L.P.M. : The End of The Great War Part 24

Lawrence waited until the room was dark and then slipped out unnoticed.

He would have liked to remain and see the rest of Edestone's most interesting pictures which had started off with those taken in Newfoundland and included a series not shown at Buckingham Palace. But he had an exciting task before him. The idea of posing as a Royal Prince in the magnificent uniform of the Imperial Hussars with nodding plumes and flowing military cape, his coat-of-arms emblazoned on his left shoulder, appealed to his dramatic instincts, as did the danger to his pa.s.sion for adventure.

He was brave, but unlike Edestone his was the bravery of an unthinking recklessness rather than that of a perfectly balanced mind which, contemptuous of the body that carries it, forces that body to do its bidding.

The fact that Edestone had offered him an unheard of reward had made little impression, going in one ear and out of the other. He would accept it as lightly as it had been offered because he himself would have made exactly the same offer under the same circ.u.mstances. Whenever he wanted anything he paid the price, even if it took his last cent. It was no incentive to action now, as he would have gladly paid for the privilege of playing this big part in this wonderful melodrama--a melodrama which he was prepared at any time to see change into a tragedy, with him the dead hero.

He found that his Bowery boy Fred, under the pretext that it was customary in the best New York "high society," had bullied the German flunkeys into bringing all of the officers' helmets and cloaks upstairs and laying them out on a bed in one of the chambers on the second floor, from which place it was easy for him to smuggle all he wanted into Lawrence's room. Lawrence found him there waiting to help him "make up."

Turning up the collar of his dress coat so as to hide his white s.h.i.+rt front, the masquerader buckled on the sabre that Fred handed to him.

Without changing his trousers he put on his riding boots and spurs, which with the busby and cloak, a pair of white kid gloves, and a small blond moustache completed his disguise. Standing thus in the middle of the room with the door open, he waited until Fred signalled that the coast was clear. He then stepped quickly across the hall and into the elevator, closely followed by Fred, who closed the door. When they were perfectly safe from interruption, he adjusted his costume and his false moustache to his entire satisfaction, pinning the cloak securely together with large safety pins to prevent it from flying open. Then as the elevator pa.s.sed the main floor on its way to the bas.e.m.e.nt, he made a gesture of derision.

Fred got out of the car and again carefully reconnoitred. Finding that the pa.s.sage leading to the garden was clear and that there was no one in the billiard room, which was between the elevator and the outside door, he signalled and Lawrence walked out into the garden at the side of the Emba.s.sy.

It was quite dark there, but not dark enough to prevent the soldiers, who were stationed about to watch this door, from seeing him as he stood perfectly still as if hesitating which way to turn.

Observing that he was an officer, they saluted and stood at attention.

Then as he moved forward and they saw the insignia on his cloak they signalled in some mysterious manner to the next post, who in turn pa.s.sed it down the line that Royalty was at large and that they must be careful not to be caught napping.

Accordingly, as Lawrence emerged from the semi-darkness and came around to the front of the Emba.s.sy, every soldier was standing at attention and the different officers, after looking searchingly but most respectfully at him to satisfy themselves who he was, stepped back and allowed him to pa.s.s, while they stood like pieces of stone.

Lawrence did not deign even to notice them, but, reeling unsteadily in his gait, pa.s.sed them without even acknowledging their salute.

His presence having been reported to the Captain who had charge of the company that was stationed in the street immediately in front of the Emba.s.sy, this officer hastened up to him.

"Is there anything that you require, Your Royal Highness?" he saluted.

Lawrence, carrying out his pretence of intoxication, gave a perfect imitation of the Prince when in that condition.

"I am making a tour of inspection to see that everything is all right,"

he said thickly.

The Captain saw his condition and showed an inclination to follow him, but Lawrence waved his hand with what was intended to be a regal gesture, although in fact it seemed to throw him almost off his balance.

The Captain stepped back most respectfully and saluted, but smiled as he followed with his eyes the young Prince.

Lawrence strutted quickly but unsteadily until he came to within about a hundred yards of the mortars, where a sentry challenged him.

"Pardon me, Your Royal Highness, but my orders are to permit no one to pa.s.s. If you will allow me, I will call the Corporal of the Guard, who will send for the Captain."

Lawrence interrupted him by bellowing:

"Get out of my way, you stupid blockhead, or I'll kick you out of my way! I have not time to wait for the lot of fools that you all are."

Then as the man did not move he gave him a tremendous upper-cut, catching his chin with the base of his open hand and sending his head back and lifting him off his feet. He fell sprawling about ten feet away against an iron railing, where he lay perfectly still with a nasty cut in the back of his head.

The Captain, who had been slowly following to see that nothing happened to his Royal charge, ran up quickly and, ordering another soldier to take the place of the fallen sentry, had the wounded man hurried quickly out of sight.

In the meantime Lawrence was strolling along, without even looking back at the poor fellow where he lay.

"I caught him just right," he muttered with a touch of compunction. "I hope I did not hurt him badly."

When he finally came to the mortars with the mysterious two-wheeled wagons attached to them, he walked around from one to the other, as if he were making a careful inspection to see that everything was all right. It was impossible for him even now to make out what was hidden under the canvas covers. One thing he could see, however, and that was, that from under each there ran a carefully insulated electric cable to the nearest fire hydrant where it was carefully attached.

After inspecting all four, Lawrence turned around and went back to the second wagon, the cover of which he had noticed was not on exactly straight. He hoped to be able to see what was underneath, but he found that the cover was strapped down so tightly that he could get no inkling.

During all this time the officers and men were standing at attention in their proper places, although they followed him with their eyes, an amused expression on their faces.

Finding that it was impossible for him to discover anything while the covers remained on the wagons, he bellowed in a loud and commanding voice, not forgetting to imitate Royalty in its cups:

"Lieutenant!"

And to the young officer who ran up to him he said:

"Why is not that cover on straight? Did you not receive orders that these--" and as Lawrence had not the slightest idea what "these" were, he subst.i.tuted a loud hiccough for the unknown name, and contented himself with pointing with an unsteady hand. "Did you not understand these had to be perfectly concealed? Now that one is not perfectly concealed, for I can see perfectly what it is, so take that cover off and put it on straight. And be quick about it or I will report you for untidiness."

The Lieutenant, who was one of the very young recruits now officering the German Army, feeling overpowered by the presence of Royalty, had given the order, and the men were unstrapping the cover when the Captain came up.

"What are you doing there?" he demanded. Then turning sharply to the young Lieutenant he said in the most brutal manner:

"Don't you know that the orders are not to take these covers off, not until the very last minute, not until everything else has been tried and has failed to bring her down."

"But His Royal Highness," stammered the younger officer, "has ordered this cover off because it is not on straight."

"But, Your Royal Highness," expostulated the Captain, although in the most deferential manner, "don't you think that this cover is on straight enough?"

"What! Do you mean to contradict me?" Lawrence almost screamed. "I say that the cover is not on straight, and I have ordered this fool to take it off and put it on straight, perfectly straight."

"But that is impossible," said the Captain, warily keeping out of reach of His Royal Highness's fists. "The orders are that these covers are not to come off until the American flying machine makes its appearance, and if it does not appear, the covers are not to come off at all. These are the orders of the General Staff, and Your Royal Highness must realize that they have to be obeyed."

"Well," said Lawrence with the persistency of a drunken man, talking at the top of his voice, "if you do not put that cover on straight I will report you, and you will be court-martialled for insulting a Prince of the Blood."

All the while he kept swaying as if he were about to fall.

Straightening himself up with much difficulty and a.s.suming a drunken dignity he started to go away; but as if he were unable to free his intoxicated mind from the one idea that obsessed it, he turned and changed his tone to a persuasive one.

"I don't insist that you take the cover off," he laughed, "I only insist that it be straightened, because you can see as well as I that it is not on perfectly straight, and your orders were to put these covers on straight, perfectly straight."

The Captain, now thoroughly amused, and deciding that the best way was to humour him, thought, since his orders were only not to remove, that he would be able to satisfy the Prince without directly disobeying his instructions. He therefore ordered the men to unstrap the cover and pull it around.

Lawrence seemed entirely satisfied with this, and took such interest in seeing that the cover was adjusted to exactly the right position, that he leaned over and took hold of it himself, as if to give his help. As he did so he gave a lurch, and grabbing at the cover as if to save himself, he went down in a heap with it on top of him.

The men helped him quickly to his feet and as quickly readjusted the cover, but not before he had seen that the drum-shaped objects were in fact great wooden spools on which were wound thousands and thousands of yards of large copper wire.

Having seen all that he wanted, he now turned his attention towards getting back to the Emba.s.sy, so taking the Captain's arm, and seeming either to have lost all interest or to have been overcome by his fall, made his way along. He swung and lurched so that it was with difficulty the officer kept him on his feet.

Then when they arrived at the front steps and the Captain was a.s.sisting him up, Lawrence, as if suddenly awaking from sleep, stopped.

"I am too dirty to go in by the front door," he protested, "I will go in by the garden. I am much obliged to you, Captain; don't come any farther."