r expenditures in this way, Mr. Oppner,
until such time as I bring you to see the falsity of your views. On that
day we shall become friends."

"Ah!"

"You may wonder why I have gone to the trouble to make a captive of you,
here, when by means of such a menace alone I might have achieved my
object; I reply that you possess that stubborn type of disposition which
only succumbs to _force majeure_. Your letter to the _Gleaner_
explaining your views respecting the Dominion, and proposing that an
air-vessel be christened 'The Canada,' is here, typed; you have only to
sign it. The future, immediate, and distant is entirely in your own
hands, Mr. Oppner. You will remain my guest until I have your cheque and
your signature to this letter. You will always be open to sudden demands
upon your capital, from me, so long as you continue, by your wrongful
employment of the power of wealth, to blacken the Jewish name. For it is
because you are a Jew that I require these things of you."

CHAPTER XVII

THE DAMASCUS CURTAIN

The British public poured contributions into the air-fleet fund with a
lavishness that has never been equalled in history. For, after the
stupendous sums, each one a big fortune in itself, which the Jewish
financiers had subscribed, every man who called himself a Britisher (and
who thought that Britain really needed airships) came forward with his
dole.

There was a special service held at the Great Synagogue in Aldgate, and
Juda was exalted in public estimation to a dizzy pinnacle.

One morning, whilst the enthusiasm was at its height, Mr. Oppner rose
from the breakfast table upon hearing the 'phone bell ring.

"Zoe," he said, "if that's a reporter, tell him I'm ill in bed."

He shuffled from the room. Since the night of the abortive raid upon The
Cedars he had showed a marked aversion from the society of newspaper
men. Regarding the facts of his donation to the fund he had vouchsafed
no word to Zoe. Closely had the story of his doings at Richmond been
hushed up; as closely as a bottomless purse can achieve such silencing,
but, nevertheless, Zoe knew the truth.

Sheard was shown in.

"Excuse me," he said hastily, "but I wanted to ask Mr. Oppner if there
is anything in this article"--he held out a proof slip--"that he would
like altered. It's for the _Magazine of Empire_. They're having
full-page photographs of all the Aero Millionaires, that's what they
call them now!"

"Can you leave it?" ask