a gently preoccupied smile, and seated himself
gracefully. All that is chivalrous, romantic, courteous, and brave in
an Irishman seemed to be visibly embodied in this pale man.

"I have just come," he said, "from a dinner at Sherry's. A common
hatred of England brought together the dozen odd men with whom I have
been in conference. Ferez Bey was there, the military attaches of the
German, Austrian, and Turkish embassies, one or two bankers, officials
of certain steamship lines, and a United States senator."

He sipped a glass of plain water which Lehr had brought him, thanked
him, then turning from Soane to Lehr:

"To get arms and munitions into Ireland in substantial quantities
requires something besides the U-boats which Germany seems willing to
offer.

"That was fully discussed to-night. Not that I have any doubt at all
that Sir Roger will do his part skilfully and fearlessly----"

"He will that!" exclaimed Soane, "God bless him!"

"Amen, Soane," said Murtagh Skeel, with a wistful and involuntary
upward glance from his dark eyes. Then he laid his hand of an
aristocrat on Soane's shoulder. "What I came here to tell you is this:
I want a ship's crew."

"Sorr?"

"I want a crew ready to mutiny at a signal from me and take over their
own ship on the high seas."

"Their own ship, sorr?"

"Their own ship. That is what has been decided. The ship to be
selected will be a fast steamer loaded with arms and munitions for the
British Government. The Sinn Fein and the Clan-na-Gael, between them,
are to assemble the crew. I shall be one of that crew. Through
powerful friends, enemies to England, it will be made possible to
sign such a crew and put it aboard the steamer to be seized.

"Her officers will, of course, be British. And I am afraid there may
be a gun crew aboard. But that is nothing. We shall take her over when
the time comes--probably off the Irish coast at night. Now, Soane, and
you, Lehr, I want you to help recruit a picked crew, all Irish, all
Sinn Feiners or members of the Clan-na-Gael.

"You know the sort. Absolutely reliable, fearless, and skilled men
devoted soul and body to the cause for which we all would so
cheerfully die.... Will you do it?"

There was a silence. Soane moistened his lips reflectively. Lehr,
intelligent, profoundly interested, kept his keen, pleasant eyes on
Murtagh Skeel. Only the droning electric fans, the rattle of a
newspaper, the slap of greasy cards at the skat table, th