"I don't want to talk about it," I said, disgusted.
"--Because," continued Speed, "if you've got him, it may save us.
Have you?"
How I wished that I had Buckhurst safely handcuffed beside me!
"If you've got him," persisted Speed, "we'll shake him like a rat
until he squeals. And if he names Mornac--"
"Do you think that Mornac would give him or us the chance?" I said.
"Rubbish! He'd do the shaking _in camera_; and it would only be a
hand-shaking if Buckhurst is really his creature. And he's rid himself
of our division, anyhow. Wait!" I added, sharply; "perhaps that is
the excuse! Perhaps that is the very reason that he's abolished the
foreign division! We may have been getting too close to the root of
this matter; I had already caught Buckhurst--"
"You had?" cried Speed, eagerly.
"But I'm not going to talk about it now," I added, sullenly. "My
troubles are coming; I've a story to tell that won't please Mornac,
and I have an idea that he means mischief to me."
Speed looked curiously at me, and I went on:
"I used my own judgment--supposing that Jarras was my chief. I knew
he'd let me take my own way--but I don't know what Mornac will say."
However, I was soon to know what Mornac had to say, for a soldier
appeared to summon us both, and we followed to the temporary bureau
which looked out to the east over the lovely Luxembourg gardens.
Jarras passed us as we entered; his heavy head was bent, and I do not
suppose that he saw either us or our salutes, for he shuffled off down
the dark passage, tapping his slow way like a blind man; and Speed and
I entered, saluting Mornac.
The personage whom we saluted was a symmetrical, highly colored
gentleman, with black mustache and Oriental eyes. His skin was too
smooth--there was not a line or a wrinkle visible on hand or face,
nothing but plump flesh pressing the golden collar of his light-blue
tunic and the half-dozen gold rings on his carefully kept, restless
fingers. His light, curved sabre hung by its silver chain from a nail
on a wall behind him; beside it, suspended by the neck cord, was his
astrakhan-trimmed dolman of palest turquoise-blue, and over that hung
his scarlet cap.
As he raised his heavy-lidded, insolent eyes to me, I thought I had
never before appreciated the utter falseness of his visage as I did at
that moment. Instantly I decided that he meant evil to me; and I
instinctively glanced at Speed, standing beside me at attention, his
clear blue eyes alert, his lank limbs and lean head fairly tremulous
with comprehension.
At a careless nod from Mornac I muttered the formal "I have to
report, sir--" and began mumbling a perfunctory account of my
movements since leaving Paris. He listened, idly contemplating a
silver penknife which he alternately snapped open and closed, the
click of the spring punctuating my remarks.
I told the truth as far as I went, which brought me to my capture by
Uhlans and the natural escape of my prisoner, Buckhurst. I merely
added that I had secured the diamonds and had managed to reach Paris
via Strasbourg.
"Is that all?" inquired Mornac, listlessly.
"All I have to report, sir."
"Permit me to be the judge of how much you have to report," said
Mornac. "Continue."