ieved that he held the destinies of Europe in the
hollow of his hand.

"Middle Europe will conquer the world, of that I have no doubt. All is in
God's hands," agreed the "saint" in bad German, crossing himself with a
mock piety which seemed to amuse both the Emperor and his Chancellor.

"Listen to-morrow to Hoheisel's scheme, which I have approved," said the
Emperor, passing to his visitor another cigarette from the heavy golden
box. "The professor will call on you with the baron and explain. Act
boldly, dear friend Gregory, for recollect that you have behind you the
whole resources of Prussia and the good will of myself."

The monk, who had only on the previous day declared that he would subject
the Kaiser to his influence, had fallen so completely beneath the thrall
of the German Emperor's curious hypnotism that he sat ready and eager to
do his bidding.

"The letters you have brought to me from Tsarskoe-Selo are satisfactory
so far as they go, but there is still much to be done," said the Kaiser.
"Tell the Empress that I will reply to her by courier, but that she is to
continue her efforts, and that you both have my full and complete
support. The prosecution of Soukhomlinoff must be at once suppressed, and
those hostile statements in the Duma from time to time directed against
us must be made a penal offence punishable by deportation. Kartzoff must
go, and Purishkevitch, who is so constantly speaking in the Duma against
yourself and others, should be suppressed without delay. Perhaps he will
come to a sudden end!" suggested the Emperor. "At least we can hope so."

Next day at noon the baron brought to us a short, stout, yellow-haired
man in gold spectacles, the famous German bacteriologist, Professor
Hoheisel, of the Friedrichshain Hospital.

With the door locked, we all four sat down while the deep-voiced
scientist unfolded his plan for the devastating of certain populous areas
in Russia by the dissemination of a newly discovered and highly
infectious disease.

"The disease was discovered a year ago by Gerhold, at the Alt-Moabit, and
is closely allied to bubonic plague. It is more highly infectious than
anthrax or smallpox, and inevitably proves fatal," the professor said,
seated at the head of the small table. "Curiously enough, infants seem to
be immune up to six years of age. Now, my proposal, to which both the
Emperor and the Chancellor have agreed, is that the cultures which I
have prepared, and of which