The rest of the general conversation that night was of a more personal nature. The Chief had to leave early and we all trooped out to the elevator to wish him God-speed. He is a great man, and somehow I feel that I am destined, perhaps, to work with him again, before I die, although the thing seems improbable enough. Perhaps what Moore told me that night just before he left may have something to do with my feeling. I had left the others in the sitting-room, intending to take Natalie and her aunt home later on. I had walked out to the elevator to say good-night to Moore there. But before he rang the bell he turned and faced me, smiling a little. “Clayton,” he said, “I’ve got a confession to make to you. I knew Margaret quite a while before I knew you!” “What!—where?” I demanded. “In town,” he answered. “I met her several times at the house of a school friend of hers with whom she was staying. And, old man, I made up my mind that she was the only girl in the world for me!” I could only stare at him with my mouth open and he hurried on. “You see, when she disappeared I had been out of the army for some time and I was looking around for a job. I have independent means and I was taking my time, but when I heard about Margaret I hurried down to Washington and began pulling wires. You see I was in the Intelligence Department in the Service. And finally I got the Chief to take me on. I knew that you were doing all you could to find her outside, and I thought I’d try to find her that way, for I knew that the Department was up in the air about the number of girls that had disappeared. “I did not say anything about it to you then, because I could not bear to talk about her and I saw no need. But later, when I realized the danger you were in, I got the Chief to agree to offer to take you on. The rest you know.” He hesitated. “But I wanted you to know, because——” I held out my hand to him. “It’s up to her of course, but I don’t know any one I’d rather have for a brother-in-law,” I told him. The grip Moore gave my hand caused me to open and shut it two or three times to see whether anything was broken. But a moment later he turned to me with a wry grin. “Old man,” he said, “I’ve got some other news for you that may explain the fact that the Chief did not laugh much to-night when we were discussing the Emperor’s chances. It’s mean news too.” I stared at him. “Mean news?” He nodded. “You remember that night in the little stone house, just before it was blown up? I was just behind you when that fellow jumped into the blazing cylinder, do you remember?” “Yes, I remember,” I told him.