnestly. "But I really can't think that Lionel is anything else than
one of our best friends. At least he's been a really good chum to me,
ever since we first met. No," she added decisively, "I'm convinced that
no suspicion can attach to him. Such an idea, Claude, is to me, too
utterly absurd."
"Yes. Well, I suppose you're right, dearest," I replied with a sigh.
"Women always see so very much farther than men in matters of this
sort."
And I rose and, crossing to her chair, kissed her fondly upon the lips.
"I'm sorry--very sorry indeed, dearest, that I've cast any reflection
upon your friend," I said in deep apology. "Do please forgive me, and
we'll never mention the subject again."