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Her Majesty's conception of her country's welfare is, I venture to think, an erroneous one, although I imagine her desire is only to help forward a policy which she believes is near to your heart." "Enough, Lord Cloverton, let us get to the root of the matter quickly. Our absence will be remarked and occasion comment."
"By doing so he may have unconsciously served the State," Lord Cloverton continued, "and perhaps of course, monsieur, one has to guess rather wildly sometimes perhaps balked the intentions of those Russian troops which, for no apparent reason, have been gathering on the frontier." Then De Froilette laughed.
"Lord Cloverton has suggested that you have despatched this Captain Ellerey upon some secret mission to the enemies of our country, seeking to do us a service, but in truth jeopardizing our policy of peace, perchance our throne. In substance, my lord, that is your accusation, I think?" "That is so," returned the Ambassador. "To what enemies?" asked the Queen, after a pause.
As Lord Cloverton went quickly away, a man who had been sitting at a small table in a cafe opposite, who had sipped two glasses of absinthe and smoked innumerable cigarettes, rose hastily and crossed the street. His dress was travel-stained, and he had evidently ridden through dirty weather, for his boots were thickly cased with mud.
Countess Mavrodin came down the stairs as Lord Cloverton drove away. "I thank you," she said. "I have a habit of remembering favors." "I shall remember that you have said so," Ellerey answered. "Indeed, I can even now ask one. Only this afternoon Lord Cloverton was pleased to tell me that he looked upon me as an enemy. Should you discover anything which might affect me, will you tell me?"
"I had begun to think you had forgotten your promise," said Lord Cloverton, "News of Captain Ellerey would be very useful to to the Government of this country. You had a servant watching him, I think." There was something resembling the Queen's tone in the Ambassador's a want of appreciation of his position and importance. "That is so," replied De Froilette quietly.
None knew better the value of deliberate caution, and with Lord Cloverton fully alive to the danger, there might be many obstacles to face which had not entered into his calculations. So Ellerey sat there waiting, while the candle burnt lower, casting, as the room darkened, a sharper outline of his figure upon the wall. "Time, surely, now!" he exclaimed at last, starting to his feet. "Landlord."
No one had seen Captain Ellerey; indeed, few people appeared to know him, or to have heard of him. This Lord Cloverton did not believe. He thought he recognized Frina Mavrodin's influence at work in such ignorance. It was on the following day that Monsieur De Froilette called at the Embassy, and was shown into Lord Cloverton's room.
"Lord Cloverton only seeks to delay that message," said the Queen. "Send it. Some of your enemies are dead, but these two escape." "And must be allowed to escape," said the Ambassador. "Do you threaten, my Lord?" said the King. "I ask the Queen to support me with regard to these fugitives." "And I refuse," she answered. "Send the message."
"I have a way and you shall help me, Dumitru, when the time comes. That Lord Cloverton has visited him shows that some new pressure is to be brought to bear upon him. We shall see how he stands in this, whether firm or not, and may learn how to act ourselves." "He is ready to act when the token is given him," said Dumitru. "He has a few desperate men who are pledged to his service."
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