Show T T mk MR T TT ml BULL U LL YG ND the adventures of a mobilized demobilized De e by CYRIL mcneile officer who found peace dull SAPPER COPY ight hw by geo raa n H TV doran dorfan co ce PEACE incredibly TEDIOUS De mobilized of officer firer finding peace incredibly tedious would welcome diversion legitimate if possible tut but crime if of a comparatively ively humorous hu description no objection excitement essen hal bial would ie be prepared to consider permanent job if suitably impressed by applicant for his services reply at once box alo t sly my dear box alo I 1 dont 1 know naw whether your advertisement was a joke I 1 I 1 suppose it if mutt must hare been but I 1 read it this morning and it s just possible alo just possible you mean it and if you do youre the man I 1 want I 1 can offer you excitement and probably crime im vp against it alo for a girl ive bitten off rather more inore than I 1 I 1 vart can chew I 1 want help badly will you come to the carlton for tea lea tomorrow afternoon f I 1 ward to have a look at you and see if I 1 think yov you are genuine wear a white flower in your buttonhole I 1 so advertises capt hugh drummond D S 0 late of his hii Maje royal Loam shires so anwer answers phyllis benton and so 0 o begins begin a truly stirring hiring hi ring tory story for phyllis is r ure sure up against it her dear old father falber is if involved with a clever and powerful band of inter national uati onal criminal crimin alf one of whom is S bent on marrying marry her bulldog bull BuIl dog Dof drummond befriends befriend i the girl then begin battle murder and su adden death quite quit comparable for thrills thrill with bulldogs bulldog bull dogs dog war adventures la in no mans man land and dont forget the adorable phyllis Ph ylli this thi engrossing tory story is i by cyril mcneile who under the pon DB am of sapper has ha the whole englif speaking peaking world aero across tea ta atlantic reading his hi books book PROLOGUE 1 ID the month of december 1918 slid nil on the very day that hat a british cavalry div division Lalon marched into cologne with flags flying and hands bonds playing as 3 the conquerors of a beaten nation the manager of the hotel nationals nationale Nat Nati lonale onale la in berne received a letter letier its contents appeared to puzzle him somewhat for having read it twice lie he rang the bell on his bis desk to summon hla his secretary almost immediately lie file door opened and a young french girl came into the room monsieur grangr rang haie we ever had stay staying ing in the hotel a man called ae couite comte de guy he leaned back in his chair and looked at her through his pince nez the secretary thought for a moment and then shook lier ber head not as far as I 1 can remember she said do we know anything about him I 1 has he ever fed here or talen taen a private rooth room I 1 not that I 1 know of the manager handed her the letter and waited in silence until she bad read it it seems on an the face of it a peculiar request from an unknown man lie remarked as she laid it do dona n A dinner of four covers no expense to be spared wines specified and if not dot in hotel to be obtained A private room at halt half past seven sharp guests to ask for room X the secretary nodded in agreement nent it can hardly be a hoax she remarked after a short silence no the manager tapped his teeth with hla his pen thought thoughtfully fally but if 1 by any chance it was it would prove an expensive one tor for us I 1 wish I 1 could think who he this comte de guy cuy Is 18 he took off his pince nez and laid then thein on the desk in front of him send the daltre to me at once whatever may have been the managers misgivings they were certainly not shared by the head walter waiter as he left the office after receiving his instructions war and short rations had not been conducive to any particularly lucrative business bubines i in his sphere and the whole sound of the proposed entertainment seemed to him to contain considerable promise and so at about twenty minutes past seven the mattre maitre was bo hovering vering around the hall porter the ina manager nager was hovering round the maitre dh otel and the secretary was hovering around both at five and twenty minutes initiates past the first guest arrived rr ived he was a peculiar looking man in a big fur coat reminding one irresistibly sisti bly of a codfish 1 I wish to be taken to room X the french secretary stiffened indol unta unwarily nt artly rily as the maitre stepped obsequiously forward cosmopolitan an the hotel was even now DOW she could never hear bear german spoken without an toward inward shudder of digest A boche beebe she murmured in disgust almost immediately afterward the second and third members of the party arrived they did not come T aw anil and what seemed pe peculiar rullar to the manager was that they were evidently brangers sr bt ran angers cers to one another the leading one a tall gaunt man with a ragged beard and a pair of piercing eyes asked in a nasal and by no 00 means an aa inaudible tone lor for room X As he spoke a little fat man who was wa standing just behind him started perceptibly and shot a birdlike glance at t the speaker then to in execrable french he too asked ked for room X iles he not french said gald the secretary excitedly to the manager that thai lat last one was waa another boche the manager thoughtfully twirled bl big place ance nee ne i his hi angurs two germans walls and no american ue he knotted a nuie let ic us hope the dinner will appease everybody otherwise but whatever hat ever fears he might have entertained with regard to the furniture in ID room koorn X they were not destined to be uttered even as he spoke the door again swung open and a man with a thick white scarf around his neck so pulled up as almost completely to cover his face came in all that the manager could swear to as regards the newcom newcomers ees appearance was a pair of deep set steel gray eyes which seemed to bore through him you got my letter this morn morning tog IMs leur ie ae comte cointe de guy the manager bowed deferentially and rubbed his hands together everything Is ready and three guests have arrived good I 1 will go to the room at once As he followed his guide hla his eyes swept round the lounge save for two or three elderly women of doubtful nationality and a man in the american red ked cross the place was deserted and as he passed through the swing doors he turned to the head waiter business good he asked no bus business iDess decidedly was not good the waiter was voluble bustness business had never been beenson so poor in the memory of man but it was to be hoped that the dinner dainer would be to monsieur ie coates comtes Co intes liking also the wines it if everything Is to my satisfaction you will not regret it said the count tersely but remember one thing after the coffee coffae has been brought in I 1 do not wish to be disturbed under any IMs altur Ml leur tur Is ie comte de guy muyr circumstances whatever the head bead waiter paused as aa he be came to a door and the count repeated the latt last few words under no circumstances whatever mals certain ement monsieur Is ie comte I 1 personally will see to it As he be spoke he be flung open the door and the count entered catered it cannot be said that the atmosphere of the room was congenial the three occupants were regarding one another to hostile silence and as the count entered they with one accord transferred thear the auspicious glances to him for a moment he stood motionless while he looked at each one in turn then he stepped forward good evening gentlemen he still spoke in french 1 I am honored at your presence he n turned tamed to the head waiter let dinner be served in five minutes exactly with a bow the man left the room and the door closed during that five minutes gentlemen I 1 propose to introduce myself to you and you to one another the business which I 1 wish to discuss we will postpone with your permission till after the coffee when we shall be undisturbed in silence the three guests waited until lie unwound the thick white muffler then with undisguised curiosity they studied their host in appearance he was striking he had bad a short dark beard and in profile his face was aquiline and stern stem the eyes which had so impressed the manager seemed now to be a cold grey blue the thick brown hair necked flecked slightly with grey was brushed back from a broad forehead to even the most superficial observer the giver of the feast east was a man of power a man capable of forming instant deci decisions gions and of carrying them through uRh and if so much was obvious to the superficial observer it was more than obvious to the three men who stood by the bre watching him each one of them as he watched the hosts host realized that he was in the presence of a great man it was enough great men do not send fool invitations to dinner to men of international repute it mattered not what form forin his greatness took there was money in greatness big money and add money was their life the count advanced first to the american mr rocking hocking I 1 believe he remarked in english holding out his hand 1 I am glad you managed to come the american shook the proffered hand while the two germans looked at him with sudden interest As the man at the head of the great american cotton trust worth more in millions thin than he could count he was entitled to their respect me count returned the millionaire lion lio alre in ills his nasal twang 1 I am interested te to know to what I 1 am indebted tor for this invitation all in good time mr hocking smiled the host 1 I bane bae hopes that the dinner bill fill in that time satisfactorily facto fReto rily he turned to the taller of the two germans who without his coat seemed more like a codfish than ever herr Stel Is it not this time he spoke in german the man whose interest in german coal was hardly less well known than Hoe hocking kingo in cotton bowed stiffly and herr von gratz the tha count turned to the last member of the party and shook hands though less well known than either of the other two in the realms of international finance von gratas name in the steel trade of central europe was one to conjure with well gentlemen said the count before we sit downto down to dinner I 1 may perhaps be permitted to say a few words of introduction the nations of the world have recently been engaged in a performance of unrivaled stupidity As far as ag one can tell that performance Is now over the last thing I 1 wish mish to do Is to discuss the war except in so far as it concerns our meeting here tonight mr hocking Is an american you two gentlemen are germans I 1 the count smiled slightly have no nationality or rather shall I 1 say I 1 have every nationality tiona lity completely cosmopolitan gentlemen the war was waged by idiots and when idiots get busy on a large scale it is time for clever men to step in that Is the ralson d etre for this little dinner I 1 claim that we four men are sufficiently international to be able to disregard any stupid and petty feelings about this country and that country and to regard the world outlook at the present moment from one point of view and one point of view only our own the gaunt american guys gave a hoarse chuckle it will be my object after dinner continued the count to try and prove to you that we have a common point of view until then shall we merely concentrate on a pious hope that the hotel nationals nationale Nat Nati lonale onale will not poison us ua with their food the next moment the head bead waiter opened the door and the four men sat down to dine it must be admitted that the average hostess desirous of making a dinner a success would have been filled with secret dismay at the general atmosphere in the room the american in accumulating his millions had also accumulated a digestion of such an erotic and tender character that dry husks and bielly water were the limit of his capacity herr Stel was of the common order of german to whom food la IS sacred he ate and drank enormously and evidently considered that nothing further was required of him von gratz did his best to keep his end up but an a he be was apparently in a chronic condition of fear that the gaunt american would assault him with violeti violence ftc he cannot be said to have contributed much to the gaiety of the meal and so to the host must be given the credit that the th dinner was a sue tess cess without appearing to monopolize the conversation he talked ceaselessly and brilliantly but to even the most brilliant of con conversationalists versa dional arts the strain of 0 talking to a american and two germans one greedy and the other frightened Is considerable and the count heaved on an inward sigh of relief when the coffee had bad been handed round and the door closed behind the walter waiter from now on the topic was the topic of money the common bond of his three guests and yet as he carefully cut the end of his cigar and realized that the eyes of the other oilier three were fixed on him expectantly he be knew that the hardest part of the evening was aas in front of him big financiers in common with all other people are fonder of having money put into their pockets than of taking it out and that was the very tiling thing the count proposed they should do in large quantities gentlemen he remarked when his cigar was going to hla his satisfaction we are all men of business I 1 said before dinner that I 1 considered we were sufficiently big to exclude any small arbitrary national distinctions from our minds As men whose interests are international such things are beneath us I 1 wish now to slightly qualify that remark he turned to the american on Ms his right who with eyes half closed was thoughtfully picking his teeth at this stage I 1 address myself particularly to you go right ahead drawled mr nock ing 1 I do not wish to touch on the war or its result but though the ake central powers have been beaten by america and france and england I 1 think I 1 can speak for you two gentlemen he bowed to the two germans when I 1 say that it Is neither france nor america with whom they desire another round england Is germanas germanys Germ anys vs main enemy she always has been she always will be I 1 have reason to believe mr hocking that you personally do not love the english 1 I guess I 1 dont see what my private feelings have to do with it but it if its of any interest to the company you are correct in your belief good the count nodded his head as it if satisfied 1 I take it then that you would not be averse to seeta seeing england down and out wal remarked the american you can assume anything you feel like lets go to the showdown show down once again the count nodded his head then he turned to the two germans now you two gentlemen must admit that your plans have miscarried somewhat it was no part of your original gramme pro that a british army should occupy cologne 1 the war was the act of a fool snarled herr Stel in a few y years ears more of peace we should have beaten those swine and now they have beaten you the count smiled slightly let us admit that the war was the act of a fool it if you like but as men of business we ne can only deal with the result the result gentlemen as it concerns us both you gentlemen are sufficiently patriotic to resent the presence of that army at cologne I 1 have no doubt and you mr hocking have no love on personal grounds for the english but I 1 am not proposing to appeal to financiers of your reputation on such grounds as those to support my scheme it Is enough that your personal predilections run ran with and not against what I 1 am about to put before you the defeat of fingland england a defeat more utter and complete than if she had lost the war his voice sank a little and instinctively his three listeners drew closer dont think I 1 am proposing this through motives of revenge |