The Mummy and Miss Nitocris: A Phantasy of the Fourth Dimension

  CHAPTER XXVI

  CAPTAIN MERRILL'S COMMISSION

  Franklin Marmion found a hansom in the Borough Road and drove toWaterloo. He had just time to wire to Merrill to meet him at the"Keppel's Head" for dinner and catch the new 4.55 express forPortsmouth. Merrill was waiting for him in the smoking-room. As theyshook hands, he said in the quiet tone which is characteristic of hisprofession:

  "Your wire was rather sudden news, Professor. I thought you weresomewhere in the Baltic. Your coming back like this seemed to meansomething, and so I took the liberty of having a private room for ourdinner."

  "Perfectly right, my dear Merrill," he replied. "Let us go upstairs atonce. I have a good deal to say to you, and what I am going to say willhave to be done quickly."

  "We have our sailing orders for the Baltic, and the Special Squadronleaves Spithead at midnight. Come upstairs, Professor, and we can talk."

  Dinner was served a few minutes after they got into the room thatMerrill had reserved on the first floor. The waiter was dismissed andthe door locked, and then Franklin Marmion told Mark Merrill the mostwonderful story he had ever heard. If it had come from any one else hewould have put it down as a lie, but he remembered what had happened inthe lecture theatre of the Royal Society, and so he held his peace. Itwas quite impossible for him to disbelieve anything the father of hisBest Beloved told him. When the Professor had finished the story ofNitocris and the Prince, he leaned his elbows on the table, and said:

  "Now, my dear Merrill, I am going to put it into your power to saveEurope from the horrors of a universal war: but to that you must beprepared to take risks which may result in your being dismissed theService. On the other hand, if you succeed, as you are almost certain todo if you act strictly on the instructions that I am going to give you,you will be a Captain in a month, and a Vice-Admiral in a year."

  "But I'm a Captain now, Professor. I was keeping that little bit of newsfor you. I hoisted my pennant this morning on His Majesty's ship_Nitocris_: new second-class cruiser, eight thousand tons, andtwenty-four knots: as pretty a ship as Elswick ever turned out. And thename: it came to me like a revelation."

  "Possibly it was, in a sense that you may not quite understand now, butyou will understand it when you and Niti are married. She will be betterable to explain it then than I could now."

  "And what are the orders--I mean, of course, the private ones? Ours are:sail at midnight, make Kronstadt in forty-eight hours: command theapproaches to Riga and St Petersburg, and wait for the developments ofthis manifesto which seems to be setting what is left of Russia on fire.Germany is in with us for the time being: France and Italy and ourMediterranean squadron will see to things in the Near East, andaltogether there seem to be the prospects of a very handsome sort ofrow."

  "Which you, my dear Merrill, will be the means of preventing," saidFranklin Marmion, taking a piece of folded tracing paper out of theinside pocket of his coat. "I yield to circumstance. The name of yournew ship convinces me that I was wrong in certain other circumstances.You will give me a passage to Viborg on the _Nitocris_. You will takeFrench leave of the fleet as soon as you sight Kronstadt, get intoViborg Bay at your best speed, land your men, take the Castle, which isquite undefended, bring away Prince Zastrow and Oscarovitch, and, ofcourse, Niti; put your two princes on board the flagship, bring themback to England, and dictate terms from London. It seems a good deal todo, but I will make it possible, if you are prepared to do as I adviseyou. There is the chart showing the approaches to Oscarburg."

  "I'll do it, sir," said Merrill, taking the tracing from his hand. "I'llbreak every regulation of the Service into little pieces to get thatdone. Now, I ought to be getting on board. Are you ready?"

  "Quite," said Franklin Marmion, rising from his chair. "I see now wherethe man of action comes in. I did not see that before, I must confess."