He drummed on the table for a second or so, and resumed. "I haf to tell
you, sir, zat you come to us at a crisis in--Welt-Politik. There can be
no harm now for me to put our plans before you. Pefore you leafe this
ship again they will be manifest to all ze worldt. War is perhaps
already declared. We go--to America. Our fleet will descend out of ze
air upon ze United States--it is a country quite unprepared for war
eferywhere--eferywhere. Zey have always relied on ze Atlantic. And their
navy. We have selected a certain point--it is at present ze secret
of our commanders--which we shall seize, and zen we shall establish
a depot--a sort of inland Gibraltar. It will be--what will it be?--an
eagle's nest. Zere our airships will gazzer and repair, and thence
they will fly to and fro ofer ze United States, terrorising cities,
dominating Washington, levying what is necessary, until ze terms we
dictate are accepted. You follow me?"

"Go on!" said Bert.

"We could haf done all zis wiz such Luftschiffe and Drachenflieger as we
possess, but ze accession of your machine renders our project complete.
It not only gifs us a better Drachenflieger, but it remofes our last
uneasiness as to Great Pritain. Wizout you, sir, Great Pritain, ze land
you lofed so well and zat has requited you so ill, zat land of Pharisees
and reptiles, can do nozzing!--nozzing! You see, I am perfectly frank
wiz you. Well, I am instructed that Chermany recognises all this. We
want you to place yourself at our disposal. We want you to become our
Chief Head Flight Engineer. We want you to manufacture, we want to equip
a swarm of hornets under your direction. We want you to direct this
force. And it is at our depot in America we want you. So we offer you
simply, and without haggling, ze full terms you demanded weeks ago--one
hundert tousand poundts in cash, a salary of three tousand poundts a
year, a pension of one tousand poundts a year, and ze title of Paron as
you desired. These are my instructions."

He resumed his scrutiny of Bert's face.

"That's all right, of course," said Bert, a little short of breath, but
otherwise resolute and calm; and it seemed to him that now was the time
to bring his nocturnal scheming to the issue.

The secretary contemplated Bert's collar with sustained attention. Only
for one moment did his gaze move to the sandals and back.

"Jes' lemme think a bit," said Bert, finding the stare debilitating.
"Look 'ere!" he said at last,