“I can scarcely reduce my statement to plainer words,” Fenn replied, “but I will try.  The danger in which we stood through the miscarriage of that packet was appreciated by every one of the Council.  Discretionary powers were handed to the small secret service branch which is controlled by Bright and myself.  Orden was prevented from reaching the Foreign Office and was rendered for a time incapable.  The consideration of our further action with regard to him was to depend upon his attitude.  Owing, no doubt, to some slight error in Bright’s treatment.  Orden has escaped from the place of safety in which he had been placed.  He is now at large, and his story, together with the packet, will probably be in the hands of the Foreign Office some time to-night.”

“Giving them,” Cross remarked grimly, “the chance to get in the first blow—­warrants for high treason, eh, against the twenty-three of us?”

“I don’t fear that,” Fenn asserted, “not if we behave like sensible men.  My proposal is that we anticipate, that one of us sees the Prime Minister to-morrow morning and lays the whole position before him.”

“Without the terms,” Furley observed.

“I know exactly what they will be,” Fenn pointed out.  “The trouble, of course, is that the missing packet contains the signature of the three guarantors.  The packet, no doubt, will be in the hands of the Foreign Office by to-morrow.  The Prime Minister can verify our statements.  We present our ultimatum a little sooner than we intended, but we get our blow in first and we are ready.”

The Bishop leaned forward in his place.

“Forgive me if I intervene for one moment,” he begged.  “You say that Julian Orden has escaped.  Are we to understand that he is absolutely at liberty and in a normal state of health?”

Fenn hesitated for a single second.

“I have no reason to believe the contrary,” he said.

“Still, it is possible,” the Bishop persisted, “that Julian Orden may not be in a position to forward that document to the Foreign Office for the present?  If that is so, I am inclined to think that the Prime Minister would consider your visit a bluff.  Certainly, you would have no argument weighty enough to induce him to propose the armistice.  No man could act upon your word alone.  He would want to see these wonderful proposals in writing, even if he were convinced of the justice of your arguments.”

There was a little murmur of approval.  Fenn leaned forward.

“You drive me to a further disclosure,” he declared, after a moment’s hesitation, “one, perhaps, which I ought already to have made.  I have arranged for a duplicate of that packet to be prepared and forwarded.  I set this matter on foot the moment we heard from Miss Abbeway here of her mishap.  The duplicate may reach us at any moment.”

“Then I propose,” the Bishop said, “that we postpone our decision until those papers be received.  Remember that up to the present moment the Council have not pledged themselves to take action until they have perused that document.”