The Hundred Days Read Online Free Page A

to resolve difficulties between the various departments of
government and the services so that confidential work might be carried on in
official silence: the other, Mr Dee, he knew only from having seen him at a few
restricted conferences at which he spoke rarely or not at all, though he was
treated with deference as an authority on eastern matters, particularly those
concerned with finance - he was connected with some of the great banking-houses
in the City. Sir Joseph’s coded message had only said ‘You will of course
remember his book on Persian literature’.
    Stephen did indeed remember it: he had had his own
battered second-hand copy rebound - a first edition - and he recalled that the
binder had put the date of publication at the bottom of the spine: 1764.
    As they all sat down again, Stephen, with his back
to the light, looked at Mr Dee with discreet curiosity, as at one whose work
had enriched his youth: Mr Dee’s face, alas, showed little but discontent and
weariness. He did not see fit to open the conversation, so after a hesitant
glance or so,William Kent it was who addressed himself to Stephen, saying,
‘Well, sir, since you have been windbound for so long - quite out of touch -
perhaps it would not be improper to give a brief sketch of the present
situation?’
    Stephen bowed, and leant towards him. Kent’s
summary was essentially the same as Lord Keith’s; but Stephen, being unaffected
by considerations of rank, tact, ignorance or particular respect, had no
hesitation in asking questions, and he learned that the Netherlanders were by
no means happy about the presence of Wellington’s and Blücher’s armies; that
the various rulers, commanders, and war offices were indeed at odds upon a very
wide variety of subjects; that secrecy about plans, orders and appointed
meetings scarcely existed in the Austrian army, with its many nationalities,
rivalries and languages; and that as opposed to the effervescent sense of
returning glory in France, there was a total lack of enthusiasm in many of the
Allied regiments, and something worse, not far from mutiny, among the Russians,
particularly the units from the wreck of divided Poland. Barclay de Tolly was
doing all that a good soldier could do with his ill-equipped and discontented
forces, but he could not make them move fast and they were already sixteen days
behind the agreed timetable. They had an immense distance still to travel, and
the rearguard had not yet even left its distant barracks. There was also mutual
distrust, a fear of betrayal on the part of other members of the coalition or
on that of some one or another of the many subject nations that made up the
eastern powers.
    Mr Dee coughed, and leaning forward he spoke for
the first time, reminding Kent of an ancient Persian war in which a more
numerous army made up of different nations had behaved in much the same way,
being utterly shattered by the united Persian force on the banks of the Tigris:
his account went on and on but as his voice was weak Stephen could not follow
at all well - he was ill-placed for listening - and gradually he sank deeper
and deeper into his own reflections, all necessarily of a kind as painful as
could well
     be imagined. From time to time he was half aware that Mr
Campbell was trying to lead them back to the matter in hand by mentioning
Carebago, Spalato, Ragusa and other ports on the Adriatic shore - if once the
French were out they would represent a great danger - few sea-officers
reliable, if any
    He had some success, and in time Stephen was
conscious that all three had in fact returned to naval matters; but much of his
mind was still far down in the recent past when the voice of Kent pierced through with
remarkable clarity. ‘...a very important point is that eventually one or
another of these ships might protect or even carry the treasure.’
    ‘The treasure, sir?’
    He saw the three faces turned towards him and at
almost the same moment he saw their expressions of