Transvestia

it. Would you like to do something else while you're waiting for me to finish?" Her voice dripped gooey charm, but her finger pointed sharply at the telephone.

·

The young man took the hint and his voice

sounded strangely in his own ears.

"Well, I could ring the library and ask if some books have arrived yet. You keep on working, and I'll only be a moment."

He moved heavily to the telephone, lifted the receiver, listened. As the girl had predicted, the line was dead. Had the wires been cut? Why? By whom? He felt suddenly cold, as if he had plunged abruptly from a sunny day-dream into a grey and deadly night- mare. He gulped silently. The girl was smiling brill- iantly at him, encouragingly. He achieved a casual

tone.

"That's a nuisance. The line must be out of ord- er. Never mind. I'll try again later." He returned to his charming scholar.

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she had in-

"KEEP ON TALKING MATHEMATICS, structed him. Hardly knowing why, he obeyed.

"No, I'm afraid that method of yours would never solve the problem. Look, let me show you." She smiled warm approval, as he took the pen and wrote:

·

"WHAT GOES ON?" The words were a little shak- y but then, so was he. Already his prodigious imag- ination had found a hundred grim keys to this mystery, but they were only guess work. What were the facts?

Valerie handed him a little folded card. On one half of this was her photograph, and on the other half a photograph of a young man who could have been her twin brother. Across both photos was written the signa- ture "Paul Valery, is an agent of the British Govern- ment. All persons are requested, and the British sub- ject enjoined, to give him every assistance in the exe- cution of his duty."

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