"The interview given by the Emperor to a British peer in order to throw dust into the eyes of our enemies against whom we were rapidly preparing. Listen to the Emperor's clever reassurances in order to gain time." Then, readjusting his big round spectacles, he glanced down the columns and read in English the following sentences that had fallen from the Kaiser's lips: "You English are mad, mad, mad as English hares. What has come over you that you are so completely given over to suspicions unworthy of a great nation? What more can I do than I have done? My heart is set upon peace, and it is one of my dearest wishes to live on the best of terms with England. Have I ever been false to my word? Falsehood and prevarication are alien to my nature. My actions ought to speak for themselves, but you listen not to them, but to those who misinterpret and distort them. This is a personal insult, which I feel and resent!" Drost replaced the cutting upon the table, and both men burst into hilarious laughter. "Really, in the light of present events, those printed words must cause our dear friends, the English, considerable chagrin," declared Ortmann. "Yes. They now see how cleverly we have tricked them," said Drost with a grin. "That interview gave us an increased six years for preparation. Truly, our Emperor is great. He is invincible!" And both men raised their tall Bohemian glasses in honour of the Arch-Murderer of Europe. That little incident at table was significant of the feelings and intentions of the conspirators. "Your girl Ella is still very active, and that fellow Kennedy seems ever-watchful," Ortmann remarked presently in a decidedly apprehensive tone. "I know, of course, that your daughter would do nothing to harm you personally; but remember that Kennedy is a British naval officer, and that he might--from patriotic motives--well--" "Kill his prospective father-in-law--eh?" chimed in the Dutch pastor, with a light laugh. The Count hesitated for a second. Then he said: "Well, perhaps not exactly kill you, but he might make things decidedly unpleasant for us both, if he got hold of anything tangible." "Bah! Rest assured that he'll never get hold of anything," declared Drost. "I've had him out to Barnes to dinner once or twice lately, but he's quite in the dark." "Are you absolutely certain that he knows nothing of what is in progress in your laboratory upstairs!" queried Ortmann. "Are you absolutely certain that Ella has told him nothing?" "Quite--because she herself knows nothing." "If she knows nothing, then why are we both watched so closely by Kennedy?" asked Ortmann dubiously.