Show i I The Bulgarian Papers ers I t 11 i ii i Revelations of An t i i Large at f Transcribed by H. H M. M Egbert from the private papers of i an Englishman who for fora a time was an unofficial diplomat in the most mOlt secret service of the British Government If I hi Co l t IJ t fc Copyright 1315 by W V. Q G. Chapman r The late Lord Salisbury once nce did me the honor to allude to me as the cleverest minister in Europe Cynic that he was he would I bellove believe be be- lieve have overlooked my indiscretion tion at Madrid But Dut ho died three A months before that episode to which i I have no intention of alluding further It IUs is an axiom that a British represent representative t must have a flawless record and a score of years as an at j nearly every European capital in turn did not save mo me e. e Naturally I was embittered and my t four years of retirement were the thet t I had ever spent When I 1 petitioned Sir Edward Grey for reinstatement reinstatement rein- rein r statement even in some minor post I 1 had bad little hope that he would listen to me When therefore he sent for forme me to Downing street you can judge 1 of my elation But Dut his first words words' dashed my hopes P 1 t completely It c M X X- X what you ask is impossible ble he said I do not think you a F E ry a j were culpable in that Spanish mat mat- ter But Dut you were indiscreet enough to make reinstatement in the regular t diplomatic service Impossible I The word regular seemed unusual i f enough to rekindle my hopes slightly i. i lIe He saw that I 1 had understood that E there was something more to be said aud aLd taking me confidentially by the arm he asked me to be seated You can serve the government w greatly he said and in this way i- i There are great events pending We WeI Weare are skirting the edge of the greatest conflagration since Napoleons Napoleon's day You know what was behind the scenes r In in 1909 when Austria annexed Bosnia I ff t also in 1911 when G Germany challenged chal chal- challenged France by sending the Panther to Theres a war spirit abroad Its It's f like some evil thing which civilization has downed rising up to down civilization civili chili civilization 1 This new spirit is an artificial artificial I cial thing It is an organized thing Somebody is at the back of It manufacturing manur manu manu- r i it inciting it with the exo expenditure ex ex- o f of ot unlimited money for f very concrete reasons of his own I want you to use your ability and knowledge in running him down G Find out who he is and what his pur pur- purpose J pose is Will you accept the post of ambassador large ambassador at large to Europe h ho ended with that charming smile ri which is said to be the secret of nine- nine f. f r. tenths of his success t i I accepted the mission And that i- i was how I 1 found myself In Vienna the lf gossip capital of Europe I had not been there there ere for a number of at years year I 1 N felt feIt however that the to sure key the situation lay here where everybody everybody every every- as body comes sooner or later later- and everything ev eVe everything cry thing that is being done in other t r capitals comes to a correct focus ti I 1 meant to steep myself in the political pos pot po po- t s atmosphere to get a grasp upon upon up up- j on those contemporary events which t r. r 1 are never ever recorded in the newspapers J before beginning my investigations I Ie It t e I knew how much turns upon the relations relations rela rela- between a king and his consort a crown prince and his father tather an ambassadors ambassadors ambassador's am am- f indiscretion a dignitary's r. r religious conversation or a club waiters waiter's wait walt f i ers er's memory of a conversation over J r the port u I was on my way to the Diplomats Diplomat's club at of ot which I 1 had hadJ r J a always remained an honorary mem mem- ber tr As I 1 passed through the district of ot f I government offices I fancied that I t tj y saw one or two persons watching me mei i rather closely Presently I saw before me the two Corinthian pillars that flank the entrance ena en en- a trance to the Diplomats' Diplomats club r J c As I made my way into the nearly empty smoking room and took a chair at the end of ot the room farthest from f the door I saw the club members regarding regarding re reo re- re garding me furtively J Then one by one they rose up and I n went out unostentatiously and yet 1 s with a certain appearance of at concerted concert concert- Qi ed action x if All except one man who as the last t to leave passed through the he door got f. f up and came quickly toward me I fr perceived a little wizened fellow K 4 without without a trace of that hall mark of r f breeding which in my day had been the primary qualification for admission admission n J sion sian to the Diplomats' Diplomats club He took i o th the empty chair nearest me drew it 4 up close and leaning toward me ji said in a low Jow tone and with a mixture mixture mix mix- I ture of or familiarity and ingratiating s deference J Wo We are assured beyond doubt that fr Dimitrieff has s those papers in his pockets pocket s. s f 1 said nothing always been beena a good listener and the little man manIA manS S IA pregnant with mysterious rev rev- r We Wo know why he left leU Sofia on Thursday night and why ne be is In ini i Vienna pursued the little man It was not a matter of trying to raise x that loan t f There was something so smug and andI I sinister about the man that I 1 checked my iny impulse to suggest that ho might nave made a mistake in my identity I 1 felt that I was about to learn things which it ft was as necessary for me to Know It was Mademoiselle Celeste of course continued the little man We got hold of her correspondence Dimitrioff DI DI- had begged her to return to Sofia b but t since she found the tho Bulgarian Bulgarian Bulga Dulga rian cl climate mate unendurable Dimitrieff has has' come to Vienna on the eve of war warto warto warto to say say good goodby by to her The queens queen's opposition made Bulgaria impossible for Mademoiselle Celeste you know Dimitrieff Dmitrieff Dimitrieff Suddenly I bethought myself of a young military officer er of Bulgarian Dulgarian birth a fellow at at- tache with me at Berlin a man whom I had known very well indeed when Prince e Alexander and were the storm center of Europe during the turbulent period of the eighties I had followed the careers of most of my former friends through the newspapers I knew that Nicholas Dimitrieff had risen high in his profession profession pro pro- of arms and that a Nicholas Dimitrieff was now war minister of the belligerent little state that was the chief partner In the newly formed Balk Balkan n league against Turkey The thought that this might be my old friend silenced all my scruples about listening further I II I v was as not surprised that Dimitrieff had succumbed to the fascination of Mademoiselle Celeste a woman of Russian birth who had recently made madea a tour of the Balkan principalities So Dimitrieff had rushed off to Vienna upon the eve of war to see her carrying important papers with him How like Dimitrieff of old days I 1 remembered a certain escapade out of ot which I had once helped him hUn his protestations of eternal gratitude and anda a very warm feeling toward the man whom I 1 had not seen for so many years swept over me He is staying at the Hotel Metz under the name of Ivanoff the little littleman littleman littleman man man continued The tailor has Seen him and feels confident that he can duplicate duplicate du duo du- du plicate the dress coat The grease Is arranged for torI fore and the hotel valet has been Instructed that you will buy the discarded coat How do you know for certain that he has those papers I 1 asked trying to conceal my loathing for the little spy 4 Our agent sat in the same compartment compact compart m ment nt with him during the entire Journey journey journey Jour jour- ney from Sofia to Vienna Now our man observed that Dimitrieff constantly constantly constantly con con- put his hand to his pocket during during during dur dur- dur- dur ing the Journey as if to satisfy himself himself him him- self that the papers were there Undoubtedly Undoubtedly Un Un- he Is la carrying them in his pocket I 1 tried to keep my face tace impassive In my day diplomacy subtle though it might be on occasion never resorted resort resort- resorted ed to o the s substitution o of dress s coats However However it seemed to me me incredible that Dimitrieff would leave the papers which were evidently so valuable in inthe inthe inthe the wrong pocket The Tho little man leaned forward and spoke immediately Into my eaf eat The alternative plan of attacking Dimitrieff was considered he ho said but It was felt to be impossible Apart from the certainty that Dimitrieff DmitrIeff Dimit Dmit- rieff is armed one cannot assault a minister of a foreign state in the streets of at Vienna even though he is traveling Incognito iNo No You are quite right I an an- We sounded Mademoiselle Celeste without her knowledge but we found that she could not be influenced being being be be- ing a fellow Slav However If Ir she shares tes the nature of women she will do everything that Is necessary without the least suspicion that she is aiding us Do you stay long at Vienna mein herr It was ray my Intention to go to Agram jand and I should have started at noon h had d not TV word ord reached me that you were In the capital capita I cannot tell you I answered My plans are well are well indefinite Of Ot course answered the spy smiling And where shall the dress coat be brought tomorrow morning I gave the fellow my address at the Hotel Ramillies I also gave him myown myown my myown own name which he undoubtedly considered considered con con- a nom do de plume for his smiles and winks became so outrageously familiar familiar fa ta- fa- fa that I left leU him But Dut I wondered who I was supposed to be as I strolled up the Koenig- Koenig strasse That the Austrian government had urgent need of certain documents vital vital vital vi vi- tal to Bulgaria I had no doubt That the tho diplomats of the dual monarchy had lad resorted to a particularly shabby trick to obtain them was evident Of or course the little spy was a go be tween But Dut those other other men in th the club club- club I could never enter the Diplomats' Diplomats club again The atmosphere there was intolerable If the new diplomacy diplo- diplo macy was represented by the typo type of man who seemed to predominate there I would prefer preter to associate with low grade commercial travelers 1 I made my way toward the Hotel Metz with the object of warning Dimitrieff The hotel clerk informed me that Herr was out lIe He had gone out early that morning He could not say when he would return r F found a s a. a seat in the reading room commanding a view of the stairs and waited Picking up a copy of the days day's I learned fr from m it that Mademoiselle Celeste was not to sing In La that night There was a new understudy of whose voice was supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed to be wonderful and she was to make her debut I felt sure as I 1 read this item that Mademoiselle Celeste and Dimitrieff would go to the opera It seemed clear Enough nough that Dimitrieff Dimitrieff Dimit rieff would put on the substituted dress coat and that after arter he had gone out again the theft would be effected Yet It seemed wholly Improbable improbable improbable Im im- im- im probable that he would forget to put the document into the pocket of ot the coat he wore and the plot was darker dark er to me than ever Five o'clock struck and as I 1 strolled out into the hall I saw Dimitrieff enter en enter en en- ter by the tr front nt door Even after arter the lapse of at years I could not be mistaken in Dimitrieff The boyish figure had grown stout the little Jaunty upturned upturn l mustaches had become gray Dimitrieff was lined and worn care worn care but this was Dimitrieff I 1 had known him too w well ll to be mistaken Forgetting everything In my pleasure pleasure pleasure pleas pleas- ure I stepped to his side Nicholas I exclaimed And memories of the old days in Berlin surging over One me choked my voice I 1 saw his face tace through a filmy mist and I could say no more You dont don't remember me I 1 managed managed man man- aged to add as I s saw w him staring at atme atme atme me while his hand remained limp at athis athis athis his side Quite well enough he answered and his face was an angry red I know you as well as I want to Louis and I recognized y your our spy in the train And then with a n curt nod he stepped into the elevator I 1 went out Into th the street and paced the sidewalk I 1 felt dismayed and hurt but I could not be angry with Dimitrieff I had never in my life lire been addressed as before and it began to dawn on me that it must be in the capacity o of i 7 R wn 0 Ati I Unless You Return Me My Papers I 1 Shall Blow My Brains Out In Your Presence that I 1 had engaged the conversation of the spy and also the attention of ot those who stared at me In the street on my way to the club What was to be done now That question was solved in a moment moment mo mo- ment for as I 1 turned half Irresolute I saw Dmitrieff s stout figure emerge from the door of the Hotel Metz and enter a waiting taxicab I 1 hailed a cab that was crawling by Follow that taxi I said to the driver and got in Five minutes later the tho two cabs drew up in front of the opera house Dimitrieff descended and watching from where I sat I I saw saw him go to the box office It was not until he had hadre reentered reentered re- re entered his cab and driven away way that I made my descent I want a seat near my friends friend's box I I said The gentleman who has Just purchased one on one Th That t is Mademoiselle Celestes Celeste's box answered the ticket agent looking look look- looking ing at at me with an amused expression There are no vacant seats anywhere near In which row is mademoiselle I asked The dress circle mein herr It is the herr heir direktor's private box but no doubt doub your friend and Mademoiselle Celeste will occupy It alone It is not possible to se secure secure ure a seat here here here- Give mo me a seat in the dress circle immediately opposite then I 1 said I surveyed the tho audience from my seat in the crowded dress circle that evening The opera house was packed the crowd was eager as only a Vienna audience can be to hear and pass its verdict upon the understudy It was I about five minutes before eight the hour appointed for the raising of the curtain when I dropped my program with an exclamation of surprise which it was wholly beyond my power to resist Seated In the center of the dress I circle but about three rows farther I 1 I saw law my A double as I would have appeared after arter a life lUe devoted to chicanery and petty m malpractice culminating with advancing confidence in large dishonesties dishonesties dis dis- dis honesties and fraud I measured up the man with a single glance There but for the grace of God and tile the honor of my father sits myself myself my my- self sem I muttered For I knew that similar types mean similar souls and was not I too engaged engaged en en- In reading and practicing upon men With lesser ideals I 1 would h have ve become a second F For r of c course urse this man was Wies- Wies knopf the Austrian governments government's unofficial unofficial un un- un- un official agent and spy spy We two were virtually engaged in the same prot profession ssi s. s si sion nl I 1 I felt that In defeating I Iwas Iw w was I defeating my baser nature I 1 turned my gaze away fearful of ot attracting the attention of my double and at that moment Mademoiselle Celeste Celeste Ce Ce- leste and Dimitrieff entered the box opposite Every pair of opera glasses in the house was at once turned upon the famous famous famous fa fa- fa- fa singer |