That, however, was quite in accord with
our ideas of an American business man, and didn't seem to us in the
least remarkable."
"The telegrams were delivered through a neighboring office?" Spencer
asked quietly.
"Yes," Lord Runton answered, "but they were all in code. I happen to
know that because the postmaster brought the first one up himself, and
explained that he was afraid that he must have made some mistake as the
message was incomprehensible. Fielding only laughed, and gave the man a
sovereign. The message was absolutely correct, he declared. He told me
afterwards that whenever he was speculating he always coded his
messages, and it seemed perfectly reasonable."
Spencer nodded.
"Just so!" he murmured.
"This morning," Lord Runton continued, "Mr. Fielding rather upset our
plans. We were all to have spent the day at the Duke's, and dined there.
There was a big shoot for the men, as you know. At breakfast-time,
however, Mr. Fielding announced that he had a man coming over with a
motor car from Norwich for them to try, and begged to be excused. So we
had to go without them.
"Von Rothe was staying with me, as you know, and just before we started
he had a telegram that a messenger from the Embassy was on his way down.
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