His orderly had just entered and, after saluting, had laid a folded paper before him. He unfolded it, then spoke excitedly.
'This is a report from one of our reconnaissance pilots. He has been operating over one of the selected squares of territory. When flying over a certain position in a mountainous region he observed a signal being flashed. It was in Morse and was twice repeated. Here it is.'
He laid the enclosure before Jessop.
He separated off the last two letters with a pencil.
'SL – that is our code for 'Do not acknowledge.''
'And COG with which the message starts,' said Jessop, 'is our recognition signal.'
'Then the rest is the actual message.' He underlined it. 'LEPROSIE.' He surveyed it dubiously.
'Leprosy?' said Jessop.
'And what does that mean?'
'Have you any important Leper Settlements? Or unimportant ones for that matter?'
Leblanc spread out a large map in front of him. He pointed with a stubby forefinger stained with nicotine.
'Here,' he marked it off, 'is the area over which our pilot was operating. Let me see now. I seem to recall…'
He left the room. Presently he returned.
'I have it,' he said. 'There is a very famous medical Research station, founded and endowed by well known philanthropists and operating in that area – a very deserted one, by the way. Valuable work has been done there in the study of Leprosy. There is a Leper Settlement there of about two hundred people. There is also a Cancer Research station, and a Tubercular Sanatorium. But understand this, it is all of the highest authenticity. Its reputation is of the highest. The President of the Republic himself is its Patron.'
'Yes,' said Jessop appreciatively. 'Very nice work, in fact.'
'But it is open to inspection at any time. Medical men who are interested in these subjects visit there.'
'And see nothing they ought not to see! Why should they? There is no better camouflage for dubious business, than an atmosphere of the highest respectability.'
'It could be,' Leblanc said dubiously, 'I suppose, a halting place, for parties of people bound on a journey. One or two of the mid-European doctors, perhaps, have managed to arrange something like that. A small party of people, like the one we are tracking, could lie perdu there for a few weeks before continuing their journey.'
'I think it might be something more than that,' said Jessop. 'I think it might be – Journey's End.'
'You think it is something – big?'
'A Leper Settlement seems to me very suggestive… I believe, under modern treatment, leprosy nowadays is treated at home.'
'In civilised communities, perhaps. But one could not do that in this country.'
'No. But the word Leprosy still has its association with the Middle Ages when the Leper carried his bell to warn away people from his path. Idle curiosity does not bring people to a Leper Settlement; the people who come are, as you say, the medical profession, interested only in the medical research done there, and possibly the social worker, anxious to report on the conditions under which the Lepers live – all of which are no doubt admirable. Behind that faзade of philanthropy and charity – anything might go on. Who, by the way, owns the place? Who are the philanthropists who endowed it and set it up?'
'That is easily ascertained. A little minute.'
He turned shortly, an official reference book in his hand.
'It was established by private enterprise. By a group of philanthropists of whom the chief is Aristides. As you know, he is a man of fabulous wealth, and gives generously to charitable enterprises. He has founded hospitals in Paris and also in Seville. This is, to all intents and purposes, his show – the other benefactors are a group of his associates.'
'So – it's an Aristides enterprise. And Aristides was in Fez when Olive Betterton was there.'
'Aristides!' Leblanc savoured the full implication. 'Mais – c'est colossal!'
'Yes.'
'C'est fantastique!'
'Quite.'
'Enfin – c'est formidable!'
'Definitely.'
'But do you realise how formidable it is?' Leblanc shook an excited forefinger in the other's face. 'This Aristides, he has a finger in every pie. He is behind nearly everything. The banks, the Government, the manufacturing industries, armaments, transport! One never sees him, one hardly hears of him! He sits in a warm room in his Spanish castle, smoking, and sometimes he scrawls a few words on a little piece of paper and throws it on the ground, and a secretary crawls forward and picks it up, and a few days later an important banker in Paris blows his brains out! It is like that!'
'How wonderfully dramatic you are, Leblanc. But it is really not very surprising. Presidents and Ministers make important pronouncements, bankers sit back behind their sumptuous desks and roll out opulent statements – but one is never surprised to find out that behind the importance and magnificence there is somewhere some scrubby little man who is the real motive power. It is really not at all surprising to find that Aristides is behind all this disappearing business – in fact if we'd had any sense we'd have thought of it before. The whole thing's a vast commercial ramp. It's not political at all. The question is,' he added, 'What are we going to do about it?'
Leblanc's face grew gloomy.
'It is not going to be easy, you understand. It we are wrong – I dare not think of it! And even if we are right – we have got to prove we are right. If we make investigations – those investigations can be called off – at the highest level, you understand? No, it is not going to be easy… But,' he wagged an emphatic stubby forefinger, 'it will be done.'
Chapter 20
The cars swept up the mountain road and stopped in front of the great gate set in the rock. There were four cars. In the first car was a French Minister and the American Ambassador, in the second car was the British Consul, a Member of Parliament and the Chief of Police. In the third car were two members of a former Royal Commission and two distinguished journalists. The complement of these three cars was made up with the necessary satellites. The fourth car contained certain people not known to the general public, but sufficiently distinguished in their own sphere. They included Captain Leblanc and Mr. Jessop. The chauffeurs, immaculately garbed, were now opening car doors and bowing as they assisted the distinguished visitors to alight.
'One hopes,' murmured the Minister, apprehensively, 'that there will be no possibility of a contact of any kind.'
One of the satellites immediately made soothing noises.
'Du tout, M. le Ministre. Every suitable precaution is taken. One inspects only from a distance.'
The Minister, who was elderly and apprehensive, looked relieved. The Ambassador said something about the better understanding and treatment of these diseases nowadays.
The great gates were flung open. On the threshold stood a small party bowing to welcome them. The Director, dark, thickset, the Deputy Director big and fair, two distinguished doctors and a distinguished Research Chemist. The greetings were French, florid and prolonged.
'And ce cher Aristides,' demanded the Minister. 'I sincerely hope ill health has not prevented him from fulfilling his promise to meet us here.'
'M. Aristides flew from Spain yesterday,' said the Deputy Director. 'He awaits you within. Permit me, Your
