e. He went, and I believed I might count on five
minutes to myself. No more--but those five minutes would have to be
enough for success or failure. The instant the door shut behind Raoul, I
was at the safe. The key fitted. I snatched out a folded document, and
opened it to make quite, quite certain it was the right one, for a
mistake would be inexcusable and spoil everything. It was what I
wanted--the treaty, newly made, between Japan, Russia and France--the
treaty which your Foreign Secretary thought he had reason to believe was
a secret one, arranged between the three countries without the knowledge
of England and to the prejudice of her interests. The one glance I had
gave me the impression that the document was nothing of the kind, but
quite innocent, affecting trade only; yet that wasn't my business. I had
to send it to the Foreign Secretary, who wanted to know its precise
nature, and whether England was being deceived. In place of the treaty I
slipped into its pigeon-hole a document I'd brought with me--just like
the real thing. No one opening the safe on other business would suspect
the change that had been made. My hope was to get the treaty back before
it should be missed. You see, I was betraying Raoul, to save him. Do you
understand?"

"I understand. You must have persuaded yourself that you were justified.
But, good Heavens, Maxine," I couldn't help breaking out, "it was an
awful thing to do."

"I know--I know. But I had to have the money--for Raoul. And there was
no other way to get it. You remember, I'd refused, till the diamonds
were lost, and would have refused even if Raoul had nothing to do with
the French Foreign Office. But let me go on telling you what happened. I
had time enough. I had even a minute or two to spare. And fortunately
for me, the man I'd sent Raoul to find was out. I looked at my watch,
pretended to be surprised, and said I must go at once. I couldn't bear
to waste a second in hurrying the treaty off, so that it might the more
quickly be on its way back. I hadn't come to visit Raoul in my own
carriage, but in a cab, which was waiting. As Raoul was taking me to it,
Count Godensky got out of a motor-brougham, and saw me. If only it had
been anywhere except in front of the Foreign Office! I told myself there
was no reason why he should guess that anything was wrong, but I was in
such a state of nerves that, as he raised his hat, and his eyebrows, I
fancied that he imagined all sorts of