came back. Curiously enough, no one seemed to be alarmed about the fact
that the house had caught fire in a wing quite near to them. The common
feeling was that the Dictator had taken that business in hand and that
he would put it through; and that in any case, if there were danger to
them, he would be sure to come in good time and tell them.

'I wonder our American friends have not come to look after us,' Helena
said.

'They are used to all sorts of accidents in their country,' Sir Rupert
explained. 'They don't mind such things there.'

'Excuse me, Sir Rupert,' the Duchess said, 'it's _my_ country--and
gentlemen _do_ look after ladies there, when there's any danger round.'

'Beg your pardon, Sir Rupert,' one of the footmen said, coming
respectfully but rather flushed towards the group, 'but this gentleman
wished to go out into the grounds, and his Excellency was very
particular in his orders that nobody was to go out until he came back.'

Mr. Copping of Omaha, fully dressed, tall hat in hand, presented himself
and joined the group.

'Pray excuse me, Sir Rupert--and you ladies,' Mr. Copping said; 'I just
thought I should like to have a look round to see what was happening;
but your hired men said it was against orders, and, as I suppose you
give the orders here, I thought I should just like to come and talk to
you.'

'I beg your pardon, Mr. Copping; I do in a general way give the orders
here, but Mr. Ericson just now is in command; he understands this sort
of thing much better than I do, and we have put it all into his hands
for the moment. The police will soon be here, but then our village
police----'

'Don't amount to much, I dare say.'

'You see there has been a terrible attempt made----'

'Oh, you allow it really was an attempt, then, and not an accident--gas
explosion or anything of the kind?'

'There is no gas in Seagate Hall,' Sir Rupert replied.

'Then you really think it was an explosion? Now, my friend and I, we
didn't quite figure it up that way.'

'Well, even a gas explosion, if there were any gas to explode, wouldn't
quite explain the presence of a strange man in Captain Sarrasin's room.'

'Then you think that it was an attempt on the life of Captain Sarrasin?'

Mrs. Sarrasin contracted her eyebrows. Was Mr. Copping indulging in a
sneer? Possibly some vague idea of the same kind grated on the nerves of
Sir Rupert.

'I haven't had time to make any conjectures that are worth talking about