'But, Mr. Sarrasin—I beg pardon, Colonel Sarrasin——'
'Captain Sarrasin, if you please.'
'I beg your pardon, Captain Sarrasin. Do you really think there is any plot against—against—his Excellency?' Rivers had hesitated for a moment. He hated to call Ericson either 'his Excellency' or 'the Dictator.' But just now he wanted above all other things to conciliate Sarrasin, and if possible get him on his side, in case there should come to be a question concerning the time of the delayed warning.
'I believe it is pretty likely, sir.'
'In this house?'
'In this very house.'
'But, good God! that can't be. Why don't we tell Sir Rupert?'
'Why didn't you tell Sir Rupert?'
'Because I was told not to alarm him for nothing.'
'Exactly; we don't want to alarm him for nothing. We think that we three—the Dictator, Hamilton, and I—we can manage this little business for ourselves. Not one of the three of us that hasn't been in many a worse corner alone before, and now there are three of us—don't you see?'