Yet even then I should have made
little progress. I did not dare to hint that he belonged to the Secret
Service; nevertheless, if the authorities had this plot in charge, it
was absolutely necessary we should work together, or, at least, that I
should know they were in the secret, and steer my course accordingly.
The fact that Simard appeared with undisguised face was not so
important as might appear to an outsider.
It is always safer for a spy to preserve his natural appearance if
that is possible, because a false beard or false moustache or wig run
the risk of being deranged or torn away. As I have said, an anarchist
assemblage is simply a room filled with the atmosphere of suspicion. I
have known instances where an innocent stranger was suddenly set upon
in the midst of solemn proceedings by two or three impetuous
fellow-members, who nearly jerked his own whiskers from his face
under the impression that they were false. If Simard, therefore,
appeared in his own scraggy beard and unkempt hair it meant that he
communicated with headquarters by some circuitous route. I realised,
therefore, that a very touchy bit of diplomacy awaited me if I was to
learn from himself his actual status. While I pondered over this
perplexity, it was suddenly dissolved by the action of the president,
and another substituted for it.
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