"Could you really do that?" he asked eagerly.
"Persuasion might succeed where force would certainly fail. Now, suppose she did give him up, would the Imperial clemency follow--for her father, I mean."
"That is the Emperor"s matter. His Majesty does not make terms, he looks for submission to his wishes."
"The Prince would be a better match than von Felsen, even at the worst.
Drive matters, and you may find some morning you have driven those two to the altar," I said meaningly as I got up. "Let me have a day or two to see what can be done."
He smiled, but not without some chagrin. "I sent for you to warn you, and here you are making terms, as if you were a delegate. My instructions are to tell you frankly that if you interfere in this matter, we shall ask you to return to England."
"That"s better than gaol, anyway. But, seriously, don"t you think it would be useful to have a delegate? Your own term. All said and done it isn"t a pretty story--for the newspapers, say."
"Going to threaten us now, hanged if you"re not. You ought to have gone in for diplomacy. a.s.surance like that would carry you far," he jested.
"Well, come and see me again in a day or two and tell me that the Prince affair is at an end for a start."
I had gained two important things by the interview: delay, which was invaluable to me; and a confirmation of von Felsen"s statement to Althea. I knew Borsen well enough to feel sure that, although he had referred in a tone of jest to his instructions to send me packing from Berlin, they were genuine; and I should have been under orders to leave, had he not managed to convince himself that more was to be gained by letting me remain "as a delegate."
As I had said, it was not a pretty story; and the affair was one which all concerned would be much more willing to settle secretly and peacefully than by force. He remembered no doubt that in a former matter I had won my way by means of suggestive paragraphs in the English papers. Publicity is a fairly sure card to play with the officials of his Imperial Majesty the Kaiser.
What I had to do was to make the best use of my time of grace, and I went straight from Borsen to old Ziegler.
"This is indeed an act of friendship to come so promptly, Herr Bastable," he declared with his customary effusiveness, as he placed a chair for me and put a box of cigars at my elbow.
"You said it was urgent, Ziegler. What"s the matter?"
"There is nothing the matter; at least nothing that I should allow you to be disturbed about. But I want to have a little very confidential chat with you. You will smoke?"
I lighted a cigar. "Well?"
"I have been thinking over our talk of yesterday, and your expressions of sympathy with us; and a curious thing has happened. I have not breathed a word to a soul about that talk; but last night one of our friends mentioned your name with a hint that some one had been talking to you of our plans."
"A curious coincidence," I replied drily.
"By my mother"s memory, it is nothing more, Herr Bastable. I declare that most solemnly." He was very earnest and appeared to be telling the truth. "You were seen to leave here yesterday, and the question was asked whether you were ferreting out things, or whether you were likely to be in sympathy with our plans and objects."
"And what did you say?" I asked with a smile.
"I spoke of your expressions of sympathy."
"Yes?" I queried.
He smiled and rubbed his hands. "You see you have never before given me a hint."
"Intentionally."
"Yet I should like to know the extent of your sympathy."
"Why?"
"You are chary of your words, Herr Bastable."
"All the more time for you to talk, Ziegler. Out with it."
He rolled his eyes round his head and then let them rest on me. "You make it difficult; but at any rate you will not speak of what I may say?"
"You know that without my repeating it."
"Well, you English are like us Poles in one respect--you all love your country, Herr Bastable. What if I could get you news which closely concerns your country? You would not refuse to hear it, or to make use of it, eh? Merely because that course would prejudice the German Government?"
"I say nothing until I know more."
He lowered his voice and bent toward me. "England would like to know exactly the German policy in naval matters? This Government does not wish it known, because it would prejudice the Kaiser. If I had such information, Heir Bastable, could you get it published broadcast in England in such way as to prevent the source being known?"
"Easily and readily. But I must be convinced."
"If there were a naval scheme already in the pigeon-holes of the Government here formulated against England, and based upon knowledge of the strength of the English navy, its publication would make a blaze, eh?" His eyes were positively scintillating with cunning as he fixed them now upon me.
"You may gamble on that," I said. "But you"d have to be sure of your facts."
"If you were to have the secret papers themselves, eh?"
His eyes were off me so that he missed my start of intense satisfaction at this. To make a pause I took my cigar from my lips and pretended to relight it. "Von Felsen?" I asked then in a casual tone.
He was quick enough to detect that my calm tone was a.s.sumed and he shot a very keen glance at me. "Why do you ask that?"
"Because I don"t trust him, and because he would not have anything to do with it if he thought I was in it."
"He will not know, and he will do what I tell him," was the terse reply.
"And why are you keen on it?"
"Do you think it would do this Government any good to be caught in double dealing with a power like England?" and he launched into a tirade against the Kaiser and his Government, all the venom and bitterness of his hatred apparent in every word.
This gave me time to think the thing round. It was just a lovely stroke of good fortune; and all I had to do was so to arrange matters that the proofs of von Felsen"s treachery should come directly into my hands.
As soon as Ziegler"s fury had exhausted itself, we set to work to discuss the details of the plan. He himself was not going to appear in it. That was his invariable practice, I knew. There was to be no jot or t.i.ttle of evidence in existence which would incriminate him, except only von Felsen"s word; and as he would be the actual thief, his testimony would be entirely discredited. As soon as I perceived this, I offered to take the risk of receiving the papers direct from von Felsen the instant they were ready to be handed over. But I made it an absolute condition that he was not to know I was in the thing until the very last moment, when he had the papers actually in his possession and was ready to hand them over.
The hour and place were then to be communicated to me secretly, and I was to do the rest. That would fit in with my plans well enough, and I agreed readily.
"Then there remains only one little point," said Ziegler, after a pause.
"There will be some money to be paid, of course. And this can only be in return for the papers themselves."
"Who is to find it?"
"My friends, naturally; but----" He paused with a gesture of doubt.
"It is only equally natural that they would wish to have the papers first, and as you are to get them---- What do you think, eh?"
"How much?"