Espionage, German -- United States -- Fiction; Germans -- United States -- Fiction; Spy stories
And the Ambassador was right. Five minutes later, as Bernstorff
stretched forth his hand to receive the passports that meant his
expulsion from the United States, he apparently accidentally dropped
a handkerchief. And as the white cambric fluttered to the floor, the
servant, who had been waiting at the door, turned and hurried away.
On the way out, however, he paused, with displeasure written in every
line of his wrinkled face.
"It is absolutely impossible for the Ambassador to see anyone," he said
somewhat gruffly to the woman who had halted him, "he is extremely
busy."
"The Ambassador will see me--or I will know the reason why," came the
cool answer of the woman. "Tell him that Mrs. Blank is awaiting him."
"I cannot take him the message now. You must wait!"
"Very well." She walked to a couch in the ante-room. The servant
sped on with the news of his message--the news that was to flash to
every interned liner and gathering place of German spies in America.
Diplomatic relations had been broken! The Ambassador had been handed
his passports.
So it was that dots, dots, nothing but dots began to flash forth from
a private wireless--and continued to flash for eight long hours.
Speedily those dots found their way to concealed wireless receiving
stations on every interned ship in American ports, to cause a rush of
destruction as mallets, sedges--even bombs--were used upon the engines
and machinery of the great ships.
Meanwhile following the visit of the representative of the Secretary
of State, Bernstorff stared at his passports, and then turned with
asperity toward his privy counselor.
"So you have caused it at last, eh?" he asked.
"I?" Dr. Albert stared. "And what did I have to do with it?"
"Everything!" he snarled. "America would have known nothing of our
plans if it had not been for you. It was you who gave them the lead to
everything. You lost your portfolio. They found in there, the papers
that gave the Secret Service the main clue to all our activities. It
was easy for them to follow the other plans and plots after that. And
so, why should they not accuse us of wrong-doing? Oh, Albert, why were
you so foolish? Why did you allow that information to be lost?"
"And I suppose," answered Albert somewhat caustically "you have never
given any information? I----"
"I? Certainly not!"
"Be careful, Count!"
It was a woman's voice. Von Bernstorff whirled as though struck by a
bullet to look into the smiling face of Mrs. Evelyn Blank. The broker's
wife came forward.
"I really had to come to Dr. Albert's assistance," she cooed. "Really
you are not giving yourself proper credit. So I felt impelled to come
forth and say in your own behalf that undoubtedly you have given up
more information than he ever had."
Dr. Albert smiled with the corner of his mouth. Von Bernstorff gasped.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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