"Coming down to the facts it's like this, isn't it?" he demanded
briskly. "The Latin countries, by an invention of their own which the
United States and England were to be duped into purchasing, would have
had power to explode every submarine mine before attacking a port? Very
well. This thing, of course, would have given them the freedom of the
seas as long as we were unable to explode their submarines as they were
able to explode ours. And this is the condition which made the Latin
compact possible, isn't it?"
He looked straight at Mr. Grimm, who nodded.
"Therefore," he went on, "if the Latin compact is not a reality on
paper; if the United States and England do not purchase this--this
wireless percussion cap, we are right back where we were before it all
happened, aren't we? Every possible danger from that direction has
passed, hasn't it? The world-war of which we have been talking is
rendered impossible, isn't it?"
"That's a question," answered Mr. Grimm. "If you will pardon me for
suggesting it, I would venture to say that as long as there is an
invention of that importance in the hands of nations whom we now know
have been conspiring against us for fifty years, there is always danger.
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