Page:The Zeppelin Destroyer.djvu/87

 'Well, you surely can't complain,' was his answer. 'You've had the very devil's luck ever since you took your certificate.'

'Admitted. But that doesn't help me to fight Zeppelins,' I replied.

'It only wants somebody to do something, to find out some new invention or other, and the boys will tumble over each other in their eagerness to go up after enemy airships. Of that, I'm positive,' declared Eastwell. 'You've got a lot of plant down at Gunnersbury, haven't you? If so, you ought to turn your serious attention to this matter which is at the present moment of the very highest importance to the country.'

Roseye glanced at me, and I saw that my visitor's words and bearing puzzled her.

'What do you make of Lionel's questions?' I asked her ten minutes later, when Eastwell had risen and left, having taken the gentle hint that I wished to be alone with Roseye over the tea and muffins.

'I don't know what to make of them, dear,' replied the girl, seating herself again in the big chair.

'Well, I've been watching him for some days,' I said slowly. 'And, do you know that, strictly between ourselves, I believe that he has some suspicion of the direction of our experiments, and is pumping us to see what he can glean!'

'How can he possibly know? He is, of course, well aware that you've been devising new propellers, but he can know nothing of our real work. Neither Teddy nor Theed would ever let drop a single word,