And now this very possibility which he had foreseen, but could not provide against, appeared to have come to pass! What was to be done?
He had an ingenious but elaborate scheme of his own by which the missing ones might possibly be traced, but he laid it aside as one involving the expenditure of too much time and affording too many chances of failure. He preferred to wait quietly in the expectant hope that matters would presently take a turn his way. Captain Mortimer, he argued, was a man of energy, determination and courage; the Professor was full of scientific resources. He had faith in these qualities of his two associates; he had an abiding faith, too, in his own good luck, which had rarely deserted him at a critical point. Whether it was a species of intuition or whether it was simply confidence bred from past successes he knew not, but something within him seemed to say that the right policy was to watch quietly and wait and things would yet come his way.
But how long that might take and how long the King’s patience would hold out, were knotty questions which sorely perplexed Mr. Kearns.
He was aware from certain news which reached him and certain observations that, since his refusal to indulge in disclosures, Lord Ashley was doing active work in various directions, employing for this purpose the men of the regular Secret Service. Kearns had had certain men of the Secret Service assigned to him by the King, in case he should have use for their services. These men regarded him as their possible future chief and were anxious enough to serve him. They brought him reports, therefore, of the efforts of Lord Ashley which were then being made through their fellows. They also brought him news concerning the restlessness and discontent prevalent throughout the country, which appeared to have been largely fomented by the grasping operations of various great Trusts, inflicting such hardships on the people as to make them desperate. A peculiar and suspicious circumstance, too, was the organizing, arming and drilling of many new military bodies, formed ostensibly as auxiliary volunteer regiments. There seemed to be a peculiar free-masonry about them which rendered it practically impossible for any stranger to enroll among them and so discover something more definite as to their true internal affairs. All this, Kearns was aware, was known to Lord Ashley, who in addition had further information which had not yet reached him.
It was, therefore, no great surprise to him when on the morning of the sixth day after the departure of the Dean air-ship, the King sent for him and opened the interview by announcing that Lord Ashley had succeeded in making important discoveries. Kearns, with an air of well-assumed indifference, inquired if he might venture to ask what these discoveries might be. His Majesty was pleased to smile indulgently and reply that Lord Ashley seemed to be rivaling Kearns in the matter of reticence. Certain facts, however, His Majesty was willing to impart to Kearns. They might, he suggested, assist his investigations and, if their views were agreed, he might see his way to co-operating with Lord Ashley.
His Majesty then gave the information that Lord Ashley had made discoveries convincing him that certain conspiracies were hatching and certain seditious movements on foot. Lord Ashley had information showing Captain Stanley Mortimer’s participation in these treasonable transactions. He had, in fact, aided and abetted the enemies of the King upon the occasion of their last visitation to the palace and, believing he had been seen and recognized by Captain Swords, had shot the latter and escaped, never to return, or else, learning that no suspicion had attached itself to him on account of the Swords incident, he would return and tender some specious pretext for his absence. Of course, his presence in the palace would be a danger and a menace.
Kearns listened to the end. Only the august presence in which he stood prevented him from laughing outright.
“And are these the disclosures Lord Ashley made to you, Sire?” asked Kearns, with a cynical smile.
“Such is, in brief, part of the report,” said the King. “What have you to say to it?”
“Simply this, Sire,” answered Kearns; “it shows how grievously a man will blunder when he dabbles in an art he doesn’t understand.”