Freddie had straightened out and the compass showed that he was heading not north east but west for England; so Gregory threw his last reserves into the battle by continuing: "Then I want you to think of the future for a moment. What is Russia ’s real game? I talked to Goering for hours last night and I meant a lot of the things I said but others were so much hot air. The original programme of the Bolsheviks was world revolution, and they established the Comintern which financed subversive activities in every country with a view to carrying it out. But Lenin found the job too much for him. Russia was in such a ghastly state that he couldn't pull it together without securing help from the outside world; so he announced the
N.E.P. New Economic Plan by which the Bolsheviks proclaimed that they had altered their policy. Private internal trading was to be allowed again and the Soviet was prepared to recognize capitalistic governments in other countries and to live in peace with them. From that time onward the Comintern 'faded into the background. Nevertheless, Lenin made it 'abundantly clear that the N.E.P. was only a means to an end. He said in public speeches before his death that once Russia was on her feet again they must revert to their original policy and endeavour to bring about world revolution by any means in their power, including conquest by the Red armies.
"Twenty years have elapsed since then. Russia is much stronger now. In recent times the Comintern has become active again and Stalin is beginning to show his hand. By his advance into Poland and his peaceful penetration into Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia he has already gobbled up millions of people and barred his western gates against any future attack by Germany, He hopes to give Germany enough food to keep her fighting for years, which may weaken us to near breaking point and weaken Germany to such an extent that when she does collapse the whole of middle Europe will fall into a state of anarchy. Then will come Stalin's day and the Bolsheviks will march in there, France was on the verge of a Communist revolution just before the Spanish war broke out in 1936. The Marxists may fly their Red flags in Calais and we should be in no state to stop them. With strikes at home and the whole force of Red subversive propaganda turned against us, impossible as it may seem now, we, too, might go Red and find ourselves the slaves of Moscow.
"It's up to us to try to avert such a peril by every means in our power. If we can occupy Russia with Finland and divert vital supplies from Germany we shall weaken Germany so that we are more quickly able to win our own war and yet leave her sufficiently strong to act as a bulwark against Russia. by inducing Finland to fight we shall also weaken Russia and with luck her slow, lumbering, growth into a world menace will be set back for years to come. Finland will be fighting Britain 's fight and the frontier of Christian civilization the right of every man, woman and child to justice, toleration and freedom to day lies not in the west, Freddie, but north east, on the Mannerheim Line."
Freddie Charlton pressed his right foot down on his rudder bar, bringing the plane round in a beautiful curve. "You're right," he said. "I m afraid I don't know much about such things and I've never quite looked at it that way before. You must be very tired, old boy; get some sleep. I'll take you to Helsinki."
"Thanks, old chap. I knew you'd understand directly I explained things; and even if we fail in our attempt I'm sure you'll never regret your decision." At last Gregory was able to relax and a few minutes later he was sound asleep.
As there was no longer any necessity for flying at a high altitude Freddie brought the plane down to 3,000 feet and headed for Danzig. The day was fine, and now that his wretched night was temporarily forgotten he was thoroughly enjoying being in the air again after his enforced three weeks on the ground.
On picking up Danzig he descended to 1,000 feet so that the German controls there could check him out of the country and report to Goering. Below him as he passed over the harbour he could see the tangled wreckage on the Westernplat Peninsula where the Polish garrison had held out so gallantly under a devastating bombardment from the German ships and shore batteries. Altering his course twenty degrees nearer to north he crossed the great, 150 mile long bay west of Konigsberg, picked up Libau on the Latvian coast, followed the coast line for a while and thence flew over the Estonian islands.
The land below him had been snow covered for the last three hundred miles of his journey and he had to go up to 6,000 feet to get out of a snow storm over the Gulf of Finland but at a little after eleven o'clock he made a perfect landing on the hard rolled snow of the Helsinki air port.
In spite of the bumping the plane had got over the islands Gregory had slept for the whole of the four hours of the journey. Even the landing did not wake him, and Freddie had to shake him by the shoulder as the officials at the air port came across to the plane. Once awake he declared himself much refreshed and having first established his British nationality by the production of the faked British passport he began to talk to the Finnish officials in voluble German, as they were more fluent in that language. His story was that they had flown direct from England with papers of the utmost urgency for the British Legation and that it was for that reason he had been given an R.A.F. pilot to bring him over.
The Sabina not being a war plane, the question of interning it did not arise; but normally there might have been difficulties about Freddie. As it was, the Finns were all so concerned by the abnormal conditions created by the crisis, and the additional air traffic which was constantly coming and going as a result A it, that Gregory had no difficulty in persuading them that Freddie's case was quite exceptional and that he should be allowed to retain his liberty for the time being, at all events. A friendly official secured a taxi for them and, Gregory having directed the driver to take them to the best hotel, they drove through the suburbs to the centre of the town.
The driver set them down at the Hotel Kamp. Immediately Gregory entered it he pushed his way through the crowded hall to the porter's desk and got the man there to turn up two telephone numbers for him: that of the Finnish Foreign Office and that of the von Kobenthals. There were queues of waiting people before each telephone booth but Gregory got hold of the head porter and simply asked how much he wanted for ten minutes' use of the line in his office. The matter was soon concluded and the moment Gregory was alone he rang up the von Kobenthals' number.
To his immense satisfaction he learned that although Erika was not in she was still staying with the von Kobenthals, so he left no message but in the highest spirits hung up again and turned his attention to Monsieur Wuolijoki. The Foreign Office proved more difficult and it was a little time before he could get a connection; but after a short wait he got through to Monsieur Wuolijoki, and, announcing himself as Colonel Baron von Lutz who had just arrived in Helsinki from Germany on urgent business, secured an appointment for three o'clock that afternoon. Both love and war seemed to be going splendidly and he left the office beaming.
Recrossing the hall, with Freddie beside him, he tackled a fair man at the reception desk about rooms. It transpired that the hotel was very full owing to the crisis, but on Gregory's producing a fat wad of German bank notes the clerk said that he could let them have a reservation which had only just been cancelled, if they did not mind sharing a double room on the sixth floor. Gregory booked it at once and, since he had been checked in on the British passport by the air port police, signed the register in his own name. He then changed some of his German Reich marks into Finnish currency and told the clerk that they were going out to do some shopping as owing to a mishap they had lost their luggage. Goering's report and the mass of original papers that were with it formed much too large a packet to carry about conveniently so he handed it across the desk and added: "While I am out I shall be glad if you will take charge of this and put it in the hotel safe."
"Certainly, sir," the fair man smiled. "I'll give you a receipt for it."
"Thanks," said Gregory as he took the slip. "I shall be wanting it again after lunch but it's very important that the greatest care should be taken of it. You're not to give it to anyone on any prete
xt, even if they produce this receipt, but keep it until I ask you personally for it."
As they stood there the sole possessions of the two Englishmen consisted of the few things that they carried in their pockets, so they went out’ to buy a couple of suitcases and various articles which would enable them to live for the next few days like civilized beings; including civilian clothes for Freddie, to make him less conspicuous and, above all, furs; as although they moved briskly they were already feeling the intense cold of the Finnish capital.
The Boulevard, which constitutes the principal shopping centre of Helsinki, was unusually crowded. The newspaper vendors were doing terrific business and on every corner there were knots of fur clad people discussing the all important question, "Shall we or shall we not be at war with Russia this time to morrow?" Everywhere, too, there were squads of voluntary workers sandbagging the principal buildings or frantically working upon air raid shelters; but the normal life of the city was still going on. Every shop was open and doing a brisk business. With his excellent mastery of German, English and French Gregory found no difficulty whatever in getting the articles he required. The assistants in the shops were equally friendly whether they believed him to be German or British. Their enemy was Russia and their one question to every customer whatever his nationality was: "Do you think we are going to fight?"
In view of Russia's huge air force and the fact that the Finns could hardly expect any protection at all from their own tiny air fleet, they were remarkably cheerful and the two Englishmen very soon saw that, whatever the view of the Finnish Government might be, the Finnish people almost to a man were prepared to take anything that was coming to them rather than surrender to the Bolsheviks.
With what was left of his own money and the 3,000 marks for which he had stung Goering Gregory had brought nearly 600 out of Germany, and furs are amazingly cheap in Finland so they had ample funds to buy the best of everything they wanted.
Helsinki has three harbours, the southernmost of which, overlooked by the unpretentious ex Imperial Palace of the Tsars and the gilded, onion shaped domes of the big Russian Church, is a great market. To it boats come from all parts, laden mainly with fish and farm produce, but along the quays there are many stalls for every kind of merchandise. On this Tuesday morning an unusual number of people had flocked into the town to get the latest news so the harbour market was doing a roaring business and it was there that Gregory and Freddie completed their purchases, returning to the hotel just after one o'clock with two large suitcases stuffed full of parcels.
Just as they were moving towards the lift Gregory noticed a pretty dark haired girl standing at the entrance to the lounge. A moment later Freddie also saw her and, dropping his suitcase, positively leapt forward.
"Angela " he cried. "Darling What in the world are you doing here?"
For a second the girl's face remained strained and uncertain, but ignoring the people who were talking excitedly all around them Freddie seized her in his arms, and Gregory saw by the sudden change in her expression to overwhelming happiness that for her the huge crowd no longer existed. Quietly picking up Freddie's suitcase he stepped, smiling, into the lift and left them to it.
When he got up to his room he unpacked his parcels and had a wash at the fixed basin. It then occurred to him to have a look at the typescript which he had stolen from under the bundle of notes out of Goering's safe, and removing his shoe he drew the pages out from the false sole. The script consisted of six folded sheets of transparent paper, all of which were almost entirely covered with close type. It was a carbon copy and evidently the original had been done by an amateur as there were many typing errors and crossings out. Gregory deduced that whoever had typed it had been unused to such work and did not wish to have to do it a second time but wanted as many copies as possible. It was in German and headed: "ARRANGE MENTS FOR THE NEXT FAMILY DAY".
Gregory read the first page and it appeared to consist of somebody's scheme to hold a big family meeting which was to include the discussion of certain business plans.
Many relatives were mentioned, mostly by their Christian names, and none of these conveyed anything to Gregory. There was no date on it and no signature at its end. The script was thumbed and dirty so he was inclined to think that it had been got out by some old gentleman who was a remote relative of Goering's and who at some time or other had wished to rope in the now famous 'Hermann' for some big social gathering that he was planning…
It seemed that he had risked his neck for a document which had no political significance whatever, so with considerable disappointment he folded it and put it back into his shoe for further examination when he had more leisure. He had only just relaced his shoe when Freddie came bursting into the room. His face was flushed, his eyes shining.
"Isn't it marvellous?" he cried. "Angela's here that was her I ran into downstairs a few minutes ago."
"I had a sort of suspicion that it might be," Gregory smiled, "and I gather it didn't take you long to make up your quarrel either."
"Quarrel?" Freddie repeated with surprise. "Oh, we never quarrelled really we've always loved each other."
"Splendid. Anyhow, I thought she looked a most lovely person and I'm more happy for you than I can possibly say, Freddie. But what's she doing in Helsinki?"
"Her father was transferred from our Consulate at Amsterdam to our Consulate here a fortnight ago. Apparently the pressure of work here has been increasing ever since the war started so Mr. Fordyce was sent out to lend a hand. He's a widower, you know, so wherever he goes Angela always goes too, to look after him. They want us both to lunch with them. If it's O.K, by you, I said we'd meet them downstairs in about ten minutes' time."
Gregory laughed. "I shall be delighted to lunch if they won't mind my slipping away immediately afterwards. I've got an appointment with a man at the Finnish Foreign Office for three o'clock."
"Oh, no, that'll be all right." Freddie dived at his suitcase. "I must get some of these parcels unpacked so that I can have a wash and change into my new clothes; then we'll get down to the lounge again."
Downstairs they found that the Fordyce’s had secured a table and were with difficulty retaining two empty chairs for their guests as the lounge was absolutely packed with people. Half the population of Helsinki seemed to have assembled there to see as many of their acquaintances as possible and discuss the latest rumours.
While Freddie made the introductions Gregory was smilingly taking in the father and daughter. Mr. Fordyce was a tallish man still in his early forties and as yet had not a single grey hair on his dark, smooth head. His double breasted lounge suit was of grey Glenurquhart tweed and he was unmistakably English. Angela was even prettier than Gregory had supposed from his first glimpse of her. Like her father she was dark and had blue eyes, a combination which suggested a touch of Irish blood in the family, but her skin was of that smooth whiteness which is spoken of as magnolia blossom and sometimes found in a special type of dark beauty. Gregory noticed that she used very little make up and thought that just a touch more colour on her lips and cheeks would have made her still lovelier; for her eyes, however, nature could not have been improved upon, as she had long, dark, curling lashes.
After a glass of aquavit they went into the crowded dining room and enjoyed an excellent meal. The smoked salmon which is as cheap in Finland as herrings are in England was, curiously enough, not of such good quality as that usually served in London; but the mussel soup was delicious, as the mussels in which the Finnish coast abounds had not been out of the sea for more than an hour. Stuffed pike, cooked over a wood fire, followed and afterwards Gregory and Freddie tried their first bear steaks. Ordinarily, bear meat is inclined to be tough but this had been treated with oil in the same way as the Italians prepare a tournado and the meat had a distinctive, rather pleasant flavour of its own. To celebrate Freddie's and Angela's unexpected reunion Mr. Fordyce stood them champagne, and they finished up with a good selection of cheeses and Turkish coffee.
"My dear," Angela laughed, "didn't you know that for a girl to paint her face is the one deadly sin in Finland? That's why I make up so little here. The tarts use cosmetics as a badge of their profession but even they use only as little as possible just enough to show that they are tarts otherwise they would never be able to attract the better class of men."
"I see," Gregory smiled across at her. "I thought it must be because they were rather puritanical, the old Protestant strain coming out. The Finns are said to be rather like the Scots in many ways, I believe, and nothing is more dreary than a Sunday in Scotland. They are Protestants, aren't they?"
"Yes, Lutherans," Fordyce volunteered. “And, curiously enough, Christianity was brought to them by an Englishman. King Eric the IXth of Sweden undertook, in 1157, a crusade to convert the heathen Finns, and with him he took his English chaplain, Bishop Henry of Upsala, who baptized the population en masse. The unfortunate Henry was assassinated the following year; but he evidently made himself popular with the Finns, as they canonized him and made him their patron saint.
"You're right about the Finns having much in common with the Scots, too. They're thrifty, hard working people with a passion for education and the same sort of dogged courage which has made the Scots such splendid pioneers all over the world… The Finns are also great travellers; but as they have no Colonies to settle in, all their more adventurous young men become sailors and they serve principally in British and American ships."
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