Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1907-12-07


the garden below"
Where found It." interrupted
Locke Here It is. and please OBJ
serve that the seals are unbroken."
frankly, Forbes" said. Il
thought you rather an idiot 20 give me
an important dispatch that night You
must have seen that / was more OF
less in StarVa's power. and that he
was likely to gain possession Of the
papers"
Had that dispatch fallen into his
hands replied Forbes. 1T is quite
possible that Ferdinand would have
besa saved his bad half hour. DO YOU
remember 1 told you, my pseudo am
oassaoor land you acted the part re-
narEably well. let nue. tell you). that
/ carried two dispatches for Sir Nor
timer. and that / gave you the one
OF lesser Importance"
Yes. And the second dispatch
Was it stolen from you by Starva
when he trapped you I'm the tower?'
Forbes nodded. i took the liberty
Of taking it from him just now"
And may humble American con
SUI ask" drawled Locke how to-
nights episode would have been
aVerteo had the dispatch you gave
hAddOn fallen into Starva's hands. In
stead OF into the fountain?"
Ny chief at Downing street would
retire me. and with no pension. II he
knew that I were going to divulge
state secrets. However. I am going
70 tell you
This dispatch you have returned
70 me, 1 happen 20 know. authorized
Sir Mortimer Brett to meet ia confer
enee the men who SO very nearly
snuHea out Ferdinand's life an hour
aEo. am referring now % the dis
patch which I gave you at Vitznau.
haddon He was TO assure these rep
reseRtstives Of the various states that
England realized that a harmonious
collaboration could alone permanent
~ Sllsy the present discomfort in the
Peninsula Had Starva seen this dis
patch it is not likely that he would
have had recourse TO violence"
DO you mean 20 tell me" ex-
claimed Locke. incredulously. that
your ministers OF the foreign Office
cherish so Utopian q scheme? Are
the various kings 90 abdicate because
England nods?"
Il am telling you nothing Of the
sort" chuckled Forbes "You Amer
leans are infants when II comes IN
the intricacies OF diplomacy. Secret
agents and spies az Sofia had warned
the government OF the intended upris-
Ing. Il was necessary that ENGLAND
should know more OF the conspira-
tors. Therefore. Sir Mortimer was in.
structed to profess a sympathy for
the cause which. OF course. was not
sincere. This dispatch Sir Mortimer
or myself were 20 allow TO be stolen
II necessary. Its contents were ex-
plsiRed 20 me before I left London
that l might repeat verbally the mes.
sage should the dispatch not reach
him"
Since you have already BETRAYED
your governments confidence" said
Locke. jooElarly. tell us the purport
% the second dispatch"
I will read IL to you since the
seals arc broken" agreed Forbes after
q moments hesitation.
TIE His EKcellency. etc-sir. The
same messenger who gives you this
dispatch viii deliver you another
which authorizes you to treat with
the committee OF the various states
or the Balkans. who have for their
AHA confederation OF these states
feu will use the aforementioned dis
patch az your discretion. Il is need
less 20 say that neither this ministry
ASr the other powers can for an in
slant sanction a scheme so limos
siole. But IL has come to our knowl-
edEe that q dangerous conspiracy ex-
lists TO overthrow the rulers OF the Va
nous states. To check this conspir-
aey It may be well for you to tempo
riEe. II you think Il expedient. per
nit the dispatch mentioned 10 fan
into the banda OF this committee.
Capt Forbes will follow the same
course II necessary. He has fun in
structions 70 exercise his discretion
In this matter.
1T Is not without surprise that the
ministry has learned OF your promise
TO Ferdinand regarding England's sun
port OF his project. namely. the
e-ACoNOACa lnNASlOu OF Macedonia
Fortunately. the ministry is con-
WINGED that some such move as you
sanction lie expedient to free Mace
donia from the atrocities OF Turkish
misrule that have shocked Europe so
long. His majesty's ministry there
fore lie inclined to overlook in this
instance any undue bias you have
shown IA espousing Macedonia's
cause.
IF you are convinced that the fnan-
cier OF New York city whom you have
named is sincere in his offer to give
Prince Ferdinand financial support,
you are authorized to tell him that
bis majesty's ministers are heartily
In favor OF Prince Ferdlnand's inVa-
sion, anG viii exert every influence TO
insure him unrestricted action More
over. the foreign Office is in full &C
cord with your views as 20 the sum
OF money Indispensable to Ferdinand's
project.
But while his majesty's govern
msnt agrees with you that lofty prin-
eiples actuate Bulgaria, IL realizes