Читать книгу The Councillors Of Falconhoe - Fred M. White - Страница 10

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The Councillors had made no idle boast when they declared that Falconhoe was one of the most beautiful and romantic spots in Europe. It lay on a ledge, half-way down a wooded slope, and below it was the sea, creeping into a tiny cove over gigantic masses of rock, where it was possible, at the right time of year, to get excellent bathing when the tide was at the flood. Just above the beach nestled a pair of white cottages where Colonel Philip Enderby, the mechanical genius of the trio, kept his wonderful helicopter aeroplane, and had his engines and store batteries, by means of which the powerful wireless station at the back of the house itself was equipped. The manor was approached by a narrow road, some thousand feet above the sea, and fringed on both sides with larches and pines. As the path trended downwards, it narrowed between great woods, consisting of most of the forest trees, forming an arch overhead, the little dales and hollows of which were fringed with all sorts of dainty ferns. A little mountain stream wended its way down the precipitous slopes, and emptied finally in lace-like waterfall on to the beach. Just above the house was a long whitewashed cottage, standing in an old world garden, and this served the dual purpose of a post-office and a summer boarding house for such visitors as were fortunate enough to obtain accommodation there. The manor house lay perched upon a plateau of rock, much as if some giant hand had scooped it out with a purpose, and there the long grey building lay, looking out over a sea of foliage, and blue and grey and lichen, the whole forming a prospect in its summer greenery that would be hard to imagine. Immediately in front of the house was a broad drive, and under that a well-kept sunken tennis court, where the Councillors kept themselves fit with hard exercise in the intervals between tea and dinner. There were not many bedrooms, perhaps a dozen altogether, with an up-to-date bathroom, and four living-rooms, dining-room, drawing-room, library, and the fourth, the noblest of the lot, given over entirely to Enderby and his mechanical appliances. It was here that he sat most of the day, with a receiver about his ears, listening to everything that went on all over Europe, and translating as much as was important to his colleagues.

They were waiting on events now, they were passing their own messages back to Rome and Vienna and Berlin, even as far as Constantinople, over a whole network of intercommunications which were covered by their agents everywhere. It was about 5 o'clock on that sunny afternoon that Enderby closed the door of his workshop behind him and went out on to the terrace where Jelicorse and Farncombe were seated waiting for their tea. A stiff old butler, obviously a soldier who had suffered in the wars, came out with an occasional table and began to lay the meal.

"Oh, here you are," Jelicorse said. "I heard a car stop half-way up the hill a little time ago, apparently outside the post office. I shouldn't wonder if our fair visitors have arrived. If so, they are just in time."

The still air was broken a minute or two later by chattering voices, and down the drive came the three expected guests. They were loud in praise of the beauty of the landscape, and the serene quietness of the house, before they settled down to the tea table and conversation became general. Jelicorse noted with a quiet smile that Inez Salviati was still wearing the uncut emerald, which in some mysterious way she had obtained from the Duke.

"Now let us hear all about it," Lady Peggy cried. "We are all here now, and Inez is just as keen on the adventure as Joan and myself. Now, confess, was there ever a more ideal spot in which to hatch a conspiracy? If I were a man, as hard up as you people are, I would turn Falconhoe Manor into the headquarters of a gang of aristocratic burglars. You have got all the audacity and brains, and not an ounce of nerves amongst the four of you. Why, with that wonderful helicopter of Colonel Enderby's you could plan a burglary in Edinburgh and be back here again before daylight."

Philip Enderby lay back in his chair and extended his six feet four of lean manhood, and laughed all over that long solemn face of his. He seemed quite intrigued with the idea.

"Now that is not a bad suggestion," he said. "Nobody has suffered at the hands of the beastly profiteers more than we have. Whilst we were saving Europe, those chaps were stealing it in chunks and hiding it in their pockets. And that is why we are all so infernally poor. But you don't speak feelingly, Lady Peggy."

Lady Peggy shook her bobbed head merrily.

"Oh, don't I?" she cried. "Ask Joan. Why, I am going to immolate myself on the altar of matrimony to save the family from going in a long procession to the workhouse. That is why I am heart and soul in this adventure. I am like the Spaniard who put off what he ought to do to-day until to-morrow, on the off-chance of not having to do it at all."

"Well, there are worse philosophies," Farncombe observed. "But look here, you girls, you don't seriously expect that we are going to tell you all our plans. Why, we haven't made them ourselves. At the present moment we are watching the enemy. When he makes his first move then it will be time for us to start. All I can say is, keep your eye on Barrados."

"That is right," Jelicorse remarked. "But you need not be afraid. There will be plenty of exciting adventures before long. We may have to start this very night. Nelson here brought me a bit of information the day before yesterday, which we regard as being of the highest importance."

"You will not leave me out?" Inez Salviati asked.

"Leave you out," Jelicorse cried. "Most assuredly not. I regard you as the finest asset we have. You will be in Madrid and Rome and Berlin and Dresden on that triumphant tour of yours, and who will imagine that the great prima donna has so far forgotten her dignity as to be dabbling in the little schemes of the Councillors of Falconhoe. Oh, yes, Inez, yours is going to be a star part."

"And where do we come in?" Lady Joan asked eagerly.

"Oh, don't you worry about that," Nelson smiled. "I don't know much about it yet myself, but I do know something about the part which has been cast for Peggy and yourself, and it will be my pleasing duty to act as your shadow and see that you don't get into any danger. I shall rather like that."

"Now, that is very sweet of you, Niel," Lady Joan said almost lovingly. "I began to think that fate had parted us two for ever. It was very hard lines on you, Niel."

"Just as hard upon you, my dear," Nelson replied.

"Well, really," Lady Joan expostulated.

"Oh, well, we are all friends here together, and you know very well, Joan, that if I hadn't lost everything in England, and all that property in Russia which was coming to me, we two would have married and settled down long ago. Now, when we get to Germany, where we shall be going later on, we have got to keep an eye on the main chance. Loot the German National Bank, or something of that sort. Borrow Enderby's helicopter and raid the ex-Kaiser's hoard in Holland. Anything, as long as we can make money."

"Ah, it sounds like a dream," Lady Joan sighed. "But, really, things are so desperate that I shouldn't mind becoming a lady burglar myself. I think every girl ought to learn some profession, and the get-rich-quick idea always appealed to me."

They sat there for a long time, chatting inconsequently in the sunshine, and admiring the wide expanse of cliff and tree and sea that lay before them. Then Lady Peggy jumped up and demanded to see Enderby's workshop without further delay.

"You will find it rather dry," Enderby said. "It's all so highly technical. You see, we are by way of being pioneers. Some day, and that before very long, our equipment of wireless telephony will be as commonplace as the typewriter. We shall be all able to buy our own instruments and to sit in our own homes hearing everything that goes on all over the world. However, we are in advance of anything else in this country, and we can talk to Berlin and Rome, much as I am talking to you girls now."

"Is that really so," Lady Joan cried excitedly. "Come on, you others, let's go and listen. If we are lucky enough, we may perhaps hear what the Pope is going to have for dinner. And what a splendid medium for gossip. Fancy lying in bed in the morning and hearing all about the Princess of Gotha's new wig, or what the King of Maraturia is going to do about that little card scandal."

Enderby led the way into his workroom, which appeared to be one mass of wires and burnished steel, and brass instruments of weird design, and then for an hour or so patiently explained them to his more or less bewildered hearers. He set certain machinery in motion, and then invited Lady Peggy to come forward and place the receivers over her ears.

"Now, don't be afraid to speak out," he said. "You are through to Madrid. You are on to the palace of the Marquis el Navarro."

"Oh, the darling," Lady Peggy cried. "It's years since I saw him last, and then I was just out of the schoolroom. Do you mean to say that I am going to speak direct to him?"

"Indeed I do," Enderby laughed. "I have told him you are here, and of course he is delighted. Now, you can just say what you like, whilst we all turn our back upon you, and we shan't hear a word. You needn't speak above a whisper, and if there is any scandal we shan't be any the wiser."

And for the best part of half an hour Lady Peggy sat there entranced. From time to time the others could see her lips moving, but no more. Then presently, with rather a pulled expression of face, the listener lifted the receivers from her ears and turned eagerly in Enderby's direction.

"The Marquis says there is somebody listening in," she explained. "Or perhaps I am not doing the right thing. He told me to cut out the circuit because he wanted to speak to you."

Enderby went across to the instrument and listened intently for a few seconds. Then he cut out once more and turned to his companions with something like enthusiasm on that usually grave face of his. He was not a man given to the expression of emotions.

"It marches, mes amis, it marches," he cried. "El Navarro has just told me that the black eagle has reached Petrograd. A few days, and we shall be in it up to our necks."