“Only a suspicion,” Mr. Grimm corrected.

“Then came the abduction of Monsieur Boissegur, the French ambassador.  I plunged into that case as I did in the other because I was afraid of you and had to know just how much you knew.  It was explained to you as an attempt at extortion with details which I carefully supplied.  As a matter of fact, Monsieur Boissegur opposed our plans, even endangered them; and it was not advisable to have him recalled or even permit him to resign at the moment.  So we abducted him, intending to hold him until direct orders could reach him from Paris.  Understand, please, that all these things were made possible by the aid and cooperation of dozens, scores, of agents who were under my orders; every person who appeared in that abduction was working at my direction.  The ambassador’s unexpected escape disarranged our plans; but he was taken out of the embassy by force the second time under your very eyes.  The darkness which made this possible was due to the fact that while you were looking for the switch, and I was apparently aiding, I was holding my hand over it all the time to keep you from turning on the light.  You remember that?”

Mr. Grimm nodded.

“All the rest of it you know,” she concluded wearily.  “You compelled me to leave the Venezuelan legation by your espionage, but in the crowded hotel to which I moved I had little difficulty avoiding your Mr. Hastings, your Mr. Blair and your Mr. Johnson, so I came and went freely without your knowledge.  The escape of the prince from prison you arranged, so you understand all of that, as well as the meeting and attempted signing of the compact, and the rapid recovery of Senor Alvarez.  And, after all, it was my fault that our plans failed, because if I had not been—­been uneasy as to your condition and had not made the mistake of going to the deserted little house where you were a prisoner, the plans would have succeeded, the compact been signed.”

“I’m beginning to understand,” said Mr. Grimm gravely, and a wistful, tender look crept into his eyes.  “If it had not been for that act of—­consideration and kindness to me—­”

“We would have succeeded in spite of you,” explained Isabel.  “We were afraid of you, Mr. Grimm.  It was a compliment to you that we considered it necessary to account for your whereabouts at the time of the signing of the compact.”

“And if you had succeeded,” remarked Mr. Grimm, “the whole civilized world would have come to war.”

“I never permitted myself to think of it that way,” she replied frankly.  “There is something splendid to me in a battle of brains; there is exaltation, stimulation, excitement in it.  It has always possessed the greatest fascination for me.  I have always won, you know, until now.  I failed!  And my reward is ‘Traitor!’”