The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-08-04

| together could make great alliance,
| is it not SOP
Madame he faltered, doubtfully, eff
one dared hope
/ Once more the fire of her eyes, this
time not only voluptuous. Was the man
stupid, she wondered, or only cautious?
IF that alliance were once concluded"
she said softly, lone might hope for
everything"
IF it rests only with me-" he began,
i seriously, "oh, Madame!"
He seemed overcome. Madame was
gracious, but was he really stupid or
only very much in earnest!
ITO be one of the worlds money
kings" she whispered, st is wonderful
that 1t is power-supreme. absolute
power There is nothing beyond, there
is nothing greater"
Then the Baron, who was watching
her closely, caught another CLEAN in
her eyes, and he began to understand.
He had seen it before among a certain
type of her conference.-the greed
of money. He looked at her jewels and
he remembered that, for an ambassador,
her husband was reputed to be a poor
man. The cloud of misgiving passed
away from him; he settled down to the
game.
IF money could only buy the desire
of ones heart" he murmured. "Alasp
His eyes seemed TO seek out Monsieur
de Lamborne among the moving
throngs. She laughed softly, and her
hand brushed his.
Money and one other thing, Mon
sieur lie Baron" she whispered in his
ear, "can buy the jewels from crown
can buy, even. the heart OF a wom-
A movement of approaching guests
caught them up, and parted them for
a time. The Baroness de Grost was at
home from 10 to I o'clock, and her
rooms were crowded. The Baron found
himself drawn on one side, few min
utes later, by Monsieur de Lamborne
himself.
81 have been looking for you, de
Grost," the latter declored. Where can
we talk for moment
His host took the AMBASSADOR by the
arm and led him into retired corner.
Monsieur de Lamborne was a tall, slight
man, some what cadaverous looking,
with large features, hollow eyes, thin,
but carefully arranged gray hair, and
a pointed gray beard. He wore a frilled
shirt, and an eyeglass suspended by a
broad black ribbon hun down upon his
chest His face, as rule, was imper-
turbable enough, but he had the air,
just now, of a man greatly disturbed.
I'VE canot be overheard here, de
Grost remarked. at must be an affair
of few words only, though"
Monsieur de Lamborne wasted no
time in prelininaries. -.
This afternoon" he said, Il received
from my government papers OF immense
importance, which | am to hand over
to your foreign minister at II o'clock
tomorrow morning"
The Baron nodded
"Well?"
De Lamborne's thin fingers treribled
as they played nervously with the rib
bon of his eyeglass.
Listen" he continued, dropping his
voice a little. "Bernadine has under
taken to send a copy of their contents
to Berlin by tomorrow nights mail
How do you know that?"
The ambassador hesIrated.
I'VE, too, have spies at work, he
remarked, grinlly. 'Bernadine wrote
and sent a messenger with the letter to
Berlin. The mans body is drifting down
the Channel, but the letter is in my
pocket"
The letter from Bernadine?"
Eyes"
what does it say?"
Simply that verbatim copy of the
document in question will be dispatched
to Berlin tomorrow evening, without
fail"
There are no secrets between us"
de Grost declared, smoothly. What is
the special Importance OF this docu-
ment?"
De Lamborne shrugged his shoulders
Since you ask" he said, Il tell you.
You know of the slight GOODNESS which
there has been between our respective
governments. Our people have felt that
the policy of your ministers is expend-
ing all their energies and resources in
the building of great feet to the utter
neglect of your army is wholly one
sided arrangement, so far as We are
concerned. In the event of simulta-
neous attack by Germany upon France
and England, you would be utterly
powerless to render us any measure of
assistance. If Germany should attack
England alone, it is the wish of your
government that we should be pledged
to occupy Alsace-Lorraine. You, on
the other hand, could do nothing for us,
if Germanys first move were made
against France"
The Baron was deeply interested, al
though the matter was no new one to
him.
60 on" he directed. 81 am waiting |
for you to tell me the specific contents |
of this document"
"The English government has asked
US two questions: First how many
complete army corps we consider she
ought to place at our disposal in this |
eventuality, and, secondly, at what point
should we expect them to be concen-
trated. The dispatch which l received
tonight contains the reply to these
questions"
Which Bernadine has promised to !
forward to Berlin tomorrow night,
the Baron remarked, softly.
De Lamborne nodded.