between
the inventor and myself at once--this afternoon."

Mr. Howard thoughtfully drummed on his desk for a little while. From the
first, save in so far as the patent rights were concerned, he had seen
no reasons for the obligations of utter secrecy which had been enforced
upon him. Perhaps, if he laid it before the inventor in this new light,
with the deal practically closed, the interview would be possible!

"I have no choice in the matter, Mr. Grimm," he said at last. "I shall
have to put it to my client, of course. Can you give me, say, half an
hour to communicate with him?"

"Certainly," and Mr. Grimm rose obligingly. "Shall I wait outside here
or call again?"

"You may wait if you don't mind," said Mr. Howard. "I'll be able to let
you know in a few minutes, I hope."

Mr. Grimm bowed and passed out. At the end of twenty-five minutes the
door of Mr. Howard's private office opened and he appeared. His face was
violently red, evidently from anger, and perspiration stood on his
forehead.

"I can't do anything with him," he declared savagely. "He says simply
that negotiations must be conducted through me or not at all."

Mr. Grimm had risen; he bowed courteously.

"Very well," he said placidly. "You understand, of course, as the note
says, that this refusal of his terminates the negotiations, so--"

"But just a moment--" interposed Mr. Howard quickly.

"Good day," said Mr. Grimm.

The door opened and closed; he was gone. Three minutes later he stepped
into a telephone booth at a near-by corner and took down the receiver.

"Hello, central!" he called, and then: "This is Mr. Grimm of the Secret
Service. What number was Mr. Howard talking to?"

"Eleven double-nought six, Alexandria," was the reply.

"Where is the connection? In whose name?"

"The connection is five miles out from Alexandria in a farm-house on the
old Baltimore Road," came the crisp, business-like answer. "The name is
Murdock Williams."

"Thank you," said Mr. Grimm. "Good-by."

A moment later he was standing by the curb waiting for a car, when
Howard, still angry, and with an expression of deep chagrin on his
face, came bustling up.

"If you can give me until to-morrow afternoon, then--" he began.

Mr. Grimm glanced around at him, and with a slight motion of his head
summoned two men who had been chatting near-by. One of them was Blair,
and the other Hastings.

"Take this man in charge," he directed. "Hold him in solitary
confinem