al in politics and finance. How
monstrous that scandal was can never be known save by such confidential
agents as myself. The honour and careers of many of the chief men in
France were at stake. You have seen a group of ninepins standing, all
so rigid, and prim, and unbending. Then there comes the ball from far
away and pop, pop, pop--there are your ninepins on the floor. Well,
imagine some of the greatest men in France as these ninepins and then
this Monsieur Caratal was the ball which could be seen coming from far
away. If he arrived, then it was pop, pop, pop for all of them. It
was determined that he should not arrive.

"I do not accuse them all of being conscious of what was to happen.
There were, as I have said, great financial as well as political
interests at stake, and a syndicate was formed to manage the business.
Some subscribed to the syndicate who hardly understood what were its
objects. But others understood very well, and they can rely upon it
that I have not forgotten their names. They had ample warning that
Monsieur Caratal was coming long before he left South America, and they
knew that the evidence which he held would certainly mean ruin to all
of them. The syndicate had the command of an unlimited amount of
money--absolutely unlimited, you understand. They looked round for an
agent who was capable of wielding this gigantic power. The man chosen
must be inventive, resolute, adaptive--a man in a million. They chose
Herbert de Lernac, and I admit that they were right.

"My duties were to choose my subordinates, to use freely the power
which money gives, and to make certain that Monsieur Caratal should
never arrive in Paris. With characteristic energy I set about my
commission within an hour of receiving my instructions, and the steps
which I took were the very best for the purpose which could possibly be
devised.

"A man whom I could trust was dispatched instantly to South America to
travel home with Monsieur Caratal. Had he arrived in time the ship
would never have reached Liverpool; but alas! it had already started
before my agent could reach it. I fitted out a small armed brig to
intercept it, but again I was unfortunate. Like all great organizers I
was, however, prepared for failure, and had a series of alternatives
prepared, one or the other of which must succeed. You must not
underrate the difficulties of my undertaking, or imagine that a mere
commonplace assassination would mee