Come into my Parlour Read Online Free PDF

recently been transferred to work on our new ‘K’ weapons—his name was on it, so he must now be up at the experimental station on the Baltic.”
    Canaris pulled thoughtfully on his cigar. “Von Osterberg was always a dreamer and I should think that normally he is a very squeamish kind of man. It would be quite in character for him to have been overcome by horror at the thought of the wholesale and indiscriminate slaughter of men, women and children that these new weapons of ours will cause, once we begin to launch them against England. Instead of illness, could he not give that as his reason for having left Germany? He could say that he felt the
Führer
was going too far in contemplating methods of warfare which ignored all human considerations and, in consequence, had abandoned his post and sought refuge in Switzerland.”
    â€œGood! Excellent! Such a story would greatly strengthen his reason for wanting money, too. If that were his case he would not be able to get any funds from Germany, so he would have a much more plausible reason for offering her a divorce in exchange for a good round sum in cash.”
    â€œThere’s one serious snag to it, though.” The Admiral paused a moment. “I don’t at all like the idea of giving Sallust even an inkling that von Osterberg has been employed on a new type of weapon. Our gravest concern for the next twelve months, or more, will be to prevent the British from learning that we are preparing to destroy them by the thousand through an entirely new form of warfare; and our present object is to forestall any attempt by this very man to find out about it.”
    â€œTrue! Yet your idea about von Osterberg ratting on us for such a reason is so good that it seems a great pity not to use it. After all, we have no firm grounds for our assumption that Sallust and the von Epp woman wish to get married, and would, if she were free to do so. The inference that von Osterberg had been employed on secret scientific work would enormously increase the inducement for Sallust to comeover. In fact, I am certain that he would not be able to resist such a lure. He is an immensely conceited man and would immediately flatter himself into the belief that he would be able to either bribe or trick von Osterberg into giving him some really valuable information. Besides, our scientists are working on innumerable problems. It would be quite unnecessary to give any indication of our ‘K’ weapons at all. Von Osterberg could hint that he had been asked to work on some new form of gas—something particularly horrifying and against which the British respirator is no protection. It might be gas that sends people mad or causes parts of the body exposed to it to go gangrenous, so that its victims gradually rot to pieces before they finally die.”
    â€œWhat a horrible mind you have,
Herr Gruppenführer!
However, I think you’re right. The double bait of a speedy divorce, if Erika wants it, and providing an apparently easy opportunity for Sallust to pull off another fine feat of espionage, should certainly be sufficient inducement for the two of them to make a trip to neutral Switzerland. I take it, though, that you are quite satisfied about your ability to control von Osterberg?”
    Grauber smiled. “Yes. In the first place I have no reason at all to doubt his patriotism, in the second, by the time I’ve had a talk with him he will be far too scared to do anything except exactly what he is told; and in the third, I shall send one of my best men with him into Switzerland with orders to watch him at every step.”
    The Admiral stood up and made a faintly mocking little bow. “In that case, my dear
Herr Gruppenführer
, having rendered you such small assistance as lay within my power, like my illustrious predecessor, Pontius Pilate, I wash my hands of this affair. Erika was once a dear friend of mine, and I have never believed that she