The editorial staff of the Mercury had certainly done their work very well. No detail had been spared to make the report absolutely complete. Everybody was reminded that recently there had been a great deal of friction1 in that corner of the Balkans known as Asturia. It was well known that for many years Russia had coveted2 that fair province. Up to now the crown of the King of Asturia had been quite safe. But with the advent4 of the present monarch5 things were entirely6 different. King Erno had very early in his career given evidence that he did not appreciate the full measure of responsibility. He was too fond of gaiety and pleasure; he had no patriotism7. His people were a stern, hard-living race, and they did not tolerate the gaiety of the new court.
The queen was all very well, but she was only the consort8, after all. It was useless for her to be ever on the spot whilst the king was dissipating his fortune and spending the money ground from his people by extra taxation9 in London and Paris. And latterly eyes had been turned to Vienna, where dwelt Prince Alix, who was known to covet3 the throne. At any moment there might be a glaring tragedy, and Prince Alix might find himself with the crown. That Prince Alix was notoriously a friend of Russia mattered little at the present juncture10.
Lechmere read all this as he hurried along Fleet Street. He also read a lot of information that was true, and more that was false. Evidently the Mercury people cared for nothing beyond the sensation of the hour. But after all this came the sting of the thing. The King of Asturia had that night gone down to the Mercury office and demanded audience of the editor. He had been very wild and violent, and the intimation that he was hopelessly intoxicated11 was not very carefully concealed13. The king wished it to be understood that he had done with Asturia. He had not the slightest intention of going back to his capital any more. His abdication14 was signed, and doubtless by that time a deputation was on its way to Vienna to offer the throne to Prince Alix. Altogether, it was perhaps the most sensational15 report that ever appeared even in an American paper. It was certain to create a great commotion16, and set all the courts of Europe by the ears.
"Well, of all the amazing audacity17!" Lechmere muttered as he raced along. "Nothing more daring had ever been done in the history of political intrigue18. I wonder if Hunt suspects the truth. Not that it would make any difference to him so long as he could shift the responsibility afterwards, as I daresay he will be prepared with proofs that he was justified19 in what he did. There is only one way to get even with this thing."
Lechmere arrived at length at the office of the Daily Herald20. The paper in question had very little taint21 of the modern spirit about it. There was no chance, for instance, that it would ever be published for less than a penny. The Herald had no very great reputation for enterprise, but it was[188] sound and safe, and everything therein would be accepted as true. No newspaper in the kingdom carried more weight, no journal had a greater reputation for veracity22.
The Herald had not gone to press yet. There was no great hurry, seeing that the feverish23 rush to capture circulation had never commended itself to the paper's proprietors24. There was a sense of decorum about the office that had been lacking in the entourage of the Mercury. The place seemed more dignified25; there was no noise; all the corridors had felted floors. Even down in the manager's office the same decorum prevailed.
Lechmere knew that he would have no difficulty in seeing the editor of the Herald. In the first place, that gentleman was an old friend of his; indeed, Lechmere had contributed from time to time many articles on foreign politics. Mr. Eveleigh was at liberty, and would see Mr. Lechmere at once. The editor was lying back in an armchair smoking a cigar.
"I have just finished, my dear fellow," he said. "I hope you have something good for me? Nothing wrong? You look actually excited, a most unusual thing for you."
"I certainly have come along at a pretty good pace," Lechmere admitted. "A most extraordinary thing has happened. If this matter is allowed to pass there is no limit to the damage that it may do. Will you be so good as to cast your eye on that, Eveleigh?"
The editor of the Herald took the Mercury in his hand as if he had been contaminated. There was a smile of contempt on his fine face. But the smile faded away, and an interested gleam came into his[189] eyes as he read. He tossed the paper aside at length.
"Nothing very wonderful," he said. "That is precisely26 how I should have expected the present ruler of Asturia to behave. It's a fine scoop27 for Hunt, and one after his own heart. He would set the whole of Europe in a blaze to sell an extra fifty thousand papers."
"Why not? He is an American, and his aim is to make money. He has the excuse that he is not bound by any patriotic28 scruples29. Do you believe that story?"
"It certainly has the impress of truth," Eveleigh said thoughtfully. "Hunt dare not hoax30 his public. The average Briton would never stand it. Besides, that's Hunt's own writing. He is perfectly31 certain to have taken the statement down from the royal lips."
"No doubt. Probably with the aid of a stenographer32. There are no flies on Hunt, to use a pet expression of his own. Let us assume for the sake of argument that Hunt fully12 believes that he has had the thing from the principal actor in the drama. But all the same, he didn't. The man who dictated33 that statement was no more King of Asturia than I am."
Eveleigh looked up brightly. Lechmere was not in the habit of making statements that he couldn't prove.
"As a matter of fact, the king has been at Lord Merehaven's all the evening," he went on. "I left him there a little while ago. This thing has been deliberately34 got up by the gang of conspirators35 who are working here in the interests of Russia and incidentally for their own pockets. When the proper time comes I will name all these conspirators to you.[190] I can even give you the name of the man who played the part for Hunt's benefit. They chose their people carefully, knowing that only the Mercury out of all the London journals would publish that without first consulting the Foreign Secretary. Don't you see the game? Every paper in Paris and Vienna and St. Petersburg will get a copy of that interview in extenso. It will create a perfect furore in Asturia if the lie is not most promptly36 contradicted. You see what I mean?"
"In the first place, that some clever actor has been playing the king?" Eveleigh asked.
"Yes. It was Countess Saens's idea in the first place. I am afraid that some of our people inspired her with the suggestion. But that is neither here nor there. That lie has to be scotched37, and you are the man to do it. After all said and done, the journalistic English authority abroad is the Herald. Therefore the Herald is going to print that wild story of Hunt's to-night and comment upon the audacity of the scheme. Also, you are going to proclaim the fact that the real King of Asturia was known to be at the residence of the Foreign Secretary, Lord Merehaven, at the time when he was supposed to be betraying his private affairs to the editor of the Mercury. If I were not absolutely certain of my facts I would not ask you to do this, Eveleigh. I want you to make a big thing of this. I want you to assume that Hunt has been hoaxed38, and call for the prompt punishment of the criminals. Is there time?"
"Oh, there is plenty of time," Eveleigh said thoughtfully. "No trouble on that score. And I think I can manage it. Sit down for a minute or two while I go and see my chief of staff."
Lechmere sat down fluttering over the pages of the Mercury. His restless eye wandered near the column and along the crowded advertisements. Finally his gaze stopped at the agony column. One line there arrested his attention. It was a jumbled39 cypher, but the training that Lechmere had had in that kind of thing enabled him to read it almost at a glance.
"I thought so," he said. "I felt absolutely certain of my man. So Peretori is in London! I might have guessed that from the first. Well, it seems to me that I am in a position to hoist40 these people with their own petard. So long as Peretori is not in earnest, well and good. I wonder if there is a telephone anywhere here?"
There was a telephone at the back of the editor's desk, and Lechmere promptly called up Scotland Yard in search of information. After a pause the information came, which Lechmere carefully jotted41 down in his pocket book. Eveleigh came back with the air of a busy man.
"I'm going to do it, Lechmere," he said. "No thanks needed: it will be a good thing for us. And now I shall be glad if you will go, as I shall be pretty busy for the next hour. I think you will be safe to leave matters in my hands."
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1
friction
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| n.摩擦，摩擦力 | |
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coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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covet
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| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
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advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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6
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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consort
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| v.相伴；结交 | |
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taxation
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| n.征税，税收，税金 | |
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juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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abdication
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| n.辞职；退位 | |
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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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taint
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| n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染 | |
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veracity
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| n.诚实 | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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proprietors
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| n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 ) | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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scoop
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| n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出 | |
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patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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hoax
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| v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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stenographer
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| n.速记员 | |
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dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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conspirators
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| n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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scotched
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| v.阻止( scotch的过去式和过去分词 )；制止（车轮）转动；弄伤；镇压 | |
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hoaxed
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| v.开玩笑骗某人，戏弄某人( hoax的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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jumbled
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| adj.混乱的；杂乱的 | |
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hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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41
jotted
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| v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下 | |
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