"And from the Golden Gate to the Delaware capes, and from the Soo to the Gulf, the spies of Germany swarm in your great Republic, planning your destruction in antic.i.p.ation of the war which will surely come."

Barres reddened in the darkness and his heart beat more rapidly:

"You think it really will come?"

"War with Germany? My friend, I am certain of it. Your Government may not be certain. It is, if you permit a foreigner to say so--an--unusual Administration.... In this way, for example: it is cognisant of almost everything treasonable that is happening; it maintains agents in close contact with every mischief-hatching German diplomat in this hemisphere; it even has agents in the German Emba.s.sies--agents unsuspected, who daily rub elbows with German Amba.s.sadors themselves!

"It knows what Luxburg is doing; it is informed every day concerning Bernstorff's dirty activities; the details of the Mexican and j.a.panese affairs are familiar to Mr. Lansing; all that happens aboard the _Geier_, the interned German liners--all that occurs in German consulates, commercial offices, business houses, clubs, cafes, saloons, is no secret to your Government.

"Yet, nothing has been done, nothing is being done except to continue to collect data of the most monstrous and stupendous conspiracy that ever threatened a free nation! I repeat that nothing is being done; no preparation is being made to face the hurricane which has been looming for two years and more, growing ever blacker over your horizon. All the world can see the lightning playing behind those storm clouds.

"And, my G.o.d!--not an umbrella! Not an order for overshoes and raincoats!... I am not, perhaps, in error when I suggest that the Administration is an--unusual one."

Barres nodded slowly.

Renoux said:

"I am sorry. The reckoning will be heavy."

"I know."

"Yes, you know. Your great politician, Mr. Roosevelt, knows; your great Admiral, Mahan, knew; your great General, Wood, knows. Also, perhaps some million or more sane, clear thinking American citizens know." He made a hopeless gesture. "It is a pity, Barres, my friend.... Well--it is, of course, the affair of your people to decide.... We French can only wait.... But we have never doubted your ultimate decision.... Lafayette did not live in vain. Yorktown was not merely a battle. Your Washington lighted a torch for your people and for ours to hold aloft eternally. Even the rain of blood drenching our Revolution could not extinguish it. It still burned at Gravelotte, at Metz, at Sedan. It burned above the smoke and dust of the Commune. It burned at the Marne. It still burns, mon ami."

"Yes."

"Alors----" He sat silent for a few moments, his gaze intent on the starry obscurity outdoors. Then, slow and pleasantly:

"The particular mess, the cooking of which interests my Government, the English Government, and yours, is now on the point of boiling over. It's this Irish stew I speak of. Poor devils--they must be crazy, every one of them, to do what they are already beginning to do.... You remember the papers which you secured?"

"Yes."

"Well, what we did last night at Grogan's has prematurely dumped the fat into the fire. They know they've been robbed; they know that their plans are in our hands. Do you suppose that stops them? No! On the contrary, they are at this very moment attempting, as you say in New York, to beat us to it."

"How do you mean?"

"This way: the signal for an Irish attempt on Canada is to be the destruction of the Welland Ca.n.a.l. You remember the German suggestion that an ore steamer be seized? They're going to try it. And if that fails, they're to take their power boat into the ca.n.a.l anyway and blow up a lock, even if they blow up themselves with it. Did you ever hear of such madness? Mon dieu, if only we had those men under your flag on our western front!"

"Do you know who these men are?" asked Barres.

"Your dinner guest--Murtagh Skeel--leads this company of Death."

"When?"

"Now! To-morrow! That's why I'm here! That's why your Secret Service men are arriving. I tell you the mess is on the point of boiling over.

The crew is already on its way to take over the launch. They're travelling west singly, by separate trains and routes."

"Do you know who they are--these madmen?"

"Here is the list--don't strike a light! I can recall their names, I think--some of them anyway----"

"Are any of them Germans?"

"Not one. Your German doesn't blow himself up with anything but beer.

Not he! No; he lights a fuse and legs it! I don't say he's a coward.

But self-immolation for abstract principle isn't in him. There have been instances resembling it at sea--probably not genuine--not like that poor sergeant of ours in 1870, who went into the citadel at Laon and shoved a torch into the bin of loose powder under the magazine....

Because the city had surrendered. And Paris was not many miles away.... So he blew himself up with citadel, magazine, all the Prussians in the neighbourhood, and most of the town.... Well--these Irish are planning something of that sort on the Welland Ca.n.a.l....

Murtagh Skeel leads them. The others I remember are Madigan, Ca.s.sidy, Dolan, McBride--and that fellow Soane!----"

"Is _he_ one of them?"

"He surely is. He went west on the same train that brought Skeel here.

And now I'll tell you what has been done and why I'm here.

"We haven't located the power-boat on the lake. But the Canadians are watching for it and your agents are following these Irishmen. When the crew a.s.sembles they are to be arrested and their power-boat and explosives seized.

"I and my men have no official standing here, of course--would not be tolerated in any co-operation, _officially_. But we have a certain understanding with certain authorities."

Barres nodded.

"You see? Very well. Then, with delicacy and discretion, we keep in touch with Mr. Skeel.... And with other people.... You see?... He is abed in the large house of Mr. Gerhardt over yonder at Northbrook....

Under surveillance.... He moves? We move--very discreetly. You see?"

"Certainly."

"Very well, then. But I am obliged to tell you, also, that the hunting is not done entirely by our side. No! In turn, I and my men, and also your agents, are being hunted by German agents.... It is that which annoys and hampers us, because these German agents continually dog us and give the alarm to these Irishmen. You see?"

"Who are the German agents? Do you know?"

"Very well indeed. Bernstorff is the head; Von Papen and Boy-ed come next. Under them serve certain so-called 'Diplomatic Agents of Cla.s.s No. 1'--Adolf Gerhardt is one of them; his partners, Otto Klein and Joseph Schwartzmeyer are two others.

"They, in turn, have under them diplomatic agents of the second cla.s.s--men such as Ferez Bey, Franz Lehr, called _K17_. You see? Then, lower still in the scale, come the spies who actually investigate under orders; men like Dave Sendelbeck, Johnny Klein, Louis Hochstein, Max Freund. And, then, lowest of all in rank are the rank and file--the secret 'shock-troops' who carry out desperate enterprises under some leader. Among the Germans these are the men who sneak about setting fires, lighting the fuses of bombs, scuttling ships, defacing Government placards, poisoning Red Cross bandages to be sent to the Allies--that sort. But among them are no battalions of Death. _Non pas!_ And, for that, you see, they use these Irish. You understand now?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, then! I trust you absolutely, Barres. And so I came over to ask you--and your clever friends, Mademoiselle Dunois, Miss Soane, Mr.

Westmore, to keep their eyes on this man Skeel to-morrow afternoon and also to-morrow evening. Because they will be guests at the Gerhardts'.

Is it not so?"

"Yes."

"Well, your Government's agents will be there. They will also be in the neighbourhood, watching roads and railway stations. I have one man in service with the Gerhardts--their head chauffeur. If anything happens--if Skeel tries to slip away--if you miss him--I would be very grateful if you and your friends notify the head chauffeur, Menard."

"We'll try to do it."

"That's all I want. Just get word to Menard that Skeel seems to be missing. That will be sufficient. Will you say this to your friends?"

"Yes, I will, Renoux. I'll be glad to. I'll be particularly happy to offer to Miss Dunois this proof of your confidence in her integrity."

Renoux looked very grave.