CHAPTER XVIITHE CENTRAL COMMITTEEIt was with a heavy heart that Tanya followed her two companions to the Starnberg Bahnhof. For her escape from the Villa Monteori, so miraculously accomplished, had for the moment filled her with the hope that the end of her troubles was at hand. And the brief glimpse of happiness she had had in the discovery of the love and loyalty of Philippe Rowlan' had in their ecstatic hour of union driven from her consciousness all thought of that other allegiance and responsibility to which she had pledged her young life. It came to her with a distinct sense of shock that Philippe more than herself now seemed to feel that responsibility, and accept it as his first duty even above the claims that he had given her upon himself. Grave as were the dangers through which he had passed to save her and deadly as the dangers through which they must still pass as long as they remained in Germany, he had been able to put her aside, to force all thought of their happiness from his mind, in the accomplishment of his graver mission in the cause of Free Government.It was she who had brought him this responsibility and she loved him for the loyalty with which he fought for a cause not generically his own, but deep in her heart was a sense of failure, of disappointment in this, the greatest hour that could come in a woman's life.Only four days ago this valiant, careless American had come to her, a new type of being, such as she had never seen before, bringing with him the spirit of joy, unselfishness and honesty, committing himself merely because she had asked it of him, to a cause which as he could well see exposed him to nameless dangers; typical of his great nation across the seas which had now entered the world conflict, pouring into the inferno of German hatred its millions and its men, not for gain or glory, but merely that the world might be free for its brothers in democracy. In her heart she had not dared to admit even to herself that she loved this tall dark-haired stranger, who smiled and then fought and seemed to smile the more when fighting. But she knew now that she had loved him from the first, when he had come half-starved, and asked for bread, his eyes, which could be merry even in suffering, discerning with frank admiration the woman beneath her robes of Nemi. Nemi to him but a name, its priestess but a woman to whom he had committed himself without question and was now committed for all time. She had loved him then, but more than then or yesterday she loved him now for the unselfishness of a devotion which could dare so much without hope of other reward than she could give him. But the short definite commands at the moment of parting impressed her anew with the sense of intelligence and will which lay beneath his careless manner and the firm strong touch of his fingers bade her still have courage and faith whatever was to happen.And so, at last, calmly, she took up her burden, ready to accept her share in the dangers of the night as he would wish her to do. She had sent the message to Georg Senf, and with the aid of the telegraph officer at Starnberg, had managed to secure a compartment with her two companions for the short distance to Munich. They were silent men, watchful and obedient, solemnly aware of their responsibilities and at the Haupt Bahnhof which they reached near eleven o'clock hurried her to the cab that Herr Weiss had fortunately provided, for the rain was now falling in torrents. In the cab with the Chief Telegraph Operator beside her, the others following in another vehicle, they were driven to a house in the Schwaiger Strasse where the secret meetings of the Central Committee were held. As Herr Weiss talked to her on the way, she gained for the first time a definite conception of the position the Socialists of Munich had taken, the growing preponderance of the Revolutionary party and the efforts of the so-called Official Socialists, represented by Herr Scheideman, to pour oil upon the troubled waters of rebellion. The government, it seemed, had exhibited a growing anxiety as to the Bavarian propaganda, had interfered by police force in breaking up small meetings and was of course inimical to the work of the Central Committee which as every one in Bavaria knew was growing in influence and power. At the last meeting a month ago, money had been appropriated for the work of the Order of Nemi, to which all of the organizations had contributed, for the work in Russia. It was to the great international society that the Socialists of all creeds looked in their fight against the power of Berlin. Herr Senf was greatly respected for his wisdom and his intelligence, but he was growing old. Herr Rowland was English or American, but to Internationalism what did nationality matter? Herr Weiss had had the honor of meeting him but once, but it was clearly to be seen that here was a leader who could be counted on.Tanya glowed with pride, not a little astonished too at these words of commendation. She inquired as to the meeting to which they were bound and Herr Weiss looked grave, but told her that in the midst of friends she need have no fear, but that it would be necessary to make their entrance unobtrusive. Rain was pouring in torrents when they reached their destination, a house of ordinary appearance in a small street, beyond the Cornelius Bridge and close by the borders of the river. The windows were all dark for the blinds were drawn but Herr Weiss got down and, umbrella in hand, conducted the Fräulein with assurance to the door, where he knocked three times and after a careful scrutiny was admitted with their companions. It was with a feeling of some apprehension that Tanya went up the stairs behind him, for brave though she was she could not forget that she was in the heart of the enemy's country and that it was she who had taken the lost bag containing the money that these very men had helped contribute. Suppose that Philippe should not succeed....Upon the landing of the third floor they were halted at a door and scrutinized again, admitted at last to a suite of three large rooms with wide doors, filled with people, all smoking and listening to a man at the farther end of this improvised hall, who was addressing them. The ceiling was low and smoke-stained, and the atmosphere was heavy with the reek of tobacco, damp clothes and perspiring humanity and the smoky lamps which hung in brackets upon the wall seemed to be struggling in a futile effort to lighten the gloom. Upon the tables here and there were glasses and steins, some half full, some empty of the bitter stuff that they drank as a substitute for the beer they loved. There were several women present, and as the new comers entered, those nearest the door turned and scrutinized Tanya in a moment of curiosity and then again listened to the speaker, a youngish man with dark hair who seemed to have captured their attention. Herr Weiss found Tanya a chair and she sat while the men who had come from Starnberg took places around her.Though the room was oppressively hot, Tanya shivered, as though with cold, and clasped her hands to keep them from trembling. A feeling of disappointment and depression had come over her. This was the Central Committee of which she had heard so much--that old man at the table in the furthest room near the speaker, Georg Senf, with whom she had corresponded, once a councilor of Nemi and known from one end of Germany to the other. The sordid surroundings, the poverty of the appearance of those nearest her, their pinched, eager faces,--who were these poor half-starved looking wretches who dared oppose the might and majesty of the Prussian Eagles? Their task seemed so hopeless, so futile, and her own mission so uncertain, so fraught with complexity and danger. Her glance sought the door again and again, as she thought of flight, and she scrutinized each newcomer, hoping against hope that it might be Philippe. But at last she grew more tranquil and found herself catching some of the fire, some of the terrible earnestness of those about her, who sat leaning forward on their benches, with their burning eyes turned to the face of the young speaker, their minds responding to his intelligence and devotion in a silence that was eloquent of the sincerity of his appeal. And finally a phrase that he uttered, poignant of a truth that lay near her own heart, caught her attention and forgetting herself she listened at last as abstracted and as eager as those about her."The foes of the people are growing ever bolder, ever more shameless," he cried. "War wastrels, war instigators, war profiteers, those to whom the misery of the people brings power and gain. Such wish no peace. Workmen! Our brothers the Russian proletariat were but a few weeks ago in the same plight, but we know what happened in Russia. Russian labor has crushed Czarism and has gained a democratic republic. And we? Are we still patiently to endure the old poverty, extortion, hunger and murder of the people--the cause of our pain and agony?"No! a thousand times no! Quit the workshops and factories. Let labor stop."Man of toil, awake from slumber!Recognize thy growing might!All the wheels will lose their motionWithout thy strong arm's devotion."Down with the war! Down with the Government! Peace! Freedom! Bread!"It was the sincerity of the man more than what he said that impressed her. He finished amid loud handclaps and calls, followed by the hum and buzz of excitement. From this moment Tanya was one of them. Rough as it was, here was the leaven to permeate the mass and set the nation free.Senf with a glance at his watch and an anxious look toward the door, next introduced Herr Liederman, who rose, swaying from side to side, his deep bass rumbling to the deeper accompaniment of the storm outside. Tanya, from her sheltered position searched for and found Zoya Rochal, near the speaker's table, her modish hat, rakishly on one side, somewhat out of place, it seemed, in this motley gathering. Herr Hochwald was near the speaker's table too, her companion whispered, but there was no cause for alarm. So Tanya crouched lower, hiding behind the broad back of the man in front of her, aware of the impending crisis, but no longer timid or uncertain. The words of the speaker had given her new courage. Even death, he had said, was a privilege in so great a cause, and she had believed him,--even death--if this was required of her.Liederman was much in earnest and after a brief peroration, announcing his own stand upon the floor of the Reichstag, a position which he said had carried the cause as far as he dared, he spoke of the work of the Society of Nemi, in the past five years in sending speakers to America, to England, France and Italy, in spreading reading matter in Russia, Austria and Germany. Russia had already cast off her shackles--which other Monarchy would be next to follow? He belonged to the Council of this great international society, had gone to Nemi, the headquarters in Switzerland, to vote the appropriation of a large sum of money from the treasury of the society which was to be used in aiding to restore order among the Slavic people under a form of government which would be acceptable to all Socialists throughout the world. But Herr Kirylo Ivanitch, the wise and prudent leader of the order, had died, even while the Council was meeting, and another leader had been elected in his place--one Herr Rowland, an American of New York, a young man of extraordinary sagacity and will, deeply committed to the cause, an enemy only of the military caste, the war wastrels, and profiteers, of whom Herr Fenner had spoken, who were also the enemies of all Socialists the world over.Here Liederman found a moment to glance at Zoya Rochal whose rakish hat bobbed quickly in approval."But a disaster has befallen the Order of Nemi, my friends," he went on more quickly. "Its vault containing money in bank-notes of various denominations to the amount of twenty-five millions of francs three days ago was entered and robbed and the money carried away--and into Germany."A tremendous commotion ran in waves from one end of the assemblage to another. But when Senf rose, rapping for order, a hush fell over the room and utter silence followed."I will tell you the facts," Liederman went on. "It is your right to know them, as it was your money and that of others even poorer than yourselves which was given to this cause. Herr Rowland had reason to believe that an attempt would be made to break into the vault during the night after the day in which he came into office. And so he and Fräulein Korasov, who had been the Secretary of Kirylo Ivanitch, decided to remove the money secretly to a place of safety----"A man in the assemblage had risen and stood quite calmly face to face with Max Liederman. It was Gregory Hochwald. The incisiveness of his voice no less than the words he uttered, startled the room into sudden excitement."A place of safety, Herr Liederman," he sneered. "So safe a place, indeed, that it would never have been discovered."Georg Senf quieted the tumult with an effort."Herr Liederman will proceed. Herr Hochwald will be heard in a moment.""While engaged in this occupation," Liederman went on in a louder tone, "Herr Khodkine, a member of the Council from the Moscow Committee, came upon Herr Rowland and Fräulein Korasov in the vault. What he had come there for is best left to your imagination. An altercation between Herr Rowland and Herr Khodkine followed, and a struggle in which firearms were freely used and Herr Rowland was left for dead at the vault. Madame Rochal and I, hearing the sounds of the explosions, rushed out of the house but by this time Herr Khodkine had fled, taking with him not only the money but Fräulein Korasov as well.""In whose machine, Herr Liederman?" asked Hochwald, with a laugh.Zoya Rochal had sprung to her feet."In mine, where it had been left just outside the wall."Her cool tones fell like a naked sword between them.Hochwald shrugged and sat."Silence!" cried Senf.Liederman finished his testimony without further interruptions until he reached the end, when, leaning forward, he pointed his stubby forefinger at the smiling Hochwald and proclaimed him as the Russian Khodkine. Georg Senf rapped furiously for order, but the roar refused to diminish until the Committeemen saw Hochwald standing upright facing them, his handsome face quite composed, awaiting his opportunity. Not until the disturbance had been quieted did he speak and then very deliberately, his pale eyes passing slowly over the audience as though seeking out those who had cried the loudest against him."Friends and brothers," he began, "if you will have patience for a few moments I will tell you what has happened. I am Herr Khodkine the Russian Socialist. I am Herr Hochwald the German Socialist, for in my politics I recognize no nationality--no power but that which comes from the people themselves."A murmur more encouraging greeted this announcement."I am German by birth, but the wrongs of Russia were greater than any you had suffered here. I changed my name and went to Russia to work for the revolutionary party and was one of those who was sent to the train which carried Nicholas Romanoff toward Tsarskoë Seloe and demanded of him in the name of the Russian people his abdication from the throne. I was one of those who conducted him to Tobolsk where he is now imprisoned, a harmless fool, a terrible warning to those who still hope to thwart the will of the people." Herr Hochwald shrugged easily, "You may verify my statements if you please. They are on record. Monsieur Rodzianko can give them to you. As to my loyalty to the cause of Internationalism, I have three times been nominated as Councilor of Nemi and have always served it faithfully and you, my brothers, in a common cause. Therefore---" He turned with a frown at Herr Liederman and raised his voice a note--"Therefore what I say to you must be the truth. Would I come here into your midst a guilty man, to have myself torn to pieces?"A brief murmur of approbation and cries of "Speak then!""I will," he continued in a louder tone. "Herr Liederman has testified that I went to the vault at Nemi and interrupted Herr Rowland and Fräulein Korasov while they were removing the twenty-five millions of francs. He speaks the truth. I did so. Why? Because I suspected this Herr Rowland, an adventurer, a pig of a Yankee, an escaped prisoner from a German camp. You may verify that too, at military headquarters. We do not love the Yankees in Germany, or in Russia, for money alone is their God, their fetich, and they have entered this war to prolong it that their own capitalists may reap the harvest of our suffering."Louder cries of approval from those nearest him."Wait, my brothers. I am not finished yet. Herr Liederman has said that Herr Rowland suspected his associates of the Council of Nemi--Herr Liederman of Stuttgart, Madame Rochal, your own representative--myself! Herr Liederman has been easily deceived by this plausible American. He meant to take this money away from Europe.Yourmoney, my brothers, back to New York and spend it for his own uses. And Fräulein Korasov----"He paused for a moment and lowered his voice slightly."Fräulein Korasov was also deceived." He shrugged again and faced his audience, leaning forward, one fist extended. "I did what you would do, my brothers, at the risk of my life. I overpowered this renegade soldier, and imprisoning Fräulein Korasov, brought the money here to Munich to you that you might keep it safely and dispose of it in all honesty in the purpose to which it has been dedicated. Did I do well or no?"Cries of "Hoch," the clapping of hands and the clatter of steins and glasses upon the tables at the sides.Order was restored with difficulty for it was clear that Herr Hochwald had swayed his hearers."I have said little of Fräulein Korasov, who has labored earnestly for Russia. But all women are not wise----""True!" interrupted a little thin man with a nasal voice upon his left."Indeed, few women are wise enough to face alone so grave a responsibility. Fräulein Korasov was ill-guided. She believed in the honesty of this American adventurer, and for a reason which I will give if you demand it, distrusts me. Upon the journey from Nemi to Munich last night she succeeded in taking the bank-notes from the suitcase in which I had placed them--and put them in her own bag, filling the bag I carried with rocks from the road while I was repairing a tire.""Where is Fräulein Korasov?" thundered a voice.Tanya shrank down in her seat, trembling, while Herr Weiss spoke words of courage in her ear, which she heard faintly above the tumult."In a moment, Fräulein--our time will come. Be brave. No one can harm you."In the meanwhile Georg Senf had difficulty in restoring order, for the meeting, it seemed, had gotten beyond his control. Question after question was hurled at Herr Hochwald from all parts of the room and he shouted his replies, gaining a greater assurance with every moment and telling a plausible story of Fräulein Korasov's ruse before he discovered his loss in sending the porter Drelich to the Haupt Bahnhof with the money, from which place it had been since taken away by a confederate--and had vanished."Where is Fräulein Korasov?" again thundered the terrible voice.And Tanya saw its owner now--a huge workman in a blouse, who had risen and stood before Herr Hochwald, both fists clenched in a fury."I am a poor man," he cried, "I make what little we have to eat at my house with the labor of these two hands. I have given money--money that might have gone into bread for my children. Where is she? Where is Fräulein Korasov?"Herr Hochwald faced the man calmly, waiting for him to finish. Then with a hand raised for silence he stood smiling and self-possessed. When the noise had subsided he spoke again."You ask me where she is? I tell you that I do not know. She has escaped----""How? Why? Did you not----""I drove with her in a cab to the Bureau of State Railways where I had sent the machine in which I had arrived from Switzerland. It was my intention to take her somewhere into the country and keep her under guard until the missing bag could be found. But upon the road I was set upon by two men who disarmed and beat me, and Fräulein Korasov went with them. You will see," he finished, pointing to the bruise upon his cheek which Rowland had inflicted. "You will see by this scar that I did not come off unscathed."He was clever enough to bait his lie with truth and they listened to him and believed. He did not notice, nor did they, the slip of paper which was brought in to Georg Senf, who read the message eagerly and then looked at his watch. The big workman was questioning again."Who were those men who attacked you?""How should I know," replied Hochwald. "The same who took the suit-case from the Haupt Bahnhof? I do not know. I know nothing more. The money is gone and all trace of Fräulein Korasov who took it."He stood easily, amid the uproar, that was renewed, smiling again, triumphant. Georg Senf rose in his place, held up his hand."Herr Hochwald," he said calmly, and Hochwald faced him. "I would like to ask you a few questions."Hochwald bowed."You speak of two men who attacked you in the automobile. Why did you stop to let them attack you?""They stood in the middle of the road and the car slowed down. When it stopped, they sprang upon the running board.""You were armed?""Yes, but they had me covered before I could get my weapon.""You had a chauffeur?""No.""That is all for the present, Herr Hochwald."And Hochwald sat down. Senf remained standing and with a sober face commanded silence. Men leaned forward in their seats, wondering what was coming next, aware from the manner of the chairman that the statement of Herr Hochwald was not to go unchallenged. The big man in the blouse at a gesture from Senf took his seat and the crowd became quiet. Hochwald had lighted a cigarette, and sent a quick look of challenge toward Liederman and Zoya Rochal. The venerable chairman began speaking."I charge you all," he began, "to remain quiet in your seats, for this is a grave matter and involves the probity of members of this Committee and of our Councilors in the Society of Nemi--which is responsible to us for the funds in its possession. At a late hour evidence has reached me which must be presented to you at once. The witness is a woman who has long labored for a government by the people."Senf paused a moment, raised his chin and gazed toward the distant end of the suite of rooms. Zoya Rochal nudged Liederman and they both stared at Herr Hochwald, who had turned in his chair, a frown at his brows, his glance swiftly sweeping the row of faces behind him."You will remember my instructions," said Senf. "The person who rises from his seat or interrupts the speaker will be ejected from the hall." And then, in a clear tone that reached every one in the rooms,"I now call Fräulein Tanya Korasov."Hochwald sprang to his feet but was immediately forced down by the two men who sat next him. There was a low sibilant murmur and all heads were turned as Tanya, followed by Herr Weiss and another, came quickly up the aisle. She bowed to Herr Senf and accepted a chair, which was provided for her, facing the crowd. She was very pale and the faint blue shadows around her eyes showed the strain under which she had labored and the incertitude of the present moment. She clasped and unclasped her hands in a moment of nervousness, but raised her head bravely, at Herr Senf's first question, her lips twisted in a little smile."Your name is Tanya Korasov?" asked the Chairman kindly."It is.""You are a Russian?""I am.""For how long were you the Secretary of Kirylo Ivanitch, the Head of the Order of Nemi?""Three years.""You shared his confidence?""More than anyone else.""You knew of the contents of the vault at Nemi?""Yes.""What have you to say as to the character and honesty of the newly elected President of the Order----?""I object," Hochwald cried, springing up."Silence," roared Senf, like Jove aroused. "Silence! You have testified. If you will not keep your tongue--you will be gagged."The men beside Hochwald had pulled him down into his seat and those of the crowd nearest him had assumed an angry attitude."You will answer my question, Fräulein.""Herr Rowland," she said clearly, "is the most honest, the most loyal man I have ever known.""It has been said that you went to the vault to take the money to a place of safety. Whose idea was this? His or yours?""Mine, Herr Senf. I had reason to believe that the vault would be entered by those without authority to do so. The combination of the door was in my possession----""How----?" The question was stifled upon the lips of Gregory Hochwald for a heavy hand was clapped over his lips while the man beside him held him down."Because----" she went on firmly, with a glance at Hochwald, "at the death of Kirylo Ivanitch it was mine to keep in trust for the new Leader of the Order.""You have heard the testimony of Herr Liederman and Herr Hochwald. Is the account of what happened at the vault true?""Substantially, yes.""And Herr Hochwald managed to escape and force you to go with him and the money in an automobile?""Yes.""You reached the Bayrischer Hof last night, having made the substitution of the money by a ruse?""It was the only thing to do," she said, her clear voice slightly raised. "I had to. It was my only chance.""Your only chance of what?""Of saving the money which belonged to the Society."The ingenuousness of her reply made an excellent impression."Then you believed that in Herr Hochwald's hands the money was in danger.""I knew it," she said simply."Silence!" again roared Senf, as an eager murmur went around the room, a sympathetic murmur which showed the shifting temper of the crowd. Once again Herr Hochwald had struggled in the arms of his captors and was again silent. The angry looks of those nearby showed him that he was playing a losing game."Herr Hochwald's testimony in regard to the porter Drelich is correct?""Yes. Except that I had no confederate. I knew no one in Munich except you, Herr Senf, and I had forgotten your address. I had hoped to recover the bag the next day, but the porter Drelich did not return with the check. Herr Hochwald with Herr Förster entered my room before there was time.""Who is Herr Förster?""An accomplice of Herr Hochwald.""Were you attacked in the automobile on the way to Starnberg?""Oh no. There was no attack.""And you reached the villa of Count Monteori quite safely?""Oh yes--safely.""And you were kept a prisoner there by Herr Hochwald, until you were rescued this evening?""That is true."Herr Hochwald's face was now quite unpleasant to see. He was very pale and the dark bruises upon his cheek had become unpleasantly prominent. His hair had been ruffled and his cravat disarranged and altogether he presented a very wild appearance.Senf glanced at him scornfully and then to Tanya:"That will be all for the present, Fräulein Korasov. If you will sit yonder----" indicating a chair nearby. Then he raised his voice again so that all might hear and summoned Zoya Rochal.As she got up there was another movement and murmur in the crowd, quickly suppressed as she began to speak. Madame Rochal knew her audience. Beauty had always been her weapon, but she had always had the good sense to realize that intelligence in this assemblage was the greater asset. She wore no rouge and though she wore her clothing smartly, this was somber and of the plainest."Madame Rochal--will you tell the Committee your judgment as to Herr Rowland?"Her fine teeth showed in the most ingenuous of smiles."He is aman," she said, with quick enthusiasm in her very slightly foreign accent. "And you may be sure that I know what a man is like."A nervous laugh from somewhere near the middle room broke the silence and then a ripple of amusement passed over the crowd. Their nervous tension was broken and with their smiles came their sympathy. Zoya Rochal wasen rapportat once. She was the center of interest and very much enjoying herself."A man, yes," said Senf smiling, "but as to his character, his loyalty, honesty, devotion----?""I would trust Herr Rowland," she said gravely, "to the very ends of the world.""You know then that it is not he who could have taken this money?""That would not have been possible. Until this afternoon either Herr Liederman or myself was with him constantly."Herr Senf nodded his head and looked at his watch upon the table. It seemed that he was playing for time."You went with Herr Rowland this afternoon to the Haupt Bahnhof with Drelich to present the check and recover the bag?""I did. It was not there. Someone had taken it.""Do you know Herr Berghof?""I met him today.""You have proof that he took the bag?""Yes. The woman at the house of Drelich saw him enter the room early in the morning where Drelich lay drunk. She knew Berghof well for he was Drelich's employer.""And Berghof took the check from the pocket of Drelich while he slept?""Yes. She saw him, through the crack of the door into the kitchen.""Thanks, Madame. That will be all." And then turning to a man near the platform, "Herr Yaeger, if you please."The Committeeman rose awkwardly and stood."You followed this clue this afternoon at my orders?""I did.""You received a report that Herr Berghof had been seen in a small pension near a house in Haidhausen?""I did.""Tell us what happened.""I went with two men from the factory and watched the place. We saw Herr Hochwald enter the house and----""At what time was this?""About three o'clock. A short while later they both came out and went away in an automobile together. We tried to follow but it was impossible. We lost them.""You have heard of Herr Berghof since that time?"Herr Yaeger paused and looked steadily at Hochwald."Herr Berghof was found in the Englischer Garten at half-past five. He had been murdered----!""I demand to be heard----"Hochwald with an effort had thrown the man next him aside, had risen to his feet, crying hoarsely, "I demand to be heard. It is my right----""Sit down----!" a hoarse voice shouted, while other hands reached for him. But with a tremendous effort he struggled free and faced them, pale and dishevelled, in a desperate effort to regain his lost ground. "Is this an inquisition?" he cried. "Is this the freedom you would give to Germany? You listen to the testimony of my enemies, not even sworn, who conspire to ruin me without permitting me to say one word in defense. Let me speak. It is my right. I demand it."Herr Senf calmly waved the men aside and Hochwald stood alone in the empty space, breathing hard, his pale eyes glittering with fury as he gazed from one accuser to the other."It is a fine story that you tell, Herr Yaeger. What should I know of Herr Berghof? I was not upon this side of the river or near the Englischer Garten but elsewhere, as I can prove by many witnesses. If Herr Berghof has been killed where is the proof that I have killed him? My word is as good as those who testify against me. If I have taken the money, you must find it. Fräulein Korasov says that she had no confederates when you have heard that Herr Rowland whom I found in the very act of robbing the vault of Nemi was today here in Munich. It is he who has taken the money of the Society of Nemi."Here he turned to Herr Senf and pointed one trembling forefinger."It would have been better if you had sent your men in search of this clever scoundrel who has pulled the wool over your eyes, instead of sending them upon a wild goose chase to watch honest men in the rightful pursuit of their business. It is you who have let the Treasure of Nemi slip through your fingers, Herr Senf, for by this time this American has doubtless sent it across the border into Switzerland! Find him, Herr Senf, find him, I say----"Herr Senf raised his hand. There was a smile upon his face and his eyes eagerly sought the most distant room of the three, where there was a commotion at the door.Hochwald hesitated--paused--as though already he felt a premonition of new disaster."I have found him, Herr Hochwald," cried Senf, with his Jovian smile. "He is here!"CHAPTER XVIIIVON STROMBERGThe crowd of people turned in their seats or rose and stretched their necks to look over the heads of those who sat behind them. What they saw was a tall, very much bedraggled individual, with a rain-soaked cap pulled over one eye, but grinning happily and struggling up the narrow aisle, with a disreputable looking black bag which seemed to be very heavy. Hochwald glared at him in a startled way, and at the bag, then turned away laughing softly to himself. But Rowland followed closely by Herr Benz marched past him perspiring and breathless and crashed the bag down upon the speaker's table, with a great gasp of satisfaction. He took off his cap, shook himself like a St. Bernard dog emerging from a bath, then wiped his forehead with a coarse red handkerchief."Pfui!" he said cheerfully, "I didn't think I'd ever get here!"Herr Senf, Liederman and Madame Rochal were crowding around him shaking him by the hand."You've found it?" Zoya asked in a low voice in English."Surest thing you know," said Rowland with a nod.And then Senf, "Fräulein Korasov!""She is here--quite safe."Rowland's eyes quickly found Tatyana's and a look passed between them, a look which no one in the room except perhaps Zoya Rochal, could have read, and she did not see it. For Georg Senf was again calling the meeting, to order and the sound of excited voices in controversy diminished to a hum, a whisper and then to silence. Herr Senf was still smiling. He was evidently very happy."Herr Rowland has justified our faith and our allegiance," he began, his deep bass ringing with the sounding periods he loved. "You have heard what has been said of him here tonight. If you would believe all you have heard he is both super-man and devil! Fortunately, we are not all so acrimonious as Herr Hochwald. Perhaps that is because we have less at stake. I may tell you that Herr Rowland is neither super-man nor devil but a being like you or me, a citizen of the world, thrust suddenly, in a crisis in its affairs, into the leadership of a great organization which brings our message to all peoples. That he has acquitted himself with skill, good faith and devotion, you shall now see for yourselves and decide, at least for the South German representatives, whether he is not worthy of his high prerogatives."The citizen of the world sat upon the speaker's table swinging his legs, one arm affectionately around the black bag alongside of him, his highest prerogative at that moment being the use of a pinch of dry tobacco from the pouch of his nearest neighbor, which he was now smoking, exhaling it through his nose luxuriously. He was very contented and chuckled at the angry face of Herr Hochwald in front of him."I will not take your time," Herr Senf went on, "to tell you the means by which Herr Rowland discovered the whereabouts of Fräulein Korasov. I will let him inform you how he found her and how he has brought you the Treasure of Nemi. Herr Rowland."A murmur of voices pitched in low excited tones, while the occupants of the benches leaned eagerly forward, those in the rear seats crowding and climbing up to see over the shoulders of those in front of them. Rowland stopped swinging his legs and crawled down from the table with evident regret, but he laid the pipe aside and stood up facing them with a smile. A good many things have been said about Phil Rowland's smile, and tonight it was essentially a part of him because he couldn't remember when he had ever been so happy in his life, and he didn't intend to have his evening spoiled (or theirs for that matter) by making a speech. So he began quite clearly and without the slightest hesitation an account of the events of the evening with Herr Benz, culminating in the discovery of Fräulein Korasov in the room upstairs in the villa of Count Monteori at Starnberg."Our friend, Herr Hochwald, had planned well," he finished. "But a vacant house which exhales the odor of a Turkish cigarette is an object of suspicion. The resistance of Herr Förster was unfortunate, but if the thought is any comfort to you, Herr Hochwald, I may tell you that Herr Förster is now in the care of a doctor and I hope for the best. I succeeded in getting what I went for. Fräulein Korasov came to you by the evening train, because her testimony was necessary to your business. I did not know if I could get through in time but thanks to Herr Benz, here I am and what is more to the point here,----" tapping the bag beside him, "here is the money."Hochwald had risen with a swagger and a smile."This man is an impostor," he cried. "He is trying to deceive you. This is the bag which Fräulein Korasov filled with stones. Have you a key, Herr Rowland," he asked maliciously, "that you may open it?"Rowland laughed."Oh yes," he said easily and then significantly, "I found the key, Herr Hochwald--in the chimney!"Hochwald staggered and leaned upon the back of a chair. His face was ghastly, for Rowland opened the bag and took out the packages one by one, exhibited them and put them on the table."I think they are all here," he said. "Twenty-five of them--mostly in thousand franc notes--a thousand in a package. Would you like to count them, Herr Hochwald?"There was no reply and Rowland put the packages in the bag again.Herr Hochwald waited in a moment of hesitation and then crossed the room toward a door beyond the speaker's table. But before he reached it, a strange thing happened, for a man rose from a seat upon the left in a corner where he had sat silent and unobtrusive all the evening, a very tall man in a long linen coat with a slouch hat pulled well down over his eyes."Stop that man!" he cried in quick, sharp accents. "He is under arrest!"Hochwald halted and the two men nearest him instinctively caught him by the arms. All eyes were upon the tall man who spoke as though with authority. Georg Senf stared at him. Rowland looked up quickly. But Zoya Rochal turned a startled look in his direction and muttered an exclamation."And who are you, sir," asked Senf anxiously.The tall man threw off his slouch hat and linen coat and revealed a cadaverous figure, clad in the field gray uniform of a Prussian General. His face was thin, wrinkled and yellow and his small eyes were hidden under the thatch of his brows. He pushed forward, those nearest him making way quickly and as he did so they saw the decorations which glittered on his breast."The pelican!" whispered Rowland to Zoya Rochal.A silence had fallen--a hush rather--which differed from that which had been compelled before. It seemed now as though the breath of every person was held in suspense, in awe--or was it terror?The tall man reached the cleared space by the speaker's table and with a quick gesture of authority motioned Hochwald to return.Hochwald's eyes were starting from his head, and he seemed unable to move, but suddenly as though obedient to a habit he couldn't resist, he came back to the table and saluted."At your orders, Excellency," he stammered and stood at attention."I am General von Stromberg," the officer snapped in his crisp staccato as he turned to the crowd. "Let no person leave the room. The house is surrounded by my men. I am in command here."Of all those within the rooms, only Rowland moved. Behind von Stromberg's back, he seized the black bag from the table, put it down on end upon the floor near Tanya and sat on it.General von Stromberg folded his arms and glared along the rows of faces which seemed to bleach row by row, under his withering glance. He dominated them--completely, as Rowland hurriedly thought, the living personification of theVerbotensign."You were permitted to come into these rooms," the General began--"all of you. But none of you," and he gave a sardonic grin, "will be permitted--to go out."In his long fingers, he swung a silver whistle by a silken cord. He seemed to be playing with it, amusing himself, while he watched their faces."I have been very much interested in listening to your speeches and your testimony," he said, his thin voice caressing his words, "it has been very interesting--ve-ry interesting. And now you shall listen to mine. Is there anyone here who denies me the right?"Silence. Rowland struck a light for his extinguished pipe and the venerable Senf with some show of spirit spoke up."The right of free speech has not been denied us, Excellency."Von Stromberg glanced at him and very slightly shrugged his shoulders."I have heard much of the rights of free speech, much more of the doings of the Bavarian Committee. It has aroused my curiosity. That is why I am here. Some of you are well known to me. Herr Senf, Herr Liederman, Madame Rochal, Herr Fenner, Herr Rowland, I am glad to identify you. I hope you will come to no harm. Perhaps it will surprise you when I say that I am deeply in sympathy with your purpose to recover the money of the International Society of Nemi. So large a sum if misappropriated, if wasted or improperly used, may do an incalculable harm to your own cause--or even to the Fatherland."He paused and looked around the room. Then he went on amusedly."While I have heard many things here tonight which have greatly enlightened me, still I am not disposed to be querulous. We will pass them by. We will forget them. You like to meet and drink your beer and listen to speeches. It is an amusing pastime to find fault with the Government. You are all loyal citizens--oh I am sure of that. But I want very much to put your loyalty to the proof, for the Fatherland now has need of all the support, all the devotion and patriotism of its people."Where was he leading? The faces of the people before him showed mystification. Zoya Rochal shot a hopeless glance at Rowland, who frowned a little, then crossed his legs and squatted more firmly on the black bag.At this moment General von Stromberg turned, faced him and their glances met.If the General's look held a challenge, Herr Rowland could scarcely have been aware of it, for he looked up at him, quite respectfully but with a look of grave inquiry. Von Stromberg turned away."Perhaps I do not make myself clear," he went on. "Herr Rowland, the new leader of the Society of Nemi, has brought you back your twenty-five millions of francs that you may vote this appropriation for certain laudable purposes. Perhaps there is some question in your minds as to which purpose is the most desirable. Some of you wish the money to go to Russia, some that it may be used in France, England, Italy and America. A few of you perhaps that it shall be spent in Germany."He laughed again and toyed with his whistle cord."And why not in Germany, my friends? For three years we have been at war with the ring of enemies who are bent upon exterminating us. And there are some among you who would send this money into the countries of our enemies, where it will eventually go into munitions to murder your own brothers? It is unbelievable.""If your Excellency will permit," Rowland had risen and stood astride like the Colossus of Rhodes with the black suit-case between his legs.Von Stromberg turned toward him with a frown, impatient at the interruption. But Rowland's tone, though polite was quite firm and his smile charmingly ingenuous. "Your Excellency perhaps is unaware that this money is not the property of this Committee to do with as it chooses. It was contributed by men and women of many nationalities, and is to be kept in trust by the Society which I represent for----""A grave responsibility for one so young, Herr Rowland," the General broke in suddenly. And then with much politeness, "Will you permit me to continue?"Rowland laughed."No," he said clearly. "Not if you're going to urge the appropriation of this money for interests with which the Society of Nemi has nothing in common."At this effrontery those in the front seats gasped, but there was a deep murmur of approval among those at the rear of the room.General von Stromberg merely smiled."I claim the right to speak. I ask for a ruling from the chair. Herr Senf----"The chairman frowned and rose."Excellency," he gasped. "You may speak.""Thanks. I will not detain you long. Herr Rowland has chosen to bring up the question of the ownership of the money, on the ground of its contribution by people of many nationalities. My reply is that Germany recognizes but two groups of peoples on the earth, its allies and its enemies. In the one case, the money is ours because we have contributed it--in the other it is ours----" he lowered his voice and spoke the words softly--but everyone in the rooms heard him--"because--we take it."As he finished, he turned slowly and with a significant gesture."Herr Rowland will bring the suit-case here--to the table."Rowland remained immovable but his eyes narrowed and his lips compressed."You can hardly expect me to comply with such a request----"Von Stromberg frowned."I don't request, I command," he said sharply.Rowland's features relaxed again and he burst into a good humored laugh."You can't mean it, Excellency. You are too wise. It would lead to trouble--serious trouble----"Something in Rowland's tone, more than the words themselves, arrested Von Stromberg's attention."Trouble!" he repeated. "What trouble?""Merely that I might feel compelled to call a revolution," said Rowland pleasantly.Von Stromberg glared at him a moment, his closely cropped bullet-like head, deep between his shoulders. Then suddenly he straightened and a smile twisted at the end of his lips."You have a strange sense of humor, Herr Rowland. A revolution! In Germany?" he laughed. "Surely the time is not yet when a polite adventurer from the United States, our most deadly enemy,----""Yourmost deadly enemy, Baron von Stromberg," Rowland broke in. And then with a wave of his hand, "Not theirs!""Ah, Herr Rowland, I must pay you the tribute of admiration," said the General with a bow of mock humility. "You are a brave man--so brave that it seems a pity to arrest you--to shoot you tonight--as a spy. It would pain me deeply----""Not so much as it would me, Herr General," said Rowland, "or those whose cause I represent," he continued, his voice ringing clearly, "for that shot would echo from one end of Germany to the other."A roar of approval rang through the Hall. "That is true!" roared a voice, and another, "He does not dare!"General von Stromberg stood erect, quiet, searching out with his keen eyes those members of the Committee who had spoken, waiting for the outbreak to cease. Then when quiet was restored, he shrugged a shoulder and with a quick gesture of his fingers toward Rowland,"Herr Rowland is there," he said with a smile. "Quite safe, unharmed. That is my reply. He shall remain quite safe, unharmed and go whence he came, to conduct his own business and yours--upon certain conditions. I like this loyalty to his great trust. It is quite admirable." He smiled slowly. "Fortunately this Committee can lift from his shoulders the weight of his responsibility.""How, Excellency?"Von Stromberg's smile vanished and he spoke with great deliberateness, each word falling with icy distinctness upon the hush of the crowd."By voting this money as I shall direct," he said."Your Excellency!" Senf had risen at last to the full majesty of his outraged dignity. "That may not be. I cannot permit such a vote to be taken," he broke in.The hoarse murmur of approval had risen again and here and there a reckless note of anger punctuated the commotion. General von Stromberg listened coolly, his twisted smile unpleasantly unhumorous."Silence!" he snapped, and the noise of voices diminished but did not cease. A rumble of thunder outside added to the din. Electricity was in the air. But Von Stromberg stood upright, swinging his whistle by its silken cord."Silence!" he repeated. "I command you!"The habit of obedience compelled them and they sat silent at last, but there were angry faces among them."My friends, this toy in my fingers is harmless enough. But if I put it to my lips, you will be shot as you sit upon your benches----""We can die but once----" broke in a clear high voice almost beside him. Tatyana had risen pale and erect, her hands at her sides and faced him calmly."We can die but once," she repeated again more insistently as though she feared he might not have heard.Von Stromberg stared at her in a moment of silence, then without replying turned to Herr Senf who still stood, trembling with anger."You refuse to obey my command?" asked the General."I do.""ThenIwill take the chair," he grinned. "Herr Hochwald! You will take pencil and paper and record the vote." And then raising his voice so that it rang sharply through the rooms."It has been moved by Herr General Graf von Stromberg, Privy Councillor of His Majesty the Emperor----"He paused to grin in self-gratulation--"that the funds of the Society of Nemi at the present moment in the custody of the Central Socialist Revolutionary Committee of Bavaria, be and hereby are appropriated for the uses of the Socialist Party in the Reichstag as his Imperial Majesty may direct."A death-like silence had now fallen. What did it portend? Rowland stood as though the smile had frozen on his lips, the impudence of this old man was more wonderful than anything he had ever witnessed in his life--one man against two hundred enemies, so sure of himself and of the power that he represented--that there seemed to be not a doubt in his own mind as to the outcome of his audacity. Rowland could have shot him as he stood, but feared. Their leader could not stand alone. Senf was plainly frightened.It wastheirfight--those others. He set his jaws in a moment of fury. Were they stuffed men--images? Where was the defiance he had heard so brave upon their lips today? Shriveled in their hearts with the terror that made them dumb. He had no definite plan, but he measured the distance to the door behind the table, resolved that if the worst came the money and Tanya would go with him from this room. What a fool he had been to bring it here."We will now vote," Von Stromberg's voice broke in again. "Herr Hochwald will record your names as you come forward. He will also take your addresses. We will proceed--the first now--from the right. Herr Fenner----"The man who a moment ago had swayed Tanya by his fervor and sincerity, rose and came forward slowly."I know you very well, Herr Fenner," Von Stromberg was saying, "You have devised a bomb which has proved quite efficient. One of your bombs exploded last month in the rifle-assembling room at Essen. Fortunately no one was injured. You are an inventor, Herr Fenner. I pray you to invent an excuse for this outrage which will make you innocent.""Excellency, I----"The man's face was the color of parchment."How do you vote, Herr Fenner?" asked Von Stromberg with a leer. "Forthe resolution----? Or against it?""For----" the man gasped in a half whisper. "I vote for----"Von Stromberg grinned."Good!" he cried jovially. "The force of example will be of inestimable value. Herr Liederman!"The bulky form of the Socialist approached, his brows twitching, his face suffused with blood."Excellency. I am Councilor of the Order of Nemi.""Max Liederman," cut in the sharp voice. "Socialist-Democrat. Owns property in Stuttgart which may be desired by the Government. Accepted money from the discredited Baron von Weiler in the case of----""Excellency, enough!" said Liederman chokingly."How do you vote?" thundered Von Stromberg."For--Excellency," muttered Liederman."Quite right. You see how the wind blows?" And then, with a smile, "Zoya Rochal!"Madame Rochal approached and her eyes and Rowland's met. The look in his compelled her and she faced the General with desperate coolness."Ah, Madame. And you----?""I vote No----" she said firmly, her lips compressed, her eyes closed."One moment, Madame, in case you should feel any uncertainty--you are a Russian by birth, the daughter of Alexiev Manuilov, a dealer in hides in Odessa. You were a very beautiful child. At the age of seventeen, you ran away from home with an English gambler named----""Is mydossiernecessary, Excellency?" she muttered, with bowed head.----"named Wishart," he continued relentlessly. "You were next heard of in Constantinople, where you were a part of the household of Mustapha Bey----""Excellency----!""In Paris, whither you fled with a French rug agent named Dunois, you met the Duc de Noailles----""Excellency, I pray that you----"----"who shot himself, when you ran away to Austria with----""For the love of God, Excellency----"----"with Baron Meyerling of the Embassy. But he repudiated you when he discovered that his secretary----""Excellency, enough. I will vote----""How--Madame----?"Rowland caught one glimpse of her face in this moment of her disgrace. Her glance met his and fell, she seemed in a moment to have grown years older."Your vote----?" Von Stromberg laughed. "How--Madame?"No one heard her reply but General von Stromberg announced quite coolly,"For, Herr Hochwald."And Zoya Rochal sought her seat, her head bowed, broken and defeated.Baron von Stromberg was greatly enjoying himself. He leaned against the edge of the table and as each man came up, transfixed him with a look, hypnotic and deeply suggestive of the power of his malice.But in another moment a change was to come--one of those astonishing shifts of the psychology of a crowd. For one man voted "No" defiantly, the big man in the blouse who had been so violent earlier in the evening."Stand aside, Herr Borsch," snapped Von Stromberg."Withme," cried Rowland, joyously. He might have been shouting "Montjoie!" with his famous namesake in defiance of the Saracens."And me," cried another nearby, rising from his seat."And me----!""And me----!"The crowd had leaped to its feet as though with one accord, the chorus swelled and the rooms rocked with the tumult. Von Stromberg straightened and his right hand which held the whistle moved slowly toward his lips.Rowland bent over Tanya and whispered something. The movement caught Hochwald's eye."Excellency!" he shouted.As Von Stromberg turned, the whistle already in his lips, he gazed straight into the muzzle of Rowland's automatic."Blow, Excellency----"The shrill whistle and the shot sounded at the same moment. Von Stromberg seemed to stumble and fall. As Hochwald reached for a weapon Borsch fell upon him and bore him to the ground by the sheer weight of his body. Other shots rang out further down the rooms. A woman's scream punctuated the roar. A rush of feet in the hallways outside--doors flew open, and soldiers appeared, the lamplight glinting on helmet, spike and bayonet. At the sight of soldiers there was a roar of fury."Down with the soldiers! Kill! The hour of deliverance is here! Kill! Kill!"There was a crash of glass as one of the lamps went down--another. The rooms were in darkness except for the flashes of the lightning through the dirty windows. Rowland seized the suit-case and pushed through the crowd which surged toward the door, his arm around Tanya. The soldiers were trying to keep the crowd inside. A furious struggle followed, shots were fired and men fell."It is impossible--that way," cried Rowland in Tanya's ear. "Come."A few had escaped by a rear window which let upon the roof of an adjoining house. Outside, too, above the roar of the thunder, came the sharp note of firearms. But there was no other chance. Rowland went first, stumbling over a figure that had fallen just outside and as he reached the roof there was a flash in the darkness and a bullet crashed into the woodwork of the window. He stood still, sheltering Tanya with the black suit-case, while she descended, his weapon in line, waiting for the flash of lightning to reveal the whereabouts of the sniper. A gleam of light. A German officer at the top of the slanting roof above him, deliberately reloading his weapon. Fortunately the roof had a low pitch. Rowland waited a moment until Tanya was behind him and then clambered upward, the suit-case clasped in front of him, firing as he went. The officer toppled, caught at the chimney-breast beside him, missed it, and falling, slid head first down the slippery roof and disappeared. Rowland gained the top, a flat space buttressed by chimneys which adjoined a larger building upon the right, hauled Tanya up beside him and then hurried along toward its further end, hoping to find a roof adjoining. But as he did so, his toe struck a projection and he fell sprawling, just as two soldiers clambered up and began firing. Rowland heard Tanya's cry of dismay."All right," he cried reassuringly. "The other chimney--hide."She obeyed. And Rowland waited until the nearest soldier had almost reached him when with the last shot in his weapon he fired point blank into his body. The man crashed down, his rifle falling just beside Rowland's hand. With a cry of joy he seized it and rose. The other man fired. Rowland felt the bullet pass through his clothing somewhere and was surprised that he felt no pain and did not fall. Instead he found himself erect, standing quite firmly upon his feet, his keen gaze seeking the point of the bayonet of his adversary. This was a game he knew. He aimed at the approaching figure and pulled the trigger of his rifle but there was only a harmless click. The chamber was empty. But the other man had not fired again. A flash of lightning revealed him--a mere boy, very pale and uncertain. It seemed a pity--he was so young.
CHAPTER XVII
THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
It was with a heavy heart that Tanya followed her two companions to the Starnberg Bahnhof. For her escape from the Villa Monteori, so miraculously accomplished, had for the moment filled her with the hope that the end of her troubles was at hand. And the brief glimpse of happiness she had had in the discovery of the love and loyalty of Philippe Rowlan' had in their ecstatic hour of union driven from her consciousness all thought of that other allegiance and responsibility to which she had pledged her young life. It came to her with a distinct sense of shock that Philippe more than herself now seemed to feel that responsibility, and accept it as his first duty even above the claims that he had given her upon himself. Grave as were the dangers through which he had passed to save her and deadly as the dangers through which they must still pass as long as they remained in Germany, he had been able to put her aside, to force all thought of their happiness from his mind, in the accomplishment of his graver mission in the cause of Free Government.
It was she who had brought him this responsibility and she loved him for the loyalty with which he fought for a cause not generically his own, but deep in her heart was a sense of failure, of disappointment in this, the greatest hour that could come in a woman's life.
Only four days ago this valiant, careless American had come to her, a new type of being, such as she had never seen before, bringing with him the spirit of joy, unselfishness and honesty, committing himself merely because she had asked it of him, to a cause which as he could well see exposed him to nameless dangers; typical of his great nation across the seas which had now entered the world conflict, pouring into the inferno of German hatred its millions and its men, not for gain or glory, but merely that the world might be free for its brothers in democracy. In her heart she had not dared to admit even to herself that she loved this tall dark-haired stranger, who smiled and then fought and seemed to smile the more when fighting. But she knew now that she had loved him from the first, when he had come half-starved, and asked for bread, his eyes, which could be merry even in suffering, discerning with frank admiration the woman beneath her robes of Nemi. Nemi to him but a name, its priestess but a woman to whom he had committed himself without question and was now committed for all time. She had loved him then, but more than then or yesterday she loved him now for the unselfishness of a devotion which could dare so much without hope of other reward than she could give him. But the short definite commands at the moment of parting impressed her anew with the sense of intelligence and will which lay beneath his careless manner and the firm strong touch of his fingers bade her still have courage and faith whatever was to happen.
And so, at last, calmly, she took up her burden, ready to accept her share in the dangers of the night as he would wish her to do. She had sent the message to Georg Senf, and with the aid of the telegraph officer at Starnberg, had managed to secure a compartment with her two companions for the short distance to Munich. They were silent men, watchful and obedient, solemnly aware of their responsibilities and at the Haupt Bahnhof which they reached near eleven o'clock hurried her to the cab that Herr Weiss had fortunately provided, for the rain was now falling in torrents. In the cab with the Chief Telegraph Operator beside her, the others following in another vehicle, they were driven to a house in the Schwaiger Strasse where the secret meetings of the Central Committee were held. As Herr Weiss talked to her on the way, she gained for the first time a definite conception of the position the Socialists of Munich had taken, the growing preponderance of the Revolutionary party and the efforts of the so-called Official Socialists, represented by Herr Scheideman, to pour oil upon the troubled waters of rebellion. The government, it seemed, had exhibited a growing anxiety as to the Bavarian propaganda, had interfered by police force in breaking up small meetings and was of course inimical to the work of the Central Committee which as every one in Bavaria knew was growing in influence and power. At the last meeting a month ago, money had been appropriated for the work of the Order of Nemi, to which all of the organizations had contributed, for the work in Russia. It was to the great international society that the Socialists of all creeds looked in their fight against the power of Berlin. Herr Senf was greatly respected for his wisdom and his intelligence, but he was growing old. Herr Rowland was English or American, but to Internationalism what did nationality matter? Herr Weiss had had the honor of meeting him but once, but it was clearly to be seen that here was a leader who could be counted on.
Tanya glowed with pride, not a little astonished too at these words of commendation. She inquired as to the meeting to which they were bound and Herr Weiss looked grave, but told her that in the midst of friends she need have no fear, but that it would be necessary to make their entrance unobtrusive. Rain was pouring in torrents when they reached their destination, a house of ordinary appearance in a small street, beyond the Cornelius Bridge and close by the borders of the river. The windows were all dark for the blinds were drawn but Herr Weiss got down and, umbrella in hand, conducted the Fräulein with assurance to the door, where he knocked three times and after a careful scrutiny was admitted with their companions. It was with a feeling of some apprehension that Tanya went up the stairs behind him, for brave though she was she could not forget that she was in the heart of the enemy's country and that it was she who had taken the lost bag containing the money that these very men had helped contribute. Suppose that Philippe should not succeed....
Upon the landing of the third floor they were halted at a door and scrutinized again, admitted at last to a suite of three large rooms with wide doors, filled with people, all smoking and listening to a man at the farther end of this improvised hall, who was addressing them. The ceiling was low and smoke-stained, and the atmosphere was heavy with the reek of tobacco, damp clothes and perspiring humanity and the smoky lamps which hung in brackets upon the wall seemed to be struggling in a futile effort to lighten the gloom. Upon the tables here and there were glasses and steins, some half full, some empty of the bitter stuff that they drank as a substitute for the beer they loved. There were several women present, and as the new comers entered, those nearest the door turned and scrutinized Tanya in a moment of curiosity and then again listened to the speaker, a youngish man with dark hair who seemed to have captured their attention. Herr Weiss found Tanya a chair and she sat while the men who had come from Starnberg took places around her.
Though the room was oppressively hot, Tanya shivered, as though with cold, and clasped her hands to keep them from trembling. A feeling of disappointment and depression had come over her. This was the Central Committee of which she had heard so much--that old man at the table in the furthest room near the speaker, Georg Senf, with whom she had corresponded, once a councilor of Nemi and known from one end of Germany to the other. The sordid surroundings, the poverty of the appearance of those nearest her, their pinched, eager faces,--who were these poor half-starved looking wretches who dared oppose the might and majesty of the Prussian Eagles? Their task seemed so hopeless, so futile, and her own mission so uncertain, so fraught with complexity and danger. Her glance sought the door again and again, as she thought of flight, and she scrutinized each newcomer, hoping against hope that it might be Philippe. But at last she grew more tranquil and found herself catching some of the fire, some of the terrible earnestness of those about her, who sat leaning forward on their benches, with their burning eyes turned to the face of the young speaker, their minds responding to his intelligence and devotion in a silence that was eloquent of the sincerity of his appeal. And finally a phrase that he uttered, poignant of a truth that lay near her own heart, caught her attention and forgetting herself she listened at last as abstracted and as eager as those about her.
"The foes of the people are growing ever bolder, ever more shameless," he cried. "War wastrels, war instigators, war profiteers, those to whom the misery of the people brings power and gain. Such wish no peace. Workmen! Our brothers the Russian proletariat were but a few weeks ago in the same plight, but we know what happened in Russia. Russian labor has crushed Czarism and has gained a democratic republic. And we? Are we still patiently to endure the old poverty, extortion, hunger and murder of the people--the cause of our pain and agony?
"No! a thousand times no! Quit the workshops and factories. Let labor stop.
"Man of toil, awake from slumber!Recognize thy growing might!All the wheels will lose their motionWithout thy strong arm's devotion.
"Man of toil, awake from slumber!Recognize thy growing might!All the wheels will lose their motionWithout thy strong arm's devotion.
"Man of toil, awake from slumber!
Recognize thy growing might!
All the wheels will lose their motion
Without thy strong arm's devotion.
"Down with the war! Down with the Government! Peace! Freedom! Bread!"
It was the sincerity of the man more than what he said that impressed her. He finished amid loud handclaps and calls, followed by the hum and buzz of excitement. From this moment Tanya was one of them. Rough as it was, here was the leaven to permeate the mass and set the nation free.
Senf with a glance at his watch and an anxious look toward the door, next introduced Herr Liederman, who rose, swaying from side to side, his deep bass rumbling to the deeper accompaniment of the storm outside. Tanya, from her sheltered position searched for and found Zoya Rochal, near the speaker's table, her modish hat, rakishly on one side, somewhat out of place, it seemed, in this motley gathering. Herr Hochwald was near the speaker's table too, her companion whispered, but there was no cause for alarm. So Tanya crouched lower, hiding behind the broad back of the man in front of her, aware of the impending crisis, but no longer timid or uncertain. The words of the speaker had given her new courage. Even death, he had said, was a privilege in so great a cause, and she had believed him,--even death--if this was required of her.
Liederman was much in earnest and after a brief peroration, announcing his own stand upon the floor of the Reichstag, a position which he said had carried the cause as far as he dared, he spoke of the work of the Society of Nemi, in the past five years in sending speakers to America, to England, France and Italy, in spreading reading matter in Russia, Austria and Germany. Russia had already cast off her shackles--which other Monarchy would be next to follow? He belonged to the Council of this great international society, had gone to Nemi, the headquarters in Switzerland, to vote the appropriation of a large sum of money from the treasury of the society which was to be used in aiding to restore order among the Slavic people under a form of government which would be acceptable to all Socialists throughout the world. But Herr Kirylo Ivanitch, the wise and prudent leader of the order, had died, even while the Council was meeting, and another leader had been elected in his place--one Herr Rowland, an American of New York, a young man of extraordinary sagacity and will, deeply committed to the cause, an enemy only of the military caste, the war wastrels, and profiteers, of whom Herr Fenner had spoken, who were also the enemies of all Socialists the world over.
Here Liederman found a moment to glance at Zoya Rochal whose rakish hat bobbed quickly in approval.
"But a disaster has befallen the Order of Nemi, my friends," he went on more quickly. "Its vault containing money in bank-notes of various denominations to the amount of twenty-five millions of francs three days ago was entered and robbed and the money carried away--and into Germany."
A tremendous commotion ran in waves from one end of the assemblage to another. But when Senf rose, rapping for order, a hush fell over the room and utter silence followed.
"I will tell you the facts," Liederman went on. "It is your right to know them, as it was your money and that of others even poorer than yourselves which was given to this cause. Herr Rowland had reason to believe that an attempt would be made to break into the vault during the night after the day in which he came into office. And so he and Fräulein Korasov, who had been the Secretary of Kirylo Ivanitch, decided to remove the money secretly to a place of safety----"
A man in the assemblage had risen and stood quite calmly face to face with Max Liederman. It was Gregory Hochwald. The incisiveness of his voice no less than the words he uttered, startled the room into sudden excitement.
"A place of safety, Herr Liederman," he sneered. "So safe a place, indeed, that it would never have been discovered."
Georg Senf quieted the tumult with an effort.
"Herr Liederman will proceed. Herr Hochwald will be heard in a moment."
"While engaged in this occupation," Liederman went on in a louder tone, "Herr Khodkine, a member of the Council from the Moscow Committee, came upon Herr Rowland and Fräulein Korasov in the vault. What he had come there for is best left to your imagination. An altercation between Herr Rowland and Herr Khodkine followed, and a struggle in which firearms were freely used and Herr Rowland was left for dead at the vault. Madame Rochal and I, hearing the sounds of the explosions, rushed out of the house but by this time Herr Khodkine had fled, taking with him not only the money but Fräulein Korasov as well."
"In whose machine, Herr Liederman?" asked Hochwald, with a laugh.
Zoya Rochal had sprung to her feet.
"In mine, where it had been left just outside the wall."
Her cool tones fell like a naked sword between them.
Hochwald shrugged and sat.
"Silence!" cried Senf.
Liederman finished his testimony without further interruptions until he reached the end, when, leaning forward, he pointed his stubby forefinger at the smiling Hochwald and proclaimed him as the Russian Khodkine. Georg Senf rapped furiously for order, but the roar refused to diminish until the Committeemen saw Hochwald standing upright facing them, his handsome face quite composed, awaiting his opportunity. Not until the disturbance had been quieted did he speak and then very deliberately, his pale eyes passing slowly over the audience as though seeking out those who had cried the loudest against him.
"Friends and brothers," he began, "if you will have patience for a few moments I will tell you what has happened. I am Herr Khodkine the Russian Socialist. I am Herr Hochwald the German Socialist, for in my politics I recognize no nationality--no power but that which comes from the people themselves."
A murmur more encouraging greeted this announcement.
"I am German by birth, but the wrongs of Russia were greater than any you had suffered here. I changed my name and went to Russia to work for the revolutionary party and was one of those who was sent to the train which carried Nicholas Romanoff toward Tsarskoë Seloe and demanded of him in the name of the Russian people his abdication from the throne. I was one of those who conducted him to Tobolsk where he is now imprisoned, a harmless fool, a terrible warning to those who still hope to thwart the will of the people." Herr Hochwald shrugged easily, "You may verify my statements if you please. They are on record. Monsieur Rodzianko can give them to you. As to my loyalty to the cause of Internationalism, I have three times been nominated as Councilor of Nemi and have always served it faithfully and you, my brothers, in a common cause. Therefore---" He turned with a frown at Herr Liederman and raised his voice a note--"Therefore what I say to you must be the truth. Would I come here into your midst a guilty man, to have myself torn to pieces?"
A brief murmur of approbation and cries of "Speak then!"
"I will," he continued in a louder tone. "Herr Liederman has testified that I went to the vault at Nemi and interrupted Herr Rowland and Fräulein Korasov while they were removing the twenty-five millions of francs. He speaks the truth. I did so. Why? Because I suspected this Herr Rowland, an adventurer, a pig of a Yankee, an escaped prisoner from a German camp. You may verify that too, at military headquarters. We do not love the Yankees in Germany, or in Russia, for money alone is their God, their fetich, and they have entered this war to prolong it that their own capitalists may reap the harvest of our suffering."
Louder cries of approval from those nearest him.
"Wait, my brothers. I am not finished yet. Herr Liederman has said that Herr Rowland suspected his associates of the Council of Nemi--Herr Liederman of Stuttgart, Madame Rochal, your own representative--myself! Herr Liederman has been easily deceived by this plausible American. He meant to take this money away from Europe.Yourmoney, my brothers, back to New York and spend it for his own uses. And Fräulein Korasov----"
He paused for a moment and lowered his voice slightly.
"Fräulein Korasov was also deceived." He shrugged again and faced his audience, leaning forward, one fist extended. "I did what you would do, my brothers, at the risk of my life. I overpowered this renegade soldier, and imprisoning Fräulein Korasov, brought the money here to Munich to you that you might keep it safely and dispose of it in all honesty in the purpose to which it has been dedicated. Did I do well or no?"
Cries of "Hoch," the clapping of hands and the clatter of steins and glasses upon the tables at the sides.
Order was restored with difficulty for it was clear that Herr Hochwald had swayed his hearers.
"I have said little of Fräulein Korasov, who has labored earnestly for Russia. But all women are not wise----"
"True!" interrupted a little thin man with a nasal voice upon his left.
"Indeed, few women are wise enough to face alone so grave a responsibility. Fräulein Korasov was ill-guided. She believed in the honesty of this American adventurer, and for a reason which I will give if you demand it, distrusts me. Upon the journey from Nemi to Munich last night she succeeded in taking the bank-notes from the suitcase in which I had placed them--and put them in her own bag, filling the bag I carried with rocks from the road while I was repairing a tire."
"Where is Fräulein Korasov?" thundered a voice.
Tanya shrank down in her seat, trembling, while Herr Weiss spoke words of courage in her ear, which she heard faintly above the tumult.
"In a moment, Fräulein--our time will come. Be brave. No one can harm you."
In the meanwhile Georg Senf had difficulty in restoring order, for the meeting, it seemed, had gotten beyond his control. Question after question was hurled at Herr Hochwald from all parts of the room and he shouted his replies, gaining a greater assurance with every moment and telling a plausible story of Fräulein Korasov's ruse before he discovered his loss in sending the porter Drelich to the Haupt Bahnhof with the money, from which place it had been since taken away by a confederate--and had vanished.
"Where is Fräulein Korasov?" again thundered the terrible voice.
And Tanya saw its owner now--a huge workman in a blouse, who had risen and stood before Herr Hochwald, both fists clenched in a fury.
"I am a poor man," he cried, "I make what little we have to eat at my house with the labor of these two hands. I have given money--money that might have gone into bread for my children. Where is she? Where is Fräulein Korasov?"
Herr Hochwald faced the man calmly, waiting for him to finish. Then with a hand raised for silence he stood smiling and self-possessed. When the noise had subsided he spoke again.
"You ask me where she is? I tell you that I do not know. She has escaped----"
"How? Why? Did you not----"
"I drove with her in a cab to the Bureau of State Railways where I had sent the machine in which I had arrived from Switzerland. It was my intention to take her somewhere into the country and keep her under guard until the missing bag could be found. But upon the road I was set upon by two men who disarmed and beat me, and Fräulein Korasov went with them. You will see," he finished, pointing to the bruise upon his cheek which Rowland had inflicted. "You will see by this scar that I did not come off unscathed."
He was clever enough to bait his lie with truth and they listened to him and believed. He did not notice, nor did they, the slip of paper which was brought in to Georg Senf, who read the message eagerly and then looked at his watch. The big workman was questioning again.
"Who were those men who attacked you?"
"How should I know," replied Hochwald. "The same who took the suit-case from the Haupt Bahnhof? I do not know. I know nothing more. The money is gone and all trace of Fräulein Korasov who took it."
He stood easily, amid the uproar, that was renewed, smiling again, triumphant. Georg Senf rose in his place, held up his hand.
"Herr Hochwald," he said calmly, and Hochwald faced him. "I would like to ask you a few questions."
Hochwald bowed.
"You speak of two men who attacked you in the automobile. Why did you stop to let them attack you?"
"They stood in the middle of the road and the car slowed down. When it stopped, they sprang upon the running board."
"You were armed?"
"Yes, but they had me covered before I could get my weapon."
"You had a chauffeur?"
"No."
"That is all for the present, Herr Hochwald."
And Hochwald sat down. Senf remained standing and with a sober face commanded silence. Men leaned forward in their seats, wondering what was coming next, aware from the manner of the chairman that the statement of Herr Hochwald was not to go unchallenged. The big man in the blouse at a gesture from Senf took his seat and the crowd became quiet. Hochwald had lighted a cigarette, and sent a quick look of challenge toward Liederman and Zoya Rochal. The venerable chairman began speaking.
"I charge you all," he began, "to remain quiet in your seats, for this is a grave matter and involves the probity of members of this Committee and of our Councilors in the Society of Nemi--which is responsible to us for the funds in its possession. At a late hour evidence has reached me which must be presented to you at once. The witness is a woman who has long labored for a government by the people."
Senf paused a moment, raised his chin and gazed toward the distant end of the suite of rooms. Zoya Rochal nudged Liederman and they both stared at Herr Hochwald, who had turned in his chair, a frown at his brows, his glance swiftly sweeping the row of faces behind him.
"You will remember my instructions," said Senf. "The person who rises from his seat or interrupts the speaker will be ejected from the hall." And then, in a clear tone that reached every one in the rooms,
"I now call Fräulein Tanya Korasov."
Hochwald sprang to his feet but was immediately forced down by the two men who sat next him. There was a low sibilant murmur and all heads were turned as Tanya, followed by Herr Weiss and another, came quickly up the aisle. She bowed to Herr Senf and accepted a chair, which was provided for her, facing the crowd. She was very pale and the faint blue shadows around her eyes showed the strain under which she had labored and the incertitude of the present moment. She clasped and unclasped her hands in a moment of nervousness, but raised her head bravely, at Herr Senf's first question, her lips twisted in a little smile.
"Your name is Tanya Korasov?" asked the Chairman kindly.
"It is."
"You are a Russian?"
"I am."
"For how long were you the Secretary of Kirylo Ivanitch, the Head of the Order of Nemi?"
"Three years."
"You shared his confidence?"
"More than anyone else."
"You knew of the contents of the vault at Nemi?"
"Yes."
"What have you to say as to the character and honesty of the newly elected President of the Order----?"
"I object," Hochwald cried, springing up.
"Silence," roared Senf, like Jove aroused. "Silence! You have testified. If you will not keep your tongue--you will be gagged."
The men beside Hochwald had pulled him down into his seat and those of the crowd nearest him had assumed an angry attitude.
"You will answer my question, Fräulein."
"Herr Rowland," she said clearly, "is the most honest, the most loyal man I have ever known."
"It has been said that you went to the vault to take the money to a place of safety. Whose idea was this? His or yours?"
"Mine, Herr Senf. I had reason to believe that the vault would be entered by those without authority to do so. The combination of the door was in my possession----"
"How----?" The question was stifled upon the lips of Gregory Hochwald for a heavy hand was clapped over his lips while the man beside him held him down.
"Because----" she went on firmly, with a glance at Hochwald, "at the death of Kirylo Ivanitch it was mine to keep in trust for the new Leader of the Order."
"You have heard the testimony of Herr Liederman and Herr Hochwald. Is the account of what happened at the vault true?"
"Substantially, yes."
"And Herr Hochwald managed to escape and force you to go with him and the money in an automobile?"
"Yes."
"You reached the Bayrischer Hof last night, having made the substitution of the money by a ruse?"
"It was the only thing to do," she said, her clear voice slightly raised. "I had to. It was my only chance."
"Your only chance of what?"
"Of saving the money which belonged to the Society."
The ingenuousness of her reply made an excellent impression.
"Then you believed that in Herr Hochwald's hands the money was in danger."
"I knew it," she said simply.
"Silence!" again roared Senf, as an eager murmur went around the room, a sympathetic murmur which showed the shifting temper of the crowd. Once again Herr Hochwald had struggled in the arms of his captors and was again silent. The angry looks of those nearby showed him that he was playing a losing game.
"Herr Hochwald's testimony in regard to the porter Drelich is correct?"
"Yes. Except that I had no confederate. I knew no one in Munich except you, Herr Senf, and I had forgotten your address. I had hoped to recover the bag the next day, but the porter Drelich did not return with the check. Herr Hochwald with Herr Förster entered my room before there was time."
"Who is Herr Förster?"
"An accomplice of Herr Hochwald."
"Were you attacked in the automobile on the way to Starnberg?"
"Oh no. There was no attack."
"And you reached the villa of Count Monteori quite safely?"
"Oh yes--safely."
"And you were kept a prisoner there by Herr Hochwald, until you were rescued this evening?"
"That is true."
Herr Hochwald's face was now quite unpleasant to see. He was very pale and the dark bruises upon his cheek had become unpleasantly prominent. His hair had been ruffled and his cravat disarranged and altogether he presented a very wild appearance.
Senf glanced at him scornfully and then to Tanya:
"That will be all for the present, Fräulein Korasov. If you will sit yonder----" indicating a chair nearby. Then he raised his voice again so that all might hear and summoned Zoya Rochal.
As she got up there was another movement and murmur in the crowd, quickly suppressed as she began to speak. Madame Rochal knew her audience. Beauty had always been her weapon, but she had always had the good sense to realize that intelligence in this assemblage was the greater asset. She wore no rouge and though she wore her clothing smartly, this was somber and of the plainest.
"Madame Rochal--will you tell the Committee your judgment as to Herr Rowland?"
Her fine teeth showed in the most ingenuous of smiles.
"He is aman," she said, with quick enthusiasm in her very slightly foreign accent. "And you may be sure that I know what a man is like."
A nervous laugh from somewhere near the middle room broke the silence and then a ripple of amusement passed over the crowd. Their nervous tension was broken and with their smiles came their sympathy. Zoya Rochal wasen rapportat once. She was the center of interest and very much enjoying herself.
"A man, yes," said Senf smiling, "but as to his character, his loyalty, honesty, devotion----?"
"I would trust Herr Rowland," she said gravely, "to the very ends of the world."
"You know then that it is not he who could have taken this money?"
"That would not have been possible. Until this afternoon either Herr Liederman or myself was with him constantly."
Herr Senf nodded his head and looked at his watch upon the table. It seemed that he was playing for time.
"You went with Herr Rowland this afternoon to the Haupt Bahnhof with Drelich to present the check and recover the bag?"
"I did. It was not there. Someone had taken it."
"Do you know Herr Berghof?"
"I met him today."
"You have proof that he took the bag?"
"Yes. The woman at the house of Drelich saw him enter the room early in the morning where Drelich lay drunk. She knew Berghof well for he was Drelich's employer."
"And Berghof took the check from the pocket of Drelich while he slept?"
"Yes. She saw him, through the crack of the door into the kitchen."
"Thanks, Madame. That will be all." And then turning to a man near the platform, "Herr Yaeger, if you please."
The Committeeman rose awkwardly and stood.
"You followed this clue this afternoon at my orders?"
"I did."
"You received a report that Herr Berghof had been seen in a small pension near a house in Haidhausen?"
"I did."
"Tell us what happened."
"I went with two men from the factory and watched the place. We saw Herr Hochwald enter the house and----"
"At what time was this?"
"About three o'clock. A short while later they both came out and went away in an automobile together. We tried to follow but it was impossible. We lost them."
"You have heard of Herr Berghof since that time?"
Herr Yaeger paused and looked steadily at Hochwald.
"Herr Berghof was found in the Englischer Garten at half-past five. He had been murdered----!"
"I demand to be heard----"
Hochwald with an effort had thrown the man next him aside, had risen to his feet, crying hoarsely, "I demand to be heard. It is my right----"
"Sit down----!" a hoarse voice shouted, while other hands reached for him. But with a tremendous effort he struggled free and faced them, pale and dishevelled, in a desperate effort to regain his lost ground. "Is this an inquisition?" he cried. "Is this the freedom you would give to Germany? You listen to the testimony of my enemies, not even sworn, who conspire to ruin me without permitting me to say one word in defense. Let me speak. It is my right. I demand it."
Herr Senf calmly waved the men aside and Hochwald stood alone in the empty space, breathing hard, his pale eyes glittering with fury as he gazed from one accuser to the other.
"It is a fine story that you tell, Herr Yaeger. What should I know of Herr Berghof? I was not upon this side of the river or near the Englischer Garten but elsewhere, as I can prove by many witnesses. If Herr Berghof has been killed where is the proof that I have killed him? My word is as good as those who testify against me. If I have taken the money, you must find it. Fräulein Korasov says that she had no confederates when you have heard that Herr Rowland whom I found in the very act of robbing the vault of Nemi was today here in Munich. It is he who has taken the money of the Society of Nemi."
Here he turned to Herr Senf and pointed one trembling forefinger.
"It would have been better if you had sent your men in search of this clever scoundrel who has pulled the wool over your eyes, instead of sending them upon a wild goose chase to watch honest men in the rightful pursuit of their business. It is you who have let the Treasure of Nemi slip through your fingers, Herr Senf, for by this time this American has doubtless sent it across the border into Switzerland! Find him, Herr Senf, find him, I say----"
Herr Senf raised his hand. There was a smile upon his face and his eyes eagerly sought the most distant room of the three, where there was a commotion at the door.
Hochwald hesitated--paused--as though already he felt a premonition of new disaster.
"I have found him, Herr Hochwald," cried Senf, with his Jovian smile. "He is here!"
CHAPTER XVIII
VON STROMBERG
The crowd of people turned in their seats or rose and stretched their necks to look over the heads of those who sat behind them. What they saw was a tall, very much bedraggled individual, with a rain-soaked cap pulled over one eye, but grinning happily and struggling up the narrow aisle, with a disreputable looking black bag which seemed to be very heavy. Hochwald glared at him in a startled way, and at the bag, then turned away laughing softly to himself. But Rowland followed closely by Herr Benz marched past him perspiring and breathless and crashed the bag down upon the speaker's table, with a great gasp of satisfaction. He took off his cap, shook himself like a St. Bernard dog emerging from a bath, then wiped his forehead with a coarse red handkerchief.
"Pfui!" he said cheerfully, "I didn't think I'd ever get here!"
Herr Senf, Liederman and Madame Rochal were crowding around him shaking him by the hand.
"You've found it?" Zoya asked in a low voice in English.
"Surest thing you know," said Rowland with a nod.
And then Senf, "Fräulein Korasov!"
"She is here--quite safe."
Rowland's eyes quickly found Tatyana's and a look passed between them, a look which no one in the room except perhaps Zoya Rochal, could have read, and she did not see it. For Georg Senf was again calling the meeting, to order and the sound of excited voices in controversy diminished to a hum, a whisper and then to silence. Herr Senf was still smiling. He was evidently very happy.
"Herr Rowland has justified our faith and our allegiance," he began, his deep bass ringing with the sounding periods he loved. "You have heard what has been said of him here tonight. If you would believe all you have heard he is both super-man and devil! Fortunately, we are not all so acrimonious as Herr Hochwald. Perhaps that is because we have less at stake. I may tell you that Herr Rowland is neither super-man nor devil but a being like you or me, a citizen of the world, thrust suddenly, in a crisis in its affairs, into the leadership of a great organization which brings our message to all peoples. That he has acquitted himself with skill, good faith and devotion, you shall now see for yourselves and decide, at least for the South German representatives, whether he is not worthy of his high prerogatives."
The citizen of the world sat upon the speaker's table swinging his legs, one arm affectionately around the black bag alongside of him, his highest prerogative at that moment being the use of a pinch of dry tobacco from the pouch of his nearest neighbor, which he was now smoking, exhaling it through his nose luxuriously. He was very contented and chuckled at the angry face of Herr Hochwald in front of him.
"I will not take your time," Herr Senf went on, "to tell you the means by which Herr Rowland discovered the whereabouts of Fräulein Korasov. I will let him inform you how he found her and how he has brought you the Treasure of Nemi. Herr Rowland."
A murmur of voices pitched in low excited tones, while the occupants of the benches leaned eagerly forward, those in the rear seats crowding and climbing up to see over the shoulders of those in front of them. Rowland stopped swinging his legs and crawled down from the table with evident regret, but he laid the pipe aside and stood up facing them with a smile. A good many things have been said about Phil Rowland's smile, and tonight it was essentially a part of him because he couldn't remember when he had ever been so happy in his life, and he didn't intend to have his evening spoiled (or theirs for that matter) by making a speech. So he began quite clearly and without the slightest hesitation an account of the events of the evening with Herr Benz, culminating in the discovery of Fräulein Korasov in the room upstairs in the villa of Count Monteori at Starnberg.
"Our friend, Herr Hochwald, had planned well," he finished. "But a vacant house which exhales the odor of a Turkish cigarette is an object of suspicion. The resistance of Herr Förster was unfortunate, but if the thought is any comfort to you, Herr Hochwald, I may tell you that Herr Förster is now in the care of a doctor and I hope for the best. I succeeded in getting what I went for. Fräulein Korasov came to you by the evening train, because her testimony was necessary to your business. I did not know if I could get through in time but thanks to Herr Benz, here I am and what is more to the point here,----" tapping the bag beside him, "here is the money."
Hochwald had risen with a swagger and a smile.
"This man is an impostor," he cried. "He is trying to deceive you. This is the bag which Fräulein Korasov filled with stones. Have you a key, Herr Rowland," he asked maliciously, "that you may open it?"
Rowland laughed.
"Oh yes," he said easily and then significantly, "I found the key, Herr Hochwald--in the chimney!"
Hochwald staggered and leaned upon the back of a chair. His face was ghastly, for Rowland opened the bag and took out the packages one by one, exhibited them and put them on the table.
"I think they are all here," he said. "Twenty-five of them--mostly in thousand franc notes--a thousand in a package. Would you like to count them, Herr Hochwald?"
There was no reply and Rowland put the packages in the bag again.
Herr Hochwald waited in a moment of hesitation and then crossed the room toward a door beyond the speaker's table. But before he reached it, a strange thing happened, for a man rose from a seat upon the left in a corner where he had sat silent and unobtrusive all the evening, a very tall man in a long linen coat with a slouch hat pulled well down over his eyes.
"Stop that man!" he cried in quick, sharp accents. "He is under arrest!"
Hochwald halted and the two men nearest him instinctively caught him by the arms. All eyes were upon the tall man who spoke as though with authority. Georg Senf stared at him. Rowland looked up quickly. But Zoya Rochal turned a startled look in his direction and muttered an exclamation.
"And who are you, sir," asked Senf anxiously.
The tall man threw off his slouch hat and linen coat and revealed a cadaverous figure, clad in the field gray uniform of a Prussian General. His face was thin, wrinkled and yellow and his small eyes were hidden under the thatch of his brows. He pushed forward, those nearest him making way quickly and as he did so they saw the decorations which glittered on his breast.
"The pelican!" whispered Rowland to Zoya Rochal.
A silence had fallen--a hush rather--which differed from that which had been compelled before. It seemed now as though the breath of every person was held in suspense, in awe--or was it terror?
The tall man reached the cleared space by the speaker's table and with a quick gesture of authority motioned Hochwald to return.
Hochwald's eyes were starting from his head, and he seemed unable to move, but suddenly as though obedient to a habit he couldn't resist, he came back to the table and saluted.
"At your orders, Excellency," he stammered and stood at attention.
"I am General von Stromberg," the officer snapped in his crisp staccato as he turned to the crowd. "Let no person leave the room. The house is surrounded by my men. I am in command here."
Of all those within the rooms, only Rowland moved. Behind von Stromberg's back, he seized the black bag from the table, put it down on end upon the floor near Tanya and sat on it.
General von Stromberg folded his arms and glared along the rows of faces which seemed to bleach row by row, under his withering glance. He dominated them--completely, as Rowland hurriedly thought, the living personification of theVerbotensign.
"You were permitted to come into these rooms," the General began--"all of you. But none of you," and he gave a sardonic grin, "will be permitted--to go out."
In his long fingers, he swung a silver whistle by a silken cord. He seemed to be playing with it, amusing himself, while he watched their faces.
"I have been very much interested in listening to your speeches and your testimony," he said, his thin voice caressing his words, "it has been very interesting--ve-ry interesting. And now you shall listen to mine. Is there anyone here who denies me the right?"
Silence. Rowland struck a light for his extinguished pipe and the venerable Senf with some show of spirit spoke up.
"The right of free speech has not been denied us, Excellency."
Von Stromberg glanced at him and very slightly shrugged his shoulders.
"I have heard much of the rights of free speech, much more of the doings of the Bavarian Committee. It has aroused my curiosity. That is why I am here. Some of you are well known to me. Herr Senf, Herr Liederman, Madame Rochal, Herr Fenner, Herr Rowland, I am glad to identify you. I hope you will come to no harm. Perhaps it will surprise you when I say that I am deeply in sympathy with your purpose to recover the money of the International Society of Nemi. So large a sum if misappropriated, if wasted or improperly used, may do an incalculable harm to your own cause--or even to the Fatherland."
He paused and looked around the room. Then he went on amusedly.
"While I have heard many things here tonight which have greatly enlightened me, still I am not disposed to be querulous. We will pass them by. We will forget them. You like to meet and drink your beer and listen to speeches. It is an amusing pastime to find fault with the Government. You are all loyal citizens--oh I am sure of that. But I want very much to put your loyalty to the proof, for the Fatherland now has need of all the support, all the devotion and patriotism of its people."
Where was he leading? The faces of the people before him showed mystification. Zoya Rochal shot a hopeless glance at Rowland, who frowned a little, then crossed his legs and squatted more firmly on the black bag.
At this moment General von Stromberg turned, faced him and their glances met.
If the General's look held a challenge, Herr Rowland could scarcely have been aware of it, for he looked up at him, quite respectfully but with a look of grave inquiry. Von Stromberg turned away.
"Perhaps I do not make myself clear," he went on. "Herr Rowland, the new leader of the Society of Nemi, has brought you back your twenty-five millions of francs that you may vote this appropriation for certain laudable purposes. Perhaps there is some question in your minds as to which purpose is the most desirable. Some of you wish the money to go to Russia, some that it may be used in France, England, Italy and America. A few of you perhaps that it shall be spent in Germany."
He laughed again and toyed with his whistle cord.
"And why not in Germany, my friends? For three years we have been at war with the ring of enemies who are bent upon exterminating us. And there are some among you who would send this money into the countries of our enemies, where it will eventually go into munitions to murder your own brothers? It is unbelievable."
"If your Excellency will permit," Rowland had risen and stood astride like the Colossus of Rhodes with the black suit-case between his legs.
Von Stromberg turned toward him with a frown, impatient at the interruption. But Rowland's tone, though polite was quite firm and his smile charmingly ingenuous. "Your Excellency perhaps is unaware that this money is not the property of this Committee to do with as it chooses. It was contributed by men and women of many nationalities, and is to be kept in trust by the Society which I represent for----"
"A grave responsibility for one so young, Herr Rowland," the General broke in suddenly. And then with much politeness, "Will you permit me to continue?"
Rowland laughed.
"No," he said clearly. "Not if you're going to urge the appropriation of this money for interests with which the Society of Nemi has nothing in common."
At this effrontery those in the front seats gasped, but there was a deep murmur of approval among those at the rear of the room.
General von Stromberg merely smiled.
"I claim the right to speak. I ask for a ruling from the chair. Herr Senf----"
The chairman frowned and rose.
"Excellency," he gasped. "You may speak."
"Thanks. I will not detain you long. Herr Rowland has chosen to bring up the question of the ownership of the money, on the ground of its contribution by people of many nationalities. My reply is that Germany recognizes but two groups of peoples on the earth, its allies and its enemies. In the one case, the money is ours because we have contributed it--in the other it is ours----" he lowered his voice and spoke the words softly--but everyone in the rooms heard him--"because--we take it."
As he finished, he turned slowly and with a significant gesture.
"Herr Rowland will bring the suit-case here--to the table."
Rowland remained immovable but his eyes narrowed and his lips compressed.
"You can hardly expect me to comply with such a request----"
Von Stromberg frowned.
"I don't request, I command," he said sharply.
Rowland's features relaxed again and he burst into a good humored laugh.
"You can't mean it, Excellency. You are too wise. It would lead to trouble--serious trouble----"
Something in Rowland's tone, more than the words themselves, arrested Von Stromberg's attention.
"Trouble!" he repeated. "What trouble?"
"Merely that I might feel compelled to call a revolution," said Rowland pleasantly.
Von Stromberg glared at him a moment, his closely cropped bullet-like head, deep between his shoulders. Then suddenly he straightened and a smile twisted at the end of his lips.
"You have a strange sense of humor, Herr Rowland. A revolution! In Germany?" he laughed. "Surely the time is not yet when a polite adventurer from the United States, our most deadly enemy,----"
"Yourmost deadly enemy, Baron von Stromberg," Rowland broke in. And then with a wave of his hand, "Not theirs!"
"Ah, Herr Rowland, I must pay you the tribute of admiration," said the General with a bow of mock humility. "You are a brave man--so brave that it seems a pity to arrest you--to shoot you tonight--as a spy. It would pain me deeply----"
"Not so much as it would me, Herr General," said Rowland, "or those whose cause I represent," he continued, his voice ringing clearly, "for that shot would echo from one end of Germany to the other."
A roar of approval rang through the Hall. "That is true!" roared a voice, and another, "He does not dare!"
General von Stromberg stood erect, quiet, searching out with his keen eyes those members of the Committee who had spoken, waiting for the outbreak to cease. Then when quiet was restored, he shrugged a shoulder and with a quick gesture of his fingers toward Rowland,
"Herr Rowland is there," he said with a smile. "Quite safe, unharmed. That is my reply. He shall remain quite safe, unharmed and go whence he came, to conduct his own business and yours--upon certain conditions. I like this loyalty to his great trust. It is quite admirable." He smiled slowly. "Fortunately this Committee can lift from his shoulders the weight of his responsibility."
"How, Excellency?"
Von Stromberg's smile vanished and he spoke with great deliberateness, each word falling with icy distinctness upon the hush of the crowd.
"By voting this money as I shall direct," he said.
"Your Excellency!" Senf had risen at last to the full majesty of his outraged dignity. "That may not be. I cannot permit such a vote to be taken," he broke in.
The hoarse murmur of approval had risen again and here and there a reckless note of anger punctuated the commotion. General von Stromberg listened coolly, his twisted smile unpleasantly unhumorous.
"Silence!" he snapped, and the noise of voices diminished but did not cease. A rumble of thunder outside added to the din. Electricity was in the air. But Von Stromberg stood upright, swinging his whistle by its silken cord.
"Silence!" he repeated. "I command you!"
The habit of obedience compelled them and they sat silent at last, but there were angry faces among them.
"My friends, this toy in my fingers is harmless enough. But if I put it to my lips, you will be shot as you sit upon your benches----"
"We can die but once----" broke in a clear high voice almost beside him. Tatyana had risen pale and erect, her hands at her sides and faced him calmly.
"We can die but once," she repeated again more insistently as though she feared he might not have heard.
Von Stromberg stared at her in a moment of silence, then without replying turned to Herr Senf who still stood, trembling with anger.
"You refuse to obey my command?" asked the General.
"I do."
"ThenIwill take the chair," he grinned. "Herr Hochwald! You will take pencil and paper and record the vote." And then raising his voice so that it rang sharply through the rooms.
"It has been moved by Herr General Graf von Stromberg, Privy Councillor of His Majesty the Emperor----"
He paused to grin in self-gratulation--"that the funds of the Society of Nemi at the present moment in the custody of the Central Socialist Revolutionary Committee of Bavaria, be and hereby are appropriated for the uses of the Socialist Party in the Reichstag as his Imperial Majesty may direct."
A death-like silence had now fallen. What did it portend? Rowland stood as though the smile had frozen on his lips, the impudence of this old man was more wonderful than anything he had ever witnessed in his life--one man against two hundred enemies, so sure of himself and of the power that he represented--that there seemed to be not a doubt in his own mind as to the outcome of his audacity. Rowland could have shot him as he stood, but feared. Their leader could not stand alone. Senf was plainly frightened.
It wastheirfight--those others. He set his jaws in a moment of fury. Were they stuffed men--images? Where was the defiance he had heard so brave upon their lips today? Shriveled in their hearts with the terror that made them dumb. He had no definite plan, but he measured the distance to the door behind the table, resolved that if the worst came the money and Tanya would go with him from this room. What a fool he had been to bring it here.
"We will now vote," Von Stromberg's voice broke in again. "Herr Hochwald will record your names as you come forward. He will also take your addresses. We will proceed--the first now--from the right. Herr Fenner----"
The man who a moment ago had swayed Tanya by his fervor and sincerity, rose and came forward slowly.
"I know you very well, Herr Fenner," Von Stromberg was saying, "You have devised a bomb which has proved quite efficient. One of your bombs exploded last month in the rifle-assembling room at Essen. Fortunately no one was injured. You are an inventor, Herr Fenner. I pray you to invent an excuse for this outrage which will make you innocent."
"Excellency, I----"
The man's face was the color of parchment.
"How do you vote, Herr Fenner?" asked Von Stromberg with a leer. "Forthe resolution----? Or against it?"
"For----" the man gasped in a half whisper. "I vote for----"
Von Stromberg grinned.
"Good!" he cried jovially. "The force of example will be of inestimable value. Herr Liederman!"
The bulky form of the Socialist approached, his brows twitching, his face suffused with blood.
"Excellency. I am Councilor of the Order of Nemi."
"Max Liederman," cut in the sharp voice. "Socialist-Democrat. Owns property in Stuttgart which may be desired by the Government. Accepted money from the discredited Baron von Weiler in the case of----"
"Excellency, enough!" said Liederman chokingly.
"How do you vote?" thundered Von Stromberg.
"For--Excellency," muttered Liederman.
"Quite right. You see how the wind blows?" And then, with a smile, "Zoya Rochal!"
Madame Rochal approached and her eyes and Rowland's met. The look in his compelled her and she faced the General with desperate coolness.
"Ah, Madame. And you----?"
"I vote No----" she said firmly, her lips compressed, her eyes closed.
"One moment, Madame, in case you should feel any uncertainty--you are a Russian by birth, the daughter of Alexiev Manuilov, a dealer in hides in Odessa. You were a very beautiful child. At the age of seventeen, you ran away from home with an English gambler named----"
"Is mydossiernecessary, Excellency?" she muttered, with bowed head.
----"named Wishart," he continued relentlessly. "You were next heard of in Constantinople, where you were a part of the household of Mustapha Bey----"
"Excellency----!"
"In Paris, whither you fled with a French rug agent named Dunois, you met the Duc de Noailles----"
"Excellency, I pray that you----"
----"who shot himself, when you ran away to Austria with----"
"For the love of God, Excellency----"
----"with Baron Meyerling of the Embassy. But he repudiated you when he discovered that his secretary----"
"Excellency, enough. I will vote----"
"How--Madame----?"
Rowland caught one glimpse of her face in this moment of her disgrace. Her glance met his and fell, she seemed in a moment to have grown years older.
"Your vote----?" Von Stromberg laughed. "How--Madame?"
No one heard her reply but General von Stromberg announced quite coolly,
"For, Herr Hochwald."
And Zoya Rochal sought her seat, her head bowed, broken and defeated.
Baron von Stromberg was greatly enjoying himself. He leaned against the edge of the table and as each man came up, transfixed him with a look, hypnotic and deeply suggestive of the power of his malice.
But in another moment a change was to come--one of those astonishing shifts of the psychology of a crowd. For one man voted "No" defiantly, the big man in the blouse who had been so violent earlier in the evening.
"Stand aside, Herr Borsch," snapped Von Stromberg.
"Withme," cried Rowland, joyously. He might have been shouting "Montjoie!" with his famous namesake in defiance of the Saracens.
"And me," cried another nearby, rising from his seat.
"And me----!"
"And me----!"
The crowd had leaped to its feet as though with one accord, the chorus swelled and the rooms rocked with the tumult. Von Stromberg straightened and his right hand which held the whistle moved slowly toward his lips.
Rowland bent over Tanya and whispered something. The movement caught Hochwald's eye.
"Excellency!" he shouted.
As Von Stromberg turned, the whistle already in his lips, he gazed straight into the muzzle of Rowland's automatic.
"Blow, Excellency----"
The shrill whistle and the shot sounded at the same moment. Von Stromberg seemed to stumble and fall. As Hochwald reached for a weapon Borsch fell upon him and bore him to the ground by the sheer weight of his body. Other shots rang out further down the rooms. A woman's scream punctuated the roar. A rush of feet in the hallways outside--doors flew open, and soldiers appeared, the lamplight glinting on helmet, spike and bayonet. At the sight of soldiers there was a roar of fury.
"Down with the soldiers! Kill! The hour of deliverance is here! Kill! Kill!"
There was a crash of glass as one of the lamps went down--another. The rooms were in darkness except for the flashes of the lightning through the dirty windows. Rowland seized the suit-case and pushed through the crowd which surged toward the door, his arm around Tanya. The soldiers were trying to keep the crowd inside. A furious struggle followed, shots were fired and men fell.
"It is impossible--that way," cried Rowland in Tanya's ear. "Come."
A few had escaped by a rear window which let upon the roof of an adjoining house. Outside, too, above the roar of the thunder, came the sharp note of firearms. But there was no other chance. Rowland went first, stumbling over a figure that had fallen just outside and as he reached the roof there was a flash in the darkness and a bullet crashed into the woodwork of the window. He stood still, sheltering Tanya with the black suit-case, while she descended, his weapon in line, waiting for the flash of lightning to reveal the whereabouts of the sniper. A gleam of light. A German officer at the top of the slanting roof above him, deliberately reloading his weapon. Fortunately the roof had a low pitch. Rowland waited a moment until Tanya was behind him and then clambered upward, the suit-case clasped in front of him, firing as he went. The officer toppled, caught at the chimney-breast beside him, missed it, and falling, slid head first down the slippery roof and disappeared. Rowland gained the top, a flat space buttressed by chimneys which adjoined a larger building upon the right, hauled Tanya up beside him and then hurried along toward its further end, hoping to find a roof adjoining. But as he did so, his toe struck a projection and he fell sprawling, just as two soldiers clambered up and began firing. Rowland heard Tanya's cry of dismay.
"All right," he cried reassuringly. "The other chimney--hide."
She obeyed. And Rowland waited until the nearest soldier had almost reached him when with the last shot in his weapon he fired point blank into his body. The man crashed down, his rifle falling just beside Rowland's hand. With a cry of joy he seized it and rose. The other man fired. Rowland felt the bullet pass through his clothing somewhere and was surprised that he felt no pain and did not fall. Instead he found himself erect, standing quite firmly upon his feet, his keen gaze seeking the point of the bayonet of his adversary. This was a game he knew. He aimed at the approaching figure and pulled the trigger of his rifle but there was only a harmless click. The chamber was empty. But the other man had not fired again. A flash of lightning revealed him--a mere boy, very pale and uncertain. It seemed a pity--he was so young.