these a letter?"

Nikky drew himself up. "I have brought the envelope which was given me."

Without a word Karl held out papers and envelope to the other man, who
took them. Then he turned to Nikky, and now he raised his voice. "Where
did you get this--hoax?" he demanded.

"At the cathedral, from the man Niburg."

"You lie!" said Karl. Then, for a moment, he left Nikky and turned on
his companion in a fury. He let his royal rage beat on that unlucky
individual while the agent stood, white and still. Not until it was
over, and Karl, spent with passion, was pacing the floor, did Nikky
venture a word.

"If this is not what Your Majesty expected," he said, "there is perhaps
an explanation."

Karl wheeled on him. "Explanation!"

"The man Niburg was attacked, early last evening, by three men. They
beat him badly, and attempted to rob him. His story to me, sire. He
believed that they were after the letter, but that he had preserved
it. It is, of course, a possibility that, while he lay stunned, they
substituted another envelope for the one he carried."

Karl tore the envelope from the agent's hands and inspected it
carefully. Evidently, as with the agent, the story started a new train
of thought. Nikky drew a long breath. After all, there was still hope
that the early morning shooting would have another target than himself.

Karl sat down, and his face relaxed. It was stern, but no longer
horrible. "Tell me this Niburg's story," he commanded.

"He was walking through the old city," Nikky commenced, "when three
men fell on him. One, a large one, knocked him insensible and then went
through his pockets. The others--"

"Strange!" said Karl. "If he was insensible, how does he know all this?"

"It was his story, sire," Nikky explained. But he colored. "A companion,
who was with him, ran away."

"This companion," Karl queried. "A dark, heavy fellow, was it?"

"No. Rather a pale man, blond. A--" Nikky checked himself.

But Karl was all suavity. "So," he said, "while Niburg was unconscious
the large man took the letter, which was sealed, magically opened it,
extracted its contents, replaced them with--this, and then sealed it
again!"

The King turned without haste to a drawer in his desk, and opened it.
He was smiling. When he faced about again, Nikky saw that he held a
revolver in =his hand. Save that the agent had taken a step forward,
nothing in the room had changed. And yet; for Nikky everything had
changed.