“Then why his seal, and his special private notepaper?  However, there’s another point.  Feisul writes the purest kind of Arabic, and this isn’t that sort of Arabic.  It was written by a foreigner—­perhaps a Frenchman—­possibly an Armenian—­most likely a Turk—­certainly one of the outer ring of politicians who have access to Feisul and seek to control him, but are not really in his confidence.  Damascus is simply a network of spies of that kind—­men who attached themselves to the Arab cause when it looked like winning and are now busy transferring their allegiance.

“I think I could name the man who wrote this; I think I know the man who wrote that magnifique.  If I’m right, Yussuf Dakmar will notify the French tonight through their agents in Jerusalem.  The man who wrote that magnifique will know before morning that the letter’s missing; and it doesn’t matter how careful I may be, it’ll be known as soon as I start for Damascus.

“They’ll dope out that our obvious course would be to confront Feisul with this letter.  The only way to travel is by train; the roads are rotten—­in fact, no auto could get through; they’d tip off the Bedouins, who’d murder everybody.

“So they’ll watch the trains and especially Haifa, where everyone going north has to spend the night; and they’ll stop at nothing to get the letter back, for two reasons; as long as it’s in our hands it can be used to establish proof of the plot against Feisul; once it’s back in theirs, they can keep it in their secret dossier to use against Feisul if they ever catch him and bring him to trial.  You remember the Dreyfus case?

“I shall start for Damascus by the early train—­probably take an auto as far as Ludd.  If I want to live until I reach Damascus I shall have to prove conclusively that I haven’t that letter with me.  Anyone known to be in British service is going to be suspected and, if not murdered, robbed.  Ramsden has been seen about too much with me.  Jeremy might juggle by but he’s already notorious, and these people are shrewd.  Better hold Jeremy in reserve, and the same with Narayan Singh.  A woman’s best.  How about you, Mabel?”

“What d’you mean, Jim?”

“Do you know a woman in Haifa?”

“Of course I do.”

“Well enough to expect a bed for the night at a moment’s notice?”

“Certainly.”

Mabel’s eyes were growing very bright indeed.  It was her husband who looked alarmed.

“Well, now, here’s the point.”

Grim leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette, not looking at anybody, stating his case impersonally, as it were, which is much the shrewdest way of being personal.

“Feisul’s up against it, and he’s the best man in all this land, bar none.  They’ve dealt to him from a cold deck, and he’s bound to lose this hand whichever way he plays it.  To put it differently, he’s in check, but not checkmated.  He’ll be checkmated, though, if the French ever lay hands on him, and then good-bye to the Arab’s chance for twenty years.