CHAPTER XXVIII
THE POWER OF THE PRESS
The editorial staff of the _Mercury_ had certainly done their work verywell. No detail had been spared to make the report absolutely complete.Everybody was reminded that recently there had been a great deal offriction in that corner of the Balkans known as Asturia. It was wellknown that for many years Russia had coveted that fair province. Up tonow the crown of the King of Asturia had been quite safe. But with theadvent of the present monarch things were entirely different. King Ernohad very early in his career given evidence that he did not appreciatethe full measure of responsibility. He was too fond of gaiety andpleasure; he had no patriotism. His people were a stern, hard-livingrace, and they did not tolerate the gaiety of the new court.
The queen was all very well, but she was only the consort, after all. Itwas useless for her to be ever on the spot whilst the king wasdissipating his fortune and spending the money ground from his people byextra taxation in London and Paris. And latterly eyes had been turned toVienna, where dwelt Prince Alix, who was known to covet the throne. Atany moment there might be a glaring tragedy, and Prince Alix might findhimself with the crown. That Prince Alix was notoriously a friend ofRussia mattered little at the present juncture.
Lechmere read all this as he hurried along Fleet Street. He also read alot of information that was true, and more that was false. Evidently the_Mercury_ people cared for nothing beyond the sensation of the hour. Butafter all this came the sting of the thing. The King of Asturia had thatnight gone down to the _Mercury_ office and demanded audience of theeditor. He had been very wild and violent, and the intimation that hewas hopelessly intoxicated was not very carefully concealed. The kingwished it to be understood that he had done with Asturia. He had not theslightest intention of going back to his capital any more. Hisabdication was signed, and doubtless by that time a deputation was onits way to Vienna to offer the throne to Prince Alix. Altogether, it wasperhaps the most sensational report that ever appeared even in anAmerican paper. It was certain to create a great commotion, and set allthe courts of Europe by the ears.
"Well, of all the amazing audacity!" Lechmere muttered as he racedalong. "Nothing more daring had ever been done in the history ofpolitical intrigue. I wonder if Hunt suspects the truth. Not that itwould make any difference to him so long as he could shift theresponsibility afterwards, as I daresay he will be prepared with proofsthat he was justified in what he did. There is only one way to get evenwith this thing."
Lechmere arrived at length at the office of the _Daily Herald_. Thepaper in question had very little taint of the modern spirit about it.There was no chance, for instance, that it would ever be published forless than a penny. The _Herald_ had no very great reputation forenterprise, but it was sound and safe, and everything therein would beaccepted as true. No newspaper in the kingdom carried more weight, nojournal had a greater reputation for veracity.
The _Herald_ had not gone to press yet. There was no great hurry, seeingthat the feverish rush to capture circulation had never commended itselfto the paper's proprietors. There was a sense of decorum about theoffice that had been lacking in the _entourage_ of the _Mercury_. Theplace seemed more dignified; there was no noise; all the corridors hadfelted floors. Even down in the manager's office the same decorumprevailed.
Lechmere knew that he would have no difficulty in seeing the editor ofthe _Herald_. In the first place, that gentleman was an old friend ofhis; indeed, Lechmere had contributed from time to time many articles onforeign politics. Mr. Eveleigh was at liberty, and would see Mr.Lechmere at once. The editor was lying back in an armchair smoking acigar.
"I have just finished, my dear fellow," he said. "I hope you havesomething good for me? Nothing wrong? You look actually excited, a mostunusual thing for you."
"I certainly have come along at a pretty good pace," Lechmere admitted."A most extraordinary thing has happened. If this matter is allowed topass there is no limit to the damage that it may do. Will you be so goodas to cast your eye on that, Eveleigh?"
The editor of the _Herald_ took the _Mercury_ in his hand as if he hadbeen contaminated. There was a smile of contempt on his fine face. Butthe smile faded away, and an interested gleam came into his eyes as heread. He tossed the paper aside at length.
"Nothing very wonderful," he said. "That is precisely how I should haveexpected the present ruler of Asturia to behave. It's a fine scoop forHunt, and one after his own heart. He would set the whole of Europe in ablaze to sell an extra fifty thousand papers."
"Why not? He is an American, and his aim is to make money. He has theexcuse that he is not bound by any patriotic scruples. Do you believethat story?"
"It certainly has the impress of truth," Eveleigh said thoughtfully."Hunt dare not hoax his public. The average Briton would never stand it.Besides, that's Hunt's own writing. He is perfectly certain to havetaken the statement down from the royal lips."
"No doubt. Probably with the aid of a stenographer. There are no flieson Hunt, to use a pet expression of his own. Let us assume for the sakeof argument that Hunt fully believes that he has had the thing from theprincipal actor in the drama. But all the same, he didn't. The man whodictated that statement was no more King of Asturia than I am."
Eveleigh looked up brightly. Lechmere was not in the habit of makingstatements that he couldn't prove.
"As a matter of fact, the king has been at Lord Merehaven's all theevening," he went on. "I left him there a little while ago. This thinghas been deliberately got up by the gang of conspirators who are workinghere in the interests of Russia and incidentally for their own pockets.When the proper time comes I will name all these conspirators to you. Ican even give you the name of the man who played the part for Hunt'sbenefit. They chose their people carefully, knowing that only the_Mercury_ out of all the London journals would publish that withoutfirst consulting the Foreign Secretary. Don't you see the game? Everypaper in Paris and Vienna and St. Petersburg will get a copy of thatinterview _in extenso_. It will create a perfect furore in Asturia ifthe lie is not most promptly contradicted. You see what I mean?"
"In the first place, that some clever actor has been playing the king?"Eveleigh asked.
"Yes. It was Countess Saens's idea in the first place. I am afraid thatsome of our people inspired her with the suggestion. But that is neitherhere nor there. That lie has to be scotched, and you are the man to doit. After all said and done, _the_ journalistic English authority abroadis the _Herald_. Therefore the _Herald_ is going to print that wildstory of Hunt's to-night and comment upon the audacity of the scheme.Also, you are going to proclaim the fact that the real King of Asturiawas known to be at the residence of the Foreign Secretary, LordMerehaven, at the time when he was supposed to be betraying his privateaffairs to the editor of the _Mercury_. If I were not absolutely certainof my facts I would not ask you to do this, Eveleigh. I want you to makea big thing of this. I want you to assume that Hunt has been hoaxed, andcall for the prompt punishment of the criminals. Is there time?"
"Oh, there is plenty of time," Eveleigh said thoughtfully. "No troubleon that score. And I think I can manage it. Sit down for a minute or twowhile I go and see my chief of staff."
Lechmere sat down fluttering over the pages of the _Mercury_. Hisrestless eye wandered near the column and along the crowdedadvertisements. Finally his gaze stopped at the agony column. One linethere arrested his attention. It was a jumbled cypher, but the trainingthat Lechmere had had in that kind of thing enabled him to read italmost at a glance.
"I thought so," he said. "I felt absolutely certain of my man. SoPeretori is in London! I might have guessed that from the first. Well,it seems to me that I am in a position to hoist these people with theirown petard. So long as Peretori is not in earnest, well and good. Iwonder if there is a telephone anywhere here?"
There was a telephone at the back of the editor's desk, and Lechmerepromptly called up Scotland Yard in search of information. After a pausethe information came, which Lechmere care
fully jotted down in his pocketbook. Eveleigh came back with the air of a busy man.
"I'm going to do it, Lechmere," he said. "No thanks needed: it will be agood thing for us. And now I shall be glad if you will go, as I shall bepretty busy for the next hour. I think you will be safe to leave mattersin my hands."