"this decadence of your country. Once England held the scales
of justice for the world. Now she is no longer strong enough, and
there is none to take her place. David, even if you know what that
document contains, even then will it help very much?"

"Very much indeed. Don't you see that there is one hope left to
us--one hope--and that is Russia? The Czar must be made to
withdraw from that compact. We want to know his share in it. When
we know that, there will be a secret mission sent to Russia. Germany
and Austria are strong, but they are not all the world. With Russia
behind and France and England westward, the struggle is at least an
equal one. They have to face both directions, they have to face two
great armies working from the east and from the west."

She nodded, and they sat there in silence for several moments.
Bellamy was thinking deeply.

"You say, Louise," he asked, looking up quickly, "that your rooms
have been searched. When was this?"

"Only last night," she replied.

Bellamy drew a little sigh of relief.

"At any rate," he said, "Streuss has no idea that the document is
not in our possession. He knows nothing about Laverick. How are
we going to deal with him, Louise, when he comes for his answer?"

"You have a plan?" she asked.

"There is only one thing to be done," Bellamy declared. "I shall
say that we have already handed over the document to the English
Government. It will be a bluff, pure and simple. He may believe
it or he may not."

"You will break your compact then," she reminded him.

"I shall call myself justified," he continued. "He has attempted
to rob us of the document. You are sure of what you say--that your
rooms and dressing-room have been searched?"

"Absolutely certain," she declared.

"That will be sufficient," Bellamy decided. "If Streuss comes to
me, I shall meet him frankly. I shall tell him that he has tried
to play the burglar and that it must be war. I shall tell him that
the compact is in the hands of the Prime Minister, and that he and
his spies had better clear out."

She looked at him questioningly.

"Of course, you understand," he added, "there is one thing we can
do, and one thing only. We must send a mission to Russia and another
to France, and before the German fleet can pass down the North Sea
we must declare war. It is the only thing left to us--a bold front.
Without that packet we have no casus belli. With it, we can strike,
a