Part 33 (2/2)

The silence was at last broken by Edestone; but, although he spoke, it was more as if he were merely letting his pensive thoughts run on.

”How different this has been from the way I had planned it. How different, too, has been your home-coming, old man--for the _Storm Queen_ was like home to you in the old days.”

But Lawrence by this time was beginning to feel the effects of champagne, and was certain that unless he very soon did something to lift the pall that had fallen on them, he himself would be dissolved in tears.

”I don't know what your plan was,” he said; ”but don't you worry about my home-coming. The thing that ought to worry you is my leave-taking.

The L. P. M. has got the _Storm Queen_ beat a mile, and I am booked for life. And, by the way, what is my rank on this s.h.i.+p? My old position of room clerk on the _Storm Queen_ won't go here, as I don't suppose you intend to have any 'cuties' on board, not even for the New London week.”

”No.” Edestone consented at last to smile. ”I am afraid, Lawrence, those days are all over for me. My little house of cards has fallen about me, and I have serious work before me, if I wish to build it up again. I have been thinking, and thinking very hard. From the moment that I saw poor Fred roll down the stairs of the Emba.s.sy, I knew that my first plan had failed. When Germany discovers that the United States is not back of me, she will apologize, and you know how quickly our present Administration will accept the apology, and how quickly they will disclaim any responsibility for my acts, if it means a fight?”

Lawrence nodded.

”Germany,” went on Edestone, ”will then call on all the neutral nations to join her in bringing me, an outlaw, to earth. This will give her a common cause with them, and she will hope in that way to strengthen her position relative to the Allies. She does not know my relations.h.i.+p with England, but she will undoubtedly declare that I am one of the means England is using to subjugate the world.”

”And is there nothing you can do?” asked Lawrence.

”My last and only hope is that tomorrow, after they have realized the uselessness of opposing me, they will listen to a proposition of peace--without honour, from their old standard; but with great honour, from the standard that I intend to establish. I propose to send what is practically an ultimatum; and that is, that if they do not immediately open negotiations looking toward peace, I will sink every German battles.h.i.+p that floats, and destroy every factory in which guns, explosives, or any of the munitions of war are manufactured.”

”Me for the junk business,” exclaimed Lawrence with an inspiration. ”Oh, you Krupps!”

But Edestone paid no heed to the frivolous interruption. ”It is my intention,” he continued, ”to give sufficient notice, so that if they are willing to admit my supremacy, there need be no loss of life.”

He halted, as an officer had just come in, and was standing after saluting, waiting for Edestone to stop speaking.

”The look-outs report, sir, that there are several Taubes climbing up toward us. What are your orders, sir?”

”Close everything down, except one of these.” Edestone pointed to a window. ”Expose no lights.”

After the man had retired, he said to one of the servants in the room: ”Put out the lights, and bring us two cloaks.”

When the lights had been put out, Lawrence saw for the first time that during dinner the solid cubes of steel, the size of the windows, had noiselessly rolled back, leaving a square aperture or pa.s.sage-way through the six-foot thickness of the armour-plate, and forming a sort of _loggia_ into which they stepped. It was a beautiful night, and through the clear, rarefied atmosphere the stars seemed to Lawrence brighter than he had ever seen them before, while down below them he could just see the lights of Berlin.

The explosions of the motors of the Taubes could be plainly heard, but as yet nothing could be seen of them.

”What do you suppose those mosquitoes expect to do against us with their pop-guns and tomato cans?” asked Lawrence.

”I do not know.” Edestone shook his head. ”Perhaps they are just coming up to look us over. They will keep out of sight, and as they may not know that we are protected on top, will perhaps try to drop one of their tomato cans on us. That is, if they can get close enough. I hardly think that they will risk a miss, and drop bombs on their own capital, so long as the Only One Who Seems To Count In Germany is in the midst of his beloved people.”

The Taubes could be heard on all sides, as if they were climbing in great circles around the Little Peace Maker. There seemed to be at least a dozen of them, although owing to the confusion of sounds as they crossed and re-crossed, it was impossible to count them.

At last, though, when judging by the noise they were about on the same level as the s.h.i.+p, Edestone turned to an officer who was standing by him.

”Tell Commander Anderson to load all of the big guns with a full charge of black powder only, and fire them all off at the same time.

”And, Lawrence,” he advised his friend, ”when you hear a bell ringing, stand on your toes, open your mouth, stick your fingers in your ears, and if you've never been in h.e.l.l before, prepare yourself for a shock.”

Hardly had he gotten the words out of his mouth, when bells began ringing all over the s.h.i.+p. In just exactly one minute, Lawrence thought he had been blown into bits, as he was lifted and thrown from side to side against the steel walls of the pa.s.sage. The noise was so great that his ears seemed unable to record it, and it was made known to him by the air pressure which seemed to be crus.h.i.+ng him to death. The rush of air down his throat was choking him, while his very insides seemed to be turning over and over in their effort to escape. A dizziness and nausea followed, and he had to lean against his friend, trying to catch his breath in the thick, black smoke with which they were enveloped.

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