The Illustrious Prince | Page 4

all, sir," Mr. Hamilton Fynes answered.
"I will leave instructions for my trunk to be sent on after me. I have all
that I require, for the moment, in this suitcase."
The captain blew his whistle. Mr. Hamilton Fynes made his way
quietly to the lower deck, which was almost deserted. In a very few
minutes he was joined by half a dozen sailors, dragging a rope ladder.
The little tug came screaming around, and before any of the passengers
on the deck above had any idea of what was happening, Mr. Hamilton
Fynes was on board the Anna Maria, and on his way down the river,
seated in a small, uncomfortable cabin, lit by a single oil lamp.
No one spoke more than a casual word to him from the moment he
stepped to the deck until the short journey was at an end. He was
shown at once into the cabin, the door of which he closed without a
moment's delay. A very brief examination of the interior convinced him
that he was indeed alone. Thereupon he seated himself with his back to
the wall and his face to the door, and finding an English newspaper on
the table, read it until they reached the docks. Arrived there, he
exchanged a civil good-night with the captain, and handed a sovereign
to the seaman who held his bag while he disembarked.
For several minutes after he had stepped on to the wooden platform, Mr.
Hamilton Fynes showed no particular impatience to continue his
journey. He stood in the shadow of one of the sheds, looking about him
with quick furtive glances, as though anxious to assure himself that
there was no one around who was taking a noticeable interest in his
movements. Having satisfied himself at length upon this point, he made

his way to the London and North Western Railway Station, and
knocked at the door of the station-master's office. The station-master
was busy, and although Mr. Hamilton Fynes had the appearance of a
perfectly respectable transatlantic man of business, there was nothing
about his personality remarkably striking,--nothing, at any rate, to
inspire an unusual amount of respect.
"You wished to see me, sir?" the official asked, merely glancing up
from the desk at which he was sitting with a pile of papers before him.
Mr. Hamilton Fynes leaned over the wooden counter which separated
him from the interior of the office. Before he spoke, he glanced around
as though to make sure that he had not forgotten to close the door.
"I require a special train to London as quickly as possible," he
announced. "I should be glad if you could let me have one within half
an hour, at any rate.
The station-master rose to his feet.
"Quite impossible, sir," he declared a little brusquely. "Absolutely out
of the question!"
"May I ask why it is out of the question?" Mr. Hamilton Fynes
inquired.
"In the first place," the station-master answered, "a special train to
London would cost you a hundred and eighty pounds, and in the second
place, even if you were willing to pay that sum, it would be at least two
hours before I could start you off. We could not possibly disorganize
the whole of our fast traffic. The ordinary mail train leaves here at
midnight with sleeping-cars."
Mr. Hamilton Fynes held out a letter which he had produced from his
breast pocket, and which was, in appearance, very similar to the one
which he had presented, a short time ago, to the captain of the
Lusitania.

"Perhaps you will kindly read this," he said. "I am perfectly willing to
pay the hundred and eighty pounds."
The station-master tore open the envelope and read the few lines
contained therein. His manner underwent at once a complete change,
very much as the manner of the captain of the Lusitania had done. He
took the letter over to his green-shaded writing lamp, and examined the
signature carefully. When he returned, he looked at Mr. Hamilton
Fynes curiously. There was, however, something more than curiosity in
his glance. There was also respect.
"I will give this matter my personal attention at once, Mr. Fynes," he
said, lifting the flap of the counter and coming out. "Do you care to
come inside and wait in my private office?"
"Thank you," Mr. Hamilton Fynes answered; "I will walk up and down
the platform."
"There is a refreshment room just on the left," the station-master
remarked, ringing violently at a telephone. "I dare say we shall get you
off in less than half an hour. We will do our best, at any rate. It's an
awkward time just now to command an absolutely clear line, but if we
can once get you past Crewe you'll be all right. Shall we