5. Meanwhile Basil Thorne was mailing us his reports every day. He was making rapid progress in winning the confidence of Dr. Touchon's right-hand man Fay. Basil could have charmed anybody. It was evident that the doctor and his lieutenant never met. This was a point in our favour. If they had held casual conversations Fay might very likely have mentioned his new friend and the doctor, who was much the more astute, might have smelled a rat; as it was, Fay only reported what seemed to be of importance to his chief.
From time to time Basil inclosed the flashlight messages that he intercepted. Owing to the way in which they were taken down they were, naturally, very imperfect; but Mme. Storey, who cannot resist anything in the nature of a cryptogram or a code, puzzled over them until light b
