The Corners of the Globe by Robert Goddard

is certain. Unhappily, that is not the point.’
    ‘No?’
    ‘You are Max’s friend, Mr Twentyman.’ His eyes were sorrowful and far-seeing. ‘He spoke of you. And my enquiries confirm what he said.’
    ‘They do?’
    ‘Do you know where he is?’
    ‘No, sir.’
    ‘And even if you did, you would not tell me.’
    ‘Well, I—’
    ‘Please, please.’ Kuroda dismissed the matter with a wave of the hand. ‘It is so. And it is rightly so. We are both friends of Max. And he is a friend of us both. Listen to me carefully, Mr Twentyman. I must speak to you of secret things. If it became known to my superiors that I had spoken of them to such a person as you, then I would face accusations I could not answer. But my removal from Paris forces me to confide in you. Will you respect my confidence?’
    Sam swallowed hard and nodded. ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘Good. You may trust Yamanaka, but no one else. You understand?’
    ‘I’m not at all sure I do, sir, no.’
    ‘No. But you will. There has been a change in the balance of power within my nation’s government since the delegation left Tokyo late last year. The Emperor is ill. The court is divided. To remain in office, Prime Minister Hara has had to agree to send Count Tomura to serve as joint deputy of the delegation under Marquess Saionji. He arrived last week. His son is a junior member of the delegation and has caused much trouble. Now his behaviour will go unpunished. Count Tomura represents a political faction that believes the military should control all aspects of government. He is an enemy to my lord Saionji. And me, of course. He is behind my summons to Tokyo.
    ‘I am fearful of what Count Tomura plans to do. Officially, his purpose is to stiffen the delegation’s resistance to pressure from the United States to make concessions to China over Shantung. You have read about this, perhaps?’
    Sam shook his head. ‘No, sir.’
    Kuroda raised a single eyebrow to signal his disappointment at Sam’s failure to follow the news of Sino–Japanese relations and cast a weary glance out at the Seine as they travelled along the Cours la Reine. The French Foreign Ministry building on the Quai d’Orsay, where, as Sam knew, the business of the conference was painstakingly pursued amid the unrolling of maps and the tabling of demands, appeared ahead of them on the other side of the river.
    ‘The Shantung peninsula was wrested from Chinese control by Germany in 1897. The Japanese army expelled German forces in 1915 and have occupied Shantung since then. Japan’s present policy is to insist the occupation continue. The Chinese are naturally opposed to this, as is the United States. Marquess Saionji is suspected by some of sympathizing with the case for restoring Shantung to the Chinese. Count Tomura is here to ensure he does not yield on the issue.’
    ‘Very interesting, sir,’ said Sam, feeling he should say something.
    ‘But you do not know Shantung from Southend.’ Kuroda surprised Sam by smiling thinly at him.
    ‘You’ve, er, heard of Southend, have you, sir?’
    ‘I have been there, Mr Twentyman. I strolled along the promenade with a young lady in Southend long ago, when I was also young.’
    ‘Blimey.’
    ‘It is true. And what I am about to tell you is also true. Count Tomura is set upon more than Japanese retention of Shantung. He has a greater, darker objective. I do not know what it is. He has arranged for me to be recalled to Tokyo to prevent me finding out. I will speak now of matters I believe you will be aware of because Max has told you of them. Never admit your awareness of these things to anyone else except Yamanaka. To do so would put his life as well as yours at risk.
    ‘The faction Count Tomura represents was responsible for hiring Tarn to find and kill Lemmer. Thanks to Max, he failed. That failure has led to a change of policy. I believe the faction now hopes to neutralize the threat Lemmer poses as a result of his acquisition of the Chinese box