The Secret War Read Online Free PDF

picking off the worst of them one by one.”
    Lovelace thoughtfully fingered his little moustache. “Then what it comes to is this. Your organisation is actually perpetrating a series of murders. It
is
murder. You can’t get away from that.”
    â€œWell, what if it is?” Christopher Penn suddenly stood up. “That’s the fault of our law which executes a poor devil who’s too drunk to know what he’s doing when he kills another in a brawl, and yet gives these arch-murderers, who deliberately ferment mass-slaughter, its protection. Call it murder if you like, but no executions according to the law of any state have ever been ordered for the protection of human life with more justice.”
    â€œMy dear fellow, I agree with you in theory. It’s the practical part which revolts me personally. That’s against all reason, perhaps, but it’s a fact, and as a decent man I believe at heart you must feel the same. Iunderstand your using all your influence to support your organisation’s political moves, and even issuing warnings or threats on their behalf, as you did a few hours ago to that man Benyon, but if they actually picked on you to hunt a man down and kill him, I don’t believe your conscience would allow you to go through with it.”
    â€œIt would. If I failed to carry out my pledge, and all the others failed too, new wars would break out that would take either us or our children. We’ve
got
to stop it somehow! Isolation’s no good. The League’s no good. Ours is the only way, and we must not falter.” Penn’s mouth tightened for a moment and then he suddenly cried: “I had my notification yesterday. It’s horrible, isn’t it? Horrible, but—I’ve got to commit murder!”
    The door had opened. The girl of the photograph stood on its threshold. Her eyes were wide and staring. “You—commit murder?” she stammered. “Oh, Christopher, what
do
you mean?”

CHAPTER III

VALERIE LORNE TAKES HAND
    Sir Anthony Lovelace stared at the girl.
    He had been right, her hair
was
chestnut, and her eyes
were
grey.
    After her first exclamation she recovered almost instantly, and stepped firmly into the room. “What did you mean, Christopher, when you said you had
got
to commit a murder?”
    â€œDarling, I’m sorry—sorry if I scared you; but you took us rather by surprise.” He waved a hand towards his guest. “This is Sir Anthony Lovelace. Lovelace, my fiancée, Valerie Lorne.”
    As she acknowledged the introduction Lovelace thought her eyes showed a sudden flicker of interest, but she turned abruptly to her fiancé. “I let myself in and I quite thought you were alone.”
    â€œThat’s all right, sweet,” said Christopher swiftly. “Until I heard your plane come over I didn’t think you’d be back before to-morrow, but I meant to call you later. Let’s go into the other room.”
    They followed her out across the hall to the book-lined sitting-room. Christopher shut the door behind him. “It’s come,” he said facing her. “Somehow I never thought they’d select me; but they have. It came yesterday morning.”
    â€œYou mean—the thing you told me of when we became engaged?” She lit a cigarette and Lovelace gave her full marks for the hold she was keeping on herself.
    Christopher nodded.
    â€œWell,” she appeared to consider for a moment.“That’s pretty hard on both of us: but, if you’ve got to, it will not be murder.”
    â€œLovelace here seems to think it is.”
    â€œPlease forget I said that.” Lovelace was feeling the awkwardness of his position. “Look here, Penn, you’ll naturally want to talk this thing over with Miss Lorne. Don’t let’s stand on ceremony. Ring for your car to be sent round and it can take me back to New York at once.”
    â€œThanks, but