下载辰思小说免费APP
Shehadwonbackhercomposure，andIturnedonmylighttolookather。Shewasinnurses\'outdooruniform，andIthoughthereyesseemedtired。Thepricelessgiftthathadsuddenlycometomehaddrivenoutallrecollectionofmyownerrand。IthoughtofIveryonlyasawould-beloverofMary，andforgotthemanufacturerfromLillewhohadrentedhishouseforthepartridge-shooting。
\'Andyou，Dick，\'sheasked；\'isitpartofageneral\'sdutiestopayvisitsatnighttoemptyhouses？\'
\'IcametolookfortracesofM。Bommaerts。I，too，gotonhistrackfromanotherangle，butthatstorymustwait。\'
\'Youobservethathehasbeenheretoday？\'
Shepointedtosomecigaretteashspilledonthetableedge，andaspaceonitssurfaceclearedfromdust。\'Inaplacelikethisthedustwouldsettleagaininafewhours，andthatisquiteclean。Ishouldsayhehasbeenherejustafterluncheon。\'
\'GreatScott！\'Icried，\'whatacloseshave！I\'minthemoodatthismomenttoshoothimatsight。YousayyousawhiminParisandknewhislair。Surelyyouhadagoodenoughcasetohavehimcollared。\'
Sheshookherhead。\'MrBlenkiron-he\'sinParistoo-wouldn\'thearofit。Hehasn\'tjustfiguredthethingoutyet，hesays。We\'veidentifiedoneofyournames，butwe\'restillindoubtaboutChelius。\'
\'Ah，Chelius！Yes，Isee。Wemustgetthewholebusinesscompletebeforewestrike。HasoldBlenkironhadanyluck？\'
\'Yourguessaboutthe“Deep-breathing“advertisementwasveryclever，Dick。Itwastrue，anditmaygiveusChelius。ImustleaveMrBlenkirontotellyouhow。Butthetroubleisthis。WeknowsomethingofthedoingsofsomeonewhomaybeChelius，butwecan\'tlinkthemwithIvery。WeknowthatIveryisBommaerts，andourhopeistolinkBommaertswithChelius。That\'swhyIcamehere。Iwastryingtoburglethisescritoireinanamateurway。It\'sabadpieceoffakeEmpireanddeservessmashing。\'
IcouldseethatMarywaseagertogetmymindbacktobusiness，andwithsomedifficultyIclambereddownfromtheexultantheights。Theintoxicationofthethingwasonme-thewinternight，thecircleoflightinthatdrearyroom，thesuddencomingtogetheroftwosoulsfromtheendsoftheearth，therealizationofmywildesthopes，thegildingandglorifyingofallthefuture。Butshehadalwaystwiceasmuchwisdomasme，andwewereinthemidstofacampaignwhichhadnouseforday-dreaming。Iturnedmyattentiontothedesk。
Itwasaflattablewithdrawers，andatthebackahalf-circleofmoredrawerswithacentralcupboard。Itilteditupandmostofthedrawersslidout，emptyofanythingbutdust。Iforcedtwoopenwithmyknifeandtheyheldemptycigarboxes。Onlythecupboardremained，andthatappearedtobelocked。Iwedgedakeyfrommypocketintoitskeyhole，butthethingwouldnotbudge。
\'It\'snogood，\'Isaid。\'Hewouldn\'tleaveanythinghevaluedinaplacelikethis。Thatsortoffellowdoesn\'ttakerisks。IfhewantedtohidesomethingthereareahundredholesinthisChateauwhichwouldpuzzlethebestdetective。\'
\'Can\'tyouopenit？\'sheasked。\'I\'veafancyaboutthattable。Hewassittingherethisafternoonandhemaybecomingback。\'
Isolvedtheproblembyturninguptheescritoireandputtingmykneethroughthecupboarddoor。Outofittumbledalittledark-
greenattachecase。
\'Thisisgettingsolemn，\'saidMary。\'Isitlocked？\'
Itwas，butItookmyknifeandcutthelockoutandspilledthecontentsonthetable。Thereweresomepapers，anewspaperortwo，andasmallbagtiedwithblackcord。ThelastIopened，whileMarylookedovermyshoulder。Itcontainedafineyellowishpowder。
\'Standback，\'Isaidharshly。\'ForGod\'ssake，standbackanddon\'tbreathe。\'
WithtremblinghandsItiedupthebagagain，rolleditinanewspaper，andstuffeditintomypocket。ForIrememberedadaynearPeronnewhenaBocheplanehadcomeoverinthenightandhaddroppedlittlebagslikethis。Happilytheywereallcollected，andthemenwhofoundthemwerewiseandtookthemofftothenearestlaboratory。Theyprovedtobefullofanthraxgerms……
IrememberedhowEaucourtSainte-Annestoodatthejunctionofadozenroadswherealldaylongtroopspassedtoandfromthelines。Fromsuchavantagegroundanenemycouldwreckthehealthofanarmy……
IrememberedthewomanIhadseeninthecourtyardofthishouseinthefoggydusk，andIknewnowwhyshehadwornagas-mask。
Thisdiscoverygavemeahorridshock。Iwasbroughtdownwithacrashfrommyhighsentimenttosomethingearthlyanddevilish。IwasfairlywellusedtoBochefilthiness，butthisseemedtoogrimapieceoftheutterlydamnable。IwantedtohaveIverybythethroatandforcethestuffintohisbody，andwatchhimdecayslowlyintothehorrorhehadcontrivedforhonestmen。
\'Let\'sgetoutofthisinfernalplace，\'Isaid。
ButMarywasnotlistening。Shehadpickeduponeofthenewspapersandwasgloatingoverit。IlookedandsawthatitwasopenatanadvertisementofWeissmann\'s\'Deep-breathing\'system。
\'Oh，look，Dick，\'shecriedbreathlessly。
Thecolumnoftypehadlittledotsmadebyaredpencilbelowcertainwords。
\'It\'sit，\'shewhispered，\'it\'sthecipher-I\'malmostsureit\'sthecipher！\'
\'Well，he\'dbelikelytoknowitifanyonedid。\'
\'Butdon\'tyouseeit\'sthecipherwhichCheliususes-themaninSwitzerland？Oh，Ican\'texplainnow，forit\'sverylong，butI
think-Ithink-Ihavefoundoutwhatwehaveallbeenwanting。
Chelius……\'
\'Whisht！\'Isaid。\'What\'sthat？\'
Therewasaqueersoundfromtheout-of-doorsasifasuddenwindhadriseninthestillnight。
\'It\'sonlyacaronthemainroad，\'saidMary。
\'Howdidyougetin？\'Iasked。
\'Bythebrokenwindowinthenextroom。Icycledouthereonemorning，andwalkedroundtheplaceandfoundthebrokencatch。\'
\'Perhapsitisleftopenonpurpose。ThatmaybethewayM。
Bommaertsvisitshiscountryhome……Let\'sgetoff，Mary，forthisplacehasacurseonit。Itdeservesfirefromheaven。\'
Islippedthecontentsoftheattachecaseintomypockets。\'I\'mgoingtodriveyouback，\'Isaid。\'I\'vegotacaroutthere。\'
\'Thenyoumusttakemybicycleandmyservanttoo。He\'sanoldfriendofyours-oneAndrewAmos。\'
\'NowhowonearthdidAndrewgetoverhere？\'
\'He\'soneofus，\'saidMary，laughingatmysurprise。\'Amostusefulmemberofourparty，atpresentdisguisedasan_infirmierinLadyManorwater\'sHospitalatDouvecourt。HeislearningFrench，and……\'
\'Hush！\'Iwhispered。\'There\'ssomeoneinthenextroom。\'
Isweptherbehindastackoffurniture，withmyeyesgluedonacrackoflightbelowthedoor。Thehandleturnedandtheshadowsracedbeforeabigelectriclampofthekindtheyhaveinstables。I
couldnotseethebearer，butIguesseditwastheoldwoman。
Therewasamanbehindher。Abriskstepsoundedontheparquet，andafigurebrushedpasther。Itworethehorizon-blueofaFrenchofficer，verysmart，withthoseFrenchriding-bootsthatshowtheshapeoftheleg，andahandsomefur-linedpelisse。I
wouldhavecalledhimayoungman，notmorethanthirty-five。Thefacewasbrownandclean-shaven，theeyesbrightandmasterful……
Yethedidnotdeceiveme。IhadnotboastedidlytoSirWalterwhenIsaidthattherewasonemanalivewhocouldneveragainbemistakenbyme。
Ihadmyhandonmypistol，asImotionedMaryfartherbackintotheshadows。ForasecondIwasabouttoshoot。Ihadaperfectmarkandcouldhaveputabulletthroughhisbrainwithuttercertitude。IthinkifIhadbeenaloneImighthavefired。
Perhapsnot。AnyhownowIcouldnotdoit。Itseemedlikepottingatasittingrabbit。Iwasobliged，thoughhewasmyworstenemy，togivehimachance，whileallthewhilemysobersenseskeptcallingmeafool。
Isteppedintothelight。
\'Hullo，MrIvery，\'Isaid。\'Thisisanoddplacetomeetagain！\'
Inhisamazementhefellbackastep，whilehishungryeyestookinmyface。Therewasnomistakeabouttherecognition。IsawsomethingIhadseenoncebeforeinhim，andthatwasfear。Outwentthelightandhesprangforthedoor。
Ifiredinthedark，buttheshotmusthavebeentoohigh。InthesameinstantIheardhimsliponthesmoothparquetandthetinkleofglassasthebrokenwindowswungopen。HastilyIreflectedthathiscarmustbeatthemoatendoftheterrace，andthatthereforetoreachithemustpassoutsidethisveryroom。Seizingthedamagedescritoire，Iuseditasaram，andchargedthewindownearestme。
Thepanesandshutterswentwithacrash，forIhaddriventhethingoutofitsrottenframe。ThenextsecondIwasonthemoonlitsnow。
Igotashotathimashewentovertheterrace，andagainIwentwide。Ineverwasatmybestwithapistol。StillIreckonedIhadgothim，forthecarwhichwaswaitingbelowmustcomebackbythemoattoreachthehighroad。ButIhadforgottenthegreatclosedparkgates。Somehoworothertheymusthavebeenopened，forassoonasthecarstarteditheadedstraightforthegrandavenue。Itriedacoupleoflong-rangeshotsafterit，andonemusthavedamagedeitherIveryorhischauffeur，fortherecamebackacryofpain。
IturnedindeepchagrintofindMarybesideme。Shewasbubblingwithlaughter。
\'Wereyoueveracinemaactor，Dick？Thelasttwominuteshavebeenareallyhigh-classperformance。“FeaturingMaryLamington。“
Howdoesthejargongo？\'
\'Icouldhavegothimwhenhefirstentered，\'Isaidruefully。
\'Iknow，\'shesaidinagravertone。\'Onlyofcourseyoucouldn\'t……Besides，MrBlenkirondoesn\'twantit-yet。\'
Sheputherhandonmyarm。\'Don\'tworryaboutit。Itwasn\'twrittenitshouldhappenthatway。Itwouldhavebeentooeasy。WehavealongroadtotravelyetbeforeweclipthewingsoftheWildBirds。\'
\'Look，\'Icried。\'Thefirefromheaven！\'
Redtonguesofflamewereshootingupfromtheout-buildingsatthefartherend，theplacewhereIhadfirstseenthewoman。Someagreedplanmusthavebeenactedon，andIverywasdestroyingalltracesofhisinfamousyellowpowder。Evennowtheconciergewithheroddsandendsofbelongingswouldbeslippingouttosomerefugeinthevillage。
Inthestilldrynighttheflamesrose，fortheplacemusthavebeenmadereadyforarapidburning。AsIhurriedMaryroundthemoatI
couldseethatpartofthemainbuildinghadcaughtfire。Thehamletwasawakened，andbeforewereachedthecornerofthehighroadsleepyBritishsoldierswerehurryingtowardsthescene，andtheTownMajorwasmusteringthefirebrigade。IknewthatIveryhadlaidhisplanswell，andthattheyhadn\'tachance-thatlongbeforedawntheChateauofEaucourtSainte-AnnewouldbeaheapofashesandthatinadayortwothelawyersoftheagedMarquiseatBiarritzwouldbewranglingwiththeinsurancecompany。
AtthecornerstoodAmosbesidetwobicycles，solidasagravenimage。Herecognizedmewithagap-toothedgrin。
\'It\'sacauldnight，General，butthehomefireskeepburnin\'。I
havenaseensuchacheerylowesinceDickson\'smillatGawly。\'
Wepacked，bicyclesandall，intomycarwithAmoswedgedinthenarrowseatbesideHamilton。Recognizingafellowcountryman，hegavethanksfortheliftinthebroadestDoric。\'For，\'saidhe，\'I\'mnotwhatyouwouldcallapractisedhandwi\'avelocipede，andmyfeetaredinnledwi\'standin\'inthesnaw。\'
Asforme，themilestoDouvecourtpassedasinablissfulmomentoftime。IwrappedMaryinafurrug，andafterthatwedidnotspeakaword。Ihadcomesuddenlyintoagreatpossessionandwasdazedwiththejoyofit。
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
MrBlenkironDiscoursesonLoveandWarThreedayslaterIgotmyorderstoreportatParisforspecialservice。Theycamenonetoosoon，forIchafedateachhour\'sdelay。EverythoughtinmyheadwasdirectedtothegamewhichwewereplayingagainstIvery。Hewasthebigenemy，comparedtowhomtheordinaryBocheinthetrencheswasinnocentandfriendly。
Ihadalmostlostinterestinmydivision，forIknewthatformetherealbattle-frontwasnotinPicardy，andthatmyjobwasnotsoeasyasholdingalengthofline。AlsoIlongedtobeatthesameworkasMary。
IrememberwakingupinbilletsthemorningafterthenightattheChateauwiththefeelingthatIhadbecomeextraordinarilyrich。
Ifeltveryhumble，too，andverykindlytowardsalltheworld-
eventotheBoche，thoughIcan\'tsayIhadeverhatedhimverywildly。Youfindhatemoreamongjournalistsandpoliticiansathomethanamongfightingmen。Iwantedtobequietandalonetothink，andsincethatwasimpossibleIwentaboutmyworkinahappyabstraction。Itriednottolookahead，butonlytoliveinthepresent，rememberingthatawarwason，andthattherewasdesperateanddangerousbusinessbeforeme，andthatmyhopeshungonaslenderthread。YetforallthatIhadsometimestoletmyfanciesgofree，andrevelindeliciousdreams。
Buttherewasonethoughtthatalwaysbroughtmebacktohardground，andthatwasIvery。IdonotthinkIhatedanybodyintheworldbuthim。ItwashisrelationtoMarythatstungme。Hehadtheinsolencewithallhistoad-likepasttomakelovetothatcleanandradiantgirl。IfeltthatheandIstoodasmortalantagonists，andthethoughtpleasedme，forithelpedmetoputsomehonestdetestationintomyjob。AlsoIwasgoingtowin。TwiceIhadfailed，butthethirdtimeIshouldsucceed。Ithadbeenlikerangingshotsforagun-firstshort，secondover，andIvowedthatthethirdshouldbedeadonthemark。
IwassummonedtoG。H。Q。，whereIhadhalfanhour\'stalkwiththegreatestBritishcommander。Icanseeyethispatient，kindlyfaceandthatsteadyeyewhichnovicissitudeoffortunecouldperturb。Hetookthebiggestview，forhewasstatesmanaswellassoldier，andknewthatthewholeworldwasonebattle-fieldandeverymanandwomanamongthecombatantnationswasinthebattle-line。Socontradictoryishumannature，thattalkmademewishforamomenttostaywhereIwas。Iwantedtogoonservingunderthatman。IrealizedsuddenlyhowmuchIlovedmywork，andwhenIgotbacktomyquartersthatnightandsawmymenswinginginfromaroutemarchIcouldhavehowledlikeadogatleavingthem。ThoughIsayitwhoshouldn\'t，therewasn\'tabetterdivisionintheArmy。
OnemorningafewdayslaterIpickedupMaryinAmiens。I
alwayslikedtheplace，forafterthedirtoftheSommeitwasacomforttogothereforabathandasquaremeal，andithadthenoblestchurchthatthehandofmaneverbuiltforGod。Itwasaclearmorningwhenwestartedfromtheboulevardbesidetherailwaystation；andtheairsmeltofwashedstreetsandfreshcoffee，andwomenweregoingmarketingandthelittletramsranclankingby，justasinanyothercityfarfromthesoundofguns。Therewasverylittlekhakiorhorizon-blueabout，andIrememberthinkinghowcompletelyAmienshadgotoutofthewar-zone。Twomonthslateritwasadifferentstory。
TotheendIshallcountthatdayasoneofthehappiestinmylife。Springwasintheair，thoughthetreesandfieldshadstilltheirwintercolouring。Athousandgoodfreshscentscameoutoftheearth，andthelarkswerebusyoverthenewfurrows。Irememberthatweranupalittleglen，whereastreamspreadintopoolsamongsallows，andtheroadsidetreeswereheavywithmistletoe。
OnthetablelandbeyondtheSommevalleythesunshonelikeApril。AtBeauvaiswelunchedbadlyinaninn-badlyastofood，buttherewasanexcellentBurgundyattwofrancsabottle。Thenweslippeddownthroughlittleflat-chestedtownshipstotheSeine，andinthelateafternoonpassedthroughStGermainsforest。ThewidegreenspacesamongthetreessetmyfancydwellingonthatdivineEnglishcountrysidewhereMaryandIwouldonedaymakeourhome。Shehadbeeninhighspiritsallthejourney，butwhenI
spokeoftheCotswoldsherfacegrewgrave。
\'Don\'tletusspeakofit，Dick，\'shesaid。\'It\'stoohappyathingandIfeelasifitwouldwitherifwetouchedit。Idon\'tletmyselfthinkofpeaceandhome，foritmakesmetoohomesick……Ithinkweshallgettheresomeday，youandI……butit\'salongroadtotheDelectableMountains，andFaithful，youknow，hastodiefirst……Thereisapricetobepaid。\'
Thewordssoberedme。
\'WhoisourFaithful？\'Iasked。
\'Idon\'tknow。ButhewasthebestofthePilgrims。\'
Then，asifaveilhadlifted，hermoodchanged，andwhenwecamethroughthesuburbsofParisandswungdowntheChampsElyseesshewasinaholidayhumour。ThelightsweretwinklingintheblueJanuarydusk，andthewarmbreathofthecitycametogreetus。Iknewlittleoftheplace，forIhadvisiteditonceonlyonafourdays\'Parisleave，butithadseemedtomethenthemosthabitableofcities，andnow，comingfromthebattle-fieldwithMarybymyside，itwaslikethehappyendingofadream。
Ileftherathercousin\'shouseneartheRueStHonore，anddepositedmyself，accordingtoinstructions，attheHotelLouisQuinze。ThereIwallowedinahotbath，andgotintothecivilianclotheswhichhadbeensentonfromLondon。TheymademefeelthatIhadtakenleaveofmydivisionforgoodandallthistime。
Blenkironhadaprivateroom，whereweweretodine；andamorewonderfullitterofbooksandcigarboxesIhaveneverseen，forhehadn\'tanotionoftidiness。Icouldhearhimgruntingathistoiletintheadjacentbedroom，andInoticedthatthetablewaslaidforthree。Iwentdownstairstogetapaper，andonthewayranintoLauncelotWake。
HewasnolongeraprivateinaLabourBattalion。Eveningclothesshowedbeneathhisovercoat。
\'Hullo，Wake，areyouinthispushtoo？\'
\'Isupposeso，\'hesaid，andhismannerwasnotcordial。\'AnyhowIwasordereddownhere。MybusinessistodoasIamtold。\'
\'Comingtodine？\'Iasked。
\'No。I\'mdiningwithsomefriendsattheCrillon。\'
Thenhelookedmeintheface，andhiseyeswerehotasIfirstrememberedthem。\'IhearI\'vetocongratulateyou，Hannay，\'andheheldoutalimphand。
Ineverfeltmoreantagonisminahumanbeing。
\'Youdon\'tlikeit？\'Isaid，forIguessedwhathemeant。
\'HowonearthcanIlikeit？\'hecriedangrily。\'GoodLord，man，you\'llmurderhersoul。Youanordinary，stupid，successfulfellowandshe-she\'sthemostpreciousthingGodevermade。Youcanneverunderstandafractionofherpreciousness，butyou\'llclipherwingsallright。Shecanneverflynow……\'
HepouredoutthishystericalstufftomeatthefootofthestaircasewithinhearingofanelderlyFrenchwidowwithapoodle。
Ihadnoimpulsetobeangry，forIwasfartoohappy。
\'Don\'t，Wake，\'Isaid。\'We\'realltooclosetogethertoquarrel。
I\'mnotfittoblackMary\'sshoes。Youcan\'tputmetooloworhertoohigh。ButI\'veatleastthesensetoknowit。Youcouldn\'twantmetobehumblerthanIfelt。\'
Heshruggedhisshoulders，ashewentouttothestreet。\'Yourinfernalmagnanimitywouldbreakanyman\'stemper。\'
IwentupstairstofindBlenkiron，washedandshaven，admiringapairofbrightpatent-leathershoes。
\'Why，Dick，I\'vebeenwearyingbadtoseeyou。Iwasnervousyouwouldbeblowntoglory，forI\'vebeenreadingawfulthingsaboutyourbattlesinthenoospapers。ThewarcorrespondentsworrymesoIcan\'ttakebreakfast。\'
Hemixedcocktailsandclinkedhisglassonmine。\'Here\'stotheyounglady。Iwastryingtowriteheraprettylittlesonnet，butthedarnedrhymeswouldn\'tfit。I\'vegottenaheapofthingstosaytoyouwhenwe\'vefinisheddinner。\'
Marycamein，hercheeksbrightfromtheweather，andBlenkironpromptlyfellabashed。Butshehadawaytomeethisshyness，for，whenhebegananembarrassedspeechofgoodwishes，sheputherarmsroundhisneckandkissedhim。Oddlyenough，thatsethimcompletelyathisease。
Itwaspleasanttoeatofflinenandchinaagain，pleasanttoseeoldBlenkiron\'sbenignantfaceandthewayhetuckedintohisfood，butitwasdeliciousformetositatamealwithMaryacrossthetable。Itmademefeelthatshewasreallymine，andnotapixiethatwouldvanishataword。ToBlenkironsheboreherselflikeanaffectionatebutmischievousdaughter，whilethedesperatelyrefinedmannersthatafflictedhimwheneverwomenwereconcernedmellowedintosomethinglikehiseverydayself。Theydidmostofthetalking，andIrememberhefetchedfromsomemysterioushiding-placeagreatboxofchocolates，whichyoucouldnolongerbuyinParis，andthetwoatethemlikespoiledchildren。Ididn\'twanttotalk，foritwaspurehappinessformetolookon。Ilovedtowatchher，whentheservantshadgone，withherelbowsonthetablelikeaschoolboy，hercrispgoldhairalittlerumpled，crackingwalnutswithgusto，likesomechildwhohasbeenalloweddownfromthenurseryfordessertandmeanstomakethemostofit。
WithhisfirstcigarBlenkirongottobusiness。
\'Youwanttoknowaboutthestaff-workwe\'vebeenbusyonathome。Well，it\'sfinishednow，thankstoyou，Dick。Weweren\'tgettingonveryfasttillyoutooktoperoosingthepressonyoursick-bedanddroppedusthathintaboutthe“Deep-breathing“ads。\'
\'Thentherewassomethinginit？\'Iasked。
\'Therewasblackhellinit。Therewasn\'tanyGussiter，buttherewasamightyfinelittlesyndicateofcrookswitholdmanGressonatthebackofthem。Firstthing，Istartedouttogetthecipher。Ittooksomelookingfor，butthere\'snocipheronearthcan\'tbegotholdofsomehowifyouknowit\'sthere，andinthiscasewewerehelpedalotbythereturnmessagesintheGermanpapers。Itwasbadstuffwhenwereadit，andexplainedthedarnedleakagesinimportantnooswe\'vebeenupagainst。AtfirstIfiguredtokeepthethinggoingandturnGussiterintoacorporationwithJohnS。
Blenkironaspresident。Butitwouldn\'tdo，foratthefirsthintOftamperingwiththeircommunicationsthewholebunchgotskeeryandsentoutSOSsignals。Sowetenderlypluckedtheflowers。\'
\'Gresson，too？\'Iasked。
Henodded。\'Iguessyourseafaringcompanion\'snowunderthesod。Wehadcollectedenoughevidencetohanghimtentimesover……Butthatwastheleastofit。Foryourlittleoldcipher，Dick，gaveusalineonIvery。\'
Iaskedhow，andBlenkirontoldmethestory。Hehadaboutadozencross-bearingsprovingthattheorganizationofthe\'Deep-
breathing\'gamehaditsheadquartersinSwitzerland。HesuspectedIveryfromthefirst，butthemanhadvanishedoutofhisken，sohestartedworkingfromtheotherend，andinsteadoftryingtodeducetheSwissbusinessfromIveryhetriedtodeduceIveryfromtheSwissbusiness。HewenttoBerneandmadeaconspicuouspublicfoolofhimselfforseveralweeks。HecalledhimselfanagentoftheAmericanpropagandathere，andtooksomeadvertisingspaceinthepressandputinspread-eagleannouncementsofhismission，withtheresultthattheSwissGovernmentthreatenedtoturnhimoutofthecountryifhetamperedthatamountwiththeirneutrality。
HealsowrotealotofrotintheGenevanewspapers，whichhepaidtohaveprinted，explaininghowhewasapacifist，andwasgoingtoconvertGermanytopeaceby\'inspirationaladvertisementofpure-
mindedwaraims\'。AllthiswasinkeepingwithhisEnglishreputation，andhewantedtomakehimselfabaitforIvery。
ButIverydidnotrisetothefly，andthoughhehadadozenagentsworkingforhimonthequiethecouldneverhearofthenameChelius。Thatwas，hereckoned，averyprivateandparticularnameamongtheWildBirds。However，hegottoknowagooddealabouttheSwissendofthe\'Deep-breathing\'business。Thattooksomedoingandcostalotofmoney。Hisbestpeoplewereagirlwhoposedasamannequininamilliner\'sshopinLyonsandaconciergeinabighotelatStMoritz。HismostimportantdiscoverywasthattherewasasecondcipherinthereturnmessagessentfromSwitzerland，differentfromtheonethattheGussiterlotusedinEngland。Hegotthiscipher，butthoughhecouldreadithecouldn\'tmakeanythingoutofit。HeconcludedthatitwasaverysecretmeansofcommunicationbetweentheinnercircleoftheWildBirds，andthatIverymustbeatthebackofit……Buthewasstillalongwayfromfindingoutanythingthatmattered。
Thenthewholesituationchanged，forMarygotintouchwithIvery。Imustsayshebehavedlikeashamelessminx，forshekeptonwritingtohimtoanaddresshehadoncegivenherinParis，andsuddenlyshegotananswer。ShewasinParisherself，helpingtorunoneoftherailwaycanteens，andstayingwithherFrenchcousins，thedeMezieres。Onedayhecametoseeher。Thatshowedtheboldnessoftheman，andhiscleverness，forthewholesecretpoliceofFrancewereafterhimandtheynevergotwithinsightorsound。
YetherehewascomingopenlyintheafternoontohaveteawithanEnglishgirl。Itshowedanotherthing，whichmademeblaspheme。
Amansoresoluteandsingle-heartedinhisjobmusthavebeenprettybadlyinlovetotakearisklikethat。
Hecame，andhecalledhimselftheCapitaineBommaerts，withatransportjobonthestaffoftheFrenchG。Q。G。Hewasonthestaffrightenoughtoo。Marysaidthatwhensheheardthatnameshenearlyfelldown。Hewasquitefrankwithher，andshewithhim。
Theyarebothpeacemakers，readytobreakthelawsofanylandforthesakeofagreatideal。Goodnessknowswhatstufftheytalkedtogether。Marysaidshewouldblushtothinkofittillherdyingday，andIgatheredthatonhersideitwasamixtureofLauncelotWakeathismostpedanticandschoolgirlsilliness。
Hecameagain，andtheymetoften，unbeknowntothedecorousMadamedeMezieres。TheywalkedtogetherintheBoisdeBoulogne，andonce，withabeatingheart，shemotoredwithhimtoAuteuilforluncheon。HespokeofhishouseinPicardy，andthereweremoments，Igathered，whenhebecamethedeclaredlover，toberebuffedwithahoydenishshyness。Presentlythepacebecametoohot，andaftersomeanguishedargumentswithBullivantonthelong-distancetelephoneshewentofftoDouvecourttoLadyManorwater\'shospital。Shewenttheretoescapefromhim，butmainly，I
think，tohavealook-tremblingineverylimb，mindyou-attheChateauofEaucourtSainte-Anne。
IhadonlytothinkofMarytoknowjustwhatJoanofArcwas。
Nomaneverborncouldhavedonethatkindofthing。Itwasn\'trecklessness。Itwassheercalculatingcourage。
ThenBlenkirontookupthetale。ThenewspaperwefoundthatChristmasEveintheChateauwasoftremendousimportance，forBommaertshadprickedoutintheadvertisementtheveryspecialsecondcipheroftheWildBirds。ThatprovedthatIverywasatthebackoftheSwissbusiness。ButBlenkironmadedoublysure。
\'Iconsideredthetimehadcome，\'hesaid，\'topayhighforvaluablenoos，soIsoldtheenemyaveryprettyde-vice。Ifyouevergaveyourmindtociphersandillicitcorrespondence，Dick，youwouldknowthattheonekindofdocumentyoucan\'twriteonininvisibleinkisacoatedpaper，thekindtheyuseintheweekliestoprintphotographsofleadingactressesandthestatelyhomesofEngland。Anythingwetthattouchesitcorrugatesthesurfacealittle，andyoucantellwithamicroscopeifsomeone\'sbeenplayingatit。Well，wehadthegoodfortunetodiscoverjusthowtogetoverthatlittledifficulty-howtowriteonglazedpaperwithaquillsoasthecutestanalystcouldn\'tspotit，andlikewisehowtodetectthewriting。Idecidedtosacrificethatinvention，castingmybreaduponthewatersandlookingforagood-sizedbakeryinreturn……Ihaditsoldtotheenemy。Thejobwanteddelicatehandling，butthetenthmanfromme-hewasanAustrianJew-
didthedealandscoopedfiftythousanddollarsoutofit。ThenI
laylowtowatchhowmyfriendwouldusethede-vice，andIdidn\'twaitlong。\'
Hetookfromhispocketafoldedsheetof_L\'Illustration。Overaphotogravureplateransomewordsinalargesprawlinghand，asifwrittenwithabrush。
\'ThatpagewhenIgotityesterday，\'hesaid，\'wasanunassumingpictureofGeneralPetainpresentingmilitarymedals。Therewasn\'tascratchorarippleonitssurface。ButIgotbusywithit，andseethere！\'
Hepointedouttwonames。Thewritingwasasetofkey-wordswedidnotknow，buttwonamesstoodoutwhichIknewtoowell。
Theywere\'Bommaerts\'and\'Chelius\'。
\'MyGod！\'Icried，\'that\'suncanny。Itonlyshowsthatifyouchewlongenough。\'
\'Dick，\'saidMary，\'youmustn\'tsaythatagain。Atthebestit\'sanuglymetaphor，andyou\'remakingitaplatitude。\'
\'WhoisIveryanyhow？\'Iasked。\'Doyouknowmoreabouthimthanweknewinthesummer？Mary，whatdidBommaertspretendtobe？\'
\'AnEnglishman。\'Maryspokeinthemostmatter-of-facttone，asifitwereaperfectlyusualthingtobemadelovetobyaspy，andthatrathersoothedmyannoyance。\'Whenheaskedmetomarryhimheproposedtotakemetoacountry-houseinDevonshire。I
ratherthink，too，hehadaplaceinScotland。Butofcoursehe\'saGerman。\'
\'Ye-es，\'saidBlenkironslowly，\'I\'vegotontohisrecord，anditisn\'taprettystory。It\'stakensomeworkingout，butI\'vegotallthelinkstestednow……He\'saBocheandalarge-sizednoblemaninhisownstate。DidyoueverhearoftheGrafvonSchwabing？\'
Ishookmyhead。
\'IthinkIhaveheardUncleCharliespeakofhim，\'saidMary，wrinklingherbrows。\'HeusedtohuntwiththePytchley。\'
\'That\'stheman。Buthehasn\'ttroubledthePytchleyforthelasteightyears。TherewasatimewhenhewasthelastthinginsmartnessintheGermancourt-officerintheGuards，ancientfamily，rich，darnedclever-allthefixings。Kaiserlikedhim，andit\'seasytoseewhy。IguessamanwhohadasmanypersonalitiesastheGrafwasamusingafter-dinnercompany。SpeciallyamongtheGermans，whoinmyexperiencedon\'texcelinthelightervein。
Anyway，hewasWilliam\'swhite-headedboy，andtherewasn\'tamotherwithadaughterwhowasn\'toutgunningforOttovonSchwabing。HewasaboutaspopularinLondonandNooYork-
andinParis，too。AskSirWalterabouthim，Dick。HesayshehadtwicethebrainsofKuhlmann，andbettermannersthantheAustrianfellowheusedtoyarnabout……Well，onedaytherecameanalmightycourtscandal，andthebottomdroppedoutoftheGraf\'sWorld。Itwasaprettybeastlystory，andIdon\'tgatherthatSchwabIngwasasdeepinitassomeothers。Butthetroublewasthatthoseothershadtobeshieldedatallcosts，andSchwabingwasmadethescapegoat。Hisnamecameoutinthepapersandhehadtogo。\'
\'Whatwasthecasecalled？\'Iasked。
Blenkironmentionedaname，andIknewwhythewordSchwabIngwasfamiliar。IhadreadthestorylongagoinRhodesia。
\'Itwassomesmash，\'Blenkironwenton。\'HewasdrummedoutoftheGuards，outoftheclubs，outofthecountry……Now，howwouldyouhavefelt，Dick，ifyouhadbeentheGraf？Yourlifeandworkandhappinesscrossedout，andalltosaveamangyprinceling。
“Bitterashell，“yousay。Hungeringforachancetoputitacrossthelotthathadoutedyou？Youwouldn\'tresttillyouhadWilliamsobbingonhiskneesaskingyourpardon，andyounotthinkingofgrantingit？That\'sthewayyou\'dfeel，butthatwasn\'ttheGraf\'sway，andwhat\'smoreitisn\'ttheGermanway。Hewentintoexilehatinghumanity，andwithaheartallpoisonandsnakes，butitchingtogetback。AndI\'lltellyouwhy。It\'sbecausehiskindofGermanhasn\'tgotanyotherhomeonthisearth。Oh，yes，Iknowthere\'sstacksofgoodoldTeutonscomeandsquatinourlittlecountryandturnintofineAmericans。YoucandoalotwiththemifyoucatchthemyoungandteachthemtheDeclarationofIndependenceandmakethemstudyourSundaypapers。Butyoucan\'tdenythere\'ssomethingcomicintheroughaboutallGermans，beforeyou\'vecivilizedthem。They\'reapecooliarpeople，adarnedpecooliarpeople，elsetheywouldn\'tstaffallthemenialandindecentoccupationsontheglobe。Butthatpecooliarity，whichisonlyskin-deepintheworkingBoche，isintheboneofthegrandee。YourGermanaristocracycan\'tconsortontermsofequalitywithanyotherUpperTenThousand。Theyswaggerandbluffabouttheworld，buttheyknowverywellthattheworld\'ssniggeringatthem。They\'relikeabossfromSaltCreekGullywho\'smadehispileandboughtadresssuitanddroppedintoaNewporteveningparty。Theydon\'tknowwheretoputtheirhandsorhowtokeeptheirfeetstill……Yourcopper-bottomedEnglishnoblemanhasgottokeepjogginghimselftotreatthemasequalsinsteadofsendingthemdowntotheservants\'
hall。Theirfinefixingsarejustthehighlightthatrevealstheeverlastingjay。Theycan\'tbegentlemen，becausetheyaren\'tsureofthemselves。Theworldlaughsatthem，andtheyknowitanditrilesthemlikehell……That\'swhywhenaGrafisbootedoutoftheFatherland，he\'sgottocreepbacksomehoworbeawanderingJewfortherestoftime。\'
Blenkironlitanothercigarandfixedmewithhissteady，ruminatingeye。
\'Foreightyearsthemanhasslaved，bodyandsoul，forthemenwhodegradedhim。He\'searnedhisrestorationandIdaresayhe\'sgotitinhispocket。IfmeritwasrewardedheshouldbecoveredwithIronCrossesandRedEagles……Hehadaprettygoodhandtostartoutwith。Heknewothercountriesandhewasadandyatlanguages。More，hehadanuncommongiftforlivingapart。Thatisrealgenius，Dick，howevermuchitgetsupagainstus。Bestofallhehadafirst-classoutfitofbrains。Ican\'tsayIeverstruckabetter，andI\'vecomeacrosssomebrightcitizensinmytime……Andnowhe\'sgoingtowinout，unlesswegetmightybusy。\'
TherewasaknockatthedoorandthesolidfigureofAndrewAmosrevealeditself。
\'It\'stimeyewashome，MissMary。Itchappithalf-elevenasI
cameupthestairs。It\'scomin\'ontorain，soI\'vebroughtanumbrelly。\'
\'Oneword，\'Isaid。\'Howoldistheman？\'
\'Justgonethirty-six，\'Blenkironreplied。
IturnedtoMary，whonodded。\'Youngerthanyou，Dick，\'shesaidwickedlyasshegotintoherbigJaegercoat。
\'I\'mgoingtoseeyouhome，\'Isaid。
\'Notallowed。You\'vehadquiteenoughofmysocietyforoneday。Andrew\'sonescortdutytonight。\'
Blenkironlookedafterherasthedoorclosed。
\'Ireckonyou\'vegotthebestgirlintheworld。\'
\'Iverythinksthesame，\'Isaidgrimly，formydetestationofthemanwhohadmadelovetoMaryfairlychokedme。
\'Youcanseewhy。Here\'sthisdegeneratecomingoutofhisrottenclass，allpamperedandpettedandsatiatedwiththeeasypleasuresoflife。Hehasseennothingofwomenexceptthebadkindandtheoverfedspecimensofhisowncountry。Ihatebeingimpoliteaboutfemales，butI\'vealwaysconsideredtheGermanvarietyuncommonlikecows。Hehashaddesperateyearsofintrigueanddanger，andconsortingwitheverykindofscallawag。
Remember，he\'sabigmanandapoet，withabrainandanimaginationthattakeseverygradewithoutchanginggears。Suddenlyhemeetssomethingthatisasfreshandlovelyasaspringflower，andhaswitstoo，andthesteeliestcourage，andyetisallyouthandgaiety。
It\'sanewexperienceforhim，akindofrevelation，andhe\'sbigenoughtovalueherassheshouldbevalued……No，Dick，Icanunderstandyougettingcross，butIreckonitanitemtotheman\'scredit。\'
\'It\'shisblindspotallthesame，\'Isaid。
\'Hisblindspot，\'Blenkironrepeatedsolemnly，\'and，pleaseGod，we\'regoingtorememberthat。\'
NextmorninginmiserablesloppyweatherBlenkironcartedmeaboutParis。WeclimbedfivesetsofstairstoaflatawayupinMontmartre，whereIwastalkedtobyafatmanwithspectaclesandaslowvoiceandtoldvariousthingsthatdeeplyconcernedme。
ThenIwenttoaroomintheBoulevardStGermain，withalittlecabinetopeningoffit，whereIwasshownpapersandmapsandsomefiguresonasheetofpaperthatmademeopenmyeyes。WelunchedinamodestcafetuckedawaybehindthePalaisRoyal，andourcompanionsweretwoAlsatianswhospokeGermanbetterthanaBocheandhadnonames-onlynumbers。IntheafternoonIwenttoalowbuildingbesidetheInvalidesandsawmanygenerals，includingmorethanonewhosefeatureswerefamiliarintwohemispheres。Itoldthemeverythingaboutmyself，andIwasexaminedlikeaconvict，andallparticularsaboutmyappearanceandmannerofspeechwrittendowninabook。Thatwastopreparethewayforme，incaseofneed，amongthevastarmyofthosewhoworkundergroundandknowtheirchiefbutdonotknoweachother。
Therainclearedbeforenight，andBlenkironandIwalkedbacktothehotelthroughthatlemon-colouredduskthatyougetinaFrenchwinter。WepassedacompanyofAmericansoldiers，andBlenkironhadtostopandstare。Icouldseethathewasstiffwithpride，thoughhewouldn\'tshowit。
\'Whatd\'youthinkofthatbunch？\'heasked。
\'First-ratestuff，\'Isaid。
\'Themenareallright，\'hedrawledcritically。\'Butsomeoftheofficer-boysareabitpuffy。Theywantfiningdown。\'
\'They\'llgetitsoonenough，honestfellows。Youdon\'tkeepyourweightlonginthiswar。\'
\'Say，Dick，\'hesaidshyly，\'whatdoyoutrulythinkofourAmericans？You\'veseenalotofthem，andI\'dvalueyourviews。\'
Histonewasthatofabashfulauthoraskingforanopiniononhisfirstbook。
\'I\'lltellyouwhatIthink。You\'reconstructingagreatmiddle-
classarmy，andthat\'sthemostformidablefightingmachineonearth。Thiskindofwardoesn\'twanttheBerserkersomuchasthequietfellowwithatrainedmindandalottofightfor。TheAmericanranksarefilledwithallsorts，fromcow-puncherstocollegeboys，butmostlywithdecentladsthathavegoodprospectsinlifebeforethemandarefightingbecausetheyfeelthey\'reboundto，notbecausetheylikeit。ItwasthesamestockthatpulledthroughyourCivilWar。Wehaveamiddle-classdivision，too-ScottishTerritorials，mostlyclerksandshopmenandengineersandfarmers\'
sons。WhenIfirststruckthemmyonlycrabwasthattheofficersweren\'tmuchbetterthanthemen。It\'sstilltrue，butthemenaresuper-excellent，andconsequentlysoaretheofficers。ThatdivisiongetstopmarksintheBochecalendarforsheerfightingdevilment……And，pleaseGod，that\'swhatyourAmericanarmy\'sgoingtobe。Youcanwashouttheoldideaofaregimentofscallawagscommandedbydukes。Thatwasrightenough，maybe，inthedayswhenyouhurrooshedintobattlewavingabanner，butitdon\'tdowithhighexplosivesandacoupleofmillionmenoneachsideandabattlefrontoffivehundredmiles。Theheroofthiswaristheplainmanoutofthemiddleclass，whowantstogetbacktohishomeandisgoingtouseallthebrainsandgrithepossessestofinishthejobsoon。\'
\'Thatsoundsaboutright，\'saidBlenkironreflectively。\'Itpleasesmesome，foryou\'vemaybeguessedthatIrespecttheBritishArmyquitealittle。Whichpartofitdoyouputtop？\'
\'Allofit\'sgood。TheFrencharekeenjudgesandtheygivefrontplacetotheScotsandtheAustralians。FormyselfIthinkthebackboneoftheArmyistheold-fashionedEnglishcountyregimentsthathardlyevergetintothepapersThoughIdon\'tknow，ifIhadtopick，butI\'dtaketheSouthAfricans。There\'sonlyabrigadeofthem，butthey\'rehell\'sdelightinabattle。Butthenyou\'llsayI\'mprejudiced。\'
\'Well，\'drawledBlenkiron，you\'reamightyEmpireanyhow。
I\'vesojournedupanddownitandIcan\'tguesshowtheold-timehighbrowsinyourlittleislandcametoputittogether。ButI\'llletyouintoasecret，Dick。IreadthismorninginanoospaperthattherewasanaturalaffinitybetweenAmericansandthemenoftheBritishDominions。Takeitfromme，thereisn\'t-atleastnotwiththisAmerican。Idon\'tunderstandthemonelittlebit。WhenIseeyourlean，tallAustralianswiththesunatthebackoftheireyes，I\'mlookingatmenfromanotherplanet。OutsideyouandPeter，InevergottofathomaSouthAfrican。TheCanadiansliveoverthefencefromus，butyoumixupaCanuckwithaYankinyourremarksandyou\'llgetabatintheeye……ButmostofusAmericanshavegottenagriponyourOldCountry。You\'llfindusmightyrespectfultootherpartsofyourEmpire，butwesayanythingwedamnwellpleaseaboutEngland。Yousee，weknowherthatwellandlikeherthatwell，wecanbefreewithher。
\'It\'slike，\'heconcludedaswereachedthehotel，\'it\'slikealotofboysthataregettingonintheworldandareabitjealousandstand-offishwitheachother。Butthey\'reallathomewiththeoldmanwhousedtowarmthemupwithahickorycane，eventhoughsometimesintheirhastetheycallhimastand-patter。\'
Thatnightatdinnerwetalkedsolidbusiness-BlenkironandI
andayoungFrenchColonelfromtheIIIemeSectionatG。Q。G。
Blenkiron，Iremember，gotveryhurtaboutbeingcalledabusinessmanbytheFrenchman，whothoughthewaspayinghimacompliment。
\'Cutitout，\'hesaid。\'Itisawordthat\'sgonebadwithme。
There\'sjusttwokindofmen，thosewho\'vegottensenseandthosewhohaven\'t。AbigpercentageofusAmericansmakeourlivingbytrading，butwedon\'tthinkbecauseaman\'sinbusinessorevenbecausehe\'smadebigmoneythathe\'sanynaturalgoodateveryjob。We\'vemadeacollegeprofessorourPresident，anddowhathetellsuslikelittleboys，thoughhedon\'tearnmorethansomeofuspayourworks\'manager。YouEnglishhavegottenbusinessonthebrain，andthinkafellow\'sadandyathandlingyourGovernmentifhehappenstohavemadeapilebysomeflat-catchingramponyourStockExchange。Itmakesmetired。You\'reaboutthebestbusinessnationonearth，butforGod\'ssakedon\'tbegintotalkaboutitoryou\'llloseyourpower。Anddon\'tgoconfusingrealbusinesswiththeordinarygiftofrakinginthedollars。Anymanwithsensecouldmakemoneyifhewantedto，buthemayn\'twant。Hemaypreferthefunofthejobandletotherpeopledothelooting。Ireckonthebiggestbusinessontheglobetodayistheworkbehindyourlinesandthewayyoufeedandsupplyandtransportyourarmy。ItbeatstheSteelCorporationandtheStandardOiltoafrazzle。Butthemanattheheadofitalldon\'tearnmorethanathousanddollarsamonth……Yournation\'sgettingtoworshipMammon，Dick。Cutitout。There\'sjusttheonedifferenceinhumanity-senseornosense，andmostlikelyyouwon\'tfindanymoresenseinthemanthatmakesabillionsellingbondsthaninhisbrotherTimthatlivesinashackandsellscorn-cobs。I\'mnotspeakingoutofsinfuljealousy，fortherewasadaywhenIwasreckonedarailroadking，andIquitwithabiggerpilethankingsusuallyretireon。ButI
haven\'tthesenseofoldPeter，whoneverevenhadabankaccount……Andit\'ssensethatwinsinthiswar。\'
TheColonel，whospokegoodEnglish，askedaquestionaboutaspeechwhichsomepoliticianhadmade。
\'Thereisn\'tallthesenseI\'dliketoseeatthetop，\'saidBlenkiron。
\'They\'refineatsmoothwords。Thatwouldn\'tmatter，butthey\'rethinkingsmooththoughts。Whatd\'youmakeofthesituation，Dick？\'
\'Ithinkit\'stheworstsinceFirstYpres，\'Isaid。\'Everybody\'scock-a-whoop，butGodknowswhy。\'
\'Godknowswhy，\'Blenkironrepeated。\'Ireckonit\'sasimplecalculation，andyoucan\'tdenyitanymorethanamathematicallaw。Russiaiscountedout。TheBochewon\'tgetfoodfromherforagoodmanymonths，buthecangetmoremen，andhe\'sgotthem。
He\'sfightingonlyononefoot，andhe\'sbeenabletobringtroopsandgunswestsohe\'sasstrongastheAlliesnowonpaper。Andhe\'sstrongerinreality。He\'sgotbetterrailwaysbehindhim，andhe\'sfightingoninsidelinesandcanconcentratefastagainstanybitofourfront。I\'mnosoldier，butthat\'sso，Dick？\'
TheFrenchmansmiledandshookhishead。\'Allthesametheywillnotpass。Theycouldnotwhentheyweretwotoonein1914，andtheywillnotnow。IfweAlliescouldnotbreakthroughinthelastyearwhenwehadmanymoremen，howwilltheGermanssucceednowwithonlyequalnumbers？\'
Blenkirondidnotlookconvinced。\'That\'swhattheyallsay。I
talkedtoagenerallastweekaboutthecomingoffensive，andhesaidhewasprayingforittohurryup，forhereckonedFritzwouldgetthefrightofhislife。It\'sagoodspirit，maybe，butIdon\'tthinkit\'ssoundonthefacts。We\'vegottwomightygreatarmiesoffinefighting-men，but，becausewe\'vetwocommands，we\'reboundtomoveraggedlikeapealofbells。TheHun\'sgotonearmyandfortyyearsofstifftradition，and，what\'smore，he\'sgoingalloutthistime。He\'sgoingtosmashourfrontbeforeAmericalinesup，orperishintheattempt……WhydoyousupposeallthepeaceracketinGermanyhasdieddown，andtheverymenthatweretalkingdemocracyinthesummerarenowhotforfightingtoafinish？I\'lltellyou。It\'sbecauseoldLudendorffhaspromisedthemcompletevictorythisspringiftheyspendenoughmen，andtheBocheisagoodgamblerandisouttoriskit。We\'renotupagainstalocalattackthistime。We\'restandinguptoagreatnationgoingbald-
headedforvictoryordestruction。Ifwe\'rebroken，thenAmerica\'sgottofightanewcampaignbyherselfwhenshe\'sready，andtheBochehastimetomakeRussiahisfeeding-groundanddiddleourblockade。Thatputsanotherfiveyearsontothewar，maybeanotherten。Arewefreeandindependentpeoplesgoingtoendurethatmuch？……Itellyouwe\'retossingtoquitbeforeEaster。\'
Heturnedtowardsme，andInoddedassent。
\'That\'smoreorlessmyview，\'Isaid。\'Weoughttohold，butit\'llbebyourteethandnails。Forthenextsixmonthswe\'llbefightingwithoutanymargin。\'
\'But，myfriends，youputittoogravely，\'criedtheFrenchman。
\'Wemayloseamileortwoofground-yes。Butseriousdangerisnotpossible。TheyhadbetterchancesatVerdunandtheyfailed。
Whyshouldtheysucceednow？\'
\'Becausetheyarestakingeverything，\'Blenkironreplied。\'Itisthelastdesperatestruggleofawoundedbeast，andinthesestrugglessometimesthehunterperishes。Dick\'sright。We\'vegotawastingmarginandeveryextraounceofweight\'sgoingtotell。Thebattle\'sinthefield，andit\'salsoineverycornerofeveryAlliedland。That\'swhywithinthenexttwomonthswe\'vegottogetevenwiththeWildBirds。\'
TheFrenchColonel-hisnamewasdeValliere-smiledatthename，andBlenkironansweredmyunspokenquestion。
\'I\'mgoingtosatisfysomeofyourcuriosity，Dick，forI\'veputtogetherconsiderablenoosofthemenagerie。Germanyhasagoodarmyofspiesoutsideherborders。Weshootabatchnowandthen，buttheothersgoonworkinglikebeaversandtheydoamightydealofharm。They\'rebeautifullyorganized，buttheydon\'tdrawonsuchgoodhumanmaterialaswe，andIreckontheydon\'tpayinresultsmorethantencentsonadollaroftrouble。Buttheretheyare。They\'retheintelligenceofficersandtheirbusinessisjusttoforwardnoos。They\'rethebirdsinthecage，the-whatisityourfriendcalledthem？\'
\'_Die_Stubenvogel，\'Isaid。
\'Yes，butallthebirdsaren\'tcaged。There\'safewoutsidethebarsandtheydon\'tcollectnoos。Theydothings。Ifthere\'sanythingdesperatethey\'reputonthejob，andthey\'vegotpowertoactwithoutwaitingoninstructionsfromhome。I\'veinvestigatedtillmybrain\'stiredandIhaven\'tmadeoutmorethanhalfadozenwhomI
cansayforcertainareinthebusiness。There\'syourpal，thePortugueseJew，Dick。Another\'sawomaninGenoa，aprincessofsomesortmarriedtoaGreekfinancier。One\'stheeditorofapro-Allyup-countrypaperintheArgentine。OnepassesasaBaptistministerinColorado。OnewasapolicespyintheTzar\'sGovernmentandisnowared-hotrevolutionaryintheCaucasus。Andthebiggest，ofcourse，isMoxonIvery，whoinhappiertimeswastheGrafvonSchwabing。Therearen\'taboveahundredpeopleintheworldknowoftheirexistence，andthesehundredcallthemtheWildBirds。\'
\'Dotheyworktogether？\'Iasked。
\'Yes。Theyeachgettheirownjobstodo，butthey\'reapttoflocktogetherforabigpieceofdevilment。TherewerefouroftheminFranceayearagobeforethebattleoftheAisne，andtheyprettynearrottedtheFrenchArmy。That\'sso，Colonel？\'
Thesoldiernoddedgrimly。\'Theyseducedourwearytroopsandtheyboughtmanypoliticians。Almosttheysucceeded，butnotquite。
Thenationissaneagain，andisjudgingandshootingtheaccomplicesatitsleisure。Buttheprincipalswehavenevercaught。\'
\'Youhearthat，Dick，，saidBlenkiron。\'You\'resatisfiedthisisn\'tawhimsyofamelodramaticoldYank？I\'lltellyoumore。YouknowhowIveryworkedthesubmarinebusinessfromEngland。
Also，itwastheWildBirdsthatwreckedRussia。ItwasIverythatpaidtheBolsheviststosedoocetheArmy，andtheBolsheviststookhismoneyfortheirownpurpose，thinkingtheywereplayingadeepgame，whenallthetimehewasgrinninglikeSatan，fortheywereplayinghis。ItwasIveryorsomeotherofthebunchthatdopedthebrigadesthatbrokeatCaporetto。IfIstartedintotellyouthehistoryoftheirdoingsyouwouldn\'tgotobed，andifyoudidyouwouldn\'tsleep……There\'sjustthistoit。EveryfinishedsubtledevilrythattheBochehaswroughtamongtheAlliessinceAugust1914hasbeentheworkoftheWildBirdsandmoreorlessorganizedbyIvery。They\'reworthhalfadozenarmycorpstoLudendorff。They\'rethemightiestpoisonmerchantstheworldeversaw，andthey\'vethenerveofhell……\'
\'Idon\'tknow，\'Iinterrupted。\'Ivery\'sgothissoftspot。IsawhimintheTubestation。\'
\'Maybe，buthe\'sgotthekindofnervethat\'swanted。AndnowI
ratherfancyhe\'swhistlinginhisflock，\'
Blenkironconsultedanotebook。\'Pavia-that\'stheArgentineman-startedlastmonthforEurope。HetranshippedfromacoastingsteamerintheWestIndiesandwe\'vetemporarilylosttrackofhim，buthe\'slefthishunting-ground。Whatdoyoureckonthatmeans？\'
\'Itmeans，\'Blenkironcontinuedsolemnly，\'thatIverythinksthegame\'snearlyover。Theplay\'sworkingupforthebigclimax……
AndthatclimaxisgoingtobedamnationfortheAllies，unlesswegetamoveon。\'
\'Right，\'Isaid。\'That\'swhatI\'mherefor。What\'sthemove？\'
\'TheWildBirdsmustn\'tevergohome，andthemantheycallIveryorBommaertsorCheliushastodecease。It\'sacold-bloodedproposition，butit\'shimortheworldthat\'sgottobreak。Butbeforehequitsthisearthwe\'reboundtogetwiseaboutsomeofhisplans，andthatmeansthatwecan\'tjustshootapistolathisface。
Alsowe\'vegottofindhimfirst。Wereckonhe\'sinSwitzerland，butthatisastatewithquitealotofdiversifiedscenerytoloseamanin……StillIguesswe\'llfindhim。Butit\'sthekindofbusinesstoplanoutascarefullyasabattle。I\'mgoingbacktoBerneonmyoldstunttobosstheshow，andI\'mgivingtheorders。You\'reanobedientchild，Dick，soIdon\'treckononanytroublethatway。\'
ThenBlenkirondidanominousthing。HepulledupalittletableandstartedtolayoutPatiencecards。Sincehisduodenumwascuredheseemedtohavedroppedthathabit，andfromhisresumingitIgatheredthathismindwasuneasy。Icanseethatsceneasifitwereyesterday-theFrenchcolonelinanarmchairsmokingacigaretteinalongamberholder，andBlenkironsittingprimlyontheedgeofayellowsilkottoman，dealinghiscardsandlookingguiltilytowardsme。
\'You\'llhavePeterforcompany，\'hesaid。\'Peter\'sasadman，buthehasagreatheart，andhe\'sbeenmightyusefultomealready。
They\'regoingtomovehimtoEnglandverysoon。Theauthoritiesareafraidofhim，forhe\'sapttotalkwild，hishealthhavingmadehimpeevishabouttheBritish。Butthere\'sadealofred-tapeintheworld，andtheordersforhisrepatriationareslowincoming。\'Thespeakerwinkedveryslowlyanddeliberatelywithhislefteye。
IaskedifIwastobewithPeter，muchcheeredattheprospect。
\'Why，yes。YouandPeterarethecollateralinthedeal。Butthebiggame\'snotwithyou。\'
Ihadapresentimentofsomethingcoming，somethinganxiousandunpleasant。
\'IsMaryinit？\'Iasked。
Henoddedandseemedtopullhimselftogetherforanexplanation。
\'Seehere，Dick。OurmainjobistogetIverybacktoAlliedsoilwherewecanhandlehim。Andthere\'sjusttheonemagnetthatcanfetchhimback。Youaren\'tgoingtodenythat。\'
Ifeltmyfacegettingveryred，andthatuglyhammerbeganbeatinginmyforehead。Twograve，patienteyesmetmyglare。
\'I\'mdamnedifI\'llallowit！\'Icried。\'I\'vesomerighttoasayinthething。Iwon\'thaveMarymadeadecoy。It\'stooinfernallydegrading。\'
\'Itisn\'tpretty，butwarisn\'tpretty，andnothingwedoispretty。
I\'dhaveblushedlikearosewhenIwasyoungandinnocenttoimaginethethingsI\'veputmyhandtointhelastthreeyears。Buthaveyouanyotherway，Dick？I\'mnotproud，andI\'llscraptheplanifyoucanshowmeanother……NightafternightI\'vehammeredthethingout，andIcan\'thitonabetter……Heigh-ho，Dick，thisisn\'tlikeyou，\'andhegrinnedruefully。\'You\'remakingyourselfafineargumentinfavourofcelibacy-intimeofwar，anyhowWhatisitthepoetsings？-
Whitehandsclingtothebridlerein，Slippingthespurfromthebootedheel-\'
Iwasasangryassin，butIfeltallthetimeIhadnocase。BlenkironstoppedhisgameofPatience，sendingthecardsflyingoverthecarpet，andstraddledonthehearthrug。
\'You\'renevergoingtobeapiker。What\'sdooty，ifyouwon\'tcarryittotheothersideofHell？What\'stheuseofyappingaboutyourcountryifyou\'regoingtokeepanythingbackwhenshecallsforit？What\'sthegoodofmeaningtowinthewarifyoudon\'tputeverycentyou\'vegotonyourstake？You\'llmakemethinkyou\'relikethejacksinyourEnglishnovelsthatchuckintheirhandandsayit\'suptoGod，andcallthat“seeingitthrough“……No，Dick，thatkindofdootydon\'tdeserveablessing。Youdursn\'tkeepbackanythingifyouwanttosaveyoursoul。
\'Besides，\'hewenton，\'whatagirlitis！Shecan\'tscareandshecan\'tsoil。She\'swhite-hotyouthandinnocence，andshe\'dtakenomoreharmthancleansteelfromamuck-heap。\'
IknewIwasbadlyinthewrong，butmypridewasallraw。
\'I\'mnotgoingtoagreetillI\'vetalkedtoMary。\'
\'ButMissMaryhasconsented，\'hesaidgently。\'Shemadetheplan。\'
Nextday，inclearblueweatherthatmighthavebeenMay，IdroveMarydowntoFontainebleau。Welunchedintheinnbythebridgeandwalkedintotheforest。Ihadn\'tsleptmuch，forIwastorturedbywhatIthoughtwasanxietyforher，butwhichwasintruthjealousyofIvery。Idon\'tthinkthatIwouldhavemindedherriskingherlife，forthatwaspartofthegamewewerebothin，butIjibbedatthenotionofIverycomingnearheragain。Itoldmyselfitwashonourablepride，butIknewdeepdowninmethatitwasjealousy。
IaskedherifshehadacceptedBlenkiron\'splan，andsheturnedmischievouseyesonme。
\'IknewIshouldhaveascenewithyou，Dick。ItoldMrBlenkironso……OfcourseIagreed。I\'mnotevenverymuchafraidofit。I\'mamemberoftheteam，youknow，andImustplayuptomyform。I
can\'tdoaman\'swork，soallthemorereasonwhyIshouldtacklethethingIcando。\'
\'But，\'Istammered，\'it\'ssucha……suchadegradingbusinessforachildlikeyou。Ican\'tbear……Itmakesmehottothinkofit。\'
Herreplywasmerrylaughter。
\'You\'reanoldOttoman，Dick。Youhaven\'tdoubledCapeTurkyet，andIdon\'tbelieveyou\'reroundSeraglioPoint。Why，womenaren\'tthebrittlethingsmenusedtothinkthem。Theyneverwere，andthewarhasmadethemlikewhipcord。Blessyou，mydear，we\'rethetoughersexnow。We\'vehadtowaitandendure，andwe\'vebeensobeatenontheanvilofpatiencethatwe\'velostallourmegrims。\'
Sheputherhandsonmyshouldersandlookedmeintheeyes。
\'Lookatme，Dick，lookatyoursomeday-to-beespousedsaint。
I\'mnineteenyearsofagenextAugust。BeforethewarIshouldhaveonlyjustputmyhairup。Ishouldhavebeenthekindofshiveringdebutantewhoblusheswhenshe\'sspokento，andoh！I
shouldhavethoughtsuchsilly，sillythingsaboutlife……Well，inthelasttwoyearsI\'vebeenclosetoit，andtodeath。I\'venursedthedying。I\'veseensoulsinagonyandintriumph。Englandhasallowedmetoserveherassheallowshersons。Oh，I\'marobustyoungwomannow，andindeedIthinkwomenwerealwaysrobusterthanmen……Dick，dearDick，we\'relovers，butwe\'recomradestoo-
alwayscomrades，andcomradestrusteachother。\'
Ihadn\'tanythingtosay，exceptcontrition，forIhadmylesson。I
hadbeenslippingawayinmythoughtsfromthegravityofourtask，andMaryhadbroughtmebacktoit。Irememberthataswewalkedthroughthewoodlandwecametoaplacewheretherewerenosignsofwar。Elsewherethereweremenbusyfellingtrees，andanti-aircraftguns，andanoccasionaltransportwagon，butheretherewasonlyashallowgrassyvale，andinthedistance，bloomedoverlikeaplumintheeveninghaze，theroofsofanolddwelling-houseamonggardens。
Maryclungtomyarmaswedrankinthepeaceofit。
\'Thatiswhatliesforusattheendoftheroad，Dick，\'shesaidsoftly。
Andthen，asshelooked，Ifeltherbodyshiver。ShereturnedtothestrangefancyshehadhadintheStGermainswoodsthreedaysbefore。
\'Somewhereit\'swaitingforusandweshallcertainlyfindit……
ButfirstwemustgothroughtheValleyoftheShadow……Andthereisthesacrificetobemade……thebestofus。\'
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
StAntonTendayslatertheporterJosephZimmerofArosa，cladinthetoughandshapelesstrousersofhisclass，butsportinganoldvelveteenshooting-coatbequeathedtohimbyaformerGermanmaster-speakingthegutturaltongueoftheGrisons，andwithallhisbelongingsinonemassiverucksack，cameoutofthelittlestationofStAntonandblinkedinthefrostysunshine。Helookeddownuponthelittleoldvillagebesideitsiceboundlake，buthisbusinesswaswiththenewvillageofhotelsandvillaswhichhadsprungupinthelasttenyearssouthofthestation。Hemadesomehaltinginquiriesofthestationpeople，andacab-driveroutsidefinallydirectedhimtotheplacehesought-thecottageoftheWidowSummermatter，whereresidedanEnglishintern，onePeterPienaar。
TheporterJosephZimmerhadhadalongandroundaboutjourney。AfortnightbeforehehadworntheuniformofaBritishmajor-general。AssuchhehadbeentheinmateofanexpensiveParishotel，tillonemorning，ingreytweedclothesandwithalimp，hehadtakentheParis-MediterraneanExpresswithaticketforanofficers\'convalescenthomeatCannes。Thereafterhehaddeclinedinthesocialscale。AtDijonhehadbeenstillanEnglishman，butatPontarlierhehadbecomeanAmericanbagmanofSwissparentage，returningtowinduphisfather\'sestate。AtBernehelimpedexcessively，andatZurich，atalittleback-streethotel，hebecamefranklythepeasant。Forhemetafriendtherefromwhomheacquiredclotheswiththatoddranksmell，farstrongerthanHarristweed，whichmarkstheraimentofmostSwissguidesandallSwissporters。Healsoacquiredanewnameandanoldaunt，whoalittlelaterreceivedhimwithopenarmsandexplainedtoherfriendsthathewasherbrother\'ssonfromArosawhothreewintersagohadhurthislegwood-cuttingandhadbeendischargedfromthelevy。
AkindlySwissgentleman，asitchanced，hadheardofthedeservingJosephandinterestedhimselftofindhimemployment。ThesaidphilanthropistmadeahobbyoftheFrenchandBritishprisonersreturnedfromGermany，andhadinmindanofficer，acrabbedSouthAfricanwithabadleg，whoneededaservant。Hewas，itseemed，anill-temperedoldfellowwhohadtobebilletedalone，andsincehecouldspeakGerman，hewouldbehappierwithaSwissnative。Josephhaggledsomewhatoverthewages，butonhisaunt\'sadviceheacceptedthejob，and，withaverycompletesetofpapersandastoreofready-madereminiscences(ittookhimsometimetoswotupthenamesofthepeaksandpasseshehadtraversed)
setoutforStAnton，havingdispatchedbeforehandamonstrouslyill-speltletterannouncinghiscoming。Hecouldbarelyreadandwrite，buthewasgoodatmaps，whichhehadstudiedcarefully，andhenoticedwithsatisfactionthatthevalleyofStAntongaveeasyaccesstoItaly。
Ashejourneyedsouththereflectionsofthatporterwouldhavesurprisedhisfellowtravellersinthestuffythird-classcarriage。HewasthinkingofaconversationhehadhadsomedaysbeforeinacafeatDijonwithayoungEnglishmanboundforModane……
Wehadbumpedupagainsteachotherbychanceinthatstrangeflittingwhenallwenttodifferentplacesatdifferenttimes，askingnothingofeachother\'sbusiness。Wakehadgreetedmerathershamefacedlyandhadproposeddinnertogether。
Iamnotgoodatreceivingapologies，andWake\'sembarrassedmemorethantheyembarrassedhim。\'I\'mabitofacadsometimes，\'hesaid。
\'YouknowI\'mabetterfellowthanIsoundedthatnight，Hannay。\'
Imumbledsomethingaboutnottalkingrot-theconventionalphrase。Whatworriedmewasthatthemanwassuffering。Youcouldseeitinhiseyes。ButthateveningIgotnearerWakethaneverbefore，andheandIbecametruefriends，forhelaidbarehissoulbeforeme。Thatwashistrouble，thathecouldlaybarehissoul，forordinaryhealthyfolkdon\'tanalysetheirfeelings。Wakedid，andIthinkitbroughthimrelief。
