The priest shook his head. "I have no idea."
"He'll be here in ten minutes," said Hardy. "He passed the line of guard-boats five minutes ago. Monsignor——"
"Yes?"
"Just come behind here a moment. I want to have a word with you."
As they crossed the platform he slipped off again to the
President's chair, whispered a word to him, and returned.
"Come through here," he whispered.
Together they passed through the door at the back, and so into one of the little rooms through which they had come together half an hour before. There he closed both doors carefully and came up to the priest.
"Monsignor," he said, and hesitated.
The priest looked at him curiously. He began to see that a disclosure was coming.
"Monsignor, I have not been hard on you. . . . I came as soon as
I could. . . ."