Delphi Works of Ford Madox Ford (Illustrated) (456 page)

Sergius Mihailovitch bowed slightly. “Without doubt,” he said ironically, “not even the most beautiful woman in the world would make me desire to leave I.H.’s services. But I desire to be of some use in the world. I am going to become the director of a motor car agency in London.”

“But this is a farce!” the Duke said.

“Well, it is a farce,” Sergius Mihailovitch answered. “But it will satisfy Madame la Comtesse, who is always desiring that I should be of some use in the world. Actually I am going to engineer a revolution.”

The Grand Duke said: “My God! Another revolution! What a waste of time.”

Sergius Mihailovitch bowed once more to the Grand Duke. “It will be a counter-revolution this time,” he said.

The Grand Duke said: “Oh!” His eyes perused Macdonald’s face with a searching glare. Then he uttered heavily the one word
“
Galizia.”

Macdonald again bowed silently.

“You understand,” the Duke said rather frostily, “I am financially interested. Their
rentes
are rising.”

“
To-day we rise, to-morrow we fall,” Sergius Mihailovitch said expressionlessly. The Duke continued to gaze at him with an august glance.

“Am I to understand,” he said,
“
that this is in the nature of financial information?”

“
I.H.’s favourite dish is the little lamprey of the Don,” Macdonald said. “If I.H. should receive a letter from me from London saying that the lamprey of the Don is unprocurable in the markets of that city, I.H. may take my word for it that it is financial information.”

The Duke continued to gaze questioningly at Macdonald. He was a man who liked to be perfectly certain in matters of high finance.

“You mean,” he said slowly, “that if I receive a letter from you in which the word lamprey is used I may regard it as an instruction to myself to ‘bear’ the
rentes
of that country?” He added almost threateningly, “You understand that this is a very serious matter — to give me advice that may be wrong. I may say that if the advice proves wrong your future in this world will be very precarious.”

“I understand it very well,” Macdonald said, with a pleasant smile. “I do not know how far this enterprise may prosper. I am engaged upon it, but I cannot tell. But I make I.H. the promise to write to him about lampreys if the enterprise seems likely enough to succeed to bring those securities down in the market. It will not need a successful revolution to do that. A mere revolt will do it, as I.H. well knows. If it is a revolt which fails, I shall without doubt pay for it with my life, but I.H. may make a million or so.”

The Grand Duke smiled suddenly. “That is a very proper spirit of loyalty,” he said, a little ironically. “That is the spirit of the
preux
chevaliers who lay down their lives for the profit of their kings.”

Macdonald laughed. “I don’t know that it’s that,” he said. “I was merely thinking of gaining Your Highness’s favour for the new government. It is well known that Your Highness, like your ancestor Alexander I, is prejudiced against the illustrious family that we are about to restore to its throne.”

“Prejudiced!” the Duke said. “I tell you that they are ignorant, cowardly, and useless fools!” He smiled once more, however. “Of course,” he said, “if I am to make a million or so out of this restoration it might change my views as to the hereditary antipathy that the Romanoffs have always felt for the Bourbons.”

“If I.H.,” Macdonald began warily, “could use his enormous influence in the foreign ministry to get recognition for our new government as early as possible, it will be of the greatest help.”

“If I get my million,” the Duke said, “you shall have it on the next day.”

Macdonald bowed again. “Then that is all that I need trouble I.H. about,” he said.

The Prince raised his royal eyebrows. “But hang it all, my good fellow,” he said, “you’ve asked for nothing for yourself.”

Macdonald reflected for a moment. “Your Highness,” he said, “could do me the utmost favour — and make a little more money...”

“How? How?” the Duke asked. “Of course, I am always ready to make money.”

“Supposing now,” Macdonald said argumentatively, “that a couple of Russian cruisers should be going to Shanghai—”

“Oh, hang it all!” the Duke said, “I can’t let Russian cruisers bombard the port of a friendly republic. We are not going to war with—”

Sergius Mihailovitch extended a soothing hand towards the Prince.

“Listen, Highness,” he said. “I am talking of Russian cruisers that are going to Shanghai. On the way there is a port called Toulon. Now, supposing that these two Russian cruisers discover off the port of Toulon that their boilers — excellent boilers — are defective. The two Russian crusiers would put into the port of Toulon.”

The Duke said: “There is nothing new about that. It is always happening.”

“When the two Russian cruisers arrive in Toulon it is discovered that their boilers are utterly useless.”

“That, too, is always happening,” the Duke said. “You are thinking of the
Javorskaia
and the
Admiral Kunin.”

“I admit,” Macdonald said,’ that the condition of those two vessels of H.I.M.’s navy gave me the idea. But I should require vessels of a better class.”

The Prince said: “Well — well?”

“Being discovered to be entirely useless, the vessels will be sold to a syndicate.”

“For what price?” the prince asked, with interest.

“Let us say,” Macdonald said, “for a quarter of a million pounds sterling.”

“It is not very much,” the Duke commented.

“It is all that I am empowered to offer,” Macdonald answered. “Besides, it will be all sheer profit to Your I.H.”

“Oh, come,” the Duke said, “I have a conscience. I it, as I.H. well knows. If it is a revolt which fails, I shall without doubt pay for it with my life, but I.H. may make a million or so.”

The Grand Duke smiled suddenly. “That is a very proper spirit of loyalty,” he said, a little ironically. “That is the spirit of the
preux
chevaliers who lay down their lives for the profit of their kings.”

Macdonald laughed. “I don’t know that it’s that,” he said. “I was merely thinking of gaining Your Highness’s favour for the new government. It is well known that Your Highness, like your ancestor Alexander I, is prejudiced against the illustrious family that we are about to restore to its throne.”

“Prejudiced!” the Duke said. “I tell you that they are ignorant, cowardly, and useless fools!” He smiled once more, however. “Of course,” he said, “if I am to make a million or so out of this restoration it might change my views as to the hereditary antipathy that the Romanoffs have always felt for the Bourbons.”

“If I.H.,” Macdonald began warily, “could use his enormous influence in the foreign ministry to get recognition for our new government as early as possible, it will be of the greatest help.”

“If I get my million,” the Duke said,
“
you shall have it on the next day.”

Macdonald bowed again. “Then that is all that I need trouble I.H. about,” he said.

The Prince raised his royal eyebrows. “But hang it all, my good fellow,” he said, “you’ve asked for nothing for yourself.”

Macdonald reflected for a moment. “Your Highness,” he said, “could do me the utmost favour — and make a little more money...”

“How? How?” the Duke asked. “Of course, I am always ready to make money.”

“Supposing now,” Macdonald said argumentatively, “that a couple of Russian cruisers should be going to Shanghai—”

“Oh, hang it all!” the Duke said, “I can’t let Russian cruisers bombard the port of a friendly republic. We are not going to war with—”

Sergius Mihailovitch extended a soothing hand towards the Prince.

“Listen, Highness,” he said. “I am talking of Russian cruisers that are going to Shanghai. On the way there is a port called Toulon. Now, supposing that these two Russian cruisers discover off the port of Toulon that their boilers — excellent boilers — are defective. The two Russian crusiers would put into the port of Toulon.”

The Duke said: “There is nothing new about that. It is always happening.”

“When the two Russian cruisers arrive in Toulon it is discovered that their boilers are utterly useless.”

“That, too, is always happening,” the Duke said. “You are thinking of the
Javorskaia
and the
Admiral Kunin.”

“I admit,” Macdonald said, “that the condition of those two vessels of H.I.M.’s navy gave me the idea. But I should require vessels of a better class.”

The Prince said: “Well — well?”

“Being discovered to be entirely useless, the vessels will be sold to a syndicate.”

“For what price?” the prince asked, with interest.

“Let us say,” Macdonald said, “for a quarter of a million pounds sterling.”

“It is not very much,” the Duke commented.

“It is all that I am empowered to offer,” Macdonald answered. “Besides, it will be all sheer profit to Your I.H.”

“Oh, come,” the Duke said, “I have a conscience. I could not take more than a million roubles for acting as agent.”

“As for me,” Macdonald said, “I will undertake that within a few days the war-ships shall be returned to the government of H.I.M. The syndicate having a conscience will have discovered that the war-ships are much more efficient than was supposed.”

“Oh, come! come!” the Duke said, “you had better keep them for yourself, and sell them to some South American government. You will make a handsome profit.”

“I am not a dealer in old iron,” Macdonald answered.

The Duke looked at him fixedly. “That, of course, is an insult to me,” he said.

“God forbid!” Macdonald answered. “I am only a poor man, with few of the responsibilities of Your Highness, who is a mighty prince. So I can afford to say that I will not weaken my own country by permanently removing her battle-ships. I need them only for a few days.”

‘‘You really are a most impracticable idiot!” the Prince remarked.

Macdonald bowed. “Your Highness,” he said, “is only uttering the exact words that have been used time and again by my wife.”

“Really, she is to be sympathised with in that particular,” the Duke said. “It makes me positively angry to see how you neglect your opportunities. That must be your Scotch blood. They say, ‘Fier comme un Ecossais.’”

Again Macdonald inclined his head. “Let us then,” he said, “be certain that we have the details correct. Upon my writing to Your Highness-about lampreys, Your Highness will conduct a financial operation. But if I telegraph that I have procured lampreys in London, Your Highness will see that the two first-class cruisers
Uvaroff
and
Alexander II,
with all their arms and ammunition on board, are dispatched for Shanghai, under secret orders to be opened in mid-Channel.”

“There will be no mistake about the money?” the Duke asked.

“There will be no mistake if I telegraph,” Macdonald said.

“Then that is all,” the Duke answered.

Macdonald once more bowed, and was making for the little door when once more the Duke exclaimed:

“But, hang it all, Macdonald, what are you going to live upon?”

“I?” Macdonald said. “I have already told Your Highness that I am going to become the manager of a motor car business.”