“Have you had any authority from me for anything you have done up to the present, sir?” he demanded harshly.
As an answer in the negative was clearly expected, I gave it.
“Understand me, M. de Petrovitch, I repose every confidence in you; but I should not have held this conversation with any man, even my Chancellor, if I thought it could ever be used against me. If I gave you the authority you ask for, I should not be able to deny that I had ever employed you, in case of trouble.”
“Then you propose, sire——?”
“I intend you to take this vessel secretly, without authority from me or from any one else.”
“And if I am caught in the act of taking it? If any of the naval authorities question my movements?”
“You will not be caught. Your movements will not be questioned. I can assure you of so much.”
“I thank you, sire. That is quite sufficient.”
I retired from the imperial presence, though not, as I have had some reason to suspect, from the imperial observation. In other words, I felt pretty well convinced that there would be a watch on my movements till my task was over.