The baron’s face expressed his anxiety.
“I shall go at once to the navy department,” he exclaimed, “and I trust I can stop this audience.”
Impey bade good-bye to the financier, smiling proudly as they shook hands. He had won his point. Baron Kosuba would go immediately to his friend the Minister of Marine. Impey knew that before now Captain Inaba would have laid before that official proofs of the guilt of the American visitors, which would bear out the baron’s arguments. If the Minister of Marine could be convinced, then his powerful influence would surely defeat the audience with the Emperor.
“What should be his next move?” was the question uppermost in his mind as he drove rapidly toward the city from the baron’s home. To make the United States see her apparent danger, and cause her to seize the ships at once was the result desired.
After Impey had left Captain Inaba’s office Lieutenant Takishima had entered. The former handed him the “Shimbunshi” letter to read.
“This is not written by one of my friends,” Takishima exclaimed finally, throwing the letter on the desk.
“Then why should it be found in one of their valises?” Captain Inaba asked. “Why will you defend them when you know that they concealed the official letter lost by Oka? Do you call that a friendly act? If it hadn’t been for Impey’s vigilance and the honesty of a former countryman of ours, we would never have found out that these friends are really spies.”
“Would it be likely that they would call themselves spies,” Takishima picked up the “Shimbunshi” letter, and pointed to the words, “if they contemplated such work?” Takishima’s voice was triumphant, while Captain Inaba was silent. “If they are spies they did not write this letter. If they wrote this letter they are not spies.”
“Your reasoning, my dear Takishima, is quite illogical. They wrote the letter before they found the Oka document. Don’t you see? With that in their possession they decided not to send this letter to the ‘Shimbunshi.’”
“Would the ‘Shimbunshi’ publish such a letter, not knowing who the author was?” Takishima asked.