"I have spoken to you," he said, "of Dorward, the American journalist."

She nodded.

"Of course," she assented. "You told me that the Chancellor had
promised him an interview for to-day."

"Well, he went to the Palace and the Chancellor saw him.".

She looked at him with upraised eyebrows.

"The newspapers are full of lies as usual, then, I suppose. The
latest telegrams say that the Chancellor is dangerously ill."

"It is quite true," Bellamy declared. "What I am going to tell you
is surprising, but I had it from Dorward himself. When he reached
the Palace, the Chancellor was practically insane. His doctors were
trying to persuade him to go to his room and lie down, but he heard
Dorward's voice and insisted upon seeing him. The man was mad - on
the verge of a collapse - and he handed over to Dorward his notes,
and a verbatim report of all that passed at the Palace this morning."

She looked at him incredulously.

"My dear David!" she exclaimed.

"It is amazing," he admitted, "but it is the truth. I know it for
a fact. The man was absolutely beside himself, he had no idea what
he was doing."