THE HOUSE IN THE RUE BARBETTE
Brett was called at ten o'clock. After reinvigorating himself with a
bath and a hearty breakfast, he was ready to meet Captain Gaultier, who
arrived promptly at 11.30.
In the spacious foyer of the Grand Hotel it was impossible to say who
might be looking at them.
"Come to my room," said Brett. "There we will be able to talk without
interruption."
Once comfortably seated, Brett resumed the conversation where he had
broken it off in the train overnight.
"You say you know Hussein-ul-Mulk," he commenced.
"Yes," replied the King's messenger, "and what is more, I have
discovered his residence since we parted. It seems that one of the
attachés at the Embassy met him recently and thought it advisable to
keep in touch with the Young Turkish party, of which Hussein-ul-Mulk is
a shining light. So he asked him where he lived, and as the result I
have jotted down the address in my note-book." Gaultier searched through
his memoranda, and speedily found what he wanted.
"Wait a minute," interrupted Brett. "Does it happen to be No. 11, Rue
Barbette?"
The barrister had more than once surprised his companion during the
previous night, but this time Gaultier seemed to be more annoyed than
startled.
"If you know all these things," he said stiffly, "I don't see why you
should bother me to get you the information. I certainly gathered from
your remarks that the only acquaintance you had with Hussein-ul-Mulk was
obtained from the newspapers, and that individual himself has the best
of reasons for not publishing his address broadcast."
Brett smiled.
"You mean," he said, "that Hussein-ul-Mulk does live at No. 11, Rue
Barbette."
"Why, of course he does," was the irritable answer.
"That is very odd," said the barrister. "It was a mere guess on my part,
I assure you."
His assurance evidently did not weigh much with Captain Gaultier, who
replaced the note-book in his pocket, and obviously cast about in his
mind for a convenient excuse to take his departure.
Brett knew exactly what was troubling him.
"I am quite in earnest," he said, "in telling you that I simply hazarded
a guess at the address. To prove that this is so, I must place you in
possession of certain incidents which took place after we parted at the
Gare du Nord."
Rapidly but succinctly he told the amazed King's messenger of the chase
in the cab across Paris, and how he (Brett) had followed the Frenchman
who was tracking Gaultier's movements so closely.
"You will understand," he concluded, "that, in view of my preconceived
theory, it was not a very far-fetched assumption to connect
Hussein-ul-Mulk with the house in the Rue Barbette into which your spy
vanished."
"Well," gasped his astonished hearer, "I must say, Mr. Brett, that I owe
you an apology. I really thought at first you were fooling me, whereas
now I learn that you simply kept your eyes open much wider than other
people, perhaps. Nevertheless, you have given me a genuine explanation
of circumstances that were otherwise puzzling. For, do you know, I heard
about that chap calling at the Embassy last night. The incident was
unusual, to say the least, but I paid little attention to it, and
certainly failed altogether to connect it with your visit to Paris. Even
yet I do not see what reason anyone can have for shadowing my
movements."
"I regard it as mere chance. I imagine that our fellow-passenger in the
train caught the name of Hussein-ul-Mulk in our conversation, and this
decided him to shadow your movements, by means of the confederate who
awaited his arrival at the station. As it happened, they simply hit upon
the wrong person. It might have paid them much better to follow me. The
outcome of the blunder is that I am in a fair way towards ascertaining
all I want to know about them, whereas, up to the present, they do not
even suspect my existence as an active agent in the affair."
"Well, now, in what way can I help you regarding Hussein-ul-Mulk?"
"Can you introduce me to him?"
"In what capacity?"
Brett reflected for a moment before replying.
"It would best suit my purpose if I met him as a political sympathiser."
Gaultier evidently did not like the idea. Foreign Office messengers do
not care to be associated with politics in any shape or form.
"Is there no other way?" he asked dubiously.
"Plenty," said Brett. "I might pose as a friend of yours interested in
Turkish carpets, or coffee, or cigarettes, but for the purpose of my
inquiry it would be well to jump preliminaries at once and make this
chance acquaintance under the guise of a wire-puller."
"All right," said Gaultier. "I don't see that it matters much to me, and
the letter you have in your possession from the Under-Secretary is
sufficient warrant for me to give you any assistance that lies in my
power."
He glanced at his watch. "It is just about time for _déjeûner_," he
continued. "What do you say if we drive to the Rue Barbette at once?"
The barrister assented, and they were soon crossing Paris with the
superb disregard for other people's feelings that characterises the
local cab-driver.
"By the way," inquired Gaultier, "have you learned anything else since
your arrival?"
"Only this--it was not our friend Talbot who came here on Tuesday with a
lady."
"You are sure?"
"Positive. I have compared the handwriting in the hotel register with a
letter undoubtedly written by Mr. Talbot, and the two do not agree. The
entry 'Mr. and Mrs. Talbot, London,' in the visitors' book of the Grand
Hotel, was a mere trick intended to amuse the police for a few hours
until the conspirators had perfected their scheme for final and complete
disappearance."
"It was a bold move."
"Very. Quite in keeping with the rest of the details of an uncommon
crime."
At last the _fiacre_ stopped in front of the house in the Rue Barbette
which Brett had already scrutinized during the early hours of the
morning.
"Here we are," said Gaultier with a laugh. "If we find Hussein-ul-Mulk
at home I don't know what the deuce we are going to say to him. Remember
that I depend on you to carry out a difficult situation, because my
Turkish friend will become suspicious the minute he finds me dabbling in
intrigue. He knows full well that such matters are quite outside of my
usual business."
"I think I will be able to interest him," said Brett calmly; and without
further preliminary Gaultier ascertained from the _concierge_ that the
Turkish gentleman was within.
The two men ascended to the second storey.
Gaultier rapped loudly on the first door he encountered, and the summons
appeared to scatter some of the inhabitants, judging by the rapid
opening and closing of doors that preceded the appearance of an elderly
and solemn-looking Turk, who cautiously demanded their business.
Gaultier sent in his card, and the servitor locked the door in the faces
of the two men while he went to ascertain his master's orders.
"They evidently do not mean to take many risks," said the King's
messenger in a low voice.
"You are right," replied Brett, "though they appear to take the greatest
one of all without giving it a thought."
"And what is that?"
"This exhibition of nervousness and precaution before visitors are
admitted. The best way to excite suspicion is to behave exactly as they
are doing."
But now the door was reopened, and the elderly Turk ushered them into a
spacious room on the right of the entrance hall, where they were
received by a young man--a tall, dignified Mohammedan, who rose hastily
from a chair, having apparently abandoned the perusal of a newspaper.
"Ah! mon brave Gaultier," he cried, "I am so pleased to see you. I did
not know you were in Paris. I have been spending an idle moment over
smoke and scandal." He spoke excellent French, and appeared to be quite
at his ease, but Brett noticed that Hussein-ul-Mulk held the discarded
newspaper upside down. He was smoking a cigarette, lighted the instant
before their appearance, and notwithstanding his Oriental phlegm he
seemed to be labouring under intense excitement.
Nevertheless, Hussein-ul-Mulk could control his nerves.
"Have you had _déjeûner_, or have you time to join me in a cigarette?"
he went on.
"We will be delighted," said Gaultier, taking the proffered case. "The
fact is, I only heard of your presence in Paris by accident, and I
mentioned the fact to my friend here, who has interested himself in the
Armenian cause in London. He at once expressed a keen desire to make
your acquaintance, so I ventured to bring him here and introduce him to
you. This is Mr. Reginald Brett, an English barrister, and one who
keenly sympathizes with the reform movement in Turkey."
"I am delighted to know you, Mr. Brett," said the suave Oriental. "It is
naturally a great pleasure to me to make the acquaintance of any
influential Englishman who has given sufficient thought to Eastern
affairs to understand the way in which my country suffers under a
barbarous and unenlightened rule."
He spoke with the glibness of a born agitator, yet all the while he was
inwardly wondering what could be the true motive of the visit paid him
by this distinguished-looking stranger, and Brett was silently resolving
to startle Hussein-ul-Mulk out of his complacency at the earliest
possible moment.
"It is an even greater pleasure to me," he said, "to find myself talking
to a reformer so distinguished as you. Your name is well known in
England. Indeed, in some quarters, it has come to be feared, which in
this world is one of the signs of success."
Hussein-ul-Mulk was puzzled, but he remained outwardly unperturbed.
"I was not aware," he purred, "that my poor services to my country were
so appreciated by my English friends."
"Ah," said Brett, with a smile that conveyed much, "a man like you
cannot long remain hidden. I have good reason to know that at the
present moment your achievements are earnestly attracting the attention
of the Foreign Office."
Hussein-ul-Mulk became even more puzzled. Indeed, he exhibited some
slight tokens of alarm lest Brett's vehement admiration should reach the
ears of others in the adjoining room.
"Really," he said, "you flatter me. Will you not try these cigarettes?
They are the best; they are made from tobacco grown especially for the
Sultan's household, and it is death to export them. I understand that
the cigarette habit has grown very much of recent years in England?"
"Yes," said Brett, "it certainly has developed with amazing rapidity. In
trade, as in politics, this is an astounding age."
Gaultier knew that there was more behind the apparent exchange of
compliments than appeared on the surface. Having fulfilled his pledge to
Brett, he said hurriedly, "Both of you gentlemen will understand that I
cannot very well take part in a political discussion. With your
permission, Hussein, I will now leave my friend with you for a
half-hour's chat, as I have an appointment at the Café Riche."
Although Hussein was profoundly disconcerted by Brett's manner no less
than his utterances, he could not well refuse to accord him a further
audience, so Gaultier quitted the apartment and the Englishman and the
Mussulman were left face to face.
Brett felt that the situation demanded a bold game. Under some
circumstances he knew that to throw away the scabbard and dash with
naked sword into the fray was the right policy.
"I came to see you, Hussein-ul-Mulk," he said, speaking deliberately,
"not only because I have an interest in the progressive policy voiced by
the young Turkish party, but on account of matters of personal interest
to you, and to friends of mine in England."
The Turk bowed silent recognition of the barrister's motives.
"You are aware," said Brett, "that a large number of valuable diamonds
were stolen from the special Envoy of his Majesty the Sultan, in London,
last Tuesday night, and that the theft was accompanied by the murder of
four of the Sultan's subjects and the abduction of a prominent official
in the British Foreign Office?"
It is difficult for an olive-skinned man to turn pale, but
Hussein-ul-Mulk did the next most effective thing for one of his race.
His face assumed a dirty green shade, and his full red lips whitened.
For some few seconds he strove hard to regain his composure and frame a
reply, but Brett, nonchalantly puffing a cloud of smoke into the
intervening space, and thus helping his hearer to control his emotions,
went on--
"Pray do not trouble to deny your knowledge of the fact. It is far
better for men of the world like you and me to discard subterfuge when
engaged in grave and difficult negotiations. I do not purpose wasting
time by describing to you the details of a crime with which you are
thoroughly acquainted. Let me say, in a sentence, that my chief, perhaps
my only, motive in coming here to-day is to secure the release of my
friend Mr. Talbot from the place where he is at present confined, and at
the same time to obtain from you a statement which will satisfactorily
clear Mr. Talbot in the eyes of his superiors of all personal complicity
in the Albert Gate incident."
Again there was a breathless silence.
Hussein-ul-Mulk had regained his nerve. He was now considering how best
he could dispose of this Englishman who knew so much. To purchase his
silence was too hopeless. He must die as speedily and unostentatiously
as possible. So he answered not, but thought hard as to ways and means.
Brett, in imminent danger of his life, disregarded all semblance of
danger. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes in complete
enjoyment of Hussein's cigarettes, which were really excellent, and
said, in the even, matter-of-fact tones of one who discusses an abstract
problem--
"Of course, my dear friend, you are thinking that the best answer you
can give me is to strangle me or to shoot me, or adopt some other
drastic remedy which finds favour in Constantinople. But let me point
out to you that this will be a serious error of judgment. I have not
come here without safeguarding my movements. You are aware that Captain
Gaultier, a trusted Foreign Office messenger, brought me here in person.
Some members of the British Government, and several important officials
of Scotland Yard know that I am in your house and discussing this matter
with you. If any accident interferes with my future movements, you will
simply precipitate a crisis quite lamentable in its results to yourself,
to your association, and to your cause. You will see, therefore,
Hussein, that to kill me cannot really be thought of. A man of your
penetration and undoubted sagacity must surely admit this at once, and
we can then proceed to discuss matters in a friendly and pleasant
manner."
At last Hussein found his tongue. "I have never met you before, Mr.
Brett," he said, "but you interest me."
Brett smiled and bowed in acknowledgment of the compliment.
"Of course, I admit nothing," went on the Mohammedan.
"Of course."
"Least of all do I admit that I contemplated any breach of hospitality
towards yourself."
Brett waved his hand in deprecation of such a pernicious thought.
"But you will understand," went on Hussein-ul-Mulk, "that it is quite
impossible for me to even attempt to discuss the very interesting facts
you have brought to my notice without some inquiry on my part, and on
yours some proof that the events concerning which you have informed me
have really happened. You see, one cannot trust newspapers. They get
such garbled accounts of occurrences, particularly of State affairs;
they are misleading----"
"Excuse me, I am sure you will admit that although I dispensed with
details in my brief statement, the facts were undeniable. I can tell you
exactly how and why Mehemet Ali and his two secretaries, together with
Hussein, his confidential servant, were murdered. But the circumstances
were revolting, and need not be unduly discussed between gentlemen. I
can tell you how the diamonds were obtained from the Albert Gate
mansion, and how they were conveyed to Paris. But as they are probably
in your possession, and the main object of your enterprise has thus been
accomplished, it seems to me that all these otherwise dramatic effects
are needless. I have told you exactly the object of my visit, and I
still await an answer."
Hussein-ul-Mulk laughed a trifle uneasily.
"On my part, monsieur, I might attempt to question the extent of your
knowledge, but as you are mistaken in one part of your summing-up of
evidence, you may be wrong in others."
"To what do you allude?"
The Mohammedan reflected for a moment, and then answered--
"I can see no harm in telling you that I am not aware of any diamonds in
which I am personally interested having arrived in Paris."
"Indeed!" said Brett, leaning forward in his chair, and instantly
dropping the listless air which had hitherto characterized his
utterances. "That is a very curious thing, because the diamonds have
been in Paris at least two days, and if they are withheld from the
possession of those who employed certain agents to secure them, there
must be a powerful reason to account for the delay. Speaking quite
disinterestedly, monsieur, I would advise you to inquire into the matter
at once."
His words evidently perturbed the Turk.
"Will you object," he said, "if I leave you alone a few minutes? I wish
to consult with a friend of mine who happens to be staying here."
"Assuredly," said Brett; "but let me beg you to leave your cigarettes
behind. They are exquisite."
Hussein-ul-Mulk had never before encountered such a personality as
Reginald Brett. His eyebrows became perfectly oval with surprise and
admiration for the man who could thus juggle with a dangerous situation.
"Here is my case," he said, "and when we have concluded this most
interesting conversation I hope you will leave me your address, so that
I may have the extreme pleasure of sending you a few hundreds."
Then he quitted the room. He was absent fully five minutes.
On his return he said--
"In the opinion of my friend, Mr. Brett, it is impossible for us to do
anything at the present moment. We must inquire; we must verify; we must
consult others. You will see that the negotiations you have undertaken
require on our part some display of the extreme delicacy and tact in
which you have given us so admirable a lesson. Suppose, now, we agree to
meet here again to-morrow at the same hour. Am I to understand that what
has transpired this morning remains, we will not say a secret, but a
myth, a mere idle phantasy as between you and me?"
"That is precisely my idea," said Brett. "One hates to mention such a
brutal word as 'police' in an affair demanding finesse. Personally I
hate the blunderers. They rob life of its charm. They have absolutely no
conception of art. Romance with them can end only in penal servitude or
on the gallows. Believe me, Hussein, I am very discreet." In another
minute he was standing in the street, and inhaling generous draughts of
the keen air of Paris.
"I wonder how much my life was worth during the first five minutes?"
said he to himself; and then he made his way to a telegraph office,
whence he despatched the following message--
"TO THE EARL OF FAIRHOLME,
"STANHOPE GATE, LONDON.
"Have received definite intelligence which confirms my views. Expect
our friend will be discovered within forty-eight hours. If possible,
join me at Grand Hotel, Paris, to-night, eleven o'clock.
"BRETT."