The Great Spy System | Page 5

he will do, in the way of taking extra precautions?"
"I think he will try to put me out of the way," said the detective,
smiling.
"Do you mean that he will attempt to assassinate you?"
"Exactly that."
"And that you purposely invite such a thing?"
"Certainly."
"But, Mr. Carter, isn't that rather foolhardy?"
"No; I don't think so. My object is to get him to show his hand. If his
system is as perfect as we think it is, he knows already that I am here,
and that I am holding an interview with you. He fears me, as he fears
nobody else. He has had a taste of what I can do to him, I hope this
does not sound like egotism. I don't mean it so."
"Not at all."
"And therefore, since I am here again, he will guess at once that you
have suspected his presence and have sent for me, and he will figure it
out that the only way to be safe is to get rid of me."
"But will he dare to attempt to assassinate you in the streets, or-"
"No. He will figure out to have me killed, so that my death will appear
to be accidental."
"You speak of it as coolly as if you were referring to a third party."

"I am-in a sense; for he will not succeed. Forewarned is forearmed, you
see. And it will be through just such an attempt as I have outlined to
you, that I will be most likely to get directly upon Mustushimi's track."
"You are a strange fellow, Mr. Carter."
"Not so strange, perhaps, as you suppose. I only try to put myself in the
place of the other fellow when I can, and look at what is happening
from his point of view."
"All right, Mr. Carter. Conduct the matter as you please. I know that
you will be successful; and that is all we desire."
CHAPTER III.
NICK CARTER CONVEYS AN IMPORTANT SIGNAL.
The interview, as recorded, took place in the early evening, for the
detective had arrived in Washington at six o'clock, and had repaired at
once to the Arlington Hotel, where he registered and took a room under
his own name, and where he made no effort at all to conceal his
identity.
After that, he had taken dinner, and then, a little before eight, repaired
to the White House, where the President was awaiting him.
It was half-past nine when he came out again, and walked slowly across
Lafayette Square toward the hotel; and he was not surprised-in fact, he
smiled rather broadly-when he noticed at once that he was followed.
As he issued from the White House grounds, he noticed that a man was
loitering near the cast end of the square, and another near the western
end of it. Still another had been on the White House side of the avenue
and had started to walk rapidly in his direction, the instant he appeared;
and through the trees in the square, he could see that there was still
another, while he had not a doubt that there was one or two more
around him somewhere, ready to take up the trail if they should be
called upon to do so.

"Mustushimi does me too much honor," he murmured to himself. "He
has probably put his best men onto me already. Good!"
He continued on his way across the square, as if he was entirely
unobservant of these things, but he was keenly on the alert all the time
lest one of the spies should approach too close to him and that he did
not desire; for it would be an easy matter, in such a case, for one of
them to stick a knife into him, or fire a bullet into his body, or attack
him in some manner, before he could have an opportunity to defend
himself.
But the paths across Lafayette Square are wide, and well lighted, and
he could see in all directions almost as plainly as if he had been on the
avenue itself; and the men who were keeping him in view remained at a
respectful distance-and so, presently, he passed into the entrance of the
hotel and seated himself in the office of it, having lighted a cigar.
And then, across the floor from toward the desk, there approached a
certain senator from the West* who had been active in that other case
to which reference was made in his talk with the President-the senator
whose identity Nick had assumed for a time in order the better to work
out his case at that time.
"Hello, Carter," he said, dropping into a chair near the detective, after
shaking hands. "I happened to see your name on the register, and asked
if