ssert
herself.

"You forget," she said, "that King Konrad Karl is my guest, and so are
you while you are in my house."

Donovan, still in his shirt sleeves, looking very tired and hot,
slouched into the hall while the Queen spoke. Smith followed him. The
Queen, nervous and half frightened in spite of her brave words, turned
to him.

"Oh, father," she said, "I am glad you've come."

Donovan nodded to von Moll.

"Sit right down," he said, "there's a chair behind you. You'll stay
for luncheon, won't you?"

He sat down himself as he spoke and took a cigar out of his case.

"Smith," he said, "cocktails."

"Yes, sir," said Smith.

Von Moll turned to the men behind him and pointed to Smith.

"Arrest that man," he said.

Two of the sailors stepped forward and crossed the hall towards Smith.

"Say," said Donovan, "is this a rehearsal for a cinema? and when do
you reckon to have the camera operating?"

"That man," said von Moll, pointing to Smith, "is a deserter from the
service of the Emperor and a spy. He pays the penalty."

Donovan deliberately cut the end off his cigar and struck a match.
Then he looked up at von Moll.

"Seems to me," he said, "that there's some kind of misunderstanding.
I'm not blaming you, Captain, not at all. But this is a neutral State,
and according to international law you can't butt in and arrest
citizens without applying for an extradition order in the regular
way."

"You talk like a fool," said von Moll. "This is war."

He gave a fresh order to his men.

"Take him," he said. "Shoot him on the steps outside."

Donovan struck a fresh match and lit his cigar. He puffed at it
slowly.

"It pains me some," he said, "to go contrary to my life-long
principles. I'm a humanitarian by conviction and I'm opposed to
capital punishment. It seems to me that the taking of human life is
not justified, and that the advance of civilization, especially in
the great republic of which I am a citizen----"

"He is a spy," said von Moll, "and he dies."

"You're hasty, Captain," said Donovan. "I don't blame you, but you're
hasty and you haven't quite tumbled to my meaning. When I spoke of my
humanitarian principles I wasn't thinking of what would happen to
Smith. You may shoot him, Captain, and I shall deplore it. But that
won't outrage my convictions any. For I shan't be responsible, that
execution being your affair and not mine. What I was thinking of was
how I'd feel when I saw you and every