Chapter 9 Summary

The military men don't believe that Alloa could have been an impostor, but the Frenchman Royer believes that the best disguise is the one you're not looking for, and he relates a hunting story with the same lesson as its conclusion. They remember that Alloa did not speak much but only read the intelligence over and over, as a spy committing data to photographic memory. It seems they were duped, and now the only slim chance they have of averting disaster is to somehow find the Germans as they leave the country via boat.

Hannay remembers the cryptic phrase "Thirty-Nine Steps" from Scudder's notebook, and also notations about "high tide" arriving at "10:17 p.m." precisely. Black Stone must be leaving from someplace tomorrow night that has a high tide occurring at 10:17 p.m. Hannay and the men head to the Admiralty to look...