The Czars Spy | Page 7

In a few moments he returned, saying--
"The English yacht left suddenly last night, signore, and the Captain of
the Port has sent to inquire whether you know to what port she is
bound."
"Left!" I gasped in amazement "Why, I thought her engines were
disabled!"
A quarter of an hour later I was sitting in the private office of the
shrewd, gray-haired functionary who had sent this messenger to me.
"Do you know, Signor Commendatore," he said, "some mystery
surrounds that vessel. She is not the Lola, for yesterday we telegraphed
to Lloyd's, in London, and this morning I received a reply that no such
yacht appears on their register, and that the name is unknown. The
police have also telegraphed to your English police inquiring about the
owner, Signor Hornby, with a like result. There is no such place as
Woodcroft Park, in Somerset, and no member of Brook's Club of the
name of Hornby."
I sat staring at the official, too amazed to utter a word. Certainly they
had not allowed the grass to grow beneath their feet.
"Unfortunately the telegraphic replies from England are only to hand
this morning," he went on, "because just before two o'clock this
morning the harbor police, whom I specially ordered to watch the
vessel, saw a boat come to the wharf containing a man and woman. The
pair were put ashore, and walked away into the town, the woman
seeming to walk with considerable difficulty. The boat returned, and an
hour after, to the complete surprise of the two detectives, steam was
suddenly got up and the yacht turned and went straight out to sea."
"Leaving the man and the woman?"

"Leaving them, of course. They are probably still in the town. The
police are now searching for traces of them."
"But could not you have detained the vessel?" I suggested.
"Of course, had I but known I could have forbidden her departure. But
as her owner had presented himself at the Consulate, and was
recognized as a respectable person, I felt that I could not interfere
without some tangible information--and that, alas! has come too late.
The vessel is a swift one, and has already seven hours start of us. I've
asked the Admiral to send out a couple of torpedo-boats after her, but,
unfortunately, this is impossible, as the flotilla is sailing in an hour to
attend the naval review at Spezia."
I told him how the Consul's safe had been opened during the night, and
he sat listening with wide-open eyes.
"You dined with them last night," he said at last. "They may have
surreptitiously stolen your keys."
"They may," was my answer. "Probably they did. But with what
motive?"
The Captain of the Port elevated his shoulders, exhibited his palms, and
declared--
"The whole affair from beginning to end is a complete and profound
mystery."


CHAPTER II
WHY THE SAFE WAS OPENED
That day was an active one in Questura, or police office, of Leghorn.

Detectives called, examined the safe, and sagely declared it to be
burglar-proof, had not the thieves possessed the key. The Foreign
Office knew that, for they supply all the safes to the Consulates abroad,
in order that the precious ciphers shall be kept from the prying eyes of
foreign spies. The Questore, or chief of police, was of opinion that it
was the ciphers of which the thieves had been in search, and was much
relieved to hear that they were in safekeeping far away in Downing
Street.
His conjecture was the same as my own, namely, that the reason of
Hornby's call upon me was to ascertain the situation of the Consulate
and the whereabouts of the safe, which, by the way, stood in a corner of
the Consul's private room. Captain Mackintosh, too, had taken his
bearings, and probably while I sat at dinner on board the Lola my keys
had been stolen and passed on to the scarred Scotsman, who had
promptly gone ashore and ransacked the place while I had remained
with his master smoking and unsuspicious.
But what was the motive? Why had they ransacked all those
confidential papers?
My own idea was that they were not in search of the ciphers at all, but
either wanted some blank form or other, or else they desired to make
use of the Consular seal. The latter, however, still remained on the floor
near the safe, as though it had rolled out and been left unheeded. As far
as Francesco and I could ascertain, nothing whatever had been taken.
Therefore, we re-arranged the papers, re-locked the safe and resolved
not to telegraph to Hutcheson and unduly disturb him, as in a few days
he would return from England, and there would be time enough then to
explain the