uld regard it?"

"I am very sure that he would," Hassen answered, promptly. "It is not
worth while attempting to deceive you. If England is really no longer
a country worthy of consideration, fight her yourself. I am very sure
that we shall not. And you must remember this, Domiloff, the
agitation throughout England in favour of Theos is fed day by day with
letters from this very city. The writer must be with you all the time.
Yet you permit him to continue--you with your unscrupulousness and
your secret agents. England's intervention, if she does intervene, is
entirely your fault."

"Damn that fellow," Domiloff muttered through his teeth.

"You know who it is!" Hassen exclaimed.

"Yes!"

"And you permit him to continue? You have made no effort to close his
mouth?"

"Oh, I have tried," Domiloff answered, hastily. "He is an Englishman,
and he cannot be bought. He will not listen to reason. And so far as
regards other means we have been unfortunate. He has a hat with two
bullet holes in it."

Hassen caught up his hat.

"Oh, I think that it is of no use my staying here," he said. "The
Domiloff I have heard of and used to know is not any more in
existence. That is very certain. You have let the man write these
letters day by day; you have had him within the city all this time,
and all that you can tell me is that 'he has a hat with two bullet
holes in,' 'you have been unfortunate.' Bah! The man who makes history
is not the man who fails in a trifle like that."

Domiloff ground his teeth together, but he kept his temper.

"My friend," he said, "that is all very well. But you do not
understand everything. This man is the lover of the Countess of
Reist. Any hurt to him would be a mortal affront to her."

"Cannot she make him hold his tongue?" Hassen asked. "If he is her
lover she should surely be able to bring him to our side. The girl is
pretty enough. Surely the Englishman is not a Joseph?"

"He is English, and that is worse," Domiloff answered. "But this very
day we caught him here in this house. She appealed to him--offered him
every inducement, implored him to cease those letters. His obstinacy
was amazing. Neither my threats nor her prayers and promises availed.
I ordered him to be seized, and then what must she do but turn round
and swear that if he were touched she would go to the King--and she
would have done it."

"So he got away?"

"He got away."

Hassen groaned.

"Domiloff," he said, "it is fa