Part 15 (1/2)

”I want you,” he said, ”to transcribe some pencil notes of mine.”

”You want _me_ to transcribe them?” said Rendel, with an involuntary inflection of surprise in his tone.

”Yes, if you will,” said Stamfordham. ”The fact is, Marchmont, the only man I have had since you left me who can read my writing when I take rough pencil notes in a hurry, has collapsed just to-day, out of sheer excitement I believe, and because he sat up for one night writing.”

”Poor fellow!” said Rendel, half to himself.

”Yes,” said Stamfordham drily; and then he went on, as one who knows that he must leave the sick and wounded behind without waiting to pity them. ”These,” unfolding the paper, ”are notes of a conversation that I have just had at the German Emba.s.sy with Bergowitz.” Rendel's quick movement as he heard the name showed that he realised what that juxtaposition meant at such a moment. ”Every moment is precious,”

Stamfordham went on, ”and it suddenly dawned on me as I left the Emba.s.sy that you were close at hand and might be willing to do it.”

The German Emba.s.sy was at the moment, during some building operations, occupying temporary premises near Belgrave Square.

”I should think so indeed,” Rendel said eagerly.

”The notes are very short, as you see,” said Stamfordham. ”You know, of course, what has been happening. I needn't go into that.” And as he spoke a boy pa.s.sed under the windows crying the evening papers, and they distinctly heard ”Panic on the Stock Exchange.” The two men's eyes met.

”Yes, there is a panic on the Stock Exchange,” Stamfordham said, ”because every one thinks there will be war--but there probably won't.”

”Not?” said Rendel. ”Can it be stopped?”

Stamfordham answered him by unfolding the piece of paper and laying it down before him on the table. It was a map of Africa, roughly outlined, but still clearly enough to show unmistakably what it was intended to convey, for all down the map from north to south there was a thick line drawn to the west of the Cape to Cairo Railway--the latter being indicated, but more faintly, in pencil--starting at Alexandria and running down through the whole of the continent, bending slightly to the southward between Bechua.n.a.land and Namaqualand, and ending at the Orange River. East of that line was written ENGLAND, west of it GERMANY, and below it some lines of almost illegible writing in pencil.

Rendel almost gasped.

”What?” he said; ”a part.i.tion of Africa?”

”Yes,” said Stamfordham. Then he said with a sort of half smile, ”The part.i.tion, that is to say, so far as it is in our own hands. But,”

speaking rapidly, ”I will just put you in possession of the facts of the case and give you the clue. We abandon to Germany everything that we have a claim to west of this line. It does not come to very much,” in answer to an involuntary movement on Rendel's part; and he swept his hand across the coast of the Gulf of Guinea as though wiping out of existence the Gold Coast, Ashanti, Sierra Leone, and all that had mattered before. ”Germany abandons to us everything that she lays claim to on the east of it, including therefore the whole course of the Cape to Cairo Railway.”

”But has Germany agreed?” said Rendel, stupefied with surprise.

”Germany has agreed,” said Stamfordham. ”We have just heard from Berlin.”

Rendel felt as if his breath were taken away by the rapid motion of the events.

”That means peace, then?” he said.

”Yes,” Stamfordham said; ”peace.”

”Then when is this going to be given to the world?” said Rendel.

”Some of it possibly to-morrow,” said Stamfordham. ”The Cabinet Council will meet this evening, and the King's formal sanction obtained. Of course,” he went on, ”the broad outlines only will be published--the fact of the understanding at any rate, not necessarily the terms of the part.i.tion. But it is important for financial reasons that the country should know as soon as possible that war is averted.”

”Of course, of course,” said Rendel. ”Immeasurably important.”

Stamfordham took up his hat and held out his hand with his air of courtly politeness as he turned towards the door.