XIII + 

The вАЬRational FaithersвАЭ + 

In the handsomely furnished sitting-room of a West Kensington flat, Gonsalez and Poiccart sat over their postprandial cigars, each busy with his own thoughts. Poiccart tossed his cigar into the fireplace and pulled out his polished briar and slowly charged it from a gigantic pouch. Leon watched him under half-closed lids, piecing together the scraps of information he had collected from his persistent observation. + 

вАЬYou are getting sentimental, my friend,вАЭ he said. + 

Poiccart looked up inquiringly. + 

вАЬYou were smoking one of GeorgeвАЩs cigars without realizing it. Halfway through the smoke you noticed the band had not been removed, so you go to tear it off. By the band you are informed that it is one of GeorgeвАЩs favourite cigars, and that starts a train of thought that makes the cigar distasteful to you, and you toss it away.вАЭ + 

Poiccart lit his pipe before replying. + 

вАЬSpoken like a cheap little magazine detective,вАЭ he said frankly. вАЬIf you would know I was aware that it was GeorgeвАЩs, and from excess of loyalty I was trying to smoke it; halfway through I reluctantly concluded that friendship had its limits; it is you who are sentimental.вАЭ + 

Gonsalez closed his eyes and smiled. вАЬThereвАЩs another review of your book in the Evening Mirror tonight,вАЭ Poiccart went on maliciously; вАЬhave you seen it?вАЭ + 

The recumbent figure shook its head. + 

вАЬIt says,вАЭ the merciless Poiccart continued, вАЬthat an author who can make Morocco as dull as you have done, would makeвБ†вАФвАЭ + 

вАЬSpare me,вАЭ murmured Gonsalez half asleep. + 

They sat for ten minutes, the tick-tick of the little clock on the mantelpiece and the regular puffs from PoiccartвАЩs pipe breaking the silence. + 

вАЬIt would seem to me,вАЭ said Gonsalez, speaking with closed eyes, вАЬthat George is in the position of a master who has set his two pupils a difficult problem to solve, quite confident that, difficult as it is, they will surmount all obstacles and supply the solution.вАЭ + 

вАЬI thought you were asleep,вАЭ said Poiccart. + 

вАЬI was never more awake,вАЭ said Gonsalez calmly. вАЬI am only marshalling details. Do you know Mr.¬†Peter Sweeney?вАЭ + 

вАЬNo,вАЭ said Poiccart. + 

вАЬHeвАЩs a member of the Borough Council of Chelmsford. A great and a good man.вАЭ + 

Poiccart made no response. + 

вАЬHe is also the head and front of the вАШRational FaithвАЩ movement, of which you may have heard.вАЭ + 

вАЬI havenвАЩt,вАЭ admitted Poiccart, stolid but interested. + 

вАЬThe вАШRational Faithers,вАЩвАКвАЭ Gonsalez explained sleepily, вАЬare an off shoot of the New Unitarians, and the New Unitarians are a hotch-potch people with grievances.вАЭ + 

Poiccart yawned. + 

вАЬThe вАШRational FaithersвАЩвАКвАЭ Gonsalez went on, вАЬhave a mission in life, they have also a brass band, and a collection of drivelling songs, composed, printed and gratuitously distributed by Mr.¬†Peter Sweeney, who is a man of substance.вАЭ + 

He was silent after this for quite a minute. + 

вАЬA mission in life, and a nice loud brassy bandвБ†вАФthe members of which are paid monthly salariesвБ†вАФby Peter.вАЭ + 

Poiccart turned his head and regarded his friend curiously. + 

вАЬWhat is all this about?вАЭ he asked. + 

вАЬThe вАШRational Faithers,вАЩвАКвАЭ the monotonous Gonsalez continued, вАЬare the sort of people who for all time have been in the eternal minority. They are against things, against public-houses, against music-halls, against meat eating, and vaccinationвБ†вАФand capital punishment,вАЭ he repeated softly. + 

Poiccart waited. + 

вАЬYears ago they were regarded as a nuisanceвБ†вАФrowdies broke up their meetings; the police prosecuted them for obstruction, and some of them were sent to prison and came out again, being presented with newly furbished haloes at meat breakfastsвБ†вАФPeter presiding. + 

вАЬNow they have lived down their persecutionsвБ†вАФmartyrdom is not to be so cheaply boughtвБ†вАФthey are an institution like the mechanical spinning jenny and fashionable socialismвБ†вАФwhich proves that if you go on doing things often enough and persistently, saying with a loud voice, вАШPro bono publico,вАЩ people will take you at your own valuation, and will tolerate you.вАЭ + 

Poiccart was listening intently now. + 

вАЬThese people demonstrateвБ†вАФPeter is really well off, with heaps of slum property, and he has lured other wealthy ladies and gentlemen into the movement. They demonstrate on all occasions. They have chantsвБ†вАФPeter calls them вАШchants,вАЩ and it is a nice distinction, stamping them as it does with the stamp of semi-secularityвБ†вАФfor these festive moments, chants for the confusion of vaccinators, and eaters of beasts, and such. But of all their вАШServices of ProtestвАЩ none is more thorough, more beautifully complete, than that which is specially arranged to express their horror and abhorrence of capital punishment.вАЭ + 

His pause was so long that Poiccart interjected an impatientвБ†вАФ + 

вАЬWell?вАЭ + 

вАЬI was trying to think of the chant,вАЭ said Leon thoughtfully. вАЬIf I remember right one verse goesвБ†вАФ + 

Come fight the gallant fight, + 

This horror to undo; + 

Two blacks will never make a white, + 

Nor legal murder too.вАЭ + 

вАЬThe last line,вАЭ said Gonsalez tolerantly, вАЬis a trifle vague, but it conveys with delicate suggestion the underlying moral of the poem. There is another verse which has for the moment eluded me, but perhaps I shall think of it later.вАЭ + 

He sat up suddenly and leant over, dropping his hand on PoiccartвАЩs arm. + 

вАЬWhen we were talking ofвБ†вАФour plan the other day you spoke of our greatest danger, the one thing we could not avoid. Does it not seem to you that the вАШRational FaithersвАЩ offer a solution with their querulous campaigns, their demonstrations, their brassy brass band, and their preposterous chants?вАЭ + 

Poiccart pulled steadily at his pipe. + 

вАЬYouвАЩre a wonderful man, Leon,вАЭ he said. + 

Leon walked over to the cupboard, unlocked it, and drew out a big portfolio such as artists use to carry their drawings in. He untied the strings and turned over the loose pages. It was a collection that had cost the Four Just Men much time and a great deal of money. + 

вАЬWhat are you going to do?вАЭ asked Poiccart, as the other, slipping off his coat and fixing his pince-nez, sat down before a big plan he had extracted from the portfolio. Leon took up a fine drawing-pen from the table, examined the nib with the eye of a skilled craftsman, and carefully uncorked a bottle of architectвАЩs ink. + 

вАЬHave you ever felt a desire to draw imaginary islands?вАЭ he asked, вАЬnaming your own bays, christening your capes, creating towns with a scratch of your pen, and raising up great mountains with herringbone strokes? Because IвАЩm going to do something like thatвБ†вАФI feel in that mood which in little boys is eloquently described as вАШtrying,вАЩ and I have the inclination to annoy Scotland Yard.вАЭ + 

It was the day before the trial that Falmouth made the discovery. To be exact it was made for him. The keeper of a Gower Street boarding house reported that two mysterious men had engaged rooms. They came late at night with one portmanteau bearing divers foreign labels; they studiously kept their faces in the shadow, and the beard of one was obviously false. In addition to which they paid for their lodgings in advance, and that was the most damning circumstance of all. Imagine mine host, showing them to their rooms, palpitating with his tremendous suspicion, calling to the full upon his powers of simulation, ostentatiously nonchalant, and impatient to convey the news to the police-station round the corner. For one called the other Leon, and they spoke despairingly in stage whispers of вАЬpoor Manfred.вАЭ + 

They went out together, saying they would return soon after midnight, ordering a fire for their bedroom, for the night was wet and chilly. + 

Half an hour later the full story was being told to Falmouth over the telephone. + 

вАЬItвАЩs too good to be true,вАЭ was his comment, but gave orders. The hotel was well surrounded by midnight, but so skilfully that the casual passerby would never have suspected it. At three in the morning, Falmouth decided that the men had been warned, and broke open their doors to search the rooms. The portmanteau was their sole find. A few articles of clothing, bearing the вАЬtabвАЭ of a Parisian tailor, was all they found till Falmouth, examining the bottom of the portmanteau, found that it was false. + 

вАЬHullo!вАЭ he said, and in the light of his discovery the exclamation was modest in its strength, for, neatly folded, and cunningly hidden, he came upon the plans. He gave them a rapid survey and whistled. Then he folded them up and put them carefully in his pocket. + 

вАЬKeep the house under observation,вАЭ he ordered. вАЬI donвАЩt expect theyвАЩll return, but if they do, take вАЩem.вАЭ + 

Then he flew through the deserted streets as fast as a motorcar could carry him, and woke the chief commissioner from a sound sleep. + 

вАЬWhat is it?вАЭ he asked as he led the detective to his study. + 

Falmouth showed him the plans. + 

The Commissioner raised his eyebrows, and whistled. + 

вАЬThatвАЩs what I said,вАЭ confessed Falmouth. + 

The chief spread the plans upon the big table. + 

вАЬWandsworth, Pentonville and Reading,вАЭ said the Commissioner. вАЬPlans, and remarkably good plans, of all three prisons.вАЭ + 

Falmouth indicated the writing in the cramped hand and the carefully ruled lines that had been drawn in red ink. + 

вАЬYes, I see them,вАЭ said the Commissioner, вАЬand read вАШWall three feet thickвБ†вАФdynamite here, warder on duty hereвБ†вАФcan be shot from wall, distance to entrance to prison hall twenty-five feet; condemned cell here, walls three feet, one window, barred ten feet three inches from ground.вАЩвАКвАЭ + 

вАЬTheyвАЩve got the thing down very fineвБ†вАФwhat is thisвБ†вАФWandsworth?вАЭ + 

вАЬItвАЩs the same with the others, sir,вАЭ said Falmouth. вАЬTheyвАЩve got distances, heights and posts worked out; they must have taken years to get this information.вАЭ + 

вАЬOne thing is evident,вАЭ said the Commissioner; вАЬtheyвАЩll do nothing until after the trialвБ†вАФall these plans have been drawn with the condemned cell as the point of objective.вАЭ + 

Next morning Manfred received a visit from Falmouth. + 

вАЬI hate to tell you, Mr.¬†Manfred,вАЭ he said, вАЬthat we have in our possession full details of your contemplated rescue.вАЭ + 

Manfred looked puzzled. + 

вАЬLast night your two friends escaped by the skin of their teeth, leaving behind them elaborate plansвБ†вАФвАЭ + 

вАЬIn writing?вАЭ asked Manfred, with his quick smile. + 

вАЬIn writing,вАЭ said Falmouth solemnly. вАЬI think it is my duty to tell you this, because it seems that you are building too much upon what is practically an impossibility, an escape from gaol.вАЭ + 

вАЬYes,вАЭ answered Manfred absently, вАЬperhaps soвБ†вАФin writing I think you said.вАЭ + 

вАЬYes, the whole thing was worked outвАЭвБ†вАФhe thought he had said quite enough, and turned the subject. вАЬDonвАЩt you think you ought to change your mind and retain a lawyer?вАЭ + 

вАЬI think youвАЩre right,вАЭ said Manfred slowly. вАЬWill you arrange for a member of some respectable firm of solicitors to see me?вАЭ + 

вАЬCertainly,вАЭ said Falmouth, вАЬthough youвАЩve left your defenceвБ†вАФвАЭ + 

вАЬOh, it isnвАЩt my defence,вАЭ said Manfred cheerfully; вАЬonly I think I ought to make a will.вАЭ + 