His Excellency Governor Wallace Read online




  His Excellency, Governor Wallace

  ALEXANDER WILSON

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  1. A Cabinet Meeting

  2. Wallace Accepts the Appointment

  3. Enter Wun Cheng Lo

  4. Batty Goes Ashore

  5. The Intercepted Wireless Messages

  6. A Couple of Beachcombers

  7. The Genial José Tavares

  8. ‘Too Muchee Big Pilate’

  9. The Sliding Panel

  10. A Tale of Two Knives

  11. In the Trap and Liking it

  12. The Queer Behaviour of Cousins

  13. A Change of Residence

  14. So Near and Yet—

  15. Momentous Discussions

  16. A Friar Visits the Hospital

  17. Sir Leonard Becomes a Dictator

  18. The Man Who Killed Himself

  19. Captain Ferrara Pays His Respects

  20. An Eventful Night

  21. Kenton Returns to Hospital

  22. Wun Cheng Lo is Shocked and Pained

  23. The End of a Great Conspiracy

  About the Author

  By Alexander Wilson

  Copyright

  CHAPTER ONE

  A Cabinet Meeting

  Sir Leonard Wallace sank back into the comfortable depths of his well-upholstered chair, and gave vent to a deep sigh of satisfaction. The great oak desk before him was piled high with decoded reports from his numerous agents abroad, and for three hours he had been engaged in reading them with the utmost care, bringing to bear on every document that power of thoughtful concentration which enables him to grapple with the most difficult and delicate problems. Innumerable marginal notes pencilled in in his small but easily read calligraphy gave promise of much work in the near future for that branch of his staff which dealt exclusively with records and reports relative to international intrigue. Not that that was an unusual state of affairs. Of all Government departments the Intelligence Service is the hardest worked, and day and night, year in and year out, its activities continue quietly, efficiently, thoroughly. It is the eye of Empire, ever watching, ever searching, never for one moment sleeping, or even relaxing, for on its vigilance depends the well-being of Great Britain, her dominions and dependencies.

  In repose Sir Leonard rather gives the impression that he is of indolent, lackadaisical character. He seldom permits a hint of the dynamic driving power that is in him to show on the surface. But those who are intimately acquainted with him, who work with him and under him, know the force that lies behind that cool, unruffled exterior, the imagination and quick perception of that brilliant brain. His amazing self-control and unexcitable temperament have, on numerous occasions, brought him triumphant through situations in which more nervous or ebullient men would have gone under.

  He is a slightly built man of middle height, with an attractive, good-humoured face. Quick to see the amusing side of anything, his intense, steel-grey eyes yet seem often to belie the humorous curves of his mouth. During the Great War he lost his left arm, but, with the aid of an artificial limb, has overcome the handicap in surprising fashion. With his right hand he accomplishes much for which any other man would require two. The counterfeit member is invariably covered by a glove, and kept unobtrusively in a pocket, but at times is brought into action very cleverly. He used it now as he lay back in his chair, and filled his pipe from a large bowl on the desk. But directly the tobacco was burning to his satisfaction, the artificial hand was returned to its pocket. He pressed one of the buttons under the ledge of the desk, and almost at once, after a preliminary knock, a small, grey-haired man with extremely sharp eyes entered the room. Sir Leonard waved his hand towards the mass of reports.

  ‘A nice little job that will keep your fellows going all night, Maddison,’ he commented. ‘A good many – those marked “Immediate” of course – must be dealt with without the slightest delay. By the way, Gottfried seems to be having as much work as he can cope with over that German–Czecho-Slovakian border affair. Is Cartright available?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Then tell him to join Gottfried at Zwickau. He’d better leave tonight. There’s a pharmaceutical conference on and, as he’s an expert in drugs, can easily pass himself off as a chemist and the representative of one of our big houses. Major Brien will furnish him with his credentials. Cartright will know how to get in touch with Gottfried.’

  He smiled a trifle grimly, and an answering smile appeared fleetingly on the lips of the other, as he turned towards the door, his arms loaded with the documents he had lifted from the desk.

  ‘Oh – er – Maddison, just a minute,’ called Sir Leonard. ‘Have we received any information concerning that Hong Kong scandal?’

  The small, grey-haired man succeeded in getting one eye focused on Sir Leonard round the corner of his bundle.

  ‘Nothing officially, sir,’ he replied, ‘but I think we’ll soon be drawn in. As you know, there’s a very hush-hush sort of Cabinet meeting at number ten this afternoon, and I believe it is being held to discuss the Hong Kong affair. It commenced at three, and was still on ten minutes ago.’

  Wallace glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece, and smiled.

  ‘Two and a half hours solid talk, and nothing accomplished for a bet,’ he remarked. ‘Oh, well, if they can’t come to a decision, we’ll be asked to suggest something – perhaps to take the affair in hand. Tell Shannon and Carter to stand by. They may have a trip to Hong Kong before them.’

  Maddison departed with his load. Sir Leonard rose, strolled into the adjoining lavatory where he washed his hand, and prepared to leave for home. While he was thus engaged, the low hum of the buzzer on one of the telephones with which his desk was adorned reached his ears. He returned to the office, and eyed the instrument somewhat quizzically.

  ‘I thought so,’ he murmured, as he lifted the receiver to his ear. ‘Wallace speaking,’ he announced.

  ‘Can you come to Downing Street, Sir Leonard?’ asked an urgent voice, which he recognised as that of the Premier’s private secretary. ‘An emergency meeting of the Cabinet is being held here, and the Prime Minister wishes me to inform you that a point has arisen about which it is necessary to consult you.’

  ‘I’ll be there in five minutes,’ replied Wallace.

  He replaced the receiver, knocked out the ashes of his pipe, and put on his hat.

  ‘So I am to face the whole Cabinet,’ he murmured. ‘How nice for me! But they must be perturbed.’

  Five minutes later exactly he was admitted to the historic precincts of 10 Downing Street, and ushered into the chamber where the conference was being held. A dozen pairs of eyes regarded his advent with interest not unmixed, in most cases, with relief. At the head of a long, highly-polished table sat the Prime Minister, his clean-shaven, ruddy countenance giving him the appearance of a sporting squire. There was no indication whatever in his physiognomy that he possessed any particular intellectual gifts, statesmanlike or otherwise. One could imagine him, attired in riding apparel, jogging round a country estate or following hounds. As head of the Government, presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet, he looked peculiarly out of place. On either side of the table, ranged according to precedence, sat the ministers of state. Sir Leonard was quick to note that, though there were a few absentees, all the most important members of the Cabinet were present. The Prime Minister greeted him courteously, inviting him to take a chair at the other end of the table.

  ‘It was good of you to respond so promptly to my request to join us, Sir Leonard,’ he acknowledged in a bluff, hearty voice, and continued: ‘It is, as you are aware, rather unusual for anyone but a member of the Governm
ent to be present at a meeting of this nature. You, however, hold a privileged, I might add, unique position, and I believe I am correct in saying that this is not the first time you have been called into consultation at a conference of the Cabinet.’

  Wallace felt inclined to ask him to come to the point, but tactfully made no comment. Verbosity, he well knew, was a disease which afflicted most members of Parliament. The Premier sat back in his chair, and folded his arms. He cleared his throat, as though about to launch into a lengthy oration.

  ‘We have met today,’ he went on, ‘to discuss a very serious matter. My Right Honourable friend, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, has been the recipient of news of a most alarming nature from Hong Kong. For some time he has been receiving reports which caused him a great deal of unease, but only last night was he put in full possession of the startling facts. Sir Stanley Ferguson, His Majesty’s representative in the colony, has sent a very full and exhaustive statement. It is not my intention to read it to you – you will have full access to that and all other documents relative to the subject. I will content myself by giving you the bare outlines.’ He cleared his throat again, and Sir Leonard moved a little restlessly. ‘It is generally regarded,’ declared the leader of the Government, ‘that your activities are mostly bound up in affairs under the purview of the Foreign Office, but—’

  ‘Pardon me, sir,’ interrupted Wallace; ‘that is a misapprehension. It is true that most of the work accomplished by my department is in connection with foreign affairs and, therefore, I am in closer touch generally with the Foreign Secretary than with most other gentlemen of your Cabinet. May I remind you, however, that the Intelligence Service exists for the benefit of Great Britain not only in alien countries but at home, in the dominions, and the colonies as well. Some years ago there was a misunderstanding of that nature, as a result of which the functions of my department were clearly and succinctly outlined in a confidential memorandum to the heads of all Government offices.’

  ‘Quite so! Quite so!’ responded the Premier, smiling slightly as he turned his eyes momentarily in the direction of the Foreign Secretary. ‘Nevertheless, one or two of my Right Honourable friends were not quite clear on that point. Your statement, Sir Leonard, will have done much to remove the possibility of future misapprehensions.’

  ‘At the same time,’ interposed the Foreign Secretary, it must be understood that my department is entitled to priority.’

  In consequence of his remark, a debate on the subject threatened to develop, but Sir Leonard had no intention of sitting there a mute listener of a controversy that had no actual bearing on the business in hand. He startled the Right Honourable gentlemen, scandalised some, by interrupting.

  ‘Gentlemen,’ he protested, ‘such a discussion is hardly relevant, if I am to be made acquainted with the matter for which I was summoned here. I have agents and assistants enough to undertake whatever duties are required, even if all of you were involved. It is only rarely that the exigencies of the service leave me in any way short-handed. At the moment, having heard something of the trouble in Hong Kong, I have given instructions for two of my most reliable men to hold themselves in readiness to proceed to China at a moment’s notice.’

  ‘You don’t quite understand the situation yet, Sir Leonard,’ observed the Foreign Secretary drily. ‘The suggestion is that you be asked to go to Hong Kong yourself for a period of at least six months.’

  If he had expected to see Wallace show his surprise, he was disappointed, but probably because he knew the Chief of the Secret Service well, and had had more dealings with him than any of the others, he anticipated nothing of the sort. Sir Leonard merely leant a little forward, and addressed the Prime Minister.

  ‘Perhaps you will be good enough to give me the bare outlines of this Hong Kong affair, sir, as you intimated you were about to do.’

  ‘Certainly,’ was the reply, ‘but, before I proceed, it may save time, if you tell me how much you already know. You mentioned a moment ago that you had heard something of the trouble in Hong Kong.’

  ‘My knowledge amounts to little more than a rumour, sir, to the effect that there has been a serious embezzlement of funds, and that the secret of certain fortifications is known to Japan.’

  The Premier inclined his head gravely.

  ‘That is the gist of our information,’ he admitted. ‘It appears that for some years the Government of Hong Kong has been systematically defrauded of large sums of money, the total amount of which is believed to be in the neighbourhood of a hundred million dollars – that is ten million pounds. Cleverly forged government bonds were responsible for the greater part of the leakage, but false contracts, fictitious loans, and various other criminal activities have also played their part. Some months ago it was brought to Sir Stanley Ferguson’s notice by the then Senior Assistant Treasurer, who, on the resignation of the Colonial Treasurer, took the latter’s place, that all was not well. He instituted an enquiry, as a result of which it was discovered that expenditure since the war had increased by two hundred per cent, when on paper only fifty per cent, a reasonable increase, had been shown. Various officials were suspended, and are awaiting trial, but it is obvious that they are merely catspaws. Everything pointed to the belief that a powerful organisation was manipulating the finances. It sounds incredible, but there can be little doubt that such was the case.

  ‘Sir Stanley ordered the most rigid investigation, and at last it was discovered that a wealthy Macanese, by name of Mathos, was involved. His arrest was immediately ordered, but when the police arrived to apprehend him he was found to have committed suicide. Certain papers were seized and, although no names were mentioned in these, they proved beyond doubt that there are certain members of the Legislative Council implicated. As you will see from a perusal of Sir Stanley’s report, various incidents, presumably having a bearing on the conspiracy, have taken place in rapid succession. A magistrate in Shanghai, who telegraphed that important information had come into his hands, was asked to repair to Hong Kong. On the voyage he disappeared over the side of the steamer, and was drowned. A Chinese banker who declared that he knew a great deal was found dead in bed. He had been poisoned. You will gather, therefore, how urgent it is that the truth must be discovered and the guilty unmasked. Absolute disaster looms ahead, unless the conspiracy is quickly and definitely crushed. The latest information includes the news that a Japanese merchant found in prohibited territory, and arrested, boasted that the Hong Kong fortifications were as an open book to the government of his country. He refused to say more, however. It appears likely that the betrayal of our military secrets is connected with the other affair, but of that, I understand, there is no absolute proof.

  ‘The police seem helpless; Sir Stanley Ferguson has done his utmost, but is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This is a matter, Sir Leonard, which we feel can only be dealt with by you. Experts sent out by you may accomplish much, but affairs are in such an extremely serious state that we are agreed that it is necessary for you to be on the spot with full executive power in your hands.’

  He paused, and regarded Wallace earnestly.

  ‘You mean—’ began the latter.

  ‘I mean that my Right Honourable colleague, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, proposes, with our full sanction, to give Sir Stanley Ferguson six months’ leave of absence, to be extended if necessary, to enable him to recover fully his health, his place, while he is away, to be filled by you.’

  As he finished speaking, all eyes in that famous apartment were turned on Sir Leonard; there fell an almost heavy silence as though everyone was endeavouring to breathe as quietly as possible. The Secretary of State for the Colonies, a man whose expression was habitually solemn, made no attempt to hide his anxiety. Several others were there who appeared just as concerned. The Foreign Secretary sat erect, a frown upon his ascetic countenance. He was torn between two emotions; the feeling that Sir Leonard’s absence in the Far East for such a long period might place acti
vities nearer home at a serious disadvantage, and the knowledge that he was the only man at all likely to save the situation in Hong Kong and unmask the conspirators. Wallace himself sat calmly turning over the proposition in his mind. Presently a smile curved his lips.

  ‘I have never,’ he declared, ‘felt the slightest ambition to be governor of a colony.’

  ‘That is well known,’ returned the Colonial Secretary drily. ‘My predecessor took some time to recover from the shock of your point blank refusal, when you were offered Ceylon some two or three years ago. But,’ he added eagerly, ‘this is a different proposition. It will be only a temporary appointment. We realise that in asking you to abandon your headquarters for seven or eight months we are more or less jeopardising other national interests, but you can always keep in touch with the man you leave in charge in case of emergency.’

  Again Sir Leonard smiled.

  ‘I am not worrying about that,’ he remarked. ‘I am not indispensable by any means. There are two or three men capable of taking my place. I am quite prepared to go to Hong Kong, but I am not convinced yet that it is necessary for me to go out as governor. I would prefer to undertake the mission without any official designation.’

  ‘We feel,’ the Prime Minister assured him, ‘that it is necessary you should have full executive power. Without it you may be gravely handicapped.’

  Sir Leonard rose from his chair.

  ‘If you will let me have all documents relative to the conspiracy, sir,’ he observed, ‘I will study them tonight, and consider thoroughly my own position as possible investigator from every angle.’

  ‘They will be sent to you by special messenger within half an hour,’ promised the Premier.

  ‘If I accept, will I be given absolute carte blanche?’

  ‘You will.’

  ‘I presume the affair is to be kept as secret as possible? Nothing more than is absolutely necessary should be allowed to reach the press.’