Chapter One Part TwoHenry McGeenyton Questions the wounded German, offering him a cup of tea.
As the aftermath is cleared away, Henry McGeenyton takes his wounded foe to one side, quietly and politely questioning him [3] as to his fellows’ intentions as he offers the chap a strong cup of tea [6]. As McGeentyon calls for a servant to bring a platter and a tea set, the German confesses that, unfortunately, as a junior, or rather non-Prussian, member of his group, he wasn’t let in on much in the way of planning. He does reveal though that when he returns to Germany, God willing, he shall certainly recount his honourable foe’s kindness to his father, William Ernest of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He asks his more Prussian comrade to join him in some refreshment.
Gentlemanliness Increased! Merciful to his foe!
Find a doctor and a tailor to repair myself and my coat. Wait until after Link finishes to interrogate the German.
Aware that in his present company there is little more pressing than matters of tasteful appearance, Winston Smith leaves Sir Melville's Oxford Street chambers to repair the damage to himself, and, perhaps more importantly, his evening jacket. He leaves the building, passes the smoldering corpse of the German encircled by shattered morsels of glass, and pauses to admire the full moon shining through the first few flakes of snow that are beginning to fall and silently shroud the street. The British Gentleman might typically like to imagine Smith’s countrymen as unrefined, perhaps even a little uncouth, but it would be hard to argue that this young man is not a splendid specimen of a gentleman, able both to fight like a soldier and to admire the finer facets of existence as would a poet.
Despite the late hour, he [6] happens across both a tailor and a doctor without much further ado. The tailor manages to fix his jacket with remarkable skill and rapidity; the doctor prescribes Smith a sharp shot of fine brandy and sends him on his way, entirely mended. Smith pauses in the doorway of the doctor's cabinet, lights a cigar, and strolls slowly back down the street, healed in mind, body, and garment.
Item lost! A ruined evening jacket!
Item gained! A suitable evening jacket!
Wounds healed!Back in Sir William Melville's drawing room, temporarily the most important and historic location in the Empire - although this fact is for the moment unknown to the occupiers - a heated discussion is underway.
Straighten my bowtie.
"I must say, must you be so brutish? You have caused quite a mess here,"
Mr Link is straightening his bowtie, all the while admonishing his fellow gentleman for causing such a blood spatter on the fine hallway carpet. He seems to care very dearly about the mess and the uncouth manner in which it was caused, for [1] he manages to crumple his bowtie! If only his butler were about.
Item Acquired! Crumpled bowtie (temporary -1 to Gentlemanliness)
The atmosphere threatens to sour; not only do the gentlemen disagree on the correct approach with which to deal with their German prisoners, the five gentlemen, the illustrious Sir Melville, and the aforementioned prisoners have all just witnessed the sad demise of a once magnificent bowtie.
Von Fersen realises there is a situation to rescue, he realises, indeed, that it is time for a return to good old fashioned gentlemanliness.
Thank the butler for taking care of the jacket before putting it on. Have a good smoke to calm the nerves. Pose gentlemanly with pipe in hand before the Germans.
The so recently enraged von Fersen thanks the waiting butler with a nod of the head, and retakes possession of his jacket. He reaches into his breast pocket and serenely removes an expertly crafted pipe, into which he inserts a small amount of tobacco, which he in turn deftly lights with an ember from the fireplace.
The calming effect is, inwardly, particularly noticeable, and although the well-bred Swede had managed to look impressively calm even whilst impaling a German with an umbrella and some not inconsiderable blood rage and then unfortunately witnessing the massacre of Link's bowtie, von Fersen's act radiates an outer calmness which spreads forthwith throughout the fine Edwardian drawing room, bringing back an ambience of days gone by. He pauses briefly in front of the two prisoners, [5] intimidating them with his gentlemanliness.
Sharpen my claymore and prepare to interrogate the German cad.
The poor souls, cads though they are, surely deserve the pity of our dear reader: they turn from one honourable gentleman to another, only to see the fearsome Scot Wallace sharpening his claymore - the very one that so recently split a man from head to toe. To the untrained observer this might have seemed perhaps unnecessary, yet an honourable warrior such as Wallace knows that if one lives by the sword, that selfsame sword had best be kept in tiptop condition - ready for service in the flash of an eyelid. He seems to be preparing to interrogate them [4], and they both remember the stories their mothers told them about the beastly English.
Open up my top hat and put it on. Then calmly walk over to the German and stand there, looking serious.
They appear to be further intimidated, nay, they appear to be positively confused with fear, a fear which deepens as Wellington makes his move.
Realising what Wellington must have done to their
camarades in the study, one can understand their mindless panic when that proud top hat practitioner approaches them seemingly preparing his top hat! He has a deathly steel in his eyes. He displays a supreme seriousness.
But as he stands there before them, the Germans seem to receive an unhoped for lifeline.
"Wait. I can speak German. If you leave the room, I can pretend to be a spy, and he might be more than willing to share what he knows with me."
With a quiet word in their ears, Mr John Link requests that the other gentlemen leave the room, and benevolently approaches the pair [6].
"I say," he begins, in his most proficient German. "Do not be doing the vorrying. I have been sent here by Chancellor von Bülow himself; I am on your side!"
The first German looks suspiciously at him - "Your accent is not that of Prussia," he starts, but his fellow German interrupts.
Heroic Incompetence! "Look at his ridiculous bowtie Jan - no true Englishman could have made such a hash of that! His accent may sound strange to our ears but every Bavarian does! It is barely German that they speak in the South! Let us hear what our friend has to say..."
Some ten minutes later, the gentlemen in the study are having a lively discussion with Sir Melville about the merits of 1889 Ararat brandy in relation to that of 1890 when Link opens the door.
"I say, gentlemen," he interjects, "it appears we must leave with some considerable urgency. Von Junker's train arrives at Waterloo Station in an hour, and a car is waiting for him to take him directly to Dover, where it seems they have arranged for some kind of flying contraption. The Kaiser is sparing nothing to get his mitts on these damnable plans!"
He blushes at the vulgarity but does not stumble in his speech.
"Where is our young American? We haven't a moment to - "
At that moment Winston Smith is ushered into the study by one of Melville's butlers.
"Ah. I see," continues Link. "I say," he asks the butler, "would you mind awfully apologising to those two Germans with regards to my heinous deception? Fellows, let us prepare ourselves, and let us depart! I believe we have an Empire to save!"
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Topic: Roll to Be a Gentleman Spy - Chapter Three Part Twenty One. (Read 74887 times)