John looked into the Baron's thick-skinned, pallid face, into the steel-like eyes, and smiled inwardly. A pause came. John leaned forward.
"Cherriton," he said, "what are you leading up to?"
"Ah, you see, Cherriton--he is sharp, our friend Treves. Tell him what you want, Cherriton, straight out!"
He rose, came, for all his great bulk, softly across the room. He laid a fat hand on John's shoulder and looked down at him.
"Bernard," he half whispered, "you shall have all you want of everything. Money--and the other thing. I want you to throw in your lot with me as the good Captain has done. That note," he continued, still in the half whisper, "you gave me in regard to the sailing of the _Polydor_ was well appreciated in certain circles."
"That was good service," continued Manners, "but there are bigger things afoot." He paused a moment, then walked round John, and seated himself on a sofa quite near. "You have heard, no doubt," he continued, "of the _Imperator_----"
"A monster ship--a wonder ship! Forty-eight thousand tons."
He uttered the words slowly, rolling them unctuously over his tongue.
"Nearly as big as the _Vaterland_," John said, and for the life of him he could not help looking across at Cherriton's face.
"The _Vaterland_?" he repeated. "You mean the German ship?"
John returned his attention to Manners. He could feel the web closing about him--the web in which Dacent Smith had ordered him to entangle himself.
"The _Imperator_," said Manners, "is to sail one day quite soon, but your Admiralty has grown doubly cunning of late. As yet we know not either her port of departure or the hour of departure!"
John noticed that the fat man's tones deepened as he spoke; excitement gleamed in his eyes. He leaned forward and laid a fat hand on Bernard's knee.
"Certainly!" answered John, truthfully. "I want you to trust me."
"Good!" exclaimed Manners, uttering the word thickly in his throat. "Now, you will understand Cherriton and I cannot appear in certain places, but with you--it is different with you--eh?"
"Quite," said John. "I can appear anywhere without suspicion."
Cherriton, who had remained silent, again took control of the situation.
"What Manners and I want you to do," he said, "is to stay a few days at the Savoy Hotel. A Dutch gentleman is giving up Room 104C. You are to take that room, and stay at the hotel at Manners's expense."