i'm not a particularly blood-thirsty person, but considering the hosts of freibach's countrymen who had fallen in the war, i certainly did bitterly regret that he had been spared.
poor nessa! just when she had been at the height of ecstatic delight at the near prospect of escape, this infernal thing had come to plunge her back into the abyss. it seemed to break her up.
and well it might! if it had been almost any other man than freibach it might have been possible to face it out. indeed, if he had been alone, or had even thought what he was doing, i believe he would have been decent enough to hold his tongue. but his surprise had betrayed us.
and that we were betrayed his companions' looks proved plainly. the man who had come in first looked up with a scowl as i shook freibach's hand.
"what's that, lieutenant? do you mean to say these people are english and dare to try and keep us out of here with a pretence of state business? what's the meaning of it, and what the devil are you doing here?"
my friend realized then the bad turn he had done us and looked the regret he dared not express.
i put the best face on it i could. "there is no need to adopt that tone with me, sir——"
"isn't there? oh! i'm accustomed to use what tone i please with you english. i'm major borsch of the 23rd potsdam regiment; and it's my business to know all about you both." that he was a bully of the best prussian type was evident. "what was that humbug about state business?"
how i regretted that burnt authority at that moment! "this lady, miss caldicott, is on her way to england. she has been in berlin since before the outbreak of the war and is returning by the order of baron von gratzen; and acting under his instructions i am escorting her to the frontier."
he burst into loud coarse laughter which made freibach wince. "a pretty tale, but not good enough for me. and who are you, pray, that you are detailed off as escort?" the sneer on the last word was worthy of even von erstein.
"i am travelling as johann lassen. i have all my papers here. i am on a special mission for baron von gratzen, who gave me a written authority for that purpose."
"did he indeed? very nice of him. i should like to see that special authority. a swine of an englishman on a special state business! what next, i'd like to know."
it wasn't easy to keep one's temper with this sort of brute; but there was nessa to be thought of. "unfortunately i have partially burnt it."
"dear me! what a misfortune, eh?" he sneered. "let me look at the precious fragments and your other papers."
i handed over the burnt paper. "i have already reported the accident to baron von gratzen by telegraph." i dragged in the baron's name as much as possible, for i had noticed that the mention of it had had some impression even on him.
he scrutinized the authority and shook his head over it. "a forgery, of course;" and he was going to tear it up when i interposed.
"i shall have to report the destruction of it to the baron, of course," i said quietly.
the officer who sat next him whispered something and the paper was not destroyed. "and your other papers? i must see them."
i did not reply, and he repeated his demand angrily. but i had taken his measure by this time. he had not ventured to destroy the remnant of the authority; and although its destruction didn't matter two straws either way, it mattered very much to see that he was sufficiently in awe of von gratzen to abstain.
"do you want me to take them from you?" he thundered.
"do so, if you think it safe," i said in a very different tone.
"don't you dare to threaten me, you swinehound," he roared.
"go to blazes!" i answered in much the same tone. "who the devil are you to come blustering in here in this way? i'm on baron von gratzen's business, not yours; i've no instructions to show his papers to any and every boorish clown who dares to ask for them. if you want to see them, telegraph to him, and when he instructs me to tell you his business i'll do it, and not before."
i fired this at him with all my lung power and tried to look even more angry than i felt, and shouted him down when he tried to interrupt me once or twice.
he cursed volubly.
"if you don't behave yourself i'll have you put out of the carriage," i cried. "do you imagine that baron von gratzen sent his confidential secretary to secure this compartment for me and this lady that we might be insulted by such a foul-mouthed brute as you? ask your questions civilly, and i'll answer them; but don't imagine you can bully me."
that his three companions relished all this was apparent in their looks; but the effect on the bully himself was a sheer delight to witness. he tried to bluster, but he was frightened. the sting of my attack was the reference to von welten's reservation of the compartment, and i promptly drove it home by asking freibach to have the guard called.
he hesitated; the other man was his superior officer, of course, and looked to him. "he'll be able to confirm what i say," i added.
the major nodded and nothing more passed until the guard arrived.
"who saw these people off at berlin?"
"herr von welten, sir, and he told me that the compartment was to be strictly reserved for them by baron von gratzen's orders. i explained that the train was sure to be full; but he said that under no conditions was i to allow any one to enter it."
the major's face dropped at this. "you can go," he ordered.
"wait a minute, guard. tell major borsch about the telegram."
the man told his story succinctly; and it had an excellent effect upon the bully, and a whispered conversation followed between him and the man next him. i began to hope. the worst was over for the moment, apparently; and the next scene was likely to take place when we reached osnabrück. what would happen there was on the lap of the gods.
the only thing that really mattered was to contrive somehow that nessa should be allowed to continue the journey, and it wasn't impossible that freibach might be able to see to that. he would be willing enough, because he had been very kindly treated by the caldicotts in london. moreover, he had got us into this mess and was obviously distressed about it.
the whispered conference at the other side of the carriage ended by the major jumping up and leaving the carriage, muttering something about not being able to breathe the same air with us, and then his companion turned to me.
"you will appreciate the seriousness of the position to us, herr lassen, and that we are compelled to investigate it," he said. his tone was somewhat curt, but more official than offensive.
"certainly."
"we are to understand that baron von gratzen has employed you on a special mission, knowing that you are an englishman?"
"i have already given you the facts, but of course i am not at liberty to explain to you all his excellency's reasons. he would not have given me that authority otherwise."
"it is unfortunately too mutilated to be intelligible."
"it was couched in the widest terms. it was to notify to all concerned that i was to be allowed to go where i pleased and that every assistance was to be afforded me. you can still see a part of the official stamp."
"it is most extraordinary. incomprehensible."
"not if i were free to explain why it was given to me."
"who gave it you?"
"baron von gratzen wrote it himself in my presence. if you know his handwriting, there is enough of it left unburnt for you to identify it."
"i do not."
"again in my presence he handed it to his secretary, herr von welten, to be stamped, and von welten gave it to me as i left the office. you have heard that he was at the station and himself reserved this compartment for miss caldicott and me."
"that's the most remarkable thing of all."
"on the contrary, it was a perfectly natural step. there was a matter i had to arrange before leaving, and his chief was anxious to know that it had been done exactly in accordance with my instructions."
"what was that?"
"that is a question to be put to the baron. my lips are sealed."
"and you an englishman! it sounds incredible."
"do you suppose i should have telegraphed to baron von gratzen if it were incredible?"
this worried him not a little, and he sat thinking with his hand pressed to his head. not having the key to the riddle, he might well be baffled. "and your companion, miss caldicott, is going to england?"
"certainly. you have been quite courteous and i have no objection whatever to show you her papers;" and i took them out and handed them over. "you will see that they also bear the official hallmark of baron von gratzen's office."
he was obviously impressed. "both tickets are through to rotterdam, i notice. are you going to england also?"
"my instructions are to see miss caldicott across the frontier, and to return to berlin as soon as my task is finished, unless his excellency sends for me sooner."
it was such a lovely mixture of the truth and the other thing that it appeared quite flawless, and he couldn't make head or tail of it. "of course you understand that you will have to remain at osnabrück while this is being investigated?" he said at length, returning the tickets.
"that is for you to decide, and so far as i myself am concerned it is not of the least consequence. but it's different with miss caldicott. it is essential that her journey should not be interrupted."
nessa started at this and spoke for the first time. "i shall not go on without you," she protested.
"i must ask you to recall that, miss caldicott, if you please. i shall, of course, be placed under some sort of restraint until this gentleman——"
"i am captain brulen," he interposed.
"until captain brulen has satisfied himself. his excellency's instructions are that you proceed at once; and for you to remain there would be extremely invidious and possibly unpleasant."
"i shall not go on if you're stopped," she insisted. it was like her to wish to stick by me in the coming trouble, but impossible, so i adopted an official tone.
"if you persist in your refusal, miss caldicott, it will compel me to take a line i should deeply regret. my instructions must be carried out; they were very peremptory."
"i don't care what you do. i won't go on without you," she declared.
"any delay at osnabrück will render it impossible for me to see you across the frontier personally, and i shall have to ask captain brulen to detail some one for the purpose, miss caldicott. i can, of course, rely upon your doing that?" i asked him.
the poor man didn't know what to make of this little interlude and replied with a perplexed gesture.
"i won't go," cried nessa obstinately. "and if you send me as a prisoner, i'll come straight back. i've made up my mind absolutely."
this dogged attitude was growing dangerous and it became necessary to explain it, so i asked the captain to come into the corridor, and he complied after a slight hesitation.
"i had better explain one point to you in reference to that young lady. until quite recently i have been living in london—on baron von gratzen's instructions, of course. i met miss caldicott's friends there frequently; they are influential people and were extremely useful to know, you will understand. they have always regarded me as an englishman, and at one time there was a sort of engagement between us. that was when your fellow officer, lieutenant freibach, met me. he also takes me for english. you will now understand her attitude just now."
he swallowed it like mother's milk. "why on earth didn't you tell us all this before?"
"partly because of major borsch's disgusting manner; but mainly for the reason which is on the surface, surely. it is not impossible i may receive a wire to go on to england. you see my meaning. under no circumstances must either of them know what i have told you. you will now see why miss caldicott must go on to-night and must not be allowed to return. the whole of my work in london would be utterly ruined if she and her friends knew i was a german."
"of course. i am at liberty to tell major borsch this?"
"emphatically not. it is for your own ears solely. i never trust that type of man. personally, all i care about is to get miss caldicott off my hands; and the sooner the better. this business about me will be cleared up in half an hour when we reach osnabrück; but not in time for me to continue in the train, probably. there will be a wire from the baron; but that may not be considered sufficient. i don't blame you in the least; but i shall certainly report the major's conduct."
"i can probably get freibach to see to miss caldicott."
"nothing could be better. please von gratzen immensely," i replied, smiling. "and if you leave us two alone again, no doubt i could persuade miss caldicott to agree."
he did this; and as soon as nessa and i were alone i told her the arrangement and began the persuasion campaign.
her reception of the news was just what might have been expected. she was furiously indignant. was that my opinion of her, she demanded. did i think she was a german and likely to desert any one who had run all this risk to help her? did i take her for a despicable coward? was she so abominably mean a thing in my eyes? and a great deal more to the same effect.
it's always best to let that sort of thing empty the petrol tank; so i just listened with becoming meekness which appeared to keep the engine running long after the tank was exhausted. then: "and how do you think you can help me?" i asked smoothly.
another vigorous outburst. she didn't care about that. no one should be able to say she had run away in such a case; and so on.
"now do listen to me a moment. i don't think anything of the sort. it's splendid of you, nessa. but——"
"i can't leave you in the lurch, jack, and i won't," she broke in.
"if there was the faintest use in your stopping, i wouldn't ask you to go. there isn't. on the contrary, it would make matters infinitely more awkward. it was getting awkward just now, and that's why i took that man out. i've told him that you take me for an englishman, and that freibach knew us in london when we were engaged, and——"
"that's true."
"yes; but he understands it differently—that i was in london as a german spy."
"he doesn't!"
"indeed he does, and it altered his tune entirely. i said i wanted to get you off my hands as soon as possible——"
"is that also true?" she interposed, with such a smile.
"at the present moment, yes."
"thank you. almost enough to make me say i'll go," she cried with a toss of the head.
"naturally. but it is true, for this reason. when we get to osnabrück there will probably be a telegram from old gratz; these people are likely to want something more than that, however; and i am sure to be detained while they communicate with him. but he can't let me down, even if he guesses i've helped myself to those tickets, because i'm necessary to him for the von erstein affair: a much more vital matter to him than the tickets. the whole thing will be cleared up and i shall be able to follow you home. very likely catch you up before you leave rotterdam."
"then if it's going to be so easy, why shouldn't i stop?"
"for the simple reason that the papers for you are only to be used on this particular date, and there would be no end of a fuss in getting any others."
"you really and truly wish me to go on?"
"if you care a rap for my safety you won't hesitate another moment."
she looked very troubled. "if i do, i won't go a step farther than the first town across the frontier, and if you don't join me soon i shall come back," she declared. "i shall. i'll tell every one that you've got into all this solely on my account and that i'm quite ready to go even to an internment camp."
knowing her detestation of such a thing, i could appreciate all that lay behind this statement. it touched me too closely for me to reply immediately. thank heaven, she wouldn't be allowed to come back; but there was no need to tell her so. "let it go at that, nessa. the first town you'll stop at will be oldenzaal, and i'll come to you there. you're due there about five in the morning; but you won't get there by that time if we keep stopping in this fashion. it can't be osnabrück yet; there's half an hour before we're due there. i wish they'd hurry up."
we had stopped at some station the name of which i couldn't see and stuck there some minutes.
"can't be anything wrong, can there?" asked nessa nervily.
"probably a troop train. it's all right, we're off again."
but it was not a troop train that had stopped us. it was a very different cause, as we soon knew, for the brute of a major burst into our compartment flourishing a telegram and cursing me volubly.
"so we've got the truth about you, mr. englishman, at last. you infernal scoundrel," he cried viciously. "you wanted a telegram from your friend and patron, von gratzen, did you? well, read that!" with another string of oaths.
he held the message up and i did read it, with feelings which may perhaps be imagined although i can't describe them. it was to the guard.
"detain passengers johann lassen and companion. suspected of murder. acquaint police at next station and have them arrested.—von gratzen."
