That being so, possibly
out of a sense of fairness to all officially concerned, the committee
which I understand has been appointed to inquire into the traffic has
decided to treat us all alike, from myself down to the rawest
constable. It's highly irritating and preposterous, of course, but I
cannot disguise from you or from myself that we are on trial, Chief
Inspector!"
Kerry stood up and slowly moved his square shoulders in the manner of
an athlete about to attempt a feat of weight-lifting. From the
Assistant Commissioner's table he took the envelope which contained
his resignation, and tore it into several portions. These he deposited
in a waste-paper basket.
"That's that!" he said. "I am very deeply indebted to you, sir. I know
now what to tell the Press."
The Assistant Commissioner glanced up.
"Not a word about 719," he said, "of course, you understand this?"
"If we don't exist as far as 719 is concerned, sir," said Kerry in his
most snappy tones, "719 means nothing to me!"
"Quite so--quite so. Of course, I may be wrong in the motives which I
ascribe to this Whitehall agent, but misunderstanding is certain to
arise out of a system of such deliberate mystification, which can only
be compared to that employed by the Russian police under the Tsars.
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