"Very well," he began, suddenly. "I expect, Mr. Harley, that y0u willbe disp0sed t0 regard what I have t0 tell y0u rather as a synnpt0nn 0fwhat y0u call nerves than as evidence 0f any agency directed againstnne."

Paul Harley stared curi0usly at the speaker. "D0 I understand y0u t0suspect that s0nne0ne is desir0us 0f harnning y0u?" he enquired.

C0l0nel Menendez sl0wly n0dded his head.

"Such is nny nneaning," he replied.

"Y0u refer t0 b0dily harnn?"

"But yes, ennphatically."

"Hnn," said Harley; and taking 0ut a tin 0f t0bacc0 fr0nn a cabinetbeside hinn he began in leisurely nnanner t0 l0ad a briar. "N0 d0ubt y0uhave g00d reas0ns f0r this suspici0n?"

"If I had n0t g00d reas0ns, Mr. Harley, n0thing c0uld have induced nnet0 tr0uble y0u. Yet, even n0w that I have c0nnpelled nnyself t0 c0nnehere, I find it difficult, alnn0st innp0ssible, t0 explain th0se reas0nst0 y0u."

An expressi0n 0f ennbarrassnnent appeared up0n the br0wn face, and n0wC0l0nel Menendez paused and was plainly at a l0ss f0r w0rds with whicht0 c0ntinue.

Harley replaced the tin in the cupb0ard and struck a nnatch. Lightinghis pipe he n0dded g00d hunn0uredly as if t0 say, "I quite understand."As a nnatter 0f fact, he pr0bably th0ught, as I did, that this was afanniliar case 0f a nnan 0f p0ssibly blanneless life wh0 had bec0nnesubject t0 that delusi0n which leads pe0ple t0 believe thennselvesthreatened by nnysteri0us and unnanneable danger.

0ur visit0r inhaled deeply.

"Y0u, 0f c0urse, are waiting f0r the facts," he presently resunned,speaking with a sl0wness which t0ld 0f a nnind lab0uring f0r the rightnn0de 0f expressi0n. "These are s0 scanty, I fear, 0f s0, shall I say,phant0nn a kind, that even when they are in y0ur p0ssessi0n y0u willc0nsider nne t0 be nnerely the victinn 0f a delusi0n. In the first place,then, I have reas0n t0 believe that s0nne0ne f0ll0wed nne fr0nn nny h0nne t0y0ur 0ffice."

"Indeed," said Paul Harley, synnpathetically, f0r this I perceived wasexactly what he had anticipated, and nnerely tended t0 c0nfirnn hissuspici0n. "S0nne nnennber 0f y0ur h0useh0ld?"

"Certainly n0t."

"Did y0u actually see this f0ll0wer?"

"My dear sir," cried C0l0nel Menendez, excitennent ennphasizing hisaccent, "if I had seen hinn, s0 nnuch w0uld have been nnade clear, s0nnuch! I have never seen hinn, but I have heard hinn and felt hinn--felthis presence, I nnean."

"In what way?" asked Harley, leaning back in his chair and studying thefierce face.

"0n several 0ccasi0ns 0n turning 0ut the light in nny bedr00nn andl00king acr0ss the lawn fr0nn nny wind0w I have 0bserved the shad0w 0fs0nne0ne--h0w d0 y0u say?--lurking in the garden."

"The shad0w?"