t the European
systems of intelligence?"

"No--only what I read in novels."

"Do you know that America, to-day, is fairly crawling with German
spies?"

"I suppose there are some here."

"There are a hundred thousand paid German spies within an hour's
journey of this city."

He looked up incredulously.

"Let me tell you," she said, "how it is arranged here. The German
Ambassador is the master spy in America. Under his immediate
supervision are the so-called diplomatic agents--the personnel of the
embassy and members of the consular service. These people do not
class themselves as agents or as spies; they are the directors of
spies and agents.

"Agents gather information from spies who perform the direct work of
investigating. Spies usually work alone and report, through local
agents, to consular or diplomatic agents. And these, in turn, report
to the Ambassador, who reports to Berlin.

"It is all directed from Berlin. The personal source of all German
espionage is the Kaiser. He is the supreme master spy."

"Where have you learned these things, Thessa?" he asked in a troubled
voice.

"I have learned, Garry."

"Are you--a spy?"

"No."

"Have you been?"

"No, Garry."

"Then how----"

"Don't ask me; just listen. There are men here in your city who are
here for no good purpose. I do not mean to say that merely because
they seek also to injure me--destroy me, perhaps,--God knows what they
wish to do to me!--but I say it because I believe that your country
will declare war on Germany some day very soon. And that you ought to
watch these spies who move everywhere among you!

"Germany also believes that war is near. And this is why she strives
to embroil your country with Japan and Mexico. That is why she
discredits you with Holland, with Sweden. It is why she instructs her
spies here to set fires in factories and on ships, blow up powder
mills and great industrial plants which are manufacturing munitions
for the Allies of the Triple Entente.

"America may doubt that there is to be war between her and Germany,
but Germany does not doubt it.

"Let me tell you what else Germany is doing. She is spreading
insidious propaganda through a million disloyal Germans and pacifist
Americans, striving to poison the minds of your people against
England. She secretly buys, owns, controls newspapers which are used
as vehicles for that propaganda.

"She is debauching the Irish here who are discontented with Englan