<h3> THE COMPACT </h3>
<p> </p>
<p>A room, low-ceilinged, dim, gloomy, sinister
as an inquisition chamber; a single
large table in the center, holding a kerosene
lamp, writing materials and a metal spheroid
a shade larger than a one-pound shell; and
around it a semicircle of silent, masked and
cowled figures. There were twelve of them,
eleven men and a woman. In the shadows,
which grew denser at the far end of the room,
was a squat, globular object, a massive, smooth-sided,
black, threatening thing of iron.</p>
<p>One of the men glanced at his watch—it was
just two o'clock—then rose and took a position
beside the table, facing the semicircle. He
placed the timepiece on the table in front of
him.</p>
<p>"Gentlemen," he said, and there was the faintest
trace of a foreign accent, "I shall speak
English because I know that whatever your nationality
all of you are familiar with that tongue.
And now an apology for the theatric aspect of
all this—the masks, the time and place of meeting,
and the rest of it." He paused a moment.
"There is only one person living who knows the
name and position of all of you," and by a sweep
of his hand he indicated the motionless figure of
the woman. "It was by her decision that masks
are worn, for, while we all know the details of
the Latin compact, there is a bare chance that
some one will not sign, and it is not desirable
that the identity of that person be known to all
of us. The reason for the selection of this time
and place is obvious, for an inkling of the proposed
signing has reached the Secret Service.
I will add the United States was chosen as the
birthplace of this new epoch in history for several
reasons, one being the proximity to Central
and South America; and another the inadequate
police system which enables greater freedom of
action."</p>
<p>He stopped and drew from his pocket a folded
parchment. He tapped the tips of his fingers
with it from time to time as he talked.</p>
<p>"The Latin compact, gentlemen, is not the
dream, of a night, nor of a decade. As long as
fifty years ago it was suggested, and whatever
differences the Latin countries of the world have
had among themselves, they have always realized
that ultimately they must stand together
against—against the other nations of the world.
This idea germinated into action three years
ago, and since that time agents have covered
the world in its interest. This meeting is the
fruition of all that work, and this," he held the
parchment aloft, "is the instrument that will
unite us. Never has a diplomatic secret been
kept as this has been kept; never has a greater
reprisal been planned. It means, gentlemen, the
domination of the world—socially, spiritually,
commercially and artistically; it means that
England and the United States, whose sphere of
influence has extended around the globe, will be
beaten back, that the flag of the Latin countries
will wave again over lost possessions. It means
all of that, and more."</p>
<p>His voice had risen as he talked until it had
grown vibrant with enthusiasm; and his hands
pointed his remarks with quick, sharp gestures.</p>
<p>"All this," he went on, "was never possible
until three years ago, when the navies of the
world were given over into the hands of one
nation—my country. Five years ago a fellow-countryman
of mine happened to be present at
an electrical exhibition in New York City, and
there he witnessed an interesting experiment—practical
demonstration of the fact that a
submarine mine may be exploded by the use of
the Marconi wireless system. He was a practical
electrician himself, and the idea lingered
in his mind. For two years he experimented,
and finally this resulted." He picked up the
metal spheroid and held it out for their inspection.
"As it stands it is absolutely perfect and
gives a world's supremacy to the Latin countries
because it places all the navies of the world
at our mercy. It is a variation of the well-known
percussion cap or fuse by which mines
and torpedoes are exploded.</p>
<p>"The theory of it is simple, as are the theories
of all great inventions; the secret of its construction
is known only to its inventor—a man
of whom you never heard. It is merely that the
mechanism of the cap is so delicate that the
Marconi wireless waves—-and <i>only</i> those—will
fire the cap. In other words, this cap is tuned,
if I may use the word, to a certain number of
vibrations and half-vibrations; a wireless instrument
of high power, with a modifying addition
which the inventor has added, has only to be set
in motion to discharge it at any distance up to
twenty-five miles. High power wireless waves
recognize no obstacle, so the explosion of a submarine
mine is as easily brought about as would
be the explosion of a mine on dry land. You will
readily see its value as a protective agency for
our seaports."</p>
<p>He replaced the spheroid on the table.</p>
<p>"But its chief value is not in that," he resumed.
"Its chief value to the Latin compact,
gentlemen, is that the United States and England
are now concluding negotiations, unknown
to each other, by which <i>they</i> will protect <i>their</i>
seaports by means of mines primed with this
cap. The tuning of the caps which we will use
is known only to us; <i>the tuning of the caps
which they will use is also known to us</i>! The
addition to the wireless apparatus which they
will use is such that they <i>can not</i>, even by accident,
explode a mine guarding our seaports;
but, on the other hand, the addition to the wireless
apparatus which <i>we</i> will use permits of the
extreme high charge which will explode their
mines. To make it clearer, we could send a navy
against such a city as New York or Liverpool,
and explode every mine in front of us as we
went; and meanwhile our mines are impervious.</p>
<p>"Another word, and I have finished. Five
gentlemen, whom I imagine are present now,
have witnessed a test of this cap, by direct command
of their home governments. For the benefit
of the others of you a simple test has been
arranged for to-night. This cap on the table
is charged; its inventor is at his wireless instrument,
fifteen miles away. At three o'clock
he will turn on the current that will explode it."
Four of the eleven men looked at their watches.
"It is now seventeen minutes past two. I am
instructed, for the purposes of the test, to place
this cap anywhere you may select—in this house
or outside of it, in a box, sealed, or under water.
The purpose is merely to demonstrate its efficacy;
to prove to your complete satisfaction
that it can be exploded under practically any
conditions."</p>
<p>His entire manner underwent a change; he
drew a chair up to the table, and stood for an
instant with his hand resting on the back.</p>
<p>"The compact is written in three languages—English,
French and Italian. I shall ask you
to sign, after reading either or all, precisely as
the directions you have received from your home
government instruct. On behalf of the three
greatest Latin countries, as special envoy of
each, I will sign first."</p>
<p>He dropped into the chair, signed each of the
three parchment pages three times, then rose
and offered the pen to the cowled figure at one
end of the semicircle. The man came forward,
read the English transcript, studied the three
signatures already there with a certain air of
surprise, then signed. The second man signed,
the third man, and the fourth.</p>
<p>The fifth had just risen to go forward when
the door opened silently and Mr. Grimm entered.
Without a glance either to right or left, he went
straight toward the table, and extended a hand
to take the compact.</p>
<p>For an instant there had come amazement, a
dumb astonishment, at the intrusion. It passed,
and the hand of the man who had done the talking
darted out, seized the compact, and held it
behind him.</p>
<p>"If you will be good enough to give that to
me, your Highness," suggested Mr. Grimm
quietly.</p>
<p>For half a minute the masked man stared
straight into the listless eyes of the intruder,
and then:</p>
<p>"Mr. Grimm, you are in very grave danger."</p>
<p>"That is beside the question," was the reply.
"Be good enough to give me that document."</p>
<p>He backed away as he spoke, kicked the door
closed with one heel, then leaned against it, facing
them.</p>
<p>"Or better yet," he went on after a moment,
"burn it. There is a lamp in front of you."
He paused for an answer. "It would be absurd
of me to attempt to take it by force," he added.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<SPAN name="CH23"><!-- CHAPTER 23 --></SPAN>
<h3> XXIII </h3>
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