Hey, diddle, diddle,
Ze cat and ze fiddle,
Ze cow jomp over ze moon——
“Vat is ze meaning of zis—zis galimatias?” demanded the Count, his English failing him.
“It is very idiomatic,” said Maurice, “but as you have deciphered it correctly, I have no objection to putting it into plain English. ‘Hey,’ Monsieur, is an exclamation of warning: equivalent to ‘look out,’ ‘beware,’ in French, gare. ‘Diddle,’ is ‘to deceive,’ ‘take in,’ ‘to spoof,’ ‘lead anyone a wild-goose chase.’ The cat, as you are aware, is not a musical animal, but there is a certain variety, bred in our county of Cheshire, that smiles at any mention of fiddlesticks. The cow is—just a cow. It may be of any nationality: Russian, German, or even Austrian, but it is merely a cow, unless specially qualified. ‘To jump over’ or ‘shoot the moon’ is English argot for a sudden change of address. The moon refers to the lunatics—you have the same word, Mondsüchtige—who are deceived or diddled thereby. ‘The little dog laughed to see such sport’—that is quite clear; but we usually say in English, ‘it is enough to make a cat laugh,’ referring to——”
But at this point in Maurice’s commentary, delivered in an even, placid tone of voice, the Count’s rising fury burst its bounds.
“Sapperment!” he cried. “You dare to play viz me! I give you ten minutes—ten minutes, and no more, to consider. You vill tell me vere your despatch is”—he tore up and cast away the fragments of the bogus despatch—“or if your message is merely verbal you vill acquaint me viz it.”
“And if I do not, Monsieur le Comte?”
“If you do not, you shall be shot.”
Chapter XI
IN THE SMALL HOURS
The amusement with which George had listened to his brother’s ironic nonsense turned to dismay and despair. Helpless with his hands bound behind him, he hurried to Maurice’s side.