on to your Government."

The Right Honourable gentleman smiled slightly. He was a man of some
natural politeness, but he found it hard to altogether conceal his
incredulity.

"Well, Lord Dorminster," he promised, "I will consider all that you have
said. Is there anything more I can do for you?"

"Yes!" Nigel replied boldly. "Induce the Cabinet to reëstablish our
Intelligence Department and secret service, even on a lesser scale, and
don't rest until you have discovered exactly what it is they are
plotting against us somewhere on the continent."

"To carry out your suggestions, Lord Dorminster," the Minister pointed
out, "would be to be guilty of an infringement of the spirit of the
League of Nations, the existence of which body is, we believe, a
practical assurance of our safety."

Nigel rose to his feet.

"As man to man, sir," he said, "I see you don't believe a word of what I
have been telling you."

"As man to man," the other admitted pleasantly, as he touched the bell,
"I think you have been deceived."

* * * * *

Nigel, even as a prophet of woe, was a very human person and withal a