Page:Buchan - The Thirty-Nine Steps (Grosset Dunlap, 1915).djvu/98

 "Not a profession that weakens the nerves, is it?"

I laughed. "Oh, as to that, my nerves are good enough." I took down a hunting knife from a stand on the wall, and did the old Mashona trick of tossing it and catching it in my lips. That wants a pretty steady heart.

He watched me with a smile. "I don't want proofs. I may be an ass on a platform, but I can size up a man. You're no murderer and you're no fool, and I believe you are speaking the truth. I'm going to back you up. Now, what can I do?"

"First, I want you to write a letter to your uncle. I've got to get in touch with the government people some time before the 15th of June."

He pulled his moustache. "That won't help you. This is Foreign Office business and my uncle would have nothing to do with it. Besides, you'd never convince him. No, I'll go one better. I'll write to the permanent secretary at the Foreign