bilities. Your father
knows you are here in America?"

"No. There was an Arctic expedition. He thinks I have gone hunting
with that. At first I thought I could come to America and return with
no one the wiser."

"Having murdered Miss Westfall!" completed the Baron quietly.

Ronador's face was ashen.

"Excellency," he choked suddenly, "my little son--"

"Yes," said Tregar with sudden kindness, "I know. Your great love and
ambition for the boy drove you to madness." He paused. "You are fully
decided to break faith with Phaedra, knowing what may come of it?"

"Yes. Even if my great love for Miss Westfall did not drive me on--"

"To indiscretion!" supplied the Baron dryly.

"As you will. Even then, to me it is now the one way out. With
Granberry dead, with the treacherous paper in my possession--"

"It has been burned."

Ronador did not hear.

"With Miss Westfall my wife," he finished, "even if the dead thing
stirs again, it can make no difference."

"Then," said the Baron formally, "I am through with it all, quite
through. The task was never of my choosing, as you know. When the
dead hand reached forth from the grave to taunt you, Ronador, I was
willing at first to stoop to unutterable things to save you--and
Houdania--from dishonor, but more and more there has been distaste in
my heart for the blackness of the thing. Days back I warned you by
letter that I would not see Miss Westfall coldly sacrificed for a
muddle of which she knew absolutely nothing. There are things a man
may not do even for his country--one is murdering women. Now, though I
pledged myself through loyalty to my country, my king, my regent and
yourself to spying and murder and petty thievery, with a consequent
chain of discomfort and misunderstandings for myself, I am through and
mightily glad of it!"

"And what have you accomplished?" flamed Ronador passionately.
"Granberry, for all your ciphered pledges, lives and mocks me as he did
tonight, as he did months back. I could kill him for the indignities
he has heaped upon me, if for nothing else. And he knows more than you
think. What did he mean to-night?"

"Circumstances," said Tregar coldly, "have made you unduly sensitive
and suspicious. Granberry's costume was planned maliciously as an
impersonal affront to me. He knew of my plans through a telegram of
mine to Themar and made his own accordingly. It was not your past to
which he referred. Surely it is not diffi