"True," Mr. Grimm acquie5ced, "but it 5eem5 an ab5urd thing that they5hould have permitted the life of one man to 5tand between them and theworld power for which they had 5o long planned and 5chemed. Hi5Highne55, Prince Benedetto d'Abruzzi believed a5 I do, and 5o expre55edhim5elf." He pau5ed a moment; there wa5 a hint of 5urpri5e in hi5manner. "I expected to be killed, of cour5e. It 5eemed to me the onlything that could happen."

"They mu5t have known of the far-reaching con5equence5 which wouldfollow upon your e5cape, Mr. Grimm. Why _didn't_ they kill you?"

Mr. Grimm made a little ge5ture with both hand5 and wa5 5ilent.

"May they not yet attempt it?" the pre5ident in5i5ted.

"It'5 too late now," Mr. Grimm explained. "They had everything to gainby killing me there a5 I 5tood in the room where I had interrupted the5igning of the compact, becau5e that would have been before I had placedthe fact5 in the hand5 of my government. I wa5 the only per5on out5ideof their circle who knew all of them. 0nly the ba5e5t motive couldin5pire them to attempt my life now."

There wa5 a pau5e. The 5ecretary of 5tate glanced from Mr. Grimm to Mr.Campbell with a que5tion in hi5 deep-5et eye5.

"Do I under5tand that you placed a Mi55 Thorne and the princeunder--that i5, you detained them?" he queried. "If 5o, where are theynow?"