"Oh, you may have a visit, perhaps, from a polite German officer who may billet some of his men here for the night. He will simply apologise for the inconvenience he causes. That is all."
"But they have been ma.s.sacring people north of Liege," Aimee remarked.
"Bah! those are simply exaggerated tales of the country-people. Do not credit them, Mademoiselle. n.o.body in Brussels believes them. In war, such tales are always told," he said a.s.suringly.
"Who is commanding the Eighth Cha.s.seurs? Do you know?" asked the girl anxiously.
"Well, yes, I happen to know because Jacques, my second chauffeur, is in the regiment of Monsieur Valentin. They belong to the Sixth Brigade under General Paul Thalmann."
"Thalmann!" echoed the Baroness. "Ah, we know him quite well. He was commandant at Bruges a year ago. Then he was moved to Ghent. Aimee and I stayed with him for three days during the Exhibition. A fine old soldier. One of the best men in all Belgium."
Arnaud Rigaux smiled curiously. The Hebrew came out in him at that moment.
"Yes," he said, with slight hesitation. "But a gambler, my dear Baroness. He is in my debt to a considerable extent. Besides, I--well, I suspect him."
"Of what?" asked the great financier.
"Of dealings with the enemy."
Aimee started.
"What do you mean, m"sieur?" she asked quickly.
"I simply mean what I say, Mademoiselle. General Thalmann has, to my knowledge, been on the verge of bankruptcy for the past three years. He is a bosom friend of a certain Karl Schnerb, whom I have long suspected of being a secret agent of Germany. After his acquaintance with Schnerb, the General began to repay me some of what I had lent him.
_Voila tout_!"
"You say, then, that General Thalmann is in the pay of our enemies?"
asked Aimee quickly.
"You surely don"t mean that, Arnaud?" asked her father at the same moment.
"I only tell you facts that I know, my dear Baron," was their visitor"s reply. "And for that reason, and that alone, I say: `May G.o.d help our poor little Belgium.""
Aimee was silent.
Was it possible that a traitor was in command of Edmond"s brigade?
The girl held her breath. If what Arnaud Rigaux had alleged was the actual truth--and he always knew the truth--if such things were, then poor little Belgium was, alas! doomed.
CHAPTER NINE.
THE KAISER"S SECRET AGENT.
"The position is a very grave one, Henri," Rigaux explained when, a few minutes later, they were alone together in a small, circular, book-lined room, that room below one of the high round towers of the chateau, which the Baron used as a bureau. "I hesitated to speak very openly before your wife, because it would cause her undue alarm. There is no doubt-- indeed, there has been abundant proof in these last four days--that Belgium swarms with German spies. They are everywhere. Our enemies have been most crafty and cunning in their preparations for our undoing.
They have arrested and shot sixteen German agents in Antwerp alone.
They had carrier-pigeons, secret wireless, code-books, German ammunition, secret stores of petrol, and other things, which showed, only too plainly, their intentions. Now your telephone was cut at noon to-day, was it not, and you are wondering? Well, the truth is that the Germans occupied Brussels at eleven o"clock this morning?"
"_They are in Brussels_!" gasped the Baron, starting up. "You must be joking!"
"I am not, I regret to say. To-day, at eleven, Burgomaster Max met the German commander in the Chausee de Louvain. There was no resistance, and the enemy marched into the city, doing the goose-step as they pa.s.sed the Gare du Nord."
"Impossible?" gasped de Neuville, pale as death.
"But it is the unfortunate truth. The Germans are asking for an indemnity of eight millions sterling. The Minister of finance has asked me to negotiate the loan. Will you and your friends take part in it?"
For a moment the Baron de Neuville was silent. He knew the financial straits of the Government at that moment, and he was reflecting.
At last he said, in a low, earnest voice:
"Arnaud, if I touch it at all, my friends in London and myself will make the whole loan."
"What, you will bear the eight millions?" asked Rigaux, with some surprise.
"Yes. I feel it my duty to a.s.sist in the present crisis."
"But I only asked for a portion. I can do some myself, and obtain the remainder in Holland."
"I tell you I will arrange to bear the whole responsibility. I will send word to Monsieur Max to-night. I can arrange with good substantial friends in London to a.s.sist me."
Rigaux was silent for a few seconds.
"Well," he said enthusiastically at last, "yours is indeed a fine example of patriotism, Henri, I will let Max know your generous offer.
There is no telegraphic or telephonic communication with Brussels now."
He did not add that in his pocket was a special pa.s.s, signed by the German commander, which allowed him to go through the enemy"s lines, backwards and forwards, at will. If the Baron and his friends paid over eight millions to the enemy, then his friends in Berlin would be highly pleased at his clever diplomacy.
"You return to Brussels to-night--eh?"
"Yes, at once. It is a risky business to be on the roads at night nowadays."
"I shall go to Brussels to-morrow, and make the offer personally," the Baron said.
"But, if you do so, you will not leave your wife and daughter here. If I were you I would send them to Ostend, where, if further trouble occurs, they can easily cross to England. They should not be left here alone. One never knows what may happen." The Baron did not reply. He was still rea.s.sured by the words of certain highly-placed officials in Brussels that the Baroness and Aimee would be quite safe at Severac, and Rigaux, on his part, did not think it worth while to tell him of the close proximity of the Uhlans.
"I shall see you in Brussels to-morrow," the Baron said briefly.
"Yes. May I tell Max that you will be at the Hotel de Ville at noon-- eh?" asked the secret agent of the Kaiser, "and that you and your English friends will, if necessary, guarantee the loan to the munic.i.p.ality of the eight millions demanded?"
"Yes," was his friend"s reply.
"Ah, Henri," cried Arnaud Rigaux, "you are a true patriot. You, the wealthiest man in Belgium, to come forward at such a time," And, Judas-like, he took the Baron"s hand--he who was now secretly acting as financial agent of the German Government. "Monsieur Max has been made responsible for the good behaviour of the capital, and they have handed him back his scarf of office. The surrender was a sad and impressive scene, I can a.s.sure you," he added.
"Ah, yes," replied the Baron very gravely. "I had no idea that the enemy were already in Brussels."
"Yes. They have taken Liege, Tirlemont, and Louvain, and are now coming up to bombard Namur."
"So near!" cried the broad-shouldered Baron, amazed.