CHAPTER XL
THE WAY TO PAU
The way to Pau which Mr. Sabin chose may possibly have been the mostcircuitous, but it was certainly the safest. Although not a muscle ofhis face had moved, although he had not by any physical movement orspeech betrayed his knowledge of the fact, he was perfectly well awarethat his little statement as to his future movements was overheard andcarefully noted by the tall, immaculately dressed young man who by somestrange chance seemed to have been at his elbow since he had left hisrooms an hour ago. "Into the lion's mouth, indeed," he muttered tohimself grimly as he hailed a hansom at the corner and was drivenhomewards. The limes of Berlin were very beautiful, but it was not withany immediate idea of sauntering beneath them that a few hours laterhe was driven to Euston and stepped into an engaged carriage on theLiverpool express. There, with a travelling cap drawn down to his eyesand a rug pulled up to his throat, he sat in the far corner of hiscompartment apparently enjoying an evening paper--as a matter of factanxiously watching the platform. He had taken care to allow himself onlya slender margin of time. In two minutes the train glided out of thestation.
He drew a little sigh of relief--he, who very seldom permitted himselfthe luxury of even the slightest revelation of his feelings. At leasthe had a start. Then he unlocked a travelling case, and, drawing out anatlas, sat with it upon his knee for some time. When he closed it therewas a frown upon his face.
"America," he exclaimed softly to himself. "What a lack of imaginationeven the sound of the place seems to denote! It is the most ignominiousretreat I have ever made."
"You made the common mistake," a quiet voice at his elbow remarked, "ofmany of the world's greatest diplomatists. You underrated youradversaries."
Mr. Sabin distinctly started, and clutching at his rug, leaned back inhis corner. A young man in a tweed travelling suit was standing by theopposite window. Behind him Mr. Sabin noticed for the first time anarrow mahogany door. Mr. Sabin drew a short breath, and was himselfagain. Underneath the rug his fingers stole into his overcoat pocket andclasped something cold and firm.
"One at least," he said grimly, "I perceive that I have held toolightly. Will you pardon a novice at necromancy if he asks you how youfound your way here?"
Felix smiled.
"A little forethought," he remarked, "a little luck and a sovereign tipto an accommodating inspector. The carriage in which you are travellingis, as you will doubtless perceive before you reach your journey's end,a species of saloon. This little door"--touching the one through whichhe had issued--"leads on to a lavatory, and on the other side is anon-smoking carriage. I found that you had engaged a carriage onthis train, by posing as your servant. I selected this one as beingparticularly suited to an old gentleman of nervous disposition, andarranged also that the non-smoking portion should be reserved for me."
Mr. Sabin nodded. "And how," he asked, "did you know that I meant to goto America?"
Felix shrugged his shoulders and took a seat.
"Well," he said, "I concluded that you would be looking for a change ofair somewhere, and I really could not see what part of the world you hadleft open to yourself. America is the only country strong enough to keepyou! Besides, I reckoned a little upon that curiosity with regard toundeveloped countries which I have observed to be one of your traits. Sofar as I am aware, you have never resided long in America."
"Neither have I even visited Kamtchatka or Greenland," Mr. Sabinremarked.
"I understand you," Felix remarked, nodding his head. "America iscertainly one of the last places one would have dreamed of looking foryou. You will find it, I am afraid, politically unborn; your own littlemethods, at any rate, would scarcely achieve popularity there. Further,its sympathies, of course, are with democratic France. I can imaginethat you and the President of the United States would represent oppositepoles of thought. Yet there were two considerations which weighed withme."
"This is very interesting," Mr. Sabin remarked. "May I know what theywere? To be permitted a glimpse into the inward workings of a brain likeyours is indeed a privilege!"
Felix bowed with a gratified smile upon his lips. The satire of Mr.Sabin's dry tone was apparently lost upon him.
"You are most perfectly welcome," he declared. "In the first placeI said to myself that Kamtchatka and Greenland, although equallyinteresting to you, would be quite unable to afford themselves theluxury of offering you an asylum. You must seek the shelter of a greatand powerful country, and one which you had never offended, and saveAmerica, there is none such in the world. Secondly, you are a Sybarite,and you do not without very serious reasons place yourself outside thepale of civilisation. Thirdly, America is the only country save thosewhich are barred to you where you could play golf!"
"You are really a remarkable young man," Sabin declared, softly strokinghis little grey imperial. "You have read me like a book! I am humiliatedthat the course of my reasoning should have been so transparent. Toprove the correctness of your conclusions, see the little volume whichI had brought to read on my way to Liverpool."
He handed it out to Felix. It was entitled, "The Golf Courses of theWorld," and a leaf was turned down at the chapter headed, "UnitedStates."
"I wish," he remarked, "that you were a golfer! I should like to haveasked your opinion about that plan of the Myopia golf links. To me itseems cramped, and the bunkers are artificial."
Felix looked at him admiringly.
"You are a wonderful man," he said. "You do not bear me any ill-willthen?"
"None in the least," Mr. Sabin said quietly. "I never bear personalgrudges. So far as I am concerned, I never have a personal enemy. It isfate itself which vanquished me. You were simply an instrument. You donot figure in my thoughts as a person against whom I bear any ill-will.I am glad, though, that you did not cash my cheque for L20,000!"
Felix smiled. "You went to see, then?" he asked.
"I took the liberty," Mr. Sabin answered, "of stopping payment of it."
"It will never be presented," Felix said "I tore it into pieces directlyI left you."
Mr. Sabin nodded.
"Quixotic," he murmured.
The express was rushing on through the night. Mr. Sabin thrust his handinto his bag and took out a handful of cigars. He offered one to Felix,who accepted, and lit it with the air of a man enjoying the reasonablecivility of a chance fellow passenger.
"You had, I presume," Mr. Sabin remarked, "some object in coming to seethe last of me? I do not wish to seem unduly inquisitive, but I feel alittle natural interest, or shall we say curiosity as to the reason forthis courtesy on your part?"
"You are quite correct," Felix answered. "I am here with a purpose. I amthe bearer of a message to you."
"May I ask, a friendly message, or otherwise?"
His fingers were tightening upon the little hard substance in hispocket, but he was already beginning to doubt whether after all Felixhad come as an enemy.
"Friendly," was the prompt answer. "I bring you an offer."
"From Lobenski?"
"From his august master! The Czar himself has plans for you!"
"His serene Majesty," Mr. Sabin murmured, "has always been most kind."
"Since you left the country of the Shah," Felix continued, "Russianinfluence in Central Asia has been gradually upon the wane. All mannerof means have been employed to conceal this, but the unfortunate factremains. You were the only man who ever thoroughly grasped the situationand attained any real influence over the master of western Asia! Yourremoval from Teheran was the result of an intrigue on the part of theEnglish. It was the greatest misfortune which ever befel Russia!"
"And your offer?" Mr. Sabin asked.
"Is that you return to Teheran not as the secret agent, but as theaccredited ambassador of Russia, with an absolutely free hand andunlimited powers."
"Such an offer," Mr. Sabin remarked, "ten years ago would have madeRussia mistress of all Asia."
"The Czar," Felix said, "is beginning to appreciate that. But what wasp
ossible then is possible now!"
Mr. Sabin shook his head. "I am ten years older," he said, "and the Shahwho was my friend is dead."
"The new Shah," Felix said, "has a passion for intrigue, and the sandsaround Teheran are magnificent for golf."
Mr. Sabin shook his head.
"Too hard," he said, "and too monotonous. I am peculiar perhaps in thatrespect, but I detest artificial bunkers. Now there is a little valley,"he continued thoughtfully, "about seven miles north of Teheran, wheresomething might be done! I wonder----"
"You accept," Felix asked quietly.
Mr. Sabin shook his head.
"No, I decline."
It was a shock to Felix, but he hid his disappointment.
"Absolutely?"
"And finally."
"Why?"
"I am ten years too old!"
"That is resentment!"
Mr. Sabin denied it.
"No! Why should I not be frank with you, my friend? What I would havedone for Russia ten years ago, I would not do to-day! She has madefriends with the French Republic. She has done more than recognise theexistence of that iniquitous institution--she has pressed her friendshipupon the president--she has spoken the word of alliance. Henceforthmy feeling for Russia has changed. I have no object to gain in herdevelopment. I am richer than the richest of her nobles, and there is notitle in Europe for which I would exchange my own. You see Russia hasabsolutely nothing to offer me. On the other hand, what would benefitRussia in Asia would ruin England, and England has given me and manyof my kind a shelter, and has even held aloof from France. Of the twocountries I would much prefer to aid England. If I had been the means ofdestroying her Asiatic empire ten years ago it would have been to meto-day a source of lasting regret. There, my friend, I have paid you thecompliment of perfect frankness."
"If," Felix said slowly, "the price of your success at Teheran should bethe breach of our covenants with France--what then? Remember that it isthe country whose friendship is pleasing to us, not the government. Youcannot seriously doubt but that an autocrat, such as the Czar, wouldprefer to extend his hand to an Emperor of France than to soil hisfingers with the clasp of a tradesman!"
Mr. Sabin shook his head softly. "I have told you why I decline," hesaid, "but in my heart there are many other reasons. For one, I am nolonger a young man. This last failure of mine has aged me. I have noheart for fresh adventures."
Felix sighed.
"My mission to you comes," he said, "at an unfortunate time. For thepresent, then, I accept defeat."
"The fault," Mr. Sabin murmured, "is in no way with you. My refusal wasa thing predestined. The Czar himself could not move me."
The train was slowing a little. Felix looked out of the window.
"We are nearing Crewe," he said. "I shall alight then and return toLondon. You are for America, then?"
"Beyond doubt," Mr. Sabin declared.
Felix drew from his pocket a letter.
"If you will deliver this for me," he said, "you will do me a kindness,and you will make a pleasant acquaintance."
Mr. Sabin glanced at the imprescription. It was addressed to--
"Mrs. J. B. Peterson, "Lenox, "Mass., U.S.A."
"I will do so with pleasure," he remarked, slipping it into hisdressing-case.
"And remember this," Felix remarked, glancing out at the platform alongwhich they were gliding. "You are a marked man. Disguise is useless foryou. Be ever on your guard. You and I have been enemies, but after allyou are too great a man to fall by the hand of a German assassin.Farewell!"
"I will thank you for your caution and remember it," Mr. Sabin answered."Farewell!"
Felix raised his hat, and Mr. Sabin returned the salute. The whistlesounded. Felix stepped out on to the platform.
"You will not forget the letter?" he asked
"I will deliver it in person without fail," Mr. Sabin answered.