nly as a bait to draw money from the
old nobility, and to frighten the Republic into paying us to leave them
in peace? How do we know what he might not do? He may tell the whole
of Europe. He may turn on you and expose you, and then what have we
left? It is your last chance. It is our last chance. We have tried
everything else, and we cannot show ourselves in Europe, at least not
without money in our hands. But by naming Kalonay I have managed it so
that we have only to show the written agreement I have made with the
Republic and he is silenced. In it they have promised to pay the
Prince Kalonay, naming him in full, 300,000 francs if the expedition is
withdrawn. That agreement is in my hands, and that is our answer to
whatever he may think or say. Our word is as good as his, or as bad;
we are all of the same party as far as Europe cares, and it becomes a
falling out among thieves, and we are equal."

Baron Barrat leaned forward and marked each word with a movement of his
hand.

"Do I understand you to say," he asked, "that you have a paper signed
by the Republic agreeing to pay 300,000 francs to Kalonay? Then how
are we to get it?" he demanded, incredulously. "From him?"

"It is made payable to him," continued the woman, "or to whoever brings
this ring I wear to the banking-house of the Schlevingens two weeks
after the expedition has left the island. I explained that clause to
them by saying that Kalonay and I were working together against the
King, and as he might be suspicious if we were both to leave him so
soon after the failure of the expedition we would be satisfied if they
gave the money to whichever one first presented the ring. Suppose I
had said," she went on, turning to the King, "that it was either Barrat
or the Colonel here who had turned traitor. They know the Baron of
old, when he was Chamberlain and ran your roulette wheel at the palace.
They know he is not the man to turn back an expedition. And the
Colonel, if he will pardon me, has sold his services so often to one
side or another that it would have been difficult to make them believe
that this time he is sincere. But Kalonay, the man they fear most next
to your Majesty--to have him turn traitor, why, that was a master
stroke. Even those boors, stupid as they are, saw that. When they
made out the agreement they put down all his titles, and laughed as
they wrote them in. `Prince Judas' they called him, and they were in
ecstasies