Part 33 (1/2)
Katrina now rose and preened before her mirror. ”Won't you place it round my neck?” she asked, holding out the necklace.
Nor daring to give offence, I took the chain of rubies and attempted to fasten it round her neck. The mechanism of the fastening was strange to me and I was some time in getting the thing adjusted. Just as I had succeeded in hooking the clasp, I heard a curdled oath and the neglected Holknecht hurled himself upon us, striking me on the temple with one fist and clutching at the throat of the girl with the other hand.
The blow sent me reeling to the floor but in another instant I was up and had collared him and dragged him away.
”d.a.m.n you both,” he whimpered; ”where do I come in?”
”Put him out,” said Katrina, with a glance of disdain at the cowering man.
”I will go,” snarled Holknecht, and he wrenched from my grasp and darted toward the door. I followed, but he was fairly running down the pa.s.sage and pursuit was too undignified a thing to consider.
”You should have paid him,” said Katrina, ”for delivering my message.”
”I have paid him,” I replied. ”I paid him very well.”
”I wonder if he thought,” she laughed, ”that I would pay any attention to a man of his petty rank. Why, I snubbed him unmercifully years ago when the other Armstadt had the audacity to introduce me.”
”Of course,” I replied, ”he does not understand.”
And now, as I resumed my seat, I began puzzling my brain as to how I could get away without giving offence to the second member of my pair of blackmailers. But a little later I managed it, as it has been managed for centuries, by looking suddenly at my watch and recalling a forgotten appointment.
”You will come again?” purred Katrina.
”Of course,” I said, ”I must come again, for you are very charming, but I am afraid it will not be for some time as I have very important duties and just at present my leisure is exceedingly limited.”
And so I made my escape, and hastened home. After debating the question pro and con I typed a note to Holknecht in which I a.s.sured him that I had not the least interest in Katrina. ”Perhaps,” I wrote, ”when she has tired a bit of the necklace, she would appreciate something else. But it would not be wise to hurry this; but if you will call around in a month or so, I think I can arrange for you to get her something and present it yourself, as I do not care to see her again.”
CHAPTER XIV
THE BLACK SPOT IS ERASED FROM THE MAP OF THE WORLD AND THERE IS DANCING IN THE SUNLIGHT ON THE ROOF OF BERLIN
~1~
The relative ease with which I had so long pa.s.sed for the real Karl Armstadt had lulled me into a feeling of security. But now that my disguise had been penetrated, my old fears were renewed. True, the weigher's records had seemingly cleared me, but I knew that Grauble had seen the weak spot in the German logic of the stupid official, who had so lightly dismissed Katrina's accusations. Moreover, I fancied that Grauble had guessed the full truth and connected this uncertainty of my ident.i.ty with the seditious tenor of the suggestions I had made to him.
Even though he might be willing to discuss rebellious plans with a German, could I count on him to consider the treasonable urging coming from a man of another and an enemy race?
So fearing either to confess to him my ident.i.ty or to proceed without confessing, I postponed doing anything. The sailing date of his fifth trip to the Arctic was fast approaching; if I was ever to board a vessel leaving Berlin I would need von Kufner's permission. Marguerite reported the growing cordiality of the Admiral. Although I realized that his infatuation for her was becoming rather serious, with the confidence of an accepted lover, I never imagined that he could really come between Marguerite and myself.
But one evening when I went to call upon Marguerite she was ”not at home.” I repeated the call with the same result. When I called her up by telephone, her secretary bluntly told me that the Princess Marguerite did not care to speak to me. I hastened to write an impa.s.sioned note, pleading to see her at once, for the days were pa.s.sing and there was now but a week before Grauble's vessel was due to depart.
In desperation I waited two more days, and still no word came. My letters of pleading, like my calls and telephone efforts, were still ignored.
Then a messenger came bearing a note from Admiral von Kufner, asking me to call upon him at once.
”I have been considering,” began von Kufner, when I entered his office, ”the request you made of me some time ago to be permitted to go in person to make a survey of the ore deposits. At first I opposed this, as the trip is dangerous, but more recently I have reconsidered the importance of it. As others are now fully able to continue your work here, I can quite conceive that your risking the trip to the mines in person would be a very courageous and n.o.ble sacrifice. So I have taken the matter up with His Majesty.”
With mocking politeness von Kufner now handed me a doc.u.ment bearing the imperial seal.