Dormund was still at the station, and met me as I entered. "Ah, Herr Bastable, going on your journey after all?"
"Not to-night. I don’t travel at night if I can help it."
"Well that is perhaps as well. It will give you more time. All passports have to be viséd afresh. But of course I can see to that for you, if you like."
"It would interest you if you were still on your paper. Trouble with those cursed Poles again. A plot to rob one of the Imperial couriers of his papers. We had news from Koln and prevented it; but some of the scoundrels are known to be here in Berlin, and we are watching for them. If we were to behead a few of them it would save a lot of trouble."
"There would be so many less to make the trouble, anyway," I replied carelessly. "Do you know the people in it?"
"I know who is at the bottom of it, and so do you; for you have written about him often enough. That Baron von Ringheim. There’s no proof, of course; there never is; but proof or no proof, I’d put him in safe keeping if I had my way. He’s the most dangerous man in Europe to our Government."
"I think you have him on the brain, Dormund," I laughed.
"I’d rather have him under lock and key," he retorted almost angrily. "But get the evening paper; you will see something about it there."
I had heard a good deal about this Baron von Ringheim. He had been banished many years before for some offence against the Government, and his estates had been confiscated. He was believed to have allied himself with all parties who had grievances against the Government; had been very active in the work of sedition; and was credited with having originated a policy of combination among them for the common purpose of discrediting the Government. The policy had been very successful, with the result that, whenever a daring coup of any sort was made or attempted, he was credited with the responsibility.
"Then I suppose I owe it to the Baron that if I go to-morrow I must get my passport viséd," I replied after a pause.
"Yes; but of course it will only be a form in your case. By the way, Lieutenant Bernhoff was here after you left this afternoon. He came to bid you good-bye, he said; but I suppose it was more to see your sister. He tells me he has hopes some day of----eh?" and he smiled insinuatingly.