Part 7 (1/2)
She shook her head and tapped the letters nervously.
”No. It is intolerable,” she said. ”Not to be thought of.”
I saw that I had to make it stronger. I thereupon invented the most ingenious lies it has ever been given me to tell. In about five minutes I had painted the young Grand Duke in such colors that the adventures of Don Juan were saintly compared to the escapades of his ducal highness.
”Why, consider it yourself,” I said. ”He was to be over here with you during the season. He has not come. You told me yourself that he has not even answered your letters. Well, that's all there is to it.
Your ladys.h.i.+p, he and his house deserve any punishment that you can visit upon them.”
The idea of punishment appealed where the other had failed. The outraged pride of woman, especially an Englishwoman, is a terrible thing. Soon after that I made haste to take my leave. At my quarters I wrote two letters to myself and signed the Grand Duke's name to them. In these I offered to pay her ladys.h.i.+p's debts. They were addressed to me and after allowing a reasonable time to elapse, I again went out to Mayfair and read them to her. She was now cold and hard and gave me full permission to go ahead and make any arrangements I deemed advisable. I thereupon went to the Grand Duke's bank in London and notified them that I must have 15,000 pounds ($75,000). In four days I had the money. The rest of the transaction was commonplace. She handed over all the letters and doc.u.ments and I gave her the 15,000 pounds. I know to-day that her ladys.h.i.+p travels extensively in a very comfortable manner on the yearly appanage allowed her by the old Grand Duke. I do not know whether she still goes to Carlton Terrace to eat strawberries, but I flatter myself that her present good fortune is partially due to the fact that she once went there.
At the time of closing our little transaction, she took the precaution to protect adequately and seal all letters and doc.u.ments from my perusal. Of course that was a disappointment. I put the packet away carefully, closed up my aftairs in London and went back to Germany, going direct to Mecklenburg-Schwerein where I delivered the package to the old Grand Duke in person. He seized it eagerly and opened it in my presence. I noticed as he ran through the letters that he did not stop even to glance at them. He did, however, stop and pick out from the pile an official looking doc.u.ment, at the sight of which a tremendous sigh of relief seemed to escape him. The doc.u.ment had a decidedly close resemblance to a marriage license as issued in Switzerland. Of course I only got a fleeting, cursory glance at it, but the eagerness of the Grand Duke in pouncing upon that one doc.u.ment and ignoring the letters, and hints previously dropped by her ladys.h.i.+p, embellished by rumors I later heard in Switzerland, all leave very little doubt in my mind that a clandestine marriage did actually take place between this lady of the English n.o.bility and the young Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerein.
His Royal Highness must have been satisfied, for besides a fee of 5000 marks, I received a few days later through Wedel a diamond pin and a magnficent gold watch and chain inscribed with the Grand Ducal arms of Mecklenburg-Schwerein inscribed:
”For services performed faithfully to my house.”
Chapter VI. The Intrigue at Monte Carlo
Back in Berlin from a mission to Vienna, my dispatches delivered, once more comfortably ensconced in my quarters, on the Mittelstra.s.se, I was looking forward to an evening at the Pavilion Mascotte. I was just getting into my dinner coat when my man bowed an orderly through the door and at once all my plans took swift flight out the window. The orderly brought a command for my immediate attendance at the Wilhelmstra.s.se. Now the gentlemen of the Wilhelmstra.s.se are never kept waiting and do not accept excuses. Within twenty minutes I was shown into the chambers of Count von Wedel; in thirty minutes I was out again, having complete orders. They know what they want at the Wilhelmstra.s.se and they generally get it.
As I hurried back to my rooms I went over what von Wedel had said:
”You are to be ready to take the midnight express to Monte Carlo. You will there keep watch on and report any possible meeting between the Russian, French and English ministers, at present traveling about the Riviera. You will have the a.s.sistance, if necessary, of the Countess Chechany. If you need her, send her this card” (he had given me the card with his signature across it, a reproduction of which is presented on this page).” If meetings or conferences take place, you must obtain the tenor thereof. Here is an order for your primary expenses.” He had flicked an order for 3000 marks, about $750, across his desk. ”Anything you wish elucidated?”
Not having met the Countess, I had requested her description. Pus.h.i.+ng a b.u.t.ton, Count von Wedel had given the answering secretary an order; within three minutes I was shown the photograph of the lady and her signature, of which I took a copy. Having no further requests I had bowed myself out.
My first act was to cash the order; second to decide and prepare the character I wished to a.s.sume in Monte Carlo. I decided on a South African mine owner. I know considerable about mining, and being well acquainted with South Africa, the Rand and Transvaal, I had the advantage of knowing my locality first. A Secret Service agent is always careful to choose a character with which he is fully familiar.
One is certain to meet, sooner or later, men in the same walk of life; and unless one be well primed, one is bound to be ”bowled out.” I knew there would be South African mining men at Monte Carlo.
Procuring necessary papers, such as mining journals, quotations, a couple of South African newspapers and photographs, I went home and had my man carefully select and pack my wardrobe. I caught the midnight Lloyd Express. Selecting a pleasant middle compartment, and getting my seat registered, I made myself comfortable and began to map out a campaign. This was rather a tough problem. To be in the slightest degree successful, I had to get near, and if possible in touch with the ministers that Count von Wedel had designated. How is this to be done? I knew it was far from easy, almost impossible, to make their casual acquaintance.
I began to cast the personality of the three men over in my mind.
There was Prince Ka.s.simir Galitzin, at that time high in the favor of the Czar. There were Delca.s.se of France and Sir Edward Grey of England. All three were gyrating about the Riviera and the Savoy--ostensibly it was for their health, possibly for other reasons.
In any case the health of these gentlemen seemed a matter of some concern to the German emperor. Health trips of more than one statesman in or about the same locality are looked upon with much suspicion and promptly investigated; more so when there is any extra political tension. At that time--it was in 1910--the air was tense, Germany was in the dark, unable to distinguish friend or foe.
Sir Edward Grey's habits were unknown to me. With Delca.s.se's I was somewhat familiar. Prince Galitzin--ah, yes! I knew him pretty well, _bon vivaint_, extremely fond of a pretty face. Um! I began to see light. Here is where the Countess might come in. By her photograph, an extremely beautiful woman; but photographs often flatter and do not give an indication as to personality. _Festina lente. I could see.
Five forty-five the next afternoon and I was installed at the Hotel Metropole in Monte Carlo. After a refres.h.i.+ng bath, I had supper served in my room, and sent for the hotel courier--this an old globe-trotter trick. Hotel couriers or dragomen are walking encylopaedias. They are good linguists, observant and shrewd. They are masters of the art of finding out things they should not know, and past grand masters in keeping their mouths shut unless you know how to open them. Not with palm oil. Oh, no, nothing so crude! You would never get any truths or anything worth while, with bribery.
I had to find out local intrigues and gossips, who was in Monte Carlo and what was doing, who were the leading demi-mondaines and gamblers?
Were there any possible Secret Service men? Hence the courier, a Swiss from Ober Arau, a district of Switzerland, I luckily knew well.
When he knocked at the door, I cheerily bade him come in. I made my manner as good natured as possible. I offered him a real Medijeh cigarette. As befitting his station, he was slipping the cigarette in his pocket.
”Oh, no!” I said. ”Light it, won't you? Have a little smoke with me here. I'm a bit lonesome. I want to get my bearings. Won't you join me in a gla.s.s of wine?”
That was my first oar in. After some commonplace conversation, as to how the season was, I asked: