Part 17 (2/2)

”Their system?” he asked. ”Is it so extensive and efflcient as we have been led to believe?”

”That cannot be exaggerated.”

At this Sir Edward began to throw out innuendoes to which I replied in like vein. The interview was not progressing. Finally he came out with what was in his mind.

Do you know if any officials or naval officers are selling or negotiating to sell information to Foreign Intelligence Departments?”

Although he had not said English officers or officials, I knew what he meant, but I made up my mind not to tell everything I knew.

”There are such,” I replied.

It had the effect of making him look at me in a most startled manner.

”How do you know that? On what grounds do you make that a.s.sertion?”

His agitation was ill-concealed.

”I have no specific proof,” I replied--(which I had)--”but from information that has been gained, from plans that have been secured--plans like those of your battles.h.i.+ps _Queen Mary_ and _Ajax_--it is obvious that these things have been done with the cooperation of high officials of your country.”

He pressed me for further details, but I withheld them. I could have told him a pretty story about the plans of the _Queen Mary_ and _Ajax_. He fell to studying a rather voluminous report; then he began anew with his innuendoes. I guessed what was coming. Although his speech was more prolonged than I shall now present it, this is the gist of what he asked:

”Were you ever present at conferences attended by high officials?

Were you, for instance, at the Schlangenbad meeting? Have you any data? Any doc.u.mentary evidence of having been there?”

I was not a bit startled. I had guessed it would be that. His very question showed that it was useless for me to deny that I had been at the Black Forest conference. Possibly Churchill, recalling my meeting him during the Boer War, had dropped a word about this coincidence to his Lords.h.i.+p. Naturally I told him I possessed no such data. Still I did not like the trend of his talk. I began to suspect that this British Minister was doing one of two things. Either he did not know everything about the Black Forest meeting--(not at all improbable with the conditions existing in England's cabinet at that time)--or else he wanted to learn if I knew the tenor of that conference. In either ease it was one of those occasions where I deemed it wise to keep my own counsel.

After many searching questions upon the French system and her army and navy, he began to try to lead me to make comparisons between their strength and England's, these being based upon my personal observations. This, and the whole trend of his thought, led me to suspect that Sir Edward Grey was in noways sure in his own mind or favorable to the German-English alliance. With men like his Lords.h.i.+p, personal antipathy plays a powerful part in such matters.

He then began to try to make me divulge the contents of any personal dispatches I had carried for the German Emperor.

”Do you know,” he asked abruptly, ”if the German Emperor ever communicates with Viscount Haldane?”

”Yes, sir.”

He leaned forward eagerly.

”How and under what circ.u.mstances?”

”Why, I thought it common knowledge that they often correspond. They are good friends.”

”Not that. I mean direct secret communications between them, concerning affairs of the state.”

I denied any knowledge of this, although I knew it to be so.

He began his fis.h.i.+ng around again and his hints found me very stupid.

My unsatisfactory answers seemed to displease Sir Edward Grey, for with true British discourtesy he abruptly began working at something on his desk and without even saying good day, let a commissaire bow me out.

A few days later I received definite instructions from Captain Robinson. I was to go on my first mission in the interests of the British Secret Service and subsequently another mission brought me to New York, where I resigned from service permanently.

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