NEWTON MOORE came into the War Office in response to a code telegram and a hint that speed was the essence of the contract. Sir George Morley plunged immediately into his subject."I've got a pretty case for you," he said. "I suppose you have never heard of such a thing as the Mazaroff rifle?"Moore admitted his ignorance. He opined that it was something new, and that something had gone wrong with the lethal weapon in question."Quite right, and it will be your business to recover it," Sir George explained. "The gun is the invention of a clever young Russian, Nicholas Mazaroff by name. We have tested the weapon, which, as a matter of fact, we have purchased from Mazaroff. The rifle is destined to entirely revolutionise infantry tactics, and, indeed, it is a most wonderful affair.