s my reply. "Whatever you tell me never
passes my lips."

"I know--I know I can trust you, Mr. Hargreave," she exclaimed. "Well,
in this matter there are several mysterious circumstances. I believe
it is something political my father wants to work--some business which
concerns something in the Near East. That's all I know. You will, in
due course, hear all about it. And now let's go along to Deansgate. I
want to buy something."

In consequence we strolled along together, Rayne having gone out an
hour before to keep an appointment--with whom he carefully concealed
from me.

That same night Rayne disclosed to me the mission which he desired me
to carry out. He was a man of a hundred moods and as many schemes.

One fact which delighted me was that in the present suggestion there
seemed no criminal intent. And for that reason I quite willingly left
London for the Near East three days later.

My destination was Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, and the journey by
the Orient Express across Europe was a long and tedious one.

I was much occupied with the piece of scheming which I had undertaken
to carry out in Sofia. My patriotism had led me to attempt a very
difficult task--one which would require delicate tact and a good deal
of courage and resource, but which would, if successful, Rayne had
said, mean that a loan of three millions would be raised in London,
and that British influence would become paramount in that go-ahead
country, which ere long must be the power of the Balkans.

The tentacles of the great criminal octopus which Rayne controlled
were indeed far-spread. In this he was making a bid for fortune,
without a doubt.

To the majority of people, the Balkan States are, even to-day, _terra
incognita_. The popular idea is that they are wild, inaccessible
countries, inhabited by brigands. That is not so. True, there are
brigands, even now after the war, in the Balkans, but Belgrade, the
Serbian capital, is as civilized as Berlin, and the main boulevard of
Sofia, whither I was bound, is at night almost a replica of the
Boulevard des Italiens.

I knew, however, that there were others in Sofia upon the same errand
as myself, emissaries of other Governments and other financial houses.
Therefore in those three long, never-ending days and nights which the
journey occupied, my mind was constantly filled with the thoughts of
the best and most judicious course to pursue in order to attain my
object.

The run East was