anoeuvres of six important
Powers into mobilisations. Whatever else the _Daily Intelligencer_ had
learned in the East, it had not acquired the art of diplomatic ambiguity.
The man in the street enjoyed the articles and bought the paper as he had
never bought it before; the men in Downing Street took a different view.
The Foreign Secretary, hitherto accounted a rather reticent man, became
positively garrulous in the course of perpetually disavowing the
sentiments expressed in the _Daily Intelligencer's_ leaders; and then one
day the Government came to the conclusion that something definite and
drastic must be done. A deputation, consisting of the Prime Minister,
the Foreign Secretary, four leading financiers, and a well-known
Nonconformist divine, made its way to the offices of the paper. At the
door leading to the editorial department the way was barred by a nervous
but defiant office-boy.

"'You can't see the editor nor any of the staff,' he announced.

"'We insist on seeing the editor or some responsible person,' said the
Prime Minister, and the deputation forced its way in. The boy had spoken
truly; there was no one to be seen. In the whole suite of rooms there
was no sign of human life.

"'Where is the editor?' 'Or the foreign editor?' 'Or the chief leader-
writer? Or anybody?'

"In answer to the shower of questions the boy unlocked a drawer and
produced a strange-looking envelope, which bore a Khokand postmark, and a
date of some seven or eight months back. It contained a scrap of paper
on which was written the following message:

"'Entire party captured by brigand tribe on homeward journey. Quarter
of million demanded as ransom, but would probably take less. Inform
Government, relations, and friends.'

"There followed the signatures of the principal members of the party and
instructions as to how and where the money was to be paid.

"The letter had been directed to the office-boy-in-charge, who had
quietly suppressed it. No one is a hero to one's own office-boy, and he
evidently considered that a quarter of a million was an unwarrantable
outlay for such a doubtfully advantageous object as the repatriation of
an errant newspaper staff. So he drew the editorial and other salaries,
forged what signatures were necessary, engaged new reporters, did what
sub-editing he could, and made as much use as possible of the large
accumulation of special articles that was held in reserve for
emergenc