"Nothing so definite as an idea," she interrupted. "I am not
going so far as to say that. I simply know that when a man is
practically the secret agent of his government, and is probably
carrying despatches of an important nature, that an accident such
as he has met with, in a country which is greatly interested in
the contents of those despatches, is a somewhat serious thing."

The young man nodded.

"Say," he admitted "you're dead right. The Pacific cruise, and
our relations with Japan, seem to have rubbed our friends over
here altogether the wrong way. We have irritations enough already
to smooth over, without anything of this sort on the carpet."

"I am going to tell you now," she continued, leaning a little
towards him, "the real reason why I fetched you out of the club
this afternoon and have brought you for this little expedition.
The last time I lunched with Mr. Hamilton Fynes was just after
his return from Berlin. He intrusted me then with a very
important mission. He gave me a letter to deliver to Mr. Blaine
Harvey."

"But I don't understand!" he protested. "Why should he give you
the letter when he was in London himself?"

"I asked him that question myself, naturally," she answered. "He
told me that it was an understood thing that when he was over
here on business he was not even to cross the threshold of the
Embassy, or hold any direct communication with any person
connected with it. Everything had to be done through a third