It would almost seem that Seymour Michael divined his thoughts, at least in part.
"There are two reasons," he went on to say, "why absolute secrecy is necessary; first, for Agar's own sake. He is, of course, in disguise. No one suspects that he is there, and that is his only safeguard in the country where he is. Secondly--but I want your whole attention, please."
"Yes, I am listening."
Seymour Michael leant forward and emphasised his remark by tapping on the table with his gloved finger.
"The mission is so extremely dangerous that it comes almost to the same thing."
"What do you mean?" inquired Arthur Agar, whose gentle intellect only compassed subtleties of the drawing-room type.
"I mean that Jem Agar is almost as good as a dead man, although he was not killed at Pregalla."
The man
