At any rate, when it is asserted that the plans
represent the dernier cri in some form of war preparation, it is
well to remember that a 'last cry' is last only until there is a
later. Naval secrets are few, anyway, and as it takes some years
to apply them, this loss cannot be of superlative value to any
one. Still, there is, of course, a market for such information in
spite of the progress toward disarmament, but the rule in this
case will be the rule as in a horse trade, 'Caveat emptor.'"
"So there you are," I concluded. "You pay your penny for a paper,
and you take your choice."
"And the Star," inquired Kennedy, coming to the door and adding
with an aggravating grin, "the infallible?"
"The Star," I replied, unruffled, "hits the point squarely when it
says that whether the plans were of immediate importance or not,
the real point is that if they could be stolen, really important
things could be taken also. For instance, 'The thought of what the
thief might have stolen has caused much more alarm than the
knowledge of what he has succeeded in taking.
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