No wonder that it immediately came to grief.

It is probable that if Rhodes had entered into its details and allowed others to consult him, matters might have taken a different turn.

But, as I have already shown, he preferred to be able to say at a given moment that he had known nothing about it.

At least, this must have been what he meant to do.

But events proved too strong for him.
The fiasco was too complete for Rhodes to escape from its responsibilities, though it must be conceded that he never tried to do so once the storm burst.