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VIII. The Kidnapped Prime Minister

           WerethePrimeMinisterdead,itwouldbeaterriblecalamity,butthesituationwouldhavetobefaced.Butnowyouhaveparalysis.WillthePrimeMinisterreappear,orwillhenot?Ishedeadoralive?Nobodyknows,anduntiltheyknownothingdefinitecanbedone.And,asItellyou,uncertaintybreedspanic,whichiswhatlesBochesareplayingfor.Then,again,ifthekidnappersareholdinghimsecretlysomewhere,theyhavetheadvantageofbeingabletomaketermswithbothsides.TheGermanGovernmentisnotaliberalpaymaster,asarule,butnodoubttheycanbemadetodisgorgesubstantialremittancesinsuchacaseasthis.Thirdly,theyrunnoriskofthehangman’srope.Oh,decidedly,kidnappingistheiraffair.”

           “Then,ifthatisso,whyshouldtheyfirsttrytoshoothim?”

           Poirotmadeagestureofanger.“Ah,thatisjustwhatIdonotunderstand!Itisinexplicable—stupid!Theyhavealltheirarrangementsmade(andverygoodarrangementstoo!)fortheabduction,andyettheyimperilthewholeaffairbyamelodramaticattack,worthyofaCinema,andquiteasunreal.Itisalmostimpossibletobelieveinit,withitsbandofmaskedmen,nottwentymilesfromLondon!”

           “Perhapstheyweretwoquiteseparateattemptswhichhappenedirrespectiveofeachother,”Isuggested.

           “Ah,no,thatwouldbetoomuchofacoincidence!Then,further—whoisthetraitor?Theremusthavebeenatraitor—inthefirstaffair,anyway.

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