“And you think that will be effectual?”
“It is the best we can do. The editors and printers know of the letter, of course, and we cannot silence them all.”
“No; but we can square them. Set them at liberty on condition of their printing the account of the matter with which you will furnish them, and let them bring out their papers as soon as they can, so as to attract as little notice as possible by the delay. I am sorry you broke up the type, for it would have come in useful, with merely this precious letter and the comments on it struck out. However, you must do the best you can.”
“And if the editors refuse, or persist in giving their own version?”
“Surely you have your editors in better order than that? But send a censor to examine the papers before they are allowed to be distributed, and if there is any difficulty, suppress the paper at once, and proceed against all concerned for conspiracy. They would stand convicted of being partakers in a plot to embroil us with Scythia.”
“Excellent! That is to be our idea, then?”
“Of course. Put it all on the secretary, and sack him promptly. We may thank our stars that the notion of feathering his own nest out of the affair occurred to him. Otherwise we should have found it extremely difficult to make him the scapegoat, but now he has put himself beyond the pale of mercy.”
“I have already ordered his arrest; but I am expecting every moment to receive an angry message from the Queen, demanding that he should be released. Are we to keep up the conspiracy idea with her, or not?”
“By no means. It wouldn’t be any use. We must have it out with her, and come to an understanding. This sort of thing must not occur again. If you will be good enough to go down-stairs, Drakovics, and tell my people to get you some breakfast, I will come with you to the Palace as soon as I am dressed. Then after that I will go and interview Natarin, and get the original letter back by hook or by crook. I suppose you have the Legation under surveillance?”
“Yes; and any one who leaves it is to be followed. Of course, we can take no steps openly.”