“And how do you propose to stop me?”
“You are not in Russia now, remember. This Embassy is Great Britain, or rather, a part of Great Britain in Russia. As the representative of His Majesty King George, I am, so long as you are in this house, your sovereign, and you are my subject. In the exercise of my lawful authority——”
“You’ll put me under arrest,” said Wilfrid, smiling amiably. “Yes, I thought that was the idea when you sent out that little note.”
Somewhat disconcerted at Wilfrid’s guessing his intention, and uneasy, too, at his air of unconcern, the Ambassador called out: “Come in.”
At the summons there trooped in five athletic men, lackeys apparently. Their attire, consisting of shirt and breeches only, showed that they had been hastily roused from sleep. They advanced a little way into the room, and then stood still, awaiting orders. Wondering what the trouble was about, they glanced alternately from the flushed uncle to the cool nephew.
“This madman,” said Lord St. Helens, indicating Wilfrid, who bowed sarcastically, “my nephew, I regret to say, is an enemy to Great Britain. In the name of the King, I call upon you to arrest him and to take him to the Green Chamber, where he must remain till he has renounced his treasonable designs. Sorry, Wilfrid, my boy,” he added, in a side whisper; “but I’ve no other course. Go quietly, like a sensible fellow,” he added, as he saw the fighting spirit gleam from Wilfrid’s eye. “You can’t contend against five men.”
But Wilfrid, having formed his plan, proceeded to act. The only light in the room came from the six tapers in the chandelier above his head. As the five men moved slowly forward, Wilfrid, with one swift bound, sprang aloft and hung his whole weight upon the chandelier. Down it came in an instant, and almost before it reached the floor he had extinguished the six lights by the easy process of flinging the table-cloth over them.
By this action, the work of not more than four seconds, the room was plunged into sudden darkness.
“Look to the door,” screamed the Ambassador.