The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-26
BY WILLIAM LIE QUEUX.


precautions to preserve its secrecy. Sure
ly they cannot be already known?"
eve have been tricked by spies
Deedes," he answered sternly. 'Read
this" and he handed me telegram in
the private cipher known only to the
Minister himself. Its transcript was
written beneath, and at a glance L saw it
was from Russian official in the Fol-
eign Office at St. Petersburg, who acted
as our secret agent there and received a
large sum yearly for his services. The
dispatch, which showed that it had been
handed in at Hamburg ut six O'Clock on
the previous evening-an secret messages
being sent in the first instance to that
city, and ACKNOWLEDGMENT as fol-
lows:-
"Greatest excitement caused here by
receipt by telegraph an hour age of YER
batlm copy of secret defensive alliance be-
tween England and Germany. Have.seen
telegram, which was handed in at 369
Strand, London, at 3. 80. just called at
Embassy and informed LORD Strathavon.
Council of Ministers has been sum-
moned.''
cit is amazing" I gasped, when Il had
read the dispatch. 'tHow could our enc
mics have learned the truth?''
Without replying he took from his writ
ing table another message which read
"From Strathaven, ST. Petersb re-. To
the Earl Warnham, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
alliance known here. Hostilities feared.
French ambassador has had audience at
Winter Palace, and telegraphed to Paris
for instructions. Shall wire hourly"
One by one he took up the Geographic
dispatches that, during the night, had
been re-transmitted from the Foreign
Office over the private wire to the instru-
ment that stood upon small table oppo-
site us AS read each of them Gag erly,
r lot ,ixy4 hat md ErQ
were in complete accord, and that we
were on the verge OF q national disaster.
sudden and terrible. With such secrecy
and rapidity were negotiations being car
ried on between Paris and st. Petersburg
that in Berlin, q city always well in
formed in all matters Of diplomacy moth
ing unusual was suspected.
A telegram from our secret agent in the
Russian Foreign Office, received an hour
before my arrival at Warnham, read:-
''The secret is gradually leaking out
The Move sti' has just issued a special
edition limiting at the possibility OF war
with England, and this has caused the
most intense excitement everywhere The
journal, evidently inspired, gives no au-
thority for it's statement nor does it give
any reason for the startling rumor."
I laid down the dispatch in silence, and
as I raised my head the Minister'S keen,
penetrating eyes met mine.
"Well," he exclaimed, in q dry, harsh
tone. "What is your explanation, sir?''
"My explanation?'' / cried in amaze
ment, noticing his determined deineanor.
I know nothing of the affair except the
kilograms you have shown me. :"
upon you alone the responsibility of
this catastrophe rests he said, angrily.
cit is useless to deny all knowledge of 1t
and only aggravate your offence. Be-
cause you come of a diplomatic family l
have trusted you implicitly, but it is evil
dent that my confidence has been utterly
misplaced.
III deny that have ever, for single
instant, betrayed the trust you have
placed in me- replied, hotly. 81 know
nothing of the means by which the
Cars army of spies have obtained
knowledge Of our secret.
He snapped his bony fingers impa-
tiently, saying:
sit is not to be expected that you will
acknowledge yourself a traitor to your
country, sir; therefore we must prove
your guilt.
"You are at liberty, of course, to act
in what manner you please, l answered.
81 tell you frankly, however, that this
terrible charge you bring against me is
as startling as the information that
have just read. l can only say l am en-
tirely innocent"
'.Bah'' he cried, turn ing on his heel
with gesture of disgust. Then, facing
me again, his eyes flashing with anger,
he added: ''1f you are innocent tell me
why you were SO long absent yesterday
when registering the dispatch; tell me
why, when such an important document
was in your possession you did not re-
main in the office instead of being absent
over an hour.
s'I went out to lunoh," said.
n, of 35
eyes. But surely you do not suspect
me Of being spy" cried.
II do not suspect you, sir. have posi-.
tive proof of it. ("
,"Proof /" 1 gasped. "Show it to me "
f'It is here" he answered, his thin
nervous hands turning over the mass of
papers littering his writing table, and
velope. In An instant recognized 1T as
the one containing the treaty.
"This remains exactly as took it from
the safe with my own hands and out it
open.
With trembling fingers drew the docu-
ment from it's envelope and opened it.
The paper was blank!
glanced at him in abject dlsmay, I'M
able to utter aword.
"That is what you handed me on my
return from the Cabinet Council, !" he
said, with knit brows. Now, what ex-
PLANTATION have you to offer?'
-"What can offer?" l cried. 1.-THE en-
velope 1 gave you was the same that you
handed to me. ] could swear to it.
mo. it was not" he replied quickly.
"Glance at the seal. -
Taking it to the light I examined the
seal carefully, but failed to detect any
thing unusual. 1t bore in black wax
the Warnham coat of arms impressed by
the large beautifully cut amethyst that
the Earl wore att .ched to the piece of
rusty silk ribbon that served him as
watch chain.
"a can see nothing wrong with this"
I said, glancing up at him.
81 admit that the imitation is so care
fully executed that it is calculated to
deceive any eye except my own" Then,
putting on his pincenez, he made an i'm
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