the contract Wolf signed is binding."

"Ordinarily, yes," said Roger, "but I have an idea that before I'm
through with you, you'll be glad to let go."

"For heaven's sake, Roger!" cried Ernest irritably, throwing his
cigarette in the fireplace, and taking a quick turn up and down the
room, "don't start a row."

"If you mean not to lose my temper, I can promise that," returned Roger,
"but Germany can never have my solar apparatus."

"How're you going to help yourself?" asked Ernest, with an ugly edge to
his voice.

"There are ways! Mr. Werner, Von Minden was a part of Germany's great
system, was he not, for exploiting America? He was one of your agents
and his job was to outline the desert empire Germany plans to take over.
But being German, like Ernest's father who never will take the human
element into consideration, you didn't count on the desert's sending
your poor tool crazy, so he blabbed. Gustav is your watch-dog and spy,
keeping you in touch at present with all my doings. Your own activities,
outside of these minor ones, I imagine, center round the banking and
educational interests of America. You've seen to it that our high
schools and universities produce students that admire Germany. I must
say that you have been highly successful up to now. But the superman
stuff is a bit thick, Mr. Werner. It makes our American gorge rise in
our throats."

Roger fingered his cold pipe, swallowed several times, looked out the
open door where he could see Charley at the bars, rubbing Peter's head,
then went on:

"What you've done to Ernest is obvious. He's the sweetest tempered, most
easily influenced chap in the world. You caught him in New York after
he'd failed with the Smithsonian--probably after some spy in the
Smithsonian had put you wise, and fed him up with the superman idea and
he, poor mut, fell for it."

"Roger!" shouted Ernest. "You can't talk about me as if I were
feeble-minded."

"But hang it, Ern, you have been!" exclaimed Roger. Then, with a little
break in his voice, "I tell you, you've been thinking and speaking
treason and I won't have it! I won't have it!"

"Come! Come! Mr. Moore!" said Werner; "supposing what you've surmised
should turn out to be true. Might is right in this world."

"You can't draw me into a discussion of ethics, Mr. Werner. Ernest and
I'll have that out afterward. I'm just telling you this, that Germany
can't have my solar device and it can't have Ernest. There's enough
ev