of this stranger, Lepine," he said. "You, also, are
at the head of a system--and a very expensive one."

"Yes, and a good one, sir," said Lepine, quickly. "One which is worth
all it costs. But men will not work for money as they do for
self-interest; and then, my system is a mere infant beside that of our
friend here, which must be at least two hundred years old."

"Oh, much more than that!" said Crochard, quickly, and smiled at
Delcasse's astounded face. "Please understand," he added, "that I do not
assert that this is the man we want. There is as yet no absolute proof,
though I hope soon to have it. But there is one significant fact: when
going from the city he frequently carried a heavy bundle, but never when
returning."

"That is indeed significant," agreed Delcasse. "But it indicates another
thing which astonishes me. If he did all this alone, it was because he
had no one to assist him. But if he had no accomplice, who were the two
men who watched the destruction of _La Liberte_? And, above all, who is
this man who plans, alone and unaided, the destruction of our navy? What
is his purpose? Whence did he come? Whither has he gone? Is he a
madman--an anarchist?" Delcasse ran his fingers through his hair with a
despairing gesture. "He astounds me!" he added. "My brain falters at
thought of such a man!"

But Marbeau, to whom much of this talk had been incomprehensible, began
at last to understand, and shook his head in violent protest.

"Whoever the man may have been," he broke out, "or whatever his
business, it could have had nothing to do with the destruction of _La
Liberte_."

Delcasse wheeled upon him.

"Why do you say that?" he demanded.

"Because, sir, it is absurd to suppose that the magazines of the ship
could be exploded by wireless. Wireless has no such power. And, in this
instance, it is quite easy to prove that they were _not_ so exploded."

"Prove it, then," said the Minister, impatiently.

"In the first place, the signals, which we now know came from that hut
up yonder, were first noted on Saturday. They continued for half an
hour, and yet no explosion occurred. In the second place, we caused them
to be repeated to-day, and again there was no explosion."

"_La Liberte_ was no longer there to explode," Delcasse objected grimly.

"True; but there were other ships near by--_La Patrie_, _La Republique_,
_La Verite_. These ships and others were also there at the time of the
explosion, yet they w