widespread plot to dethrone the Sultan. An essential part of the
conspiracy was to obtain possession of the diamonds before they had been
cut, as they were an heirloom from the Prophet, and it would be a
terrible thing in the eyes of the more fanatical section of the
Mohammedans if they were tampered with in any way.

"This sounded reasonable enough, as the same story had been dinned in my
ears for several weeks.

"He made out that for reasons of State the Sultan had decided to change
the Minister Plenipotentiary charged with secret mission to London.

"Altogether he talked so candidly, and with such an air of treating the
whole business as the bugbear of a timid monarch, that I really believed
him.

"At last we reached the Carlton. We got out and he paid the cabman, who
drove off round the corner; then my new acquaintance explained to me
that he placed no greater trust in his fellow-countrymen than did their
ruler. Therefore he had led them to believe he was staying at that
hotel, whereas he had in reality taken up his abode in the flat of a
French family with whom he was acquainted. If I would come with him for
a moment he promised to place me in possession of certain documents
which would render easy my explanations to the Foreign Office next
morning.

"I accompanied him without hesitation, secure in the knowledge that a
strong force of police guarded my charge at Albert Gate, both inside and
outside the house. We went to the mansions where he said he lived. The
place had a perfectly respectable exterior, and is situated, as you
know, in a reputable thoroughfare. We ascended to the second floor,
entered the flat, and were ushered by a middle-aged Frenchwoman into a
sort of sitting-room.

"Dubois turned to a writing-desk and unlocked a drawer.

"'Here are the documents I promised you, Mr. Talbot,' he said; but, to
my amazement, he whipped out a revolver and held it within two feet of
my breast.

"'If you move, or attempt to cry out, you are a dead man!' he cried.

"At the same instant a door behind me opened and some three or four
persons entered. I was so furious at the trick that had been played upon
me that I disregarded his threat and sprang at him, but he did not fire.
Flinging the revolver behind him on the writing-table he closed with me.
Before I well knew what had happened I was tied hand and foot, gagged,
and placed helpless in a chair. A few minutes later, after a muttered
consultation between