When It Was Dark: The Story of a Great ConspiracyThorne, Guy
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When It Was Dark: The Story of a Great Conspiracy
Thorne, Guy
Christian fiction; Conspiracies -- Fiction; England -- Fiction
The violin soars into great mysteries of emotion, calling high "in the
deep-domed empyrean." The flutes whisper a chorus to the great story of
their comrade. Yet, though the plangent sounding of the kettle-drums,
the single beat of the barbaric cymbals are in one note and unfrequent,
yet these minor messages go to swell the great tone-symphony and make it
perfect in the serene beauty of something _directed and ordained_.
"Sir," said the journalist, "the man must be made to speak. The methods
are indifferent to me."
"Oh, that can be done; we have a way," said the Governor.
He shifted a little among his cushions. A certain dryness came into his
voice as he resumed:
"Monsieur, however, as a man of the world, will understand, no doubt,
that when a private individual finds it necessary to invoke the powers
of law it is a vast undertaking to move so ponderous a machine?... also
it is a privilege? It is not, of course, a personal matter--_ça m'est
égal_. But there are certain unavoidable and indeed quite necessary
expenses which must be satisfied."
Spence well understood the polite humbug of all this. He knew that in
the East one buys justice--or injustice--as one can afford it. As the
correspondent of that great paper over which Ommaney presided, he had
always been able to spend money like water when it had been necessary.
He had those powers now. There was nothing unusual to him in the
situation, nor did he hesitate.
"Your Excellency," he said, "speaks with great truth upon these points.
It is ever from a man of your Excellency's penetration that one hears
those dicta which govern affairs. I have a certain object in view, and I
realise that to obtain it there are certain necessary formalities to be
gone through. I have with me letters of credit upon the bank of Lelain
Delaunay et Cie., of Jaffa, Jerusalem, and Athens."
"A sound, estimable house," said the Governor, with a very pleased
smile.
"It but then remains," said Spence, "to confer with the secretary of
your Excellency as to the sum which is necessary to pay for the legal
expenses of the inquiry."
"You speak most sensibly," said the Turk. "In the morning I will send
the captain commandant and the soldiers to the encampment. My secretary
shall accompany them. Then, Monsieur, when the little preliminaries are
arranged, you will be free to start for the farm of this dog Ionides. It
is not more than four miles from your camp, and my nephew will guide you
there. May Allah prosper your undertaking."
"--And have you in His care," replied Spence. "I will now have the
honour to wish your Excellency undisturbed rest."
He rose and bowed. The Turkish gentleman rose also and shook hands in
genial European fashion.
"Monsieur," he said, with an expansive smile, "Monsieur is without doubt
a thorough man of the world."
That night, in the suburbs of the city, sweet and fragrant as the olive
groves and fig trees were, cool and fresh as the night wind was, Spence
slept but little.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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