course, a secret, but it would eventually raise the
little army of Holland far above those of all other nations.

Julia listened, but especially to the last piece of information, which
struck her as being the one most likely to prove interesting. Soon
after hearing it, however, she was obliged to go. She made her
farewells, and received messages of affection for Mevrouw, condolence
for Mijnheer--who had a cold--and good wishes for Joost's journey.
Then she started homewards, with a light basket and a busy mind.

It did not take her very long to decide that if there was any truth in
this talk of Van de Greutz's achievements, it must be the last
mentioned--the explosive--which brought Rawson-Clew here. Her judgment
of men, for working purposes at least, was quick and fairly accurate,
necessity and experience had helped Nature to make it so. There were
one or two things in connection with Rawson-Clew which were very clear
to her, he was not a scientist pure and simple; she had never met one,
but she knew he was not one, and so was not likely to be interested in
the great chemist for chemistry only. Nor was he a commercial man;
neither his instincts nor his abilities lay in that direction; it was
not a new process, not a trade secret which brought him here. Indeed,
even though he might appreciate the value of such things, he would
never dream of trying to possess himself of them.

Julia understood perfectly the scale in which such acts stood to men
like Rawson-Clew. To attempt to master a man's discovery for one's own
ends (as in a way she was doing) was impossible, rank dishonesty,
never even contemplated; to do it for business purposes--well, he
might admit it was sometimes necessary in business--commerce had its
morality as law, and the army had theirs--but it was not a thing he
would ever do himself, he would not feel it exactly honourable. But to
attempt to gain a secret for national use was quite another thing, not
only justifiable but right, more especially if, as was probably the
case, the attempt was in fulfilment of a direct order. If after Herr
Van de Greutz had a secret worth anything to England, it was that
which had brought Rawson-Clew to the little town. She was as sure of
it as she was that it was the blue daffodil which had brought her.

The hateful blue daffodil! Daily, to possess it grew more imperative.
The intercourse with this man, the curious seeming equality that was
being established between the