Okewood of the Secret Service [119]
in Berlin sent word to Strangwise (who was then serving with the gunners in France) to get himself captured. The German military authorities duly reported him a prisoner of war and then let him 'escape' as' the easiest and least suspicious means of getting him back to London!"
The Chief smiled genially.
"That's a dashed clever idea," he observed shrewdly, "'pon my word, that's bright! That's very bright! I should like to compliment the man who thought of that!"
"Then you may address your compliments to me, Chief," said Strangwise.
The Chief turned and looked at him.
"I've met many of your people in my time, Strangwise," he said, "but I don't know you! Who are you?"
Strangwise laughed.
"Ask Nur-el-Din, " he said, "that is to say, if you haven't shot her yet!"
"And if we have?" asked the Chief.
Desmond sprang tip.
"It isn't possible!" he cried. "Why, the woman's a victim, not a principal! Chief..."
"What if we have?" asked the Chief again.
A curious change had come over the prisoner. His jaunty air had left him and there was an apprehensive look in his eyes.
"I would have saved her if I could have," Strangwise said, "but she played me false over the jewel. She imperiled the success of my mission. You English have no idea of discipline. To us Prussian officers an order stands above everything else. There is nothing we would not sacrifice to obey our orders. And my order was to recover the Star of Poland for His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, Lieutenant Colonel in the Regiment to which I have the honor to belong, the First Regiment of Prussian Foot Guards. But Nur-el-Din plotted with our friend here and with that little fool upstairs to upset my plans, and I had no mercy on her. I planted those documents in her dress--or rather Bellward did--to draw suspicion away from me. I thought you English would be too flabby to execute a woman; but I reckoned on you putting the girl away for some years to come. I would have shot her as I shot Rass if..." His voice trembled and he was silent.
"If what?" asked the Chief.
"If she hadn't been my wife," said Strangwise.
CHAPTER XXXI. THE 100,000 KIT
It was a clear, crisp morning with a sparkle of frost on jetty and breakwater. The English Channel stretched flashing like a living sheet of glass to the filmy line marking the coast of France, as serene and beautiful in its calm as it is savage and cruel in its anger. It was high tide; but only a gentle murmur came from the little waves that idly beat upon the shore in front of the bungalow.
A girl lay in a deck chair on the verandah, well wrapped up against the eager air. But the fresh breeze would not be denied and, foiled by the nurse's vigilance of its intents against the patient, it revenged itself by blowing havoc among the soft brown curls which peeped out from under the girl's hat.
She turned to the man at her side.
"Look!" she said, and pointed seawards with her finger.
A convoy of vessels was standing out to sea framed in the smoke-blurs of the escorting destroyers. Ugly, weatherbeaten craft were the steamers with trails of smoke blown out in the breeze behind them. They rode the sea's highway with confidence, putting their trust in the unseen power that swept the road clear for them.
"Transports, aren't they?" asked the man.
But he scarcely looked at the transports. He was watching the gleam of the sun on the girl's brown hair and contrasting the deep gray of her eyes with the ever-changing hues of the sea.
"Yes," replied the girl. "It's the third day they've gone across! By this time next week there'll be ten fresh divisions in France. How secure they look steaming along! And to think they owe it all to you!"
The man laughed and flushed up.
"From the strictly professional standpoint the less said about me the better," he said.
"What nonsense you talk!" cried the girl. "When the Chief was down to see me yesterday, he spoke of nothing but you. 'They beat him, but he won out!' he said, 'they shook him off but he went back and found 'em!' He told me
The Chief smiled genially.
"That's a dashed clever idea," he observed shrewdly, "'pon my word, that's bright! That's very bright! I should like to compliment the man who thought of that!"
"Then you may address your compliments to me, Chief," said Strangwise.
The Chief turned and looked at him.
"I've met many of your people in my time, Strangwise," he said, "but I don't know you! Who are you?"
Strangwise laughed.
"Ask Nur-el-Din, " he said, "that is to say, if you haven't shot her yet!"
"And if we have?" asked the Chief.
Desmond sprang tip.
"It isn't possible!" he cried. "Why, the woman's a victim, not a principal! Chief..."
"What if we have?" asked the Chief again.
A curious change had come over the prisoner. His jaunty air had left him and there was an apprehensive look in his eyes.
"I would have saved her if I could have," Strangwise said, "but she played me false over the jewel. She imperiled the success of my mission. You English have no idea of discipline. To us Prussian officers an order stands above everything else. There is nothing we would not sacrifice to obey our orders. And my order was to recover the Star of Poland for His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, Lieutenant Colonel in the Regiment to which I have the honor to belong, the First Regiment of Prussian Foot Guards. But Nur-el-Din plotted with our friend here and with that little fool upstairs to upset my plans, and I had no mercy on her. I planted those documents in her dress--or rather Bellward did--to draw suspicion away from me. I thought you English would be too flabby to execute a woman; but I reckoned on you putting the girl away for some years to come. I would have shot her as I shot Rass if..." His voice trembled and he was silent.
"If what?" asked the Chief.
"If she hadn't been my wife," said Strangwise.
CHAPTER XXXI. THE 100,000 KIT
It was a clear, crisp morning with a sparkle of frost on jetty and breakwater. The English Channel stretched flashing like a living sheet of glass to the filmy line marking the coast of France, as serene and beautiful in its calm as it is savage and cruel in its anger. It was high tide; but only a gentle murmur came from the little waves that idly beat upon the shore in front of the bungalow.
A girl lay in a deck chair on the verandah, well wrapped up against the eager air. But the fresh breeze would not be denied and, foiled by the nurse's vigilance of its intents against the patient, it revenged itself by blowing havoc among the soft brown curls which peeped out from under the girl's hat.
She turned to the man at her side.
"Look!" she said, and pointed seawards with her finger.
A convoy of vessels was standing out to sea framed in the smoke-blurs of the escorting destroyers. Ugly, weatherbeaten craft were the steamers with trails of smoke blown out in the breeze behind them. They rode the sea's highway with confidence, putting their trust in the unseen power that swept the road clear for them.
"Transports, aren't they?" asked the man.
But he scarcely looked at the transports. He was watching the gleam of the sun on the girl's brown hair and contrasting the deep gray of her eyes with the ever-changing hues of the sea.
"Yes," replied the girl. "It's the third day they've gone across! By this time next week there'll be ten fresh divisions in France. How secure they look steaming along! And to think they owe it all to you!"
The man laughed and flushed up.
"From the strictly professional standpoint the less said about me the better," he said.
"What nonsense you talk!" cried the girl. "When the Chief was down to see me yesterday, he spoke of nothing but you. 'They beat him, but he won out!' he said, 'they shook him off but he went back and found 'em!' He told me