“Germany has no power to transport troops in other directions,” Mr. Mervin Brown observed.

Prince Shan smiled.

“You have another enemy besides Germany,” he pointed out, “a great democracy who has never forgiven your lack of sympathy at her birth, your attempts to repress by force a great upheaval, borne in agony and shame, yet containing the germs of worthy things which your statesmen in those days failed to discern.  Russia has never forgiven.  Russia stands hand in hand with Germany.”

“But surely,” the Prime Minister protested, “you speak in the language of the past?  The League of Nations still exists.  Any directly predatory expedition would bring the rest of the world to arms.”

Prince Shan shook his head.

“One of the first necessities of a tribunal,” he expounded, “is that that tribunal should have the power to punish.  You yourself are one of the judges.  You might find your culprit guilty.  With what weapon will you chastise him?  The culprit has grown mightier than the judge.”

“America—­”

“America,” Prince Shan interrupted, “can, when she chooses, strike a weightier blow than any other nation on earth, but she will never again proceed outside her own sphere of influence.”

“But she must protect her trade,” the Prime Minister insisted.

“She has no need to do so by force of arms.  Take my own country, for instance.  We need American machinery, American goods, locomotives and mining plants.  America has no need to force these things upon us.  We are as anxious to buy as she is to sell.”

“I am to figure to myself, then,” Mr. Mervin Brown reflected, “a combination of Germany and Russia engaged in some scheme inimical to Great Britain?”

“There was such a scheme definitely arranged and planned,” Prince Shan assured him gravely.  “If I had seen well to sign a certain paper, you would have lost, before the end of this month, India, your great treasure house, Australia and New Zealand, and eventually Egypt.  You would have been as powerless to prevent it as either of us three would be if called upon unarmed to face the champion heavyweight boxer.”

“It is hard for me to credit the fact that officially Germany has any knowledge of this scheme,” the Prime Minister confessed.

“Official Germany would probably deny it,” Prince Shan answered dryly.  “Official Russia might do the same.  Official China would follow suit, but the real China, in my person, assures you of the truth of what I have told you.  You have never heard, I suppose, of the three secret cities?”

“I have heard stories about them which sounded like fairy tales,” Mr. Mervin Brown admitted grudgingly.

“Nevertheless, they exist,” Prince Shan continued, “and they exist for the purpose of supplying means of offence for the expedition of which I have spoken.  There is one in Germany, one in Russia, and one in China.  The three between them have produced enough armoured airships of a new design to conquer any country in the world.”