Bien! About ten years ago, she went out to New York as a singer, under the name of Marcelle Blondinet, and appeared at various second-class theatres in the United States and Canada. Then we lose track of her for some years until 1913, the year before the war, when the famous Oriental dancer, Nur-el-Din, who has made a grand success by the splendor of her dresses in America and Canada, appears at Brussels, scores a triumph and buys a fine mansion in the outskirts of the capital. She produces herself at Paris, Bordeaux, Lyons, Marseilles, Madrid, Milan and Rome, but her home in Brussels, always she returns there, your understand me, hein? La petite Marcelle of The Seven Duponts, Marcelle Blondinet of the cafe chantant, has blossomed out into a star of the first importance."The Colonel paused and cleared his throat.
"To buy a mansion in Brussels, to run a large and splendid troupe, requires money. It is the men who pay for these things, you would say. Quite right, but listen who were the friends of Madame Nur-el-Din. Bischoffsberg, the German millionaire of Antwerp, von Wurzburg, of Berne... ah ha! you know that gentleman, mon cher?" he turned, chuckling, to the Chief who nodded his acquiescence; "Prince Meddelin of the German Embassy in Paris and administrator of the German Secret Service funds in France, and so on and so on. I will not fatigue you with the list. The direct evidence is coming now.
"When the war broke out in August, 1914, Madame, after finishing her summer season in Brussels, was resting in her Brussels mansion. What becomes of her? She vanishes.""She told Samuel, the fellow who runs the Palaceum, that she escaped from Brussels!" interposed the Chief.
The Frenchman threw his hands above his head.
"Escaped, escaped? Ah, oui, par exemple, in a German Staff car.
As I have told my colleague here," he went on, addressing the Admiral, "she escaped to Metz, the headquarters of the Army Group commanded by the... the... how do you say? the Prince Imperial?""The Crown Prince," rectified the Chief.
"Ah, oui,--the Crown Prince. Messieurs, we have absolute testimony that this woman lived for nearly two years either in Metz or Berlin, and further, that at Metz, the Crown Prince was a constant visitor at her house. She was one of the ladies who nearly precipitated a definite rupture between the Crown Prince and his wife. Mon Admiral," he went on, addressing the First Sea Lord again, that this woman should be at large is a direct menace to the security of this country and of mine. It is only this morning that I at length received from Paris the facts which Ihave just laid before you. It is for you to order your action accordingly!"The little Frenchman folded his arms pompously and gazed at the ceiling.
"How does she explain her movements prior to her coming to this country" the First Sea Lord asked the Chief.
For an answer the Chief pressed the bell.
"Samuel, who engaged her, is outside. You shall hear her story from him," he said.
Samuel entered, exuding business acumen, prosperity, geniality.
He nodded brightly to the Chief and stood expectant.
"Ah, Mr. Samuel," said the Chief, " I wanted to see you about Nur-el-Din. You remember our former conversation on the subject.