Although I did not believe a word of this speech, I affected to be very much moved by it, and of course swore eternal gratitude to the Captain for his kindness to the poor Irish castaway.

’Your service at the Dutch Minister’s has pleased me very well.  There is another occasion on which you may make yourself useful to us; and if you succeed, depend on it your reward will be secure.’

‘What is the service, sir?’ said I; ’I will do anything for so kind a master.’

‘There is lately come to Berlin,’ said the Captain, ’a gentleman in the service of the Empress-Queen, who calls himself the Chevalier de Balibari, and wears the red riband and star of the Pope’s order of the Spur.  He speaks Italian or French indifferently; but we have some reason to fancy this Monsieur de Balibari is a native of your country of Ireland.  Did you ever hear such a name as Balibari in Ireland?’

‘Balibari?  Balyb—?’ A sudden thought flashed across me.  ‘No, sir,’ said I, ‘I never heard the name.’

’You must go into his service.  Of course you will not know a word of English:  and if the Chevalier asks as to the particularity of your accent, say you are a Hungarian.  The servant who came with him will be turned away to-day, and the person to whom he has applied for a faithful fellow will recommend you.  You are a Hungarian; you served in the Seven Years’ War.  You left the army on account of weakness of the loins.  You served Monsieur de Quellenberg two years; he is now with the army in Silesia, but there is your certificate signed by him.  You afterwards lived with Doctor Mopsius, who will give you a character, if need be; and the landlord of the “Star” will, of course, certify that you are an honest fellow:  but his certificate goes for nothing.  As for the rest of your story, you can fashion that as you will, and make it as romantic or as ludicrous as your fancy dictates.  Try, however, to win the Chevalier’s confidence by provoking his compassion.  He gambles a great deal, and wins.  Do you know the cards well?’

‘Only a very little, as soldiers do.’

’I had thought you more expert.  You must find out if the Chevalier cheats; if he does, we have him.  He sees the English and Austrian envoys continually, and the young men of either Ministry sup repeatedly at his house.  Find out what they talk of; for how much each plays, especially if any of them play on parole:  if you can read his private letters, of course you will; though about those which go to the post, you need not trouble yourself; we look at them there.  But never see him write a note without finding out to whom it goes, and by what channel or messenger.  He sleeps with the keys of his despatch-box on a string round his neck.  Twenty Frederics, if you get an impression of the keys.  You will, of course, go in plain clothes.  You had best brush the powder out of your hair, and tie it with a riband simply; your moustache you must of course shave off.