XXV
STARLIGHT
When Barres opened the front door he saw Renoux standing there in theshadow of the porch, silhouetted against the starlight. They exchangeda silent grip; Renoux stepped inside; Barres closed the front door.
"Shall I light up?" he asked in a low voice.
"No. There are complications. I've been followed, I think. Take mesomewhere near a window which commands the driveway out there. I'dlike to keep my eye on it while we are talking."
"Come on," said Barres, under his breath. He guided Renoux through theshadowy entrance hall to the library, moved two padded armchairs tothe window facing the main drive, motioned Renoux to seat himself.
"When did you arrive?" he asked in a cautious voice.
"This morning."
"What! You got here before we did!"
"Yes. I followed Souchez and Alost. Do you know who _they_ werefollowing?"
"No."
"One of your guests at dinner this evening."
"Skeel!"
Renoux nodded:
"Yes. You saw them start for the train. Skeel was on the train. Butthe conference at your studio delayed me. So I came up by automobilelast night."
"And you've been here all day?"
Renoux nodded, but his keen eyes were fixed on the drive, shiningsilver-grey in the starlight. And his gaze continually reverted to itwhile he continued speaking:
"My friend, things are happening. Let me first tell you what is thesituation. Over this entire hemisphere German spies are busy, Germanintrigue and propaganda are being accelerated, treason is spreadingfrom a thousand foci of infection.
"In South America matters are very serious. A revolution is beingplanned by the half million Germans in Brazil; the neutrality ofArgentine is being most grossly violated and Count Luxburg, the bocheAmbassador, is already tampering with Chile and other SouthernRepublics.
"Of course, the Mexican trouble is due to German intrigue which istrying desperately to involve that Republic and yours and also drag inJapan.
"In Honolulu the German cruiser which your Government has interned issending out wireless information while her band plays to drown thecrackle of the instrument.
"And from the Golden Gate to the Delaware capes, and from the Soo tothe Gulf, the spies of Germany swarm in your great Republic, planningyour destruction in anticipation of the war which will surely come."
Barres reddened in the darkness and his heart beat more rapidly:
"You think it really will come?"
"War with Germany? My friend, I am certain of it. Your Governmentmay not be certain. It is, if you permit a foreigner to sayso--an--unusual Administration.... In this way, for example: it iscognisant of almost everything treasonable that is happening; itmaintains agents in close contact with every mischief-hatchingGerman diplomat in this hemisphere; it even has agents in the GermanEmbassies--agents unsuspected, who daily rub elbows with GermanAmbassadors themselves!
"It knows what Luxburg is doing; it is informed every day concerningBernstorff's dirty activities; the details of the Mexican and Japaneseaffairs are familiar to Mr. Lansing; all that happens aboard the_Geier_, the interned German liners--all that occurs in Germanconsulates, commercial offices, business houses, clubs, cafes,saloons, is no secret to your Government.
"Yet, nothing has been done, nothing is being done except to continueto collect data of the most monstrous and stupendous conspiracy thatever threatened a free nation! I repeat that nothing is being done; nopreparation is being made to face the hurricane which has been loomingfor two years and more, growing ever blacker over your horizon. Allthe world can see the lightning playing behind those storm clouds.
"And, my God!--not an umbrella! Not an order for overshoes andraincoats!... I am not, perhaps, in error when I suggest that theAdministration is an--unusual one."
Barres nodded slowly.
Renoux said:
"I am sorry. The reckoning will be heavy."
"I know."
"Yes, you know. Your great politician, Mr. Roosevelt, knows; yourgreat Admiral, Mahan, knew; your great General, Wood, knows. Also,perhaps some million or more sane, clear thinking American citizensknow." He made a hopeless gesture. "It is a pity, Barres, myfriend.... Well--it is, of course, the affair of your people todecide.... We French can only wait.... But we have never doubted yourultimate decision.... Lafayette did not live in vain. Yorktown was notmerely a battle. Your Washington lighted a torch for your people andfor ours to hold aloft eternally. Even the rain of blood drenching ourRevolution could not extinguish it. It still burned at Gravelotte, atMetz, at Sedan. It burned above the smoke and dust of the Commune. Itburned at the Marne. It still burns, mon ami."
"Yes."
"Alors----" He sat silent for a few moments, his gaze intent on thestarry obscurity outdoors. Then, slow and pleasantly:
"The particular mess, the cooking of which interests my Government,the English Government, and yours, is now on the point of boilingover. It's this Irish stew I speak of. Poor devils--they must becrazy, every one of them, to do what they are already beginning todo.... You remember the papers which you secured?"
"Yes."
"Well, what we did last night at Grogan's has prematurely dumped thefat into the fire. They know they've been robbed; they know that theirplans are in our hands. Do you suppose that stops them? No! On thecontrary, they are at this very moment attempting, as you say in NewYork, to beat us to it."
"How do you mean?"
"This way: the signal for an Irish attempt on Canada is to be thedestruction of the Welland Canal. You remember the German suggestionthat an ore steamer be seized? They're going to try it. And if thatfails, they're to take their power boat into the canal anyway and blowup a lock, even if they blow up themselves with it. Did you ever hearof such madness? Mon dieu, if only we had those men under your flagon our western front!"
"Do you know who these men are?" asked Barres.
"Your dinner guest--Murtagh Skeel--leads this company of Death."
"When?"
"Now! To-morrow! That's why I'm here! That's why your Secret Servicemen are arriving. I tell you the mess is on the point of boiling over.The crew is already on its way to take over the launch. They'retravelling west singly, by separate trains and routes."
"Do you know who they are--these madmen?"
"Here is the list--don't strike a light! I can recall their names, Ithink--some of them anyway----"
"Are any of them Germans?"
"Not one. Your German doesn't blow himself up with anything but beer.Not he! No; he lights a fuse and legs it! I don't say he's a coward.But self-immolation for abstract principle isn't in him. There havebeen instances resembling it at sea--probably not genuine--not likethat poor sergeant of ours in 1870, who went into the citadel at Laonand shoved a torch into the bin of loose powder under the magazine....Because the city had surrendered. And Paris was not many milesaway.... So he blew himself up with citadel, magazine, all thePrussians in the neighbourhood, and most of the town.... Well--theseIrish are planning something of that sort on the Welland Canal....Murtagh Skeel leads them. The others I remember are Madigan, Cassidy,Dolan, McBride--and that fellow Soane!----"
"Is _he_ one of them?"
"He surely is. He went west on the same train that brought Skeel here.And now I'll tell you what has been done and why I'm here.
"We haven't located the power-boat on the lake. But the Canadians arewatching for it and your agents are following these Irishmen. When thecrew assembles they are to be arrested and their power-boat andexplosives seized.
"I and my men have no official standing here, of course--would not betolerated in any co-operation, _officially_. But we have a certainunderstanding with certain authorities."
Barres nodded.
"You see? Very well. Then, with delicacy and discretion, we keep intouch with Mr. Skeel.... And with other people.... You see?... He isabed in the large house of Mr. Gerhardt over yonder at Northbrook....Under surveillance.... He moves? We
move--very discreetly. You see?"
"Certainly."
"Very well, then. But I am obliged to tell you, also, that the huntingis not done entirely by our side. No! In turn, I and my men, and alsoyour agents, are being hunted by German agents.... It is that whichannoys and hampers us, because these German agents continually dog usand give the alarm to these Irishmen. You see?"
"Who are the German agents? Do you know?"
"Very well indeed. Bernstorff is the head; Von Papen and Boy-ed comenext. Under them serve certain so-called 'Diplomatic Agents of ClassNo. 1'--Adolf Gerhardt is one of them; his partners, Otto Klein andJoseph Schwartzmeyer are two others.
"They, in turn, have under them diplomatic agents of the secondclass--men such as Ferez Bey, Franz Lehr, called _K17_. You see? Then,lower still in the scale, come the spies who actually investigateunder orders; men like Dave Sendelbeck, Johnny Klein, LouisHochstein, Max Freund. And, then, lowest of all in rank are the rankand file--the secret 'shock-troops' who carry out desperateenterprises under some leader. Among the Germans these are the men whosneak about setting fires, lighting the fuses of bombs, scuttlingships, defacing Government placards, poisoning Red Cross bandages tobe sent to the Allies--that sort. But among them are no battalions ofDeath. _Non pas!_ And, for that, you see, they use these Irish. Youunderstand now?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well, then! I trust you absolutely, Barres. And so I came over to askyou--and your clever friends, Mademoiselle Dunois, Miss Soane, Mr.Westmore, to keep their eyes on this man Skeel to-morrow afternoon andalso to-morrow evening. Because they will be guests at the Gerhardts'.Is it not so?"
"Yes."
"Well, your Government's agents will be there. They will also be inthe neighbourhood, watching roads and railway stations. I have one manin service with the Gerhardts--their head chauffeur. If anythinghappens--if Skeel tries to slip away--if you miss him--I would be verygrateful if you and your friends notify the head chauffeur, Menard."
"We'll try to do it."
"That's all I want. Just get word to Menard that Skeel seems to bemissing. That will be sufficient. Will you say this to your friends?"
"Yes, I will, Renoux. I'll be glad to. I'll be particularly happy tooffer to Miss Dunois this proof of your confidence in her integrity."
Renoux looked very grave.
"For me," he said, "Miss Dunois is what she pretends to be. Ihave so informed my Government at home and its representatives atWashington."
"Have you heard anything yet?"
"Yes, a telegram in cipher from Washington late this afternoon."
"Favourable to her?"
"Yes. Our Ambassador is taking up immediately the clues Miss Dunoisfurnished me last night. Also, he has cabled at length to my homeGovernment. At this hour, no doubt, d'Eblis, Bolo, probably anex-minister or two, are being watched. And in this country yourGovernment is now in possession of facts which must suggest a veryclose surveillance of the activities of Ferez Bey."
"Where is he?"
Renoux shook his head:
"He _was_ in New York. But he gave us the slip. An eel!" he added,rising. "Oh, we shall pick up his slimy traces again in time. But itis mortifying.... Well, thank you, mon ami. I must go." And he startedtoward the hall.
"Have you a car anywhere?" asked Barres.
"Yes, up the road a bit." He glanced through the sidelight of thefront door, carelessly. "A couple of men out yonder dodging about.Have you noticed them, Barres?"
"No! Where?"
"They're out there in the shadow of your wall. I imagined that I'd befollowed." He smiled and opened the front door.
"Wait!" whispered Barres. "You are not going out there alone, areyou?"
"Certainly. There's no danger."
"Well, I don't like it, Renoux. I'll walk as far as your car----"
"Don't trouble! I have no personal apprehension----"
"All the same," muttered the other, continuing on down the front stepsbeside his comrade.
Renoux shrugged good-humouredly his disapproval of such precaution,but made no further protest. Nobody was visible anywhere on thegrounds. The big iron gates were still locked, but the wicket wasopen. Through this they stepped out onto the macadam.
A little farther along stood a touring car with two men in it.
"You see?" began Renoux--when his words were cut by the crack of apistol, and the red tail-light of the car crashed into splinters andwent dark.
"Well, by God!" remarked Renoux calmly, looking at the woods acrossthe road and leisurely producing an automatic pistol.
Then, from deeper in the thicket, two bright flames stabbed thedarkness and the crash of the shots re-echoed among the trees.
Both men in the touring car instantly turned loose their pistols;Renoux said, in a voice at once perplexed and amused:
"Go home, Barres. I don't want people to know you are out here....I'll see you again soon."
"Isn't there anything----"
"Nothing. Please--you would oblige me by keeping clear of this if youreally desire to help me."
There were no more shots. Renoux stepped leisurely into the tonneau.
"Well, what the devil do you gentlemen make of this?" Barres heard himsay in his cool, humorous voice. "It really looks as though the bocheswere getting nervous."
The car started. Barres could see Renoux and another man sitting withpistols levelled as the car glided along the fringe of woods. Butthere were no more shots on either side, and, after the car haddisappeared, Barres turned and retraced his way.
Then, as he entered his own gate by the side wicket, and turned tolock it with his own key, an electric torch flashed in his face,blinding him.
"Let him have it!" muttered somebody behind the dazzling light.
"That's not one of them!" said another voice distinctly. "Look outwhat you're doing! Douse your glim!"
Instantly the fierce glare faded to a cinder. Barres heard runningfeet on the macadam, the crash of shrubbery opposite. But he could seenobody; and presently the footsteps in the woods were no longeraudible.
There seemed to be nothing for him to do in the matter. He lingered bythe wicket for a while, peering into the night, listening. He sawnothing; heard nothing more that night.