The conference recommended that the equivalent of $1,500,000,000 of Brent’s treasure be delivered to the United States government as custodian. It should remain in the United States Treasury in its crude state of native gold until drawn upon from time to time, according to prescribed conditions, by an international board of trustees. This board should consist of five members, to be appointed, one by the president of the United States, one by the queen of England, one by the emperor of Germany, and one by the president of France. The fifth member should be Robert Brent of New York. The term of office of the trustees should not be limited, and they should receive each an annual salary of $250,000. Their duties should be the expenditure, upon works for the general benefit of mankind beyond the scope of private undertaking, of such sums from the fund in the custody of the United States government as their judgment should dictate, and subject to the following restrictions: The expenditure should not in any one year exceed the sum of $75,000,000, nor fall below $30,000,000, unless the addition to the world’s supply of gold from all sources, the fund included, during the next preceding year had exceeded $200,000,000. No excess over the last named maximum of the world’s supply should be permitted by means of the trustees’ expenditures. This agreement was reached by the conference two days before the expiration of the time during which it had been voted to keep the subject under consideration secret from the home governments of the various delegates. Before final adjournment, the conference adopted unanimously a report, setting forth in the strongest terms their admiration of the qualities of mind and heart which had led the owner of the greatest treasure in history to make of it a blessing and not a curse to his fellow-men. CHAPTER XIV. A BURIAL AT SEA. Without waiting to learn how the rulers of Europe received the confidential reports made to their governments by the delegates, Brent took passage for New York on the first steamer leaving after the adjournment of the conference. Every man who shared the great secret feared that a dangerous crisis, requiring sharp, decisive action, might arise at any moment. The deep discretion of diplomacy successfully conceals many momentous truths, but here was a fact less easy to control than the contents of Pandora’s box, once the cover had been raised. It was to be made known, under pledge of secrecy, to be sure, in six capitals of Europe. Was it reasonable to expect that a piece of knowledge of stupendous interest to the whole world would remain long in the keeping of several scores of men without a hint of it transpiring?