Atlanta Daily World

"ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY"
by E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM

CHAPTER XXVI

"I do hope," Ann sighed, "that those men who are down here from Scotland Yard have not been worrying Elisabeth."

Matresser looked across at his sister with a slight frown. "Please do not get this matter wrong," he said coldly. "There is only one bona fide Scotland Yard man down—Inspector Finch—and I am sure that he has not been near Mademoiselle Stamier. The other fellow, Marlow, is a different type altogether. He had a brief interview with Mademoiselle Stamier in my presence and I can answer for it that he remained entirely civil. He is dining here tonight, so for heaven's sake let everyone be polite to him!

"I think I hear some cars in the drive," Matresser went on, listening for a moment. "I suggest that we all avoid the subject of the Ferguss death during the evening, and while I think of it—at half-past nine precisely—I shall have to go to the telephone. Yates took a message while I was out in the Park talking to the pilot."

"More mysteries?" his mother asked, with a slight uplifting of the eyebrows.

"Nothing that approaches a mystery," her son assured her. "It is this little excursion that Sir Francis wants me to undertake. I was not so keen on it, till he sent this plane down. Now I must confess that I am rather looking forward to it."

"If you were anything of a brother," Ann said reproachfully, "you would take your little sister with you. I would love to fly, if it were only to Paris."

"Next time," Matresser promised. "Here come our friends."

At precisely twenty-five minutes past nine that evening Burrows approached his master with: "I beg your lordship's pardon, but there is a call through from London on the telephone."

Matresser excused himself to his immediate neighbors and waved his hand in apology to his mother. In the study he found Henry Yates who whispered, "They have just rung up to warn that a message will be through on the private line as the clock strikes nine-thirty."

Yates was showing signs of excitement. Matresser, on the other hand, seemed entirely unaffected by the tenseness of the moment. The idea that he was probably to be the first person in the world outside Downing Street to hear certain great news may have possessed some dramatic significance for him but he showed no signs of it. With a glance at the clock he lit a cigarette and took his place before the table. Precisely at the half hour, the expected tinkle came.

"Francis Tring speaking from London. Is that Matresser?"

"Speaking, Sir Francis," was the clear reply.

"It is now half-past nine," the Foreign Secretary continued. "We have been in conference for five hours. We are, I honestly believe, nearing agreement but we have not reached it yet."

"What happens then?"

"We have adjourned for an hour. Some of us are dining here, others are going home for a few minutes. At a quarter past ten we reassemble. It is understood between us that we are to arrive at a decision before we separate."

"That seems sound."

"I have already received news that the plane arrived."

"Quite right. It has been here for a couple of hours."

"Norwich will keep two operators," Sir Francis went on, "holding on to the private line until we give the signal for dismissal. You are an old campaigner and I know you won't mind an all-night wait."

"I shall be within a dozen yards of the phone until it rings—say from eleven o'clock," Matresser announced.

"Capital! Things are moving in the right direction but we are all a little nervous. I have attended many of these conferences and have never known the strain like it is now.... Later on, then, Matresser."

"Later on," the latter echoed.

Matresser slipped quietly back into his place and picked up the conversation with his neighbor almost where they had left it. It happened to be a dinner of young people rather than a formal gathering and very soon his mother rose from her place and was followed from the room by the other women.

"Come along, Colonel," Matresser invited, "and you, Miller, and Marlow. There are all sorts of orgies for you young people tonight—table tennis, for one game. Pretty violent exercise, I must warn you. Bridge for the elders and billiards for the middle-aged. Two glasses of port and away we go. Cigars and coffee in the lounge. It is a sensible age we live in, General," he went on, as Hamilton sank into the high-backed chair by his side. "We have got out of the arm-chair habit. Modern man is beginning to realize that there is nothing like movement for keeping young."

"That's all very well for you youngsters," the General grunted, "but what are you going to do when you find you are seated opposite a decanter of 70 port at my time of life?"

"Well, that's one temptation from which we shall be removed before long," his host reminded him. "My cellarman tells me we are on the last bin of 70's. Is it true that you are going north, General?"

"They are talking about it," was the somewhat gloomy reply.

"A hard life, a soldier's," Major Miller, acting adjutant of the regiment, remarked fingering the stem of his wineglass. "You just get used to a place and begin to feel thoroughly at home when one of those mysterious fellows behind the scenes at the War Office gives you the shove. By-the-by, Matresser, are you going to add flying to the long list of your accomplishments?" he asked. "That's a magnificent plane in the corner of the Park there."

"No, I'm too old to take up flying," Matresser replied. "That belongs to a foreign friend who wants to take me off for a few days...."

There was a quarter of an hour's neighborly talk, then Matresser led the way into the circular lounge where coffee was being served. Without any apparent effort he started two bridge tables and the table tennis. Soon the whole party was busily engaged.... Matresser took one last look around and slipped away to his study and Henry Yates.

"All serene, Henry?" he asked, closing the door behind him.

"Quite quiet, sir. The government operator from Norwich rang up to be sure that we were still in touch and to test the line. Nothing else."

Matresser glanced at the clock. It was ten minutes to eleven.

"Shows their second session is lasting out," he meditated. "Getting nervous, Henry?"

"I don't think that I am ever that, sir," the little man replied, stroking his short beard. "but in this case I am not fully acquainted with the nature of the situation."