“There are certain men, it appears,” continued Kosmaroff, “in the service of the governments--in one service it is called 'foreign affairs,' in another the 'secret service'--whose mission it is to find themselves where things are stirring, to be at the seat of war. They are, in jest, called the Vultures. It is a French jest, as you would conclude. And the Vultures have been congregating at Warsaw. Therefore, the powers know something. At Cracow, it is said--I ask your pardon for repeating it--that they know, and that Cartoner knows what he knows--through the Bukatys.” The prince's lips moved beneath his mustache, but he did not speak. Wanda, who was seated near the fire, had turned in her chair, and was looking at Kosmaroff over her shoulder with steady eyes. She was not taken by surprise. It was Cartoner himself who had foreseen this, and had warned her. There was deep down in her heart, even at this moment, a thrill of pride in the thought that her lover was a cleverer man than any she had had to do with. And, oddly enough, the next words Kosmaroff spoke made her his friend for the rest of her life. “I have nothing against him. I know nothing of him, except that he is a brave man. It happens that I know that,” he said. “He knows as well as I do that his life is unsafe in this country, and yet, before I left London I heard--for we have friends everywhere--that he had got his passport for Russia again. It is to be presumed that he is coming back, so you must be prepared. In case anything should happen to confirm these suspicions that come to us from Cracow, you know that I have no control over certain members of the party. If it was thought that you or Martin had betrayed anything--” “I or Martin would be assassinated,” said the prince with his loud laugh. “I know that. I have long known that we are going back to the methods of the sixties--suspicion and assassination. It has always been the ruin of Poland--that method.” “But you have no feelings with regard to this man?” asked Kosmaroff, sharply, looking from father to daughter, with a keen sidelong glance, as if the suspicion that had come from Cracow had not left him untouched. “None whatever,” answered the prince. “He is a mere passing acquaintance. He must be allowed to pass. We will drop him--you can tell your friends--it will not be much of a sacrifice compared to some that have been made for Poland.” Wanda glanced at her father. Did he mean anything? “You know what they are,” broke in Kosmaroff's eager voice. “They see a mountain in every molehill. Martin was seen at Alexandrowo with Cartoner. Wanda was seen speaking to him at the Mokotow. He is known to have called on you at your hotel in London.” “It is a question of dropping his acquaintance, my friend,” said the prince, “and I tell you, he shall be dropped.” “It is more than that,” answered Kosmaroff, half sullenly.