CHAPTER X
BELLAMY IS OUTWITTED
Bellamy was a man used to all hazards, whose supreme effort of lifeit was to meet success and disaster with unvarying mien. But thiswas disaster too appalling even for his self-control. He felt hisknees shake so that he caught at the edge of the table before whichhe was standing. There was no possible doubt about it, he had beentricked. Von Behrling, after all,--Von Behrling, whom he hadlooked upon merely as a stupid, infatuated Austrian, ready to sellhis country for the sake of a woman, had fooled him utterly!
The man who sat at the head of the table--the only other occupantof the room--was in Court dress, with many orders upon his coat.He had just been attending a Court function, from which Bellamy'smessage had summoned him. Before him on the table was an envelope,hastily torn open, and several sheets of blank paper. It was uponthese that Bellamy's eyes were fixed with an expression of mingledhorror and amazement. The Cabinet Minister had already pushed themaway with a little gesture of contempt.
"Bellamy," he said gravely, "it is not like you to make so seriousan error.
"I hope not, sir," Bellamy answered. "I--yes, I have been deceived."
The Minister glanced at the clock.
"What is to be done?" he asked.
Bellamy, with an effort, pulled himself together. He caught up theenvelope, looked once more inside, held up the blank sheets of paperto the lamp and laid them down. Then with clenched fists he walkedto the other side of the room and returned. He was himself again.
"Sir James, I will not waste your time by saying that I am sorry.Only an hour ago I met Von Behrling in a little restaurant in thecity, and gave him twenty thousand pounds for that envelope."
"You paid him the money," the Minister remarked slowly, "withoutopening the envelope."
Bellamy admitted it.
"In such transactions as these," he declared, "great risks arealmost inevitable. I took what must seem to you now to be an absurdrisk. To tell you the honest truth, sir, and I have had experiencein these things, I thought it no risk at all when I handed over themoney. Von Behrling was there in disguise. The men with whom hecame to this country are furious with him. To all appearance, heseemed to have broken with them absolutely. Even now--
"Well?"
"Even now," Bellamy said slowly, with his eyes fixed upon the wallof the room, and a dawning light growing stronger every moment inhis face, "even now I believe that Von Behrling made a mistake. Anenvelope such as this had been arranged for him to show the othersor leave at the Austrian Embassy in case of emergency. He had itwith him in his pocket-book. He even told me so. God in Heaven,he gave me the wrong one!"
The Minister glanced once more at the clock.
"In that case," he said, "perhaps he would not go to the Embassyto-night, especially if he was in disguise. You may still be ableto find him and repair the error.
"I will try," answered Bellamy. "Thank Heaven!" he added, with asudden gleam of satisfaction, "my watchers are still dogging hisfootsteps. I can find out before morning where he went when heleft our rendezvous. There is another way, too. Mademoiselle--thisman Von Behrling believed that she was leaving the countrywith him. She was to have had a message within the next few hours."
The Minister nodded thoughtfully.
"Bellamy, I have been your friend and you have done us good serviceoften. The Secret Service estimates, as you know, are abovesupervision, but twenty thousand pounds is a great deal of money tohave paid for this."
He touched the sheets of blank paper with his forefinger. Bellamy'steeth were clenched.
"The money shall be returned, sir.
"Do not misunderstand me," Sir James went on, speaking a little morekindly. "The money, after all, in comparison with what it wasdestined to purchase, is nothing. We might even count it a fairrisk if it was lost."
"It shall not be lost," Bellamy promised. "If Von Behrling hasplayed the traitor to us, then he will go back to his country. Inthat case, I will have the money from him without a doubt. If, onthe other hand, he was honest to us and a traitor to his country,as I firmly believe, it may not yet be too late."
"Let us hope not," Sir James declared. "Bellamy," he continued, anote of agitation trembling in his tone, "I need not tell you, Iam sure, how important this matter is. You work like a mole in thedark, yet you have brains,--you understand. Let me tell you howthings are with us. A certain amount of confidence is due to you,if to any one. I may tell you that at the Cabinet Council to-day avery serious tone prevailed. We do not understand in the least theattitude of several of the European Powers. It can be understoodonly under certain assumptions. A note of ours sent through theAmbassador to Vienna has remained unanswered for two days. TheGerman Ambassador has left unexpectedly for Berlin on urgentbusiness. We have just heard, too, that a secret mission fromRussia left St. Petersburg last night for Paris. Side by side withall this," Sir James continued, "the Czar is trying to evade hispromised visit here. The note we have received speaks of hishealth. Well, we know all about that. We know, I may tell you,that his health has never been better than at the present moment."
"It all means one thing and one thing only," Bellamy affirmed. "InVienna and Berlin to-day they look at an Englishman and smile. Eventhe man in the street seems to know what is coming."
Sir James leaned a little back in his seat. His hands were tightlyclenched, and there was a fierce light in his hollow eyes. Thosewho were intimate with him knew that he had aged many years duringthe last few weeks.
"The cruel part is," he said softly, "that it should have come inmy administration, when for ten years I have prayed from theOpposition benches for the one thing which would have made us safeto-day."
"An army," murmured Bellamy.
"The days are coming," Sir James continued, "when those who pratedof militarism and the security of our island walls will see withtheir own eyes the ruin they have brought upon us. Secretly we aremobilizing all that we have to mobilize," he added, with a littlesigh. "At the very best, however, our position is pitiful. Evenif we are prepared to defend, I am afraid that we shall see thingson the Continent in which we shall be driven to interfere, or elsesuffer the greatest blow which our prestige has ever known. If wecould only tell what was coming!" he wound up, looking once more atthose empty sheets of paper. "It is this darkness which is soalarming!"
Bellamy turned toward the door.
"You have the telephone in your bedroom, sir?" he asked.
"Yes, ring me up at any time in the night or morning, if you havenews."
Bellamy drove at once to Dover Street. It was half-past one, buthe had no fear of not being admitted. Louise's French maid answeredthe bell.
"Madame has not retired?" Bellamy inquired.
"But no, sir," the woman assured him, with a welcoming smile. "Itis only a few minutes ago that she has returned."
Bellamy was ushered at once into her room. She was gorgeous in bluesatin and pearls. Her other maid was taking off her jewels. Shedismissed both the women abruptly.
"I absolutely couldn't avoid a supper-party," she said, holding outher hands. "You expected that, of course. You were not at theOpera House?"
He shook his head, and walking to the door tried the handle. Itwas securely closed. He came back slowly to her side. Her eyeswere questioning him fiercely.
"Well?" she exclaimed. "Well?"
"Have you heard from Von Behrling?"
"No," she answered. "He knew that I must sing to-night. I havebeen expecting him to telephone every moment since I got home. Youhave seen him?"
"I have seen him," Bellamy admitted. "Either he has deceived usboth, or the most unfortunate mistake in the world has happened.Listen. I met him where he appointed. He was there, disguised,almost unrecognizable. He was nervous and desperate; he had the airof a man who has cut himself adrift from the world. I gave him themoney,--twenty thousand pounds in Bank of England notes, Louise,--andhe gave me the papers, or what
we thought were the papers.He told me that he was keeping a false duplicate upon him for alittle time, in case he was seized, but that he was going toLiverpool Street station to wait, and would telephone you from thehotel there later on. You have not heard yet, then?"
She shook her head.
"There has been no message, but go on."
"He gave me the wrong document--the wrong envelope," continuedBellamy. "When I took it to--to Downing Street, it was full ofblank paper."
The color slowly left her cheeks. She looked at him with horror inher face.
"Do you think that he meant to do it?" she exclaimed.
"We cannot tell," Bellamy answered. "My own impression is that hedid not. We must find out at once what has become of him. He mighteven, if he fancies himself safe, destroy the envelope he has,believing it to be the duplicate. He is sure to telephone you. Themoment you hear you must let me know."
"You had better stay here," she declared. "There are plenty ofrooms. You will be on the spot then."
Bellamy shook his head.
"The joke of it is that I, too, am being watched whereever I go.That fellow Streuss has spies everywhere. That is one reason whyI believe that Von Behrling was serious.
"Oh, he was serious!" Louise repeated.
"You are sure?" Bellamy asked. "You have never had even any doubtabout him?"
"Never," she answered firmly. "David, I had not meant to tell youthis. You know that I saw him for a moment this morning. He wasin deadly earnest. He gave me a ring--a trifle--but it hadbelonged to his mother. He would not have done this if he had beenplaying us false."
Bellamy sprang to his feet.
"You are right, Louise!" he exclaimed. "I shall go back to my roomsat once. Fortunately, I had a man shadowing Von Behrling, and theremay be a report for me. If anything comes here, you will telephoneat once?"
"Of course," she assented.
"You do not think it possible," he asked slowly, "that he wouldattempt to see you here?"
Louise shuddered for a moment.
"I absolutely forbade it, so I am sure there is no chance of that."
"Very well, then," he decided, "we will wait. Dear," he added, inan altered tone, "how splendid you look!"
Her face suddenly softened.
"Ah, David!" she murmured, "to hear you speak naturally even for amoment--it makes everything seem so different!"
He held out his arms and she came to him with a little sigh ofsatisfaction.
"Louise," he said, "some day the time may come when we shall be ableto give up this life of anxiety and terrors. But it cannot beyet--not for your country's sake or mine."
She kissed him fondly.
"So long as there is hope!" she whispered.