But I needn't say that just then I was observant of trifles. I
don't pretend to be able to unravel a plot and steer a small boat before a
heavy sea at the same moment.'
'And if he was piloting you into the next world he could afford to
commit himself before you parted! Was there anything else? By the way,
how did the daughter strike you? Did she look English too?'
Two men cannot discuss a woman freely without a deep foundation of
intimacy, and, until this day, the subject had never arisen between us in
any form. It was the last that was likely to, for I could have divined that
Davies would have met it with an armour of reserve. He was busy put-
ting on this armour now; yet I could not help feeling a little brutal as I
saw how badly he jointed his clumsy suit of mail. Our ages were the
same, but I laugh now to think how old and blasé I felt as the flush
warmed his brown skin, and he slowly propounded the verdict,'Yes, I
think she did.'
'She talked nothing but German, I suppose?'
'Oh, of course.'
'Did you see much of her?'
'A good deal.'
'Was she— ,'(how frame it?)'Did she want you to sail to the Elbe with
them?'
'She seemed to,'admitted Davies, reluctantly, clutching at his ally, the
match-box.'But, hang it, don't dream that she knew what was coming,'
he added, with sudden fire.
I pondered and wondered, shrinking from further inquisition, easy as
it would have been with so truthful a victim, and banishing all thought
of ill-timed chaff. There was a cross-current in this LV Belt strange affair, whose
depth and strength I was beginning to gauge with increasing serious-
ness. I did not know my man yet, and I did not know myself. A convic-
tion that events in the near future would force us into complete mutual
confidence withheld me from pressing him too far. I returned to the
main question; who was Dollmann, and what was his motive? Davies
struggled out of his armour.
'I'm convinced,'he said,'that he's an Englishman in German service.
He must be in German service, for he had evidently been in those waters
a long time, and knew every inch of them; of course, it's a very lonely
part of the world, but he has a house on Norderney Island; and he, and
all about him, must be well known to a certain number of people. One of
his friends I happened to meet; what do you think he was? A naval
officer. It was on the afternoon of the third day, and we were having cof-
fee on the deck of the Medusa, and talking about next day's trip, when a
little launch came buzzing up from seaward, drew alongside, and this
chap I'm speaking of came on board, shook hands with Dollmann, and
stared hard at me. Dollmann introduced us, calling him Commander von
Brüning, in command of the torpedo gunboat Blitz. He pointed towards
Norderney, and I saw her— a low, grey rat of a vessel— anchored in the
Roads about two miles away. It turned out that she was doing the work
of fishery guardship on that part of the coast.
'I must say I took to him at once. He looked a real good sort, and a
splendid officer, too— just the sort of chap I should have liked to be. You
know I always wanted— but that's an old story, and can wait. I had
some talk with him, and we got on capitally as far as we went, but that
wasn't far, for I left pretty soon, guessing that they wanted to be alone.'
'Were they alone then?'I asked, innocently.
'Oh, Fräulein Dollmann was there, of course,'explained Davies, feel-
ing for his armour again.
'Did he seem to know them well?'I pursued, inconsequently.
'Oh, yes, very well.'
Scenting a faint clue, I felt the need of feminine weapons for my sensit-
ive antagonist. But the opportunity passed.
'That was the last I saw of him,'he said.'We sailed, as I told you, at
daybreak next morning. Now, have you got any idea what I'm driving
at?'
'A rough idea,'I answered.'Go ahead.'
Davies sat up to the table, unrolled the chart with a vigorous sweep of
his two hands, and took up his parable with new zest.
'I start with two certainties,'he said.'One is that I was “moved on”
from that coast, because I was too inquisitive. The other is that Dollmann
is at some devil's work there which is worth finding out. Now'— he
paused in a gasping effort to be logical and articulate.'Now— well, look
at the chart. No, better still, look first at this map of Germany. It's on a
small scale, and you can see the whole thing.'He snatched down a
pocket-map from the shelf and unfolded it.'Here's this huge empire,
stretching half over central Europe— an empire growing like wildfire, I
believe, in people, and wealth, and everything. They've licked the
French, and the Austrians, and are the greatest military power in Europe.
