"I didn't expect you to-night," he said. He placed a chair near the desk for the younger man to seat himself.
His visitor, however, stood still and fixed him with a direct, cold stare.
"Well, Manners," he demanded, "what have you to say for yourself?"
Manners shrugged his heavy shoulders, and displayed the palms of his hands.
"Nothing, Herr Baron," he said, "except that I have done my best. Won't you sit down?"
The young man took a cigarette from his case, and lit it.
"I exercised such judgment as I have," returned the other, in a tone of abasement.
"Judgment alone is of no avail," retorted the other. "What we want is aggressive action. We don't get that from you--you talk, and think, and scheme----"
The other ventured a faint note of protest.
"I don't want to hear your history," returned the younger man, coldly. "I want to know about this expedition that is being prepared by the Eastern Command, that has been under preparation for the past six weeks."
"I gave you such figures, Herr Baron, as I was able to collect."
The young man crossed to the hearth and stood leaning with his back against the mantelshelf.
"Doesn't it occur to you," he demanded, after a moment's silence, "that figures are only a detail? Figures are something any fool could gather. What Berlin wants to know is, what is this expedition's objective, where is it bound for, also what port it sails from, and when?"
The elder German--Gottfried Manwitz by name, though he figured in the London directory as Godfrey Manners--turned nervously towards his desk and began to search among the papers. An expression of relief crossed his face as he took up a particular sheet of paper.
"That is the date, Herr Baron," he said, "when the expedition will sail, and also the place of departure."
The young man took the sheet, scrutinised it with frowning brows for a moment, then lifted his eyes and looked into Manwitz's fat face with cold, contemptuous gaze.
"Excellent!" he said, cuttingly; "wonderful and utterly useless! You provide Headquarters with all this detail, and fail to give the one vital, useful piece of information--the sole item that Headquarters requires."
"It is very difficult, Herr Baron," apologised Manners.
"You and I, Manwitz," retorted the younger man, "are retained in London for the sole purpose of overcoming difficulties." He paused a moment, and looked complacently for the first time in the elder man's face. "For instance, I myself have overcome quite a number of difficulties."