CHAPTER X
A GLASS OF WINE WITH CLUBFOOT
I walked boldly into the room. All sense of fear had vanished in a waveof anger that swept over me, anger with myself for letting myself betrapped, anger with my companion for his treachery.
Schmalz stood at my elbow with a smile full of malice on his face.
"There now!" he cried, "you see, you are among friends! Am I notthoughtful to have prepared this little surprise for you? See, I havebrought you to the one man you have crossed so many hundreds of miles ofocean to see! Herr Doktor! this is Dr. Semlin. Dr. Semlin: Dr. Grundt."
The other had by now heaved his unwieldy frame from the chair.
"Dr. Semlin?" he said, in a perfectly emotionless voice, _une voixblanche_, as the French say, "this is an unexpected pleasure. I neverthought we should meet in Berlin. I had believed our rendezvous to havebeen fixed for Rotterdam. Still, better late than never!" And heextended to me a white, fat hand.
"Our friend, the Herr Leutnant," I answered carelessly, "omitted toinform me that he was acquainted with you, as, indeed, he failed to warnme that I should have the pleasure of seeing you here to-night."
"We owe that pleasure," Clubfoot replied with a smile that displayed aglitter of gold in his teeth, "to a purely fortuitous encounter at theCasino at Goch, as, indeed, it would appear, I am similarly indebted tochance for the unlooked-for boon of making your personal acquaintancehere this evening."
He bowed to Schmalz as he said this.
"But come," he went on, "if I may make bold to offer you the hospitalityof your own room, sit down and try a glass of this excellentBrauneberger. Rhine wine must be scarce where you come from. We havemuch to tell one another, you and I."
Again he bared his golden teeth in a smile.
"By all means," I said. "But I fear we keep our young friend from hisbed. Doubtless, you have no secrets from him, but you will agree, HerrDoktor, that our conversation should best be tete-a-tete."
"Schmalz, dear friend," Clubfoot exclaimed with a sigh of regret, "muchas I should like ... I am indeed truly sorry that we should be deprivedof your company, but I cannot contest the profound accuracy of ourfriend's remark. If you could go to the sitting-room for a fewminutes...."
The young lieutenant flushed angrily.
"If you prefer my room to my company ... by all means," he retortedgruffly, "but I think, in the circumstances, that I shall go to bed."
And he turned on his heel and walked out of the room, shutting the doorwith rather more force than was necessary, I thought.
Clubfoot sighed.
"Ach! youth! youth!" he cried, "the same impetuous youth that is atthis very moment hacking out for Germany a world empire amidst thenations in arms. A wonderful race, a race of giants, our German youth,Herr Doktor ... the mainspring of our great German machine--as they findwho resist it. A glass of wine!"
The man's speech and manner boded ill for me, I felt. I would haveinfinitely preferred violent language and open threats to the subtlemenace that lay concealed beneath all this suavity.
"You smoke?" queried Clubfoot. "No!"--he held up his hand to stop me asI was reaching for my cigarette case, "you shall have a cigar--not oneof our poor German Hamburgers, but a fine Havana cigar given me by amember of the English Privy Council. You stare! Aha! I repeat, by amember of the English Privy Council, to me, the Boche, the barbarian,the Hun! No hole and corner work for the old doctor. _Der Stelze_ may belame, Clubfoot may be past his work, but when he travels _en mission_,he travels _en prince_, the man of wealth and substance. There is nonetoo high to do him honour, to listen to his views on poor, misguidedGermany, the land of thinkers sold into bondage to the militarists! Bah!the fools!"
He snarled venomously. This man was beginning to interest me. His rapidchange of moods was fascinating, now the kindly philosopher, now theTeuton braggart, now the Hun incorporate. As he limped across the roomto fetch his cigar case from the mantelpiece, I studied him.
He was a vast man, not so much by reason of his height, which was belowthe medium, but his bulk, which was enormous. The span of his shoulderswas immense, and, though a heavy paunch and a white flabbiness of facespoke of a gross, sedentary life, he was obviously a man of quiteunusual strength. His arms particularly were out of all proportion tohis stature, being so long that his hands hung down on either side ofhim when he stood erect, like the paws of some giant ape. Altogether,there was something decidedly simian about his appearance his squat nosewith hairy, open nostrils, and the general hirsuteness of the man, hisbushy eyebrows, the tufts of black hair on his cheekbones and on thebacks of his big, spade like hands. And there was that in his eyes, darkand courageous beneath the shaggy brows, that hinted at accesses ofape-like fury, uncontrollable and ferocious.
He gave me his cigar which, as he had said, was a good one, and, after apreliminary sip of his wine, began to speak.
"I am a plain man, Herr Doktor," he said, "and I like plain speaking.That is why I am going to speak quite plainly to you. When it becameapparent to that person whom it is not necessary to name further greatlydesired a certain letter to be recovered, I naturally expected that I,who am a past member in affairs of this order, notably, on behalf of theperson concerned, would have been entrusted with the mission. It was Iwho discovered the author of the theft in an English internment camp; itwas I who prevailed upon him to acquiesce in our terms; it was I whofinally located the hiding place of the document ... all this, mark you,without setting foot in England."
My thoughts flew back again to the three slips of paper in their canvascover, the divided crest, the big, sprawling, upright handwriting. Ishould have known that hand. I had seen it often enough on certainphotographs which were accorded the place of honour in the drawing roomat Consistorial-Rat von Mayburg's at Bonn.
"I therefore had the prior claim," Clubfoot continued, "to be entrustedwith the important task of fetching the document and of handing it backto the writer. But the gentleman was in a hurry; the gentleman alwaysis; he could not wait for that old slowcoach of a Clubfoot to mature hisplans for getting into England, securing the document, and getting outagain.
"So Bernstorff is called into consultation, the head of an embassy thathas made the German secret service the laughing-stock of the world, anambassador that has his private papers filched by a common sneak-thiefin the underground railway and is fool enough to send home the mostvaluable documents by a jackass of a military attache who lets the wholelot be taken from him by a dunderheaded British customs officer atFalmouth! _This_ was the man who was to replace _me!_
"Bernstorff is accordingly bidden to despatch one of his trusty servantsto England, with all suitable precautions, to do _my_ work. You arechosen, and I will pay you the compliment of saying that you fulfilledyour mission in a manner that is singularly out of keeping with theusual method of procedure of that gentleman's emissaries.
"But, my dear Doktor ... pray fill your glass. That cigar is good, is itnot? I thought you would appreciate a good cigar.... As I was saying,you were handicapped from the first. When you reach the place indicatedto you in your instructions, you find only half the document. The wilythief has sliced it in two so as to make sure of his money beforeparting with the goods. They didn't know, of course, that Clubfoot, theold slowcoach, who is past his work, was aware of this already, and hadmade his plans accordingly. But, in the end, they had to send for me.'The good Clubfoot,' 'old chap,' 'sly old fox,' and all the rest ofit--would run across to England and secure the other half, while CountBernstorff's smart young man from America would wait in Rotterdam untilHerr Dr. Grundt arrived and handed him the other portion.
"But Count Bernstorff's young man does nothing of the kind. He isone too many for the old fox. He does not wait for him. He runs away,after displaying unusual determination in dealing with a pryingEnglander--whose fate should be a lesson to all who interfere in otherpeople's business--and goes to Germany, leaving poor old Clubfoot in thelurch. You must admit, Herr Doktor, that I have been hardly used--
byyourself as well as by another person?"
My throat was dry with anxiety. What did the man mean by his veiledallusions to "all who interfere in other people's business?"
I cleared my throat to speak.
Clubfoot raised a great hand in deprecation.
"No explanation, Herr Doktor, I beg" (his tone was perfectlyunconcerned and friendly), "let me have my say. When I found out thatyou had left Rotterdam--by the way, you must let me congratulate you onthe remarkable fertility of resource you displayed in quitting FrauSchratt's hospitable house--when I found you were gone, I sat down andthought things out.
"I reflected that an astute American like yourself (believe me, you arevery astute) would probably be accustomed to look at everything from thebusiness standpoint. 'I will also consider the matter from the businessstandpoint,' I said to myself, and I decided that, in your place, I toowould not be content to accept, as sole payment for the danger of mymission, the scarcely generous compensation that Count Bernstorff allotsto his collaborators. No, I should wish to secure a little renown formyself, or, were that not possible, then some monetary gainproportionate with the risks I had run. You see, I have been at pains toput myself wholly in your place. I hope I have not said anythingtactless. If so, I can at least acquit myself of any desire to offend."
"On the contrary, Herr Doktor," I replied, "you are the model of tactand diplomacy."
His eyes narrowed a little at this. I thought he wouldn't like that word"diplomacy."
"Another glass of wine? You may safely venture; there is not a headachein a bottle of it. Well, Herr Doktor, since you have followed me sopatiently thus far, I will go further. I told you, when I first saw youthis evening, that I was delighted at our meeting. That was no merebanality, but the sober truth. For, you see, I am the very person withwhom, in the circumstances, you would wish to get in touch. Deprived ofthe honour, rightly belonging to me, of undertaking this missionsingle-handed and of fulfilling it alone, I find that you can enable meto carry out the mission to a successful conclusion, whilst I, for mypart, am able and willing to recompense your services as they deserveand not according to Bernstorff's starvation scale.
"To make a long story short, Herr Doktor ... how much?"
He brought his remarks to this abrupt anticlimax so suddenly that I wastaken aback. The man was watching me intently for all his apparentnonchalance, and I felt more than ever the necessity for being on myguard. If I could only fathom how much he knew. Of two things I feltfairly sure: the fellow believed me to be Semlin and was under theimpression that I still retained my portion of the document. I shouldhave to gain time. The bargain he proposed over my half of the lettermight give me an opportunity of doing that. Moreover, I must find outwhether he really had the other half of the document, and in that case,where he kept it.
He broke the silence.
"Well, Herr Doktor," he said, "do you want me to start the bidding? Youneedn't be afraid. I am generous."
I leant forward earnestly in my chair.
"You have spoken with admirable frankness, Herr Doktor," I said, "and Iwill be equally plain, but I will be brief. In the first place, I wishto know that you are the man you profess to be: so far, you mustremember, I have only the assurance of our excitable young friend."
"Your caution is most praiseworthy," said the other, "but I shouldimagine I carry my name written on my boot." And he lifted his hideousand deformed foot.
"That is scarcely sufficient guarantee," I answered, "in a matter ofthis importance. A detail like that could easily be counterfeited, orotherwise provided for."
"My badge," and the man produced from his waistcoat pocket a silver staridentical with the one I carried on my braces, but bearing only theletter "G" above the inscription "Abt. VII."
"That, even," I retorted, "is not conclusive."
Clubfoot's mind was extraordinarily alert, however gross and heavy hisbody might be.
He paused for a moment in reflection, his hands crossed upon his greatpaunch.
"Why not?" he said suddenly, reached out for his cigar-case, beside himon the table, and produced three slips of paper highly glazed andcovered with that unforgettable, sprawling hand, a portion of a gildedcrest at the top--in short, the missing half of the document I had foundin Semlin's bag. Clubfoot held them out fanwise for me to see, but wellout of my reach, and he kept a great, spatulate thumb over the top ofthe first sheet where the name of the addressee should have been.
"I trust you are now convinced, Herr Doktor," he said, with a smile thatbared his teeth, and, putting the pieces together, he folded themacross, tucked them away in the cigar-case again, and thrust it into hispocket.
I must test the ground further.
"Has it occurred to you, Herr Doktor," I asked, "that we have verylittle time at our disposal? The person whom we serve must be anxiouslywaiting...."
Clubfoot laughed and shook his head.
"I want that half-letter badly," he said, "but there's no violent hurry.So I fear you must leave that argument out of your presentation of thecase, for it has no commercial value. The person you speak of is not inBerlin."
I had heard something of the Kaiser's sudden appearances anddisappearances during the war, but I had not thought they could be sowell managed as to be kept from the knowledge of one of his own trustedservants, for such I judged Clubfoot to be. Evidently, he knew nothingof my visit to the Castle that evening, and I was for a momentunpatriotic enough to wish I had kept my half of the letter that I mightgive it to Clubfoot now to save the coming exposure. "A thousanddollars!" Clubfoot said.
I remained silent.
"Two? Three? Four thousand? Man, you are greedy. Well, I will make itfive thousand--twenty thousand marks...."
"Herr Doktor," I said, "I don't want your money. I want to be fair withyou. When the ... the person we know of sends for you, we will gotogether. You shall tell the large part you have played in this affair.I only want credit for what I have done, nothing more...."
A knock came at the door. The porter entered.
"A telegram for the Herr Doktor," he said, presenting a salver.
Somewhere near by a band was playing dance music ... one of thoserousing, splendidly accented Viennese waltzes. There seemed to be a ballon, for through the open door of the room, I heard, mingled with thestrains of the music, the sound of feet and the hum of voices.
Then the door closed, shutting out the outer world again.
"You permit me," said Grundt curtly, as he broke the seal of thetelegram. So as not to seem to observe him, I got up and walked acrossto the window, and leaned against the warm radiator.
"Well?" said a voice from the arm-chair.
"Well?" I echoed.
"I have made you my proposal, Herr Doktor: you have made yours. Yours isquite unacceptable. I have told you with great frankness why it isnecessary that I should have your portion of the document and the sum Iam prepared to pay for it. I set its value at five thousand dollars. Iwill pay you the money over in cash, here and now, in good Germanbank-notes, in exchange for those slips of paper."
The man's suavity had all but vanished: his voice was harsh and stern.His eyes glittered under his shaggy brows as he looked at me. Had I beenless agitated, I should have noted this, as a portent of the comingstorm, also his great ape's hands picking nervously at the telegram inhis lap.
"I have already told you," I said firmly, "that I don't want your money.You know my terms!"
He rose up from his seat and his figure seemed to tower.
"Terms?" he cried in a voice that quivered with suppressed passion,"terms? Understand that I give orders. I accept terms from no man. Wewaste time here talking. Come, take the money and give me the paper."
I shook my head. My brain was clear, but I felt the crisis was coming. Itook a good grip with my hands of the marble slab covering the radiatorbehind me to give me confidence. The slab yielded: mechanically I notedthat it was loose.
The man in front of me was shaking with rage.
; "Listen!" he said. "I'll give you one more chance. But mark my wordswell. Do you know what happened to the man that stole that document? TheEnglish took him out and shot him on account of what was found in hishouse when they raided it. Do you know what happened to the interpreterat the internment camp, who was our go-between, who played us false bycutting the document in half? The English shot _him_ too, on account ofwhat was found in letters that came to him openly through the post? Andwho settled Schulte? And who settled the other man? Who contrived thetraps that sent them to their doom? It was _I_, Grundt, _I_, thecripple, _I_, the Clubfoot, that had these traitors despatched as anexample to the six thousand of us who serve our Emperor and empire indarkness! You dog, I'll smash you!"
He was gibbering like an angry ape: his frame was shaking with fury:every hair in the tangle on his face and hands seemed to bristle withhis Berserker frenzy.
But he kept away from me, and I saw that he was still fighting topreserve his self-control.
I maintained a bold front.
"This may do for your own people," I said contemptuously, "but itdoesn't impress me, I'm an American citizen!"
He was calmer now, but his eyes glittered dangerously.
"An American citizen?" he said in an icy tone. Then he fairly hissed atme:
"You fool! Blind, besotted fool! Do you think you can trifle with themight of the German Empire? Ah! I've played a pretty game with you, youdirty English dog! I've watched you squirming and writhing whilst thestupid German told you his pretty little tale and plied you with hiswine and his cigars. You're in our power now, you miserable Englishhound! Do you understand that? Now call on your fleet to come and saveyou!
"Listen! I'll be frank with you to the last. I've had my suspicions ofyou from the first, when they telephoned me that you had escaped fromthe hotel, but I wanted to make _sure_. Ever since you have been in thisroom it has been in my power to push that bell there and send you toSpandau, where they rid us of such dirty dogs as you.
"But the game amused me. I liked to see the Herr Englander playing thespy against _me_, the master of them all. Do you know, you fool, thatold Schratt knows English, that she spent years of her harlot's life inLondon, and that when you allowed her a glimpse of that passport, yourown passport, the one you so cleverly burned, she remembered the name?Ah! you didn't know that, did you?
"Shall I tell you what was in that telegram they just brought me? It wasfrom Schratt, our faithful Schratt, who shall have a bangle for thisnight's work, to say that the corpse at the hotel has a chain round itsneck with an identity disc in the name of Semlin. Ha! you didn't knowthat either, did you?
"And _you_ would bargain and chaffer with me! _You_ would dictate yourterms, you scum! _You_ with your head in a noose, a spy that has failedin his mission, a miserable wretch that I can send to his death with aflip of my little finger! You impudent hound! Well, you'll get yourdeserts this time, Captain Desmond Okewood ... but I'll have that paperfirst!"
Roaring "Give it to me!" he rushed at me like some frenzied beast of thejungle. The veins stood out at his temples, his hairy nostrils openedand closed as his breath came faster, his long arms shot out and hisgreat paws clutched at my throat.
But I was waiting for him. As he came at me, I heard his clubfoot stumponce on the polished floor, then, from the radiator behind me, I raisedhigh in my arms the heavy marble slab, and with every ounce of strengthin my body brought it crashing down on his head.
He fell like a log, the blood oozing sluggishly from his head on to theparquet. I stopped an instant, snatched the cigar-case from the pocketwhere he had placed it, extracted the document and fled from the room.