“What a joke if we find the old family castle is a nest of robbers,” smiled Monty.

“Still!” corrected Fred.

I was watching the consul’s eyes.  He was troubled, but the prospect of massacre did not account for all of his expression.  There was debate, inspiration against conviction, being fought out under cover of forced calm.  Inspiration won the day.

“I was wondering,” he said, and lit a fresh cigar while we waited for him to go on.

“I vouch for my friends,” said Monty.

“It wasn’t that.  I’ve no right to make the proposal—­no official right whatever—­I’m speaking strictly unofficially—­in fact, it’s not a proposal at all—­merely a notion.”

He paused to give himself a last chance, but indiscretion was too strong.

“I was wondering how far you four men would go to save twenty or thirty thousand lives.”

“You’ve no call to wonder about that,” said Will.

“Suppose you tell us what you’ve got in mind,” suggested Monty, putting his long legs on a chair and producing a cigarette.

The consul knocked out his pipe and sat forward, beginning to talk a little faster, as a man who throws discretion to the winds.

“I’ve no legal right to interfere.  None at all.  In case of a massacre of Armenians—­men, women, little children—­I could do nothing.  Make a fuss, of course.  Throw open the consulate to refugees.  Threaten a lot of things that I know perfectly well my government won’t do.  The Turks will be polite to my face and laugh behind my back, knowing I’m helpless.  But if you four men—­”

“Yes—­go on—­what?”

“Spill it!” urged Will.

“—­should be up-country, and I knew it for a fact, but did not know your precise whereabouts, I’d have a grown excuse for raising most particular old Harry!  You get my meaning?”

“Sure!” said Will.  “Monty’s an earl.  Fred’s related to half the peerages in Burke.  Me and him”—­I was balancing my chair on one leg and he pushed me over backward by way of identification—­“just pose as distinguished members of society for the occasion.  I get you.”

“It might even be possible, Mr. Yerkes, to get the United States Congress to take action on your account.”

“Don’t you believe it!” laughed Will.  “The members for the Parish Pump, and the senators from Ireland would howl about the Monroe Doctrine and Washington’s advice at the merest hint of a Yankee in trouble in foreign parts.”

“What about the United States papers?”

“They’d think it was an English scheme to entangle the United States, and they’d be afraid to support action for fear of the Irish.  No, England’s your only chance!”

“Well,” said the consul, “I’ve told you the whole idea.  If I should happen to know of four important individuals somewhere up-country, and massacres should break out after you had started, I could supply our ambassador with something good to work on.  The Turkish government might have to stop the massacre in the district in which you should happen to be.  That would save lives.”