She started rather nervously. "Yes, several old school friends; but----" She paused and gestured.
"My idea is that you should invent a sudden desire to go to them; say that one of them is dying or very ill, or something. You could not very well travel alone at such a time, and thus Hans would naturally go with you. It would be simple enough for you two to obtain permits to travel and pa.s.sports and so on, and----"
"But I should be instantly questioned and---- Oh, that would never do,"
she interrupted, with a vigorous shake of the head.
I smiled rea.s.suringly. "I have thought of that, believe me. On the morning you were to start, after you had obtained your tickets, something would occur to make it impossible for you to go. Nessa or I would then get the tickets and things, and she and I would use them.
You would not discover the loss until we had had time to cross the frontier, and could then give information of their loss; and as soon as we were safely in Holland, I would write to you a letter explaining everything."
This lessened her uneasiness considerably. "It is possible," she admitted.
"Such a letter from me, confessing my imposture and everything, would free you from the slightest taint of suspicion that you had been in any way a party to the scheme, and, of course, as Nessa and I should be in safety, I could make the confession with absolute impunity."
She sat with her dark brows drawn together, considering the scheme very carefully, and after a long silence asked: "How long do you think it would take?"
"Only so long as is needed to get the pa.s.sports, etc."
But she shook her head. "There is a difficulty--Hans. He could not possibly get away, even if he were willing to go; which I doubt."
"Can you think of any one else?"
She hesitated, glancing first at me and then at Nessa. "Do you remember the two Apeldoorn sisters, Nessa?"
"Yes, quite well, dear."
"They are Herr Feldmann"s cousins," said Rosa: and then I knew what was coming. "One of them is going to be married and wants me to go to the wedding. I should have gone if it hadn"t been that we heard just then about my Cousin Johann. Herr Feldmann and his sister are going, and I should have gone with them; but his sister is ill," she added, looking to see how I took this.
"It would certainly open the way to the necessary credentials, but how could I get hold of his permit?"
"I can"t think of anything else," said Rosa as I did not answer. "But I think Herr Feldmann would help if I asked him," she added.
"Do you mean you would tell him everything?" I asked, not at all relishing the suggestion.
"It would be necessary, wouldn"t it?"
"I"d rather try to think of some other plan," I replied, and sat racking my wits for some alternative; without avail, however, and presently she got up and walked about the drawing-room.
When she had left us, Nessa stirred uneasily, glanced once or twice at me, and then held out her hand. "I"m--I"m sorry, Jack," she whispered.
"All right; don"t worry;" and I just pressed her trembling fingers.
"But to talk to you as I did--all the brutal things I said. I"m so--so ashamed."
"No need. Not the faintest. You couldn"t know; and you caught me in the very act of prying into that place there. If you hadn"t fired up a bit, it wouldn"t have been natural."
"But after you"d run all this risk simply for me, you must have thought me a regular beast, Jack."
"The fact is your mother"s worry got on my nerves, and as I knew I could come into this beastly country without any risk to speak of, of course I came. That"s all about it."
She didn"t quite like this, but I meant her to believe it had been more for her mother"s sake than hers.
"Poor mother!" she murmured, and was silent for a while. "You"ve joined the army then?" was her next question.
"I"m in the Flying Corps, and your mater didn"t tell me anything about you for fear it would get on my nerves."
"Then I had something to do with your coming?" she asked, with a flicker of a flash in her bonny eyes.
"I couldn"t very well ease your mother"s mind in London, could I? She was against the thing, but I explained there was really no risk. Of course there would not have been any if the steamer hadn"t blown up and this La.s.sen business turned out as it has."
"But it was I who made you tell Rosa?"
"And probably the best thing we could have done if----" and I gestured toward Rosa, who was still pacing the room in troubled perplexity.
I did my utmost to lead Nessa to think I took the position lightly; but I was in reality almost desperately anxious, and every moment of Rosa"s indecision added to the disquieting tension of suspense. If she went against us, I could see nothing but a mess of trouble ahead; and I was only too conscious of how big the danger to her would loom in her German-disciplined mind. They all go in deadly fear of the authorities; and it was impossible to deny that, if she were discovered, it might mean the prospect of a spell in prison.
"You haven"t said yet that you forgive me, Jack," said Nessa presently.
"Simply because there"s nothing to forgive. I should probably have done just what you did," I replied with a smile.
"Do you mean that anything I could have done would have made you take me for a spy, then? I took you for one," she said ruefully.
"The only difference is that I might not have been quite so impatient, and have been ready to listen to your explanation. But don"t let us worry over that. Let us think how we"re going to get out of it all."
"I think Rosa will help us."
"But this fellow, Feldmann?"
"You needn"t trouble about him. He worships her, and the instant he knows her cousin is drowned and the way is clear for him, he"ll be ready to--well, to do anything she wishes."
"That"s good hearing, anyhow, but I wish she"d look sharp and make her mind up."
Nessa laughed gently. "You don"t understand girls, Jack. Her mind was made up before she left us two together. She"s one of the kindest-hearted souls in the world."
But Rosa seemed in no hurry to come back to us, and before she could tell us her decision, the opportunity pa.s.sed, for Hans came in with a man whom Nessa whispered to me was Feldmann himself.
Rosa introduced me to him as her cousin. This set me speculating whether it was an indication of her intention or merely a sign that she had not yet decided what to do, and I was worrying over it as I returned his stiff and rather discourteous greeting, when Hoffnung followed.
After a few words of general conversation Hoffnung drew me aside, and I had a significant proof of von Erstein"s intimate acquaintance with official matters. He had puzzled me earlier in the day by saying that I had to interview a Baron von Gratzen the next morning, and Hoffnung now brought me the note making the appointment for eleven o"clock.
"How"s the memory, La.s.sen?"
"Pretty much the same," said I, shrugging. He had evidently abandoned all his former suspicions, I was glad to see.
"You"ll find old Gratz, as we call him, a decent sort; but I"m afraid he may have to tell you what you won"t like much."
"Meaning?"
"Well, a man without a memory isn"t much use to the Secret Service, although he may be in other ways."