And he handed the microphone to Geoffrey, who at once repeated the query, and concluded it with the words always used in wireless telephony: “O.S.R.U., changing over.”
In a few moments there came a clear voice evidently at a considerable distance, saying:
“Hullo! O.S.R.U.? Hullo! Your signals are quite O.K. Your modulation quite good. Congratulations!”
He handed the head-’phones to the Baron, who, with great satisfaction, heard the speech repeated. They were certainly in touch with the mysterious station in Roumania.
While the test was in progress Françoise stood in the narrow little room watching intently.
“Really marvellous!” Mademoiselle declared when she herself put on the telephones and heard the reply again repeated in a clear, rather musical voice.
Then, after another ten minutes, the Baron asked Falconer to switch off the generator and close down, as they would be late for luncheon.
“It does you very great credit,” declared the owner of the great estate of Zenta. “I never dreamed that we should be in such complete touch so quickly.” And the man Koblitz also tendered his congratulations upon the achievement.
Later in the afternoon Mademoiselle Françoise left for Paris, and Geoffrey shook her hand as she entered the car. After dinner Falconer smoked with the Baron and his friend until about eleven o’clock, when he put down his cigar and wished them both good-night. It had become apparent that the pair wished to be rid of him for some reason. Therefore he retired.
Back in his great, gloomy bedroom he stood for some time at the window, gazing out upon the gorgeous scene of moonlit mountain and silent Carpathian forest. The attitude of the two men during that evening had become suspicious--the more so because the Baron had so constantly evaded his question as to the site of the second wireless station, and also the identity of the mystery station, “C.H.X.R.” Who, too, was Petresco? It was apparently a Roumanian name. Once again a strange intuition crept over him--a premonition of impending evil.
A quarter of an hour later he removed his evening shoes and crept back again down the great oak staircase to the door of the room wherein the two men were in consultation.
Bending he could hear their voices speaking low and confidentially. But they were speaking in Hungarian, hence he could not understand a single word. Probably it was only politics they were discussing; therefore, after waiting ten minutes, all the time in fear of the approach of Karl, he was about to return to his room when, of a sudden, he heard a few words in French.