arms he was studying me minutely.

"Well," said Sir Louis, "there's no objection; only a
stipulation: We wouldn't let an Englishman go, because of the
risk--not to him, but to us. Any fool has a right to get killed,
but not to obligate his government. All the missionaries were
called in from those outlying districts long ago. We don't want
to be held liable for damages for failure to protect. Such
things have happened. You see, the idea is, we assume no
responsibility for what takes place beyond the Jordan and the
Dead Sea. Now, if you'd like to sign a letter waiving any claim
against us for protection, that would remove any obstacle to your
going. But, if you think that unreasonable, the alternative is
safe. You can, stay in Jerusalem. Quite simple."

That had the merit of frankness. It sounded fair enough.
Nevertheless, he was certainly not being perfectly frank. The
merriment in his eyes meant something more than mere amusement.
It occurred to me that his frankness took the extreme form of not
concealing that he had something important in reserve. I rather
liked him for it. His attitude seemed to be that if I wanted to
take a chance, I might on my own responsibility, but that if my
doing so should happen to suit his plans, that was his affair.
Grim was still watching me the way a cat watches a mouse.

"I'll sign such a letter," said I.

"Good. Here are pen and paper. Let's have it all in your
handwriting. I'll call a clerk to witness the signature."