THE ANNEXATION SOCIETY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 64, 15 March 1916, Page 10

THE ANNEXATION SOCIETY.

(ALL EIGHTS RESERVED.)

By J. S. FLETCHER.

CHAPTER XXXIV. DOCTOIt FROBENICS EXPLAINS. A curious sense of relief shot through Jinunie's eonsoiousneiss of things when ho heard Dr Krobenrus put hie demand into plain language. More, at last, wac something tangible, something definite Mc laughed, throwing ell the contempt lie felt into tlie sound. '■Blackmail!' he said, with an uncon ecaled sneer. "Wackmail!" "EantKini!'' retorted Or Frobcnius '■Ransom, ray goad sir. War levy—in demnity—anything you ptease to call it It is ransom, in reality. 1 have con cjuered you " "Xot yet!' , said Jimmic. "You'll havi to explain a_lot first. Aβ to payinj you "' Scrayo, who ha.l been making various inarticulate sounds in the depths of his easy chair, struggled into a. more upright posture. He made one or two efforts to speak and linaJly got out a few words. 'Til—l'll pay you anything!" he said. "Only let me—let mc get out of this. Hl— pay!" ••Hi- doesn't know what he'd talking about." said .limmie. "At any rate, lie doesn't know yet. "What," he continued, turning on Dr.' Vrobenins, "what are we to pay for? To pay you not to cut our throats —and some other thrdata* I like that proposition!—it seems worthy of your eolostsal—l win going to say genius, but I'll substitute another, a more fitting word—your colossal insolence!" Dr. Frobenius helped hiiusolf to -another pinch of snuff. "Young Mr. Triekett," he said solemnly, "you do not appear to grasp the seriousness, the gravity of tliis occasion. You will allow mc to explain in my own way—when I have done so. I think you will agree that 1 am merciful to you. The plain truth of the matter is this —you iwo young men have become aware of Hie existence of the society of which I mi founder and managing director—you uve po»FO«e(l yourself of some of its 'ecrets. N*o one else shares your knoweJge. no one else-—-" "You're wrong," interjected .Timmie, jluntly. '"Don't make any mistakes. vlr. Nicholson Packc shares our knowedge, and he'll jolly quick set the police o work if anything happens to us. Also, ertain members of the Trench police are

aware " Dr. Frobonius stopped him with or impatient gesture. "I am very well aware of what certair memhers of the French police staff arc aware of," he said testily. "I also know how far Mr. Nicholson l'aeke/s knowledge extends. Neither Mr. Nicholson Pack) nor the Frenchmen know what you knov now—now. From their present point o vantage they could nerer command me— they haven't the faintest idea of m; existence. You hay know toi much—both of you. 1 am making n< vain boast when I say that I could re move you both from,,., this sublunar, sphere and no one'would ever trace yot Fact, my dear si;-, fact! But I don't wan to do that. 1 prefer to let you buy you lives. You will pay my price, and yon are free."

Jimmie -was becoming cooler, more' sure of himself with every moment; hisnatural business instincts were being | aroused. He showed signs of listening attentively; his tone became more civil. "Look hero!" he said. "Have you any objection to my smoking a cigar? I can think better when I smoke, and it occurs to mc that your propositions require some thought." Dr. Frobenins sprang to his feet and to a smoking cabinet. "I beg your pardon," he said politely. "I forgot my duties as your host. Try one of these —you will find it difficult to obtain better tobacco in this country." "Thank you," ea'ul Jimmie, drawing out his cheap cigarette.-, "but I prefer something of my own. And don't apologise— you've given mc quite a warm reception-. I'm 6tire." "Perhaps you would like n little of something to drink 1" suggested l)r. Krobcnius, with a glance at the be.!!. "A glass of " "Nothing at present, thank you," replied Jimmie. "I have no doubt your wine is of the most excellent quality, but just now 1 must abstain. No — we'll talk. Business, you know, business! Now." lip went on, having lighted a cigar to his'satisfaction,"your offer — can't think of anything else—is just this, as it sccnn to mc. On condition ot your presenting Lord Scraye there and myself with our lives and liberty—" "And your respectable aunt and the young lady from the bat-shop with their lives and liberty," said Dr. Frobenins. half anxiously. "You must bear that in mind, remember." "Thank you." said Jimmie, gravely. "Yes—on condition -of your presenting my aunt. Mis.-! Walisdcn. I.ord Scraye ; and myself with our lives and liberty, ' , Lard Scraye and I are severally and con- [/! jointly to pay you a certain sum of | money to be agreed upon? Eh?" | i "Quite so, quite so." replied Dr. FroI lienius. "Precisely so." s j "Anything else/(" asked Jimmie. ' "Oh. of course, something cl?c!" exclaimed Dr. Frobenins. "You will give mc your word of honour, as gentlemen —you sec how I trust you \— that youi lips- are 6ealcd as to this transactior I" from the moment our little business closes. It will be a—a document thai is tied up and put away—for ever, yoi know. Silence! Silence! you under stand—complete silence. A turnci page!" "Oh!" said Jimmie. "Just 60. Yov seem fond of similes. Also —if I ma; mention it—you seem fond of a one sided bargain. What do we get in re turn for the money you want?" Dr. Frohenius spread out his hands. "What do you get? My good sir!' he exclaimed. "What do you get! Yoi get your lives—four lives, whipli arc. suppose, valuable to you. I trust you word of honour—l expect you to tru-s mine. Accept my terms, and I give yoi my word of honour that you will bene; forth be safe. I and my society willforget. We will forgot that yoiK eve knew we existed. Do you understand? Jimmie affected an attitude of dee thought. "Lot mc put —what do they call it — hypothetical case to you," he said pn sently. "Suppose for a moment th.-i neither Lord Scraye nor myself are, i your power? Would our lives be safe? "Not for a moment, my dear sirknowing what you do!" answered Fri I benius. "Yours has never been sat j since you stumbled upon your discover •- in your hotel in Paris —Lord Scraye — since he came into this house. Oi society cannot afford to take risks. '.; am stretching a great point when I co p sent to sell you -Jiut ypu ec

I have a firm belief that you'will both abide by the word of honour which I shall ask you for in addition to the monetary consideration." "Very kind of you, I'm sure," murmured "vJimmie. ' r Um! But to tell mc that your society is so very powerful doesn't prove to mc that it is, you know. 1 should like to be convinced about that before 1 discuss these monetary matters." • "Quite so—quite so!" responded Dr. Frobenius. "1 am willing—under the circumstances to give you every explanation. In fact. 1 will explain the ob-1 jects and aim of our society. I have always intended to do so —as 1 say, under the circumstances. It is, Mr. Trickett, a small society of clever men, employing certain confidential agents. Amongst ourselves we call it the Annexation Society—the A.S. for short." '■'flic title," remarked Jimmie, "appears to me —from what I have seen of your methods —highly appropriate." "Jt serves," responded Dr. l'robcnius, with a wave of the hand. "It serves! Well, to my account of it and its operations. 1 "was born. Mr. Trickett, a poor individual; nevertheless, 1 managed to acquire a. sound education, particularly in certain branches of science. For many years i followed out my own special line of investigation in science under great disadvantages—the disadvantages of poverty. You, who were born with a silver—or, rather, a gold spoon in your mouth, cannot imagine what it i 3 to be desirous of acquiring knowledge and power and to be very poor at the same time. It was not until I had come to middle age that the light suddenly Hashed upon mc. and that I received a mighty revelation, That revelation was indoed a veritable inspiration. It came to mc as I was one day contemplating matters—on tht one side my dire poverty, on the other the vast wealth of the rich. And it came in two words!" •And they were?" asked Jimmie. Dr. l'robenius drew himself up. Ilii voice, usually harsh, became grave ant deep. •They were these. ,, he answered "Help yourself! Help yourself!" Jimmie boned his head. "I see!" he said. "1 see! Helj yourself to somebody else's goods just co—l understand you." "I receive*! this as a veritable gospel,' continued Dr. Krobenius. "I at onc< saw that tihere 1 was. wasting my time acquiring no means wherewith to fur ther my valuable projects, while al about "mc other men—and womenwere rolling in wealth which the; cither laid out in foolish and sel fish pleasures, or did not lay OH at all. Now. for instance, the.re i the class to which you yourself bclonj Mr. Trickett. 1 understand that you ar in receipt of come twenty thousani, pounds a year. Ido not suppose yo D spend anything like a half of that—th y rest, no doubt, accumulates. There miis , —nay. there arc!—a great many lik c you.'in your own ease, for example v " Jimmie wnved his hand. ,f " How would it bo." he remarked pica; - antly, " if we eschewed personalities? y am deeply interested in your account ( o your ideas and aims.'* o Dr. Frobenius, who had eccmed to 1 ;- in danger of becoming moodily ppecult v tive, brightened. , I. " Ah, yes," he . said. "Of course, it Well—as I said—why should I want

while others have so much superfluity? c The thing was obvious—when one once * saw it. Help yourself—help yourself! ' lltlit was my inspiration. But of course J there were "difficulties. Yon are quickwitted enough to appreciate them, 1 am sure?" • » "I am quick-witted enough to know that it would be a pretty tough job for I , mc to help myself out of tho coffers of, | the Bank of England," replied Jimmie. " Just so. And for mc also,'' agreed Dr. Frohenius. " Yes. I saw that at once. I perceive that one cannot nelp one's self readily. One cannot dig both hands into the piles of the Astors and the Rockefellers, and the Carnegics—at least. I have not yet evolved a scheme for doing so. But vast pile.* of the world's wealth were certainly rendy to hand, to be—annexed! Annexed —for the cause of the scientific research so dear to mc! I began to consider. And —with another ' magnificent inspiration!—l thought of the treasures which rest under the. care- ' less keeping of the class represented in Knsland by this man." He turned and gazed at Scraye with almost contemptuous indifference. Scraye | who. during this conversation, had spent i lih time in rubbing his forehead and I muttering to himself, nodded and smiled . faintly, as if he thought some reference was made to him. j '• The class represented by this man, I . who has not yet quite recovered his nerve, and his senses." continued Dr. j i Frohenius. " That class. Mr. Triekett— j . I know you do not belong to it, so 1 j ' can speak freely to you—has in its pos- j , session a vast number of valuable art | i treasures, some of them priceless. As a i rule they are not over well guarded, j .' Here was a field unroaped, a mine un- j worked. T sought and found a few i spirits like my own —daring, original, re-1 llsourceful; we put our heads together,l | ■ and formed our plans for annexing | some of the valuable things which lay | ' | idle, useless in tho private galleries cf i r | English eountrv houses." I ' I "In plain language." said Jimmie. '■ you made up a gang of skilful appropriators of other people's property, j Good! Proceed, if you please. Dr. | Frobenins — I am tremendously inter- I , cstcd." • I "It is indeed a deeply interesting sub- j ' licet," continued the doctor. " 1 am delighted that you take an interest in it; I wish that your circumstances had en- ,. abled you to become one of us. However—now what is all this in my gar- ._ dens?" , Following Dr. Frohenius' sudden turn of head, Jimmie saw that on the terrace outside the windows a number of | 1 men had appeared. They wore work-1 •"' men's clothes, blue jackets, dungaree J : * jackets; they were oiled and smudged; '■' they carried bags of tools; they had a handcart with more tools. And suddenly, to his vast amazement, Jimmie recognised amongst them the face —much >' toil-stained —of Nicholson Packc. I [j (To be continued daily.)