she had at once freed herself from the trammels cast about her
by Banfield, it was not surprising that the girl should stipulate as a
condition of allowing the spy his freedom that he should hand over to me
all the copies of the secret diplomatic correspondence which he
possessed.

At first he loudly protested that he had none, but I compelled him to
hand me the key of his despatch-box, and accompanying him to his room at
the further end of the corridor, we searched and there found within the
steel box a file of papers which he held ready to hand over to the Quai
d'Orsay--the actual information of which I had been in such active
search.

The German inducements were all set out clearly and concisely, the
copies being in the neat hand of the traitorous clerk in the Treaty
Department.

Pierron, the tables thus turned upon him, begged me to allow him at
least to have copies. This I refused, triumphantly taking possession of
the whole file and bidding him good-night.

In an hour we had both left the German capital, and next day I had the
satisfaction of handing the copy of the German proposals and the whole
correspondence to the Minister for Foreign Affairs at Downing Street.

An extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet was held, and cipher
instructions at once sent to each of His Majesty's Ambassadors
abroad--instructions which had the result of successfully combating the
intrigue at Berlin, and for the time being breaking up the proposed
powerful combination against us.

The bitter chagrin of the German Chancellor is well known in diplomatic
circles, yet to Suzette Darbour our kid-gloved _coup_ meant her freedom.

In my presence she openly defied Henry Banfield and cut herself adrift
from him, while Charles Pierron, after his ignominious failure in
Berlin, and possibly on account of certain allegations made by the rich
American, who wished to get rid of him, was dismissed from the French
Secret Service and disappeared, while the pretty Suzette, three months
afterwards, married Armand Thomas.

I was present at the quiet wedding out at Melun in the first days of
1909, being the bearer of a costly present in the form of a pretty
diamond pendant, as well as a dozen pairs of sixteen-button-length kid
gloves from an anonymous donor.

She alone knew that the pendant had been sent to her as a mark of
gratitude by the grave-faced old peer, the confirmed woman-hater, who
was Minister for Foreign Affairs of His Majesty King Ed