I shall not! But believe me--I am certain as I sit here that they only wait for my return to British East! To have me murdered here might start inconvenient rumors that would lead to unanswerable questions! It was proposed to me to-day that I should return to British East on the launch!" "Then why talk about escaping ?" Fred wondered.

"Why not go ?" "Because," she hissed emphatically, "don't you see, you stupid!--if they send me back it will be to my doom! My one chance is to escape from their clutches--get into touch with British officials--and save the situation by telling my own tale first!" Fred was in no hurry to be convinced.

I was already for accepting her story and helping her out; but that was perhaps because I was a sick man, too recently recovered from the gates of death to care to be hard on any one.
"I still don't see your danger," Fred told her.

"In all my life I fail to recall a single instance of the British courts passing a severe sentence on a spy.

If you'll excuse my saying so, your story about Lord James Rait is incorrect.