No, it was impossible: he could not, would not, believe that, such a thing could be.

His invincible materialism came suddenly to his aid, and saved him from the reproach of fear in his own eyes.
"No, Phadrig," he said, with a gesture of impatience, "that is not to be credited.

To you it may seem a reality: to me it can never be anything more than a phantasy of intellect run mad on a single point--which, I need hardly remind you, is a by no means uncommon failing of the greatest of minds.

Another reason has just occurred to me which would need no such fantastic explanation." "And that, Highness ?" queried Phadrig, looking up with an almost imperceptible shrug of his shoulders.
"The Zastrow affair.

Unlikely as it seems, it is not impossible that there has been treason there.