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Page 16
"But we always keep them!" expostulated the hotel-keeper.
"This passport must die with the man," I replied firmly. "He must not be
traced. I want no awkward enquiries made, you understand. Therefore ..."
and I flung the burning mass of papers into the grate.
"Good, good!" said the German and put her lamp down on the table. "There
was a telephone message for you," she added, "to say that der Stelze
will come at eight in the morning to receive what you have brought."
The deuce! This was getting awkward. Who the devil was Stelze?
"Coming at eight is he?" I said, simply for the sake of saying
something.
"Jawohl!" replied Frau Schratt. "He was here already this morning. He
was nervous, oh! very, and expected you to be here. Already two days he
is waiting here to go on."
"So," I said, "he is going to take ... _it_ on with him, is he?" (I
knew where he was "going on" to, well enough: he was going to see that
document safe into Germany.)
There was a malicious ring in the woman's voice when she spoke of
Stelze. I thought I might profit by this. So I drew her out.
"So Stelze called to-day and gave you his orders, did he?" I said,
"and ... and took charge of things generally, eh?"
Her little eyes snapped viciously.
"Ach!" she said, "der Stelze is der Stelze. He has power; he has
authority; he can make and unmake men. But I ... I in my time have
broken a dozen better men than he and yet he dares to tell Anna Schratt
that ... that ..."
She raised her voice hysterically, but broke off before she could finish
the sentence. I saw she thought she had said too much.
"He won't play that game with me," I said. Strength is the quality that
every German, man, woman and child, respects, and strength alone. My
safety depended on my showing this ignoble creature that I received
orders from no one. "You know what he is. One runs the risk, one takes
trouble, one is successful. Then he steps in and gathers the laurels.
No, I am not going to wait for him."
The hotel-keeper sprang to her feet, her faded face all ravaged by the
shadow of a great fear.
"You wouldn't dare!" she said.
"I would," I retorted. "I've done my work and I'll report to
head-quarters and to no one else!"
My eyes fell upon the body.
"Now, what are we going to do with this?" I said. "You must help me,
Frau Schratt. This is serious. This must not be found here."
She looked up at me in surprise.
"That?" she said, and she kicked the body with her foot. "Oh, that will
be all right with die Schratt! 'It must not be found here'" (she
mimicked my grave tone). "It will not be found here, young man!"
And she chuckled with all the full-bodied good humour of a fat person.
"You mean?"
"I mean what I mean, young man, and what you mean," she replied. "When
they are in a difficulty, when there are complications, when there is
any unpleasantness.. like _this_ ... they remember die Schratt, 'die
fesche Anna,' as they called me once, and it is 'gnadige Frau' here and
'gnadige Frau' there and a diamond bracelet or a pearl ring, if only I
will do the little conjuring trick that will smooth everything over. But
when all goes well, then I am 'old Schratt,' 'old hag,' 'old woman,' and
I must take my orders and beg nicely and ... bah!"
Her words ended in a gulp, which in any other woman would have been a
sob.
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