Baron Hague inquired, in stentorian but complicated English, whether _he_ was to be expected to contribute towards the establishment of a British aerial fleet. "You have British interests, Baron!" said Sheard, smiling. "What about me?" said Mr. Oppner. Replied his beautiful daughter, laughing: "You've got Canadian interests, Pa!" So the impending outrage--for all present felt that these notes presaged an outrage--was treated lightly enough, and the question, serious though it was felt to be, might well have given place to topics less exciting, when a buzz of conversation arose at the lower end of the table. "Exactly the same," came Miss Salome Hohsmann's voice, "as the one father received!" She was observed to be passing something to her neighbour--Mr. Sheard. He examined it curiously, and passed it on to Mrs. Lacey. Thus, from hand to hand it performed a circuit of the table and came to Julius Rohscheimer. "That's one of 'em!" He threw it down upon the cloth--a small, square correspondence card. It bore the words: "L1,000,000 is required by His Majesty's Government, immediately, in order to found an aerial service commensurate with Great Britain's urgent requirements. A fund for the purpose (under the patronage of the Marquess of Evershed and the Lord Mayor) has been opened by the _Gleaner_." At the foot was a seal, designed in the form of two triangles crossed. "Whose is this?" continued Rohscheimer, and turned the card over. He read what was neatly type-written upon the other side, and his gross, empurpled face was seen to change, to assume a patchy greyness. The superscription was: "To Baron Hague, Sir Leopold Jesson, Messrs. Julius Rohscheimer, John Jacob Oppner, and Antony Elschild. _"Second Notice"_ He clutched the arms of his chair, and stood up. A dead silence had fallen. "Where"--Rohscheimer moistened his lips--"did this come from?" A moment more of silence, then: "Sir Leopold passed it to me," came Salome Hohsmann's frightened voice. Rohscheimer stared at Jesson. Jesson turned and stared at Miss Hohsmann. "You are mistaken," he replied slowly. "I have not had the card in my hand!" Miss Hohsmann's fine, dark eyes grew round in wonder. "But, Sir Leopold!" she cried. "I _took_ it from your hand!" Jesson's face was a study in perplexity. "I can only say," contributed Sheard, who sat upon the other side of the girl, "that I saw Miss Hohsmann looking at the card and I asked to be allowed to examine it. I then passed it on to Mrs. Lacey. I may add"--smiling--"that it does not emanate from the _Gleaner_ office, and is in no way official!" "Mrs. Lacey passed it along to me," came Oppner's parched voice. "But," Sir Leopold's incisive tones cut in upon the bewildering conversation, "Miss Hohsmann is in error in supposing that she received the card from me. I have not handled it--neither, I believe, has Lady Vignoles?" He turned to the latter. She shook her head.