‘I am deeply honoured by this fresh proof of his Majesty’s
confidence.’
The Colonel regarded me for a moment with some curiosity.
‘You are a sort of spy, are you not?’ he inquired.
I refused to take offence at this blunt question, so natural on the
part of a soldier.
‘Each of us has his own part to play,’ I explained suavely. ‘The
soldier fights with the enemy in the open field; the man of my
profession has to encounter the foes who burrow underground.’
Colonel ---- appeared satisfied.
‘The Kaiser trusts you; that is enough for me,’ he declared. ‘You
will not dare to betray this confidence?’
This time I rose to my feet, stern and contemptuous.
‘You have not come here to insult me, I suppose, Colonel? If you are
the bearer of instructions from the Kaiser, be good enough to deliver
them without comment; if not, I will attend to my other business.’
The German’s face betrayed his astonishment at this rebuke. He
hastened to mutter an apology, which I received in silence.
‘His Majesty wishes you to investigate this _Affaire Dreyfus_, on his
behalf. There is some secret motive for the notoriety which they are
conferring on this unlucky spy’--the Colonel gave me an apprehensive
glance as he pronounced this word--‘and the Kaiser is determined
to find out what it is. It appears that we are being made a sort
of stalking-horse in the business; it is pretended that Dreyfus
was an agent of ours, which is utterly untrue.’ The German smiled
sardonically as he added: ‘Our information is supplied to us from
higher sources than a simple captain of artillery, and we can get as
much as we choose to pay for.’
‘Is it not likely that Dreyfus may be the scapegoat of
others--perhaps those higher sources to which you refer?’
The Colonel shook his head.
‘That does not explain the persistence with which they are trying to
connect the affair with Germany. I have information that the heads of
the French Army are representing that France is in actual danger. The
bitterness with which Dreyfus is assailed is due, they pretend, to a
sense of the national peril.’
‘And all that is quite untrue, I understand?’
‘So untrue that I have reason to know that Wilhelm II. has a
particular desire to conciliate the French----’ The Colonel stopped
abruptly as if he had been on the point of saying too much.
‘Very good. Then I am to find out for his Majesty as much as I can
about this affair, and particularly why it is sought to represent
Dreyfus as an agent of Germany?’
Colonel ---- nodded.
It was not an easy task to set me; nevertheless, I had some hope of
success. It so happened that I had formerly had transactions of a
confidential nature with General Garnier, one of the foremost, if
not the foremost, figure among the persecutors of Dreyfus. I had
the right to approach this General as a friend, and I had reasons
for believing that he might be willing to open his mouth for a
sufficient consideration.
Shortly after Colonel ----’s departure, therefore, I strolled round
to the General’s private residence, off the Avenue Clichy. Garnier
was not at home, but I left a message with the concierge that the
dealer in old coins, who had formerly sold him some Roman specimens,
had just obtained others which he was anxious to submit for
inspection.
As I anticipated, this message had the desired result of bringing
General Garnier to see me the same night. He came, not to my public
bureau, but to a little apartment in the Quartier Latin which I rent
for the purpose of interviews with clients who do not wish their
acquaintance with me to be known.
It was evident that my summons had annoyed, perhaps frightened, him.
‘Now, Monsieur V----, what does this mean?’ he blustered, as I closed
the door behind him.
‘It means, Monsieur le Général, that I have a question to ask you,
but that I do not expect you to answer it for nothing.’
Garnier was visibly relieved to discover that I had not sent for him
to extort blackmail. But his reply was not encouraging.
‘I fear that you have given yourself trouble uselessly. It is not my
intention to sell any information of a kind which cannot be given
openly.’
I knew the man I was dealing with too well to take this answer as
final.
‘Without doubt you are right to remind me that a man like yourself
ought to be approached with a great deal of circumspection,’ I
returned, with a mixture of politeness and irony.
Garnier’s face flushed.
‘I mean what I have said,’ he affirmed. ‘You must not suppose that
you are dealing to-day with Colonel Garnier. In my position one
has responsibilities to which there attaches itself a sentiment of
honour, you understand, M. V----?’
My experience has not taught me that men become more scrupulous by
being promoted from the rank of Colonel to that of General, but only
that they become more greedy. I replied--
‘I understand of course that one does not buy old coins at the same
price from a general officer as from a field officer.’
Garnier’s face assumed a look of indecision.
‘For whom are you acting, this time?’ he demanded.
‘General, if any one had asked me formerly from where I had procured
my Roman coins, what do you suppose my answer would have been?’
Garnier tugged thoughtfully at his moustache, as he frowned over a
refusal which was, at the same time, a proof that he could trust me.
[Illustration: “‘As to that--impossible!’ he exclaimed with vigour.
‘That is our secret--ours, you understand.’”]
‘Suppose you explain to me what information you are in search of?’ he
said, throwing himself into a chair.