“Is there anything new,” he asked. “Things seemed quiet enough in Manila. Of course, I was there for only a day and hadn’t much time to pick up details. There was something in one of the papers about some trouble in San Francisco, I believe; but—”
“That’s the opening. A sort of gambit, you know. The Japs there claim they have a treaty right to send grown Japanese men to study in the public schools with white boys and girls—girls, you understand. It’s intolerable, of course! But they are using it as a pretext to stir up bad blood. They’re cunning. They are trying to make capital for themselves in Europe and particularly in England. Blood is thicker than water and they’ll have to have a mighty good excuse for war with the United States if they want England’s sympathy. And what’s more,” the secretary leaned forward, “I have reason to believe that they are dickering with Germany!”
Topham started and picked up his glass hastily, to mask his movement. Since he had met the Countess Elsa, any mention of Germany made his pulses stir.
“Natural enough, isn’t it?” he questioned. “Of course Japan would want to be on good terms with Germany. Probably she would like to be on terms with France, too; and perhaps even with Russia. But why should that mean anything against the United States. Frankly, Stites, I’m from Missouri on the Japanese question. You’ll have to show me!”
“Events will do that all right,” rejoined the other, a trifle grimly. “But, with Germany, it’s scarcely a question. Ever since that woman got here—”
“What woman?”
“The smartest, prettiest woman I ever knew and that’s saying something. Say, Topham, did you ever play stud-poker?”
“Well, I’ve heard of it,” admitted the officer, grinning.
“Oh! Have you? Well! you know how it’s played? The dealer deals one card around face down, and everybody looks at it secretly. Then he deals around again and again, card by card, all face up, until each man has a full poker hand. After each round, you bet what you like. All the cards in all the hands except one are exposed. It’s the one secret card that makes the doubt in the game. Only one card, and yet it makes the game more exciting than if all five were hidden. Well! diplomacy is much like that—especially diplomacy as this woman plays it. She has shown all her cards except one—what Germany is to get out of it all. A mighty clever woman, Topham, and as pretty as she is clever.”
“Who is she?”