to me through my personal acquaintance with
some of the participants."

"Oh, that will be splendid!" exclaimed the woman.

The minister waited for a moment. He turned his face toward Orme, and
asked politely: "You will not mind listening to what I have to say, Mr.
Orme?"

"Why, to be sure not," replied Orme, wondering.

"My stories are not always short," continued the minister, "as the others
already know. But they sometime hold meanings which, in my country, at
least, would be perfectly plain."

After this odd bit of by-play, he began his narrative:

"There was a man who lived in the city of Takamatsu, on the island of
Shikoku. His name was Kimaga, and he was much respected by all who knew
him, for he was painstakingly devoted to his aged and mos' honorable
parents. By trade he was a maker of vases--a--what you call him--a
potter.

"One day while Kimaga was walking upon the road, he saw before him on the
ground a letter. He picked it up. It was sealed, but he discovered upon
the outside a curious writing which he could not make out. In fact,
Kimaga could not read at all. He was very poorly educate.

"But Kimaga was charm by the grace and beauty of the writing. Though he
could not read it, it fascinated his eyes. He decided to keep it, making
no attempt to find the rightful owner. You must know that in Nippon
beauty is worship by the humblest workman.

"It happened that the letter had been written by a Chinese spy, and it
contained a report concerning our fortifications. Now there is in Nippon
a very secret service. It is not responsible to the government. It is
compose of nobles who for many and many a generation have bound
themselves by a strong oath to do patriotic service which the government
itself might be too embarrassed to undertake. If they are oblige to use
extreme measures, and are arrested because of what they have done, they
calmly accept the punishment of the law without explaining their actions.
Sons of noble houses have been executed for assassinating secret enemies
of Nippon, and they have met this fate as their oath demanded.

"Members of this secret service knew about this letter of the Chinese
spy. They knew, also, that it had been lost, and before long they learned
that Kimaga had picked it up. How they learned all this does not matter.
But they also knew that the relations between Nippon and China at the
time were of such a strain that their government, not wishing to give
cause of war,