The editorial brought out an unusually full meeting of the War Board. Ralph came in and told them all about it, and Brutus, who had "known it all the time," hinted at revelations he'd soon be able to make. According to Brutus, this was a very insignificant activity of the German agents. He knew it to be a fact that they had vast stores of arms in New York, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Omaha, and that if the United States wasn't mighty careful what she did there would be an army of thousands of Germans shutting us in our houses while German fleets bombarded the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and Zeppelins rained fire on our roofs. To which Captain Billy swore agreement. While the discussion went on at the War Board, another went on in a speeding car, driven by Otto Littman. Otto had gone out for a spin in his little roadster--a thing he often did on hot summer nights. Across the river on the hill at a dark corner he had slowed up a bit, just enough for a man to step on the running board and into the car. Katie Flaherty, going home from Dick's, said to herself: "The reckless creature! How did he know he was wanted? It's a queer thing he didn't stop. It's Otto Littman, I'm thinkin'." It was indeed, and the lithe figure that had entered the running car was Max Dalberg, the "wonder of the laboratory," whom Reuben Cowder had mentioned to Dick in his first confidence of weeks before. "Well, Littman," the newcomer said, with something like a sneer, "your young man on the _Argus_ is mighty high in his tone to-night. What's up? Didn't they divvy in Washington?" "None of that, Max. Ralph Gardner's not that kind. I don't know where you people get the idea that all Americans can be bought. They can't be, and yet this whole business has been based on money. You know I never believed in this. I have been willing to put your case whenever I had the chance. I believe it's right. I'll work for Germany in any way I think honest, but I won't lie and I won't bribe." "You can't put Germany's case fully in this country, young man, and you know it. The Americans are a set of sentimental fools. They're hypocrites, too. Talk about neutrality! The whole bunch is like Cowder. Pitch you out if you suggest selling munitions to even another neutral country. There isn't a score of manufacturers in this country that wouldn't rather close their plants than sell to us. Do you call that neutrality?" "I tell you, Max, it's the people. You don't see things as they are at all--it's not the Government. The Government is not preventing the munition makers from selling to Germany. The trouble is these munition makers here won't sell to Germany."