ated softly to himself. "Tell me, whereabouts does
he live?"

"Quite a wonderful place in Norfolk, I believe, somewhere near the sea.
I've forgotten the name, for the moment. He has had wireless telegraphy
installed; he has a telegraph office in the house, half-a-dozen private
wires, and they say that he spends an immense amount of money keeping in
touch with foreign politics. His excuse is that he speculates largely,
as I dare say he does; but just lately," Kinsley went on more slowly,
"he has been an object of anxiety to all of us. It was he who sent the
first agent out to Germany, to try and discover at least where this
conference was to be held. His man returned in safety, and he has one
over there now who has not been arrested. We seem to have lost nearly
all of ours."

"Do you mean to say that this man Fentolin actually possesses
information which the Government hasn't as to the intentions of foreign
Powers?" Hamel asked.

Kinsley nodded. There was a slight flush upon his pallid cheeks.

"He not only has it, but he doesn't mean to part with it. A few hundred
years ago, when the rulers of this country were men with blood in their
veins, he'd have been given just one chance to tell all he knew, and
hung as a traitor if he hesitated. We don't do that sort of thing
nowadays. We rather go in for preserving traitors. We permit them even
in our own House of Commons. However, I don't want to depress you and
play the alarmist so soon after your return to London. I dare say the
old country'll muddle along through our time."

"Don't be foolish," Hamel begged. "There's no other subject of
conversation could interest me half as much. Have you formed any idea
yourself as to the nature of this conference?"

"We all have an idea," Kinsley replied grimly; "India for Russia; a
large slice of China for Japan, with probably Australia thrown in;
Alsace-Lorraine for France's neutrality. There's bribery for you. What's
to become of poor England then? Our friends are only human, after all,
and it's merely a question of handing over to them sufficient spoil.
They must consider themselves first: that's the first duty of their
politicians towards their country."

"You mean to say," Hamel asked, "that you seriously believe that a
conference is on the point of being held at which France and Russia are
to be invited to consider suggestions like this?"

"I am afraid there's no doubt about it," Kinsley declared. "Their
ambassadors in L