"He is a scholar, too."

"All the more interesting."

"As a student in Munich he has fought his three duels. He has been a
war correspondent under fire. He is a great fencer, a fine shot, a
daring rider."

"And penniless. What a country they have over there beyond the Rhine!
He would never have troubled his head about it, had they not harried
him. To stir up France, to wound her if possible! He will be a man of
great courage and resource," said the secret agent, drawing the palms
of his hands together.

"In the end, then, Germany will offer him money?"

"That is the possible outlook."

"But, suppose he went to work on his own responsibility?"

"In that case one would be justified in locking him up as a madman. Do
you know anything about Alpine butterflies?"

"Very little," confessed the minister.

"There is often great danger in getting at them; but the pleasure is
commensurate."

"Are there not rare butterflies in the Amazonian swamps?" cynically.