ur presence on board, but an unforeseen
circumstance has made it necessary. No one else, of course, must suspect
it. All that you need to know--indeed, all that we are permitted to tell
you--is that His Highness and myself are at this moment engaged upon an
affair of state of the first importance. Here are my credentials."

He took from an inner pocket a long leather pocket-book, extracted from
it a heavy envelope sealed with a great black seal, and passed it to the
Captain.

The latter took it, glanced at the seal and hesitated, for it bore the
Imperial crown.

"Do you intend that I should open this?" he asked.

"I wish you to do so," answered Pachmann.

With fingers that trembled a little, the Captain loosened the seal,
lifted the flap, and drew out the sheet of paper which lay within. It
was an ivory-finished white, almost as stiff as a card, the entire upper
left quarter occupied by the Imperial crown and monogram, the other
three quarters covered by writing in a large and rather stiff hand, with
a scrawling signature at the bottom. The Captain glanced at this
signature, then, his face very grave, read the missive slowly and
carefully. Finally he returned the sheet to its envelope, and handed it
back to Pachmann, his eyes meeting the Admiral's with a kind of awed
wonder.

"I am at your service," he said. "Will you...."

There was a tap at the door. The Captain went to it and opened it,
standing so that his body filled the doorway. He exchanged a word with
some one, and then closed the door and turned back into the room, a
sheaf of papers in his hand.

"Will you not sit down?" he asked.

"We shall be but a moment," said Pachmann. "That was the wireless man,
was it not?"

"Yes."

"Among the messages you have in your hand is one from Lepine, Prefect of
the Paris Service du Surete. He asks whether you have aboard in
stateroom 514 a man named Ignace Vard, accompanied by his daughter."

Captain Hausmann, with an admirable composure, glanced through the
messages.

"Yes; here it is," he said.

"I will dictate the answer," said the Admiral.

Without a word, the Captain sat down again at his desk and wrote to
Pachmann's dictation:

"_Lepine, Paris_.

"No record of Ignace Vard and daughter on _Ottilie_.
Stateroom 514 unoccupied.

"HAUSMANN, Captain."

"It would be well to have the message sent at once," added Pachmann.
"You will also see that the name of Vard and his daughter