went wrong because of the assumption of authority by
the prince. The paper he took from Senor Alvarez after the shooting was
supposed to bear vitally upon Mexico's attitude toward our plan, but, as
it developed, it was about another matter entirely."

"Yes, I know," said Mr. Grimm.

"The event of that night which you did _not_ learn was that Germany
agreed to join the compact upon conditions. Mr. Rankin, who was attached
to the German embassy in an advisory capacity, delivered the answer to
me, and I pretended to faint in order that I might reasonably avoid
you."

"I surmised that much," remarked Mr. Grimm.

"The telegraphing I did with my fan was as much to distract your
attention as anything else, and at the same time to identify myself to
Mr. Rankin, whom I had never met. You knew him, of course; I didn't."

She was silent a while as her eyes steadily met those of Mr. Grimm.
Finally she went on:

"When next I met you it was in the Venezuelan legation; you were
investigating the theft of the fifty thousand dollars in gold from the
safe. I thrust myself into that case, because I was afraid of you; and
mercilessly destroyed a woman's name in your eyes to further my plans. I
made you believe that Senorita Rodriguez stole that fifty thousand
dollars, and I returned it to you, presumably, while we stood in her
room that night. Only it was not her room--it was _mine!_ _I_ stole the
fifty thousand dollars! All the details, even to her trip to see Mr.
Griswold in Baltimore in company with Mr. Cadwallader, had been
carefully worked out; and she _did_ bring me the combination of the safe
from Mr. Griswold on the strength of a forged letter. But she didn't
know it. There was no theft, of course. I had no intention of keeping
the money. It was necessary to take it to distract attention from the
thing I _did_ do--break a lock inside the safe to get a sealed packet
that contained Venezuela's answer to our plan. I sealed that packet
again, and there was never a suspicion that it had been opened."

"Only a suspicion," Mr. Grimm corrected.

"Then came the abduction of Monsieur Boissegur, the French ambassador. I
plunged into that case as I did in the other because I was afraid of you
and had to know just how much you knew. It was explained to you as an
attempt at extortion with details which I carefully supplied. As a
matter of fact, Monsieur Boissegur opposed our plans, even endangered
them; and it was not advisable to have