The Devil's Cocktail (2 page)

Prompt to the minute, Hugh walked into the Savoy Hotel, and asked to see Mr Mahommed Abdullah. Apparently he was expected, for he was at once directed to a lounge, where a dark-visaged man of rather less than medium height, dressed in a suit of some grey material, rose from the depths of an armchair to greet him. Obviously an Indian, the man appeared to be about fifty years of age, his hair was thinning on top and grey at the temples, while he had a slight stoop, which seemed to denote the scholar. In fact his whole bearing was that of a man who had devoted a great part of his life to study. He greeted Hugh with great politeness and, taking him by the arm, led him to a chair which he pulled up close to his own.

‘I am very glad to make your acquaintance, Captain Shannon,' he said, as he sank into his seat, ‘and I congratulate you on your punctuality. Being a very busy man, I am naturally jealous of every wasted moment. I still have to interview four applicants for this post before six o'clock.'

‘Then you have had a good many replies to your advertisement?' inquired Hugh.

‘Sixty-eight to be exact,' replied the other, who spoke perfect English, without any trace of accent. ‘Of course a good many were unsuitable, but I have arranged to interview ten; you are the sixth.'

‘I hope you have not decided upon your man yet,' smiled Hugh.

‘I have not! To be quite honest your application was the one which impressed me more than any others, and I hope that you will eventually be my choice.'

‘That is entirely in your hands, sir.'

Abdullah bowed.

‘I must tell you the circumstances,' he said. ‘Sheranwala College, which is a Muslim institution affiliated to the University of Northern India, has not been upholding Mahommedan traditions. The governing body has, therefore, invited me to return to India, and take over the Principalship in the hope that I may be able to raise the College to the position it once held. For some time I hesitated, as I had fully made up my mind to settle down in this country for good. However, I was eventually persuaded to accept. I have been empowered to engage a first-class Englishman as Professor of English, and thus my advertisement. I may tell you that I desire the man I select to act as vice-principal and in fact to be my right hand man and general aide-de-camp. The salary is not large, of course, and I fear that most Englishmen would find it difficult to live on 500 rupees a month – Are you married?'

‘No; but I have a sister who will accompany me if I am selected.'

‘H'm! You have no private means, I suppose?'

‘I have enough to keep us, but it seems to me, sir, that in making an appointment of this nature, the authorities should be willing to pay an adequate salary.'

‘I quite agree with you, and I think I can promise to persuade them to make an increase, which will more than meet your needs. Now for your qualifications …'

For the next twenty minutes Abdullah was engaged in questioning Hugh closely about his school and college career, during which the latter discovered that the new Principal of Sheranwala College was a man of very deep learning. He had taken his Master of Arts degree at Cambridge, was a barrister, a retired financial commissioner, and an eminent economist. At the end of the interview Shannon had acquired a deep respect for the quiet-mannered little man, who had proved himself such an adept in questioning him.

‘Well I must say, Captain Shannon,' remarked Abdullah, ‘that you meet our requirements in every respect, and I am now practically certain that you will be my choice, but, of course, you understand that I cannot say definitely until I have interviewed the remaining candidates.'

‘Certainly,' replied Hugh.

‘In the event of your being appointed, a sum of seventy pounds will be placed at your disposal for travelling expenses. I am afraid that we cannot very well make any allowance for your sister.'

‘No, I suppose not,' said Hugh. ‘It is hardly to be expected, is it?'

A few minutes later they parted, Abdullah escorting Hugh to the door of the lounge, where they shook hands. The latter made his way out of the hotel, and, declining the offer of a taxi-driver to take him ‘anywhere', he strolled westwards feeling rather perturbed than otherwise at the success which seemed about to crown his application.

In spite of his high academical qualifications, it struck him that he was hardly the man to attempt to lecture on English literature to a collection of Muslim youths, when all his instincts,
all his ambitions, were centred on his own job. However, it was the Chief's wish and, after all, the appointment as a professor in a college was only a means to an end, and a very great and responsible end as far as Hugh was concerned. He looked forward to his work in India, but it was to his own particular work under the Intelligence Department, not the superficial duties of a member of the staff of Sheranwala College.

He had reached Trafalgar Square, and was turning in the direction of Whitehall, when he almost bumped into a little, sallow-faced man, with shifty eyes and a nose of a decidedly Semitic cast. With a muttered curse the little man skipped out of his way and dived across the road, but with an exclamation of surprise Hugh had recognised him, and without hesitation followed him. The Jew, with the activity of an eel, headed for St Martin's Lane. Shannon, being big and burly, found it more difficult to get along, but he made fairly rapid headway, much to the resentment of the people he unceremoniously bundled out of his path. The chase went on past the Coliseum, then with a malignant backward glance, the little man turned into a small tea shop. Hugh was only a few seconds behind him, but when he entered the shop there was not a sign of his quarry, the place being occupied only by a couple of tired-looking waitresses, a man with a badly shaved jaw, obviously one of the many down-at-heel actors, who infest that part of London, and a fat old woman, just as obviously up from the country.

Hugh dashed by the tea room, and ran up a dingy flight of stairs. He found two or three offices, whose occupants stared at him in surprise, but to his enquiries they all declared that they had not seen anybody even resembling the man he was after. The same negative result awaited him on the other two floors and although he made a
careful search – much to the indignation of the people he met, who naturally resented his headlong intrusion into their privacy – he was compelled to descend to the ground floor a puzzled and disappointed man.

‘Did you see a little, dark man – a Jew – enter this building?' he asked the waitresses.

One of them giggled, while the other looked him up and down in a supercilious manner.

‘Do you think we have time to see everybody who comes in that door?' she asked.

Hugh grinned.

‘No, I suppose not,' he said, ‘still you might have noticed him.'

‘Well, we didn't, so there!' she snapped.

‘Pardon me, sir!' said a deep voice, and Hugh swung round to confront the actor-looking person who, with a spoon in one hand and a piece of bread in the other, rose majestically to his feet. ‘I may say that I saw a rather insignificant specimen of the genus man,' went on this individual. ‘He rushed by that door as though he were being chased.' He indicated the direction in a lordly manner with the piece of bread.

‘Thanks!' said Hugh. He turned again to the waitresses. ‘Where does that passage lead to?' he asked.

‘Down to the kitchen, if you want to know,' replied the supercilious one.

Hugh ran along the passage, and was about to turn down the stairs, when he noticed a wide-open window. He looked out on to a dirty little yard enclosed by a low brick wall, and groaned. His man had obviously gone that way; had climbed over the wall and disappeared down a lane, which Hugh knew must be somewhere about there, and which went down past Charing Cross Hospital.

‘Hang it all!' he muttered. ‘What a fool I was to let him get away.'

He retraced his steps and, entering the tea room, ordered some tea and toast.

‘The least I can do after causing you this bother,' he said, ‘is to sample your tea.'

‘Trying to be funny?' asked the snappy waitress.

‘No,' replied Hugh; ‘merely polite.'

She snorted, and went to give his order.

‘Sir,' said the actor, ‘I fear you have failed in your quest. If I am not mistaken you are a detective in chase of a notorious criminal.'

‘Something like that,' said Hugh cheerfully.

‘May I enquire who it was that you were after?'

‘Only one of the most dangerous men in London.' And thereafter Hugh refused to be drawn further.

He drank his tea and ate his toast, watched by the occupants of the room with awe. Even the girl whose object in life seemed to be to treat others as rudely as she could, appeared almost to form a respect for him, though she remarked that her brother was a proper policeman and she could not see what they wanted to have these gentlemen upstarts in the force for.

Hugh bowed solemnly before taking his departure.

‘I am sorry I am such an upstart,' he remarked with mock humility. ‘Please try to think a little better of me!'

Thereupon he gave her a tip, which made her blink, and strolled out of the shop. A tall, thin man, smartly clad in a brown suit, was standing on the curb. As Hugh came out he turned and, putting his arm through the other's, strolled along with him.

‘Hallo, Spencer!' exclaimed Shannon. ‘Where did you spring from and why the affection?'

‘I saw you dive into that place as though you were chasing the
devil,' replied Detective Inspector Spencer of the Special Branch of New Scotland Yard, ‘so I waited for results.'

‘There are no results,' said Hugh sadly. ‘I lost my man. It wasn't the devil either, though it was one of his most dangerous myrmidons.'

‘You intrigue me!' murmured Spencer.

‘It was Kamper!'

The detective stood still and looked solemnly at Hugh.

‘Are you sure?' he demanded.

‘Certain! I chased him from Trafalgar Square. The worst of it is that he almost bumped into me there, and if I hadn't been day-dreaming, I would have had him.'

‘Moral: don't day-dream!' said Spencer. ‘But I can't think how the little blighter got back to England. Why we saw him snugly off for Russia on board the
Druid
only ten days ago.'

‘Nevertheless he is back.'

They walked on together, each deep in his own thoughts.

‘Why didn't you nab him in that building?' asked Spencer suddenly.

Hugh hesitated a moment before replying, then:

‘I searched the top of the place, where I naturally thought he had gone—'

‘While he ran straight on I suppose, climbed through a window, over a wall, and dropped into Somers Lane!'

‘How do you know?'

‘This district is a pretty open book to me. I wish I had been with you, or had followed you in.'

‘I wish you had. No use searching the lane I suppose?'

‘Not a bit. Kamper is in a taxi by now, tearing down towards the East End. Well, we know he's back, and that's something. I'll get straight down to the Yard, and warn them. Coming that way?'

Hugh nodded, and the two strolled down Whitehall. They
parted near the Foreign Office, Hugh turning into the building which housed the mighty organisation of the department, which most people did not know existed, the British Secret Service, while Spencer continued on his way to Scotland Yard.

The Inspector went straight to his own office, and sat down before his desk.

‘I wonder how the devil Kamper came back,' he muttered, ‘and why?'

Two days later Hugh received a long letter from Mahommed Abdullah appointing him to the post of Professor of English Literature of Sheranwala College, and asking him to make arrangements to leave for India as soon as possible. Abdullah himself was leaving practically at once, and hoped that Captain Shannon would not be long behind him. He added that a sum of seventy pounds would be immediately placed to Hugh's credit in Grindlay's Bank, and expressed his satisfaction that he would have the assistance of such an able man to help him build up the fortunes of Muslim education in Northern India.

Hugh passed the letter across to Joan with a smile. She read it with great seriousness, and then looked at her brother.

‘I suppose I must congratulate you, Hugh,' she said; ‘but please tell me why you are doing this!'

‘I have already told you that I want to get back to India, and this job rather appealed to me.'

‘Is there no other reason?'

He hesitated a moment before replying.

‘No!' he said.

She regarded him searchingly.

‘You are not telling me the truth,' she said seriously. ‘I don't see why you shouldn't take me into your confidence: it cannot be because you are ashamed of something.'

He smiled across the breakfast table at her.

‘I can't understand why you should think I have any other reasons,' he said. ‘You say yourself that I cannot find anything to do at the Foreign Office. Isn't it likely that I want to go somewhere, where I
shall
find something to do?'

She rose, and, coming round to his side of the table, put her hands on his shoulders.

‘I suppose you have your reasons,' she said, ‘and perhaps you cannot divulge them, even to me. But I want to know that you are doing nothing to be ashamed of.'

He stood up and looked straight into her eyes.

‘No, Joan,' he said; ‘there is no shame attached to what I am going to do – rather the reverse.'

‘Well, I won't be inquisitive any more,' she declared. ‘Now I suppose I must commence to get ready my outfit. What are you going to do?'

‘There is so much that I really don't know where to begin,' he said. ‘I must write first of all and accept the appointment, then I shall have to explain things at the Foreign Office, order my kit, collect the money from Grindlays, and – oh, a host of other things, including the booking of our passage.'

‘When shall we leave?'

‘The end of next week, if you can be ready by then, and we can get a boat.'

‘Oh, dear! What terribly short notice! Still I'll see what can be done.'

She ran off, and in five minutes had turned the usually
well-ordered
flat into a scene of bustle. Hugh went out, and jumping into a taxi was driven to Whitehall. He found that the Deputy Chief had already arrived, and he asked for an interview, which was immediately granted.

Major Brien was standing on the hearthrug of his cosy office, when Hugh entered.

‘Morning, Shannon!' he nodded. ‘Sit down! Everything fixed up, I suppose?'

‘Yes, sir!' said Hugh. ‘I received the letter appointing me this morning.' He handed it to the other, who read it through without any comment, before passing it back.

‘Well, there is nothing to delay you, is there?' he asked.

‘No, sir!'

‘When do you think you can get away?'

‘By the end of next week, if I am lucky enough to get a couple of berths.'

‘Why a couple?'

‘My sister is coming with me, sir.'

‘Oh, is she? I'm glad to hear that, Shannon. If I were you, though, I should not take her into my confidence more than is absolutely necessary. I am sure that Miss Shannon is entirely reliable, but in a case like this the fewer in the know the better.'

‘She hasn't the vaguest idea what the real reason for my taking this appointment is. As a matter of fact, sir, she does not even know that I am in the Secret Service.'

‘What!' said Major Brien in astonishment. ‘Have you never told her?'

‘No, sir!'

‘Well, you're a funny fellow! And you think she does not know?'

‘I'm sure of it!'

The Deputy Chief smiled.

‘If I were you,' he said after a pause, ‘I should tell her. Something is bound to happen sooner or later which will rouse her suspicions, and ignorance is rather apt to breed unhappiness, more especially as I know you are very attached to each other.'

‘I let her think that I was still at the Foreign Office, sir. I thought it better not to tell her that I was attached to this department.'

‘How has she regarded your sudden disappearances from home?'

‘She has always thought that I went away on some duty connected with the Foreign Office.'

Major Brien shook his head.

‘Not good enough,' he remarked. ‘No; I think you should tell her – You don't want to go into details, of course, and in the present case just let her know that your work in India is partly connected with the Intelligence Department and that is all. You'll have her full confidence and trust then, and you may find that a day will come when her woman's wit may be of great use to you. I never did believe in being too secretive, and I know the Chief's ideas are the same as mine.'

‘I have always acted on the saying, sir, that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.'

‘No knowledge at all is sometimes apt to be more dangerous. There is another reason, too, why it is necessary that she should know a little. Sir Leonard has decided to send out Cousins with you.'

Hugh looked surprised.

‘Won't that rather give things away?' he asked.

‘Not a bit! Why should it? Isn't it very natural that your valet who has been with you for years should accompany you, especially as you prefer having an English servant to an Indian?'

Hugh appeared more astonished than ever.

‘Cousins my valet!' he exclaimed, and then grinned. ‘By Jove!' he said. ‘I am dense. But though I shall like having him with me, surely the fact of a professor with an English valet will cause comment. Five hundred rupees a month won't keep my sister and myself, let alone an English servant.'

‘Oh, that's all right,' said Major Brien. ‘You let Abdullah know that you have private means, didn't you?'

Hugh nodded.

‘Very well then, that is explained. Of course you did not want to take Cousins with you, but the devoted fellow pleaded so hard that you couldn't very well refuse him. Later on you'll grumble a bit before people out there at the extra expense, and Cousins will be accepted as a matter of course. Naturally there will be people who will scoff at your soft-heartedness and call you a young fool, but
que voulez-vous
!'

He shrugged his shoulders, and Hugh laughed.

‘The whole thing sounds rather like a joke,' said the latter.

‘There's no joke about it,' said Major Brien. ‘You will have two duties to perform – one to your college, and one to us, and neither must be neglected. You must not in any way let your professorial work slide because we have taken advantage of a rather unique opportunity to send you out. Yours is going to be a difficult task, I'm afraid. Be careful not to fall between the two stools.'

‘Shall I have to stay out for the three years mentioned in that advertisement, sir?'

‘Your work might keep you all that time. If we want you back, no doubt we shall be able to arrange for your release. Now about Kamper. Are you quite sure that you saw him the other day?'

‘Positive, sir! If I had been quicker I would have caught him.'

‘It's a pity you didn't. There must be some further activity
pending, since he has returned. If you were not going abroad I would put you on to it; as it is, Maddison is already engaged with Spencer in searching for him. He knows you, of course?'

‘Very well, sir!'

‘Well, let us hope that he won't discover that you are off to India. If he does, your job will be rendered a hundred times more difficult.'

‘How can he find out?'

‘How do these Russian spies find out anything?' said Major Brien bitterly. ‘Their system is so well organised that, in spite of all our efforts, they are almost as active as ever. Well, I won't detain you any longer. No doubt you will be fully engaged preparing for your journey for the next few days. Don't come near these offices any more! The Chief himself will see you at his house, and give you his final instructions before you sail.'

‘When am I to call there, sir?' asked Hugh, rising from his chair.

‘He'll ring you up, and let you know. I don't suppose I shall see you again myself, so I wish you goodbye, and the best of luck.'

He held out his hand, and Hugh grasped it firmly, as he thanked him for his wishes.

‘Remember!' said the Deputy Chief. ‘We rely upon you!'

Hugh was driven rapidly homeward, and burst in upon his sister, as she was directing the removal of trunks, boxes and suitcases from the box room to the garden, where they were to be aired. He put his arm in hers, and took her along to his own particular den. Placing an armchair for her, he put her into it, and then started to fill his pipe.

‘Why this?' she asked.

‘I want to tell you something,' he replied.

‘Be quick about it then, for I am terribly busy, and I warn you that you will only get monosyllables out of me for the next week. Have you booked the berths?'

‘Not yet!'

‘If you don't hurry you won't get any. This is the rush season, isn't it?'

‘An hour or so won't make any difference. Listen, Joan! I have been talking to Major Brien for the last hour.'

‘Do you mean that awfully nice man, who is so famous in the Intelligence Department?'

He nodded.

‘Yes! You've met him once or twice, haven't you?'

‘You know I have at the Foreign Office “at ‘home's” and parties. I adore Mrs Brien – But what have you been talking to him about. Surely you haven't been trying to get into the Secret Service now, have you?'

He grinned.

‘I have an awful confession to make, old girl,' he said.

‘Then you have?'

‘I have been in the Secret Service for quite a long time—'

She looked at him in astonishment.

‘Is that true, Hugh?'

‘Absolutely! Now you know why I have been rather secretive on occasions.'

There was a pause for a full minute before she spoke, then:

‘But how perfectly amazing!' she said. ‘My Hugh a Secret Service man. And are you actually working under that wonderful Sir Leonard Wallace?'

‘I am!'

‘Oh, Hugh! Why didn't you tell me before?'

‘Well, you see dear, I thought it wiser to keep quiet about it. This morning Major Brien rather made me see that I ought to tell you, in case misunderstandings ever arose between us.'

She caught hold of his arm, and pressed it.

‘Misunderstandings could never arise between us, dear old boy,' she said. ‘I have suspected something for a long time, but couldn't exactly place my suspicions. I am glad Major Brien made you tell me. Would you never have told me if he hadn't suggested it?'

‘I don't think so!'

‘Didn't you trust me then?'

‘Of course! Only you see—'

‘You felt so important and so secretive that you wanted to keep it to yourself! I suppose you have been going into all sorts of dangers, and I didn't know. Hugh, that was rather unkind of you, wasn't it? We have never had any secrets from each other before.'

‘I know, Joan; but this was rather different, wasn't it?'

‘How long have you been in the Secret Service?' she asked, ignoring his question.

‘Nearly two years!'

‘Two years! And I never guessed!' She looked at him with admiration. ‘You must be cleverer than I thought,' she said.

‘Thank you!' he said, bowing.

‘Then you are not going to India as a professor?'

‘I am – very much so! You saw my appointment. I shall take up the job as professor, and, I hope, do everything that is required of me. At the same time I have a mission from the Intelligence Department.'

‘How exciting! What is it?'

‘I cannot tell you any more, Joan. You must be satisfied with what I have told you.'

‘Of course I am. I'll never question you in any way, and you shall tell me just as much, or just as little as you like for the future.'

‘That's sporting of you, dear. You must be very careful never to give away by word or sign that I am not altogether what I seem.'

‘Of course not!' she replied indignantly.

‘One of our men is coming out with us to help me. He is an awfully good fellow and you'll like him once you get used to him.'

‘Is he very difficult then?'

‘No; but he takes a lot of understanding. He has been my valet for a good many years, and I hadn't the heart to leave him behind, when he pleaded to come, in spite of the expense.'

She stared at him with wide-open eyes.

‘Hugh, what are you talking about?'

He grinned.

‘That is the tale for other people,' he said, ‘and we shall have to get it so much into our minds that we'll believe it ourselves.'

‘How thrilling it all sounds!' she said with sparkling eyes.

‘Forget the thrills, dear! Remember that I am a dry-as-dust professor of English Literature from now on!'

‘I'll remember,' she said, rising to her feet. ‘And now Mr Professor, run away and book our passage – I am getting anxious in case we have to wait for weeks.'

Hugh departed to do her bidding, while she returned to the maids in the box room. On the way she stopped to look at herself in a mirror.

‘What a revelation!' she murmured. ‘Perhaps in time I may find myself acting as assistant to Hugh. Joan Shannon, of His Majesty's Intelligence Department, sounds rather nice!'