"But what are the main features of the report? Tell me, Darnborough. You always know everything."
"The chief points of the secret report reached me from one of my agents in Berlin this morning. It was brought over by messenger," replied the Earl"s visitor, seating himself and puffing thoughtfully at his cigar.
"You will recollect that two fleets were engaged in the North Sea, Blue being the British Fleet, and Red representing the German."
"How foolish of the Admiralty not to have issued a report for public consumption. They ought to have done so long ago, and issued the confidential report afterwards--as was done two years ago," interrupted His Majesty"s Minister.
"Yes, that is what should have been done," the other a.s.sented. "It is useless to tell the world the truth when national defence is in question. But to resume. Blue"s commander was given two hundred and thirty ships to Red"s one hundred and seventeen, or nearly two to one.
Blue had twenty-eight battleships and battle-cruisers to Red"s eighteen, or fifty-five per cent. more."
"An advantage far greater than we should possess in actual war, unless every British fighting ship was brought home from the Mediterranean."
"Exactly. War was declared on June 18th--earlier than is usual--and six days later a truce was suddenly ordered from Whitehall. War was resumed three days afterwards, but was stopped suddenly four days later."
"Well, and what did really happen? I mean, what facts have our friends in Berlin got hold of?" asked the Earl, with the greatest interest.
"Proofs undeniable that, under our present arrangements for home defence, a serious raid must entail a vital blow at the heart of the Empire," he replied slowly.
"How?" asked Lord Bracondale sharply.
"Because the enemy, notwithstanding all our efforts at defence, our destroyers, our scouting hydroplanes, and our look-outs along the coast, raided the Humber, landing thirty-six thousand men, and, on the following day, made raids on the Wear, Blyth, and Sunderland, putting twenty-four thousand men ash.o.r.e. Thus, four of the most important ports and bases on the East Coast were captured within two days, together with the wireless stations at Cleethorpes, Hunstanton, and Caister, and sixty thousand men were ash.o.r.e. Moreover, the supposed enemy inflicted very heavy losses upon us without sustaining any disasters, and, further, they sent a strong force of cruisers into the Atlantic to prey upon British trade."
"Bad," sighed the Earl, the corners of his mouth hardening. "Very bad, Darnborough. It is to be hoped that the Press won"t get wind of this!"
The ubiquitous Chief of the Secret Service shrugged his shoulders.
"It may leak out to the Opposition journals, just as it has already leaked out to the Wilhelmstra.s.se. If the Admiralty had not ordered a sudden cessation of hostilities the enemy"s admiral would next have been heard of in such a position that a panic would have been caused throughout the country. As it was, the enemy"s submarines of the D and E cla.s.ses, which were sent away to hunt on their own, established a reign of terror, getting to the entrance of Cromarty Harbour, which was our base, and torpedoing the ships which were guarding the Fleet inside.
They also torpedoed the Dreadnoughts _St. Vincent_ and _Collingwood_, while another section of the enemy"s submarines inflicted very heavy loss on the British Fleet in the North Sea and seized the wireless at Cleethorpes."
The Earl was silent for a long time, thoughtfully stroking his moustache.
"But all this betrays our weakness to Germany!" he exclaimed at last.
"It is astounding--incredible!"
"But it is, nevertheless, true," remarked Darnborough. "The security of the country is in gravest danger. Why, only a few days ago the Post Office allowed Germany to lay another cable across the North Sea from Mundesley, in Norfolk, to the Island of Nordeney."
"Mundesley?" repeated the Earl. "Why, that was where poor Harborne went on the day he lost his life."
"Yes. He had been in that neighbourhood for some time--upon a secret mission, poor fellow!--a mission which he had not lived to fulfil."
A silence fell between the two men.
"The situation is, I see, one of the utmost gravity. Steps must be taken at once to rea.s.sure the public in case rumours should be published regarding the truth. The Opposition will certainly not spare the Government the facts, and must, if disclosed, give an impetus to the campaign for universal service, which would be very inconvenient to us at the present time. And more than that--Germany now actually knows the rottenness of our defences!"
"That, unfortunately, is the case."
The Earl of Bracondale bit his under lip. A Cabinet Council had been summoned for the next afternoon, and he must place the true situation before it. All the clever diplomacy he had exercised with the Powers during the past five years had now been nullified, and England stood exposed in all her vulnerability. The inflated bubble of the strong, invincible British Navy had been p.r.i.c.ked and burst.
Black days had, alas! fallen upon our nation, and a grave peril hourly threatened. Germany had hitherto hesitated to attack England because of the uncertainty regarding our true strength. Our land defences were known to Germany, even to the most minute detail, all reported accurately and methodically by the enemy"s spies living amongst us. But our naval secrets had all been well preserved, so that the British Fleet had always been regarded as able to repel invasion and make reprisals.
Now, however, its failure to prevent an armed raid was known to our friends across the North Sea, and most certainly they would seek to take advantage of the valuable knowledge they had gained.
Suddenly the Earl, turning to where Darnborough stood, exclaimed:
"You spoke of poor Harborne. He was a smart agent, I believe?"
"The best I ever had. He was clever, ingenious, utterly fearless, and devoted to the service. You will recollect how he obtained the accurate clauses of the secret j.a.panese treaty, and how he brought to us news of the secret French agreement over the Morocco question."
"I recollect," replied the Foreign Minister. "When he told me I would not believe it. Yet his information proved correct."
"Harborne"s death is to be deeply regretted," Darnborough said. "I attended the inquest. Of course, to the public, the motive is a mystery."
"Not to you--eh, Darnborough?"
"No. If Richard Harborne had lived, Germany would never have learnt the truth regarding the recent naval manoeuvres," was the reply of the Chief of the Secret Service.
"You said something about a woman. Is she known?"
"No. I have suspicions that an indiscretion was committed--a grave indiscretion, which cost poor Harborne his life. Yet what is one man"s life to his enemies when such a secret is at stake?"
"But who was the woman?"
"A friend of Harborne"s. She had been, I believe, useful to him in certain negotiations regarding the purchase of copies of plans of the new Krupp aerial gun, and in several other matters."
"Any suspicion regarding her?" asked the Earl quickly.
"None. She is, of course, in ignorance of the truth, and probably unaware who killed the man with whom she was so friendly. I am endeavouring to trace her."
"Is she a lady?"
"No. A French milliner, I understand."
"A little romance of Harborne"s which has ended fatally?"
"Yes--poor Harborne!" sighed the grey-faced man, in whose keeping were the secrets of the Empire, and who knew more of the political undercurrents of Europe than any other living person. "His loss is very great to us, for he was a fine specimen of the true-hearted, patriotic Englishman," he added, pulling hard at his cigar. "His place will be hard to fill--very hard."
"I know, Darnborough," remarked Lord Bracondale gravely. "To such a man the country ought to erect a monument, for he has laid down his life for his country. But, alas! our country recognises no heroes of the Secret Service!"
And as the Cabinet Minister spoke the telephone-bell rang. He crossed to his writing-table, took up the instrument, and responded to an urgent call from the House of Commons in London, where an important and heated debate regarding our foreign relations was in progress.
CHAPTER VI.
THE SAFE-BREAKERS.
The day had been hot and stifling in London--one of those blazing days when the tar on the roadway perfumes the air, the dry pavements reflect back the heat into one"s face, and the straw-hatted Metropolis--or the portion of it that is still in town--gasps and longs for the country or the sea.