human
May I beg a moment with you, Lieutenant?
gpt
Certainly. What is it? Nothing gone wrong, I hope.
human
That telephone call was from Lingen, from Captain Schiller; and I can't make head or tail of it. You will not be offended with me, I trust, if I tell you what he says--what I understood him to say, at least.
gpt
My dear Mr. Harden, I hope I am not so foolish.
human
Well, he appears to be under the impression that you are not here.
gpt
Poor Schiller! He's always got a bee in his bonnet; keeps a regular hive always on tap. I wonder what the devil has put that rot into his head.
human
From what I could gather--I trust you'll pardon my even mentioning it--he appears to think that you were too--well, that you had had more wine at the Halbermond for it to be quite safe for you to go.
gpt
I think you can settle that for yourself, Harden.
human
Oh yes, I told him so, but--but his reply was--was very singular. He said that you had had to be assisted into your car at Lingen, that it wasn't possible you could have thrown off the effects in the short time, and, in fact, that if you appeared to have done so, you could not be Lieutenant Vibach.
gpt
He'll have to answer for this, I can assure you, I exclaimed fiercely.
human
What did you reply?
gpt
I explained the exceedingly awkward position in which it placed me; and he instructed me very peremptorily on no account to deliver No. 14 to you, even in face of the army order. Of course I was at a loss, so I asked him to speak to you on the telephone.
human
I'd better do that, I replied readily.
gpt
There'll be the devil to pay if I don't turn up with it and the Colonel's told I was too drunk to go up. Schiller must be mad; stark, staring mad. He'll get me cashiered.
human
He's holding the line, if you will come to my office.
gpt
Look here, Harden, this must be met somehow. I'll get Schiller to run over here at once and we must be ready with proofs that I'm as sober as a judge and perfectly fit to take up No. 14. I understand your position entirely and don't mean you to be compromised in any way. I won't ask you to deliver No. 14; but I shall be personally obliged if you'll have the petrol tank of one of those planes out there filled, or any other you like, of course, and I'll show him whether I'm fit to take No. 14 up. Your evidence, too, may save me from absolute shipwreck.
human
I'll do it with pleasure;
gpt
Hullo!
human
That you, Harden?
gpt
Yes.
human
I didn't recognize your voice for the moment. You haven't parted with No. 14, I hope?
gpt
No. Lieutenant Vibach's coming to speak to you.
human
That's all right. This is a thousand times more serious than I knew just now. Vibach's here.
gpt
What!
human
It's true. I've seen him. He's been half-killed, drugged, and stripped of his uniform. He was found locked in a wardrobe of one of the Halbermond's bedrooms.
gpt
Good heavens! I exclaimed, appropriately flabbergasted.
human
Then who's the man here?
gpt
The ruffian who did it, of course. Evidently a plot to get hold of one of our newest planes. The ruffian has stolen Vibach's uniform so as to personate him.
human
Never heard such a thing in my life. What shall I do?
gpt
Keep him till we can get over.
human
But he's armed, I expect.
gpt
He'll have Vibach's revolver, of course. You'll have to be careful. Perhaps the best thing will be to keep him in play. Let him think you're going to give him the bus, and let your men tinker with it for a quarter of an hour or so; I shall be with you by then; and when he speaks to me, I'll put him off the scent by saying I can't get over for an hour.
human
I can manage that easily. He's coming now, I said, hearing Harden's voice in the outer room. I paused a moment or two, shuffled my feet, and then spoke in my own voice.
gpt
You there, Schiller?
human
Yes. That you, Vibach?
gpt
I should think it is. Look here, what the dickens is this tale you've been telling about me?