"Still it was an error, and I think you will pay for it. There have been unusual preparations under way for many hours. The king has been in my apartment, and messengers and guards have been arriving constantly, each with his little bundle of quipos, as you call them."
"Did you see the quipos?"
"Yes."
"Did any of them contain a red cord, suspended alone, with a single knot at either end?"
"Yes, all of them," said Desiree without an instant's hesitation.
"That means Harry and me," I observed. "But the message! Can you remember any of them?"
She tried, but without success. Which will not surprise any one who has ever seen the collection at the museum at Lima.
Then Harry broke in:
"Something else has happened, Desiree. No bunch of cords tied in silly knots ever made you look as you did just now. What was it?"
"Nothing—nothing, Harry."