him. She was of a very high house and I realized that her name could
not be mentioned in a report to Captain Tappken. This situation
required delicate treatment. I solved the dilemma by reporting to
Tappken that the ordnance officer was guiltless of any act of treason
against his country. I then made a private report, covering the
intimate facts, which went direct to officials of higher
responsibility. The princess' name did not appear as far as
subordinates were concerned and the whole affair was hushed up. My
fortunate discretion in this matter undoubtedly strengthened my
standing with the Wilhelmstrasse.

By this time I had installed myself in quiet quarters on the
Mittelstrasse, and Kim, who had been transformed from a Basuto boy
into an efficient man servant, looked after my comforts. To secure
myself from the questions of prying neighbors, I had caused it to be
known that I was a retired South African planter inclined to poor
health. This was the most likely explanation for my curious mode of
living and my sudden periodical disappearances, for I was away from
the Mittelstrasse for months at a time. Presumably I was traveling
about to the different watering places on the Continent for my health.

My mission to Constantinople called for some considerable thought in
selecting the most advisable character to impersonate. A tourist came
first to mind. A tourist was out of the question, because tourists do
not stay long in one place and I expected to be three or four months
in Turkey. There was nothing to study in Constantinople. I thought
of a student of botany, the rôle I had used at Port Arthur. But that
would not do. The idea of a merchant came to me, but I dismissed the
idea of a prosperous merchant, for it would necessitate making
business connections, a careful and slow process, the fulfillment of