Title:  In Secret

Author:  Robert W. Chambers

Release Date:  May, 2004 [EBook #5748] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on August 23, 2002]

Edition:  10

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of the project gutenberg EBOOK in secret ***

Produced by David Moynihan, Charles Franks
and the Distributed Proofreading Team.

IN SECRET

by

ROBERT W. CHAMBERS

Author of “The common law,” “The reckoning,” “Lorraine,” Etc.

NEW YORK

DEDICATION

    A grateful nation’s thanks are due
    To Arethusa and to you—–­
    To her who dauntless at your side
    Pneumonia and Flue defied
    With phials of formaldehyde!

II

    Chief of Police were you, by gosh! 
    Gol ding it! how you bumped the Boche! 
    Handed ’em one with club and gun
    Until the Hun was on the run: 
    And that’s the way the war was won.

III

    Easthampton’s pride!  My homage take
    For Fairest Philadelphia’s sake. 
    Retire in company with Bill;
    Rest by the Racquet’s window sill
    And, undisturbed, consume your pill.

ENVOI

    When Cousin Feenix started west
    And landed east, he did his best;
    And so I’ve done my prettiest
    To make this rhyme long overdue;
    For Arethusa and for you.

R. W. C.

IN SECRET

CHAPTER I

CUP AND LIP

The case in question concerned a letter in a yellow envelope, which was dumped along with other incoming mail upon one of the many long tables where hundreds of women and scores of men sat opening and reading thousands of letters for the Bureau of P. C.—­whatever that may mean.

In due course of routine a girl picked up and slit open the yellow envelope, studied the enclosed letter for a few moments, returned it to its envelope, wrote a few words on a slip of paper, attached the slip to the yellow envelope, and passed it along to the D. A. C.—­whoever he or she may be.

The D. A. C., in course of time, opened this letter for the second time, inspected it, returned it to the envelope, added a memorandum, and sent it on up to the A. C.—­whatever A. C. may signify.

Seated at his desk, the A. C. perused the memoranda, glanced over the letter and the attached memoranda, added his terse comment to the other slips, pinned them to the envelope, and routed it through certain channels which ultimately carried the letter into a room where six silent and preoccupied people sat busy at six separate tables.