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Page 44
"Nora's trophy?" Sir Henry repeated. "Why, it's nothing but an
ordinary man's hat."
"Nevertheless, it's a very travelled one, sir," Harrison pointed out.
"Miss Nora picked it up on Dutchman's Common, the morning after the
observation car was found there."
Sir Henry held out the hat.
"But Nora doesn't seriously suppose that the Germans come over in
this sort of headgear, does she?" he demanded.
"If you'll just look inside the lining, sir," Sinclair suggested.
Sir Henry turned it up and whistled softly. "By Jove, it's a
German hat, all right!" he exclaimed. "Doesn't look a bad shape,
either."
He tried it on. There was a little peal of laughter from the men.
Philippa had ceased her knitting and was watching from the couch.
Sir Henry looked at himself in the looking-glass.
"Well, that's funny," he observed. "I shouldn't have thought it
would have been so much too small for me. Here, just try how you'd
look in it, Mr. Lessingham," he added, handing it across to him.
Lessingham accepted the situation quite coolly, and placed the hat
carefully on his head.
"It doesn't feel particularly comfortable," he remarked.
"That may be," Sir Henry suggested, "because you have it on wrong
side foremost. If you'd just turn it round, I believe you would
find it a very good fit."
Lessingham at once obeyed. Sir Henry regarded him with admiration.
"Excellent!" he exclaimed. "Look at that, Philippa. Might have
been made for him, eh?"
Lessingham looked at himself in the glass and removed the hat from
his head with, some casual observation. He was entirely at his ease.
His host turned towards the door, which Mills was holding open.
"Captain Griffiths, sir," the latter announced.
Sir Henry greeted his visitor briefly.
"How are you, Griffiths?" he said. "Glad to see you. Excuse my
costume, but I am just back from a fishing expedition. We are all
admiring Mr. Lessingham in his magic hat."
Captain Griffiths shook hands with Philippa, nodded to the others,
and turned towards Lessingham.
"Put it on again, there's a good fellow, Lessingham," Sir Henry
begged. "You see, we have found a modern version of Cinderella's
slipper. The hat which fell from the Zeppelin on to Dutchman's
Common fits our friend like a glove. I never thought the Germans
made such good hats, did you, Griffiths?"
"I always thought they imported their felt hats," Captain Griffiths
acknowledged. "Is that really the one with the German name inside,
which Miss Nora brought home?"
"This is the genuine article," Lessingham assented, taking it from
his head and passing it on to the newcomer. "Notwithstanding the
name inside, I should still believe that it was an English hat. It
feels too comfortable for anything else."
The Commandant took the hat to a lamp and examined it carefully.
He drew out the lining and looked all the way round. Suddenly he
gave vent to a little exclamation.
"Here are the owner's initials," he declared, "rather faint but
still distinguishable,--B. M. Hm! There's no doubt about its
being a German hat."
"B. M.," Sir Henry muttered, looking over his shoulder. "How very
interesting! B. M.," he repeated, turning to Philippa, who had
recommenced her knitting. "Is it my fancy, or is there something
a little familiar about that?"
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