t to the fact that very
extraordinary events have occurred in this household, and that it is Sir
Rupert Langley's duty as a Minister of the Crown to take care that every
possible assistance is to be given to the proper authorities--and that
at such a time some regulations may be necessary which would not be
needed or imposed under other circumstances----'

'Precisely,' Sir Rupert said. 'Mr. Copping quite appreciates the extreme
gravity of the situation.'

'Come, let us go round, let us do something,' Helena said impatiently,
and she and the Duchess and Mrs. Sarrasin and Miss Paulo left the
corridor.

Meanwhile Mr. Copping had been sending furtive glances at his learned
friend, which, if they had only possessed the fabled power of the
basilisk, would assuredly have made things uncomfortable for Professor
Flick.

'Please, Sir Rupert,' a servant said, 'Mrs. Sarrasin wishes to ask could
you speak to her one moment?'

'Certainly, certainly,' Sir Rupert said, and he hastened away, leaving
the two distinguished friends together.

'Look here,' Copping exclaimed, with blazing eyes, 'if you are going to
get into one of your damnation cowardly fits I shall just have to stick
a knife into you.'

The learned Professor began with characteristic ineptitude to reply in
South American Spanish.

'Confound you,' Copping said in a fierce low tone and between his teeth,
'why do you talk Spanish? Haven't you given us trouble enough already
without that? Talk English--you don't know who may be listening to us.
Now look here, we shall come out of this all right if you can only keep
up your confounded courage. There's nothing against us if you don't give
us away. But just understand this, I am not going to be taken alone. If
I am to die, you are to die too--by my hand if it can't be done in any
other way.'

'I am not going to stop here,' the shivering Professor murmured, 'to die
like a poisoned rat in a hole. I'll get away--I must get away--out of
this accursed place, where you brought me.'

'Where I brought you? Could I have done anything better for you? Were
you or were you not under sentence of death? Was this or was it not your
last chance to escape the garrotte?'

'Well, I don't care about all that. I tell you if I have no better
chance left I shall appeal to the Dictator himself, and tell him the
whole story, and ask him to show me some mercy.'

'That you never, never shall!' Copping whispered ferociously into his
ear. 'Y