“As plain and boring a woman as one could find in Eastern Europe,” said Clovis; “one of the sort that call just before lunch and stay till it’s time to dress for dinner. Well, it seems that some Romanian Jew is willing to finance the revolution if he can be assured of getting certain mineral concessions. The Jew is cruising in a yacht somewhere off the English coast, and the princess had made up her mind that I was the safest person to convey the concession papers to him. My aunt whispered, ‘For Heaven’s sake agree to what she says or she’ll stay on to dinner.’ At that moment any sacrifice seemed better than that , and so here I am, with my breast pocket bulging with compromising documents, and my life not worth a minute’s purchase.”

“But,” said Jocelyn, “you are safe here in England, aren’t you?”