Did he know the import of the cipher message she had discovered? Ought
she to talk freely to him?
"Do you know what those numbers meant?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied, "about the eight transports sailing. The Chief told
me about it."
"Well," she said, with a sigh of relief, "I have become acquainted with
young Mr. Hoff already. I've just had luncheon with him."
"That's fine," he cried enthusiastically. "A lucky day it was I ran
across you."
"When you 'phoned me he was there in our apartment, he and a navy
lieutenant, Mr. Kramer."
Attentively he listened as she told of the ruse by which she had
inveigled them into coming to luncheon, reminding him that it was the
same naval officer that he himself had seen in close conversation with
Hoff at the Ritz the day before. He nodded his head in a satisfied way.
"They are together too much to be up to any good," he commented. "Tell
me the rest. What made you so rattled when I 'phoned you?"
He listened intently as she told of finding young Hoff standing right
behind her as she had inadvertently mentioned aloud "the fifth book."
"Do you suppose," she questioned anxiously, "that he overheard me and
understood what we were talking about? He left right away after that. I
do hope I didn't betray the fact that they are being watched.
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