you took him to a cafe and
remained there with him for three hours, and from that cafe you came
directly here to this room. If he knows the truth, he learned it in
that cafe, and he learned it from you!" There was a ring of such
earnestness and sincerity in the King's speech, and he delivered it
with such indignation and bitter contempt that a shout of relief, of
approbation and conviction, went up from his hearers, and fell as
quickly on the words as the applause of an audience drowns out the last
note of a great burst of song. Barrat, in the excess of his relief,
turned his back sharply on the King, glancing sideways at Erhaupt and
shaking his head in speechless admiration.

"He is wonderful, simply wonderful," Erhaupt muttered; "he would have
made a great actor or a great diplomat."

"He is wasted as a King," whispered Barrat.

There was a menacing movement on the part of the younger men toward
Gordon and General Renauld, which the King noted, but which he made no
effort to check. Neither Gordon nor General Renauld gave any sign that
they observed it. The American was busily engaged in searching his
pockets, and from one of these he produced two pieces of paper, which
he held up above his head, so that those in the room might see them.

"One moment, please," he began, and then waited until the tumult in the
room had ceased. "Again, I must point out to you," he said, in brisk,
business-like tones, "that we are digressing. The important thing is
not who did, or did not, sell out the expedition, but that it is in
danger of failing altogether. What his Majesty says is in part
correct. I did not take this gentleman to jail; I did take him to a
cafe, and there he told me much more concerning the expedition than I
had learned from those directly interested. His information, he told
me, had been sold to the Republic by one who visited the island and who
claimed to act for one other. I appreciated the importance of what he
said, and I also guessed that my word and his unsupported might be
doubted, as you have just doubted it. So I took the liberty of
verifying what General Renauld told me by cabling to the President of
Messina."

There was a shout of consternation at these words, but Gordon's manner
was so confident and the audacity of his admission so surprised his
hearers that they were silent again immediately, and waited, with
breathless interest, while Gordon unfolded one of the pieces of paper.

"This