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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/17359-8.txt b/17359-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f14e48d --- /dev/null +++ b/17359-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9434 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook, Arms and the Woman, by Harold MacGrath + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Arms and the Woman + + +Author: Harold MacGrath + + + +Release Date: December 19, 2005 [eBook #17359] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMS AND THE WOMAN*** + + +E-text prepared by Al Haines + + + +ARMS AND THE WOMAN + +A Romance + +by + +HAROLD MacGRATH + + + + + + + +New York +Doubleday Page & Company +1905 +Copyright, 1899, by +S. S. Mcclure Co. +Copyright, 1899, by +Doubleday and Mcclure Co. + + + + + +To her, that is to say, to the hand that rocked the cradle. + + + + +ARMS AND THE WOMAN + +CHAPTER I + +The first time I met her I was a reporter in the embryonic state and +she was a girl in short dresses. It was in a garden, surrounded by +high red brick walls which were half hidden by clusters of green vines, +and at the base of which nestled earth-beds, radiant with roses and +poppies and peonies and bushes of lavender lilacs, all spilling their +delicate ambrosia on the mild air of passing May. I stood, straw hat +in hand, wondering if I had not stumbled into some sweet prison of +flowers which, having run disobedient ways in the past, had been placed +here by Flora, and forever denied their native meadows and +wildernesses. And this vision of fresh youth in my path, perhaps she +was some guardian nymph. I was only twenty-two--a most impressionable +age. Her hair was like that rare October brown, half dun, half gold; +her eyes were cool and restful, like the brown pools one sees in the +heart of the forests, and her lips and cheeks cozened the warm +vermilion of the rose which lay ever so lightly on the bosom of her +white dress. Close at hand was a table upon which stood a pitcher of +lemonade. She was holding in her hand an empty glass. As my eyes +encountered her calm, inquiring gaze, my courage fled precipitately, +likewise the object of my errand. There was a pause; diffidence and +embarrassment on my side, placidity on hers. + +"Well, sir?" said she, in a voice the tone of which implied that she +could readily understand her presence in the garden, but not mine. + +As I remember it, I was suddenly seized with a great thirst. + +"I should like a glass of your lemonade," I answered, bravely laying +down the only piece of money I possessed. + +Her stern lips parted in a smile, and my courage came back cautiously, +that is to say, by degrees. She filled a glass for me, and as I gulped +it down I could almost detect the flavor of lemon and sugar. + +"It is very good," I volunteered, passing back the glass. I held out +my hand, smiling. + +"There isn't any change," coolly. + +I flushed painfully. It was fully four miles to Newspaper Row. I was +conscious of a sullen pride. Presently the object of my errand +returned. Somewhat down the path I saw a gentleman reclining in a +canvas swing. + +"Is that Mr. Wentworth?" I asked. + +"Yes. Do you wish to speak to him? Uncle Bob, here is a gentleman who +desires to speak to you." + +I approached. "Mr. Wentworth," I began, cracking the straw in my hat, +"my name is John Winthrop. I am a reporter. I have called to see if +it is true that you have declined the Italian portfolio." + +"It is true," he replied kindly. "There are any number of reasons for +my declining it, but I cannot make them public. Is that all?" + +"Yes, sir; thank you;" and I backed away. + +"Are you a reporter?" asked the girl, as I was about to pass by her. + +"Yes, I am." + +"Do you draw pictures?" + +"No, I do not." + +"Do you write novels?" + +"No," with a nervous laugh. + +There is nothing like the process of interrogation to make one person +lose interest in another. + +"Oh; I thought perhaps you did," she said, and turned her back to me. + +I passed through the darkened halls of the house and into the street. + +I never expected to see her again, but it was otherwise ordained. We +came together three years later at Block Island. She was eighteen now, +gathering the rosy flowers of her first season. She remembered the +incident in the garden, and we laughed over it. A few dances, two or +three evenings on the verandas, watching the sea, moon-lit, as it +sprawled among the rocks below us, and the even tenor of my way ceased +to be. I appreciated how far she was above me; so I worshipped her +silently and from afar. I told her my ambitions, confidences so +welcome to feminine ears, and she rewarded me with a small exchange. +She, too, was an orphan, and lived with her uncle, a rich banker, who, +as a diversion, consented to represent his country at foreign courts. +Her given name was Phyllis. I had seen the name a thousand times in +print; the poets had idealised it, and the novelists had embalmed it in +tender phrases. It was the first time I had ever met a woman by the +name of Phyllis. It appealed to my poetic instinct. Perhaps that was +the cause of it all. And then, she was very beautiful. In the autumn +of that year we became great friends; and through her influence I began +to see beyond the portals of the mansions of the rich. Matthew Prior's +Chloes and Sir John Suckling's Euphelias lost their charms. Henceforth +my muse's name became Phyllis. I took her to the opera when I didn't +know where I was going to breakfast on the morrow. I sent her roses +and went without tobacco, a privation of which woman knows nothing. + +Often I was plunged into despair at my distressed circumstances. Money +to her meant something to spend; to me it meant something to get. Her +income bothered her because she could not spend it; my income was +mortgaged a week in advance, and did not bother me at all. This was +the barrier at my lips. But her woman's intuition must have told her +that she was a part and parcel of my existence. + +I had what is called a forlorn hope: a rich uncle who was a planter in +Louisiana. His son and I were his only heirs. But this old planter +had a mortal antipathy to my side of the family. When my mother, his +sister, married Alfred Winthrop in 1859, at the time when the North and +South were approaching the precipice of a civil war, he considered all +family ties obliterated. We never worried much about it. When mother +died he softened to the extent of being present at the funeral. He +took small notice of my father, but offered to adopt me if I would +assume his name. I clasped my father's hand in mine and said nothing. +The old man stared at me for a moment, then left the house. That was +the first and last time I ever saw him. Sometimes I wondered if he +would remember me in his will. This, of course, was only when I had +taken Phyllis somewhere, or when some creditor had lost patience. One +morning in January, five years after my second meeting with Phyllis, I +sat at my desk in the office. It was raining; a cold thin rain. The +window was blurred. The water in the steam-pipes went banging away. I +was composing an editorial which treated the diplomatic relations +between this country and England. The roar of Park Row distracted me. +Now and then I would go to the window and peer down on the living +stream below. A dense cloud of steam hung over all the city. I swore +some when the copy boy came in and said that there was yet a column and +a half to fill, and that the foreman wanted to "close up the page +early." The true cause of my indisposition was due to the rumors rife +in the office that morning. Rumors which emanate from the managing +editor's room are usually of the sort which burden the subordinate ones +with anxiety. The London correspondent was "going to pieces." He had +cabled that he was suffering from nervous prostration, supplementing a +request for a two months' leave of absence. For "nervous prostration" +we read "drink." Our London correspondent was a brilliant journalist; +he had written one or two clever books; he had a broad knowledge of men +and affairs; and his pen was one of those which flashed and burned at +frequent intervals; but he drank. Dan's father had been a victim of +the habit. I remember meeting the elder Hillars. He was a picturesque +individual, an accomplished scholar, a wide traveller, a diplomatist, +and a noted war correspondent. His work during the Franco-Prussian war +had placed him in the front rank. After sending his son Dan to college +he took no further notice of him. He was killed while serving his +paper at the siege of Alexandria, Egypt. Dan naturally followed his +father's footsteps both in profession and in habits. He had been my +classmate at college, and no one knew him better than I, except it was +himself. The love of adventure and drink had ended the life of the +one; it might end the life of the other. + +The foreman in the composing room waited some time for that required +column and a half of editorial copy. I lit my pipe; and my thoughts +ran back to the old days, to the many times Dan had paid my debts and +to the many times I had paid his. Ah, me! those were days when love +and fame and riches were elusive and we went in quest of them. The +crust is hyssop when the heart is young. The garret is a palace when +hope flies unfettered. The most wonderful dreams imaginable are dreamt +close to the eaves. And when a man leaves behind him the garret, he +also leaves behind the fondest illusions. But who--who would stay in +the garret! + +And as my thoughts ran on, the question rose, Whom would they send in +his place--Dan's? I knew London. It was familiar ground. Perhaps +they might send me. It was this thought which unsettled me. I was +perfectly satisfied with New York. Phyllis lived in New York. There +would be time enough for London when we were married. Then I began to +build air castles. A newspaper man is the architect of some splendid +structures, but he thoughtlessly builds on the sand when the tide is +out. Yes, foreign corresponding would be all well enough, I mused, +with Phyllis at my side. With her as my wife I should have the envy of +all my fellow craftsmen. We should dine at the embassies and the +attachés would flutter about us, and all London would talk of the +beautiful "Mrs. Winthrop." Then the fire in my pipe-bowl went out. +The copy boy was at my elbow again. + +"Hang you!" said I. + +"The foreman says he's coming down with an axe," replied the boy. + +It was like churning, but I did manage to grind the copy. I was +satisfied that the United States and Great Britain would not go to war +over it. + +The late afternoon mail brought two letters. I opened the one from +Phyllis first. It said: + + +"DEAR JACK--Uncle Bob has a box for the opera to-night, but he has been +suddenly called to Washington; politics, possibly, but he would not +say. Aunty and I want you to go with us in his stead. Ethel and her +fiancé, Mr. Holland, will be together, which means that Aunty and I +will have no one to talk to unless you come. Carmen is to be sung. +Please do not fail me. + +"PHYLLIS." + + +Fail her! I thought not. + +Then I read the second letter. I read it three or four times, and even +then I was not sure that I was not dreaming. I caught up my pipe +again, filled it and lit it. I read the letter once more. I was +solemnly informed that my uncle was dead and that I was mentioned in +the will, and that if I would kindly call at the Hoffman House the +following morning a certain sum of money would be given to me. I +regretted that I had reached that age when a man's actions must be +dignified, although alone; otherwise I dare say I should have danced +the pas seul. Whatever my uncle's bequest might be, I believed that it +would make me independently rich. I am ashamed to admit that I did not +feel sorry at the news of his sudden departure from this life. It is +better to be rich than to be ambitious. It is better to have at hand +what you want than to work for it, and then not get it. Phyllis was +scarcely an arm's length away now. I whistled as I locked up my desk, +and proceeded down stairs and sang a siren song into the waxen ears of +the cashier. + +"You have only twenty coming this week, Mr. Winthrop," said he. + +"Never mind," I replied; "I'll manage to get along next week." It was +only on very rare occasions that I drew my full pay at the end of the +week. + +I dined at a fashionable restaurant. As I sipped my wine I built one +of my castles, and Phyllis reigned therein. There would be a trip to +Europe every summer, and I should devote my time to writing novels. My +picture would be the frontispiece in the book reviews, and wayside +paragraphs would tell of the enormous royalties my publishers were +paying me. I took some old envelopes from my pocket and began figuring +on the backs of them as to what purposes the money should be put. It +could not be less than $50,000, perhaps more. Of course my uncle had +given a harbor to a grudge against me and mine, but such things are +always forgotten on the death bed. It occurred to me that I never had +known before what a fine world it was, and I regretted having spoken +ill of it. I glanced across the way. The sky had cleared, and the +last beams of the sun flamed in the windows of the tall buildings. +Fortune, having buffeted me, was now going to make me one of her +favorite children. I had reached the end of the long lane. + +As I left the restaurant I decided to acquaint Phyllis with my good +luck and also my desire that she should share of it. I turned into a +florist's and had a dozen roses sent up to her. They were American +Beauties. I could afford it now. + + +I found Phyllis thrumming on the piano. She was singing in a low voice +the aria from "Lucia." I stood on the threshold of the drawing-room +and waited till she had done. I believed her to be unaware of my +presence. She was what we poets call a "dream of loveliness," a +tangible dream. Her neck and shoulders were like satin, and the head +above them reminded me of Sappho's which we see in marble. From where +I stood I could catch a glimpse of the profile, the nose and firm chin, +the exquisite mouth, to kiss which I would gladly have given up any +number of fortunes. The cheek had that delicate curve of a rose leaf, +and when the warm blood surged into it there was a color as matchless +as that of a jack-rose. Ah, but I loved her. Suddenly the music +ceased. + +"There is a mirror over the piano, Jack," she said, without turning her +head. + +So I crossed the room and sat down in the chair nearest her. I vaguely +wondered if, at the distance, she had seen the love in my eyes when I +thought myself unobserved. + +"I thank you for those lovely roses," she said, smiling and permitting +me to press her hand. + +"Don't mention it," I replied. It is so difficult for a man to say +original things in the presence of the woman he loves! "I have great +news for you. It reads like a fairy tale, you know; happy ever +afterward, and all that." + +"Ah!" + +"Yes. Do you remember my telling you of a rich uncle who lived in the +South?" + +"Is it possible that he has left you a fortune?" she cried, her eyes +shining. + +"You have guessed it." + +"I am very glad for your sake, Jack. I was beginning to worry about +you." + +"Worry about me?" + +"Yes. I do not understand how a newspaper man can afford to buy roses +four or five times a week--and exist." She had the habit of being +blunt and frank to her intimate friends. I secretly considered it an +honor when she talked to me like this. "I have told you repeatedly to +send me flowers only once a week. I'd rather not have them at all. +Last week you spent as much as $30 on roses alone. Mr. Holland does +not do that for Ethel, and he has a million." + +"I'm not Holland," I said. "He doesn't--that is--I do not think he--." +Then I foundered. I had almost said: "He doesn't care as much for +Ethel as I do for you." + +Phyllis pretended not to note my embarrassment. The others came in +then, and conversation streamed into safer channels. + +When we entered the box at the opera the curtain had risen. Phyllis +and I took the rear chairs. They were just out of the glare of the +lights. + +"You are looking very beautiful to-night," I whispered lowly. I was +beginning business early. There was no barrier at my lips. + +"Thank you," she replied. Then with a smile: "Supposing I were to say +that you are looking very handsome?" + +"Oh," said I, somewhat disconcerted, "that would be rather +embarrassing." + +"I do not doubt it." + +"And then it would not be true. The duty we men owe to a beautiful +woman is constantly to keep telling her of it." + +"And the duty we women owe to a fine-looking man?" a rogue of a dimple +in her cheeks. + +"Is to explicitly believe all he says regarding your beauty," I +answered, evading the question. "A man may tell a woman that she is +beautiful, but a woman may not tell a man that he is fine-looking, that +is, in public." + +"The terms are not fair." + +"That may be true, but they make the wheels of the social organization +run smoother. For instance, if I met a strange woman and she told me +that I was handsome, I shouldn't be able to speak again the whole +evening. On the other hand, a beautiful woman, after you say that you +are delighted to meet her, expects the very next remark to concern her +good looks." + +"Your insight is truly remarkable," she said, the dimple continuing its +elusive manoeuvres. "Hush; here comes Carmen." + +And our voices grew faint in the swell of melody. Mrs. Wentworth was +entranced; her daughter was fondly gazing at the back of her fiancé's +head; Phyllis had turned her face from me to the stage. As for myself, +I was not particularly interested in the cigarette girl. It was +running through my head that the hour had arrived. I patted my gloves +for a moment, then I drew a long breath. + +"Phyllis!" said I. There was a quaver in my voice. Perhaps I had not +spoken loud enough. "Phyllis!" said I again. + +She turned quickly and gave me an inquiring and at the same time +nervous glance. + +"What is it?" + +"I want to tell you something I have never dared to tell you till now," +I said earnestly. The voice on the stage soared heavenward. "I love +you. Will you be my wife?" + +Ah, me! where were those drooping eyelids, that flush, that shy, sweet +glance of which I had so often dreamt? Phyllis was frowning. + +"Jack, I have been afraid of this," she said. "I am so sorry, but it +cannot be." + +"Oh, do not say that now," I cried, crushing my gloves. "Wait awhile; +perhaps you may learn to love me." + +"Jack, I have always been frank to you because I like you. Do you +suppose it will take me five years to find out what my heart says to +any man? No. Had I loved you I should not have asked you to wait; I +should have said yes. I do not love you in the way you wish. Indeed, +I like you better than any man I know, but that is all I can offer you. +I should be unkind if I held out any false hopes. I have often asked +myself why I do not love you, but there is something lacking in you, +something I cannot define. Some other woman will find what I have +failed to find in you to love." + +I was twisting my gloves out of all recognition. There was a singing +in my ears which did not come from the stage. + +"Look at it as I do, Jack. There is a man in this world whom I shall +love, and who will love me. We may never meet. Then he shall be an +ideal to me, and I to him. You believe you love me, but the love you +offer is not complete." + +"Not complete?" I echoed. + +"No. It would be if I returned it. Do you understand? There is in +this world a woman you will truly love and who will return your love in +its fulness. Will you meet? That is in the hands of your destinies. +Shall I meet my ideal? Who knows? But till I do, I shall remain an +old maid." + +I nodded wearily. A dissertation on affinities seemed ill-timed. + +"And now," she said, "this beautiful friendship of ours must come to an +end." And there were tears in her eyes. + +"Yes," said I, twisting and untwisting the shreds of my gloves. It +seemed as though the world had slipped from under my feet and I was +whirling into nothingness. "My heart is very heavy." + +"Jack, if you talk like that," hastily, "you will have me crying before +all these people." + +Unfortunately Ethel turned and saw the tears in her cousin's eyes. + +"Mercy! what is the matter?" she asked. + +"Jack has been telling me a very pathetic story," said Phyllis, with a +pity in her eyes. + +"Yes; something that happened to-night," said I, staring at the +programme, but seeing nothing, nothing. + +"Well," said Ethel, "this is not the place for them," turning her eyes +to the stage again. + +The concluding acts of the opera were a jangle of chords and discords, +and the hum of voices was like the murmur of a far-off sea. My eyes +remained fixed upon the stage. It was like looking through a broken +kaleidoscope. I wanted to be alone, alone with my pipe. I was glad +when we at last entered the carriage. Mrs. Wentworth immediately began +to extol the singers, and Phyllis, with that tact which is given only +to kind-hearted women, answered most of the indirect questions put to +me. She was giving me time to recover. The direct questions I could +not avoid. Occasionally I looked out of the window. It had begun to +rain again. It was very dreary. + +"And what a finale, Mr. Winthrop!" cried Mrs. Wentworth, + +"Yes, indeed," I replied. To have loved and lost, and such a woman, +was my thought. + +"The new tenor is an improvement. Do you not think so?" + +"Yes, indeed." No more to touch her hand, to hear her voice, to wait +upon her wishes. + +"It was the most brilliant audience of the season." + +"Yes, indeed," I murmured. Those were the only words I could +articulate. + +The carriage rumbled on. + +"Does Patti return in the fall?" + +"Yes." Five years of dreaming, and then to awake! + +And then the carriage mercifully stopped. + +Mrs. Wentworth insisted that I should enter and have some coffee. I +had so few words at my command that I could not invent even a flimsy +excuse. So I went in. The coffee was tasteless. I put in four lumps +of sugar. I stirred and stirred and stirred. Finally, I swallowed the +contents of the cup. It was very hot. When the agony was past I rose +and made my adieu. + +Phyllis came to the door with me. + +"Forget what I have said," I began, fumbling the door-knob. "I suppose +I was an ass to think that you might love me. They say that it is a +malady. Very well. With a few prescribed remedies I shall recover." + +"You are very bitter." + +"Can you blame me," clicking the latch back and forth, "when all the +world has suddenly grown dark?" + +"There are other eyes than mine," gently. + +"Yes; but they will light other paths than those I shall follow." + +"Jack, you are too manly to make threats." + +"That was not a threat," said I. "Well, I shall go and laugh at myself +for my presumption. To laugh at yourself is to cure. There is no more +wine in the cup, nothing but the lees. I'll have to drink them. A wry +face, and then it will all be over. Yes, I am bitter. To have dreamed +as I have dreamed, and to awake as I have! Ah, well; I must go on +loving you till--" + +"Till she comes," supplemented Phyllis. + +"You wrong me. It is only in letters that I am versatile. Forgive my +bitterness and forget my folly." + +"Oh, Jack, if you knew how sorry I am! I shall forgive the bitterness, +but I will not forget what you term folly. It's something any woman +might be proud of, the love of an honest, dear, good fellow. Good +night." She held her hand toward me. + +"Good night," I said, "and God bless you!" I kissed the palm of her +hand, opened the door, and then stumbled down the steps. + +I do not remember how I reached home. + +It was all over. + +My beautiful castle had fallen in ruins about my ears. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +In my bedroom the next morning there was a sad and heavy heart. The +owner woke up, stared at the ceiling, then at the sun-baked bricks +beyond his window. He saw not the glory of the sun and the heavens. +To his eyes there was nothing poetic in the flash of the distant +church-spires against the billowy cloudbanks. The gray doves, circling +about the chimneys, did not inspire him, nor the twittering of the +sparrows on the window ledge. There was nothing at all in the world +but a long stretch of barren, lonely years. And he wondered how, +without her at his side, he ever could traverse them. He was driftwood +again. He had built upon sands as usual, and the tide had come in; his +castle was flotsam and jetsam. He was drifting, and he didn't care +where. He was very sorry for himself, and he had the blue devils the +worst kind of way. Finally he crawled out of bed and dressed because +it had to be done. He was not particularly painstaking with the +procedure. It mattered not what collar became him best, and he picked +up a tie at random. A man generally dresses for a certain woman's +approval, and when that is no longer to be gained he grows indifferent. +The other women do not count. + +My breakfast consisted of a cup of coffee; and as the generous nectar +warmed my veins my thoughts took a philosophical turn. It is fate who +writes the was, the is, and the shall be. We have a proverb for every +joy and misfortune. It is the only consolation fate gives us. It is +like a conqueror asking the vanquished to witness the looting. All +roads lead to Rome, and all proverbs are merely sign posts by which we +pursue our destinies. And how was I to get to Rome? I knew not. Hope +is better than clairvoyance. + +Was Phyllis right when she said that I did not truly love her? I +believed not. Should I go on loving her all my life? Undoubtedly I +should. As to affinities, I had met mine, but it had proved a +one-sided affair. + +It was after ten by the clock when I remembered that I was to meet the +lawyer, the arbiter of my new fortunes. Money is a balm for most +things, and coupled with travel it might lead me to forget. + +He was the family lawyer, and he had come all the way North to see that +I received my uncle's bequest. He was bent, gray and partially bald. +He must have been close to seventy, but for all that there was a +youthful twinkle in his eyes as he took my card and looked up into my +face. + +"So you are John Winthrop?" he said in way of preliminary. You may +hand a card case full of your name to a lawyer, and still he will +insist upon a verbal admission. + +"I have always been led to believe so," I answered smartly, placing my +hat beside the chair in which I sat down. "How did you manage to +locate me in this big city?" + +"Your uncle had seen some of your signed articles in New York papers, +and said that in all probability I should find you here. A few +inquiries set me on your track." Here he pulled out a lengthy document +from his handbag. "I confess, however," he added, "that I am somewhat +disappointed in your looks." + +"Disappointed in my looks!" was my cry. "What sort of a duffer were +you expecting to see?" + +He laughed. "Well, your uncle gave me the idea that I should find a +good-for-nothing hack-writer, a dweller in some obscure garret." + +"If that is the case, what under the sun did he send you up here for?" + +The merriment went out of the old man's face and his eyes became grave. +"Of that anon. Let me proceed with my business and read the will to +you. You will find it rather a remarkable document." + +I settled back in my chair in a waiting attitude. To tell the truth, I +was somewhat confused by all this preamble. To his son my uncle left +the bulk of his property, which amounted to more than a million. I was +listless. The head overseer received the munificent sum of $50,000; to +the butler, the housekeeper and the cook he gave $10,000 each. I began +to grow interested. He was very liberal to his servants. Several +other names were read, and my interest assumed the color of anxiety. +When the lawyer stopped to unfold the last flap, I spoke. + +"And where in the world do I come in?" + +"In the sense you understand, you do not come in." + +I stared at him in amazement. "I don't come in?" I repeated vaguely. +"Ah," reaching down for my hat, "then I go out, as it were;" as +brilliant as a London yellow fog. "What the devil does all this mean?" +I started to rise. + +"Wait!" he commanded. "'To my nephew, John Winthrop, I bequeath the +sum of $1,000 to be presented to him in person immediately after this +will is probated, and with the understanding that he shall make no +further demand upon my son and heir in the future.' That is all," +concluded the lawyer, folding the document. "I have the check in my +pocket." + +"Keep it," said I, rising. A hot flush of indignation swept over me. +I understood. It was his revenge. To have a man make sport of you +after he is dead and gone, leaving you impotent and with never a chance +to retaliate! "Keep it," I said again; "throw it away, or burn it. I +understand. He has satisfied a petty revenge. It is an insult not +only to me, but to my dead parents. You are, of course, acquainted +with the circumstances of my mother's marriage. She married the man +she loved, disregarding her brother's wishes." + +"I knew your mother," said the lawyer, going to the window and looking +out and beyond all that met his gaze. + +"To think," I went on, cooling none, "that my mother's brother should +die in this manner, nourishing so small and petty a spite! When he did +this he knew that I should understand his motive. In the first place, +I never dreamed that he would remember me in his will; never +entertained the least idea of it. I am independent; I am earning a +livelihood, small, but enough and to spare. I'll bid you good +morning." I took a step toward the door. + +"Young man, sit down," said the old man, coming back to his chair. "I +want to talk to you for a few minutes. Your uncle was a peculiarly +vindictive man. What he considered a wrong he neither forgot nor +forgave. His son pleaded with him not to put in that final clause. He +offered even to share with you. Your uncle swore he would leave it all +to the stablemen first. This journey was forced upon me, or I should +not have taken it. This is my advice to you: Accept the check, in the +privacy of your room tear it up, or light a cigar with it; that's about +all it's worth. You will feel no little satisfaction in lighting a +cigar with it, that is, if you are anything like me. Think of it! a +thousand dollars to light your cigar. It is an opportunity not to be +missed. When you grow old you will say to your grandchildren: 'Once I +lit a cigar with a thousand-dollar check.' The oldest inhabitant will +be silenced forever; it may become history. And then, too, if there +are spirits, as Scripture says there are, your uncle's will writhe at +the performance. I trust that you will forgive me my part in the +matter. I have taken a fancy to you, and if you will accept my +friendship I shall be happy to accept yours. Your uncle's revenge will +not be a marker to the restitution his son will make." + +"Restitution?--his son?" + +"Yes. To my sincere regret he is an invalid who may or may not live +the year out. He has already made a will, in which he leaves all to +you. The will is in my safe at home. I return to-night, so I may not +see you again in this world of sin and tribulation." The merry twinkle +had returned to his eyes. "I am very old." + +"It is worth all the trouble to have met you," said I. "You should +have made the jolt very easy." + +So we shook hands, and he gave me a cigar, around which was wrapped the +check. He winked. Then he laughed, and I joined him, though my +laughter resembled mirth less than it did the cackle of a hen which was +disturbed over the future of her brood. + +I left him and went down into the wine room and ordered a stiff brandy +and soda. When that disappeared I ordered another. I rattled the ice +in the glass. "Ha, ha, ha!" I roared, as the events of the past +twenty-four hours recurred to me. There must have been a suicidal +accent to my laughter, for the bartender looked at me with some +concern. I called for another brandy and shot the soda into it myself. +I watched the foam evaporate, "Ha, ha, ha!" + +"Hard luck?" the bartender asked sympathetically. + +"Yes," said I. I seemed to be speaking to several bartenders who +looked at me with several varieties of compassion. + +"Have another on me," said the bartender. + +I had another, and went out into the street. I walked down Broadway, +chuckling to myself. What a glorious farce it all was! My fortune! +Phyllis my wife! What if she had accepted me? I laughed aloud, and +people turned and stared at me. Oh, yes! I was to travel and write +novels and have my pictures in book reviews, and all that! When I +arrived at the office I was on the verge of total insanity. I was +obliged to ask the paragrapher to write my next day's leader. It was +night before I became rational, and once that, the whole world donned +cap and bells and began capering for my express benefit. The more I +thought of it, the more I laughed. What a whimsical world it was! And +was there anything in it so grotesque as my part? I took the check +from my pocket and cracked it between my fingers. A cigar was in my +mouth. Should I light it with the check? It was for $1,000. After +all, it was more than I had ever before held in my hand at once. But +what was a paltry thousand, aye a paltry ten thousand, to a man's +pride? I bit off the end of my cigar, creased the check into a taper, +and struck a match. I watched it burn and burn. I struck another. I +held it within an inch of the check, but for the life of me I could not +light it. + +"The devil take it!" I cried. I flung the cigar out of the window and +laid the check on my desk. Courage? Why, it needed the courage of a +millionaire to light a cigar with a $1,000 check! + +The office boy, who came in then, was salvation. The managing editor +wanted to see me. I sprang up with alacrity; anything but the sight of +that figure 1 and the three demon eyes of that $1,000 check! + +"Winthrop," said the managing editor to me as I entered his office, +"you've got to go to London. Hillars has gone under----" + +"Not dead!" I cried. + +"No, no! He has had to give up work temporarily on account of drink. +If it was any other man I'd throw him over in short order. But I feel +sorry for Hillars, and I am going to give him another chance. I want +you to go over and take care of him if possible. The London work is +not new to you. You can handle that and Hillars too. If you can keep +him in check----" + +I shuddered. The word "check" jarred on my nerves. + +"What's the matter?" asked the editor. + +"A temporary chill," I said. "Go on." + +"Well, if you can manage to keep him in check for a month or so he'll +be able to get on his feet again. And it will be like a vacation to +you. If anything happens to Hillars you will be expected to remain +permanently abroad. Hillars suggested you in his letter. Will you be +ready to go next Monday?" + +"To-morrow if you like," I answered readily enough. Here was an +opportunity not to be missed. To see new scenes and faces is partially +to forget old ones. + +"Very well. I'll give you some letters which will help you. Our +office is in the Strand. Hillars will find you lodgings. He has +bachelor quarters in the west end of the town, where congenial spirits +congregate. Come in to-morrow and we'll talk it over." + +I was much pleased with the turn of events. If I could get away from +New York I might forget Phyllis--no, not forget her; I loved her too +well ever to forget her; but the prolonged absence would cure me of my +malady. + +Before going to bed that night I lit a cigar, but not with the check. +On sober second thought I calculated that the sum would pay up all my +debts and leave me a comfortable margin. A man can well pocket his +pride when he pockets a thousand dollars with it. And why not? I was +about to start life anew and might as well begin on a philosophical +basis. Who knew but my uncle had foreseen the result of his bequest; +my rage, my pride, and finally lighting a cigar with his check? It +really might make his spirit writhe to better effect if I became +benefited. Sober second thought is more or less a profitable +investment. + +On the morrow everything was arranged for my departure. I was to leave +Saturday morning. + +It was a beautiful day, crisp and clear, with a bare ground which rang +to the heel. In the afternoon I wandered over to the Park and sat down +on a bench, and watched the skaters as they glided to and fro. I +caught myself wishing that I was a boy again, with an hour's romp on +the sheeny crust in view. Gradually the mantle of peace fell upon me, +and there was a sense of rest. I was going to forgive the world the +wrong it had done me; perhaps it would feel ashamed of itself and +reward me for my patience. So Hillars was "going to pieces." It is +strange how we men love another who has shared and spent with us our +late patrimonies. Hillars and I had been friends since our youth, and +we had lived together till a few years back. Then he went to +Washington, from there to Paris, thence to London. He was a better +newspaper man than I. I liked to dream too well, while he was always +for a little action. Liquor was getting the best of him. I wondered +why. It might be a woman. There is always one around somewhere when a +man's breath smells of whisky. A good deal of this woman's temperance +business is caused by remorse. I was drawing aimless pictures in the +frozen gravel, when I became aware that two skaters had stopped in +front of me. I glanced up and saw Phyllis and Ethel, their eyes like +stars and their cheeks like roses. + +"I was wondering if it was you," said Ethel. "Phyllis, where is my +cavalier?" + +"I believe he has forsaken us," said the voice of the woman I loved. + +"Will you not accept part of the bench?" I asked, moving along. + +The girls dropped easily beside me. + +"I was just wishing I was a boy again and was in for a game of hockey," +said I. "I am going to London on Saturday. Our foreign correspondent +has had to give up work on account of ill health." + +"You haven't----" Phyllis stopped suddenly. + +"Oh, no," said I intuitively. "I am growing rusty, and they think I +need a vacation." I was glad Ethel was there with her voluble chatter. + +"Oh, a foreign correspondent!"' she cried. + +"Yes." + +"You will have a glorious time. Papa will probably return to B---- +when the next administration comes in. It is sure to be Republican." +There are a few women who pose as Democrats; I never met one of them. +"You know papa was there twenty years ago. I suppose you will be +hob-nobbing with dukes and princes." + +"It cannot be avoided," I said gravely. "I do not expect to remain +long in London. When my work is done perhaps I shall travel and +complete my foreign polish." + +"Oh, yes!" said Phyllis. "I forgot to tell you, Ethel, that a fortune +has been left to Jack, and he need not work but for the love of it." + +I laughed, but they thought it a self-conscious laugh. Somehow I was +not equal to the task of enlightening them. + +"It is jolly to be rich," said Ethel, clicking her skates together. +"It's a bother at times, however, to know what to do with the money. I +buy so many things I do not need just because I feel compelled to spend +my allowance." + +"It must be very inconvenient," I observed. + +"And now that you are a man of leisure," said Phyllis, "you will write +that book you have always been telling me about?" + +"Do you wish it?" I asked. + +"I do. What I have always found lacking in you is application. You +start out to accomplish something, you find an obstacle in your path +and you do not surmount it; you do not persevere." + +My pulse beat quickly. Was there a double meaning to what she said? I +could not tell, for her eyes remained averted. + +I sighed. "It would be nice to become a successful author, but when a +man is as rich as I am fame tarnishes." I took out an envelope from my +pocket. + +"What is that?" asked Phyllis. + +I turned over the back and showed it to her. + +"Figures!" she laughed. "What do they mean?" + +"It is what I am going to do with my fortune," said I. I was holding +out my vanity at arm's length and laughing at it silently. + +"Your air castles will be realized now," said Phyllis. + +"I shall build no more," said I. "The last one gave me a very bad +fall." + +Phyllis looked away again. A vague perfume from her hair wafted past +my nostrils, and for a space I was overwhelmed with sadness. Soon I +discerned Mr. Holland speeding toward us. + +"I shall not see you again," I said, "so I'll bid you good-bye now. If +you should chance to come abroad this summer, do not fail to look me +up." + +"Good luck to you," said Ethel, shaking my hand. "You must bring home +a Princess or a Duchess." Then she moved off a way, thoughtfully. + +"You must write to me occasionally, Jack," said Phyllis, "if only once +a month. I shall always be interested in your career." + +The smile faltered as she put out her gloved hand. + +"You will make some man happy, Phyllis," I said. + +"Good-bye." + +"Good-bye." + +And then--and then they sped away, and I followed them with dimming +gaze till I could see them no more. I trudged home. . . . + +I stood on the upper deck. The spires and domes of the city faded on +my sight till all merged into a gray smoky patch on the horizon. With +a dead cigar clenched between my teeth I watched and watched with a +callous air, as though there had been no wrench, as though I had not +left behind all I loved in the world. And yet I gazed, the keen salt +air singing past my ears, till there was nothing but the sea as far as +the eye could scan. + +Thus I began the quest of the elusive, which is a little of love, a +little of adventure, and a little of all things. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +Hillars hadn't been down to the office in two days, so the assistant +said. + +"Is he ill?" I asked, as I carried a chair to the window. + +"Ill?" The young man coughed affectedly. + +"Do you believe it possible for him to come in this afternoon?" + +"It is quite possible. One does not use the word impossible in regard +to Hillars. It is possible that he may be in St. Petersburg by this +time, for all I know. You see," with an explanatory wave of the hand, +"he's very uncertain in his movements. For the last six months he has +been playing all over the table, to use the parlance of the roulette +player. I have had to do most of the work, and take care of him into +the bargain. If I may take you into my confidence----," with some +hesitancy. + +"Certainly," said I. "I want you to tell me all about him. He was my +roommate at college. Perhaps I can straighten him up." + +"The truth is, the trouble began last September. He came back from the +Continent, where he had been on an errand, a changed man. Hillars +always drank, but never to an alarming extent. On his return, however, +he was in a bad shape. It was nearly November before I got him sobered +up; and then he went under on an average of three times a week. I +asked him bluntly what he meant by it, and he frankly replied that if +he wanted to drink himself to death, that was his business. When he +isn't half-seas over he is gloomy and morose. From the first I knew +that something had gone wrong on the mainland; but I couldn't trap him +for a farthing. No man at his age drinks himself to death without +cause; I told him so, but he only laughed at me. I'd give a good deal +to know what the truth is; not from curiosity, mind you, but to find +the disease in order to apply a remedy. Dan's father died of drink." + +"No," said I coldly; "he was shot." + +"Oh, I know that," was the reply; "but give a conditioned man the same +wound and he will recover, nine times out of ten. The elder Hillars +was so enervated by drink that he had no strength to fight the fever +which came on top of the bullet-hole. Something happened over there; +and it's pounds to pence there's a woman back of the curtain. It is +some one worth while. Hillars is not a man to fall in love with a +barmaid." + +I began to respect the young man's wisdom. + +"So you believe it to be a woman?" + +"Yes. The wind blows from one point at a time. There are four points +to the vane of destiny; there is ambition for glory, ambition for +power, ambition for wealth, and ambition for love. In Hillars's case, +since the wind does not blow from the first three, it must necessarily +blow from the fourth. You know him better than I do; so you must +certainly know that Hillars is not a man to drink because glory or +power or wealth refused to visit him." + +"You are a very discerning young man," said I, whereat he laughed. +"Did he get my cable?" + +"No. I thought that it was some order from headquarters and opened it +myself. I put it in his desk. I spoke to him, but he was too drunk to +pay any heed to what I said. Well, I must be going. I am getting out +a symposium of editorials from the morning papers on the possibility of +a Franco-Russian alliance. It must be at the cable office in half an +hour. If you are going to wait, you'll find the Berlin and Paris files +in the next room. I'll see you later," and he departed. + +It was five of the clock. The Strand was choked. Here and there I saw +the color of martial attire. Save for this, and that the buildings +were low and solid, and that most of the people walked slower, I might +have been looking down upon Broadway for all the change of place I saw. +There is not much difference between New York and London, except in the +matter of locomotion. The American gets around with more rapidity than +does his English cousin, but in the long run he accomplishes no more. +It is only when one steps onto the Continent that the real difference +in the human races is discerned. Strange as this may seem, it is not +distinguishable in a cosmopolitan city. My eyes were greeted with the +same huge wearisome signs of the merchants; the same sad-eyed "sandwich +men;" the same newsboys yelling and scampering back and forth; the same +rumble of the omnibuses, the roar of the drays, and the rattle of the +cabs. I was not much interested in all I saw. Suddenly my roving eyes +rested upon a familiar face. It was Hillars, and he was pushing +rapidly across the street. Any one would have instantly marked him for +an American by the nervous stride, the impatience at being obstructed. +I went into the fire-room, intending to give him a little surprise. I +did not have long to wait. The door to the main office opened and he +came in, singing a snatch from a drinking song we used to sing at +college. The rich baritone that had once made the old glee club famous +was a bit husky and throaty. I heard him unlock his desk and roll back +the lid. There was a quiet for a moment. + +"Dick!" he called. "Hi, Dick! Well, I'm hanged!" + +Evidently he had discovered my cable. + +"Dick isn't in," said I, crossing the threshold. + +In a moment our hands were welded together, and we were gazing into +each other's eyes. + +"You old reprobate!" I cried; "not to have met me at the station, even." + +"Bless my soul, Jack, this cable was the first intimation that you were +within 3,000 miles of London. But it does my heart good to see you!" +pumping my hand again. "Come out to dinner with me. Now don't begin +to talk till we've had something to eat; I'm almost famished. I know +all the questions you want to ask, but not now. There's a Bohemian +joint a block above that'll do your heart good to see. We'll have +chops and ale, just like we did in the old days, the green and salad +days, I would they were back again"--soberly. "Oh, I've a long story +to tell you, my son; time enough when we get to my rooms; but not a +word of it now--not a word. It will all be forgotten in ten minutes +with you. We'll rake up the old days and live 'em over for an hour or +so. I'm glad that I suggested you in my letter. What did the old man +say about my nervous prostration?"--with half a laugh. + +"He put quotation marks around it," I answered. "I wanted to see you +particularly. They told me that you were rolling downhill so fast that +if some one did not put a fulcrum under you, you'd be at the bottom in +no time at all. I'm going to be the lever by which you are to be +rolled uphill again." + +He smiled grimly. "If any one could do that--well, here we are;" and +we entered the chop house and took a table in one of the side rooms. +"Woods," he said to the waiter, "chops for two, chipped potatoes, and +fill up those steins of mine with ale. That will be all. I brought +those steins from across, Jack; you'll go crazy over them, for they are +beauties." + +A college-bred bachelor, nine times out of ten, has a mania for +collecting pipes or steins, or both. Dan and I had been affected this +way. During the year I had studied at Heidelberg I had gathered +together some fifty odd pipes and steins. I have them yet, and many a +pleasant memory they beget me. As for the steins of Dan, they were +beyond compare. + +"I'll tell you a story about them," said Dan, after he had taken a deep +swallow of the amber ale. "Few men can boast of steins like these. +Not many months ago there was a party of men and women, belonging to +the capital of a certain kingdom, who attended a dinner. It was one of +those times when exalted personages divest themselves of the dignity +and pomp of court and become free and informal. There were twenty of +these steins made especially for the occasion. By a circumstance, over +which I had no control, I was the only alien at this dinner. The +steins were souvenirs. How I came by two was due to the lady whom I +took down to dinner, and who presented hers to me after having--after +having--well, kissed the rim. Do you see the crest?" pointing to the +exquisite inlaid work. + +"Why," I said eagerly, "it is the crest of----" + +"Yes, a noted King," Dan completed. "And these were made by his +express command. But never mind," he broke off. "It's merely a part +of the story I am going to tell you when we get to my rooms. I am +always thinking of it, night and day, day and night. Talk to me, or +I'll be drinking again. This is the first time I've been sober in a +month. It's drink or morphine or something like. Do you ever see +anything of the old glee boys?" + +"Once in a while. You know," said I, lighting a cigarette, "all the +fellows but you and I had money. Most of them are carrying on the +business of their paters and ornamenting dinner parties and cotillions." + +"I thought that you had a rich uncle," said Dan. + +"I did have, but he is no more," and I told him all about the bequest. + +He laughed so long and heartily over it that I was glad for his sake +that it had happened. Already I was beginning to look wholly upon the +humorous side of the affair. + +"It is almost too good not to be printed," he said. "But his son may +square matters when he dies." + +"I do not want matters squared," I growled. "I can earn a living for a +few years to come. I shan't worry." + +"By the way, is that Miss Landors whom you used to rave about in your +letters married yet?" + +"No." Miss Landors was Phyllis only to her intimate friends. I called +the waiter and ordered him to replenish my stein, Dan watching me +curiously the while. "No, Miss Landors is not married yet." + +"I have often wondered what she looked like," he mused. + +"When do you go on your vacation?" I asked irrelevantly. + +"In a week or ten days; may be to-morrow. It's according to how long I +stay sober." + +I was sorry that he had recalled to me the name of Phyllis. It +dampened my sociability. I was not yet prepared to take him into my +confidence. The ale, however, loosened our tongues, and though we did +not talk about our present affairs we had a pleasant time recounting +the days when we were young in the sense that we had no real trouble. +Those were the times when we were earning fifteen and twenty the week; +when our watches were always in durance vile; when we lied to the poor +washerwoman and to the landlady; when we would always be "around +to-morrow" and "settle up" with our creditors. + +"There was no ennui those days," laughed Hillars. + +"True. Do you remember the day you stayed in bed because it was +cheaper to sleep than work on an empty stomach?" + +"And do you remember the time I saved you from jail by giving the +Sheriff my new spring overcoat to pay a washerwoman's bill of six +months' standing?" + +"I hung around Jersey City that day," said I. And then there was more +ale; and so on. It was nine when at last we rose. + +"Well, we'll go back to the office and get your case," said Dan. +"Where's your trunk?" + +"At the Victoria." + +"All your luggage must be sent to my rooms. I will not hear of your +going elsewhere for lodging while in town. I have a floor, and you +shall share it. It's a bachelor's ranch from basement to garret, +inhabited by artists, journalists, one or two magazine men, a clever +novelist, and three of our New York men. There is no small fry save +myself. We have little banquets every Friday night, and they sometimes +last till Saturday noon. I've taught the Frenchman who represents the +Paris _Temps_ how to play poker, and he threatens to become my +Frankenstein, who will eventually devour me." Hillars laughed, and it +sounded like the laughter of other days. "Jack, I think you will do me +good. Stay with me and keep me away from the bottle if you can. No +man drinks for pure love of liquor. My father never loved it, and God +knows what he was trying to forget. For that's the substance of it +all, to forget. When you start out to the point of forgetfulness, you +must keep it up; regret comes back threefold with soberness. It seems +silly and weak for a man who has been buffeted as I have, who is +supposed to gather wisdom and philosophy as a snowball gathers snow as +it rolls down hill, to try to drown regret and disappointment in +liquor. A man never knows how weak he is till he meets the one woman +and she will have none of him." + +And somehow I got closer to Hillars, spiritually. There were two of +us, so it seemed, only I was stronger, or else my passion did not burn +so furiously as his. + +The apartments occupied by Dan were all a bachelor could wish for. The +walls were covered with photographs, original drawings, beer steins, +pipes, a slipper here, a fan there, and books and books and books. I +felt at home at once. + +I watched Hillars as he moved about the room, tidying up things a bit, +and I noticed now more than ever how changed he was. His face had +grown thin, his hair was slightly worn at the crown and temples, and +there were dark circles under his eyes. Yet, for all these signs of +dissipation, he was still a remarkably handsome man. Though not so +robust as when I last saw him, his form was yet elegant. In the old +days we had called him Adonis, and Donie had clung to him long after +the Cambridge time. + +"Now," said he, when we had lighted our pipes, "I'll tell you why I'm +going to the dogs. I've got to tell it to some one or go daft; and I +can't say that I'm not daft as it is." + +"It is a woman," said I, after reflection, "who causes a man to drink, +to lose all ambition." + +"It is." + +"It is a woman," I went on, holding the amber stem of my pipe before +the light which gleamed golden through the transparent gum, "who causes +a man to pull up stakes and prospect for new claims, to leave the new +country for the old." + +"It is a woman indeed," he replied. He was gazing at me with a new +interest. "If the woman had accepted him, he would not have been here." + +"No, he would not," said I. + +"In either case, yours or mine." + +"In either case. Go on with your story; there's nothing more to add to +mine." + +Some time passed, and nothing but the breathing of the pipes was heard. +Now and then I would poke away at the ashes in my pipe bowl, and Dan +would do the same. + +"Have you a picture of her?" I asked, reaching for some fresh tobacco. + +"No; I am afraid to keep one." + +To me this was a new phase in the matter of grand passions. + +"A likeness which never changes its expression means nothing to me," he +explained. "Her face in all its moods is graven in my mind; I have but +to shut my eyes, and she stands before me in all her loveliness. Do +you know why I wanted this vacation? Rest?" His shoulders went up and +his lips closed tighter. "My son, I want no rest. It is rest which is +killing me. I am going across. I am going to see her again, if only +from the curb as she rolls past in her carriage, looking at me but not +recognizing me, telling her footman to brush me aside should I attempt +to speak to her. Yet I would suffer this humiliation to see that +glorious face once more, to hear again that voice, though it were keyed +to scorn. I am a fool, Jack. What! have I gone all these years +free-heart to love a chimera in the end? Verily I am an ass. She is a +Princess; she has riches; she has a principality; she is the ward of a +King. What has she to do with such as I? Three months in the year she +dwells in her petty palace; the other months find her here and there; +Paris, St. Petersburg, or Rome, as fancy wills. And I, I love her! Is +it not rich? What am I? A grub burrowing at the root of the tree in +which she, like a bird of paradise, displays her royal plumage. +'Masters, remember that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet +forget not that I am an ass.' The father of this Princess once +rendered the present King's father a great service, and in return the +King turned over to his care a principality whose lineal descendants +had died out. It was with the understanding that so long as he +retained the King's goodwill, just so long he might possess the +principality, and that when he died the sovereignty would pass to his +children. The old King died, and his son sat upon his father's throne. +The father of the Princess also died. The King of to-day made the same +terms as his father before him. The Princess Hildegarde accepted them, +not counting the cost. Last spring she was coronated. Shortly before +the coronation, Prince Ernst of Wortumborg became a suitor for her +hand. The King was very much pleased. Prince Ernst was a cousin of +the Princess Hildegarde's father, and had striven for the principality +in the days gone by. The King, thinking to repair the imaginary wrongs +of the Prince, forced the suit. He impressed upon the Princess that it +was marry the Prince or give up her principality. She gave her +consent, not knowing what to do under the circumstances. Prince Ernst +is a Prince without principality or revenues. In marrying the Princess +he acquires both. I shall tell you how I became concerned." + +Hillars laid his smoking pipe in the ash pan. He got up and roamed +about the room, stopped at the window and stared at the inken sky, then +returned to his chair. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +I shall tell Hillars's story as he told it. He said: + +Last August I went to B----. My mission was important and took me to +the British Legation, where I am well known. I was most cordially +invited to attend a ball to be given the next evening. The notables of +the court were there. For a few moments the King let his sun shine on +the assemblage. It was a brilliant spectacle. At midnight I saw for +the first time a remarkably beautiful woman. I was looking well myself +that night. All women like to see broad shoulders in a man. It +suggests strength--something they have not. Several times this young +woman's eyes met mine. Somehow, mine were always first to fall. There +was a magnetism in hers mine could not withstand. Later, an attaché +came to me and said that he wished to present me to her Serene Highness +the Princess Hildegarde of--let us call it Hohenphalia. He whispered +that she had commanded the introduction. I expected to see some +red-faced dowager who wanted to ask me about my country and bore me +with her guttural accents. To my intense pleasure, I found myself at +the side of the beauty whom I had been admiring. There was a humorous +light in her eyes as she put some questions to me. + +"Do you speak German?" she asked in that language. + +"Poorly, your Highness," I answered. + +"Perhaps, then, you speak French?" + +"As I do my mother tongue," said I. + +"I am interested in Americans," she said. + +"Collectively or individually?" I tried to say this with perfect +innocence, but the smile on her lips told me that I had failed. + +"Yes, I was sure that you would interest me." + +She tapped the palm of her hand with the fan she held. "Shall I tell +you why I desired to meet you?" + +I nodded. + +"I have heard it said that the American bows down before a title; and I +am a woman, and curious." + +Said I, laughing: "Your Highness has been misinformed. We never bow +down to a title; it is to the wearers that we bow." + +This time her eyes fell. + +"This sort of conversation is altogether new to me," she said, opening +the fan. + +"I hope that I have not offended your Highness," I said. + +"Indeed, no. But it seems so strange to have any one talk to me with +such frankness and deliberation. Have you no fear?" + +"There is seldom fear where there is admiration. If you had used the +word awe, now----" + +Soft laughter rippled over the fan. She had the most wonderful eyes. + +"Are all Americans brave like yourself?" she next asked. + +"Brave? What do you call brave?" + +"Your utter lack of fear in my presence, in the first place: I am +called dangerous. And then, your exploits in the Balkistan, in the +second place. Are you not the M. Hillars whose bravery not so long ago +was an interesting topic in the newspapers? I know you." + +"This is truly remarkable," said I. "The only thing I did was to lead +a regiment out of danger." + +"The danger was annihilation. If a Captain or a Colonel had done it, +we should have thought nothing of it; but an utter stranger, who had +nothing in common with either cause--ah, believe me, it was a very +gallant thing to do." + +"This is positively the first time I was ever glad that I did the +thing." I placed my hand over my heart. "But, after all, that is not +half so brave as what I am doing now." + +"I do not understand," said she puzzled. + +"Why, it is simple. Here I am talking to you, occupying your time and +keeping those fierce Generals at bay. See how they are gnawing their +mustaches and biting their lips and asking one another who I am. There +are as many as five challenges waiting for me the moment I depart from +your side." + +There was mischief in her eye. + +"Then you shall stay with me, find me an ice and waltz once with me, +for if anything happened to you I should always have myself to blame." + +I waltzed with her, and the perfume of her hair got into my head, and I +grew dizzy. When the dance came to an end, I went into the smoking +room. Suddenly it went through my brain that the world had changed in +an incredibly short time. I tried to smoke, and for the first time in +my life, tobacco was tasteless, I was falling in love with a Princess. +I confess that it did not horrify me; on the contrary, I grew thrilled +and excited. There was a spice here which hitherto had been denied me. +The cost was unspelled. I fell as far as I could fall. The +uncertainty of the affair was in itself an enchantment. + +Well, the next day I strolled up the Avenue of Legations and saw her on +horseback. She was accompanied by an elderly man with a face like an +eagle's. There were various decorations on his breast. As the +Princess saw me, she bent her head. She remembered me. That was all +that was necessary for my transportation. Later, I was informed that +her escort was Prince Ernst of Wortumborg, who was destined to become +her lord and master. I did not care who he was; I knew that I hated +him. + +For a week I lingered on. I met her time and again; alone on +horseback, at the various embassies and at the opera. At these +meetings I learned a great deal about her. She was known to be the +most capricious woman at court, and that she was as courageous as she +was daring; and that the Prince might consider himself lucky if he got +her, King's will or no King's will. She had little liking for her +intended. She treated him contemptuously and held his desires in utter +disregard. One fine morning I was told that the Prince was beginning +to notice my attentions, that he was one of the most noted pistol shots +and swordsmen on the Continent, and that if I had any particular regard +for my epidermis I would cease my attendance on the Princess at once. +This, of course, made me more attentive than ever; for I can hold my +own with any man when it comes to pistols, and I can handle the rapier +with some success. + +It was one night at the opera that the climax was brought about. I sat +in one of the stalls diagonally across from the royal box, where she +sat. She saw me and gave me the barest nod of recognition. Perhaps +she did not wish to attract the attention of the royal personages who +sat with her; for the nod struck me as clandestine. Between the first +and second acts a note was handed to me. It was not addressed, neither +was it signed. But it was for me; the bearer spoke my name. As near +as I can remember, the note contained these words: + +"A carriage will await you two blocks south; it will be without lights. +You will enter it exactly ten minutes after the opera is ended." + +That was all, but it was enough. When I returned to my seat I found +the Princess gazing intently at me. I made an affirmative gesture and +was rewarded with a smile which set my blood to rushing. I made little +out of the last act. I could not dream what the anonymous note had +behind it. I suspicioned an intrigue, but what use had she for me, an +American, a very nobody? Something unusual was about to take place and +I was to be a witness or a participant of it. That was as far as my +talent for logical deduction went. Promptly at the stated time I stood +at the side of the carriage. It was the plainest sort of an affair. +Evidently it had been hired for the occasion. The door opened. + +"Step in, monsieur," said a low voice in French. I obeyed. The horse +started. As we spun along the pavement a light flashed into the +window. The Princess sat before me. There was a ringing in my ears, +and I breathed quickly. But I said no word; it was for her to speak +first. + +"Monsieur is an American," she began. "The American is of a chivalric +race." + +"That should be the aim of all men," I replied. + +"But it is not so. Monsieur, I have been studying you for the past +week. To-night I place my honor and my fame in your hands; it is for +you to prove that you are a knight. I trust you. When I have said +what I shall say to you, you may withdraw or give me your aid, as you +please." + +"I am grateful for your confidence, your Highness," said I. "What is +it that you wish me to do?" + +"Have patience, monsieur, till the ride is done," she said. "Do not +speak again till I permit you. I must think." + +The journey was accomplished in half an hour. + +"It is here, monsieur, that we alight," she said as the carriage +stopped. + +I was glad that her opera cloak was of dark material and that she wore +a veil. + +The building before which we stood was on the outskirts of the city. +Far away to my left I could see the flickering lights of the palaces; a +yellowish haze hung over all. Once within the building I noted with +surprise the luxurious appointments. Plainly it was no common inn, a +resort for the middle and traveling classes; whether it was patronized +by the nobility I could only surmise. + +"We shall continue to speak in French," she said, as she threw back her +cloak and lifted her veil. "Monsieur has probably heard that the +Princess Hildegarde is a creature of extravagant caprices; and he +expects an escapade." + +"Your Highness wrongs me," I protested. "I am an obscure American; +your Highness does not share your--that is----" + +I stopped, not wishing to give the term escapade to anything she might +do. As a matter of fact she has caused her royal guardian, the King, +no end of trouble. She went to Paris once unattended; at another time +she roamed around Heidelberg and slashed a fencing master; she had +donned a student's garb. She is said to be the finest swordswoman on +the Continent. Yet, notwithstanding her caprices, she is a +noble-minded woman. She does all these things called social vagaries +because she has a fine scorn for the innate hypocrisy of the social +organization of this country. She loves freedom not wisely but too +well. To go on: + +"Monsieur wrongs me also," she said. "In what are termed my escapades +I am alone. You appealed to me," with a directness which amazed me, +"because of your handsome face, your elegant form, your bright eyes. +You are a man who loves adventure which has the spice of danger in it. +My countrymen----." She crooked one of her bare shoulders, which shone +like yellow ivory in the subdued light. This rank flattery cooled me. +A woman who has any regard for a man is not likely to flatter him in +respect to his looks on so short and slight an acquaintance. +"Monsieur," she proceeded, "this is to be no escapade, no caprice. I +ask your aid as a desperate woman. At court I can find no one to +succor me, save at the peril of that which is dearer to me than my +life. Among the commoners, who would dare? An Englishman? It is too +much trouble. A Frenchman? I would trust him not quite so far as the +door. You are the first American, not connected with the legation, I +have ever met. Will you help me?" + +"If what you ask me to do is within my capabilities, I am yours to +command." + +"The reward will be small," as if to try me. I laughed. I was so +insanely happy, I suppose. "There will be danger," she persisted; +"secret danger: there will be scandal." + +"The more danger, the merrier," I cried. + +"Ah, yes," smiling; "it is the man of Balkistan." + +I leaned over the table and inhaled the ineffable perfumes which +emanated from her person. "Tell me, from what must I succor the +Princess? Is she a prisoner in a castle over which some ogre rules? +Well, then, I'll be Sir Galahad." + +My jesting tone jarred on her nerves. She straightened in her chair. + +"Monsieur is amused," she said coldly. + +"And he asks a thousand pardons!" I cried contritely. "Command me," +and I grew chilled and serious. + +"You have heard that I am to wed Prince Ernst of Wortumborg?" + +"Yes." I gnawed the ends of my mustache. + +"Monsieur, it is against my will, my whole being. I have no desire to +contribute a principality and a wife to a man who is not worthy of one +or the other. I refuse to become the King's puppet, notwithstanding +his power to take away my principality and leave me comparatively +without resources. I detest this man so thoroughly that I cannot hate +him. I abhor him. It is you who must save me from him; it is you who +must also save me my principality. Oh, they envy me, these poor +people, because I am a Princess, because I dwell in the tinsel glitter +of the court. Could they but know how I envy their lives, their homes, +their humble ambitions! Believe me, monsieur, as yet I love no man; +but that is no reason why I should link my life to that of a man to +whom virtue in a woman means nothing. He caused my mother great +sorrow. He came between her and my father. He spoiled her life, now +he wishes to spoil mine. But I will not have it so. I will give up my +principality rather. But first let me try to see if I cannot retain +the one and rid myself of the other. Listen. To-morrow night there +will be a dinner here. The King and the inner court will hold forth. +But they will cast aside their pomp and become, for the time being, +ordinary people. The Prince will be in Brussels, and therefore unable +to attend. You are to come in his stead." + +"I?" in astonishment. + +"Even so," she smiled. "While the festivities are at their height you +and I will secretly leave and return to the city. We shall go +immediately to the station, thence to France." + +I looked at her as one in a dream. "I!--You!--thence to France?" + + + + +CHAPTER V + +Hillars went to the sideboard and emptied half a glass of brandy. +Coming back to his chair he remained in a reverie for a short time. +Then he resumed his narrative. + +The Princess looked up into my face and smiled. + +"Yes; thence to France. Ah, I could go alone. But listen, monsieur. +Above all things there must be a scandal. A Princess elopes with an +American adventurer. The Prince will withdraw his suit. The King may +or may not forgive me; but I will risk it. He is still somewhat fond +of me, notwithstanding the worry I have caused him. This way is the +only method by which I may convince him how detestable this engagement +is to me. Yet, my freedom is more to me than my principality. Let the +King bestow it upon whom he will. I shall become a teacher of +languages, or something of that sort. I shall be free and happy. Oh, +you will have a merry tale to tell, a merry adventure. You will return +to your country. You will be the envy of your compatriots. You will +recount at your clubs a story such as men read, but never hear told!" +She was growing a bit hysterical. As she looked at me she saw that my +face was grave. + +"Is there no other way?" I asked. "Can it not be accomplished without +scandal?" + +"No. There must be scandal. Otherwise I should be brought back and +forgiven, and no one would know. In a certain sense, I am valuable. +The Hohenphalians love me; I am something of an idol to them. The King +appreciates my rule. It gives him a knowledge that there will be no +internal troubles in Hohenphalia so long as matters stand as they now +do. Still, there are limits to the King's patience; and I am about to +try them severely. But monsieur hesitates; he will withdraw his +promise." + +"No, your Highness," said I, "I have given my word. As for the +scandal, it is not for myself that I care. It will be a jolly +adventure for me; and then, I shall have such a clever story to tell my +friends at the clubs." + +She saw that I was offended. "Forgive me, monsieur; I know that you +would do no such thing. But let me explain to you. At the station we +will be intercepted by two trusted and high officials at court." + +"What!" I exclaimed; "do they know?" + +"No; but I shall write to them anonymously, the note to be placed in +their hands immediately we leave the premises." + +I looked at the woman in wonder. + +"But this is madness!" I cried. + +"Directly you will see the method in the madness. Without their +knowing there could be no scandal. They will try to stop us. You will +over-power and bind them. There will also be several other witnesses +who will not be participants. Through them it will become known that I +have eloped with an American. Oh, it is a well-laid plan." + +"But, supposing I am overpowered myself, thrown into jail and I know +not what?" All this was more than I had bargained for. + +"Nothing of the kind will happen. Monsieur will hold a pistol in each +hand when the carriage door is opened. You will say: 'I am a desperate +man; one of you bind the other, or I fire!' It will be done. You will +spring upon the remaining one and I will help you to bind him likewise. +Oh, you will accomplish it well; you are a strong man; moreover, you +are rapid." + +I sat in my chair, speechless. Here was a woman of details. I had +never met one before. + +"Well, does monsieur accept the adventure or does he politely decline?" +There was a subtle taunt in her tones. That decided me. + +"Your Highness, I should be happy to meet a thousand Uhlans to do you +service. What you ask me to do is quite simple." I knew that I should +lose my head in case of failure. I rose and bowed as unconcernedly as +though she had but asked me to join her with a cup of tea. + +"Ah, monsieur, you are a man!" And she laughed softly as she saw me +throw back my shoulders. There was unmistakable admiration in her +eyes. "And yet," with a sudden frown, "there will be danger. You may +slip; you may become injured. Yes, there is danger." + +"Your Highness," said I lowly, compelling her eyes to meet mine, "it is +not the danger of the adventure or its results that I most fear." I +was honest enough to make my meaning clear. + +She blushed. "I said that I trusted monsieur's honor," was her +rejoinder. "Come," with a return of her imperiousness; "it is time +that we were gone!" She drew on her cloak and dropped the veil. "I +might add," she said, "that we will remain in France one hour. From +there you may go your way, and I shall go secretly to my palace." + +And the glamour fell away like the last leaves of the year. + +I had to wake up the driver, who had fallen asleep. + +"Where shall I say?" I asked. + +"To your hotel. I shall give the driver the remaining instructions." + +"But you haven't told me," said I, as I took my place in the carriage, +"how I am to become a guest at the dinner to-morrow evening." + +"I spoke to the King this morning. I said that I had a caprice. He +replied that if I would promise it to be my last he would grant it. I +promised. I said that it was my desire to bring to the dinner a person +who, though without rank, was a gentleman--one who would grace any +gathering, kingly or otherwise. My word was sufficient. I knew before +I asked you that you would come. Twenty-four hours from now we, that +is, you and I, will be on the way to the French frontier. I shall be +ever in your debt." + +Silence fell upon us. I knew that I loved her with a love that was +burning me up, consuming me. And the adventure was all so unheard of +for these prosaic times! And so full of the charm of mystery was she +that I had not been a man not to have fallen a victim. What +possibilities suggested themselves to me as on we rode! Once across +the frontier I should be free to confess my love for her. A Princess? +What of that? She would be only a woman--the woman I loved. I +trembled. Something might happen so that she would have to turn to me. +If the King refused to forgive her, she was mine! Ah, that plain +carriage held a wonderful dream that night. At length--too shortly for +me--the vehicle drew up in front of my hotel. As I was about to alight +her hand stretched toward me. But instead of kissing it, I pressed my +lips on her round white arm. As though my lips burned, she drew back. + +"Have a care, monsieur; have a care," she said, icily. "Such a kiss +has to be won." + +I stammered an apology and stepped out. Then I heard a low laugh. + +"Good night, Mr. Hillars; you are a brave gentleman!" + +The door closed and the vehicle sped away into the darkness. + +I stood looking after it, bewildered. Her last words were spoken in +pure English. + +With the following evening came the dinner; and I as a guest, a +nervous, self-conscious guest, who started at every footstep. I was +presented to the King, who eyed me curiously. Seeing that I wore a +medal such as his Chancellor gives to men who sometimes do his country +service, he spoke to me and inquired how I had obtained it. It was an +affair similar to the Balkistan; only there was not an army, but a mob. +The Princess was enchanting. I grew reckless, and let her read my eyes +more than once; but she pretended not to see what was in them. At +dinner a toast was given to his Majesty. It was made with those steins +I showed you, Jack. + +The Princess said softly to me, kissing the rim of the stein she held: +"My toast is not to the King, but to the gentleman!" I had both steins +bundled up and left with the host, together with my address. + +It was not long after that the eventful moment for our flight arrived. +I knew that I was basely to abuse the hospitality of the King. But +what is a King to a man in love? Presently we two were alone in the +garden, the Princess and myself. She was whispering instructions, +telling me that I was a man of courage. + +"It is not too late to back out," she said. + +"I would face a thousand kings rather," I replied. + +We could see at the gate the carriage which was to take us to the +station. Now came the moment when I was tried by the crucible and +found to be dross. I committed the most foolish blunder of my life. +My love suddenly overleapt its bounds. In a moment my arms were around +her lithe body; my lips met hers squarely. After it was done she stood +very still, as if incapable of understanding my offence. But I +understood. I was overwhelmed with remorse, love, and regret. I had +made impossible what might have been. + +"Your Highness," I cried, "I could not help it! Before God I could +not! It is because I love you better than anything in the world--you +cannot be of it!--and all this is impossible, this going away together." + +Her bosom heaved, and her eyes flashed like a heated summer sky. + +"I will give you one minute to leave this place," she said, her tones +as even and as cold as sudden repression of wrath could make them. "I +trusted you, and you have dared to take advantage of what seemed my +helplessness. It is well indeed for you that you committed this +outrage before it is too late. I should have killed you then. I might +have known. Could ever a woman trust a man?" She laughed +contemptuously. "You would have made me a thing of scorn; and I +trusted you!" + +"As God is my judge," I cried, "my respect for you is as high as heaven +itself. I love you; is there nothing in that? I am but human. I am +not a stone image. And you have tempted me beyond all control. Pardon +what I have done; it was not the want of respect--." + +"Spare me your protestations. I believe your minute is nearly gone," +she interrupted. + +And then--there was a crunch on the gravel behind us. The Princess and +I turned in dismay. We had forgotten all about the anonymous note. +Two officers were approaching us, and rapidly. The elder of the two +came straight to me. I knew him to be as inexorable as his former +master, the victor of Sedan. The Princess looked on mechanically. + +"Come," said the Count, in broken English; "I believe your carriage is +at the gate." + +I glanced at the Princess. She might have been of stone, for all the +life she exhibited. + +"Come; the comedy is a poor one," said the Count. + +I followed him out of the garden. My indifference to personal safety +was due to a numbness which had taken hold of me. + +"Get in," he said, when we reached the carriage. I did so, and he got +in after me. The driver appeared confused. It was not his fare, +according to the agreement. "To the city," he was briefly told. "Your +hotel?" turning to me. I named it. "Do you understand German?" + +"But indifferently," I answered listlessly. + +"It appears that you understand neither the language nor the people. +Who are you?" + +"That is my concern," I retorted. I was coming about, and not +unnaturally became vicious. + +"It concerns me also," was the gruff reply. + +"Have your own way about it." + +"How came you by that medal?" pointing to my breast. + +"Honestly," said I. + +"Honestly or dishonestly, it is all the same." He made a move to detach +it, and I caught his hand. + +"Please don't do that. I am extremely irritable; and I might throw you +out of the window. I can get back to my hotel without guidance." + +"I am going to see you to your lodgings," asserted the Count, rubbing +his wrist, for I had put some power into my grasp. + +"Still, I might take it into my head to throw you out." + +"You'd better not try." + +"Are you afraid?" + +"Yes. There would be a scandal. Not that I would care about the death +of a miserable adventurer, but it might possibly reflect upon the +virtue of her Highness the Princess Hildegarde." + +"What do you want?" I growled. + +"I want to see if your passports are proper so that you will have no +difficulty in passing over the frontier." + +"Perhaps it would be just as well to wake the American Minister?" I +suggested. + +"Not at all. If you were found dead there might be a possibility of +that. But I should explain to him, and he would understand that it was +a case without diplomatic precedent." + +"Well?" + +"You are to leave this country at once, sir; that is, if you place any +value upon your life." + +"Oh; then it is really serious?" + +"Very. It is a matter of life and death--to you. Moreover, you must +never enter this country again. If you do, I will not give a pfennig +for your life." + +He found my passports in good order. I permitted him to rummage +through some of my papers. + +"Ach! a damned scribbler, too!" coming across some of my notes. + +"Quite right, Herr General," said I. I submitted because I didn't care. + +My luggage was packed off to the station, where he saw that my ticket +was for Paris. + +"Good morning," he said, as I entered the carriage compartment. "The +devil will soon come to his own; ach!" + +"My compliments to him when you see him!" I called back, not to be +outdone in the matter of courtesy. + + +"And that is all, Jack," concluded Hillars. "For all these months not +an hour has passed in which I have not cursed the folly of that moment. +Instead of healing under the balm of philosophy, the wound grows more +painful every day. She did not love me, I know, but she would have +been near me. And if the King had taken away her principality, she +would have needed me in a thousand ways. And it is not less than +possible that in time she might have learned the lesson of love. But +now--if she is the woman I believe her to be, she never could love me +after what has happened. And knowing this, I can't leave liquor alone, +and don't want to. In my cups I do not care." + +"I feel sorry for you both," said I. "Has the Prince married her yet?" + +"No. It has been postponed. Next Monday I am going back. I am going +in hopes of getting into trouble. I may never see her again, perhaps. +To-morrow, to-morrow! Who knows? Well, I'm off to bed. Good night." + +And I was left alone with my thoughts. They weren't very good company. +To-morrow indeed, I thought. I sat and smoked till my tongue smarted. +I had troubles of my own, and wondered how they would end. Poor +Hillars! As I look back to-day, I marvel that we could not see the +end. The mystery of life seems simple to us who have lived most of it, +and can look down through the long years. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +During the first year of my residence in London there happened few +events worth chronicling. Shortly after my arrival Hillars +disappeared. His two months' vacation stretched into twelve, and I was +directed to remain in London. As I knew that Hillars did not wish to +be found I made no inquiries. He was somewhere on the Continent, but +where no one knew. At one time a letter dated at St. Petersburg +reached me, and at another time I was informed of his presence at Monte +Carlo. In neither letter was there any mention of her Serene Highness, +the Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia. Since the night he recounted +the adventure the wayward Princess had never become the topic of +conversation. I grew hopeful enough to believe that he had forgotten +her. Occasionally I received a long letter from Phyllis. I always +promptly answered it. To any one but me her letters would have proved +interesting reading. It was not for what she wrote that I cared, it +was the mere fact that she wrote. A man cannot find much pleasure in +letters which begin with "Dear friend," and end with "Yours sincerely," +when they come from the woman he loves. + +In the preceding autumn I completed my first novel. I carried it +around to publishers till I grew to hate it as one hates a Nemesis, and +when finally I did place it, it was with a publisher who had just +started in business and was necessarily obscure. I bowed politely to +my dreams of literary fame and became wholly absorbed in my +journalistic work. When the book came out I could not but admire the +excellence of the bookmaking, but as I looked through the reviews and +found no mention save in "books received," I threw the book aside and +vowed that it should be my last. The publisher wrote me that he was +surprised that the book had not caught on, as he considered the story +unusually clever. "Merit is one thing," he said, "but luck is +another." I have found this to be true, not only in literature, but in +all walks of life where fame and money are the goals. Phyllis wrote me +that she thought the book "just splendid"; but I took her praise with a +grain of salt, it being likely that she was partial to the author, and +that the real worth of the book was little in comparison with the fact +that it was I who wrote it. + +One morning in early June I found three letters on my desk. The first +was from Hillars. He was in Vienna. + + +"MY DEAR SON," it ran, "there is another rumpus. The Princess +disappeared on the 20th of last month. They are hunting high and low +for her, and incidentally for me. Why me, is more than I can +understand. But I received a letter from Rockwell of the American +Legation warning me that if I remained in Austria I should be +apprehended, put in jail, hanged and quartered for no other reason on +earth than that they suspect me having something to do with her +disappearance. Due, I suppose, to that other miserable affair. Though +I have hunted all over the Continent, I have never seen the Princess +Hildegarde since that night at B----. Where shall I find her? I +haven't the least idea. But as a last throw, I am going to the +principality of Hohenphalia, where she was born and over which she +rules with infinite wisdom. The King is determined that she shall wed +Prince Ernst. He would take away her principality but for the fact +that there would be a wholesale disturbance to follow any such act. If +I ever meet that watch dog of hers, the Count von Walden, the duffer +who gave me my congé, there will be trouble. The world isn't large +enough for two such men as we are. By the way, I played roulette at +the Casino last night and won 3,000 francs. Well, au revoir or adieu +as the case may be. They sell the worst whiskey here you ever heard +of. It's terrible to have an educated palate. + +"HILLARS." + + +So he was still desiring for something he could never have! I got out +of patience with the fellow. Even if she loved him, what chance had he +against the legions of the King? Hillars was a wild-headed fellow, +and, if at liberty, was not incapable of creating a disturbance. It +might land him in jail, or on the gallows. The phlegmatic German is +not particular whom he hangs. In that wide domain there is always some +petty revolution going on. In each of those petty kingdoms, or +principalities, or duchies, there are miniature Rousseaus and Voltaires +who shout liberty and equality in beer halls and rouse the otherwise +peaceful citizens to warfare; short, it is true, but none the less +warfare. Military despotism is the tocsin. When the King presses an +unwilling subject into the army, upon his discharge the unwilling +subject, usually a peasant, becomes a socialist. These Rousseaus and +Voltaires have a certain amount of education, but they lack daring. If +a man like Hillars, who had not only brains but daring, should get +mixed up in one of these embroglios, some blood would be spilled before +the trouble became adjusted. Still, Hillars, with all his love of +adventure, was not ordinarily reckless. Yet, if he met the Princess, +she would find a willing tool in him for her slightest caprice. +Whatever happened the brunt would fall upon him. My opinion, formed +from various stories I had heard of the Princess, was not very +flattering to her. The letter and its possibilities disturbed me. + +The second letter was from headquarters in New York. + + +"DEAR WINTHROP--We want a good Sunday special. Her Serene Highness the +Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia has taken it into her head to +disappear again. Go over and see Rockwell in B----; he will give you a +good yarn. It has never been in type yet, and I daresay that it will +make good reading. London seems particularly dull just now, and you +can easily turn over your affairs to the assistant. This woman's life +is more full of romance than that of any other woman of the courts of +Europe. The most interesting part of it is her reputation is said to +be like that of Caesar's wife--above reproach. Get a full history of +her life and of the Prince whom she is to marry. If you can get any +photographs do so. I know how you dislike this sort of work, prying +into private affairs, as you call it, but with all these sensational +sheets springing up around us, we must keep in line now and then. Do +you know anything about Hillars; is he dead or alive? Take all the +time you want for the story and send it by mail." + + +"The Princess Hildegarde!" I cried aloud. "The deuce take the woman!" + +"What's that?" asked my assistant, who had overheard my outburst. + +"Oh, I am to go across on a special story," I said with a snarl, "just +as I was fixing for a week's fishing. I've got to concern myself with +the Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia." + +"Ah, the Princess Hildegarde?" said the young fellow, pushing back his +hat and elevating his feet, a trick he had acquired while being reared +in his native land, which was the State of Illinois, in America. "You +want to be careful. Every one burns his fingers or singes his wings +around that candle." + +"What do you know about her?" I asked. + +"A little. You see, about six months ago I discovered all regarding +Hillars and his fall from grace. It was through the Reuter agency. +Hillars got badly singed. An elopement of some sort between him and +the Princess was nipped in the bud. He was ordered to leave the +country and warned never to return, at the peril of his liberty. A +description of him is with every post on the frontier. As for the +Princess she is an interesting character. She was educated in this +country and France. She speaks several languages. She is headstrong +and wilful, and her royal guardian is only too anxious to see her +married and settled down. She masquerades in men's clothes when it +pleases her, she can ride a horse like a trooper, she fences and +shoots, she has fought two duels, and heaven alone knows what she has +not done to disturb the tranquility of the Court. For a man she loved +she would be a merry comrade. I saw her once in Paris. She is an +extraordinarily beautiful woman. A man takes no end of risk when he +concerns himself with her affairs, I can tell you. Hillars--Well, I +suppose it's none of my business. He must have had an exciting time of +it," concluded the young man. + +"I'll leave you in charge for a week or so," said I. "What little news +there is at the Houses you can cover. I'll take care of anything of +importance that occurs abroad. I might as well pack up and get out +to-night. A boat leaves Dover early in the morning." + +Then I picked up the third and last letter. It was from Phyllis. It +contained the enjoyable news that the Wentworths were coming abroad, +and that they would remain indefinitely at B----, where Mr. Wentworth +had been appointed chargé d'affaires under the American Minister. They +were to visit the Mediterranean before coming to London. They would be +in town in October. The mere thought of seeing Phyllis made my heart +throb. + +The next morning I put out from Dover. It was a rough passage for that +time of the year, and I came near being sea-sick. A day or so in Paris +brought me around, and I proceeded. As I passed the frontier I noticed +that my passports were eagerly scanned, and that I was closely +scrutinized for some reason or other. + +A smartly dressed officer occupied half of the carriage compartment +with me. I tried to draw him into conversation, but he proved to be +untalkative; so I busied myself with the latest issue of the Paris +_L'Illustration_. I never glanced in the direction of the officer but +what I found him staring intently at me. This irritated me. The +incident was repeated so many times that I said: + +"I trust Herr will remember me in the days to come." + +"Eh?" somewhat startled, I thought. + +"I observed that you will possibly remember me in the days to come. +Or, perhaps I resemble some one you know." + +"Not in the least," was the haughty retort. + +I shrugged and relit my pipe. The tobacco I had purchased in Paris, +and it was of the customary vileness. Perhaps I could smoke out Mein +Herr. But the task resulted in a boomerang. He drew out a huge china +pipe and began smoking tobacco which was even viler than mine, if that +could be possible. Soon I let down the window. + +"Does the smoke disturb Herr?" he asked, puffing forth great clouds of +smoke. There was a shade of raillery in his tones. + +"It would not," I answered, "if it came from tobacco." + +He subsided. + +Whenever there was a stop of any length I stepped out and walked the +platform. The officer invariably followed my example. I pondered over +this each time I re-entered the carriage. At last my irritation turned +into wrath. + +"Are you aware that your actions are very annoying?" + +"How, sir?" proudly. + +"You stare me out of countenance, you refrain from entering into +conversation, and by the way you follow me in and out of the carriage, +one would say that you were watching me. All this is not common +politeness." + +"Herr jests," he replied with a forced smile. "If I desire not to +converse, that is my business. As for getting in and out of the +carriage, have I no rights as a passenger?" + +It was I who subsided. A minute passed. + +"But why do you stare at me?" I asked. + +"I do not stare at you, I have no paper and tried to read yours at a +distance. I am willing to apologize for that." + +"Oh, that is different," I said. I tossed the paper to him. "You are +welcome to the paper." + +I covertly watched him as he tried to read the French. By and by he +passed the paper back. + +"I am not a very good French scholar, and the French are tiresome." + +"They would not have been if they had had a General who thought more of +fighting than of wearing pretty clothes." + +"Oh, it would not have mattered," confidently. + +"Prussia was once humbled by a Frenchman." I was irritating him with a +purpose in view. + +"Bah!" + +"The only reason the French were beaten was because they did not think +the German race worth troubling about." + +He laughed pleasantly. "You Americans have a strange idea of the +difference between the German and the Frenchman." + +This was just what I wanted. + +"And who informed you that I was an American?" + +He was disconcerted. + +"Why," he said, lamely, "it is easily apparent, the difference between +the American and the Englishman." Then, as though a bright idea had +come to him, "The English never engage in conversation with strangers +while traveling. Americans are more sociable." + +"They are? Then I advise them to follow the example set by the +Englishman: Never try to get up a conversation while traveling with a +German. It is a disagreeable task;" and I settled back behind my paper. + +How had he found out that I was an American? Was I known? And for +what reason was I known? To my knowledge I had never committed any +offence to the extent that I must be watched like a suspect. What his +object was and how he came to know that I was an American was a mystery +to me. I was glad that the journey would last but an hour or so +longer. The train arrived at the capital late at night. As I went to +inquire about my luggage I saw my late fellow passenger joined by +another officer. The two began talking earnestly, giving me occasional +side-long glances. The mystery was deepening. In passing them I +caught words which sounded like "under another name" and "positive it +is he." This was anything but reassuring to me. At length they +disappeared, only to meet me outside the station. It got into my head +that I was a marked man. A feeling of discomfort took possession of +me. Germans are troublesome when they get an idea. I was glad to get +into the carriage which was to take me to my hotel. The driver seemed +to have some difficulty in starting the horse, but I gave this no +attention. When the vehicle did start it was with a rapidity which +alarmed me. Corner after corner was turned, and the lights went by in +flashes. It was taking a long time to reach my hotel, I thought. +Suddenly it dawned upon me that the direction we were going was +contrary to my instructions. I tried to open the window, but it +refused to move. Then I hammered on the pane, but the driver was deaf, +or purposely so. + +"Hi there!" I thoughtlessly yelled in English, "where the devil are you +going?" + +No one paid any attention to my cries. It was becoming a serious +matter. The lights grew fewer and fewer, and presently there were no +lights at all. We were, I judged, somewhere in the suburbs. I became +desperate and smashed a window. The carriage stopped so abruptly that +I went sprawling to the bottom. I was in anything but a peaceful frame +of mind, as they say, when the door swung open and I beheld, standing +at the side of it, the officer who had accompanied me from the frontier. + +"What tomfoolery is this?" I demanded. I was thoroughly incensed. + +"It means that Herr will act peacefully or be in danger of a broken +head," was the mind-easing reply of my quondam fellow passenger. The +driver then came down from the box, and I saw that he was the officer +who had joined us at the station. + +"If it is a frolic," I said, "one of your beer hall frolics, the sooner +it is ended the better for you." + +The two laughed as if what I had said was one of the funniest things +imaginable. + +"Get out!" + +"With pleasure!" said I. + +Directly one of them lay with his back to the ground and the other was +locked in my embrace. I had not spent four years on the college campus +for intellectual benefits only. And indignation lent me additional +strength. My opponent was a powerful man, but I held him in a grip of +rage. Truthfully, I began to enjoy the situation. There is something +exhilarating in the fighting blood which rises in us now and then. +This exhilaration, however, brought about my fall. In the struggle I +forgot the other, who meantime had recovered his star-gemmed senses. A +crack from the butt of his pistol rendered me remarkably quiet and +docile. In fact, all became a vacancy till the next morning, and then +I was conscious of a terrible headache, and of a room with a window +through which a cat might have climbed without endangering its spine--a +very dexterous cat. + +"Well," I mused, softly nursing the lump on my head, "here's the devil +to pay, and not a cent to pay him with." + +It was evident that, without knowing it, I had become a very important +personage. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +I saw some rye bread, cold meat and a pitcher of water on the table, +and I made a sandwich and washed it down with a few swallows of the +cool liquid. I had a fever and the water chilled it. There was a lump +on the back of my head as large as an egg. With what water remained I +dampened my handkerchief and wound it around the injury. Then I made a +systematic search through my clothes. Not a single article of my +belongings was missing. I was rather sorry, for it lent a deeper +significance to my incarceration. After this, I proceeded to take an +inventory of my surroundings. Below and beyond the little window I saw +a wide expanse of beautiful gardens, fine oaks and firs, velvet lawns +and white pebbled roads. Marble fountains made them merry in the +roseate hue of early morning. A gardener was busy among some hedges, +but beyond the sound of my voice. I was a prisoner in no common jail, +then, but in the garret of a private residence. Having satisfied +myself that there was no possible escape, I returned to my pallet and +lay down. Why I was here a prisoner I knew not. I thought over all I +had written the past twelvemonth, but nothing recurred to me which +would make me liable to arrest. But, then, I had not been arrested. I +had been kidnapped, nothing less. Nothing had been asked of me; I had +made no statement. It had been all too sudden. Presently I heard +footsteps in the corridor, and the door opened. It was mine enemy. He +locked the door and thrust the key into his pocket. One of his eyes +was decidedly mouse-colored. The knuckles of my hand were yet sore. I +smiled; he saw the smile, his jaws hardening and his eyes threatening. + +"I am sorry," I said. "I should have hit you on the point of your +chin; but I was in a great hurry. Did you ever try raw meat as a +poultice?" + +"Enough of this," he snapped, laying a pistol on the table. I was +considered dangerous; it was something to know that. "You must answer +my questions." + +"Must?" + +"Must." + +"Young man you have no tact. You are not an accomplished villain," +said I, pleasantly. "You should begin by asking me how I spent the +night, and if there was not something you could do for my material +comfort. Perhaps, however, you will first answer a few questions of +mine?" + +"There are only two men whose questions I answer," he said. + +"And who might they be?" + +"My commander and the King. I will answer one question--the reason you +are here. You are a menace to the tranquility of the State." + +"Oh; then I have the honor of being what is called a prisoner of State? +Be careful," I cried, suddenly; "that pistol might go off, and then the +American Minister might ask you in turn some questions, disagreeable +ones, too." + +"The American Minister would never know anything about it," said he, +gruffly. "But have no fear; I should hesitate to soil an innocent +leaden bullet in your carcass." + +"Be gentle," I advised, "or when we meet again I shall feel it my duty +to dull the lustre of your other eye." + +"Pah!" he ejaculated. "We are indebted to the French for the word +canaille, which applies to all Americans and Englishmen." + +"Now," said I, climbing off the pallet, "I shall certainly do it." + +"I warn you not to approach me," he cried, his fingers closing over the +pistol. + +"Well, I promise not to do it now," I declared, going over to the +window. I found some satisfaction in his nervousness; it told me that +he feared me. "What place is this; a palace?" + +"Answer this question, sir: Why did you cross the frontier when you +were expressly forbidden to do so?" + +"I forbidden to cross the frontier?" My astonishment was +indescribable. "Young man, you have made a blunder of some sort. I am +not a Socialist or an Anarchist. I have never been forbidden to cross +the frontier of any country. Your Chancellor is one of the best +friends I have in the world. I went to school with his son." + +He rocked to and fro on the table, laughing honestly and heartily. +"You do not lack impudence. Are you, or are you not, the London +correspondent of the New York ------?" + +"I certainly am." + +"You admit it?" eagerly. + +"I see no earthly reason why I should not." + +"When did you last visit this city?" + +"Several years ago." + +"Several years ago?" incredulously. + +"Exactly. Have you ever seen me before?" + +"No. But it was a little less than two years ago when you were here." + +"It is scarcely polite," said I, "to question the veracity of a man you +never saw before and of whom you know positively nothing." Suddenly my +head began to throb again and I grew dizzy. "You hit me rather soundly +with that pistol. Still, your eye ought to be a recompense." + +He replied with a scowl. + +"Perhaps your name is ------" + +"Winthrop, John Winthrop, if that will throw any light on the subject."' + +"One name is as good as another," with a smile of unbelief. + +"That is true. What's in a name? There is little difference, after +all, between the names of the nobility and the rabble." + +"You are determined to irritate me beyond measure," said he. A German +is the most sensitive man in the world as regards his title. + +"Grant that I have some cause. And perhaps," observing him from the +corner of my eye, "it is because you smoke such vile tobacco." + +Remembering the incident in the railway carriage, he smiled in spite of +the gravity of the situation. + +"It was the best I had," he said; "and then, it was done in +self-defence. I'll give you credit for being a fearless individual. +But you haven't answered my question." + +"What question?" + +"Why you returned to this country when you were expressly forbidden to +do so." + +"I answered that," said I. "And now let me tell you that you may go on +asking questions till the crack of doom, but no answer will I give you +till you have told me why I am here, I, who do not know you or what +your business is, or what I am supposed to have done." + +He began to look doubtful. He thumped the table with the butt of the +pistol. + +"Do you persist in affirming that your name is Winthrop?" + +"These gardens are very fine. I could see them better," said I, "if +the window was larger." + +"Perhaps," he cried impatiently, "you do not know where she is?" + +"She?" I looked him over carefully. There was a perfectly sane light +in his eyes. "Am I crazy, or is it you? She? I know nothing about +any she!" + +"Do you dare deny that you know of the whereabouts of her Serene +Highness the Princess Hildegarde, and that you did not come here with +the purpose to aid her to escape the will of his Majesty? And do you +mean--Oh, here, read this!" flinging me a cablegram. + +The veil of mystery fell away from my eyes. I had been mistaken for +Hillars. Truly, things were growing interesting. I bent and picked up +the cablegram and read: + + +"COUNT VON WALDEN: He has left London and is on his way to the capital. +Your idea to allow him to cross the frontier is a good one. +Undoubtedly he knows where the Princess is in hiding. In trapping him +you will ultimately trap her. Keep me informed." + + +The name signed was that of a well-known military attaché at the +Embassy in London. I tossed back the cablegram. + +"Well?" triumphantly. + +"No, it is not well; it is all very bad, and particularly for you. +Your London informant is decidedly off the track. The man you are +looking for is in Vienna." + +"I do not believe you! It is a trick." + +"Yes, it is a trick, and I am taking it, and you have lost a point, to +say nothing of the time and labor and a black eye. If you had asked +all these questions yesterday I should have told you that Mr. +Hillars----" + +"Yes, that's the name!" he interrupted. + +"I should have told you that he is no longer the London representative +of my paper. It is true that the description of Hillars and myself +tallies somewhat, only my hair is dark, while his is light, what there +is left of it, and he is a handsomer man than I. All this I should +have told you with pleasure, and you would have been saved no end of +trouble. I presume that there is nothing left for you to do but to +carry me back to the city. To quell any further doubt, here are my +passports, and if these are not satisfactory, why take me before Prince +O----, your Chancellor." + +He was irresolute, and half inclined to believe me. + +"I do not know what to do. You know, then, the gentleman I am seeking?" + +"Yes." + +"Would he enter this country under an assumed name?" + +"No. He is a man who loves excitement. Whatever he does is done +openly. Had it been he instead of me, he would have thrown you out of +the carriage at the first sign on your part that you were watching him. +He is a very strong man." + +"If he is stronger than you, I am half glad that I got the wrong man. +You strike a pretty hard blow. But, whether you are the man I want, or +not, you will have to remain till this afternoon, when the Count will +put in appearance. I daresay it is possible that I have made a +mistake. But I could not do otherwise in face of my instructions." + +"The Princess seems to me more trouble than she is worth." + +"It is possible that you have never seen her Highness," he said, +hinting a smile. "She is worth all the trouble in the world." + +"If a man loved her," I suggested. + +"And what man does not who has seen her and talked to her?" he replied, +pacing. + +"The interest, then, you take in her discovery is not all due to that +imposed upon you by Count von Walden?" I could not resist this thrust. + +"The subject is one that does not admit discussion," squaring his +shoulders. + +"Suppose we talk of something that does not concern her? All this is a +blunder for which you are partly to blame. I have a bad lump on my +head and you have a black eye. But as you did what you believed to be +your duty, and as I did what every man does when self-preservation +becomes his first thought, let us cry quits. Come, what do you say to +a game of cards? Let us play ecarte, or I will teach you the noble +game of poker. To tell you the truth, I am becoming dreadfully bored." + +"Believe me, I bear you no ill will," he said, "and I am inclined to +your side of the story. Whoever you are, you have the bearing of a +gentleman; and, now that we have come to an understanding, I shall +treat you as such. I have a pack of cards downstairs. I'll go and get +them. This is not my house, or I should have placed you in better +quarters. I shall leave the door unlocked," a question in his eyes. + +"Rest assured that I shall return to the city as I came--in a carriage. +And to be honest, I am anxious to see the Count von Walden, who poses +as the Princess's watchdog." + +And when he came back and found me still sitting on the pallet, his +face cleared. + +We played for small sums, and the morning passed away rather pleasantly +than otherwise. The young officer explained to me that he held an +important position at court, and that he was entitled to prefix Baron +to his name. + +"The King is getting out of all patience with her Highness," he said. +"This makes the second time the marriage has been postponed. Such +occurrences are extremely annoying to his Majesty, who does not relish +having his commands so flagrantly disregarded. I shouldn't be +surprised if he forced her into the marriage." + +"When he knows how distasteful this marriage is to her, why does he not +let the matter go?" + +"It is too late now. Royalty, having given its word, never retracts +it. Events which the King wills must come to pass, or he loses a part +of his royal dignity. And then, a King cannot very well be subservient +to the will of a subject." + +"But has she no rights as a petty sovereign?" I asked. + +"Only those which the King is kind enough to give her. She is but a +tenant: the rulers of Hohenphalia are but guests of his Majesty. It is +to be regretted, but it cannot be helped." + +That afternoon, as I lay on my pallet, it seemed to me that in some +unaccountable way I was destined to become concerned in the affairs of +her Serene Highness. I had never seen the woman, not even a picture of +her. Certainly, she must be worth loving, inasmuch as she was worth +trouble. I have always found it to be the troublesome woman who has +the largest train of lovers. Troublesome, they are interesting; +interesting, they are lovable. + +It was more than a year since last I saw Phyllis; yet my love for her +knew no diminution. I began to understand why Hillars traveled all +over the Continent to get a glimpse of the woman he loved. With the +pleasant thought that I should see Phyllis again, I dozed. I was half +asleep when I was aroused by loud voices in the corridor. + +"But I do not believe him to be the man," I heard my jailer declare. + +"Bah! I know there is no mistake," roared a voice which was accustomed +to command. "He's been trying to hoodwink you. Watch the surprise in +his face when he sees me, the cursed meddler and scribbler. It would +be a pleasure to witness his hanging. Come, show him to me." + +"Yes; come along, my dear old warhorse," I murmured, turning my face +toward the wall. "There is a nice little surprise party in here +waiting for you." + +The door opened. + +"Unlocked!" bawled the Count. "What does this mean, Baron?" + +"He gave his word as a gentleman," was the quiet reply. + +"Gentleman? Ach! I'll take a look at the gentleman," said the Count, +stepping up to the pallet and shaking me roughly by the shoulder. +"Wake up!" + +I sat up so as not to miss the comedy which was about to set its scenes +upon the grim visage of the Count. As his eyes met mine his jaw fell. + +"A thousand devils! Who are you?" + +"I couldn't swear," said I, meekly. "Everybody hereabouts insists that +I am some one else. The situation warrants a complete explanation. +Perhaps you can give it?" I should have laughed but for those flashing +eyes. + +"You are a blockhead," he said to his subaltern. + +"He is the man, according to your London correspondent," responded the +other with some show of temper. "I cannot see that the fault lies at +my door. You told me that he would enter the country under an assumed +name." + +"I presume the affair is ended so far as I am concerned," I said, +shaking the lameness from my legs. + +"Of course, of course!" replied the Count, pulling at his gray +mustaches, which flared out on either side like the whiskers of a cat. + +"I should like to return to the city at once," I added. + +"Certainly. I regret that you have been the victim of a blunder for +which some one shall suffer. Your compatriot has caused me a deal of +trouble." + +"I assure you that he is in no wise connected with the present matter. +According to his latest advices he is at Vienna." + +"I should be most happy to believe that," was the Count's rejoinder, +which inferred that he didn't believe it. + +"My friend seems to be a dangerous person?" + +"All men of brains, coupled with impudence, are dangerous; and I give +your friend credit for being as brave as he is impudent. But come, my +carriage is at your service. You are a journalist, but you will +promise not to make public this unfortunate mistake." + +I acquiesced. + +When the Count and I parted company I had not the vaguest idea that we +should ever hold conversation again. + +The result of the adventure was, I sent a very interesting story to New +York, omitting my part in it. This done, I wired my assistant in +London not to expect me for some time yet. + +The truth was, I determined to hunt for Hillars, and incidentally for +her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +As I came along the road, the dust of which had been laid that +afternoon by an odorous summer rain, the principal thing which struck +my eyes was the quaintness and unquestioned age of the old inn. It was +a relic of the days when feudal lords still warred with one another, +and the united kingdom was undreamt of. It looked to be 300 years old, +and might have been more. From time to time it had undergone various +repairs, as shown by the new stone and signs of modern masonry, the +slate peeping out among the moss-covered tiles. It sat back from the +highway, and was surrounded by thick rows of untrimmed hedges, and was +partly concealed from view by oaks and chestnuts. The gardens were +full of roses all in bloom, and their perfumes hung heavy on the moist +air. And within a stone's throw of the rear the Danube noiselessly +slid along its green banks. All I knew about the inn was that it had +been by a whim of nature the birthplace of that beautiful, erratic and +irresponsible young person, her Serene Highness the Princess +Hildegarde. It was here I thought to find Hillars; though it was idle +curiosity as much as anything which led me to the place. + +The village was five miles below. I could see the turrets of the +castle which belonged to the Princess. She was very wealthy, and owned +as many as three strongholds in the petty principality of Hohenphalia. +Capricious indeed must have been the woman who was ready to relinquish +them for freedom. + +The innkeeper was a pleasant, ruddy-cheeked old man, who had seen +service. He greeted me with some surprise; tourists, he said, seldom +made this forgotten, out-of-the-way village an objective point. I +received a room which commanded a fine view of the river and a stretch +of the broad highway. I was the only guest. This very loneliness +pleased me. My travel-stained suit I exchanged for knickerbockers and +a belted jacket. I went down to supper; it was a simple affair, and I +was made to feel at home. From the dining-room I caught a momentary +flash of white skirts in the barroom. + +"Ah," I thought; "a barmaid. If she is pretty it will be a diversion." + +In the course of my wanderings I had seen few barmaids worth looking at +twice. + +When the table was cleared I lit a cigar and strolled into the gardens. +The evening air was delicious with the smell of flowers, still wet with +rain. The spirit of the breeze softly whispered among the branches +above me. Far up in the darkening blues a hawk circled. The west was +a thread of yellow flame; the moon rose over the hills in the east; +Diana on the heels of Apollo! And the river! It was as though Nature +had suddenly become lavish in her bounty and had sent a stream of +melting silver trailing over all the land. There is nothing more +beautiful to see than placid water as it reflects a summer's twilight. +The blue Danube! Who has heard that magic name without the remembrance +of a face close to your own, an arm, bare, white, dazzling, resting and +gleaming like marble on your broadcloth sleeve, and above all, the +dreamy, swinging strains of Strauss? There was a face once which had +rested near mine. Heigho! I lingered with my cigar and watched the +night reveal itself. I lay at the foot of a tree, close to the water's +edge, and surrendered to the dream-god. Some of my dreams knew the +bitterness of regret. "Men have died and worms have eaten them, but +not for love." Yet, no man who has loved and lost can go through his +allotted time without the consciousness that he has missed something, +something which leaves each triumph empty and incomplete. + +And then, right in the midst of my dreams, a small foot planted itself. +I turned my head and saw a woman. On seeing the bright end of my +cigar, she stopped. She stood so that the light of the moon fell full +upon her face. + +My cigar trembled and fell. + +"Phyllis!" I cried, springing to my feet, almost dumbfounded, my heart +nigh suffocating me in its desire to leap forth. "Phyllis!--and here? +What does this mean?" + +The woman looked at me with a puzzled frown, but did not answer. Then, +as I started toward her with outstretched arms, she turned and fled +into the shadows, leaving with me nothing but the echo of her laughter, +the softest, sweetest laughter! I made no effort to follow her, +because I was not quite sure that I had seen anything. + +"Moonlight!" I laughed discordantly. + +Phyllis in this deserted place? I saw how impossible that was. I had +been dreaming. The spirit of some wood-nymph had visited me, and for a +brief space had borrowed the features of the woman I loved. In vain I +searched the grove. The vision was nowhere to be found. I went back +to the inn somewhat shaken up. + +Several old veterans were seated in the barroom, smoking bad tobacco +and drinking a final bout. Their jargon was unintelligible to me. + +"Where's your barmaid?" I asked of the inn-keeper. + +His faded blue eyes scanned me sharply. I read a question in them and +wondered. + +"She went into the garden to get a breath of fresh air," he said. "She +does not like the smoke." + +It annoyed me. I had seen some one, then. What would Phyllis, proud +Phyllis, say, I mused, when she heard that a barmaid was her prototype? +This thought had scarcely left me when the door in the rear of the bar +opened and in came the barmaid herself. No, it was not Phyllis, but +the resemblance was so startling that I caught my breath and stared at +her with a persistency which bordered on rudeness. The barmaid was +blonde, whereas Phyllis was neither blonde nor brunette, but stood +between the extremes, and there was a difference in the eyes: I could +see that even in the insufficient light. + +"Good evening, fraulein," said I, with apparent composure. "And what +might your name be?" + +"It is Gretchen, if it please you," with a courtesy. I had a vague +idea that this courtesy was made mockingly. + +"Gretchen? I have heard the name before," said I, "and you remind me +of some one I have seen." + +"Herr has been to the great city?" + +B---- is the greatest city in the world to the provincial. + +"Yes," said I; "but you remind me of no one I ever saw there." + +She plucked a leaf from the rose she wore and began nibbling at it. +Her mouth was smaller than the one belonging to Phyllis. + +"The person to whom I refer," I went on, "lives in America, where your +compatriots brew fine beer and wax rich." + +"Ah, Herr is an American? I like Americans," archly. "They are so +liberal." + +I laughed, but I did not tell her why. All foreigners have a great +love of Americans--"They are so liberal." + +"So you find Americans liberal? Is it with money or with compliments?" + +Said Gretchen: "The one when they haven't the other." + +A very bright barmaid, thought I. + +Then I said: "Is this your home?" + +"Yes," said Gretchen. "I was born here and I have tended the roses for +ever so long." + +"I have heard of Gretchen of the steins, but I never before heard of a +Gretchen of the roses." + +"Herr must have a large store of compliments on hand to begin this +early." + +"It is a part of my capital," said I. "Once in Switzerland I +complimented an innkeeper, and when my bill was presented I found that +all extras had been crossed off." + +Gretchen laughed. It was a low laugh, a laugh which appeared to me as +having been aroused not at what I had said, but at something which had +recurred to her. I wanted to hear it again. + +So I said: "I suppose you have a stein here from which the King has +drunk; all taverns and inns have them." + +Gretchen only smiled, but the smile was worth something. + +"No; the King has never been within five miles of this inn." + +"So much the worse for the King." + +"And why that?" + +"The King has missed seeing Gretchen." + +It was then Gretchen laughed. + +"I have never heard compliments like Herr's before." + +"Why, I have any amount of them. I'll drink half a litre to your +health." + +She filled one of the old blue earthen steins. + +"I haven't seen your roses in the gardens, but I'll drink to those in +your cheeks," said I, and I drew back the pewter lid. + +"How long does Herr intend to stay?" asked Gretchen. + +"To the day is the evil thereof." + +"Ah, one must be happy with nothing to do." + +"Then you have the ambition common to all; to sit around and let others +wait upon you?" + +"No, that is not my ambition. I wish only to wait upon my own desires +and not those of the--the others." + +"It is all the same," said I. "Some must serve, others must be served." + +When I went upstairs to my room it was my belief that a week or so at +the inn would not hang heavy on my hands. I had forgotten for the +moment the Princess, or that I was hunting for Hillars. It is strange +how a face may upset one's plans. Gretchen's likeness to Phyllis, whom +I loved, upset mine for many days to come. + +As I gazed from my window the next morning I beheld the old innkeeper +and Gretchen engaged in earnest conversation. He appeared to be +pleading, nay, entreating, while she merely shook her head and laughed. +Finally the old man lifted his hands to heaven and disappeared around +the wing. When I came down Gretchen was in the gardens culling roses. +She said they were for the table. + +"Very well," said I; "give me one now." + +"You may have them all at the table." + +"But I shall not want them then." + +She gave me an enigmatical glance, then cut a rose for me which was +withered and worm-eaten. + +"Gretchen is unkind," I observed. + +"What matters it whether the rose be fresh or withered? It dies sooner +or later. Nothing lasts, not even the world itself. You wish a rose, +not because it is a rose, fresh and fragrant, but because I give it to +you." + +"You wrong me, Gretchen; I love a rose better than I love a woman. It +never smiles falsely, the rose, nor plays with the hearts of men. I +love a rose because it is sweet, and because it was made for man's +pleasure and not for his pain." + +"That sounds like a copy-book," laughed Gretchen. "The withered rose +should teach you a lesson." + +"What lesson?" + +"That whatever a woman gives to man withers in the exchange; a rose, a +woman's love." + +Said I reproachfully: "You are spoiling a very pretty picture. What do +you know about philosophy?" + +"What does Herr know about roses?" defiantly. + +"Much; one cannot pick too many fresh ones. And let me tell you a +lesson which you should have learned among these roses. Nature teaches +us to love all things fresh and beautiful; a rose, a face, a woman's +love." + +"Here," holding forth a great red rose. + +"No," said I, "I'll keep this one." + +She said nothing, but went on snipping a red rose here, a white one +there. She wore gloves several sizes too large for her, so I judged +that her hands were small and tender, perhaps white. And there was a +grace in her movements, dispite the ungainly dress and shoes, which +suggested a more intimate knowledge of velvets and silks than of +calico. In my mind's eye I placed her at the side of Phyllis. Phyllis +reminded me of a Venus whom Nature had whimsically left unfinished. +Then she had turned from Venus to Diana, and Gretchen became evolved: a +Diana, slim and willowy. A sculptor would have said that Phyllis might +have been a goddess, and Gretchen a wood nymph, had not Nature suddenly +changed her plans. What I admired in Phyllis was her imperfect +beauties. What I admired in Gretchen was her beautiful perfections. +And they were so alike and yet so different. Have you ever seen a body +of fresh water, ruffled by a sudden gust of wind, the cool blue-green +tint which follows? Then you have seen the color of Gretchen's eyes. +Have you ever seen ripe wheat in a sun-shower? Then you have seen the +color of Gretchen's hair. All in all, I was forced to admit that, from +an impartial and artistic view Gretchen the barmaid was far more +beautiful than Phyllis. From the standpoint of a lover it was +altogether a different matter. + +"Gretchen," said I, "you are very good-looking." + +"It would not be difficult to tell Herr's nationality." + +"Which means----?" + +"That the American says in one sentence what it would take a German or +a Frenchman several hundred sentences to say." + +Gretchen was growing more interesting every minute. + +"Then your mirror and I are not the only ones who have told you that +you are as beautiful as Hebe herself?" + +"I am not Hebe," coldly. "I am a poor barmaid, and I never spill any +wine." + +"So you understand mythology?" I cried in wonder. + +"Does Herr think that all barmaids are as ignorant as fiction and +ill-meaning novelists depict them? I have had a fair education." + +"If I ever was guilty of thinking so," said I, answering her question, +"I promise never to think so again." + +"And now will Herr go to his breakfast and let me attend to my duties?" + +"Not without regret," I said gallantly. I bowed to her as they bowed +in the days of the beaux, while she looked on suspiciously. + +At the breakfast table I proceeded to bombard the innkeeper. I wanted +to know more about Gretchen. + +"Is Gretchen your daughter?" I began. + +"No, I am only her godfather," he said. "Does Herr wish another egg?" + +"Thanks. She is very well educated for a barmaid." + +"Yes. Does Herr wish Rhine wine?" + +"Coffee is plenty. Has Gretchen seen many Americans?" + +"Few. Perhaps Herr would like a knoblauch with salt and vinegar?" + +It occurred to me that Gretchen was not to be discussed. So I made for +another channel. + +"I have heard," said I, "that once upon a time a princess was born in +this inn?" + +The old fellow elevated both eyebrows and shoulders--a deprecating +movement. + +"They say that of every inn; it has become a trade." + +If I had known the old man I might have said that he was sarcastic. + +"Then there is no truth in it?" disappointedly. + +"Oh, I do not say there is no truth in the statement; if Herr will +pardon me, it is something I do not like to talk about." + +"Ah, then there is a mystery?" I cried, with lively interest, pushing +back my chair. + +But the innkeeper shook his head determinedly. + +"Very well," I laughed; "I shall ask Gretchen." + +He smiled. The smile said: "Much good it will do you." + +Gretchen was in the barroom arranging some roses over the fireplace. +Her hands were bare; they were small and white, and surprisingly well +kept. + +"Gretchen," said I, "I want you to tell me the legend of the inn." + +"The legend?" + +"Yes; about the Princess who was born here." + +Gretchen laughed a merry laugh. The laugh said: "You are an amusing +person!" + +"Ah, the American is always after legends when he has tired of +collecting antiquities. Was there a Princess born here? Perhaps. At +any rate it is not a legend; history nor peasantry make mention of it. +Will Herr be so kind as to carry the ladder to the mantel so I may wind +the clock?" + +I do so. Even at this early stage I could see that Gretchen had the +faculty of making persons forget what they were seeking, and by the +mere sound of her voice. And it was I who wound the clock. + +"Gretchen," said I, "time lags. Make a servant out of me this morning." + +"Herr does the barmaid too much honor," with lowered eyes. + +"I, am in the habit of doing anything I please." + +"Ah, Herr is one of those millionaires I have read about!" + +"Yes, I am very rich." I laughed, but Gretchen did not see the point. + +"Come, then, with me, and you shall weed the knoblauch patch." + +She was laughing at me, but I was not to be abashed. + +"To the patch be it, then!" I cried. "An onion would smell as sweet +under any other name." + +So Gretchen and I went into the onion patch, and I weeded and hoed and +hoed and weeded till my back ached and my hands were the color of the +soil. Nothing was done satisfactorily to Gretchen. It was, "There, +you have ruined the row back of you!" or "Pull the weeds more gently!" +and sometimes, "Ach! could your friends see you now!" I suppose that I +did not make a pretty picture. The perspiration would run down my +face. I would forget the condition of my hands and push back my hair, +which fell like a mop over my brow, whereat she would laugh. Once I +took her hand and helped her to jump over a row. I was surprised at +the strength of her grasp. + +"What does Herr do for a living, he works so badly as a gardener?" + +"I am a journalist," I answered, leaning on my hoe and breathing +heavily. + +"Ach! one of those men who tell such dreadful stories about kings and +princes? Who cause men to go to war with each other? Who rouse the +ignorant to deeds of violence? One of those men who are more powerful +than a king, because they can undo him?" She drew away from me. + +"Hold on!" I cried, dropping the hoe; "what do you know about it?" + +"Enough," sadly. "I read the papers. I always look with fear upon one +of those men who can do so much good, and yet who would do so much +evil." + +I had never looked at it in that light before. + +"It seems to me, Gretchen," I said quietly, "that you are about as much +a barmaid as I am a weeder of knoblauches." + +The color of excitement fled from Gretchen's cheeks, her eyes grew +troubled and she looked away. + +"Gretchen has a secret," said I. "It is nothing to me what Gretchen's +secret is; I shall respect it, and continue to think of her only as a +barmaid with--with a superior education." I shouldered the hoe. +"Come, let us go back; I'm thirsty." + +"Thank you, Herr," was the soft reply. Then Gretchen became as dumb, +and our return to the inn was made in silence. Once there, however, +she recovered. "I am sorry to have put you at such a disadvantage," +glancing at my clothes, which were covered with brown earth. + +"Let that be the least of your troubles!" I cried gayly. Then I hummed +in English: + + + So, ho! dear Gretchen, winsome lass, + I want no tricky wine, + But amber nectar bring to me, + Whose rich bouquet will cling to me, + Whose spirit voice will sing to me + From out the mug divine + So, here's your toll--a kiss--away, + You Hebe of the Rhine! + No goblet's gold means cheer to me, + Let no cut glass get near to me-- + Go, Gretchen, haste the beer to me, + And put it in the stein! + + +I thought I saw a smile on her lips, but it was gone before I was +certain. + +"Gott in Himmel!" gasped the astonished innkeeper, as I went into the +barroom. I still had the hoe over my shoulder. + +"Never mind, mein host. I've been weeding your knoblauch patch as a +method of killing time." + +"But--" He looked at Gretchen in dismay. + +"It was I who led him there," said Gretchen, in answer to his inquiring +eyes. + +A significant glance passed between them. There was a question in his, +a command in hers. I pretended to be examining the faded tints in the +stein I held in my hand. + +I was thinking: "Since when has an innkeeper waited on the wishes of +his barmaid?" + +There was a mystery after all. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +I took my pipe and strolled along the river bank. What had I stumbled +into? Here was an old inn, with rather a feudal air; but it was only +one in a thousand; a common feature throughout the Continent. And yet, +why had the gods, when they cast out Hebe, chosen this particular inn +for her mortal residence? The pipe solves many riddles, and then, +sometimes, it creates a density. I put my pipe into my pocket and +cogitated. Gretchen had brought about a new order of things. A +philosophical barmaid was certainly a novelty. That Gretchen was +philosophical I had learned in the rose gardens. That she was also +used to giving commands I had learned in the onion patch. Hitherto I +had held the onion in contempt; already I had begun to respect it. +Above all, Gretchen was a mystery, the most alluring kind of mystery--a +woman who was not what she seemed. How we men love mysteries, which +are given the outward semblance of a Diana or a Venus! By and by, my +journalistic instinct awoke. Who are those who fear the newspapers? +Certainly it is not the guiltless. Of what was Gretchen guilty? The +inn-keeper knew. Was she one of those many conspirators who abound in +the kingdom? She was beautiful enough for anything. And whence came +the remarkable likeness between her and Phyllis? Here was a mystery +indeed. I had a week before me; in that time I might learn something +about Gretchen, even if I could solve nothing. I admit that it is +true, that had Gretchen been plain, it would not have been worth the +trouble. But she had too heavenly a face, too wonderful an eye, too +delicious a mouth, not to note her with concern. + +I did not see Gretchen again that day; but as I was watching the moon +climb up, thinking of her and smoking a few pipes as an incense to her +shrine, I heard her voice beneath my window. It was accompanied by the +bass voice of the inn-keeper. + +"But he is a journalist. Is it safe? Is anything safe from them?" +came to my ears in a worried accent, a bass. + +So the inn-keeper, too, was a Socialist! + +Said an impatient contralto: "So long as I have no fear, why should +you?" + +"Ach, you will be found out and dragged back!" was the lamentation in a +throaty baritone. Anxiety raises a bass voice at least two pitches. +"If you would but return to the hills, where there is absolute safety!" + +"No; I will not go back there, where everything is so dull and dead. I +have lived too long not to read a face at a glance. His eyes are +honest." + +"Thanks, Gretchen," murmured I from above. I was playing the listener; +but, then, she was only a barmaid. + +"And it is so long," went on the contralto, "since I have seen a man--a +strong one, I wish to see if my power is gone." + +"Aha!" thought I; "so you have already laid plans for my capitulation, +Gretchen?" + +"But," said the bass voice once more, "supposing some of the military +should straggle along? There might be one who has seen you before. +Alas! I despair! You will not hide yourself; you will stay here till +they find you." + +I fell to wondering what in the world Gretchen had done. + +"I have not been to the village since I was a little girl. Dressed as +I am, who would recognize me? No one at the castle, for there is no +one there but the steward. Would you send me away?" + +"God forbid! But this American? You say you can read faces; how about +the other one?" + +Silence. + +"Yes; how about him?" + +Said Gretchen: "We are not infallible. And perhaps I was then much to +blame." + +"No; we are not infallible; that is the reason why you should take no +chance," was the final argument of the innkeeper. + +"Hush!" said Gretchen. + +"Confound the pipe!" I muttered. It had fallen over the window sill. + +Five minutes passed; I heard no sound. Glancing from the side of the +window I saw that Gretchen and the innkeeper were gone. + +Yes, there wasn't any doubt about it; Gretchen was a conspirator. The +police were hunting for her, and she was threatened with discovery. It +was beyond my imagination what she could have done. Moreover, she was +rather courting danger; the military post was only five miles down the +river. The one thing which bothered me was the "him" who had suddenly +intruded upon the scene, invisible, but there, like Banquo's ghost. +Perhaps her beauty had lured some fellow to follow her fortunes and his +over-zeal, or lack of it, had brought ruin to some plot. + +"Gretchen," said I, as I jumped into bed, "whoever he was, he must have +been a duffer." + +Her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde was in Jericho, and Hillars +along with her, where I had consigned them. + +Next morning Gretchen waited upon me at breakfast. She was quiet and +answered my questions in monosyllables. Presently she laid something +at the side of my plate. It was my pipe. I looked at her, but the +leads of my eyes could not plumb the depths in hers. + +"Thanks," said I. "It dropped from my window last night, while I was +playing the disgraceful part of eavesdropper." I dare say she had +expected anything but this candid confession. It was very cunning in +me. She knew that I knew she knew. Had I lied I should have committed +an irreparable blunder. + +As it was she lifted her chin and laughed. + +"Will you forgive me?" + +"Yes; for you certainly wasted your time." + +"Yes, indeed; for I am just as much in the dark as ever." + +"And will remain so." + +"I hope so. A mystery is charming while it lasts. Really, Gretchen, I +did not mean to play the listener, and I promise that from now on----" + +"From now on!" cried Gretchen. "Does not Herr leave to-day?" + +"No; I am going to spend a whole week here." + +There was a mixture of dismay and anger in her gaze. + +"But, as I was going to say, I shall make no effort to pry into your +affairs. Honestly, I am a gentleman." + +"I shall try to believe you," said she, the corners of her mouth +broadening into a smile. + +She condescended to show me through the rose gardens and tell me what +she knew about them. It was an interesting lecture. And in the +evening she permitted me to row her about the river. We were getting +on very well under the circumstances. + +The week was soon gone, and Gretchen and I became very good friends. +Often when she had nothing to do we would wander along the river +through the forests, always, I noticed, by a route which took us away +from the village. Each day I discovered some new accomplishment. +Sometimes I would read Heine or Goethe to her, and she would grow rapt +and silent. In the midst of some murmurous stanza I would suddenly +stop, only to see her start and look at me as though I had committed a +sacrilege, in that I had spoiled some dream of hers. Then again I +myself would become lost in dreams, to be aroused by a soft voice +saying: "Well, why do you not go on?" Two people of the opposite sexes +reading poetry in the woods is a solemn matter. This is not +appreciated at the time, however. It comes back afterward. + +In all the week I had learned nothing except that Gretchen was not what +she pretended to be. But I feared to ask questions. They might have +spoiled all. And the life was so new to me, so quiet and peaceful, +with the glamour of romance over it all, that I believe I could have +stayed on forever. And somehow Phyllis was fading away, slowly but +surely. The regret with which I had heretofore looked upon her +portrait was lessening each day; from active to passive. And yet, was +it because Gretchen was Phyllis in the ideal? Was I falling in love +with Gretchen because she was Gretchen, or was my love for Phyllis +simply renewing itself in Gretchen? Was that the reason why the +portrait of Phyllis grew less holding and interesting to me? It was a +complex situation; one I frowned over when alone. It was becoming +plainer to me every hour that I had a mystery all of my own to solve. +And Gretchen was the only one to solve it. + +I shall never forget that night under the chestnuts, on the bank of the +wide white river. The leaves were gossiping among themselves; they had +so much to talk about; and then, they knew so much! Had not they and +their ancestors filtered the same moonbeams, century on century? Had +not their ancestors heard the tramp of the armies, the clash of the +sabre, the roar of the artillery? Had not the hand of autumn and the +hand of death marked them with the crimson sign? Ah, the leaves! It +is well to press them in books when they themselves have such fine +stories to tell. + +"Gretchen," said I, echoing my thoughts, "had I been born a hundred +years ago I must have been a soldier. Napoleon was a great warrior." + +"So was Blücher, since it was he who helped overcome the little +Corsican." + +The Germans will never forgive Napoleon. + +"But war is a terrible thing," went on Gretchen. + +"Yes, but it is a great educator; it teaches the vanquished how little +they know." + +"War is the offspring of pride; that is what makes it so abhorred." + +"It is also the offspring of oppression; that is what makes it so +great." + +"Yes; when the people take up arms it is well. War is the torch of +liberty in the hands of the people. Oh, I envy the people, who are so +strong, yet know it not. If I were a man I would teach the people that +a king has no divine right, save when it is conferred upon him by them." + +"Gretchen, I'm afraid that you're a bit of a Socialist." + +"And who is not who has any love for humanity?" + +"A beautiful woman who is a Socialist, Gretchen, is a menace to the +King. Sometimes he fears her. At large, she is dangerous. He seeks +her, and if he finds her, he takes away her liberty." All this was +said with a definite purpose. It was to let Gretchen know that I knew +her secret. "Gretchen, you are an embryo Socialist; a chrysalis, as it +were." + +"No, Herr," sadly; "I am a butterfly whose wings have been clipped." + +I had not expected this admission, + +"Never mind," said I. "Gretchen, I do not want you to call me Herr; +call me Jack." + +"Jack!" she said. It became an uncommon name now. + +"Whatever your true name may be, I shall never call you anything but +Gretchen." + +"Ah, Jack!" She laughed, and the lurking echoes clasped the music of +that laughter in their wanton arms and hurried it across the river. + +"Sing to me," said I. + +Then imagine my surprise--I, who had heard nothing but German fall from +her lips?--when in a heavenly contralto she sang a chanson from "La +Fille de Madame Angot," an opera forgotten these ten years! + + + "_Elle est tellement innocente!_" + + +She had risen, and she stood there before me with a halo of moonshine +above her head. The hot blood rushed to my ears. Barmaid, Socialist, +or whatever she might be, she was lovable. In a moment I was kissing +her hand, the hand so small, so white, and yet so firm. A thousand +inarticulate words came to my lips--from my heart! Did the hand +tremble? I thought so. But swiftly she drew it from my clasp, all the +joy and gladness gone from her face and eyes. + +"No, no!" she cried; "this must not be; it must not be!" + +"But I----" I began eagerly. + +"You must not say it; I command you. If you speak, Gretchen will be +Gretchen no more. Yes, the King seeks Gretchen; but will you drive her +away from her only haven?" with a choking sound. + +"Gretchen, trust me. Shall I go to-morrow? Shall I leave you in +peace?" Somehow I believed myself to be in danger. "Speak!" + +There was an interval of stillness, broken only by the beating of +hearts. Then: + +"Stay. But speak no word of love; it is not for such as I. Stay and +be my friend, for I need one. Cannot a woman look with favor upon a +man but he must needs become her lover? I shall trust you as I have +trusted other men. And though you fail me in the end, as others have +done, still I shall trust you. Herr, I conspire against the King. For +what? The possession of my heart. All my life I have stood alone, so +alone." + +"I will be your friend, Gretchen; I will speak no word of love. Will +that suffice?" + +"It is all I ask, dear friend. And now will you leave me?" + +"Leave you?" I cried. "I thought you bade me stay?" + +"Ah," putting out her hand; "you men do not understand. Sometimes a +woman wishes to be alone when--when she feels that she--she cannot hold +back her tears!" + +Gravely I bent over her hand and kissed it. It seemed to me as I let +the hand fall that I had never kissed a woman on the lips. I turned +and went slowly down the path. Once I looked back. I saw something +white lying at the foot of the tree. Heaven knows what a struggle it +was, but I went on. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that +I loved her. When I reached the inn I turned again, but I saw nothing. +I sat in my room a long time that night, smoking my pipe till the +candle gasped feebly and died in the stick, and the room was swallowed +in darkness. + +I did not know, I was not sure, but I thought that, so long as I might +not love Phyllis, it would not be a very hard task to love her image, +which was Gretchen. You see, Phyllis was so very far away and Gretchen +was so near! + + + + +CHAPTER X + +I lowered the glasses. I discerned them to be cavalrymen, petty +officers. They were mounted on spirited horses. + +"Gretchen," said I, "they are cavalrymen. They do not wear the +Hohenphalian uniform; so, perhaps, it would be just as well for you to +go to your room and remain there till they are gone. Ah," said I, +elevating the glasses again; "they wear his Majesty's colors. You had +best retire." + +"I refuse. They may be thirsty." + +"I'll see to that," I laughed. + +"But--" she began. + +"Oh, Gretchen wishes to see new faces," said I, with chagrin. + +"If it pleases you, sir," mischievously. + +"What if they are looking for--for--" + +"That is the very reason why I wish to see them." + +"You are determined?" + +"I am." + +"Very well," said I; "you had best eat an onion." + +"And for what purpose?" + +"As a preventive to offensive tactics," looking slyly at her. + +Her laugh rang out mockingly. + +"Do you not know that aside from dueling, the German lives only for his +barmaid, his beer and his knoblauch? Nevertheless, since you wish it I +will eat one--for your sake." + +"For my sake?" I cried in dismay. "Heaven forfend!" + +"Does Herr----" + +"Jack," said I. + +"Does Herr Jack think," her eyes narrowing till naught but a line of +their beautiful blue-green could be seen, "that one of those would dare +take a liberty with me?" + +"I hope he will not. I should have the unpleasant duty of punching his +head." If I could not kiss Gretchen nobody else should. + +"You are very strong." + +"Yes; and there are some things which add threefold to a man's +strength." + +"Such as ----" She looked at me daringly. + +"Yes, such as ----" Her eyes fell before my glance, A delicate veil of +rose covered her face for a moment. I wondered if she knew that it was +only because I clinched my fists till the nails cut, that I did not do +the very thing I feared the stragglers coming down the road might do. +"Come," said I, peremptorily; "there is no need of your welcoming them +here." + +So we entered the inn; and she began furbishing up the utensils, just +to tease me more than anything else. + +Outside there was a clatter of hoofs, the chink of the spur, +intermingled with a few oaths; and then the two representatives of the +King came in noisily. They gazed admiringly at Gretchen as she poured +out their beer. She saw the rage in my eyes. She was aggravating with +her promiscuous smiles. The elder officer noticed my bulldog pipe. + +"English?" he inquired, indifferently. The German cannot disassociate +an Englishman and a briarwood bulldog pipe. + +"English," I answered discourteously. It mattered nothing to me +whether he took me for an Englishman or a Zulu; either answered the +purpose. + +He wore an eyeglass, through which he surveyed me rather contemptuously. + +"What is your name, fraulein?" he asked turning to Gretchen. + +"Gretchen," sweetly. + +"And what is the toll for a kiss?" + +"Nothing," said Gretchen, looking at me. The lieutenant started for +her, but she waved him off. "Nothing, Herr Lieutenant, because they +are not for sale." + +I moved closer to the bar. + +"Out for a constitutional?" I asked, blowing the ash from the live coal +in my pipe. + +"We are on his Majesty's business," with an intonation which implied +that the same was none of mine. "Gretchen, we shall return to-night, +so you may lay two plates at a separate table," with an eye on me. He +couldn't have hated me any more than I hated him. "Then, there is no +way of getting a kiss?" + +"No," said Gretchen. + +"Then I'll blow you one;" and Gretchen made a pretty curtesey. + +I nearly bit the amber stem off my pipe. They were soon gone, and I +was glad of it. + +"Herr Jack is angry," said Gretchen. + +"Not at all," I growled. "What right have I to be angry?" + +"Does Herr Jack wish Gretchen always to be sad?" + +"Certainly not: but sometimes your joy is irritating. You are sad all +day, then some strangers come, and you are all smiles. Your smiles do +not come in my direction as often as I should like." + +"Well, then, look at me," said Gretchen. + +The smile would have dazzled an anchorite, let alone a man who didn't +know whether he loved her for certain, but who was willing to give odds +that he did! + +"Gretchen!" I cried, starting toward her. + +But with a low laugh she disappeared behind the door. Gretchen was a +woman. As a man must have his tobacco, so must a woman have her +coquetry. It was rather unfair of Gretchen, after what I had promised. +It was like getting one in a cage and then offering sweetmeats at a +safe distance. + +It now became a question of analysis. So I went to the river and sat +down in the grass. A gentle wind was stirring the leaves, and the +sunbeams, filtering through the boughs, fell upon the ground in golden +snowflakes. What was Gretchen to me that I should grow jealous of her +smiles? The night before I could have sworn that I loved her; now I +was not so sure. A week ago all the sunshine in the world had come +from Phyllis's face; a shadow had come between. Oh, I knew the +symptoms. They were not new to me. They had visited me some five +years back, and had clung to me with the tenacity of a creditor to a +man with expectations. When a man arrives at that point where he wants +the society of one woman all to himself, the matter assumes serious +proportions. And a man likes to fall in love with one woman and +continue to love her all his days; it is more romantic. It annoys him +to face the fact that he is about to fall in love with another. In my +case I felt that there was some extenuation. Gretchen looked like +Phyllis. When I saw Gretchen in the garden and then went to my room +and gazed upon the likeness of Phyllis, I was much like the bachelor +Heine tells about--I doddered. + +The red squirrel in the branches above me looked wisely. He was +wondering how long before the green burrs would parch and give him +their brown chestnuts. I was contemplating a metaphysical burr. I +wanted to remain true to Phyllis, though there wasn't any sense in my +doing so. Had Gretchen resembled any one but Phyllis I never should +have been in such a predicament. I should have gone away the day after +my arrival. Here I was going into my second week. My assistant in +London was probably worrying, having heard nothing from me during that +time. As matters stood it was evident that I could not be true either +to Phyllis or Gretchen, since I did not know positively which I loved. +I knew that I loved one. So much was gained. I wanted to throw up a +coin, heads for Phyllis, tails for Gretchen, but I couldn't bring +myself to gamble on the matter. I threw a stick at his squirrelship, +and he scurried into the hole in the crotch of the tree. A moment +later he peered at me, and, seeing that nothing was going to follow the +stick, crept out on the limb again, his tail bristling with indignation. + +"If it hadn't been for Gretchen," said I, "you would have been a potpie +long ago." + +He must have understood my impotence, for he winked at me jeeringly. + +A steamer came along then, puffing importantly, sending a wash almost +at my feet. I followed it with my eye till it became lost around the +bend. Over there was Austria and beyond, the Orient, a new world to me. + +"If I could see them together!" I mused aloud. + +The squirrel cocked his head to one side as if to ask: "Austria and +Turkey?" + +"No," said I, looking around for another stick; "Phyllis and Gretchen. +If I could see them together, you know, I could tell positively then +which I love. As it is, I'm in doubt. Do you understand?" + +The squirrel ran out to the end of the limb and sat down. It was an +act of deliberation. + +"Well, why don't you answer?" + +I was startled to my feet by the laughter which followed my question. +A few yards behind me stood Gretchen. + +"Can't you find a better confidant?" she asked, + +"Yes, but she will not be my confidant," said I. I wondered how much +she had heard of the one-sided dialogue. "Will you answer the question +I just put to that squirrel of yours?" + +"And what was the question?" with innocence not feigned. + +"Perhaps it was, Why should Gretchen not revoke the promise to which +she holds me?" + +"You should know, Herr," said Gretchen, gently. + +"But I do not. I only know that a man is human and that a beautiful +woman was made to be loved." Everything seemed solved now that +Gretchen stood at my side. + +But she turned as if to go. + +"Gretchen," I called, "do not go. Forgive me; if only you understood!'" + +"Perhaps I do understand," she replied with a gentleness new to me. +"Do you remember why I asked you to stay?" + +"Yes; I was to be your friend." + +"This time it is for me to ask whether I go or stay." + +"Stay, Gretchen!" But I was a hypocrite when I said it. + +"I knew that you would say that," simply. + +"Gretchen, sit down and I'll tell you the story of my life, as they say +on the stage." I knocked the dead ash from my pipe and stuffed the +bowl with fresh weed. I lit it and blew a cloud of smoke into the air. +"Do you see that, Gretchen?" + +"Yes, Herr," sitting down, the space of a yard between us. + +"It is pretty, very; but see how the wind carries it about! As it +leaves my throat it looks like a tangible substance. Reach for it and +it is gone. That cloud of smoke is my history." + +"It disappears," said Gretchen. + +"And so shall I at the appointed time. That cloud of smoke was a +fortune. I reached for it, and there was nothing but the air in my +hand. It was a woman's love. For five years I watched it curl and +waver. In it I saw many castles and the castles were fair, indeed. I +strove to grasp this love; smoke, smoke. Smoke is nothing, given a +color. Thus it is with our dreams. If only we might not wake!" + +Gretchen's eyes were following the course of the languid river. + +"Once there was a woman I thought I loved; but she would have none of +it. She said that the love I gave her was not complete because she did +not return it. She brought forth the subject of affinities, and +ventured to say that some day I might meet mine. I scoffed inwardly. +I have now found what she said to be true. The love I gave her was the +bud; the rose-- Gretchen," said I, rising, "I love you; I am not a +hypocrite; I cannot parade my regard for you under the flimsy guise of +friendship." + +"Go and give the rose to her to whom you gave the bud," said Gretchen. +The half smile struck me as disdainful. "You are a strange wooer." + +"I am an honest one." I began plucking at the bark of the tree. "No; +I shall let the rose wither and die on the stem. I shall leave +to-morrow, Gretchen. I shall feel as Adam did when he went forth from +Eden. Whatever your place in this world is it is far above mine. I +am, in truth, a penniless adventurer. The gulf between us cannot be +bridged." + +"No," said Gretchen, the smile leaving her lips, "the gulf cannot be +bridged. You are a penniless adventurer, and I am a fugitive from--the +law, the King, or what you will. You are a man; man forgets. You have +just illustrated the fact. His memory and his promises are like the +smoke; they fade away but soon. I shall be sorry to have you go, but +it is best so." + +"Do you love any one else?" + +"I do not; I love no one in the sense you mean. It was not written +that I should love any man." + +"Gretchen, who are you, and what have you done?" + +"What have I done? Nothing! Who am I? Nobody!" + +"Is that the only answer you can give?" + +"It is the only answer I will give." + +There was something in Gretchen's face which awed me. It was power and +resolution, two things man seldom sees in a woman's face. + +"Supposing, Gretchen, that I should take you in my arms and kiss you?" +I was growing reckless because I felt awed, which seems rather a +remarkable statement. "I know you only as a barmaid; why, not?" + +She never moved to go away. There was no alarm in her eyes, though +they narrowed. + +"You would never forgive yourself, would you?" + +I thought for a moment. "No, Gretchen, I should never forgive myself. +But I know that if I ask you to let me kiss your hand before I go, you +will grant so small a favor." + +"There," and her hand stretched toward me. "And what will your kiss +mean?" + +"That I love you, but also respect you, and that I shall go." + +"I am sorry." + +It was dismal packing. I swore a good deal, softly. Gretchen was not +in the dining-room when I came down to supper. It was just as well. I +wanted to be cool and collected when I made my final adieu. After +supper I lit my pipe (I shall be buried with it!) and went for a jaunt +up the road. There was a train at six the next morning. I would leave +on that. Why hadn't I taken Gretchen in my arms and kissed her? It +would have been something to remember in the days to come. I was a +man, and stronger; she would have been powerless. Perhaps it was the +color of her eyes. + +I had not gone up the highway more than 100 yards when I saw the lonely +figure of a man tramping indirectly toward me and directly toward the +inn. Even in the dusk of twilight there was something familiar about +that stride. Presently the man lifted up his voice in song. The +"second lead," as they say back of the scenes, was about to appear +before the audience. + +Evidently Hillars had found "Jericho" distasteful and had returned to +protest. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +"Hello, there!" he hailed, seeing but not recognizing me; "have you +seen any cavalry pass this way?" + +"No, I have not," I answered in English. + +"Eh? What's that?" not quite believing it was English he had heard. + +"I said that no cavalry has passed this way since this afternoon. Are +they looking for you, you jail-bird in perspective?" + +He was near enough now. "Well, I be dam'!" he cried. "What the devil +are you doing here, of all places?" + +"I was looking for you," said I, locking my arm in his. + +"Everybody has been making that their occupation since I left Austria," +cursing lowly. "I never saw such people." + +"What have you been doing this time?" + +"Nothing; but I want to do something right away. They have been +hounding me all over the kingdom. What have I done? Nothing, +absolutely nothing. It makes me hot under the collar. These German +blockheads! Do they think to find the Princess Hildegarde by following +me around? I'd give as much as they to find her." + +"So you haven't seen anything of her?" + +"Not a sign. I came here first, but not a soul was at the castle. +Nobody knows where she is. I came here this time to throw them off the +track, but I failed. I had a close shave this noon. I'll light out +to-morrow. It isn't safe in these parts. It would be of no use to +tell them that I do not know where the princess is. They have +connected me with her as they connect one link of a chain to another. +You can kill a German, but you can't convince him. How long have you +been here?" + +I did not reply at once. "About ten days." + +"Ten days!" he echoed. "What on earth has kept you in this ruin that +long?" + +"Rest," said I, glibly. "But I am going away to-morrow. We'll go +together. They will not know what to do with two of us." + +"Yes, they will. You will be taken for my accomplice. . . . Hark! +What's that?" holding his hand to his ear. "Horses. Come, I'm not +going to take any risk." + +So we made a run for the inn. In the twilight haze we could see two +horsemen coming along the highway at a brisk gallop. + +"By the Lord Harry!" Hillars cried excitedly; "the very men I have been +dodging all day. Hurry! Can you put me somewhere for the time being? +The garret; anywhere." + +"Come on; there's a place in the garret where they'll never find you." + +I got him upstairs unseen. If no one but I knew him to be at the inn, +so much the better. + +"O, say! This'll smother me," said Dan, as I pushed him into the +little room. + +"They'll put you in a smaller place," I said. "Hang it all Jack; I'd +rather have it out with them." + +"They have their pistols and sabres." + +"That's so. In that case, discretion is the better part of valor, and +they wouldn't appreciate any coup on my side. Come back and let me out +as soon as they go." + +I descended into the barroom and found the two officers interrogating +the innkeeper. They were the same fellows who had visited the inn +earlier in the day. Gretchen was at her place behind the bar. She was +paler than usual. + +"Ah," said the innkeeper, turning to me, "am I not right in saying that +you are the only guest at the inn, and that no American has been here?" + +I did not understand his motive, for he knew that I was an American. + +"It is perfectly true," said I, "that I am your only guest." + +"Ah, the Englishman!" said the lieutenant, suspiciously. "We are +looking for a person by the name of Hillars whom we are charged to +arrest. Do you know anything about him?" + +"It is not probable," said I, nonchalantly. + +I glanced at Gretchen. I could fathom nothing there. + +"Well," snarled the lieutenant, "I suppose you will not object to my +seeing your passports?" + +"Not in the least," said I. But I felt a shock. The word "American" +was written after the nationality clause in my passports. I was in for +some excitement on my own account. If I returned from my rooms saying +that I could not find my passports they would undoubtedly hold me till +the same were produced. "I'll go and bring them for you," said I. I +wanted some time in which to mature a plan of action, if action became +necessary. + +There was rather a sad expression in Gretchen's eyes. She understood +to a fuller extent than I what was likely to follow when it was found +that I had misrepresented myself. I cursed the folly which had led me +to say that I was English. And I swore at the innkeeper for meddling. +As I left the room I smiled at Gretchen, but she did not answer it. +Perhaps I was gone five minutes. In that time I made up my mind to +show the passports, and trust to luck for the rest. When I came back +Gretchen had engrossed their attention. They took no notice of me. I +have never understood how it came about, but all at once the lieutenant +bent forward and kissed Gretchen on the cheek. She started back with a +cry, then looked at me. That swift glance told me what to do. I took +the lieutenant by the collar and flung him into the corner. The +surprise on his face was not to be equaled. Then, as he rose to his +feet, the veins in his neck swelled with rage. + +"I'll pay you for that, you meddling beef-eater!" he roared. + +"Don't mention it," said I, with an assumption of blandness which I did +not feel. "That was simply gratuitous. It is a sample of what I shall +do to you if you do not immediately ask this lady's pardon for the +gross insult you have just offered her." + +"Insult! To kiss a common barmaid an insult!" he yelled, now purpling. +"Why--why--what is this woman to you--this tavern wench, this--" + +"Be careful," I warned. + +Gretchen was calmly wiping her cheek; but her eyes were like polished +emeralds. + +"You came here, I believe," said I, "to see if my passports were +proper." + +"Damn you and your passports! Are you a gentleman?" + +"Would you recognize one if you saw him?" I laughed. + +"Can you fight?" + +"Certainly," said I, thinking of the weapons nature in her kindness had +given to me. + +"Good! Otto, have the horses brought around. We will cut for the +barracks and get the colonel's weapons--the rapiers." + +The word "rapier" sent an icy chill up my spine. A duel! + +"The devil!" said I, under my breath. I knew less about fencing than I +did about aerial navigation, which was precious little. The fact that +Gretchen was now smiling aggravated the situation. I could not help +the shudder. Why, the fellow would make a sieve out of me! + +"Will you look at my passports now?" I asked. "You may not have the +opportunity again." + +"Your passports from now on will be void," was the retort. "But I +shall be pleased to give you a passport to the devil. I shall kill +you," complacently. + +"Think of my family," said I, a strange humor taking possession of me. + +"You should have thought of your family before you struck me that +blow," he replied. + +My laughter was genuine; even Gretchen smuggled a smile. The +lieutenant had taken my remark in all seriousness. + +"You will not run away?" he asked. + +"I shall probably be obliged to run away to-morrow," said I, smoothly. +"I should not be able to account for your presence here. But I shall +await your return from the barracks, never fear." All this was mere +bravado; honestly, I shrunk within my clothes and shivered in my shoes. +But I had an unfailing mental nerve. Some call it bluff. + +Gretchen had been whispering to the innkeeper. When he moved from her +side, she was smiling. + +"What the deuce is she smiling about?" I wondered. "Does the woman +take me for a modern D'Artagnan?" + +"Innkeeper," said the lieutenant, "if this man is not here when I +return, I'll take satisfaction out of your hide." + +The innkeeper shrugged. "I have never heard of an Englishman running +away." + +"And I have seen many a German do that," I put in. "How am I to know +that your going to the barracks is not a ruse?" + +He gasped. The words would not come which would do justice to his +feelings. He drew off one of his gloves and threw it into my face. It +stung me. I should have knocked him down, but for the innkeeper +stepping between. + +"No, Herr," he said; "do not disable him." + +"You had best go to the barracks at once," said I to the lieutenant. +My clothes were too small for me now, and I did not shiver in my shoes. +My "Yankee" blood was up. I would have fought him with battle axes. + +"Herr," said the innkeeper, when the two had made off for the barracks, +"you are a man of courage." + +"Thanks," said I. + +"Do you know anything about rapiers?" he asked. + +"I know the handle from the blade; that's all. But that does not make +any difference. I'd fight him with any weapon. He struck me; and +then--then, he kissed Gretchen." + +"I have wiped it off, Herr," said Gretchen, dryly. Then she passed +from the room. + +I went upstairs too. I looked out of my window. There was moonlight; +possibly the last time I should ever see moonlight in the land of the +living. Nothing but a mishap on my opponent's part, and that early in +the combat, would save my epidermis. The absurd side of the affair +struck me, and I laughed, mirthlessly, but none the less I laughed. If +it had been pistols the chances would have been equal. A German does +not like pistols as a dueling apparatus. They often miss fire. A +sword is a surer weapon. And then, the French use them--the +pistols--in their fiascoes. Rapiers? I was as familiar with the +rapier as I was with the Zulu assegai. I unstrapped my traveling case +and took out Phyllis's photograph. I put it back. If I was to have a +last look at any woman it should be at Gretchen. Then I got out my +cane and practiced thrusting and parrying. My wrist was strong. + +"Well," I mused, "there's consolation in knowing that in two hours I +shall be either dead or alive." + +I flung the cane into the corner. To pass away the time I paced back +and forth. It passed too quickly; and it was not long ere I heard the +clatter of the returning cavalrymen. Some one knocked at my door. I +swung it open and--was thrown to the floor, bound and gagged in a tenth +of a minute. + +"Put him on the bed," whispered the leader of my assailants. When this +was done the voice added: "Now you can go to the stables and wait there +till I call you." + +It was the innkeeper. He surveyed me for a moment and scratched his +chin. + +"Will Herr keep perfectly quiet if I take the handkerchief from his +mouth?" he asked. + +I nodded, bewildered. + +"What in tophet does this mean?" I gasped. I did not say tophet, but +it looks better in writing. + +"It means nothing and everything," was the answer. "In the first +place, Herr will fight no duel. The man with whom you were to fight +was sent on an errand to this out-of-the-way place as a punishment for +dueling at the capital. I know him by reputation. He is a brawler, +but a fair swordsman. He would halve you as I would a chicken. There +is another who has a prior claim on him. If there is anything left of +Herr Lieutenant at the end of the fray, you are welcome to it. Yes, +there will be a duel, but you will not be one of the principals. It is +all arranged." + +"But I do not understand," I cried. + +"It is not necessary that you should." He laughed and rubbed his hands +in pleasurable anticipation. "There is a young man downstairs, who +arrived a few moments before the lieutenant. He has a special affair. +There were words. Herr Lieutenant is mad enough to fight a whole +company." + +"Then, why in heaven's name am I up here in this condition?" I cried. +"Let me go and be the young man's second; though I can't for the life +of me see where he has come from so suddenly, and I might say, +opportunely. Come, cut me loose." + +"It is too late!" + +"Too late?" + +"Yes. Herr Lieutenant has been informed that you ran away." + +"Ran away!" I roared. "You told him that I ran away? Damn your +insolence! I'll break every bone in your body for this!" I cried, +straining at the ropes. + +"The ropes are new," said he; "you'll hurt yourself." + +"You told him that I ran away?" This was too much. + +"Yes. Ah, but you will be surprised. The duel will last five minutes. +Herr Lieutenant will thrust; the thrust will be parried. He will +feint; useless. Thrust on thrust; parry on parry. Consternation will +take the place of confidence; he will grow nervous; he will try all his +little tricks and they will fail. Then his eyes will roll and his +breath come in gasps. Suddenly he thinks he sees an opening; he +lunges--ach! the fool; it is all over!" The old man's voice quivered +with excitement. He had passed his time in the barracks and had seen +many a sword skirmish. + +"Well, are you going to take off these ropes?" + +"No. You would break every bone in my body." + +"Damn it, man!" I groaned, in exasperation. + +"You will soon be out of breath." + +Oh! could I have but loosened those cords! + +"Stahlberg, who left the service a year ago, will act in the capacity +of second." Stahlberg was at the head of the vineyard. "I shall watch +the affair from the window here; the scene of action will take place in +the clearing beyond. It will be an affair worth witnessing." + +"And where is Gretchen?" + +"Where she should be; at the bar, a dutiful bar-maid." Then I heard +nothing but the deep cachinations of the innkeeper. There was +something in the affair which appealed to his humor. I could not see +it. For ten minutes my vocabulary was strictly unprintable. + +"Will you kindly tell me what the meaning of all this is?" + +"Herr Winthrop, the idyl has come to an end; the epic now begins." + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +The golden summer moon was far up now, and the yellow light of it came +into the window and illumined the grim face of the innkeeper, throwing +a grotesque shadow of him onto the floor. The leaves rustled and +purred against the eaves. As the branches moved so did the light and +darkness move over the innkeeper's visage. He was silent and +meditative. + +"An epic?" I said. + +"An epic." + +"Innkeeper," said I, "if I give you my word of honor not to molest you +or leave this room, will you let me be a witness?" + +He passed into the gloom, then back into the light. + +"This is no trick?" suspiciously. "I have a deal of regard for my +bones, old as they are." + +"On my honor." + +"Well, I'll do it. It is in the blood of us all. But a false move on +your part, and I promise you that this knife shall find a resting place +in you." + +He cut the ropes and I was free. But my arms ached. + +The two of us took our stand by the window and waited for the +principals in the drama about to be enacted in the clearing. I confess +that my conscience was ill at ease; why, I knew not. I was dreading +something, I knew not what. The inn-keeper's hand trembled on my arm. + +"Sh! they come," he whispered. + +As I looked beyond his finger I saw four figures advance over the +sward. One of them, a slight boyish form, was new to me. The fellow +walked briskly along at the side of Stahlberg, who was built on the +plan of a Hercules. When they came to the clearing they stopped. The +seconds went through the usual formalities of testing the temper of the +swords. Somehow, I could not keep my eyes off the youngster, who was +going to do battle with the veteran; and I could not help wondering +where in the world he had come from, and why in the world he had chosen +this place to settle his dispute in. There were plenty of convenient +places in the village, in and around the barracks. He took his +position, back to me, so I could not tell what he was like. The moon +shone squarely in the lieutenant's face, upon which was an expression +of contempt mingled with confidence. My heart thumped, for I had never +seen a duel before. + +"I do not know where you came from," I heard the lieutenant say; "but +you managed nicely to pick a quarrel. It is all on your own head. It +is too bad that cur of an Englishman had to run away." + +The innkeeper's knife was so close that I could feel the point of it +against my ribs. So I gave up the wild idea of yelling from the window +that I hadn't run away. + +The lieutenant's opponent shrugged. He placed himself on guard; that +was his reply. Suddenly the two sprang forward, and the clash of +swords followed. I could not keep track of the weapons, but I could +see that the youngster was holding his own amazingly well. Neither was +touched the first bout. + +"Two minutes," murmured the old rascal at my side. "It will be over +this time." + +"You seem to have a good deal of confidence in your young man," said I. + +"There is not a finer swords--swordsman in the kingdom, or on the +continent, for that matter. There! they are at it again." + +Step by step the lieutenant gave ground; the clashing had stopped; it +was needle-like work now. Gradually they began to turn around. The +blades flashed in the moonshine like heat lightning. My pulse attuned +itself to every stroke. I heard a laugh. It was full of scorn. The +laugh--it recalled to me a laugh I had heard before. Evidently the +youngster was playing with the veteran. I became fascinated. And +while the innkeeper and I watched a curious thing happened. Something +seemed to be slipping from the youngster's head; he tried to put up his +free hand, but the lieutenant was making furious passes! A flood of +something dimly yellow suddenly fell about the lad's shoulders. Oh, +then I knew! With a snarl of rage I took the inn-keeper by the throat +and hurled him, knife and all, to the floor, dashed from the room, +thence to the stairs, down which I leaped four at a time. Quick as I +was, I was too late. The lieutenant's sword lay on the grass, and he +was clasping his shoulder with the sweat of agony on his brow. + +"Damnation!" he groaned; "a woman!" Then he tottered and fell in the +arms of his subordinate. He had fainted. + +"This will make a pretty story," cried the young officer, as he laid +his superior lengthwise, and tried to staunch the flow of blood. +"Here's a man who runs away, and lets a woman--God knows what +sort--fight his duels for him, the cur!" + +I never looked at him, but went straight to Gretchen. Stahlberg gave +me a questioning glance, and made a move as though to step between. + +"Stand aside, man!" I snapped. "Gretchen, you have dishonored me." + +"It were better than to bury you"--lightly. "I assure you he caused me +no little exertion." + +Yet her voice shook, and she shuddered as she cast aside the sword. + +"You have made a laughing stock of me. I am a man, and can fight my +own battles," I said, sternly. "My God!" breaking down suddenly, +"supposing you had been killed?" + +"It was not possible. And the man insulted me, not you. A woman? +Very well. I can defend myself against everything but calumny. Have I +made a laughing stock of you? It is nothing to me. It would not have +altered my--" + +She was very white, and she stroked her forehead. + +"Well?" said I. + +"It would not have altered my determination to take the sword in hand +again." + +She put her hand to her throat as though something there had tightened. + +"Ah, I am a woman, for I believe that I am about to faint! No!" +imperiously, as I threw out my arms to catch her. "I can reach the +door alone, without assistance." + +And so we went along. I did not know what to do, nor yet what to say. +A conflict was raging in my heart between shame and love; shame, that a +woman had fought for me and won where I should have lost; love, that +strove to spring from my lips in exultation. I knew not which would +have conquered had I not espied the blood on Gretchen's white hand. + +"You are wounded!" I cried. + +She gazed at her hand as though she did not understand; then, with a +little sob and a little choke she extended her arms toward me and +stumbled. Was ever there a woman who could look on blood without +fainting? Gretchen had not quite fainted, but the moon had danced, she +said, and all had grown dim. + +"Gretchen, why did you risk your life? In God's name, what manner of +woman are you, and where did you learn to use the sword? Had you no +thought of me?" I was somewhat incoherent. + +"No thought of you?" She drew the back of her hand over her eyes. "No +thought of you? I did it because--because I did not--I could not--you +would have been killed!" + +I was a man--human. I loved her. I had always loved her; I had never +loved any one else. I was a coward to do what I did, but I could not +help it. I crushed her to my breast and kissed her lips, not once, but +many times. + +"How dare you!" weakly. + +"How dare I, Gretchen, dear Gretchen?" I said. "I dare because I love +you! I love you! What is it to me that you have dishonored me in the +eyes of men? Nothing. I love you! Are you a barmaid? I care not. +Are you a conspirator? I know not, nor care. I know but one thing: I +love you; I shall always love you! Shall I tell you more? Gretchen, +you love me!" + +"No, no! it cannot be!" she sobbed, pushing me back. "I am the most +wretched woman in the world! Do not follow me, Herr; leave me, I beg +you to leave me. I have need of the little strength left. Leave me, +leave me!" + +And she passed through the doorway into the darkness beyond. I did not +move from where I stood. I grew afraid that it was a dream, and that +if I moved it would vanish. I could yet feel her lithe, warm body +palpitating in my arms; my lips still tingled and burned with the flame +of hers. An exultant wave swept over me; she loved me! She had not +told me so, but I knew. She had put her heart before mine; my life was +dearer to her than her own. I could have laughed for joy. She loved +me! My love overwhelmed my shame, engulfed it. Then-- + +"I know you," said a harsh voice at my elbow. It startled me, and I +wheeled swiftly. It was the lieutenant's brother officer. "I thought +from what I heard of you that you were a man worth trouble and caution. +Ach! you, the man we have scoured the country for? I should not have +believed it. To let a woman fight for him! And she--she is more than +a woman--she is a goddess!" with enthusiasm. "If I was betrothed to +her I'd find her if I had to hunt in heaven and hell for her. And what +does she see in you?" He snapped his fingers derisively. "I warn you +that your race is run. You cannot leave a railway station within the +radius of a hundred miles. The best thing you can do is to swim the +river and stop in the middle. The Prince is at the village, and he +shall know. Woe to you, you meddler!" + +"Young man," said a voice from over my shoulder, from the doorway, "you +should by right address those impertinent remarks to me. I am Hillars, +the man you seek." + +And I had forgotten his very existence! What did he know? What had he +seen? + +"You may inform Count von Walden," continued Dan, "that I shall await +his advent with the greatest of impatience. Now let me add that you +are treating this gentleman with much injustice. I'll stake my life on +his courage. The Princess Hildegarde is alone responsible for what has +just happened." + +"The Princess Hildegarde!" I cried. + +Hillars went on: "Why she did this is none of your business or mine. +Why she substituted herself concerns her and this gentleman only. Now +go, and be hanged to you and your Prince and your Count, and your whole +stupid country. Come, Jack." + +The fellow looked first at me, then at Dan. + +"I apologize," he said to Dan, "for mistaking this man for you." He +clicked his heels, swung around, and marched off. + +"Come," said Dan. + +I dumbly followed him up to my room. He struck a match and lit the +candle. + +"Got any tobacco?" he asked, taking out a black pipe. "I have not had +a good smoke in a week. I want to smoke awhile before I talk." + +I now knew that he had been a witness to all, or at least to the larger +part of it. + +"There is some tobacco on the table," I said humbly. I felt that I had +wronged him in some manner, though unintentionally. "The Princess +Hildegarde!" I murmured. + +"The very person," said Hillars. He lit his pipe and sat on the edge +of the bed. He puffed and puffed, and I thought he never would begin. +Presently he said: "And you never suspected who she was?" + +"On my word of honor, I did not, Dan," said I, staring at the faded +designs in the carpet. The golden galleon had gone down, and naught +but a few bubbles told where she had once so proudly ridden the waters +of the sea. The Princess Hildegarde? The dream was gone. Castles, +castles! "I am glad you did not know," said Dan, "because I have +always believed in your friendship. Yet, it is something we cannot +help--this loving a woman. Why, a man will lay down his life for his +friend, but he will rob him of the woman he loves. It is life. You +love her, of course." + +"Yes." I took out my own pipe now. "But what's the use. She is a +Princess. Why, I thought her at first a barmaid--a barmaid! Then I +thought her to be in some way a lawbreaker, a socialist conspirator. +It would be droll if it were not sad. The Princess Hildegarde!" I +laughed dismally. "Dan, old man, let's dig out at once, and close the +page. We'll talk it over when we are older." + +"No, we will face it out. She loves you. Why not? So do I." He got +off the bed and came over to me and rested his hands on my shoulders. +"Jack, my son, next to her I love you better than anything in the +world. We have worked together, starved together, smoked and laughed +together. There is a bond between us that no human force can separate. +The Princess, if she cannot marry you, shall not marry the Prince. I +have a vague idea that it is written. 'The moving finger writes; and, +having writ, moves on.' We cannot cancel a line of it." + +"Dan, you will do nothing rash or reckless?" + +"Sit down, my son; sit down. Premeditation is neither rashness nor +recklessness. Jack, life has begun with you; with me it has come to an +end. When there is nothing more to live for, it is time to die. But +how? That is the question. A war would be a God-send; but these +so-called war lords are a lazy lot, or cowardly, or both. Had I a +regiment, what a death! Jack, do you not know what it is to fight the +invisible death? Imagine yourself on the line, with the enemy +thundering toward you, sabres flashing in the sunlight, and lead +singing about your ears. It is the only place in the world to die--on +a battlefield. Fear passes away as a cloud from the face of the sun. +The enemy is bringing you glory--or death. Yes, I would give a good +deal for a regiment, and a bad moment for our side. But the regiment +non est; still, there is left--" + +"Dan, what are you talking about?" I cried. + +"Death; grim, gaunt and gray death, whose footstep is as noiseless as +the fall of snow; death, the silent one, as the Indian calls him." + +He knocked the ash from his pipe and stuffed the briar into his pocket. + +"Jack, I am weary of it all. If I cannot die artistically, I wish to +die a sudden and awful death. What! Do I look like a man to die in +bed, in the inebriates' ward? For surely I shall land there soon! I +am going to pieces like a sand house in a wind storm. I suppose I'm +talking nonsense. After all, I haven't as much to say as I thought I +had. Suppose we turn in? I'm tired. You see, those fellows moved me +around to-day." + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +Hillars and I stood in the middle of the road. He held the binoculars. + +"How many can you make out?" I asked. + +"Four; all on horseback. There's a coach of some sort following on +behind. But everything is blurred and my hand trembles; the whiskey +here is terrible. Here, look for yourself," handing the glasses to me. +"Tell me what you see." + +"There's one with a white cap--ah, it is Count von Walden! There are +two soldiers in the Hohenphalian uniform; cavalry. I do not know who +the fourth fellow is." + +"Describe him to me," said Hillars, trying to roll a cigarette with his +trembling fingers. "Curse it!" throwing away the rice paper, "I've got +so bad that I can't roll a cigarette. Well, what's he look like?" + +"He's in civilian dress; little black mustache and an imperial." + +"Look anything like Napoleon III?" + +"You've hit it. Who is he?" + +"They say he's Prince Ernst of Wortumborg," said Hillars; "but it is my +opinion that he's the devil on a furlough." + +"Then he is the man--" I began. + +"He is. Your love affair is all over once he gets here; unless--" Dan +looked at the sky as though he was undecided about the weather. + +"Unless what?" I asked. + +"O, just unless," said he. "I'd give 5 pounds for a glass of home-made +whiskey." + +"You've got a plan of some sort," said I. "Speak it out." + +"It wasn't a plan; it was just an idea. It's gone now. Maybe it will +come back later. Are you going to stay here, or come with me and +tackle a bottle of the innkeeper's Rhine wine? The German vinegar used +to make you hilarious." + +"What's the coach for?" I asked. "Are they going to carry us off like +a couple of chickens?" + +"I presume it is for her Serene Highness. I wonder how they found out +she was here? Probably the lieutenant you were going to fight, but +didn't, informed them. At any rate, the coach will not be for us. The +Prince will not bother with you and me while the Princess is here. I +don't know what they will do with us; possibly nothing, possibly put us +in jail. Come along; I'm thirsty." + +It was late in the afternoon of the day following. I had not seen her +Serene Highness, the Princess Hildegarde--Gretchen. She had remained +in her room, and all efforts of mine to hold communication with her had +proved futile. I had stood at her door and supplicated; she had told +me to go away. The innkeeper had scowled when I suggested that he +carry a note to his mistress. He had refused. + +"The Princess receives no notes," he had said. "Gretchen--it was a +different matter." + +And Hillars had slept till after noon. It had been a bad morning for +me. The wounded lieutenant had been carried away the night before, and +there had not been anything for me to do but wander about--waiting. + +"Will you help me with the Rhine wine?" asked Hillars. + +"No. My head is fuddled enough as it is." + +"Then you must let me do all the talking." + +"And why you?" + +"I shall know better how to irritate them," with a laugh. "They will +not take any particular interest in you when they set eyes on me. Homo +sum! I am the man they are looking for. They will find plenty of me. +I shall be a syndicate in myself; where they expect to find one man, +they will find a dozen, all alive and kicking. It will be good sport." + +"What the devil are you up to?" I demanded. + +"Wait and see; wait and see. Come, let us receive them in the hall. +The affair must be conducted on the line of court etiquette. First, we +shall try to avert hostilities by the aid of diplomacy; if that fails +the Princess herself will be made to vindicate us. And why not?" + +"You are not going to drag her in!" I exclaimed. + +"My dear Jack, of course not. The Prince and the Count will do that +for us. You understand that she is concerned in all that is to take +place, do you not? Well, then, it will cost her but little." + +"But this fellow, the Prince!" I cried. "Let us get out while there is +time." + +Dan regarded me seriously. + +"You aren't afraid of him; what do you want to run away for? My son, +there will be some very good sport before this is done. You will miss +it by running away." + +"It's meeting the man who is to marry her--the woman I love. That is +the reason." + +"To marry her--the woman I love!" he repeated softly. "Yes, it is +hard. But it isn't any worse for you than for me." + +"Forgive me, Dan! You know--" + +"Yes, yes; I know," crossly. "Hang it! can't I punch it into your head +that I am taking all this trouble on your account? If it were not for +you, do you suppose I'd wait? The Prince shall never marry the +Princess. Will that satisfy you? Now, look pleasant, as the +photographer says, for here they are." + +The Count entered first, then the Prince, who was followed by two +cavalrymen. Hillars and I stood silently by our chairs, and waited. +The Prince, a man with a hooked nose, black eyes with half-shut lids, +regarded me curiously. He had the air of one amused. + +When his eyes grew accustomed to the semi-darkness of the room, the +Count sounded a note of satisfaction. + +"Ah! so you are here? You have given me a devil of a chase." + +"I return the compliment, Herr General," said Hillars, with a +good-humored smile. "But, may I ask, what the devil have you been +chasing me for?" + +For reply the Count turned to the cavalryman. + +"Arrest that man and bind him," he said. + +"You might make the order wholesale," said I stepping over to the side +of Hillars. + +"I told you there would be some sport," whispered Dan. He put his arm +across my shoulders. + +"And who, in the name of Weimer, are you?" bawled the Count. He +scrutinized me intently; then a light of recognition broke over his +face. "The other one! A nest of them!" + +"Count," interposed the Prince, seating himself at the table, "let me +have a short talk with them before you act. There may be extenuating +circumstances. Anything of this sort amuses and interests me. Let us +use a little diplomacy in the matter." + +"Yes," said Hillars; "let us lie a little." + +"And who can do it better than a journalist?" the Prince laughed. + +"Diplomatists," Hillars sent back. + +"What is her Serene Highness to you?" resumed the Prince. + +"Nothing--positively nothing." + +"Then you are afraid to acknowledge your regard for her?" + +"I?" Hillars dropped his arm from my shoulders. "I am not afraid of +anything--not even the Count here." Then he laughed. "If her Serene +Highness was anything to me, your Highness, I should not be afraid to +say so before the King himself." + +"You impudent--" But a wave of the Prince's hand silenced the Count. + +"Have patience, my friend. This is not impudence; it is courage and +prudence. I believe," re-addressing Hillars, "that once you were on +the point of eloping with the Princess Hildegarde." + +Hillars thrust his hands into his pockets. + +"So they say." + +"And yet you deny your regard for her!" + +"Oh, as to that affair," said Hillars, easily, "it was the adventure +more than anything else. It is not every man in my position who has +such a chance. And then, perhaps, I saw a good newspaper story." The +muscles in his jaws hardened, despite the airy tone he used. + +"I see that there is nothing to be gotten from you." Then the Prince +directed his glance to me. "And you, sir; what is she to you? What is +her Serene Highness to you?" + +"She is everything in the world to me," said I. + +The consternation which followed cannot be described here. The Count +stepped back, dumb-founded. Hillars regarded me as though he thought I +had suddenly gone mad. The countenance of the Prince alone remained +unruffled. + +"Count," he said, laughing, "it seems that the Princess gathers lovers +as a woolen coat does teasels. Her lovers--there must now be a +legion!" + +"You lie!" said Hillars, in an oddly suppressed tone. "You know that +you lie." + +The Prince's lips drew to a thin line, but that was all. + +"Still, who will disprove it?" he asked. + +"If you will allow me," said a voice behind us. + +We beheld the Princess framed in the doorway. There was a pallor and a +look of utter weariness in her face. At the sight of her the Count +uncovered and the Prince rose. + +"Your arrival is quite timely," said he. "Here are two champions of +yours. Come, which do you love?" + +A fury sprang to my head, and I said, "You have too much confidence in +our patience. I warn you that I have no fear of the sabres back of +you." + +The same sabres leapt from their scabbards and fell stiffly against +their owners' shoulders, instinctively. + +"Has it come to this," said the Princess, a superb scorn in her eyes, +"that my honor must needs be defended by strangers and aliens?" For +the briefest space her glance plunged into my eyes. She moved toward +the Prince. "And you, sir, are to be my husband?" + +"It is the will of the King," said the Prince, a mocking smile on his +lips. + +How I lusted for his blood! + +"And though my honor is doubtful," went on the woman I loved, "you +still would marry me?" + +"Your Highness," said the Prince, with a bow which entailed the +sweeping of his hands, "I would marry you were your honor as--" + +"Hell!" roared Hillars in English. + +But he was a moment too late. My hands were around the throat of +Prince Ernst of Wortumborg, and I was shaking him till his teeth +chattered on each other like castanets. Surely I would have throttled +him but for the intervention of the Count and the cavalrymen. The +Count swung his arm around my neck, while the cavalrymen, their sabre +points at Hillars' breast, wrenched loose my hands. I stood glaring at +him, panting and furious. He leaned against the table, gasping and +coughing. Finally he recovered his composure. + +"Count, I was wrong; you were right. These fellows are dangerous." + +"I will fight you on any terms!" I fired back at him. + +"I shall send you one of my lackeys," he replied. "Take them away, and +shoot them if they resist." + +"Liberate the gentlemen," said Gretchen. + +The Count gazed at her in amazement. + +"Liberate them?" he cried. + +"I command it." + +"You?" said the Prince. + +"Yes. This is my principality; these are my soldiers; I command here." + +This was a coup indeed. + +"But we represent his Majesty!" cried the Count, still holding me by +the throat. I was all but strangled myself. + +"I care not whom you represent," said Gretchen. "I am obedient only to +the King, not his minions. Release the gentlemen." + +The Count's arm slowly unwound. Hillars pressed down the sabre points +with his hands and shook off the hand of one of the cavalrymen. + +"If it be Your Highness' will," he said, "we will throw these intruders +into the road. Might is right," waving his hand to the door which led +to the barroom. + +The innkeeper and three others filed into the room, grimly and +silently. They were armed. + +For the first time the Prince lost patience. + +"This is all very well, Your Highness," he sneered. "You misunderstand +the limits of your power to command." + +"Not in any part," said Gretchen. "I am sovereign here, +notwithstanding the King's will is paramount to my own. These people +are my people; these soldiers are fed of my bounty; this is my country +till the King takes it back. You will act further at your peril." + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +A bar of sunlight suddenly pervaded the room; red sunlight, lighting in +its passing a tableau I shall never forget. Gretchen stood at her full +height, her arms held closely to her sides and her hands clenched. On +her face there was that half smile called consciousness of triumph. +Hillars was gazing at her with his soul swimming in his eyes. And I--I +had a wild desire to throw myself at her feet, then and there. Over +the hard-set visage of the innkeeper the bar of sunlight traveled; over +the scowling countenance of the Prince, over the puzzled brow of the +Count, and going, left a golden purple in its wake, which imperceptibly +deepened. + +The Prince was first to speak. "I protest," said he. + +"Against what?" asked Gretchen. + +"It is the King's will that you become my wife. He will not tolerate +this attitude of yours. Your principality is in jeopardy, let me tell +you." + +"Does the fact that I have promised the King to become your wife +detract from my power? Not a jot. Till you are my husband, I am +mistress here--and after." + +"As to that, we shall see," said the Prince. "Then you intend to keep +your promise?" + +"Is there man or woman who can say that I ever broke one?" + +"Your Highness, what are your commands?" It was the innkeeper who +spoke. His fingers were twitching about the hammer of his carbine. He +nodded approvingly toward me. My assault upon the Prince had brought +me again into his good graces. + +Gretchen did not answer him, but she smiled kindly. + +"Ah, yes!" said the Prince. "This is that Breunner fellow." + +The innkeeper made a movement. The Prince saw it, and so did I. +Prince Ernst of Wortumborg was never so near death in all his life as +at that moment. He knew it, too. + +"Your Highness has a very good memory," said the innkeeper, dryly. + +"There are some things it were best to forget," replied the Prince. + +"I am pleased that Your Highness shares my opinion," returned the old +fellow. The muzzle of the carbine was once more pointed at the ceiling. + +The rest of us looked on, but we understood nothing of these passes. +Even Gretchen was in the dark. + +"We met long ago," said the innkeeper. + +"Yes; but I have really forgotten what the subject of Our discussion +was," said the Prince, regarding the innkeeper through half-closed +lids. "Perhaps he can explain." + +"It is very kind of Your Highness," said the innkeeper, laughing +maliciously. "But I am old, and my memory serves me ill." + +The Prince shrugged. "But we have drifted away from the present +matter. Your Highness, then, promises to bend to the will of the King?" + +"Yes," said Gretchen. "I gave the King my promise because I had +wearied of resistance, having no one to turn to--then. I shall marry +you, though I detest you; but I shall be your wife only in name, and +not in the eyes of God." + +"The latter sacrifice was not asked of you," smiled the Prince. + +"I shall depart this day for the capital," continued Gretchen. "I warn +you not to inflict your presence upon me during the journey. Now go. +The air while you remain is somewhat difficult to breathe." + +The Prince surveyed the menacing faces which surrounded him, then +gathered up his hat and gloves. + +"I see that Your Highness will be a dutiful wife," he said, smoothing +the silk of his hat with his elbow. He blew into his gloves and +carefully drew them over his hands. "A pleasant journey to Your +Highness," he added. "Come, Count. And these?" waving his hand toward +Hillars and me. + +"They have my fullest protection." + +He smiled villainously, then walked to the door with a measured tread. +At the door he turned. There was a flash of rage in his eyes, but he +quickly subdued it. + +"Auf wiedersehen!" with a sweeping glance which took in all of us, and +particularly me. + +He passed out, the Count following him soberly. The two cavalrymen +thrust their sabres into the scabbards with a clank, and made as though +to follow. + +"Wait," said Gretchen. "I shall have need of you. You will escort me +to the station. Now you may go." + +They saluted gravely. They appreciated the situation. The Princess +was their bread and butter. + +"Your Highness," said Hillars, "there has been a mistake." + +"A mistake?" repeated Gretchen, wonderingly. + +"Yes. They have made you a Princess, whereas they should have made you +a Queen. Will you forgive me the trouble I have caused?" + +"It is I who must ask forgiveness of you," she said, with a sad smile. +"You may kiss my hand, sir." + +Hillars remained somewhat long over it. + +"And how comes it that you gentlemen know each other?" she asked. + +"Damon and Pythias, Your Highness," answered Hillars. "We were brought +up together, and we have shared our tents and kettles. I recommend +Pythias to you as a brave gentleman." Then he came to me. "You are a +brave fellow, Jack," grasping my hand. "Good luck to you. I had an +idea; it has returned. Now, then, innkeeper, come with me." + +"With you, and where?" asked the innkeeper. If there was one thing for +which he could not account, it was the presence of Hillars at the inn. + +"Never mind where, but come," answered Hillars, gayly. He bent and +whispered something into the old fellow's ear. It was something which +pleased him, for he screwed his lips into a smile, and took the white +hand of the whisperer in his brawny fist and nigh crushed it. + +"Well, well! it doesn't matter where you came from. Here, you," to the +trio behind him, "go back to the stables." They filed out. Then the +innkeeper took Hillars by the arm. "Come along; time passes." + +"And where are you going?" I asked anxiously. Hillars should not have +passed from my sight but for Gretchen. + +"We'll be back shortly," he answered. "You will know all about then, +my son." + +He stood on the sill of the door, a handsome picture. His gray eyes +sparkled, his face was full of excitement and there was a color in his +cheeks. There was no sign here of the dissipated man of the night +before. It was Hillars as I had seen him in the old days. But for his +19th century garb, he might have just stepped down from a frame--a +gallant by Fortuny, who loved the awakened animal in man. The poise +was careless, but graceful, and the smile was debonair. His eyes were +holding Gretchen's. A moment passed; another and another. + +Then: "Long live and God bless her Serene Highness the Princess +Hildegarde!" And he was gone. + +And as he disappeared a shadow of some sort passed before my eyes, and +a something dull and heavy pressed upon my heart. Presently came the +sound of beating hoofs, and then all became still. + +Gretchen and I were alone. + +Gretchen appeared to be studying the blue veins in her hands which she +listlessly held before her. An interval of three or four minutes +passed, still she remained in that pathetic attitude, silent and +motionless. + +"Gretchen," said I, "have you nothing to say?" + +"Yes." Her eyes raised to the level of mine, and I saw that they were +deep in tears. "Herr, I shall say to you that which I have never said +to any man, and that which I shall never say to any man again. I may +say it now because it is sinless. I love you! I love you, and, loving +you, God knows what the future without you shall be. Yes! I love you. +Take me once in your arms and kiss me, and let me go--forever." + +Then with a smile which partly shielded a sob, her arms went around my +neck and her face lay close to mine. Heaven knows which was the +greater, the joy or the pain. + +"Gretchen, think!" I cried, distractedly. "What is a Prince or a King +to you and me, who love?" + +"There is honor," gently. She caressed my cheek with her fingers. + +"Honor!" I cried, vehemently. "Is it honorable to marry the man you do +not love and break the heart of the one you do?" + +She did not answer, but her arms fell from my neck, and she approached +the window. The passing river was reflected in her eyes. Her reverie +was a short one. + +"Listen, Herr; I will tell you why it is honorable. The Prince and the +King? I fear the one as little as I do the other. It is not the +Prince, it is not the King, it is not the principality. Herr, I have +come near to being a very wicked woman, who was about to break the most +sacred promise a sovereign can make. Before I came here a delegation +of my people approached me. On bended knees they asked me not to +voluntarily return the principality to the King, who was likely to give +them a ruler rapacious or cruel or indifferent. And while they +understood what a sacrifice it meant to me, they asked me to bend my +will to the King's and wed the Prince, vowing that I alone should be +recognized as their sovereign ruler. Since my coronation they said +that they had known the first happiness in years. Herr, it was so +pathetic! I love my people, who, after all, are not adopted since I +was born here. So I gave my promise, and, heaven forgive me, I was +about to break it! There are some things, Herr, which the publican +does not understand. One of these is the duty a sovereign owes to the +people. The woman in me wishes to follow your fortunes, though they +carry her to the ends of the world; but the sovereign sees but one +path--honor and duty. What is one human heart to a hundred thousand? +A grain of sand. Herr, let mine be broken; I shall not murmur. Alas! +to be a princess, a puppet in this tinsel show of kings and queens! It +is my word and the King's will which have made my happiness an +impossibility. Though I love you, I wish never to see you again. I +shall be wife but in name, yet I may not have a lover. I am not a +woman of the court. I am proud of my honor, though the man who is to +be my husband doubts that." + +"No, Gretchen," said I, "he does not doubt it, but he wishes me to do +so. I believe in your innocence as I believe in your love." + +"It is sad, is it not," said she, "that we must go through our days +loving each other and all the world standing between? I have never +loved a man before; I did not want to love you. I did not know that I +loved you till I saw that your life was in danger. Yet I am glad that +I have lived for a brief second, for till a woman loves she does not +live. I am brave; do you be likewise. I shall go back to the world, +and who shall know of the heart of fire beneath the ice! Not even the +man I love. Kiss me; it is the last kiss I shall take from the lips of +any man." + +And it seemed to me that our souls met in that last kiss, melted and +became one. Her hands dropped to her side, and swiftly she sped from +the room. + + +She had entered the coach. The cavalrymen were perched upon the box. +There was a crack of the lash, and the coach rolled away. I watched +it, standing in the road. A cloud of yellow dust partially obscured it +from view. Half a mile beyond rose a small hill. This the coach +mounted, and the red gold of the smoldering sun engulfed it. Was it a +face I saw at the window? Perhaps. Then over the hill all +disappeared, and with it the whole world, and I stood in emptiness, +alone. + +Gretchen had gone. + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +I was wandering aimlessly through the rose gardens, when the far-off +sound of galloping hoofs came on the breeze. Nearer and nearer it +drew. I ran out into the highway. I saw a horse come wildly dashing +along. It was riderless, and as it came closer I saw the foam of sweat +dripping from its flanks and shoulders. As the animal plunged toward +me, I made a spring and caught the bridle, hanging on till the brute +came to a standstill. It was quivering from fright. There was a gash +on its neck, and it was bleeding and turning the white flakes of sweat +into a murky crimson. + +"Good Lord!" I ejaculated. "It's one of the cavalry horses. Hillars +or the innkeeper has been hurt." + +I was of the mind to mount the animal and go in search of them, when +Stahlberg, who had come to my assistance, said that I had best wait. A +quarter of an hour passed. Then we could see another horse, perhaps +half a mile away, coming toward the inn at a canter. From what I could +see in the pale light, the horse carried a double burden. A sheet of +ice seemed to fall on my heart. What had happened? Had Dan and the +Prince come to blows? Alas, I could have cried out in anguish at the +sight which finally met my gaze. The innkeeper held the reins, and, +propped up in front of him, was Hillars, to all appearances dead. + +"Gott!" cried the innkeeper, discovering me, "but I am glad to see you, +Herr. Your friend has been hurt, badly, badly." + +"My God!" I cried. The hand and wrist of the innkeeper which encircled +Hillars were drenched in blood. + +"Yes. A bullet somewhere in his chest. Help me down with him. He is +not dead yet. I'll tell you the story when we have made it comfortable +for him." + +Tenderly we carried the inanimate form of poor Hillars into the inn and +laid it on the sofa. I tore back his blood-wet shirt. The wound was +slightly below the right lung. The bullet had severed an artery, for I +could see that the blood gushed. We worked over him for a few moments, +and then he opened his eyes. He saw me and smiled. + +"There wasn't any regiment, old man, but this will suffice. My hand +trembled. But he'll never use his right arm again, curse him!" + +"Dan, Dan!" I cried, "what made you do it?" + +"When I am a man's friend, it is in life and death. He was in the way. +He may thank liquor that he lives." The lids of his eyes contracted. +"Hurts a little, but it will not be for long, my son. I am bleeding to +death inside. Jack, the woman loves you, and in God's eyes, Princess +or not, she belongs to you. You and I cannot understand these things +which make it impossible for a man and a woman who love each other to +wed. Let me hold your hand. I feel like an old woman. Give me a +mouthful of brandy. Ah, that's better! Innkeeper, your courage is not +to be doubted, but your judgment of liquor is. Any way, Jack, I +suppose you will not forget me in a week or so, eh?" + +"Dan!" was all I could say, bending over his hand to hide my tears. + +"Jack, you are not sorry?" + +"Dan, you are more to me than any woman in the world." + +"Oh, say! You wouldn't--hold me up a bit higher; that's it--you +wouldn't have me hang on now, would you? I haven't anything to live +for, no matter how you put it. Home? I never had one. The only +regret I have in leaving is that the Prince will not keep me company. +Put an obol in my hand, and Charon will see me over the Styx. + + + "And when, like her, O Saki, you shall pass + Among the guests star-scattered on the grass, + And in your joyous errand, reach the spot + Where I made one--turn down an empty glass! + + +"Well, hang me, Jack, if you aren't crying! Then you thought more of +me than I believed; a man's tears mean more than a woman's. . . . A +man must die, and what is a year or two? How much better to fold the +tent when living becomes tasteless and the cup is full of lees! . . . +The Prince was a trifle cruel; but perhaps his hand trembled, too. +Innkeeper, you're a good fellow." + +"Herr is a man of heart," said the grizzled veteran, sadly. + +"Tell Jack how it happened," said Dan; "it hurts me." + +On leaving me, Hillars and the innkeeper, after having taken a pair of +pistols, had mounted the cavalry horses despite the protests of the +owners, and had galloped away in pursuit of the Prince and Count von +Walden. They caught sight of them a mile or so ahead. They were +loping along at a fair speed. It took half an hour to bring the two +parties within speaking distance. Although the Prince and von Walden +heard them, they never turned around, but kept on straight ahead. This +made Hillars' choler rise, and he spurred forward. + +"One moment, gentlemen," he cried. "I have a word with you." + +They galloped on unheeding. When Hillars got in front of them they +merely veered to either side. + +"Ah!" said Hillars, choking with rage. With a quick movement he bent +and caught the bridle of the Prince's horse. The Count, seeing that +the Prince was compelled to rein in, did likewise. The Prince looked +disdainful. + +"Well, what is it?" asked Von Walden. "Speak quickly. Has your +scribbling friend run away with Her Highness?" + +"My remarks, most noble and puissant Count," said Hillars, bowing, +satirically, to the neck of his horse, "I shall confine to the still +more noble and puissant Prince of Wortumborg." + +"This is an unappreciated honor," sneered the Prince. + +"So it is," replied Hillars, lightly. "When an honest man speaks to +you he is conferring an honor upon you which you, as you say, cannot +appreciate. It appears to me that Your Highness has what we in America +call malaria. I propose to put a hole through you and let out this bad +substance. Lead, properly used, is a great curative. Sir, your +presence on this beautiful world is an eyesore to me." + +"One excuse is as good as another," said the Prince. "Did Her Highness +delegate you to put me out of the way?" + +"Oh, no; but since you have brought her name into it, I confess that it +is on her account. Well, sir, no man has ever insulted a woman in my +presence and gone unscathed. In English speaking lands we knock him +down. This being Rome I shall do as the Romans do. I believe I called +you a liar; I will do so again. Is the object of my errand plain?" + +"As I said to your friend," smiled the Prince, "I will send a lackey +down here to take care of you. Count, we shall hardly get to the +station in time to catch the train. Young man, stand aside; you annoy +me, I have no time to discuss the Princess or her lovers. Release my +horse!" + +"What a damned cur you are!" cried Hillars, losing his airy tone. "By +God, you will fight me, if I have to knock you down and spit upon you!" +Then with full force he flung his hat into the face of the Prince. + +"You have written finis to your tale," said the Prince, dismounting. + +"Your Highness!" exclaimed the Count, springing to the ground, "this +must not be. You shall not risk your life at the hands of this damned +adventurer." + +"Patience, Count," said the Prince, shaking off the hand which the +Count had placed upon his shoulder. "Decidedly, this fellow is worth +consideration. Since we have no swords, sir, and they seem to be +woman's weapons these days, we will use pistols. Of course, you have +come prepared. It is a fine time for shooting. This first light of +twilight gives us equal advantage. Will it be at ten or twenty paces? +I dare say, if we stand at twenty, in the centre of the road, we shall +have a good look at each other before we separate indefinitely." + +"Your Highness insists?" murmured the Count. + +"I not only insist, I command." The Prince took off his coat and +waistcoat and deposited them on the grass at the side of the road. +Hillars did likewise. There was a pleased expression on his face. "I +do believe, Count," laughed the Prince, "this fellow expects to kill +me. Now, the pistols." + +"If you will permit me," said the innkeeper, taking an oblong box from +under his coat. "These are excellent weapons." + +The Prince laughed. "I suppose, innkeeper, if the result is disastrous +to me, it will please you?" + +The innkeeper was not lacking in courtesy. "It would be a pleasure, I +assure you. There are certain reasons why I cannot fight you myself." + +"To be sure." + +"It would be too much like murder," continued the innkeeper. "Your +hand would tremble so that you would miss me at point-blank. There +goes the last of the sun. We must hurry." + +With a grimace the Count accepted the box and took out the pistols. + +"They are old-fashioned," he said. + +"A deal like the innkeeper's morals," supplemented the Prince. + +"But effective," said the innkeeper. + +The Count scowled at the old fellow, who met the look with phlegm. As +an innkeeper he might be an inferior, but as a second at a duel he was +an equal. It was altogether a different matter. + +The Count carefully loaded the weapons, the innkeeper watching him +attentively. In his turn he examined them. + +"Very good," he said. + +The paces were then measured out. During this labor the Prince gazed +indifferently toward the west. The aftermath of the sun glowed on the +horizon. The Prince shaded his eyes for a spell. + +"Gentlemen," he said, "I believe the Princess is approaching. At any +rate here comes the coach. Let us suspend hostilities till she has +passed." + +A few minutes later the coach came rumbling along in a whirlwind of +dust. The stoical cavalrymen kept on without so much as a glance at +the quartet standing at the side of the road. Hillars looked after the +vehicle till it was obscured from view. Then he shook himself out of +the dream into which he had fallen. He was pale now, and his eyebrows +were drawn together as the Count held out the pistol. + +"Ah, yes!" he said, as though he had forgotten. "There goes the woman +who will never become your wife." + +"That shall be decided at once," was the retort of the Prince. + +"She will marry the gentleman back at the inn." + +"A fine husband he will make, truly!" replied the Prince. "He not only +deserts her but forsakes her champion. But, that is neither here nor +there. We shall not go through any polite formalities," his eyes +snapping viciously. + +The two combatants took their places in the centre of the road. The +pistol arm of each hung at the side of the body. + +"Are you ready, gentlemen?" asked the Count, the barest tremor in his +voice. + +"Yes," said the Prince. + +Hillars simply nodded. + +"When I have counted three you will be at liberty to fire. One!" + +The arms raised slowly till the pistols were on the level of the eyes. + +"Two!" + +The innkeeper saw Hillars move his lips. That was the only sign. + +"Three!" + +The pistols exploded simultaneously. The right arm of the Prince swung +back violently, the smoking pistol flying from his hand. Suddenly one +of the horses gave a snort of pain and terror, and bolted down the +road. No attention was given to the horse. The others were watching +Hillars. He stood perfectly motionless. All at once the pistol fell +from his hand; then both hands flew instinctively to his breast. There +was an expression of surprise on his face. His eyes closed, his knees +bent forward, and he sank into the road a huddled heap. The Prince +shrugged, a sigh of relief fell from the Count's half-parted lips, +while the innkeeper ran toward the fallen man. + +"Are you hurt, Prince?" asked the Count. + +"The damned fool has blown off my elbow!" was the answer. "Bind it up +with your handkerchief, and help me on with my coat. There is nothing +more to do; if he is not dead he soon will be, so it's all the same." + +When the Prince's arm was sufficiently bandaged so as to stop the flow +of blood, the Count assisted him to mount, jumped on his own horse, and +the two cantered off, leaving the innkeeper, Hillars' head propped up +on his knee, staring after them with a dull rage in his faded blue +eyes. The remaining horse was grazing a short distance away. Now and +then he lifted his head and gazed inquiringly at the two figures in the +road. + +"Is it bad, Herr?" the innkeeper asked. + +"Very. Get back to the inn. I don't want to peter out here." Then he +fainted. + +It required some time and all the innkeeper's strength to put Hillars +on the horse. When this was accomplished he turned the horse's head +toward the inn. And that was all. + +"Dan?" said I. + +The lids of his eyes rolled wearily back. + +"Is there anything I can do for you?" + +"Bury me." + +It was very sad. "Where?" I asked. + +"Did you see the little cemetery on the hill, across the valley? Put +me there. It is a wild, forgotten place. 'Tis only my body. Who +cares what becomes of that? As for the other, the soul, who can say? +I have never been a good man; still, I believe in God. I am tired, +tired and cold. What fancies a man has in death! A moment back I saw +my father. There was a wan, sweet-faced woman standing close beside +him; perhaps my mother. I never saw her before. Ah, me! these +chimeras we set our hearts upon, these worldly hopes! Well, Jack, it's +curtain and no encore. But I am not afraid to die. I have wronged no +man or woman; I have been my own enemy. What shall I say, Jack? Ah, +yes! God have mercy on my soul. And this sudden coldness, this sudden +ease from pain--is death!" + +There was a flutter of the eyelids, a sigh, and this poor flotsam, this +drift-wood which had never known a harbor in all its years, this friend +of mine, this inseparable comrade--passed out. He knew all about it +now. + +There were hot tears in my eyes as I stood up and gazed down at this +mystery called death. And while I did so, a hand, horny and hard, +closed over mine. The innkeeper, with blinking eyes, stood at my side. + +"Ah, Herr," he said, "who would not die like that?" + + +And we buried him on the hillside, just as the sun swept aside the rosy +curtain of dawn. The wind, laden with fresh morning perfumes, blew up +joyously from the river. From where I stood I could see the drab walls +of the barracks. The windows sparkled and flashed as the gray mists +sailed heavenward and vanished. The hill with its long grasses +resembled a green sea. The thick forests across the river, almost +black at the water's edge, turned a fainter and more delicate hue as +they receded, till, far away, they looked like mottled glass. Only +yesterday he had laughed with me, talked and smoked with me, and now he +was dead. A rage pervaded me. We are puny things, we, who strut the +highways of the world, parading a so-called wisdom. There is only one +philosophy; it is to learn to die. + +"Come," said I to the innkeeper; and we went down the hill. + +"When does the Herr leave?" + +"At once. There will be no questions?" I asked, pointing to the +village. + +"None. Who knows?" + +"Then, remember that Herr Hillars was taken suddenly ill and died, and +that he desired to be buried here. I dare say the Prince will find +some excuse for his arm, knowing the King's will in regard to dueling. +Do you understand me?" + +"Yes." + +I did not speak to him again, and he strode along at my heels with an +air of preoccupation. We reached the inn in silence. + +"What do you know about her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde?" I +asked abruptly. + +"What does Herr wish to know?" shifting his eyes from my gaze. + +"All you can tell me." + +"I was formerly in her father's service. My wife----" He hesitated, +and the expression on his face was a sour one. + +"Go on." + +"Ah, but it is unpleasant, Herr. You see, my wife and I were not on +the best of terms. She was handsome . . . a cousin of the late Prince. +. . . She left me more than twenty years ago. I have never seen her +since, and I trust that she is dead. She was her late Highness's +hair-dresser." + +"And the Princess Hildegarde?" + +"She is a woman for whom I would gladly lay down my life." + +"Yes, yes!" I said impatiently. "Who made her the woman she is? Who +taught her to shoot and fence?" + +"It was I." + +"You?" + +"Yes. From childhood she has been under my care. Her mother did so +desire. She is all I have in the world to love. And she loves me, +Herr; for in all her trials I have been her only friend. But why do +you ask these questions?" a sudden suspicion lighting his eyes. + +"I love her." + +He took me by the shoulders and squared me in front of him. + +"How do you love her?" a glint of anger mingling with the suspicion. + +"I love her as a man who wishes to make her his wife." + +His hands trailed down my sleeves till they met and joined mine. + +"I will tell you all there is to be told. Herr, there was once a happy +family in the palace of the Hohenphalians. The Prince was rather wild, +but he loved his wife. One day his cousin came to visit him. He was a +fascinating man in those days, and few women were there who would not +give an ear to his flatteries. He was often with the Princess, but she +hated him. One day an abominable thing happened. This cousin loved +the Princess. She scorned him. As the Prince was entering the boudoir +this cousin, making out that he was unconscious of the husband's +approach, took the Princess in his arms and kissed her. The Prince was +too far away to see the horror in his wife's face. He believed her to +be acquiescent. That night he accused her. Her denials were in vain. +He confronted her with his cousin, who swore before the immortal God +himself that the Princess had lain willing in his arms. From that time +on the Prince changed. He became reckless; he fell in with evil +company; he grew to be a shameless ruffian, a man who brought his women +into his wife's presence, and struck her while they were there. And in +his passions he called her terrible names. He made a vow that when +children came he would make them things of scorn. In her great +trouble, the Princess came to my inn, where the Princess Hildegarde was +born. The Prince refused to believe that the child was his. My +mistress finally sickened and died--broken-hearted. The Prince died in +a gambling den. The King became the guardian of the lonely child. He +knows but little, or he would not ask Her Highness--" He stopped. + +"He would not ask her what?" + +"To wed the man who caused all this trouble." + +"What! Prince Ernst?" + +"Yes. I prayed to God, Herr, that your friend's bullet would carry +death. But it was not to be." + +"I am going back to London," said I. "When I have settled up my +affairs there I shall return." + +"And then?" + +"Perhaps I shall complete what my friend began." + +I climbed into the ramshackle conveyance and was driven away. Once I +looked back. The innkeeper could be seen on the porch, then he became +lost to view behind the trees. Far away to my left the stones in the +little cemetery on the hillside shone with brilliant whiteness. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +There were intervals during the three months which followed when I +believed that I was walking in a dream, and waking would find me +grubbing at my desk in New York. It was so unreal for these days; +mosaic romance in the heart of prosaic fact! Was there ever the like? +It was real enough, however, in the daytime, when the roar of London +hammered at my ears, but when I sat alone in my room it assumed the +hazy garments of a dream. Sometimes I caught myself listening for +Hillars: a footstep in the corridor, and I would take my pipe from my +mouth and wait expectantly. But the door never opened and the +footsteps always passed on. Often in my dreams I stood by the river +again. There is solace in these deep, wide streams. We come and go, +our hopes, our loves, our ambitions. Nature alone remains. Should I +ever behold Gretchen again? Perhaps. Yet, there was no thrill at the +thought. If ever I beheld her again it would be when she was placed +beyond the glance of my eye, the touch of my hand. She was mine, aye, +as a dream might be; something I possessed but could not hold. Heigho! +the faces that peer at us from the firelight shadows! They troop along +in a ghostly cavalcade, and the winds that creep over the window sill +and under the door--who can say that they are not the echoes of voices +we once heard in the past? + +I was often on the verge of sending in my resignation, but I would +remember in time that work meant bread and butter--and forgetfulness. +When I returned to the office few questions were asked, though my +assistant looked many of them reproachfully. I told him that Hillars +had died abroad, and that he had been buried on the continent at his +request; all of which was the truth, but only half of it. I did my +best to keep the duel a secret, but it finally came out. It was the +topic in the clubs, for Hillars had been well known in political and +literary circles. But in a month or so the affair, subsided. The +world never stops very long, even when it loses one of its best friends. + +One late October morning I received a note which read: + + +"JOHN WINTHROP: + +"Dear Sir--I am in London for a few days, homeward bound from a trip to +Egypt, and as we are cousins and 'orphans too,' I should like the +pleasure of making your acquaintance. Trusting that I shall find you +at leisure, I am, + +"Your humble servant, + +"PHILIP PEMBROKE." + + +"Ah," said I; "that Louisianian cousin of mine, who may or may not live +the year out," recalling the old lawyer's words. "He seems to hang on +pretty well. I hope he'll be interesting; few rich men are. He writes +like a polite creditor. What did the old fellow say was the matter +with him? heart trouble, or consumption? I can't remember." I threw +the note aside and touched up some of my dispatches. + +Precisely at ten o'clock the door opened and a man came in. He was +fashionably dressed, a mixture of Piccadilly and Broadway in taste. He +was tall, slender, but well-formed; and his blonde mustache shone out +distinctly against a background of tanned skin. He had fine blue eyes. + +"Have I the pleasure of speaking to John Winthrop of New York?" he +began, taking off his hat. + +I rose. "I am the man." + +He presented his card, and on it I read, "Philip Pembroke." + +"Philip Pembroke!" I exclaimed. + +"Evidently you are surprised?" showing a set of strong white teeth. + +"Truthfully, I am," I said, taking his hand. "You see," I added, +apologetically, "your family lawyer--that is--he gave me +the--er--impression that you were a sickly fellow--one foot in the +grave, or something like. I was not expecting a man of your build." + +The smile broadened into a deep laugh, and a merry one, I thought, +enviously. It was so long since I had laughed. + +"That was a hobby of the old fellow," he replied. "When I was a boy I +had the palpitation of the heart. He never got rid of the idea that I +might die at any moment. He was always warning me about violent +exercises, the good old soul. Peace to his ashes!" + +"He is dead?" + +"Yes. When I took to traveling he all but had nervous prostration. I +suppose he told you about that will I made in your favor. It was done +to please him. Still," he added soberly, "it stands. I travel a deal, +and no one knows what may happen. And so you are the John Winthrop my +dad treated so shabbily? Oh, don't protest, he did. I should have +hunted you up long ago, and given you a solid bank account, only I knew +that the son of my aunt must necessarily be a gentleman, and, +therefore, would not look favorably upon such a proceeding." + +"Thank you," said I. The fellow pleased me. + +"And then, I did not know but what you cared nothing for money." + +"True. A journalist doesn't care anything about money; the life is too +easy and pleasant, and most of the things he needs are thrown in, as +they say." + +This bit of sarcasm did not pass; my cousin laughed again that merry +laugh of his. + +"I think we shall become great friends," he said. "I like frankness." + +"My remark in its literal sense was the antithesis of frankness." + +"Ah, you said too much not to be frank. Frankness is one of the +reasons why I do not get on well with the women. I can't lie in the +right place, and when I do it is generally ten times worse than the +plain truth." + +"You're a man of the world, I see." + +"No, merely a spectator." + +"Well, you have the price of admission; with me it's a free pass. Some +day we will compare notes." + +"Who is your banker?" + +"Banker? I have none. I distrust banks. They take your mite and +invest it in what-nots, and sometimes when you go for it, it is not +there." + +"And then again it multiplies so quickly that you have more than you +know what to do with; eh?" + +"As to that I cannot say. It is hearsay, rumor; so far as I know it +may be so. Experience has any number of teachers; the trouble is, we +cannot study under them all. Necessity has been my principal +instructor. Sometimes she has larruped me soundly, though I was a +model scholar. You will go to luncheon with me?" + +"If you will promise to dine with me this evening?" And I promised. + +For an hour or more we chatted upon congenial topics. He was +surprisingly well informed. He had seen more of the world than I, +though he had not observed it so closely. As we were about to leave, +the door opened, and Phyllis, Ethel and her husband, Mr. Holland, +entered. For a moment the room was filled with the fragrance of +October air and the essence of violets. They had been in town a week. +They had been "doing" the Strand, so Ethel said, and thought they would +make me a brief visit to see how "it was done," the foreign +corresponding. Mr. Wentworth and his wife were already domiciled at +B----, and the young people were going over to enjoy the winter +festivities. Phyllis was unchanged. How like Gretchen, I thought. + +While Ethel was engaging my cousin's attention, I conducted Phyllis +through the office. + +"What a place to work in!" said Phyllis, laughing. The laugh awakened +a vague thrill. "Dust, dust; everywhere dust. You need a woman to +look after you, Jack?" + +As I did not reply, she looked quickly at me, and seeing that my face +was grave, she flushed. + +"Forgive me, Jack," impulsively; "I did not think." + +I answered her with a reassuring smile. + +"How long are you to remain in town?" I asked, to disembarrass her. + +"We leave day after to-morrow, Saturday. A day or two in Paris, and +then we go on. Every one in New York is talking about your book. I +knew that you were capable." + +"I hope every one is buying it," said I, passing over her last +observation. + +"Was it here that you wrote it?" + +"Oh, no; it was written in my rooms, under the most favorable +circumstances." + +"I thought so. This is a very dreary place." + +"Perhaps I like it for that very reason." + +Her eyes were two interrogation points, but I pretended not to see. + +"What nice eyes your cousin has," she said, side glancing. + +With a woman it is always a man's eyes. + +"And his father was the man who left you the fortune?" + +"Yes," I answered, with a short laugh. Of course, I had never told +Phyllis of that thousand-dollar check. + +"You must run over this winter and see us," she said. "I anticipate +nothing but dinners, balls and diplomatic receptions. I have never +been there, it will all be new to me. Think of seeing Egypt, the Holy +Lands, Russia, France and Spain, and yet not seeing the very heart of +the continent! Thank goodness, I know the language." + +"And will she not be a sensation?" joined in Ethel. + +"A decided sensation," said I, scrutinizing the beautiful face so near +me. What if they met, as probably they would--Phyllis and Gretchen? +"Phyllis," said I, suddenly, "where were you born?" + +"Where was I born?" with a wondering little laugh; "in America. Where +did you suppose?" + +"Eden," said I. "I wasn't sure, so I asked." + +"I do not know how to take that," she said, with mock severity. + +"Oh, I meant Eden when it was Paradise," I hastened to say. + +"Yes," put in Pembroke; "please go back, Miss Landors, and begin the +world all over again." + +"Phyllis," said I, in a whisper, "have you ever met that remarkable +affinity of yours?" I regretted the words the moment they had crossed +my lips. + +"Yes, you are changed, as I said the other night," distrustfully. +"There is something in your voice that is changed. You have grown +cynical. But your question was impertinent. Have you found yours?" + +I was expecting this. "Yes," I said. "Once I thought I had; now I am +sure of it. Some day I shall tell you an interesting story." + +"We came up to ask you to dine with us this evening," she said, +trailing her brown-gloved finger over the dusty desk. "Are you at +liberty?" + +"No. I have only just met my cousin, and have promised to dine with +him." + +"If that is all, bring him along. I like his face." + +We passed out of the file room. + +"Phyllis, we must be going, dear," said Ethel. + +I led Phyllis down the narrow stairs. A handsome victoria stood at the +curb. + +"I shall be pleased to hear your story," said she. + +It occurred to me that the tale might not be to her liking. So I said: +"But it is one of those disagreeable stories; one where all should end +nicely, but doesn't; one which ends, leaving the hero, the heroine, and +the reader dissatisfied with the world in general, and the author (who +is Fate) in particular." + +I knew that she was puzzled. She wasn't quite sure that I was not +referring to the old affair. + +"If the story is one I never heard before," suspiciously, "I should +like to hear it." + +"And does it not occur to you," throwing back the robes so that she +might step into the victoria, "that fate has a special grudge against +me? Once was not enough, but it must be twice." + +"And she does not love you? Are you quite sure? You poor fellow!" She +squeezed my hand kindly. "Shall I be candid with you?" with the +faintest flicker of coquetry in her smile. + +"As in the old days," said I, glancing over my shoulder to see now near +the others were. A groom is never to be considered. "Yes, as in the +old days." + +"Well, I have often regretted that I did not accept you as an +experiment." + +Then I knew that she did not understand. + +"You must not think I am jesting," said I, seriously. "The story is of +the bitter-sweet kind. The heroine loves me, but cannot be mine." + +"Loves you?" with a slight start. "How do you know?" + +"She has told me so," lowering my voice. + +Frankness of this sort to a woman who has rejected you has a peculiar +effect. The coquetry faded from her smile, and there was a perceptible +contraction of the brows. Her eyes, which were looking into mine, +shifted to the back of the groom. No, I shall never understand a +woman. She should have been the most sympathetic woman in the world, +yet she appeared to be annoyed. + +"What's all this between you and Phyllis?" asked Ethel, coming up. + +"There is nothing between her and me," said I. + +"Well, there should be," she retorted. "That is the trouble." + +My observation was: "I have always held that immediately a woman gets +married she makes it her business to see that all old bachelors are +lugged out and disposed of to old maids." + +"I shall never forgive that," Phyllis declared; "never." + +"Then I shall always have the exquisite pleasure of being a supplicant +for your pardon. It is delightful to sue pardon of a beautiful woman." + +Phyllis sniffed. + +"Forgive him at once," said Ethel, "if only for that pretty speech." + +Mr. Holland pulled out his watch suggestively. + +"Well," I said, "I see that I am keeping you from your lunch. Good-by, +then, till dinner, when I shall continue at length on the evils--" + +"William," interrupted Ethel, addressing the groom, "drive on." + +And so they left us. + +"Shall we go to lunch now?" I asked of Pembroke. + +"Yes," rather dreamily I thought. "Do you know," with sudden +animation, "she is a remarkably beautiful woman?" + +"Yes, she is." After all, the sight of Phyllis had rather upset me. + +"I had a glimpse of her in Vienna last winter," went on Pembroke. "I +never knew who she was." + +"Vienna!" I exclaimed. + +"Yes. It was at a concert. Her face was indelibly graven on my +memory. I asked a neighbor who she was, but when I went to point her +out she was gone. I should like to see more of her." + +So Gretchen had been in Vienna, and poor Hillars had never known! + +I took Pembroke to the club that afternoon, and we dallied in the +billiard room till time to dress for dinner. Dinner came. But Phyllis +forgot to ask me about the story, at which I grew puzzled, considering +what I know of woman's curiosity. And she devoted most of her time to +Pembroke, who did not mind. Later we went to the theatre--some +production of Gilbert and Sullivan. Whenever I glanced at Phyllis I +fell to wondering how Gretchen would have looked in evening dress. +Yes, Phyllis was certainly beautiful, uncommonly. For years I had +worshipped at her shrine, and then--how little we know of the heart. I +was rather abstracted during the performance, and many of my replies +went wide the mark. + +As we were leaving the foyer, Phyllis said: "Jack, a man has been +staring me out of countenance." + +"Pembroke?" I laughed. + +"No. And moreover, the stare was accompanied by the most irritating +sneer." + +"Point him out to me when we reach the street," I said, humoring what I +thought to be a fancy, "and I'll put a head on him." + +The sneer was probably meant for an ogle. Beauty has its annoyances as +well as its compensations. As we came under the glare of the outside +lights, Phyllis's hand tightened on my arm. + +"Look! there he is, and he is making for us." + +At the sight of that face with its hooked nose, its waxed mustache and +imperial, I took a deep breath and held it. In the quick glance I saw +that his right arm hung stiffly at his side. I attempted to slip into +the crowd, but without success. He lifted his hat, smiling into the +astonished face of Phyllis. + +"The Princess Hildegarde--" But with those three words the sentence on +his lips came to an end. Amazement replaced the smile. He stepped +back. Phyllis's eyes expressed scornful surprise. What she understood +to be rudeness I knew to be a mistake. He had mistaken her to be +Gretchen, just as I had mistaken Gretchen to be Phyllis. It was a +situation which I enjoyed. All this was but momentary. We passed on. + +"Was the man crazy?" asked Phyllis, as we moved toward the carriages, +where we saw Pembroke waving his hand. + +"Not exactly crazy," I answered. + +"The Princess Hildegarde; did he not call me that?" + +"He did." + +"He must have mistaken me for some one else, then." + +"The very thing," said I. "I wonder what he is doing here in London?" + +"Mercy! do you know him?" + +"Slightly." We were almost at the carriage. "I am sorry to say that +he is a great personage in this very court which you are so soon to +grace." + +"How strange! I'm afraid we shan't get on." + +Pembroke and I dismissed our carriage. We were going back to the club. +Ethel and her husband were already seated in their carriage. + +Said Phyllis as I assisted her to enter; "And who is this Princess +Hildegarde?" + +"The most beautiful woman in all the world," I answered with +enthusiasm. "You will meet her also." + +"I do not believe I shall like her either," said Phyllis. "Good +night;" and the door swung to. + +Pembroke and I made off for the club. . . . Perhaps it was my +enthusiasm. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +I had just left the office when I ran into Pembroke, who was in the act +of mounting the stairs. It was Saturday morning. Phyllis had left +town. + +"Hello!" he cried. "A moment more, and I should have missed you, and +then you would not have learned a piece of news." + +"News?" + +"Yes. I have made up my mind not to go home till February." + +"What changed your plans so suddenly?" I asked. + +"My conscience." + +"In heaven's name, what has your conscience to do with your plans?" + +"Well, you see, my conscience would not permit me to meet such a +remarkable woman as Miss Landors without becoming better acquainted +with her." He swung his cane back and forth. + +"This is very sudden," said I, lighting a cigar. "When did it happen?" + +"What time did she come into your office the other day?" + +"It must have been after eleven." + +"Then it happened about eleven-fifteen." Pembroke's eyes were dancing. +"Do you--er--think there are any others?" + +"Thousands," said I, "only--" I turned the end of my cigar around to +see if the light had proved effective. + +"Only what?" + +"Only she won't have them." + +"Then there is really a chance?" + +"When a woman is not married there is always a chance," said I, wisely. +"But let me tell you, cousin mine, she has a very high ideal. The man +who wins her must be little less than a demigod and a little more than +a man. Indeed, her ideal is so high that I did not reach it by a good +foot." + +Pembroke looked surprised. "She--ah--rejected--" + +"I did not say that I had proposed to her," said I. + +"If you haven't, why haven't you?" + +"It is strange." As his face assumed an anxious tinge, I laughed. "My +dear relative, go ahead and win her, if you can; you have my best +wishes. She is nothing to me. There was a time--ah, well, we all can +look back and say that. If it isn't one woman it's another." + +Sunshine came into Pembroke's face again. "Ideal or not ideal, I am +going to make the effort." + +"Success to you!" patting his shoulder. He was good to look at, and it +was my opinion that Phyllis might do worse. We miss a good deal in +this world by being over particular. + +We were coming into Trafalgar. Nelson stood high up in the yellow fog. + +"Nature is less gracious than history sometimes," mused Pembroke, +gazing up. "She is doing her best to dull the lustre of the old +gentleman. Ah, those were days when they had men." + +"We have them still," said I. "It is not the men, but the +opportunities, which are lacking." + +"Perhaps that is so. Yet, it is the great man who makes them." + +I was thinking of Hillars. "I would give a good deal for a regiment +and a bad moment for our side." There was no mighty column in his +memory, scarcely a roll of earth. "What do you want to do?" I asked. +"Shall we hail a cab and drive to the park?" + +"Just as you say, if it is not interfering with your work." + +"Not at all." + +"Have a cigar," said Pembroke, after we had climbed into the cab and +arranged our long legs comfortably. The London cab is all very well +for a short and thin person. "These came to me directly from Key West." + +"That is one of the joys of being rich," said I. "Gold is Aladdin's +lamp. I have to take my chances on getting good tobacco in this +country." + +"Talking about gold--" he began. + +"Don't!" I entreated. + +"I was about to say that I drew on my bankers for 20,000 pounds this +morning." + +"You intend to go in for a figure abroad, then?" + +"Oh, no. I deposited the money in another bank--in your name." + +"Mine? Deposited 20,000 pounds in my name?" I gasped. + +"Just so." + +"I understood you to say, because you thought me to be a gentleman, +that you weren't going to do anything like this? Have I done something +to change your opinion?" + +"Of course not. And I never said that I should not do it. You may or +may not use it, that is as you please. But so far as I am concerned, +it will stay there and accumulate interest till the crack of doom. It +isn't mine any more. If I were not almost your brother, I dare say you +might justly take offense at the action. As it is," complacently, "you +will not only accept the gift, but thank me for it." + +"How old are you?" I asked. + +"Exactly twenty-five." + +"I thought that you could not be older than that. Aren't you afraid to +be so far away from home?" + +Pembroke lay back and laughed. "You haven't thanked me yet." + +"I must get a new tailor," said I. "What! shall I pay a tailor to make +a well-dressed man out of me, and then become an object of charity? Do +I look, then, like a man who is desperately in need of money?" + +"No, you don't look it. That's because you are clever. But what is +your salary to a man of your brains?" + +"It is bread and butter and lodging." + +He laughed again. To laugh seemed to be a part of his business. +"Jack, I haven't a soul in the world but you. I have only known you +three days, but it seems that I have known you all my life. I have so +much money that I cannot even fritter away the income." + +"It must be a sad life," said I. + +"And if you do not accept the sum in the spirit it is given, I'll +double it, and then you'll have trouble. You will be a rich man, then, +with all a rich man's cares and worries." + +"You ought to have a trustee to take care of your money." + +"It would be a small matter to bribe him off, Jack, of course, you do +not need the money now, but that is no sign you may not in the days to +come. I have known many journalists; they were ever improvident. I +want to make an exception in your case. You understand; the money is +for your old age." + +"Let me tell you why a newspaper man is improvident. He earns money +only to spend it. He has a fine scorn for money as money. He cares +more for what a dollar spent has bought than what five saved might buy." + +"Poor creditors!" was the melancholy interpolation. + +I passed over this, and went on: "It is the work which absorbs his +whole attention. He begins at the bottom of the ladder, which is in +the garret. First, he is running about the streets at two and three in +the morning, in rain and snow and fog. The contact with the lower +classes teaches him many things. He becomes the friend of the +policeman and the vagabond. And as his mind grows broader his heart +grows in proportion. It is the comparing of the great and small which +makes us impartial and philosophical. Well, soon the reporter gets +better assignments and shorter hours. He meets the noted men and women +of the city. Suddenly from the city editor's desk his ambition turns +to Washington. He succeeds there. He now comes into the presence of +distinguished ambassadors, ministers and diplomatists. He acquires a +polish and a smattering of the languages. His work becomes a feature +of his paper. The president chooses him for a friend; he comes and +goes as he wills. Presently his eye furtively wanders to Europe. The +highest ambition of a journalist, next to being a war correspondent, is +to have a foreign post. In this capacity he meets the notable men and +women of all countries; he speaks to princes and grand dukes and +crowned heads. In a way he becomes a personage himself, a man whom +great men seek. And he speaks of the world as the poet did of the fall +of Pompeii, 'Part of which I was and all of which I saw.' Ah," as my +mind ran back over my own experiences, "what man with this to gain +would care for money; a thing which would dull his imagination and take +away the keen edge of ambition, and make him play a useless part in +this kingly drama of life!" + +"I like your frankness," said Pembroke. "I have no doubt that +journalism is the most fascinating profession there is. Yet, you must +not accuse the rich of being ambitionless. I have known of rich men +losing their all to make papers for men who are ambitious to be foreign +correspondents." The young fellow was brimming with raillery. "I have +never tried to run a newspaper, but I am, notwithstanding your tirade, +ambitious. I am desirous to wed Miss Landors." + +The cab was now rolling along the row. + +"A truly great ambition," I admitted. "After all, what greater +ambition is there than to marry the woman you love? Philip, I will +accept your gift in the spirit it is given, and I'll make use of it in +the days to come, when I am old and rusted. I understand your motive. +You are happy and wish every one to be." + +"That's the idea," said he, leaning back and spreading an arm behind my +shoulders. + +"But not all the money in the world, nor all the fame for that matter, +would make me happy." Gretchen was so far away! "Very well; we'll go +to Paris together; that is as far as I go. To follow her you will have +to go alone." + +"And why can't you go the rest of the way?" + +"Work. I must be back in town in three days. You must not forget that +I have had my vacation; there is plenty to be done." + +"Now that you are comparatively wealthy, why not give up the grind, as +you call it?" + +"The truth is, I must work. When a man works he forgets." + +"Then you have something to forget?" + +"Every man who has reached the age of thirty has something to forget," +said I. + +I was gloomy. In my pocket I had the only letter I had ever received +from Gretchen. Every hour fate outdoes the romancer. The story she +had written for me was a puzzling one. And the finis? Who could say? +Fate is more capricious than the novelist; sometimes you can guess what +he intends for an end; what fate has in store, never. Gretchen's +letter did not begin as letters usually do. It began with "I love you" +and ended with the same sentence. "In November my marriage will take +place. Do not come abroad. I am growing strong now; if I should see +you alas, what would become of that thin ice covering the heart of +fire; we have nothing to return, you and I. I long to see you; I dare +not tell you how much. Who knows what the world holds hidden? While +we live there is always a perhaps. Remember that I love you!" + +"Perhaps," I mused absently. + +"Perhaps what?" asked Pembroke. + +"What?" I had forgotten him. "Oh, it was merely a slip of the +tongue." I poked the matting with my cane. "It is high noon; we had +best hunt up a lunch. I have an engagement with the American military +attaché at two, so you will have to take care of yourself till dinner." + +Let me tell you what happened in the military club that night. I was +waiting for Col. J---- of the Queen's Light, who was to give me the +plan of the fall maneuvers in Africa. Pembroke was in the billiard +room showing what he knew about caroms and brandy smashes to a trio of +tanned Indian campaigners. I was in the reading room perusing the +evening papers. All at once I became aware of a man standing before +me. He remained in that position so long that I glanced over the top +of my paper. + +It was Prince Ernst of Wortumborg. He bowed. + +"May I claim your attention for a moment?" he asked. + +Had I been in any other place but the club I should have ignored him. +I possessed the liveliest hatred for the man. + +"If you will be brief." + +"As brief as possible," dropping into the nearest chair. "It has +become necessary to ask you a few questions. The matter concerns me." + +"Whatever concerns you is nothing to me," I replied coldly. + +He smiled. "Are you quite sure?" + +I had turned the sword on myself, so it seemed. But I said: "I +answered some of your questions once; I believe I was explicit." + +"As to that I can say you were; startlingly explicit. It is a delicate +matter to profess one's regard for a woman before total strangers. It +is not impossible that she would have done the same thing in your +place. Her regard for you--" + +I interrupted him with a menacing gesture. "I am extremely irritable," +I said. "I should regret to lose control of myself in a place like +this." + +"To be sure!" he said. "This is England, where they knock one another +down." + +"We do not murder on this side of the channel," I retorted. + +"That is unkind. Your friend was a very good shot," with a significant +glance at his useless arm. "But for my arm, and his nerves, which were +not of the best order, I had not lived to speak to you to-night." + +"So much the worse for the world," said I. "Your questions?" + +"Ah! Who was that remarkably beautiful woman under your distinguished +care Thursday evening?" + +"I see that our conversation is to be of the shortest duration. Who +she was is none of your business," rudely. I unfolded my paper and +began reading. + +"Perhaps, after all," not the least perturbed by my insolence, "it were +best to state on paper what I have to say. I can readily appreciate +that the encounter is disagreeable. To meet one who has made a thing +impossible to you sets the nerves on edge." He caught up his opera +hat, his cane and gloves. He raised the lapel of his coat and sniffed +at the orchid in the buttonhole. + +Some occult force bade me say, "Why do you wish to know who she was?" + +He sat down again. "I shall be pleased to explain. That I mistook her +for another who I supposed was on the other side of the channel was a +natural mistake, as you will agree. Is it not strange that I should +mistake another to be the woman who is so soon to be my wife? Is there +not something behind this remarkable, unusual likeness? Since when are +two surpassingly beautiful women, born in different lands, of different +parents, the exact likeness of each other?" + +Now as this was a thing which had occupied my mind more than once, I +immediately put aside the personal affair. That could wait. I threw +my paper onto the table. + +"Do you know, sir," said I, "that thought echoes my own?" + +"Let us for the moment put ourselves into the background," said the +Prince. "What do you know about her Serene Highness the Princess +Hildegarde; her history?" + +"Very little; proceed." + +"But tell me what you know." + +"I know that her father was driven to a gambler's grave and that her +mother died of a broken heart, and that the man who caused all this +wishes to break the heart of the daughter, too." + +"Scandal, all scandal," said the Prince. "Who ever heard of a broken +heart outside of a romantic novel? I see that the innkeeper has been +holding your ear. Ah, that innkeeper, that innkeeper! Certainly some +day there will come a reckoning." + +"Yes, indeed," said I. "Beware of him." + +"It was twenty years ago," said the Prince. "It is beyond the recall. +But let me proceed. Not many years ago there was a Prince, a very bad +fellow." + +"Most of them are." + +"He married a woman too good for him," went on the Prince, as though he +had not heard. + +"And another is about to do likewise." + +"There was some scandal. When the Princess was born, her father +refused to believe her to be his child. Now, it came to pass, as they +say in the Bible, which I assure you is a very interesting book, that +there were vague rumors immediately after the birth of Princess +Hildegarde that another child had been born." + +"What!" I was half out of my chair. "Another child?" + +"Another child. The fact that the Prince swore that when children came +he would make them counterparts of their kind and loving father, lent +color to the rumor that the Princess had had one spirited away to +escape this threatened contamination. And one of the nurses was +missing. Whither had she gone remained a mystery, and is still a +mystery, for she never has returned. Did she spirit away the other +child, the other girl? I say girl advisedly; if there had been a son, +the mother would have retained him. Two years after this interesting +episode, the Princess died, and dying, confessed the deception. But +the curious thing is, nobody believed her. Her mind was not strong, +and it was thought to be a hallucination, this second child. Now let +me come to the present time. Twins are generally alike; one mirrors +the other; when they mature, then comes the deviation, perhaps in the +color of the hair and the eyes. Behold! here are two women, but for +their hair and eyes were one. Tell me what you know of the other." He +bent forward with subdued eagerness. + +"Do you think it possible?" I cried excitedly. + +"Not only possible, but probable. She is a Princess; at least she +should be." + +Then I told him what I knew about Phyllis. + +"America! Born in America! It cannot be." He was baffled. + +"I have known her for eight years," said I. "She was born in America +as certainly as I was." + +"But this likeness? This rumor of another daughter? Ah, there is +something here I do not understand. And this uncle of hers, this +Wentworth; who is he?" + +"A retired banker, very wealthy, and at present with the American +ministry at your own capital." + +"To him we must go, then." He rose and walked the length of the room, +stopped a moment at the chess table in the corner, then resumed his +chair. "You are wondering, no doubt, what it is to me, all this?" + +"I confess you have read my mind correctly." + +"Then listen. I am a Prince without a principality; a Prince by +courtesy, my brother ruling the principality of Wortumborg. Thus being +without a principality, I am necessarily without revenues. I must +replenish my very low exchequer by a marriage, a marriage not so +distasteful as it might be." He met my darkening eyes with serenity. +"Since Thursday night I have not been so certain of my wife's dowry. +If there are two Princesses, twins, they must govern jointly, or one +may abdicate in favor of the other. Her Serene Highness the Princess +Hildegarde is the one who will be most likely to relinquish her claims +to Hohenphalia. If your friend is proved to be her sister--" He +stroked the orchid reflectively. + +"Well?" I cried, my pulse quickening. + +"I shall withdraw my claim to the hand of the Princess Hildegarde. I +do not care to rule half a principality or share half its revenues. +There are better things left than that. It is my hope, however, that +no proofs can be found, and that your banker-diplomatist will show +conclusively that his niece was born in America. Until this question +is definitely settled, my fortunes shall not undergo any risks. This +is what I wanted to say to you, why I wanted to know who your friend +was. Will you help me to get at the bottom of things? We are both +concerned; the result will mean all or nothing to you and me. Ah, +believe me, but you are a favored mortal. The friendship of the one, +and the love of the other! No; do not look angry. With all my sins, +it cannot be said that I lack frankness and truthfulness. You love the +Princess Hildegarde; I offer you an equal chance to win her. Is not +that remarkable good nature? Till the affair is settled my marriage is +postponed. Now, to our personal affair. You cannot blame me if I give +you all my honest hatred. I am at your service, after, of course, the +respective positions of the Princesses are assured. I should take more +pleasure in shooting you, or running a sword through your body, than I +took in the affair with your friend. His courage was truly admirable. +I had nothing against him. But you have grievously wounded my +self-love; we forgive all wrongs but that. I warn you that the affair +will not be conducted after the French mode. You have perhaps a +fortnight in which to improve your markmanship. The matter which shall +carry us abroad will conclude within that time. I shoot and fence with +my left hand as well as I did with my right." + +"I shall be only too happy to meet you," I replied. "I prefer the +pistol, there is less exertion, and it is quicker." + +"You shall have every advantage," said the Prince. "You will have that +to nerve your arm which I shall not have--a woman's love." With a bow +which was not without a certain dignity and grace, he walked from the +room. + +Phyllis a Princess? Gretchen free? I sent for my coat and hat and +went out. I forgot all about my appointment with Col. J---- of the +Queen's light and that I had left Pembroke playing billiards in a +strange club, where I myself had been but a guest. The crisp October +air blew in my face as I rapidly walked up the mall, and it cooled the +fever in my veins. But my mind ran on rather wildly. Gretchen free? +Phyllis a Princess? Gretchen's little word, "perhaps," came back and +sang into my ears. Yet, win or lose, I was to meet the Prince in +mortal combat. If Phyllis was not proven Gretchen's twin sister, I +should care but little for the Prince's bullet. On the other +hand--Well, I should trust to luck. Before I was aware of my +destination, I stood fumbling the key in the door of my apartment. I +wanted my pipe. At eleven by the clock, Pembroke came in. + +"Hang your apologies!" he said. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +"Phyllis," said I, "do you remember the day we first met?" + +We were in the morning room of the Wentworth mansion at B----. +Phyllis, Pembroke and I sat before the warm grate, while Mrs. Wentworth +and Ethel stood by one of the windows, comparing some shades of ribbon. +My presence at B---- was due to a wire I had sent to New York, which +informed headquarters that I was on the track of a great sensation. +The return wire had said, "Keep on it." + +"When first we met?" echoed Phyllis. "Why, it was at Block Island." + +"Oh," said I, "I do not refer to the time when you had shouldered the +responsibilities of a society bud. I mean the time when the +introduction was most informal. You were at the time selling lemonade +without license and with very little lemon." + +"Selling lemonade?" cried Pembroke. + +"Never mind him, Mr. Pembroke," laughed Phyllis. + +"It was a long time ago," I went on. "I was a new reporter. Mr. +Wentworth had to be interviewed. It was one of those hot days in May. +The servant at the door said that Mr. Wentworth was in the back +yard--he called it the garden--where I soon found myself. You had a +small table, a glass and a pitcher. I suppose every time your uncle +got thirsty you sold him a glass. You wore short dresses--" + +"Terrible!" cried Phyllis, shielding her face with the hand-screen. + +"And looked as cool as the ice in the pitcher, and as fresh as the +flowers which lined the walls. I thought that if I bought a glass of +you I might make my approach to your uncle an easier task. So I looked +at you and smiled, and you giggled." + +"Giggled!" cried Phyllis, indignantly. + +Pembroke was laughing. + +"Yes, actually giggled," I went on. "I laid down a twenty-five-cent +piece, and you poured but some water which had had nothing more than a +mild flirtation with a lemon, and I gulped it down. I held out my +hand, and you said that there wasn't any change. I smiled a false +smile. Let me make a confession." + +"Well?" mockingly from Phyllis. + +"It was my last quarter. It was very pathetic. I had to walk four +miles down town. I did not know your uncle well enough or I should +have borrowed carfare from him." + +"And I took your last penny?" said Phyllis, gently. "Why did you not +tell me then?" + +"I was twenty-two and proud," said I. "Where are you going?" for she +had risen. + +"I'll be back in a moment," she said, as she left the room. When she +returned she put out her hand. On the palm lay two bright American +dimes. + +"What's this?" I asked. + +"The change." + +"Very good!" laughed Pembroke. + +I said nothing, but took out my wallet. In opening it to put in the +dimes, something fell to the floor. It was Gretchen's rose. + +"What is that?" asked Phyllis, as I stooped to pick it up. + +"It is the end of a story," I answered. I busied myself with the fire +till the poker grew too hot. + +"How many romances commonplace wallets contain?" said Pembroke, +sententiously. + +"I have two in mine," said I. + +Pembroke looked at Phyllis, but the fire seemed to be claiming her +attention. Then he looked at me, but I was gazing at Phyllis. He was +in a puzzle. + +"Do you know, Miss Landors," he said, "that I never dreamed to meet you +again when I saw you in Vienna last year?" + +"Vienna?" said she. "I have never been to Vienna." + +I suddenly brought down my heel on Pembroke's toes. + +"Ah, a curious mistake on my part. I suppose the ball at the ministry +to-night will be your first on the continent?" + +I gazed admiringly at him. He had not even looked at me. He was +certainly clever. + +"Yes," said Phyllis, "and already I believe I am going to have what +they call stage fright, though I cannot understand why I should feel +that way." + +"Possibly it's a premonition," said I, absently. + +"And of what?" asked Phyllis. + +"How should I know?" said I, mysteriously. + +"What in the world is going on?" she demanded. "You step on Mr. +Pembroke's toes, you prophesy, and then you grow mysterious." + +My glance and Pembroke's met. He burst out laughing. A possible +contretemps was averted by the approach of Mrs. Wentworth, who asked us +to have a cup of chocolate before we went out into the chill air. +Finally we rose to make our departure. While Pembroke was bidding +Ethel a good morning, Phyllis spoke to me. + +"The last flowers you sent me were roses," she said softly. + +"Were they?" said I. "I had forgotten. Shall I send you some for this +evening?" + +It was something in her eyes that I did not understand. + +"Thank you, but Mr. Pembroke has promised to do that." And then she +added: "So you have really had two romances?" + +"Yes," said I; "and both ended badly." + +"Let us hope that the third will be of happier termination," she +smiled. The smile caused me some uneasiness. + +"There never will be a third," I said. "It is strange, is it not, when +you think that there might have been--but one? You will give me a +waltz to-night?" + +"With pleasure. Good morning." + +Pembroke and I passed down the broad stairs. On the street we walked a +block or so in silence. + +Finally Pembroke said: "What the deuce made you step on my foot? And +why does she not want me to know that she was in Vienna last winter?" + +"Because," said I, "Miss Landors never was in Vienna." + +"But, man, my eyes!" + +"I do not care anything about your eyes." + +"What makes you so positive?" + +"Knowledge." + +"Do you love her?" bluntly. + +"No." + +"Because--?" + +"There is another. Pembroke, to-night will be pregnant with +possibilities. You will see the woman you love and the woman I love." + +"What do you mean?" + +"Have you ever heard of her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde of +Hohenphalia?" + +"So high?" + +"Yes." + +"Then the woman I saw in Vienna--" + +"Was the Princess." + +"But this remarkable likeness?" + +"Perhaps I had best tell you all." And when I had done, his +astonishment knew no bounds. + +"Great George, that makes Miss Landors a Princess, too!" + +"It does, truly. Herein lies the evil of loving above one's station. +In our country love is like all things, free to obtain. We are in a +country which is not free. Here, those who appear to have the greatest +liberty have the least." + +"And she knows nothing about it?" + +"Nothing." + +"Why tell her?" he asked, fearful of his own love affair now. + +"It is a duty. Some day she might learn too late. This afternoon I +shall visit the Chancellor and place the matter before him and ask his +assistance. He must aid me to find the proofs." + +Pembroke began kicking the snow with his toes. + +"I wish you had not told me, Jack." + +"It is for the best. You and I are in the same boat; we ride or sink +together." + +At luncheon his mind was absent and he ate but little. And I ate less +than he. It was going to be very hard for me to meet Gretchen. + + +The Chancellor waved his hand toward a chair. We were very good +friends. + +"What is it now?" he asked, smiling. "I dare not stir up the +antagonists against the government to give you a story, and aside from +the antagonists it is dull." + +"I will find the story in the present instance," said I. And in the +fewest words possible I laid before him the object of my visit. + +"This is a very strange story," he said, making a pyramid of his +fingers and contemplating the task with a careful air. "Are you not +letting your imagination run away with you?" + +"Not for a moment. I ask you to attend the ball at the American +ministry this evening, and if the likeness between the two women does +not convince you, the matter shall drop, so far as I am concerned." + +"Has Herr Wentworth any idea of the affair?" + +"It is not possible. What would be his object in keeping it a secret?" + +"Still, it is a grave matter, and without precedent. We must move +carefully. You understand that there was no knowledge of another +child, only rumor; and then it was believed to be an hallucination of +the mother, whose mind was not very strong." + +"Do you believe," I asked, "that two persons born of different +parentage, in different lands, may resemble each other as these two do?" + +"No. I shall let you know what stand I'll take when I have seen them +together. And what will His Majesty say?" he mused. "I'm afraid the +matter will assume many complications. And I might add that you seem +particularly interested." + +A slight warmth came into my cheeks. + +"Your Excellency understands that a journalist always takes great +interest in affairs of this sort," was my rejoinder. + +"Yes, yes!" pleasantly. "But this so-called sister; has she not lived +most of her life in America, your own country?" + +"Your Excellency," said I, honestly, "whether she regains her own or +not is immaterial to me, from a personal standpoint." + +"Well, one way or the other, I shall decide what to do to-night. But, +mind you, there must be proofs. Though they may look enough alike to +be two peas in a pod, that will give your friend nothing you claim for +her. The fate of your Princess rests in the hands of Herr Wentworth. +Have the two met?" + +"No; but during the short time they have been in the city they have +been mistaken for each other. And why do you call her my Princess?" + +"She is not ours yet. It was a strange story, as I remember it. In +those days we had our doubts, as we still have, of another child. By +the way, who suggested the matter to you?" + +I recounted my interview with the Prince. + +"Ah," said the Chancellor; "so it was he? He is a greedy fellow and +careful. I can readily understand his object. He wants all or +nothing. I shall help you all I can," he concluded, as I reached for +my hat. + +"I ask nothing more," I replied; and then I passed from the cabinet +into the crowded anteroom. It was filled with diplomats and soldiers, +each waiting for an audience. They eyed me curiously and perhaps +enviously as I made my way to the street. "Yes, indeed, what will the +King say?" I mused on the way back to my rooms. What could he say? + +That night Pembroke and I arrived at the ministry a little after ten. +I was in a state of extreme nervousness. + +"I'm in a regular funk," said Pembroke. "Supposing your Princess does +not come?" + +"It is written that she will come." + +"Well, I'm glad that I looked you up in London. I would not have +missed this adventure." + +We found Phyllis in a nook under the grand staircase. I gave a slight +exclamation as I saw her. I had never seen her looking so beautiful. + +"Come and sit down," said she, making room for us. "I have had a +curious adventure." + +"Tell us all about it," said Pembroke. + +"I have had the honor of being mistaken for a Princess," triumphantly. + +"Who could doubt it!" said I, with a glance I could not help, which +made her lower her eyes. + +"Moreover," she continued, this time looking at Pembroke, "the +gentleman who committed the error was the Austrian Ambassador. What a +compliment to take home!" + +"And who was the Princess?" I felt compelled to ask, though I knew +perfectly well. + +"The Princess Hildegarde. Do you recall the night in London," to me, +"when the same thing occurred? I am very anxious to meet this Princess +who looks so like me." + +"You will have that pleasure immediately after the opera," said I. + +Pembroke's eyes said something to me then, and I rose. + +"There is Mr. Wentworth. I wish to speak to him. Will you excuse me?" + +"With pleasure!" laughed Pembroke. + +I threaded my way through the gathering throng to the side of Mr. +Wentworth. + +"How d'y' do, Winthrop?" he said, taking me by the arm. "Come into the +conservatory. I want you to see some of the finest orchids that ever +came from South America. The girls are looking well to-night. I +suppose you noticed." + +"Especially Phyllis." Our eyes met. + +When we entered the conservatory, he suddenly forgot all about the +orchids. + +"Jack, I'm worried about her--Phyllis. You see, she is not my niece. +There's a long story, This morning a gentleman visited my department. +He was Prince Ernst of Wortumborg. He began by asking me if Phyllis +was my niece. That started the business. He proceeded to prove to me, +as far as possible, that Phyllis was a Princess. I could not say that +it was all nonsense, because I did not know. Some twenty years ago, a +strange thing happened. I occupied the same residence as to-day. It +was near midnight, and snowing fiercely. I was looking over some +documents, when the footman came in and announced the presence of a +strange woman in the hall, who demanded to see me. The woman was young +and handsome, and in her arms she carried a child. Would I, for +humanity's sake, give a roof to the child till the morrow? The woman +said that she was looking for her relatives, but as yet had not found +them, and that the night was too cold for the child to be carried +around. She was a nurse. The child was not hers, but belonged to a +wealthy family of the south, who were to have arrived that day, but had +not. The thing seemed so irregular that I at once consented, thinking +to scan the papers the next day for an account of a lost or stolen +child. She also carried a box which contained, she said, the child's +identity. Now, as I am a living man, there was nothing in that box to +show who the child was; nothing but clothes, not a jewel or a trinket. +I looked through the papers in vain. And the woman never appeared +again. Much against my will I was forced to keep the child. I am glad +I did, for I have grown to love her as one of my own. I had a married +sister who died in Carolina, so I felt secure in stating that Phyllis +was her daughter, therefore my niece. And that is positively all I +know. And here comes a fellow who says he knows who she is, and, +moreover, that she is a Princess. What do you say to that?" + +"What he said was true," gloomily. Without proofs Gretchen remained as +far away as ever. I told him what I knew. + +"I must see this Princess before I move. If they look alike, why, let +things take their course. As a matter of fact, Phyllis is to share +equally with Ethel. So, whether or not she proves to be a Princess, it +will not interfere with her material welfare. And, by the way, Jack, +isn't there a coldness of some sort between you and Phyllis?" + +"Not a coldness," said I; "merely an understanding. Let us be getting +back to the ballroom. I am anxious to see the two when they meet." + +I left him in the reception room. As I was in the act of crossing the +hall which led to the ballroom, I was stopped. It was the Prince. + +"Well," he said, smiling ironically, "the matter is, sadly for you, +definitely settled. Your friend may in truth be a Princess, but there +are no proofs. In the eyes of men they are sisters; in the eyes of the +law they are total strangers. I shall not ask you to congratulate me +upon my success. I shall now wed the Princess Hildegarde with a sense +of security. Come--have you seen her yet? She does not know that you +are here. It will be a surprise and a pleasure. As to that other +matter, I shall send a gentleman around to your rooms in the morning to +arrange the affair." + +I shivered. I had forgotten that I had accepted a challenge. + +"Take me to her," said I. "She will be happy indeed to see me, as you +know." I laughed in his face. "How convenient it would be for both of +us--her and me--should my bullet speed to the proper place! Believe +me, I shall be most happy to kill you. There are many things on the +slate to wipe out." + +"I see that you are a gentleman of spirit," said he, smoothing the +scowl from his brow. "Ah, there she stands. Look well, my friend; +look at her well. This is probably the last night you will see her, +save as my wife." + +The sight of that dear face took the nerves from me, and left me +trembling. Even in the momentary glance I detected a melancholy cast +to her features. She was surrounded by several men, who wore various +decorations. + +"Your Highness," said the Prince, mockery predominating his tones, +"permit me to present to you an old friend." + +Was it because her soul instinctively became conscious of my presence +and nerved her for the ordeal, that she turned and smiled on me? The +Prince appeared for a moment crestfallen. Perhaps the scene lacked a +denouement. Oh, I was sure that implacable hate burned under that +smile of his, just as I knew that beneath the rise and fall of +Gretchen's bosom the steady fire of immutable love burned, burned as it +burned in my own heart. It was a defeat for the Prince, a triumph for +Gretchen and me. The greeting took but a moment. I stepped back, +strong and hopeful. She loved me. I knew that her heart was singing +the same joyous song as my own. + +"Ah, here you are!" said a voice behind me, giving me an indescribable +start. "I have been looking high and low for you. You have forgotten +this dance." + +It was Phyllis. + +And then a sudden hush fell upon the circle. The two women stood face +to face, looking with strange wonder into each other's eyes. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +Phyllis and I were sitting in one of the numerous cozy corners. I had +danced badly and out of time. The music and the babel of tongues had +become murmurous and indistinct. + +"And so that is the Princess Hildegarde?" she said, after a spell. + +"Yes; she is your double. Is she not beautiful?" + +"Is that a left-handed compliment to me?" Phyllis was smiling, but she +was colorless. + +"No," said I. "I could never give you a left-handed compliment." + +"How strange and incomprehensible!" said she, opening her fan. + +"What?--that I have never, and could never, give you a--" + +"No, no! I was thinking of the likeness. It rather unnerved me. It +seemed as though I was looking into a mirror." + +"What do you think of her?" suppressing the eagerness in my voice. + +"She is to be envied," softly. + +And I grew puzzled. + +"Jack, for a man who has associated with the first diplomatists of the +world, who has learned to read the world as another might read a book, +you are surprisingly unadept in the art of dissimulation." + +"That is a very long sentence," said I, in order to gain time enough to +fathom what she meant. I could not. So I said: "What do you mean?" + +"Your whole face was saying to the Princess, 'I love you!' A glance +told me all. I was glad for your sake that no other woman saw you at +that moment. But I suppose it would not have mattered to you." + +"Not if all the world had seen the look," moodily. + +"Poor Jack, you are very unlucky!" Her voice was full of pity. "I +feel so sorry for you, it is all so impossible. And she loves you, +too!" + +"How do you know?" + +"I looked at her while she was looking at you." + +"You have wonderful eyes." + +"So I have been told. I wonder why she gave you that withered and +worm-eaten rose?" + +"A whim," I said, staring at the rug. I wondered how she came to +surmise that it was Gretchen's rose? Intuition, perhaps. + +"Do you love her well enough," asked Phyllis, plucking the lace on her +fan, "to sacrifice all the world for her, to give up all your own +happiness that she might become happy?" + +"She never can be happy without me--if she loves me as I believe." I +admit that this was a selfish thought to express. + +"Then, why is it impossible--your love and hers? If her love for you +is as great as you say it is, what is a King, a Prince, or a +principality to her?" + +"It is none of those. It is because she has given her word, the word +of a Princess. What would you do in her place?" suddenly. + +"I?" Phyllis leaned back among the cushions her eyes half-closed and a +smile on her lips. "I am afraid that if I loved you I should follow +you to the end of the world. Honor is a fine thing, but in her case it +is an empty word. If she broke this word for you, who would be +wronged? No one, since the Prince covets only her dowry and the King +desires only his will obeyed. Perhaps I do not understand what social +obligation means to these people who are born in purple." + +"Perhaps that is it. Phyllis, listen, and I will tell you a romance +which has not yet been drawn to its end. Once upon a time--let me call +it a fairy story," said I, drawing down a palm leaf as if to read the +tale from its blades. "Once upon a time, in a country far from ours, +there lived a Prince and a Princess. The Prince was rather a bad +fellow. His faith in his wife was not the best. And he made a vow +that if ever children came he would make them as evil as himself. Not +long after the good fairy brought two children to her godchild, the +Princess. Remembering the vow made by the Prince, the good fairy +carried away one of the children, and no one knew anything about it +save the Princess and the fairy. When the remaining child was two +years old the Princess died. The child from then on grew like a wild +flower. The Prince did his best to spoil her, but the good fairy +watched over her, just as carefully as she watched over the child she +had hidden away. By and by the wicked Prince died. The child reached +womanhood. The good fairy went away and left her; perhaps she now gave +her whole attention to the other." I let the palm leaf slip back, and +drew down a fresh one, Phyllis watching me with interest. "The child +the fairy left was still a child, for all her womanhood. She was +willful and capricious; she rode, she fenced, she hunted; she was as +unlike other women as could be. At last the King, who was her +guardian, grew weary of her caprices. So he commanded that she marry. +But what had the fairy done with the other child, the twin sister of +this wild Princess? Perhaps in this instance the good fairy died and +left her work unfinished, to be taken up and pursued by a conventional +newspaper reporter. Now this pro tem fairy, who was anything but good, +as the word goes, made some curious discoveries. It seems that the +good fairy had left the lost Princess in the care of one of a foreign +race. Having a wife and daughter of his own, he brought the Princess +up as his niece, not knowing himself who she really was. She became +wise, respected, and beautiful in mind and form. Fate, who governs all +fairy stories, first brought the newspaper reporter into the presence +of the lost Princess. She was a mere girl then, and was selling +lemonade at--at twenty-five cents a glass. She--" + +"Jack," came in wondering tones, "for mercy's sake, what are you +telling me?" + +"Phyllis, can you not look back, perhaps as in a dream, to an old inn, +where soldiers and ministers in a hurry and confusion moved to and fro? +No; I dare say you were too young. The Princess Hildegarde of +Hohenphalia is your sister." I rose and bowed to her respectfully. + +"My sister?--the Princess?--I, a Princess? Jack," indignantly, "you +are mocking me! It is not fair!" + +"Phyllis, as sure as I stand before you, all I have said is true. And +now let me be the first to do homage to Your Serene Highness," taking +her hand despite her efforts to withdraw it, and kissing it. + +"It is unreal! Impossible! Absurd!" she cried. + +"Let me repeat the words of the French philosopher, who said, 'As +nothing is impossible, let us believe in the absurd,'" said I. + +"But why has Uncle Bob kept me in ignorance all these years?" +unconvinced. + +"Because, as I have said before, he knew nothing till to-day. I have +even spoken to the Chancellor, who has promised to aid in recovering +your rights." + +"And does she know--the Princess Hildegarde? My sister? How strange +the word feels on my tongue." + +"No; she does not know, but presently she will." + +Then Phyllis asked in an altered tone, "And what is all this to you +that you thrust this greatness upon me?--a greatness, I assure you, for +which I do not care?" + +I regarded her vaguely. I saw a precipice at my feet. I could not +tell her that in making her a Princess I was making Gretchen free. I +could not confess that my motive was purely a selfish one. + +"It was a duty," said I, evasively. + +"And in what way will it concern the Princess Hildegarde's affairs--and +yours?" She was rather merciless. + +"Why should it concern any affair of mine?" I asked. + +"You love her, and she loves you; may she not abdicate in my favor?" + +"And if she should?" with an accent of impatience. + +Phyllis grew silent. "Forgive me, Jack!" impulsively. "But all this +is scarcely to be believed. And then you say there are no proofs." + +"Not in the eyes of the law," I replied; "but nature has written it in +your faces." I was wondering why she had not gone into raptures at the +prospect of becoming a Princess. + +"It is a great honor," she said, after some meditation, "and it is very +kind of you. But I care as little for the title as I do for this +rose." And she cast away one of Pembroke's roses. It boded ill for my +cousin's cause. + +Presently we saw the giver of the rose loom up in the doorway. He was +smiling as usual. + +"It is supper, Jack," he said; "I'm afraid you'll have to go." + +"Does he know?" whispered Phyllis as we rose. + +"Yes." + +She frowned. And as they went away I mused upon the uncertainty of +placing valuable things in woman's hands. + +The next person I saw was the Chancellor. + +"Well?" I interrogated. + +"There can be no doubt," he said, "but--" with an expressive shrug. + +"Life would run smoother if it had fewer 'buts' and 'its' and +'perhapses.' What you would say," said I, "is that there are no +proofs. Certainly they must be somewhere." + +"But to find them!" cried he. + +"I shall make the effort; the pursuit is interesting." + +The expression in his eyes told me that he had formed an opinion in +regard to my part. "Ah, these journalists!" as he passed on. + +Everything seemed so near and yet so far. Proofs? Where could they be +found if Wentworth had them not? If only there had been a trinket, a +kerchief, even, with the Hohenphalian crest upon it! I shook my fists +in despair. Gretchen was so far away, so far! + +I went in search of her. She was still surrounded by men. The women +were not as friendly toward her as they might have been. The Prince +was standing near. Seeing me approach, his teeth gleamed for an +instant. + +"Ah," said Gretchen, "here is Herr Winthrop, who is to take me in to +supper." + +It was cleverly done, I thought. Even the Prince was of the same mind. +He appreciated all these phases. As we left them and passed in toward +the supper room, I whispered: + +"I love you!" + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +When I whispered these words I expected a gentle pressure from +Gretchen's fingers, which rested lightly on my arm. But there was no +sign, and I grew troubled. The blue-green eyes sparkled, and the white +teeth shone between the red lips. Yet something was lacking. + +"Let us go into the conservatory," she said. "It was merely a ruse of +mine. I want no supper. I have much to say to you." + +Altogether, I had dreamed of a different reception. When I entered the +doorway, and she first saw me, it was Gretchen; but now it was +distinctly a Princess, a woman of the world, full of those devices +which humble and confuse us men. + +Somehow we selected, by mutual accord, a seat among the roses. There +was a small fountain, and the waters sang in a murmurous music. It +seemed too early for words, so we drew our thoughts from the marble and +the water. As for me, I looked at, but did not see, the fountain. It +was another scene. There was a garden, in which the roses grew in +beautiful disorder. The sunbeams straggled through the chestnuts. +Near by a wide river moved slowly, and with a certain majesty. There +was a man and a woman in the garden. She was culling roses, while the +man looked on with admiring eyes. + +"Yes," said the Princess, "all that was a pretty dream. Gretchen was a +fairy; and now she has gone from your life and mine--forever. My dear +friend, it is a prosaic age we live in. Sometimes we forget and dream; +but dreams are unreal. Perhaps a flash of it comes back in after days, +that is all; and we remember that it was a dream, and nothing more. It +is true that God designs us, but the world molds us and fate puts on +the finishing touches." She was smiling into my wonder-struck face. +"We all have duties to perform while passing. Some of us are born with +destinies mapped out by human hands; some of us are free to make life +what we will. I am of the first order, and you are of the second. It +is as impossible to join the one with the other as it is to make +diamonds out of charcoal and water. Between Gretchen and the Princess +Hildegarde of Hohenphalia there is as much difference as there is +between--what simile shall I use?--the possible and the impossible?" + +"Gretchen--" I began. + +"Gretchen?" The Princess laughed amusedly. "She is flown. I beg you +not to waste a thought on her memory." + +Things were going badly for me. I did not understand the mood. It +brought to mind the woman poor Hillars had described to me in his rooms +that night in London. I saw that I was losing something, so I made +what I thought a bold stroke. I took from my pocket a withered rose. +I turned it from one hand to the other. + +"It appears that when Gretchen gave me this it was as an emblem of her +love. Still, I gave her all my heart." + +"If that be the emblem of her love, Herr, throw it away; it is not +worth the keeping." + +"And Gretchen sent me a letter once," I went on. + +"Ah, what indiscretion!" + +"It began with 'I love you,' and ended with that sentence. I have worn +the writing away with my kisses." + +"How some men waste their energies!" + +"Your Highness," said I, putting the rose back into my pocket, "did +Gretchen ever tell you how she fought a duel for me because her life +was less to her than mine?" + +The Princess Hildegarde's smile stiffened and her eyes closed for the +briefest instant. + +"Ah, shall I ever forget that night!" said I. "I held her to my heart +and kissed her on the lips. I was supremely happy. Your Highness has +never known what a thing of joy it is to kiss the one you love. It is +one of those things which are denied to people who have their destinies +mapped out by human hands." + +The Princess opened her fan and hid her lips. + +"And do you know," I continued, "when Gretchen went away I had a +wonderful dream?" + +"A dream? What was it?" The fan was waving to and fro. + +"I dreamed that a Princess came in Gretchen's place, and she threw her +arms around my neck and kissed me of her own free will." + +"And what did she say, Herr?" Certainly the voice was growing more +like Gretchen's. + +I hesitated. To tell her what the dream Princess had said would undo +all I had thus far accomplished, which was too little. + +"It will not interest Your Highness," said I. + +"Tell me what she said; I command it!" And now I was sure that there +was a falter in her voice. + +"She said--she said that she loved me." + +"Continue." + +"And that, as she was a Princess and--and honor bound, it could never +be." I had to say it. + +"That is it; that is it. It could never be. Gretchen is no more. The +Princess who, you say, came to you in a dream was then but a woman--" + +"Aye, and such a woman!" I interrupted. "As God hears me, I would give +ten years of my life to hold her again in my arms, to kiss her lips, to +hear her say that she loved me. But, pardon me, what were you going to +say?" + +"Your dream Princess was but a woman--ah, well; this is Tuesday; +Thursday at noon she will wed the Prince. It is written." + +"The devil!" I let slip. I was at the start again. + +"Sir, you do him injustice." + +"Who?--the Prince?" savagely. + +"No; the--the devil!" She had fully recovered, and I had no weapon +left. + +"Gretchen, did you really ever love me?" + +There was no answer. + +"No; I do not believe you did. If you had loved me, what to you would +have been a King, a Prince, a principality? If you broke that promise +who would be wronged? Not the King, not the Prince." + +"No, I should not have wronged them, but," said the Princess rising, "I +should have wronged my people whom I have sworn to protect; I should +have wronged my own sense of honor; I should have broken those ties +which I have sworn to hold dear and precious as my life; I should have +forsaken a sacred duty for something I was not sure of--a man's love!" + +"Gretchen!" + +"Am I cruel? Look!" Phyllis stood at the other end of the +conservatory. "Does not there recur to you some other woman you have +loved? You start. Come; was not your love for Gretchen pique? Who is +she who thus mirrors my own likeness? Whoever she is, she loves you! +Let us return; I shall be missed." It was not the woman but the +Princess who spoke. + +"You are breaking two hearts!" I cried, my voice full of +disappointment, passion and anger. + +"Two? Perhaps; but yours will not be counted." + +"You are--" + +"Pray, do not lose your temper," icily; and she swept toward the +entrance. + +I had lost. + +As the Princess drew near to Phyllis the brown eyes of the one met the +blue-green eyes of the other. There was almost an exclamation on +Phyllis's lips; there was almost a question on Gretchen's; both paled. +Phyllis understood, but Gretchen did not, why the impulse to speak +came. Then the brown eyes of Phyllis turned their penetrating gaze to +my own eyes, which I was compelled to shift. I bowed, and the Princess +and I passed on. + +By the grand staircase we ran into the Prince. His face wore a +dissatisfied air. + +"I was looking for Your Highness," he said to Gretchen. "Your carriage +is at the curb. Permit me to assist you. Ah, yes," in English, "it is +Herr Winthrop. I regret that the interview of to-morrow will have to +be postponed till Monday." + +"Any time," said I, watching Gretchen whose eyes widened, "will be +agreeable to me." + +Gretchen made as though to speak, but the Prince anticipated her. + +"It is merely a little discussion, Your Highness," he said, "which Herr +Winthrop and I left unfinished earlier in the evening. Good night." + +On the way to the cloak room it kept running through my mind that I had +lost. Thursday?--she said Thursday was the day of her wedding? It +would be an evil day for me. + +Pembroke was in the cloak room. + +"Going?" he asked. + +"Yes." + +"Well, let us go together. Where shall it be--Egypt or the steppes of +Siberia?" + +"Home first," said I; "then we shall decide." + +When we got into the carriage we lit cigars. For some reason Pembroke +was less talkative than usual. Suddenly he pulled down the window, and +a gust of snow blew in. Then up went the window again, but the cigar +was gone. + +"Has anything gone wrong?" I asked. + +"'One more unfortunate. . . . Make no deep scrutiny!'" he quoted. +"Jack, she wouldn't think of it, not for a moment. Perhaps I was a +trifle too soon. Yes, she is a Princess, indeed. As for me, I shall +go back to elephants and tigers; it's safer." + +"'The Bridge of Sighs,'" said I. "Let us cross it for good and all." + +"And let it now read 'Sighs Abridged.'" + +He asked me no questions, and I silently thanked him. Once in our +rooms, he drank a little more brandy than I thought good for one "who +may or may not live the year out." I told him so. He laughed. And +then I laughed. Both of us did it theatrically; it was laughter, but +it was not mirth. + +"Cousin," said I, "that's the idea; let us laugh. Love may sit on the +windowsill and shiver to death." + +"That fellow Anacreon was a fool," said Pembroke. "If the child of +Venus had been left then and there, what a lot of trouble might have +been averted! What do you say to this proposition; the north, the +bears and the wolves? I've a friend who owns a shooting box a few +miles across the border. There's bears and gray wolves galore. Eh?" + +"I must get back to work," said I, but half-heartedly. + +"To the devil with your work! Throw it over. You've got money; your +book is gaining you fame. What's a hundred dollars a week to you, and +jumping from one end of the continent to the other with only an hour's +notice?" + +"I'll sleep on it." + +"Good. I'll go to bed now, and you can have the hearth and the tobacco +to yourself." + +"Good night," said I. + +Yes, I wanted to be alone. But I did not smoke. I sat and stared into +the flickering flames in the grate. I had lost Gretchen. . . . To +hold a woman in your arms, the woman you love, to kiss her lips, and +then to lose her! Oh, I knew that she loved me, but she was a +Princess, and her word was given, and it could not be. The wind sang +mournfully over the sills of the window; thick snow whitened the panes; +there was a humming in the chimneys. . . . She was jealous of Phyllis; +that was why I knew that she loved me. . . . And the subtle change in +Phyllis's demeanor towards me; what did it signify? . . . Gretchen was +to be married Thursday because there were no proofs that Phyllis was +her sister. . . . What if Gretchen had been Phyllis, and Phyllis had +been Gretchen. . . . Heigho! I threw some more coals on the fire. +The candle sank in the socket. There are some things we men cannot +understand; the sea, the heavens and woman. . . . Suddenly I brought +both hands down on my knees. The innkeeper! The innkeeper! He knew! +In a moment I was rummaging through the stack of time tables. The next +south-bound train left at 3:20. I looked at the clock; 2:20. My dress +suit began to fly around on various chairs. Yes; how simple it was! +The innkeeper knew; he had known it all these years. I threw my white +cravat onto the table and picked up the most convenient tie. In ten +minutes from the time the idea came to me I was completely dressed in +traveling garments. I had a day and a half. It would take twenty +hours to fetch the innkeeper. I refused to entertain the possibility +of not finding him at the inn. I swore to heaven that the nuptials of +the Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia and the Prince Ernst of +Wortumborg should not be celebrated at noon, Thursday. I went into the +bedroom. + +"Pembroke?" + +"What is it?" came drowsily. + +"I am going on a journey." + +"One of those cursed orders you get every other day?" he asked. + +"No. It's one on my own account this time. I shall be back in +twenty-four hours. Goodby!" And I left him there, blinking in the dim +light of the candle. + +I rushed into the street and looked up and down it. Not a vehicle in +sight. I must run for it. The railway station was a long way off. A +fine snow pelted my face. I stopped at the first lamp and pulled out +my watch. It was twenty minutes to three. What if the time-tables had +been changed? A prayer rose to my lips; there was so much in the +balance. Down this street I ran, rounding this corner and that. I +knocked down a drunken student, who cursed me as he rolled into the +gutter. I never turned, but kept on. One of the mounted police saw me +rushing along. He shaded his eyes for a moment, then called to me to +stop. I swore under my breath. + +"Where are you going at such a pace and at this time of morning?" he +demanded. + +"To the station. I beg of you not to delay me. I am in a great hurry +to catch the 3:20 south-bound train. If you doubt me, come to the +station with me." An inspiration came to me. "Please see," I added +impressively, "that no one hinders me. I am on the King's business." + +"His Majesty's business? Ach! since when has His Majesty chosen an +Englishman to dispatch his affairs? I will proceed with you to the +station." + +And he kept his word. When he saw the gateman examine my ticket and +passports and smile pleasantly, he turned on his heel, convinced that +there was nothing dangerous about me. He climbed on his horse and +galloped away. He might have caused me no end of delay, and time meant +everything in a case like mine. Scarcely had I secured a compartment +in a first-class carriage than the wheels groaned and the train rolled +out of the station. My brow was damp; my hands trembled like an +excited woman's. Should I win? I had a broken cigar in my pocket. I +lit the preserved end at the top of the feeble carriage lamp. I had +the compartment alone. Sleep! Not I. Who could sleep when the car +wheels and the rattling windows kept saying, "The innkeeper knows! The +innkeeper knows!" Every stop was a heartache. Ah, those eight hours +were eight separate centuries to me. I looked careworn and haggard +enough the next morning when I stepped on the station platform. I +wanted nothing to eat; not even a cup of coffee to drink. + +To find conveyance to the inn was not an easy task. No one wanted to +take the drive. Finally I secured a horse. There was no haggling over +the price. And soon I was loping through the snowdrifts in the +direction of the old inn. The snow whirled and eddied over the stubble +fields; the winds sang past my ears; the trees creaked and the river +flowed on, black and sluggish. It was a dreary scene. It was bitter +cold, but I had no mind for that. On, on I went. Two miles were left +in the rear. The horse was beginning to breathe hard. Sometimes the +snow was up to his knees. What if the old man was not there? The +blood sank upon my heart. Once the horse struck a slippery place and +nearly fell, but I caught him in time. I could now see the inn, +perhaps a mile away, through the leafless trees. It looked dismal +enough. The vines hung dead about it, the hedges were wild and +scrawny, the roses I knew to be no more, and the squirrel had left his +summer home for a warmer nest in the forest. A wave of joy swept over +me as I saw a thin stream of smoke winding above the chimney. Some one +was there. On, on; presently I flew up the roadway. A man stood on +the porch. It was Stahlberg. When I pushed down my collar his jaw +dropped. I flung the reins to him. + +"Where is the innkeeper?" I cried with my first breath. + +"In the hall, Herr. But--" + +I was past him and going through the rooms. Yes, thank God, there he +was, sitting before the huge fireplace, where the logs crackled and +seethed, his grizzled head sunk between his shoulders, lost in some +dream. I tramped in noisily. He started out of his dream and looked +around. + +"Gott!" he cried. He wiped his eyes and looked again. "Is it a dream +or is it you?" + +"Flesh and blood!" I cried. "Flesh and blood!" + +I closed the door and bolted it. He followed my movements with a +mixture of astonishment and curiosity in his eyes. + +"Now," I began, "what have you done with the proofs which you took from +your wife--the proofs of the existence of a twin sister of the Princess +Hildegarde of Hohenphalia?" + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +The suddenness of this demand overwhelmed him, and he fell back into +the chair, his eyes bulging and his mouth agape. + +"Do you hear me?" I cried. "The proofs!" going up to him with clenched +fists. "What have you done with those proofs? If you have destroyed +them I'll kill you." + +Then, as a bulldog shakes himself loose, the old fellow got up and +squared his shoulders and faced me, his lips compressed and his jaws +knotted. I could see by his eyes that I must fight for it. + +"Herr Winthrop has gone mad," said he. "The Princess Hildegarde never +had a sister." + +"You lie!" My hands were at his throat. + +"I am an old man," he said. + +I let my hands drop and stepped back. + +"That is better," he said, with a grim smile. "Who told you this +impossible tale, and what has brought you here?" + +"It is not impossible. The sister has been found." + +"Found!" I had him this time. "Found!" he repeated. "Oh, this is not +credible!" + +"It is true. And to-morrow at noon the woman you profess to love will +become the wife of the man she abhors. Why? Because you, you refuse +to save her!" + +"I? How in God's name can I save her?" the perspiration beginning to +stand out on his brow. + +"How? I will tell you how. Prince Ernst marries Gretchen for her +dowry alone. If the woman I believe to be her sister can be proved so, +the Prince will withdraw his claims to Gretchen's hand. Do you +understand? He will not marry for half the revenues of Hohenphalia. +It is all or nothing. Now, will you produce those proofs? Will you +help me?" The minute hand of the clock was moving around with deadly +precision. + +"Are you lying to me?" he asked, breathing hard. + +"You fool! can't you see that it means everything to Gretchen if you +have those proofs? She will be free, free! Will you get those proofs, +or shall your god-child live to curse you?" + +This was the most powerful weapon I had yet used. + +"Live to curse me?" he said, not speaking to me, but to the thought. +He sat down again and covered his face with his hands. The minute +which passed seemed very long. He flung away his hands from his eyes +with a movement which expressed despair and resignation. "Yes, I will +get them. It is years and years ago," he mused absently; "so long ago +that I had thought it gone and forgotten. But it was not to be. I +will get the proofs," turning to me as he left the chair. "Wait here." +He unbolted the door and passed forth. . . . It was a full confession +of the deception, written by the mother herself, and witnessed by her +physician, the innkeeper and his wife. Not even the King could contest +its genuineness. + +"Where is this Dr. Salzberg?" + +The innkeeper leaned against the side of the fireplace, staring into +the flames. + +"He is dead," briefly. + +"Who was he?" + +"Her late Highness's court-physician. Oh, have no fear, Herr; this +new-found Princess of yours will come into her own," with a bitter +smile. + +"And why have you kept silent all these years?" I asked. + +"Why?" He raised his arms, then let them fall dejectedly. "I loved +the Princess Hildegarde. I was jealous that any should share her +greatness. I have kept silent because I carried her in my arms till +she could walk. Because her father cursed her, and refused to believe +her his own. Because she grew around my heart as a vine grows around a +rugged oak. And the other? She was nothing to me. I had never seen +her. My wife spirited her away when it was night and dark. I took the +proofs of her existence as a punishment to my wife, who, without them, +would never dare to return to this country again. Herr, when a man +loads you with ignominy and contempt and ridicule for something you are +not to blame, what do you seek? Revenge. The Prince tried to crush +this lonely child of his. It was I who brought her up. It was I who +taught her to say her prayers. It was I who made her what she is +to-day, a noble woman, with a soul as spotless as yonder snowdrift. +That was my revenge." + +"Who are you?" I cried. For this innkeeper's affection and eloquence +seemed out of place. + +"Who am I?" The smile which lit his face was wistful and sad. "The +law of man disavows me--the bar sinister. In the eyes of God, who is +accountable for our being, I am Gretchen's uncle, her father's brother." + +"You?" I was astounded. + +"And who knows of this?" + +"The King, the Prince--and you." + +I thrust a hand toward him. "You are a man." + +"Wait. Swear to God that Her Highness shall never know." + +"On my honor." + +Then he accepted my clasp and looked straight into my eyes. + +"And all this to you?" + +"I love her." + +"And she?" + +"It is mutual. Do you suppose she would have put her life before mine +if not? She knew that the lieutenant would have killed me." + +"Ach! It never occurred to me in that light. I understood it to be a +frolic of hers. Will you make her happy?" + +"If an honest man's love can do it," said I. "Now, get on your hat and +coat. You must go to the capital with me. The King would send for you +in any case. The next train leaves at five, and to save Gretchen, +these proofs must be in the Chancellor's hands to-morrow morning." + +"Yes, my presence will be necessary. Perhaps I have committed a crime; +who knows?" His head fell in meditation. "Herr, and this other +sister, has she been happy?" + +"Happier than ever Gretchen." + +He had the sleigh brought around. Stahlberg was to ride my horse back +to the village and return with the sleigh. We climbed into the seat, +there was a crunching of snow, a jangle of bells, and we were gliding +over the white highway. As I lay back among the robes, I tried to +imagine that it was a dream, that I was still in New York, grinding +away in my den, and not enacting one of the principal roles in a court +drama; that I was not in love with a woman who spoke familiarly to +kings and grand dukes and princes, that I was not about to create a +Princess of whom few had vaguely heard and of whom but one had really +known; that Phyllis and I were once more on the old friendly grounds, +and that I was to go on loving her till the end of time--till the end +of time. + +"You have known this sister?" asked the innkeeper. + +"For many years," said I. + +And those were the only words which passed between us during that +five-mile drive. At the station I at once wired the Chancellor that +the proofs had been found, and requested him to inform the King and +Prince Ernst. And then another eight hours dragged themselves out of +existence. But Gretchen was mine! + + +The King was dressed in a military blouse, and, save for the small +cross suspended from his neck by a chain of gold, there was nothing +about him to distinguish his rank. He strode back and forth, sometimes +going the whole length of the white room. The Chancellor sat at a long +mahogany table, and the Prince and Mr. Wentworth were seated at either +side of him. The innkeeper stood before the Chancellor, at the +opposite side of the table. His face might have been cut from granite, +it was so set and impressive. I leaned over the back of a chair in the +rear of the room. The King came close to me once and fixed his keen +blue eyes on mine. + +"Was this the fellow, Prince," he asked, "who caused you all the +trouble and anxiety?" + +I felt uneasy. My experience with Kings was not large. + +"No, Your Majesty," answered the Prince. "The gentleman to whom you +refer has departed the scene." The Prince caught the fire in my eye, +and laughed softly. + +"Ah," said the King, carelessly. "It is a strange story. Proceed," +with a nod to the Chancellor. + +"What is your name?" the Chancellor asked, directing his glance at the +innkeeper. + +The innkeeper gazed at the King for a space. The Prince was watching +him with a mocking smile. + +"Hermann Breunner, Your Excellency." + +The King stood still. He had forgotten the man, but not the name. + +"Hermann Breunner," he mused. + +"Yes, Your Majesty," said the innkeeper. + +"The keeper of the feudal inn," supplemented the Prince. + +The glance the innkeeper shot him was swift. The Prince suddenly +busied himself with the papers. + +"Are you aware," went on the Chancellor, who had not touched the +undercurrent, "that you are guilty of a grave crime?" + +"Yes, Your Excellency." + +"Which is punishable by long imprisonment?" + +The innkeeper bent his head. + +"What have you to say in your defense?" + +"Nothing," tranquilly meeting the frowning eyes of the King. + +"What was your object in defrauding the Princess--" the Chancellor +opened one of the documents which lay before him--"the Princess +Elizabeth of her rights?" + +"I desired the Princess Hildegarde to possess all," was the answer. It +was also a challenge to the Prince to refute the answer if he dared. +"I acknowledge that I have committed a crime. I submit to His +Majesty's will," bowing reverentially. + +The King was stroking his chin, a sign of deep meditation in him. + +"Let Their Highnesses be brought in," he said at last. + +The Chancellor rose and passed into the anteroom. Shortly he returned, +followed by Gretchen. I could see by the expression in her face that +she was mystified by the proceeding. + +"Her Highness the Princess Elizabeth is just leaving the carriage," +announced the Chancellor, retiring again. + +Gretchen looked first at the King, then at the Prince. As she saw the +innkeeper, a wave of astonishment rippled over her face. + +"Be seated, Your Highness," said the King, kindly. + +She knew that I was in the room, but her eyes never left the King. + +The Prince was plucking at his imperial. The innkeeper's eyes were +riveted on the door. He was waiting for the appearance of her whom he +had wronged. Presently Phyllis came in. Her cheeks were red, and her +eyes sparkled with excitement. Wentworth nodded reassuringly. The +innkeeper was like one stricken dumb. He stared at Phyllis till I +thought his eyes would start from their sockets. + +"Your Majesty has summoned me?" said Gretchen. + +"Yes. Explain," said the King to the Chancellor. + +"Your Highness," began the Chancellor, "it has been proved by these +papers here and by that man there," pointing to the innkeeper, "that +your mother of lamented memory gave birth to twins. One is yourself; +the other was spirited away at the request of your mother. We shall +pass over her reasons. It was all due to the efforts of this clever +journalist here--" Gretchen was compelled to look at me now, while the +King frowned and the Prince smiled--"that your sister has been found." + +Gretchen gave a cry and started to go to Phyllis with outstretched +arms; but as Phyllis stood motionless she stopped, and her arms fell. + +"Your Highness," said the King to Phyllis, "it is your sister, the +Princess Hildegarde. Embrace her, I beg you." + +The King willed it. But it occurred to me that there was a warmth +lacking in the embrace. Gretchen lightly brushed with her lips the +cheek of her sister, and the kiss was as lightly returned. There was +something about it all we men failed to understand. + +"Moreover," said the King, "she desires you to remain the sovereign +Princess of Hohenphalia." + +"Nay, Your Majesty," said Gretchen, "it is I who will relinquish my +claims. Your Majesty is aware that I have many caprices." + +"Indeed, yes," said the King. "And I can assure you that they have +caused me no small anxiety. But let us come to an understanding, once +and for all. Do you wish to abdicate in favor of your sister?" + +Gretchen gave me the briefest notice. + +"Yes, Your Majesty." + +Phyllis was regarding me steadfastly. + +"This is final?" said the King. + +"It is." + +"And what is your will?" to Phyllis. "Yes, the likeness is truly +remarkable," communing aloud to his thought. + +I could not suppress the appeal in my eyes. + +"Your Majesty," said Phyllis, "if my sister will teach me how to become +a Princess, I promise to accept the responsibility." + +"You will not need much teaching," replied the King, admiringly. + +"You will do this?--you, my sister?" asked Gretchen eagerly. + +"Yes." There was no color now in Phyllis's cheeks; they were as white +as the marble faun on the mantel. + +"Remember, Your Highness," said the King, speaking to Gretchen, "there +shall be no recall." + +"Sire," said the Prince, rising, "I request a favor." + +"And it shall be granted," said the King, "this being your wedding day." + +It was Gretchen who now paled; the hands of the innkeeper closed; I +clutched the chair, for my legs trembled. To lose, after all! + +"Ah," said the Prince, "I thank Your Majesty. The favor I ask is that +you will postpone this marriage--indefinitely." + +"What!" cried the King. He was amazed. "Have I heard you aright, or +do my ears play me false?" + +"It is true. I thank Your Majesty again," said the Prince, bowing. + +"But this is beyond belief," cried the King in anger. "I do not +understand. This marriage was at your own request, and now you +withdraw. Since when," proudly, "was the hand of the Princess +Hildegarde to be ignored?" + +"It is a delicate matter," said the Prince, turning the ring on his +finger. "It would be impolite to state my reasons before Her Highness. +Your Highness, are you not of my opinion, that, as matters now stand, a +marriage between us would be rather absurd?" + +"Now, as at all times," retorted Gretchen, scornfully. "It has never +been my will," a furtive glance at the King. + +"But--" began the King. He was wrathful. + +"Your Majesty," said the innkeeper, "you are a great King; be a +generous one." + +All looked at him as though they expected to see the King fly at him +and demolish him--all but I. The King walked up to the bold speaker, +took his measure, then, with his hands clasped behind his back, resumed +his pacing. After a while he came to a standstill. + +"Your Highness," he said to Phyllis, "what shall I do with this man who +has so grossly wronged you?" + +"Forgive him." + +The King passed on. I was not looking at him, but at the innkeeper. I +saw his lip tremble and his eyes fill. Suddenly he fell upon his knees +before Phyllis and raised her hand to his lips. + +"Will Your Highness forgive a sinner who only now realizes the wrong he +has done to you?" + +"Yes, I forgive you," said Phyllis. "The only wrong you have done to +me is to have made me a Princess. Your Majesty will forgive me, but it +is all so strange to me who have grown up in a foreign land which is +dearer to my heart than the land in which I was born." + +I felt a thrill of pride, and I saw that Mr. Wentworth's lips had +formed into a "God bless her!" + +"It is a question now," said the King, "only of duty." + +"And Your Majesty's will regarding my marriage?" put in the Prince, +holding his watch in his hand. It was ten o'clock. + +"Well, well! It shall be as you desire." Then to me: "I thank you in +the name of Their Highnesses for your services. And you, Mr. +Wentworth, shall always have the good will of the King for presenting +to his court so accomplished and beautiful a woman as Her Highness the +Princess Elizabeth. Hermann Breunner, return to your inn and remain +there; your countenance brings back disagreeable recollections. I +shall expect Your Highnesses at dinner this evening. Prince, I leave +to you the pleasant task of annulling your nuptial preparations. Good +morning. Ah! these women!" as he passed from the room. "They are our +mothers, so we must suffer their caprices." + +And as we men followed him we saw Gretchen weeping silently on +Phyllis's shoulder. + +The innkeeper touched the Prince. + +"I give you fair warning," he said. "If our paths cross again, one of +us shall go on alone." + +"I should be very lonely without you," laughed the Prince. "However, +rest yourself. As the King remarked, your face recalls unpleasant +memories. Our paths shall not cross again." + +When the innkeeper and the Chancellor were out of earshot, I said: "She +is mine!" + +"Not yet," the Prince said softly. "On Tuesday morn I shall kill you." + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +The affair caused considerable stir. The wise men of diplomacy shook +their heads over it and predicted grave things in store for +Hohenphalia. Things were bad enough as they were, but to have a woman +with American ideas at the head--well, it was too dreadful to think of. +And the correspondents created a hubbub. The news was flashed to +Paris, to London, thence to New York, where the illustrated weeklies +printed full-page pictures of the new Princess who had but a few months +since been one of the society belles. And everybody was wondering who +the "journalist" in the case was. The Chancellor smiled and said +nothing. Mr. Wentworth said nothing and smiled. A cablegram from New +York alarmed me. It said: "Was it you?" I answered, "Await letter." +The letter contained my resignation, to take effect the moment my name +became connected with the finding of the Princess Elizabeth. A week or +so later I received another cablegram, "Accept resignation. Temptation +too great." In some manner they secured a photograph of mine, and I +became known as "The reporter who made a Princess;" and for many days +the raillery at the clubs was simply unbearable. But I am skipping the +intermediate events, those which followed the scene in the King's +palace. + +I was very unhappy. Three days passed, and I saw neither Phyllis nor +Gretchen. The city was still talking about the dramatic ending of +Prince Ernst's engagement to the Princess Hildegarde, Twice I had +called at the Hohenphalian residence to pay my respects. Once I was +told that Their Highnesses were at the palace. The second time I was +informed that Their Highnesses were indisposed. I became gloomy and +disheartened. I could not understand. Gretchen had not even thanked +me for my efforts in saving her the unhappiness of marrying the Prince. +And Phyllis, she who had called me "Jack," she whom I had watched grow +from girlhood to womanhood, she, too, had forsaken me. I do not know +what would have become of me but for Pembroke's cheerfulness. + +Monday night I was sitting before the grate, reading for the hundredth +time Gretchen's only letter. Pembroke was buried behind the covers of +a magazine. Suddenly a yellow flame leaped from a pine log, and in it +I seemed to read all. Gretchen was proud and jealous. She believed +that I loved Phyllis and had made her a Princess because I loved her. +It was the first time I had laughed in many an hour. Pembroke looked +over his magazine. + +"That sounds good. What caused it?" + +"A story," I answered. "Some day I shall tell you all about it. Have +you noticed how badly I have gone about lately?" + +"Have I!" he echoed. "If I haven't had a time of it, I should like to +know!" + +"Well, it is all over," said I, placing a hand on his shoulder and +smiling into his questioning eyes. "Now if you will excuse me, cousin +mine, I'll make a call on her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde." + +Just then the door opened and Pembroke's valet came in. He handed a +card to me, and I read upon it, "Count von Walden." I cast it into +Pembroke's lap. + +"That's the man. He is the inseparable of the Prince of Wortumborg." +Then to the valet, "Show him up." + +"What's it all about?" asked Pembroke. + +"Honestly, I should like to run away," I said musingly. The snow on +the housetops across the way sparkled in the early moonshine. "It's +about a woman. If I live--ah!" I went to the door and swung it open. +The Count gravely passed over the threshold. + +"Good evening," he said, with a look of inquiry at Pembroke. + +"This gentleman," said I, as I introduced him, "will second me in the +affair to-morrow morning. I suppose you have come to make the final +arrangements?" + +"Pardon me," began Pembroke, "but I do not understand--" + +"Oh, I forgot. You are," I responded, "to be my second in a duel +to-morrow morning. Should anything happen to me, it were well to have +a friend near by, better still a relative. Well, Count?" + +"The Prince desires me to inform you that he has selected pistols at +your request, and despite the fact that he has only the use of his left +hand, he permits you to use either of yours. There will be one shot +each, the firing to be drawn for on the grounds. The time is six, the +place one mile out on the north road, in the rear of the Strasburg inn. +I trust this is entirely satisfactory to you?" + +"It is," I answered. + +"Then allow me to bid you good night." He bowed and backed toward the +door. He remained a moment with his hand on the knob, gazing into my +eyes. I read in his a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "Good +night," and he was gone. + +Pembroke stared at me in bewilderment. "What the devil--" + +"It is a matter of long standing," said I. + +"But a duel!" he cried, impatiently. "Hang me if I'll be your second +or let you fight. These are not the days of Richelieu. It is pure +murder. It is against the law." + +"But I cannot draw back honorably," I said. "I cannot." + +"I'll notify the police and have them stop it," he said with +determination. + +"And have us all arrested and laughed at from one end of the continent +to the other. My dear cousin, that man shot the dearest friend I had +in the world. I am going to try to kill him at the risk of getting +killed myself. He has also insulted the noblest woman that ever lived. +If I backed down, I should be called a coward; the people who respect +me now would close their doors in my face." + +"But you have everything to lose, and he has nothing to gain." + +"It cannot be helped," said I. "The woman I love once fought a duel +for me; I cannot do less for her. You will be my second?" + +"Yes. But if he wounds you, woe to him." + +"Very well, I'll leave you," said I. + +It was not far to the residence of Their Highnesses, so I walked. It +was a fine night, and the frost sang beneath my heels. I had never +fought a duel. This time no one would stand between. I was glad of +this. I wanted Gretchen to know that I, too, was brave, but hitherto +had lacked the opportunity to show it. It was really for her sake, +after all, even though it would be something to avenge poor Hillars. +And I wondered, as I walked along, would Gretchen and Phyllis love each +other? It was difficult to guess, since, though sisters, they were +utter strangers in lives and beliefs. Soon my journey came to an end, +and I found myself mounting the broad marble steps of the Hohenphalian +mansion. My heart beat swiftly and I had some difficulty in finding +the bell. + +The liveried footman took my card. + +"Present it to her Highness the Princess Hildegarde," I said, as I +passed into the hall. + +"Her Serene Highness has left town, I believe, Your Excellency. Her +Serene Highness the Princess Elizabeth is dining at the palace." + +"Gone?" said I. + +"Yes, Your Excellency." He examined my card closely. "Ah, allow me to +deliver this note to you which Her Serene Highness directed me to do +should you call." + +My hands shook as I accepted the missive, and the lights began to +waver. I passed out into the cold air. Gone? And why? I walked back +to the rooms in feverish haste. Pembroke was still at his reading. + +"Hello! What brings you back so soon?" + +"She was not at home," I answered. I threw my coat and hat on the +sofa. I balanced the envelope in my hand. For some moments I +hesitated to open it. Something was wrong; if all had been well +Gretchen would not have left the city. I glanced at Pembroke. He went +on with his reading, unconcerned. Well, the sooner it was over, the +better. I drew forth the contents and read it. + + +"Herr Winthrop--Forgive the indiscretion of a Princess. On my honor, I +am sorry for having made you believe that you inspired me with the +grand passion. Folly finds plenty to do with idle minds. It was a +caprice of mine which I heartily regret. There is nothing to forgive; +there is much to forget. However, I am under great obligations to you. +I am positive that I shall love my sister as I have never loved a human +being before. She is adorable, and I can well comprehend why you +should love her deeply. Forgive me for playing with what the French +call your summer affections. I am about to leave for Hohenphalia to +prepare the way for the new sovereign. Will you kindly destroy that +one indiscreet letter which I, in the spirit of mischief, wrote you +last autumn? + +"The Princess Hildegarde." + + +The envelope reminded me of a rusty scabbard; there was a very keen +weapon within. I lit my pipe and puffed for a while. + +"Cousin," said I, "I have a premonition that I shall not kill Prince +Ernst of Wortumborg at six o'clock to-morrow morning." + +"What put that into your head? You are not going to back down, after +all, are you?" + +"Decidedly not. Something strikes me that I shall miss fire." + +"Pshaw!" exclaimed Pembroke. "I have been thinking it over, and I've +come to the conclusion that it would not be a bad plan to rid this +world of a man like your Prince. It'll all come out right in the end. +You will wed the Princess Hildegarde just as sure as--as I will not wed +her sister." He spoke the last words rapidly, as though afraid of them. + +"I shall never marry the Princess Hildegarde," said I. "She has gone." + +"Gone? Where?" + +"It matters not where. Suffice it is that she has gone. Pembroke, you +and I were very unfortunate fellows. What earthly use have Princesses +for you and me? The little knowledge of court we have was gotten out +of cheap books and newspaper articles. To talk with Kings and +Princesses it requires an innate etiquette which commoners cannot +learn. We are not to the manner born. These Princesses are but +candles; and now that we have singed our mothy wings, and are crippled +so that we may not fly again, let us beware. This may or may not be my +last night on earth. . . . Let us go to the opera. Let us be original +in all things. I shall pay a prima donna to sing my requiem from the +footlights--before I am dead." + +"Jack!" cried Pembroke, anxiously. + +"Oh, do not worry," said I. "I am only trying to laugh--but I can't!" + +"Are you truly serious about going to the opera?" he asked. + +"Yes. Hurry and dress," said I. + +I leaned against the mantel and stared into the flickering tongues of +flame. A caprice? I read the letter again, then threw it into the +grate and watched the little darts of light devour it. Now and then a +word stood out boldly. Finally the wind carried the brown ashes up the +chimney, I would keep the other letter--the one she had asked for--and +the withered rose till the earth passed over me. She was a Princess; I +was truly an adventurer, a feeble pawn on the chess-board. What had I +to do with Kings and bishops and knights? The comedy was about to +end--perhaps with a tragedy. I had spoken my few lines and was going +behind the scenes out of which I had come. As I waited for Pembroke +the past two years went by as in a panorama. I thought of the old +lawyer and the thousand-dollar check; the night at the opera with +Phyllis; the meeting of Hillars and his story. "When there is nothing +more to live for, it is time to die." If there was such a place as +Elysium in the nether world, Hillars and I should talk it all over +there. It is pleasant to contemplate the fact that when we are dead we +shall know "the reason why." + +"Come along," said Pembroke, entering. + +So we went to the opera. They are full of wonderful scenes, these +continental opera houses. Here and there one sees the brilliant +uniforms, blue and scarlet and brown, glittering with insignias and +softened by furs. Old men with sashes crossing the white bosoms of +their linen dominate the boxes, and the beauty of woman is often lost +in the sparkle of jewels. And hovering over all is an oppressive +fragrance. Pembroke's glasses were roving about. Presently he touched +my arm. + +"In the upper proscenium," he said. + +It was Phyllis. The Chancellor and the Grand Duke of S---- were with +her. + +"We shall visit her during the first intermission," said I. + +"You had better go alone," replied Pembroke. "I haven't the courage." + +The moment the curtain dropped I left the stall. I passed along the +corridor and soon stood outside the box in which Phyllis sat. I +knocked gently. + +"Enter!" said a soft voice. + +"Ah," said the Chancellor, smiling as he saw me. "Duke, I believe +their Majesties are looking this way. Let us go to them. I am pleased +to see you, Herr Winthrop. Duke, this is the gentleman who has turned +us all upside down." + +The Duke bowed, and the two left me alone with Phyllis. + +There was an embarrassing silence, but she surmounted it. + +"Why have you not been to see me?" she asked. "Are you done with me +now that you have made me a Princess?" + +"I did call, but was told that you were indisposed," said I. + +"It was because I did not see your card. I shall never be indisposed +to my friends--the old ones. However, they will be crowding in here +shortly. Will you come and see me at four to-morrow afternoon?" + +"Is it important?" I was thinking of the duel when I said this. + +"Very--to you. You have a strange funereal expression for a man who is +about to wed the woman he loves." + +"Your sister has left town?" not knowing what else to say. + +"Only for a few days; at least so she told me. Have you seen her?" + +"No, I have not. A Princess!" dropping into a lighter tone. "You +carry your honors well. It was to be expected of you. I might have +made you a Queen, but that would not have changed you any." + +"Thank you. Do you know, a title is a most wonderful drawing +apparatus? Since Thursday it has been a continued performance of +presentations. And I care absolutely nothing for it all. Indeed, it +rests heavily upon me. I am no longer free. Ah, Jack, and to think +that I must blame you! I have been longing all the evening for the +little garden at home. Yes, it will always be home to me. I am almost +an alien. I would rather sell lemonade to poor reporters who had only +twenty-five-cent pieces in their pockets than queen it over a people +that do not interest me and with whom I have nothing in common." She +smiled, rather sadly, I thought, at the remembrance of that garden +scene so long ago. + +"Time has a cruel way of moving us around," said I, snapping the clasps +on my gloves, and pulling the fingers and looking everywhere but at +her. I was wondering if I should ever see her again. "When is the +coronation to take place?" + +"In June. The King does not wish to hurry me. You see, I must learn +to be a Princess first. It was kind of him. And you will be at +Hohenphalia to witness the event?" + +"If nothing happens. We live in a continual uncertainty." + +She regarded me somewhat strangely. + +"Is there a significance in that last sentence?" + +"No," I answered. I felt compelled to add something. "But here come +some of your new admirers. Their glittering medals will make me feel +out of place if I remain. I shall do my best to accept your +invitation." + +"Jack, you are hiding something from me. Are you going to leave the +city to search for her?" + +"No," said I. "The truth is," with a miserable attempt to smile, "I +have an engagement to-morrow morning, and it is impossible to tell how +long it will last. Good night." + +Fate played loose with me that night. As I was turning down the +corridor I ran into the Prince. He was accompanied by Von Walden and +an attaché whom I knew. + +"Good evening," said the Prince. "Do you not prefer the French opera, +after all?" + +"All good music is the same to me," I answered, calmly returning his +amused look with a contemptuous one. "Wagner, Verdi, Gounod, or Bizet, +it matters not." + +The attaché passed some cigarettes. Only the Prince refused. + +"No thanks. I am not that kind of a villain." He laughed as he +uttered these words, and looked at me. + +I would have given much to possess that man's coolness. + +"Till we meet again," he said, as I continued on. "Shall I add +pleasant dreams?" + +"I am obliged to you," I answered over my shoulder, "but I never have +them. I sleep too soundly." + +"Cousin," said I, later, "what was that opera?" + +"I forgot to bring along a program," said Pembroke. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +When Pembroke and I arrived at the Strasburg inn, on the north road, +neither the Prince nor Von Walden were in evidence. I stepped from our +carriage and gazed interestedly around me. The scene was a picturesque +one. The sun, but half risen, was of a rusty brass, and all east was +mottled with purple and salmon hues. The clearing, a quarter of a mile +away, where the Prince and I were to settle our dispute, was hidden +under a fine white snow; and the barren trees which encircled it stood +out blackly. Pembroke looked at his watch. + +"They ought to be along soon; it's five after six. How do you feel?" +regarding me seriously. + +"As nerveless as a rod of steel," I answered. "Let us go in and order +a small breakfast. I'm a bit cold." + +"Better let it go at a cup of coffee," he suggested. + +"It will be more consistent, that is true," I said. "Coffee and +pistols for two." + +"I'm glad to see that you are bright," said Pembroke. "Hold out your +hand." + +I did so. + +"Good. So long as it doesn't tremble, I have confidence of the end." + +We had scarcely finished our coffee when the Prince, followed by Von +Walden, entered. + +"Pardon me," he said, "for having made you wait." + +"Permit me," said I, rising, "to present my second; Mr. Pembroke, His +Highness Prince Ernst of Wortumborg." + +The two looked into each other's eyes for a space, and the Prince +nodded approvingly. + +"I have heard of Your Highness," said my cousin, with a peculiar smile. + +"Some evil report, I presume?" laughed the Prince. + +"Many of them," was the answer. + +The Prince showed his teeth. "Count, these Americans are a positive +refreshment. I have yet to meet one who is not frankness itself. At +your pleasure!" + +And the four of us left the inn and crossed the field. The first shot +fell to me. Pembroke's eyes beamed with exultant light. Von Walden's +face was without expression. As for the Prince, he still wore that +bantering smile. He was confident of the end. He knew that I was a +tyro, whereas he had faced death many times. I sighed. I knew that I +should not aim to take his life. I was absolutely without emotion; +there was not the slightest tremble in my hand as I accepted the +pistol. There is nothing like set purpose to still the tremors of a +man's nerves. I thought of Hillars, and for a moment my arm stiffened; +then I recalled Gretchen's last letter. . . . I fell to wondering +where the bullet would hit me. I prayed that his aim might be sure. + +"Many persons think that I am a man without compassion," said the +Prince, as we were about to step to our places. "I have an abundance +of it. You have everything to lose, and I have nothing to gain. If it +is your desire, I shall be happy to explain that you wish to withdraw. +But say the word." + +He knew what my reply would be. "Withdraw," said I, "and have you +laugh at me and tell your friends that I acted the poltroon? Really, +you do me injustice." + +"And do you hate me so very much?" mockery in his eyes. + +"Not now. I did hate you, but hatred is a thing we should not waste +any more than love. I have taken the bird and the nest from your +hands; that is more than enough. You are merely an object for scorn +and contempt and indifference now. No; I have no wish to withdraw." + +"You read between the lines," he said. "Indeed, I should like nothing +better than to have the privilege of calling you a poltroon and a +coward and to tell your Princess of it." He sauntered back to his +place leisurely. + +"Aim the slightest to the left," whispered Pembroke; "the wind will +carry it home." + +I pressed his hand. A moment later I stood facing the Prince. I +lifted the pistol and fired. Had the Prince been ten feet to the right +he must have been hit. I threw the smoking pistol aside, let my arms +fall and waited. I could see that Pembroke was biting his lip to hide +his anxiety and disappointment. Slowly the Prince leveled the weapon +at my breast. Naturally I shut my eyes. Perhaps there was a prayer on +my lips. God! how long that wait seemed to me. It became so tedious +that I opened my eyes again. The pistol arm of the Prince appeared to +have frozen in the air. + +"It is getting cold," I cried. "Shoot, for God's sake shoot, and end +it!" + +In reply the Prince fired into the air, took the pistol by the barrel +and flung it at my feet. The rest of us looked on dumfounded. + +"They are all of the same kidney, Count, these Americans," said he. +"They would be dangerous as a nation were it not for their love of +money." Then to me: "Go tell your Princess that I have given your life +to you." + +"The devil take you!" I cried. The strain had been terrible. + +"All in good time," retorted the Prince, getting into his coat and +furs. "Yesterday morning I had every intention of killing you; this +morning it was farthest from my thoughts, though I did hope to see you +waver. You are a man of courage. So was your friend. It is to be +regretted that we were on different sides. Devil take the women; good +morning!" + +After the Count had gathered up the pistols, the two walked toward the +inn. Pembroke and I followed them at a distance. + +"I wonder if he had any idea of what a poor shot you were?" mused +Pembroke. "It was a very good farce." + +"I aimed ten feet to the right," said I. + +"What?" + +"Yes." + +"Then you knew--" + +"Pembroke," said I, "I had no intention of killing him, or even +wounding him. And I never expected to leave this place alive. +Something has occurred during the last twenty-four hours which we do +not understand." + +"He was taking great risks." + +"It shows the man he is," said I; and the remainder of the distance was +gone in silence. + +The carriages were in the road, a short way from the inn. Pembroke and +I got into ours. As the Prince placed a foot on the step of his he +turned once more to me. + +"Pardon me," he said, "but I came near forgetting to tell you why I did +not kill you this morning. In some way your Princess came into the +knowledge that we were going to fight it out as they did in the old +days. She came to my rooms, and there begged me to spare your life. +There was a condition. It was that she get down on her knees to +sue--down on her knees. Ah, what was your life compared to the joy of +her humiliation! Not in the figure of speech--on her living, mortal +knees, my friend--her living knees!" The carriage door banged behind +him. + +It was only because Pembroke threw his arms around me that I did not +leap out of the carriage. + +"Sit still, Jack, sit still! If she begged your life, it was because +she loves you." + +And, full of rage, I saw the carriage of the Prince vanish. As the +carriage vanished, so vanished the Prince from the scene of my +adventures. It was but recently that I read of his marriage to the +daughter of a millionaire money lender; and, unlike the villain in the +drama, pursues the even tenor of his way, seemingly forgotten by +retribution, which often hangs fire while we live. + +"There are some curious people in this world," said Pembroke, when he +had succeeded in quieting me. + +I had no argument to offer. After a time I said: "To-morrow, cousin, +we shall return to America, our native land. When we are older it will +be pleasant to recount our adventures." + +Arriving at our rooms, we found them in possession of a lieutenant of +the guard hussars. He was drumming on the hearthstone with the end of +his sword scabbard. As we entered he rose and briefly saluted us. + +"Which of you two gentlemen is Herr Winthrop?" he asked. + +"I am he," said I. + +"His Majesty commands your immediate presence at the palace." + +"The King?" + +"Yes." + +"Have you any idea what his desires are?" + +"A soldier never presumes to know His Majesty's desires, only his +commands. Let us begone at once, sir. I have been waiting for an +hour. His Majesty likes dispatch." + +"It cannot be anything serious," said I to Pembroke, who wore a worried +frown. + +Perhaps the King had heard of the duel. I was in a mood to care but +little what the King had heard, or what he was going to do. The thing +uppermost in my mind was that Gretchen had begged my life of the +Prince--and then run away! + +At the palace the Chancellor met me in the anteroom. His face was +grave almost to gloominess. + +"Have you ever seen a King angry?" he asked. "Ah, it is not a pleasant +sight, on my word; least of all, to the one who has caused a King's +anger." + +"You alarm me," I said. "Have I done aught to bring the anger of the +King upon my head?" + +"Ah, but you have! The King is like a bear in his den. He walks back +and forth, waving his hands, pulling his mustache and muttering dire +threats." + +"Might I not take to my legs?" I asked. After all, I cared more than I +thought I should in regard to what the King might do to me. + +The Chancellor gave my back a sounding thump, and roared with laughter. + +"Cheerful, my son; be cheerful! You are a favorite already." + +"You bewilder me." + +"You have powerful friends; and if the King is angry you need have no +fear." + +"I should like to know--" I began. + +"Ah!" interrupted the Chancellor, "the audience is ended; it is our +turn. The Austrian Ambassador," he whispered as a gray-haired man +passed us, bowing. There was an exchange of courtesies, and once more +I stood before the King. + +"I believe you have kept me waiting," said the King, "as Louis once +said." He gazed at me from under knotted eyebrows. "I wish," +petulantly, "that you had remained in your own country." + +"So do I, Your Majesty," I replied honestly. The Chancellor shook with +laughter, and the King glared at him furiously. + +"What is your name?" asked the King in a milder tone. He was holding a +missive in his hand. + +"John Winthrop," I answered. I was wondering what it was all about. + +"Were you born in America?" + +"Yes, Your Majesty." + +"Is your family an honored one in your country?" + +"It is," I answered proudly. + +"Then, why in heaven's name do you scribble?" cried the King. + +"In my country one may have an honored name and still be compelled to +earn a competence." + +"Ah, yes! After all, scribbling is better than owning a shop." This +is the usual argument of Kings. "Can you trace your pedigree very far +back?" the King proceeded. + +"My ancestors came over in the Mayflower," said I. + +"The Mayflower?" said the King, puzzled. + +"All the Americans," explained the Chancellor, "went over in the +Mayflower. The ark and the Mayflower were the largest ships ever put +to sea, Your Majesty." To hide his smile, the Chancellor passed over +to the window and began drawing pictures on the frosted panes. + +Continued the King: "If you loved one of my countrywomen, would you be +willing to sacrifice your own country? I mean, would you be willing to +adopt mine, to become a naturalized citizen, to uphold its laws, to +obey the will of its sovereign, and to take up arms in its defense?" + +My knees began to knock together. "I should be willing," I answered, +"if I should never be called upon to bear arms against the country in +which I was born." + +"I should never ask you to do that," replied the King. + +"No; His Majesty has too wholesome a respect for America," the +Chancellor interpolated. + +"Prince," said the King, "go and finish your window panes." + +The Chancellor meekly obeyed. + +"This is your answer?" said the King to me. + +"Yes, Your Majesty." + +"Then marry the Princess Elizabeth," he said, tossing the missive to me. + +"Yes, marry her," said the irrepressible Chancellor; "and some day the +King will put a medal on your breast and make you a baron of the realm. +Your Majesty, come and help me with this last pane." + +The Princess Elizabeth? I glanced at the writing on the envelope. It +was Gretchen's. "And, Your Majesty," I read, "it is true that they +love each other. Permit them to be happy. I ask your forgiveness for +all the trouble I have caused you. I promise that from now on I shall +be the most obedient subject in all your kingdom. Hildegarde." I +dropped the letter on the table. + +"Your Majesty," I began nervously, "there is some mistake. I do not +love Her Highness the Princess Elizabeth." + +The King and his Chancellor whirled around. The decorations on the +panes remained unfinished. The King regarded me with true anger, and +the Chancellor with dismay. + +"I love the Princess Hildegarde," I went on in a hollow voice. + +"Is this a jest?" demanded the King. + +"No; on my honor." For once I forgot court etiquette, and left off +"Your Majesty." + +"Let me see the letter," said the Chancellor, with a pacific purpose. +"There is some misunderstanding here." He read the letter and replaced +it on the table--and went back to his window. + +"Well?" cried the King, impatiently. + +"I forgot, Your Majesty," said the Chancellor. + +"Forgot what?" + +"The letter was written by a woman. I remember when I was a boy," went +on the Chancellor tranquilly, "I used to take great pleasure in drawing +pictures on frosted window panes. Women always disturbed me." + +"Perhaps, Your Majesty," said I, "it is possible that Her +Highness . . . the likeness between her and her sister . . . perhaps, +knowing that I have known Her Highness Phyllis . . . that is, the +Princess Elizabeth . . . she may believe that I . . ." It was very +embarrassing. + +"Continue," said the King. "And please make your sentences +intelligible." + +"What I meant to say was that Her Highness the Princess Hildegarde, +believes that I love her sister instead of herself . . . I +thought . . . she has written otherwise . . ." And then I foundered +again. + +"Prince," said the King, laughing in spite of his efforts to appear +angry, "for pity's sake, tell me what this man is talking about!" + +"A woman," said the Chancellor. "Perhaps Her Highness the Princess +Hildegarde. . . . That is, I believe. . . . She may love this +man . . . perhaps thinking he loves the other. . ." He was mocking +me, and my face burned. + +"Prince, do not confuse the man; he is bad enough as it is." The King +smoothed away the remnant of the smile. + +"Your Majesty is right," said I, desperately. "I am confused. I know +not what to say." + +"What would you do in my place?" asked the King of the Chancellor. + +"I should say in an ominous voice, 'Young man, you may go; but if you +ever enter our presence again without either one or the other of the +Hohenphalian Princesses as your wife, we shall confiscate your property +and put you in a dungeon for the remainder of your natural days.' I +put in the confiscation clause as a matter of form. Have you any +property?" + +"What I have," I answered, my confidence returning, "I can put in my +pockets." + +"Good," said the King. "What the Chancellor says is but just. See to +it that his directions are followed." + +"Now, my King," concluded the Chancellor, "put a medal on him and let +him go." + +"In time," replied the King. "You may go, Herr Winthrop." + +"Go and scribble no more," added the Chancellor. + +I could hear them laughing as I made my escape from the room. It could +not be expected of me to join them. And Gretchen was as far away as +ever. Phyllis love me? It was absurd. Gretchen had played me the +fool. She had been laughing at me all the time. Yet, she had begged +my life of the Prince, and on her knees. Or, was it a lie of his? Oh, +it seemed to me that my brain would never become clear again. + +In the afternoon at four I was ushered into the boudoir of Her Highness +the Princess Elizabeth. It was Phyllis no longer; Phyllis had passed; +and I became conscious of a vague regret. + +"I am glad," she said, "that you were able to come. I wanted to speak +to you about--about my sister." + +"Your Highness--" + +She laughed. "Our interview shall end at once if you call me by that +title. Sir," with a gaiety which struck me as unnatural, "you are +witnessing the passing of Phyllis. It will not be long before she +shall pass away and never more return, and the name shall fade till it +becomes naught but a dear memory. Phyllis has left the green pastures +for the city, and Corydon followeth not." + +"Phyllis," said I, "you are cutting me to the heart." + +"But to the matter at hand," she said quickly. "There is a +misunderstanding between you and my sister Hildegarde. She sent me +this letter. Read it." + +It differed but little from the one I had read in the King's chamber +that morning. I gave it back to her. + +"Do you understand?" + +"I confess that I do not. It seems that I am never going to understand +anything again." + +Phyllis balanced the letter on the palm of her hand. "You are so very +blind, my dear friend. Did you not tell her that there had been +another affair? Do you not believe she thinks your regard for her +merely a matter of pique, of consolation? It was very kind of her to +sacrifice herself for me. Some women are willing to give up all to see +the man they love made happy. My sister is one of those. But I shall +refuse the gift. Jack, can you not see that the poor woman thinks that +you love me?" Phyllis was looking at me with the greatest possible +kindness. + +"I know not what she thinks. I only know that she has written me that +she is sorry for having played with my affections. Phyllis, if she +loved me she would not leave me as she has done." + +"Oh, these doubting Thomases!" exclaimed Phyllis. "How do you know +that she does not love you? Have you one true proof that she does not? +No; but you have a hundred that she does." + +"But--" + +"Do you love her?" demanded Phyllis, stamping her foot with impatience. + +"Love her? Have I not told you that I do?" gloomily. + +"And will you give her up because she writes you a letter? What has +ink to do with love and a woman? If you do not set out at once to find +her, I shall never forgive you. She is my sister, and by that I know +that you cannot win her by sitting still. Go find her and tell her +that you will never leave her till she is your wife. I do not mean to +infer," with a smile, "that you will leave her after. Go to her as a +master; that is the way a woman loves to be wooed. Marry her and be +happy; and I shall come and say, 'Heaven bless you, my children.' I +have accepted the renunciation of her claims so that she may be free to +wed you. If you do not find her, I will. Since I have her promise to +teach me the lesson of being a Princess, she cannot have gone far. And +when you are married you will promise to visit me often? I shall be +very lonely now; I shall be far away from my friends; I shall be in a +prison, and men call it a palace." + +"I will promise you anything you may ask," I said eagerly. A new hope +and a new confidence had risen in my heart. I wonder where man got the +idea that he is lord of creation when he depends so much upon woman? +"And you will really be my sister, too!" taking her hands and kissing +them. "And you will think of me a little, will you not?" + +"Yes." She slowly withdrew her hands. "If you do not find her, write +to me." + +"Your Highness, it is my hope that some day you will meet a Prince who +will be worthy of you, who will respect and honor you as I do." + +"Who can say? You have promised the King to become a subject of +Hohenphalia." + +"Yes." + +"Then you will be a subject of mine. It is my will--I am in a +sovereign mood--that you at once proceed to find Hildegarde, and I will +give her to you." + +We had arrived at the head of the stairs. The departing light of the +smoldering sun poured through the stained windows. The strands of her +hair were like a thousand flames, and her eyes had turned to gold, and +there was a smile on her lips which filled me with strange uneasiness. +I kissed her hands again, then went down the stairs. At the foot I +turned. + +"Auf wiedersehen!" + +"Good-by!" + +My ear detected the barest falter in her voice, and something glistened +on her eyelashes. . . . Ah! why could not the veil have remained +before my eyes and let me gone in darkness? Suddenly I was looking +across the chasm of years. There was a young girl in white, a table +upon which stood a pitcher. It was a garden scene, and the air was +rich with perfumes. The girl's hair and eyes were brown, and there +were promises of great beauty. Then, as swiftly as it came, the vision +vanished. + +On reaching the street I was aware that my sight had grown dim and that +things at a distance were blurred. Perhaps it was the cold air. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +Immediately Pembroke and I journeyed to the feudal inn. When we +arrived a mixture of rain and snow was falling. But I laughed at that. +What if I were drenched to the skin with chill rain and snow, my heart +was warm, warmer than it had been in many a day. Woman is infallible +when she reads the heart of another. Phyllis said that Gretchen loved +me; it only remained for me to find her. Pembroke began to grumble. + +"I am wet through," he said, as our steaming horses plodded along in +the melting snow. "You might have waited till the rain let up." + +"I'm just as wet as you are," I replied, "but I do not care." + +"I'm hungry and cold, too," he went on. + +"I'm not, so it doesn't matter." + +"Of course not!" he cried. "What are my troubles to you?" + +"Nothing!" I laughed and shook the flakes from my sleeves. "Cousin, I +am the happiest man in the world." + +"And I'm the most dismal," said he. "I wish you had brought along an +umbrella." + +"What! Ride a horse with an umbrella over you? Where is your sense of +romance?" + +"Romance is all well enough," said he, "when your stomach is full and +your hide is dry. If you can call this romance, this five-mile ride +through rain and snow, you are gifted with a wonderful imagination." + +"It is beautiful here in the summer," defensively. + +"I wish you had waited till then, or brought a mackintosh. Your +Princess would have kept." He shoved his head deeper into his collar, +and began to laugh. "This is the discomfort man will go through for +love. If she is a true woman she will feed you first and explain +afterward. But, supposing she is not here?" + +"Where else can she be?" I asked. + +"The world is very large--when a woman runs away from you." + +This set me thinking. If she shouldn't be there! I set my teeth and +gave the horse a cut, sending him into a gallop, which I forced him to +maintain till the end. At length we turned into the roadway. A man I +had never seen before came out. + +"Where is the innkeeper?" I asked, my heart sinking. + +"He is not here," was the answer, + +"Is Her Highness the Princess Hildegarde--" + +"Her Highness?" he cried, in astonishment. "She has never been here. +This is an inn; the castle is in the village." + +"How long have you been here?" asked Pembroke. + +"Two weeks, Your Highness." Doubtless he thought us to be high +personages to be inquiring for the Princess. + +"Is Stahlberg here?" I asked. + +"He is visiting relatives in Coberg," was the answer. + +"Do you know where Her Highness is?" + +"No." It occurred to me that his voice had taken to sullen tones. + +"When will the innkeeper be back?" + +The fellow shrugged his shoulders. "I cannot say, Your Highness. The +inn is not open for guests till March." + +"Jack," said Pembroke in English, "it is evident that this fellow has +been instructed to be close-lipped. Let us return to the village. The +castle is left." He threw some coins to the servant and they rattled +along the porch. "Come." And we wheeled and trotted away. + +I cannot tell how great was my disappointment, nor what I did or said. +The ride back to the village was a dreary affair so far as conversation +went. At the castle we found not a soul. + +"It is as I expected," said Pembroke. "Remember that Her Highness is +accustomed to luxury, and that it is not likely for her to spend her +winter in such a deserted place. You're a newspaper man; you ought to +be full of resources. Why don't you telegraph to all the news agencies +and make inquiries? She is a personage, and it will not be difficult +to find her if you go at it the right way." + +I followed his advice, and the first return brought me news. Gretchen +was at present in Vienna. So we journeyed to Vienna, futilely. Then +commenced a dogged, persistent search. I dragged my cousin hither and +thither about the kingdom; from village to train, from train to city, +till his life became a burden to him and his patience threadbare. At +Hohenphalia, the capital, we were treated coldly; we were not known; +they were preparing the palace for the coronation of Her Serene +Highness the Princess Elizabeth; the Princess Hildegarde might be in +Brussels. At Brussels Her Highness was in Munich, at Munich she was in +Heidelberg, and so on and so on. It was truly discouraging. The +vaguest rumor brought me to the railway, Pembroke, laughing and +grumbling, always at my heels. At last I wrote to Phyllis; it was the +one hope left. Her reply was to the effect that she, too, did not know +where her sister was, that she was becoming a puzzle to her, and +concluded with the advice to wait till the coronation, when Gretchen +would put in appearance, her presence being imperative. So weeks +multiplied and became months, winter passed, the snows fell from the +mountains, the floods rose and subsided, summer was at hand with her +white boughs and green grasses. May was blooming into June. Still +Gretchen remained in obscurity. Sometimes in my despair I regretted +having loved her, and half resolved to return to Phyllis, where (and I +flushed at the thought!) I could find comfort and consolation. And +yet--and yet! + +"I shall be a physical wreck," said Pembroke, when we finally returned +to B----, "if you keep this up much longer." + +"Look at me!" was my gloomy rejoinder. + +"Well, you have that interesting pallor," he admitted, "which women +ascribe to lovers." + +Thrusting my elbows on the table, I buried my chin in my hands and +stared. After a while I said: "I do not believe she wants to be found." + +"That has been my idea this long while," he replied, "only I did not +wish to make you more despondent than you were." + +So I became resigned--as an animal becomes resigned to its cage. I +resolved to tear her image from my heart, to go with Pembroke to the +jungles and shoot tigers; to return in some dim future bronzed, +gray-haired and noted. For above all things I intended to get at my +books again, to make romances instead of living them. + +There were times when I longed to go to Phyllis and confide my troubles +to her, but a certain knowledge held me back. + +One morning, when I had grown outwardly calm, I said to Pembroke: +"Philip, I shall go with you to India." + +"Here is a letter for you," he replied; "it may change your plans." + +My mail, since leaving the journalistic field, had become so small that +to receive a letter was an event. As I stretched forth a hand for the +letter my outward calm passed swiftly, and my heart spoke in a voice of +thunder. I could not recall the chirography on the envelope. The +hand, I judged, which had held the pen was more familiar with flays and +scythes. Inside of the envelope I discovered only six words, but they +meant all the world to me. "She is here at the inn." It was unsigned. +I waved the slip of paper before Pembroke's eyes. + +"She is found!" I cried. + +"Then go in search of her," he said. + +"And you will go with me?" + +"Not I! I prefer tigers to princesses. By the way, here is an article +in the Zeitung on the coming coronation of Her Serene Highness the +Princess Elizabeth of Hohenphalia. I'm afraid that I shan't be present +to witness the event." He thrust the paper into my hands and +approached the window, out of which he leaned and stared at the garden +flowers below. . . . "When I asked her why it could not be, she +answered that she had no love to give in return for mine." Presently +he rapped his pipe on the sill and drew in his head. His brow was +wrinkled and his lips were drawn down at the corners. With some shame +I remembered that I had thought only of myself during the past few +months. "Jack," he said, "I have gone around with you for the +excitement of it, for the temporary forgetfulness, and because I wanted +to see you well cared for before I left you. The excitement took my +mind from my own malady, but it has returned to-day with all its old +violence. There is the same blood in our veins. We must have one +woman or none. I must get away from all this. We are at the parting +of the ways, old man. To-night I leave for India. The jungle is a +great place. I am glad for your sake that you are not to go with me. +Sometimes one gets lost." + +"She may change her mind," I said, putting a hand on his. "Most women +do." + +"Most admit of exceptions," he replied, regarding me with earnest eyes +as if to read what was going on behind mine. "There are some women who +never change. Her Highness is one of these. As I remarked before, she +has no love to give me; it is gone, and as it is gone without reward, +she will make no attempt to recall it to give to another. I love her +all the more for that. The game fate plays with our hearts is a cruel +one. For one affinity there are ten unfinished lives. Her Highness +loves a good man." + +My hand fell from his, and I went over to the window. This was the +first intimation he had given to me that he knew the secret, the secret +which had made me so sad, the secret which I tried not to believe. + +"You are determined to go to India?" I said, without turning my head. +I could find no other words. + +"Yes. It will be the best thing in the world." + +"You will promise to write?" + +"Whenever I strike the post. Marry and be happy; it is the lot of the +few." + +That night he started for Bombay, by the way of England, and the next +morning I put out for the feudal inn. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +I was passing along the highway, a pipe between my teeth. It was the +beginning of twilight, that trysting hour of all our reveries, when the +old days come back with a perfume as sweet and vague as that which +hovers over a jar of spiced rose leaves. I was thinking of the year +which was gone; how I first came to the inn; of the hour when I first +held her in my arms and kissed her, and vowed my love to her; of the +parting, when she of her own will had thrown her arms about my neck and +confessed. The shadows were thickening on the ground, and the voices +of the forests were hushed. I glanced at the western sky. It was like +a frame of tarnished gold, waiting for night with her diadem of stars +to step within. The purple hills were wrapping themselves in robes of +pearly mists; the flowing river was tinted with dun and vermilion; and +one by one the brilliant planets burst through the darkening blues of +the heavens. The inn loomed up against the sky, gray and lonely. +Behind me, far away down the river, I could catch occasional glimpses +of the lamps of the village. Presently there came a faint yellow glow +in the east, and I knew that Diana was approaching. + + + She tosses loose her locks upon the night, + And, through the dim wood Dian threads her way. + + +A wild sweetness filled the air. I was quite half a mile from the inn, +yet I could smell the odor of her roses, Gretchen's roses. It was a +long and weary year which had intervened. And now she was there, only +a short way from my arms. But she did not know that I was coming. A +million diamonds sprang into the air whenever I struck the lush grasses +with my cane. Everywhere I breathed the perfume of her roses. They +seemed to hide along the hedges, to lurk among the bushes, red roses +and white. On the hill, across the valley, I saw the little cemetery +with its white stones. I arrested my steps and took off my hat. The +dust of Hillars lay there. I stood motionless for some time. I had +loved the man as it is possible for one man to love another. I had not +thought of him much of late; but in this life we cannot always stand by +the grave of those who have gone before. He had loved Gretchen with a +love perhaps less selfish than mine, for he had sacrificed his life +uselessly for her that she might--be mine! Mine! I thought. And who +was I that she should love me instead of him? All the years I had +known him I had known but little of him. God only knows the hearts of +these men who rove or drift, who, anchorless and rudderless, beat upon +the ragged reels of life till the breath leaves them and they pass +through the mystic channel into the serene harbor of eternity. A +sudden wave of dissatisfaction swept over me. What had I done in the +world to merit attention? What had I done that I, and not he, should +know the love of woman? Why should I live to-day and not he? From out +the silence there came no answer; and I continued on. It was life. It +was immutable, and there was no key. + +The lights of the inn cheered me and lifted the gloom. Should I enter +by stealth or boldly? I chose the second method. Gretchen and the +innkeeper were in the old hall. I entered and threw my traps into a +corner. As they turned and saw me consternation was written on their +faces. + +"I have found you at last," I said, holding out a hand to each of them. +The innkeeper thrust his hands behind his back and sauntered leisurely +toward the window. Gretchen showed signs of embarrassment, and her +eyes were studiously fixed on the cracks which yawned here and there in +the floor. My hands fell unnoticed. + +"You have been looking for us?" she asked in even tones. "Why have +you?" + +Vaguely I gazed at her, at the innkeeper, then at my traps in the +corner. It was apparent that I was an intruder. I struck my forehead +in anger and despair. Triple fool that I was! I was nothing to her. +She had told me so, and I had not believed. + +"Yes; why?" asked the innkeeper, turning around. + +"I believe," said I, my voice trembling, "that I am an unwelcome guest. +Is it not so?" + +"Oh, as for that," said the innkeeper, observing Gretchen, "this is a +public inn, on the highway. All wayfarers are of necessity welcome." + +"Go, then, and prepare me a supper," said I. "I am indeed hungry, +having journeyed far." I wanted him out of the room. + +The innkeeper appeared not to have the slightest intention of leaving +the room to do my bidding. + +"Yes, Hermann," said Gretchen, coloring, "go and prepare Herr +Winthrop's supper." + +"Thank you," said I, with a dismal effort to be ironical. + +The innkeeper, a puzzling smile on his lips, passed out. + +"Gretchen," I burst forth, "in heaven's name what does this mean? I +have hunted for you day after day, week after week, month after month. +I have traveled the four ends of the continent. I have lived--Oh, I do +not know how I have lived! And when I do find you, it is for this!" +My voice broke, and I was positively on the verge of tears. + +"And was all this fair to her?" asked Gretchen, coldly. + +"To her? I do not understand." + +"I mean, was all this fair to my sister?" + +"Gretchen," a light piercing the darkness, "has she not written to you?" + +"A long time ago. She wanted to see me on an important matter, but I +could not change my plans at the time. I shall see her at the palace +next week. Ought you not to be with her instead of here?" + +"Why should I be with her?" + +Gretchen laughed, but the key was false. + +"Are you not going to marry her? Surely, it is easy after the King has +given his permission. Have you already fallen out of love with her, +after all your efforts to make her a Princess? Truly, man is as +unstable as sand and water! Ah, but you fooled us all to the top of +our bent. You knew from the first that she was a Princess; but you +could not find the proofs. Hermann and I were the means to the end. +But who shall blame you? Not I! I am very grateful to you for having +given to me a sister. And if you fooled me, I returned measure for +measure. It is game and quit. Time hung heavy on my hands, and the +victory, however short, was amusing." + +"I never loved her!" I cried. Where were the words I needed? + +"So much the worse for you," disdainfully. "But here comes Hermann to +announce your supper." + +"I shall not break the bread of inhospitality," said I, in the +bitterness of my despair. I gathered up my traps--and then I let them +tumble back. The needed words came with a rush to my lips. I went +close to her. "Why did you humiliate yourself in begging my life of +the Prince? Why, if my life was nothing to you? Answer. Why did you +stoop to your knees to that man if I was worthless to you? Why?" + +Her cheeks grew red, then white; her lips formed words which she could +not speak. + +"Herr Winthrop's supper is ready," announced the innkeeper. + +"Go and eat it!" I said childishly. + +"Your appetite is gone then?" imperturbably. + +"Yes, and get you gone with it!" + +The innkeeper surveyed me for a space. "Will you kindly tell me from +whom you received the information that Her Highness was at the inn?" + +I produced the unsigned letter. He read it carefully, while Gretchen +looked on nervously. + +"Ach!" said the innkeeper, "that Stahlberg! He shall be dismissed." + +Unhappily for him, that individual was just passing along the corridor. +The innkeeper signaled him to approach. + +"How dared you?" began the innkeeper, thrusting the letter under +Stahlberg's nose. + +"Dare?--I?--Herr," said the big fellow, "I do not understand. What is +it you accuse me of?" + +"This," cried the innkeeper: "You have written to Herr Winthrop and +told him that Her Highness was at the inn. And you were expressly +forbidden to do so." + +Stahlberg looked around blankly. "I swear to heaven, Herr--" + +"Do not prevaricate!" the innkeeper interrupted. "You know that you +wrote this." + +"Stahlberg," I cried excitedly; "tell me why you wrote this note to me +and I'll see that you are taken care of the rest of your days." + +"I forbid him!" commanded Gretchen in alarm. + +"As God hears me, Herr," said Stahlberg stoutly. "I wrote not a line +to you or to any one." + +"Oh!" cried the innkeeper, stamping. "And you deny that you have +written here that you saw Her Highness in the garden three nights ago?" + +Gretchen was beginning to grow terrified for some reason. I myself was +filled with wonder, knowing well enough that nothing about a garden had +been written in the note I had received. + +"Do you dare deny," went on the implacable old man, "that you have +written here that you saw Her Highness in the garden, and that she was +weeping and murmuring this man's name?" + +"Oh!" cried Gretchen, gazing wildly at the door. + +The innkeeper suddenly took the bewildered giant by the shoulders and +pushed him from the room, following him swiftly; and the door closed +noisily behind them. + +My heart was in flames. I understood all now, though I dare say +Gretchen didn't. All at once, her head fell on the back of the chair +from which she had but lately risen. She was weeping silently and +deeply. I did not move, but stood watching her, drinking in with +exultation the loveliness of a woman in tears. She was mine, mine, +mine! The innkeeper had not really known her heart till the night in +the garden to which he so adroitly referred; then he had made up his +mind that things were not as they should be, and had sent me that +anonymous note. Mine at last, I thought. Somehow, for the first time +in my life I felt what is called masterful; that is to say, not all +heaven and earth should take her away from me now. Softly I passed +over to her side and knelt at her feet. I lifted the hem of her gown +and pressed it to my lips. + +"My Princess!" I murmured, "all mine." I kissed her unresisting hand. +Then I rose and put my arms around her. She trembled but made no +effort to withdraw. "I swear to you, Gretchen, that I will never leave +you again, not if the King should send an army against me, which he +will never do, since he has commanded that I marry you. Beware! It is +a dangerous thing to trifle with a King's will. And then, even if the +King should change his mind, I should not. You are mine. I should +like to know if I haven't won you! Oh, they do well to call you +Princess Caprice. Oh, Gretchen," falling back to humble tones, "what a +weary year has been wasted. You know that I love you; you have never +really doubted it; you know that you have not. Had you gone to your +sister when she wrote to you, she would have told you that it was for +you alone that I made her a Princess; that all my efforts were to make +you free to wed. Gretchen, you will not send me away this time, will +you? You will be kind and bid me to stay?" + +"She loves you," whispered Gretchen. + +This admitted no reply. I simply pressed my lips to her hair. The +sobs were growing audibly less. + +"I read it in her eyes," persisted Gretchen. + +"Gretchen, answer me: do you love me?" + +"Yes." + +I placed my hands against her temples, and turned her head around so +that those blue-green eyes, humid and tearful, looked into mine. + +"Oh, I cannot deny it. If I wrong her in accepting your love, it is +because I cannot help it. I love you better than all the world; so +well do I love you that--" Her head sank on my heart, and her sobs +began afresh. + +"That what, Gretchen?" I asked. + +"Nothing." By and by she said; "Keep faith with me, and I promise to +love as few women can." + +Then I kissed her lips. "Gretchen?" + +"What is it?" + +"I have an idea that we shall be very happy. Now let us go and make +terms of peace with the innkeeper." + +We found him alone in the barroom. + +"Gretchen," said I, "read this note." + +As her eyes ran over those six words, she blushed. + +"Hermann," she said, "you have betrayed me." + +"And when will Your Highness order me out to be shot?" asked he, +smiling. + +"At sunrise; but I shall blindfold the soldiers and take the charges +from their guns. I forgive you." + +"Now, Hermann," said I, "fill me up a stein." I held it high above my +head. "A health! Long live the King! Long live Her Serene Highness +the Princess--" + +"Elizabeth," said Gretchen, gently. "I fear she has lost something +which is never to be found again." + +I drained the stein, and as I set it down I thought: Phyllis is so far +away and Gretchen is so near! + +"Let us go into the garden," said I. + +For a long time we wandered here and there, saying nothing. I was +thinking that I had found a castle at last which neither tides nor +winds nor sudden awakenings could tumble down. + +"Gretchen, you must never take up the sword again." + +"Only in my lord's defence." From the movement of her arm, which clung +to mine, I knew that she was laughing. + +The moon had risen, the round and mellow moon of summer. The silver +mists of night wavered and sailed through the aisles of the forests, +and from the river came the cool fresh perfume of the river rush. + +"And so you really love me?" I asked. + +"I do." + +"Why do you love me?" + +"Because," said Gretchen. + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMS AND THE WOMAN*** + + +******* This file should be named 17359-8.txt or 17359-8.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/3/5/17359 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + diff --git a/17359-8.zip b/17359-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..25f01c7 --- /dev/null +++ b/17359-8.zip diff --git a/17359.txt b/17359.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f4268c1 --- /dev/null +++ b/17359.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9434 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook, Arms and the Woman, by Harold MacGrath + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + +Title: Arms and the Woman + + +Author: Harold MacGrath + + + +Release Date: December 19, 2005 [eBook #17359] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMS AND THE WOMAN*** + + +E-text prepared by Al Haines + + + +ARMS AND THE WOMAN + +A Romance + +by + +HAROLD MacGRATH + + + + + + + +New York +Doubleday Page & Company +1905 +Copyright, 1899, by +S. S. Mcclure Co. +Copyright, 1899, by +Doubleday and Mcclure Co. + + + + + +To her, that is to say, to the hand that rocked the cradle. + + + + +ARMS AND THE WOMAN + +CHAPTER I + +The first time I met her I was a reporter in the embryonic state and +she was a girl in short dresses. It was in a garden, surrounded by +high red brick walls which were half hidden by clusters of green vines, +and at the base of which nestled earth-beds, radiant with roses and +poppies and peonies and bushes of lavender lilacs, all spilling their +delicate ambrosia on the mild air of passing May. I stood, straw hat +in hand, wondering if I had not stumbled into some sweet prison of +flowers which, having run disobedient ways in the past, had been placed +here by Flora, and forever denied their native meadows and +wildernesses. And this vision of fresh youth in my path, perhaps she +was some guardian nymph. I was only twenty-two--a most impressionable +age. Her hair was like that rare October brown, half dun, half gold; +her eyes were cool and restful, like the brown pools one sees in the +heart of the forests, and her lips and cheeks cozened the warm +vermilion of the rose which lay ever so lightly on the bosom of her +white dress. Close at hand was a table upon which stood a pitcher of +lemonade. She was holding in her hand an empty glass. As my eyes +encountered her calm, inquiring gaze, my courage fled precipitately, +likewise the object of my errand. There was a pause; diffidence and +embarrassment on my side, placidity on hers. + +"Well, sir?" said she, in a voice the tone of which implied that she +could readily understand her presence in the garden, but not mine. + +As I remember it, I was suddenly seized with a great thirst. + +"I should like a glass of your lemonade," I answered, bravely laying +down the only piece of money I possessed. + +Her stern lips parted in a smile, and my courage came back cautiously, +that is to say, by degrees. She filled a glass for me, and as I gulped +it down I could almost detect the flavor of lemon and sugar. + +"It is very good," I volunteered, passing back the glass. I held out +my hand, smiling. + +"There isn't any change," coolly. + +I flushed painfully. It was fully four miles to Newspaper Row. I was +conscious of a sullen pride. Presently the object of my errand +returned. Somewhat down the path I saw a gentleman reclining in a +canvas swing. + +"Is that Mr. Wentworth?" I asked. + +"Yes. Do you wish to speak to him? Uncle Bob, here is a gentleman who +desires to speak to you." + +I approached. "Mr. Wentworth," I began, cracking the straw in my hat, +"my name is John Winthrop. I am a reporter. I have called to see if +it is true that you have declined the Italian portfolio." + +"It is true," he replied kindly. "There are any number of reasons for +my declining it, but I cannot make them public. Is that all?" + +"Yes, sir; thank you;" and I backed away. + +"Are you a reporter?" asked the girl, as I was about to pass by her. + +"Yes, I am." + +"Do you draw pictures?" + +"No, I do not." + +"Do you write novels?" + +"No," with a nervous laugh. + +There is nothing like the process of interrogation to make one person +lose interest in another. + +"Oh; I thought perhaps you did," she said, and turned her back to me. + +I passed through the darkened halls of the house and into the street. + +I never expected to see her again, but it was otherwise ordained. We +came together three years later at Block Island. She was eighteen now, +gathering the rosy flowers of her first season. She remembered the +incident in the garden, and we laughed over it. A few dances, two or +three evenings on the verandas, watching the sea, moon-lit, as it +sprawled among the rocks below us, and the even tenor of my way ceased +to be. I appreciated how far she was above me; so I worshipped her +silently and from afar. I told her my ambitions, confidences so +welcome to feminine ears, and she rewarded me with a small exchange. +She, too, was an orphan, and lived with her uncle, a rich banker, who, +as a diversion, consented to represent his country at foreign courts. +Her given name was Phyllis. I had seen the name a thousand times in +print; the poets had idealised it, and the novelists had embalmed it in +tender phrases. It was the first time I had ever met a woman by the +name of Phyllis. It appealed to my poetic instinct. Perhaps that was +the cause of it all. And then, she was very beautiful. In the autumn +of that year we became great friends; and through her influence I began +to see beyond the portals of the mansions of the rich. Matthew Prior's +Chloes and Sir John Suckling's Euphelias lost their charms. Henceforth +my muse's name became Phyllis. I took her to the opera when I didn't +know where I was going to breakfast on the morrow. I sent her roses +and went without tobacco, a privation of which woman knows nothing. + +Often I was plunged into despair at my distressed circumstances. Money +to her meant something to spend; to me it meant something to get. Her +income bothered her because she could not spend it; my income was +mortgaged a week in advance, and did not bother me at all. This was +the barrier at my lips. But her woman's intuition must have told her +that she was a part and parcel of my existence. + +I had what is called a forlorn hope: a rich uncle who was a planter in +Louisiana. His son and I were his only heirs. But this old planter +had a mortal antipathy to my side of the family. When my mother, his +sister, married Alfred Winthrop in 1859, at the time when the North and +South were approaching the precipice of a civil war, he considered all +family ties obliterated. We never worried much about it. When mother +died he softened to the extent of being present at the funeral. He +took small notice of my father, but offered to adopt me if I would +assume his name. I clasped my father's hand in mine and said nothing. +The old man stared at me for a moment, then left the house. That was +the first and last time I ever saw him. Sometimes I wondered if he +would remember me in his will. This, of course, was only when I had +taken Phyllis somewhere, or when some creditor had lost patience. One +morning in January, five years after my second meeting with Phyllis, I +sat at my desk in the office. It was raining; a cold thin rain. The +window was blurred. The water in the steam-pipes went banging away. I +was composing an editorial which treated the diplomatic relations +between this country and England. The roar of Park Row distracted me. +Now and then I would go to the window and peer down on the living +stream below. A dense cloud of steam hung over all the city. I swore +some when the copy boy came in and said that there was yet a column and +a half to fill, and that the foreman wanted to "close up the page +early." The true cause of my indisposition was due to the rumors rife +in the office that morning. Rumors which emanate from the managing +editor's room are usually of the sort which burden the subordinate ones +with anxiety. The London correspondent was "going to pieces." He had +cabled that he was suffering from nervous prostration, supplementing a +request for a two months' leave of absence. For "nervous prostration" +we read "drink." Our London correspondent was a brilliant journalist; +he had written one or two clever books; he had a broad knowledge of men +and affairs; and his pen was one of those which flashed and burned at +frequent intervals; but he drank. Dan's father had been a victim of +the habit. I remember meeting the elder Hillars. He was a picturesque +individual, an accomplished scholar, a wide traveller, a diplomatist, +and a noted war correspondent. His work during the Franco-Prussian war +had placed him in the front rank. After sending his son Dan to college +he took no further notice of him. He was killed while serving his +paper at the siege of Alexandria, Egypt. Dan naturally followed his +father's footsteps both in profession and in habits. He had been my +classmate at college, and no one knew him better than I, except it was +himself. The love of adventure and drink had ended the life of the +one; it might end the life of the other. + +The foreman in the composing room waited some time for that required +column and a half of editorial copy. I lit my pipe; and my thoughts +ran back to the old days, to the many times Dan had paid my debts and +to the many times I had paid his. Ah, me! those were days when love +and fame and riches were elusive and we went in quest of them. The +crust is hyssop when the heart is young. The garret is a palace when +hope flies unfettered. The most wonderful dreams imaginable are dreamt +close to the eaves. And when a man leaves behind him the garret, he +also leaves behind the fondest illusions. But who--who would stay in +the garret! + +And as my thoughts ran on, the question rose, Whom would they send in +his place--Dan's? I knew London. It was familiar ground. Perhaps +they might send me. It was this thought which unsettled me. I was +perfectly satisfied with New York. Phyllis lived in New York. There +would be time enough for London when we were married. Then I began to +build air castles. A newspaper man is the architect of some splendid +structures, but he thoughtlessly builds on the sand when the tide is +out. Yes, foreign corresponding would be all well enough, I mused, +with Phyllis at my side. With her as my wife I should have the envy of +all my fellow craftsmen. We should dine at the embassies and the +attaches would flutter about us, and all London would talk of the +beautiful "Mrs. Winthrop." Then the fire in my pipe-bowl went out. +The copy boy was at my elbow again. + +"Hang you!" said I. + +"The foreman says he's coming down with an axe," replied the boy. + +It was like churning, but I did manage to grind the copy. I was +satisfied that the United States and Great Britain would not go to war +over it. + +The late afternoon mail brought two letters. I opened the one from +Phyllis first. It said: + + +"DEAR JACK--Uncle Bob has a box for the opera to-night, but he has been +suddenly called to Washington; politics, possibly, but he would not +say. Aunty and I want you to go with us in his stead. Ethel and her +fiance, Mr. Holland, will be together, which means that Aunty and I +will have no one to talk to unless you come. Carmen is to be sung. +Please do not fail me. + +"PHYLLIS." + + +Fail her! I thought not. + +Then I read the second letter. I read it three or four times, and even +then I was not sure that I was not dreaming. I caught up my pipe +again, filled it and lit it. I read the letter once more. I was +solemnly informed that my uncle was dead and that I was mentioned in +the will, and that if I would kindly call at the Hoffman House the +following morning a certain sum of money would be given to me. I +regretted that I had reached that age when a man's actions must be +dignified, although alone; otherwise I dare say I should have danced +the pas seul. Whatever my uncle's bequest might be, I believed that it +would make me independently rich. I am ashamed to admit that I did not +feel sorry at the news of his sudden departure from this life. It is +better to be rich than to be ambitious. It is better to have at hand +what you want than to work for it, and then not get it. Phyllis was +scarcely an arm's length away now. I whistled as I locked up my desk, +and proceeded down stairs and sang a siren song into the waxen ears of +the cashier. + +"You have only twenty coming this week, Mr. Winthrop," said he. + +"Never mind," I replied; "I'll manage to get along next week." It was +only on very rare occasions that I drew my full pay at the end of the +week. + +I dined at a fashionable restaurant. As I sipped my wine I built one +of my castles, and Phyllis reigned therein. There would be a trip to +Europe every summer, and I should devote my time to writing novels. My +picture would be the frontispiece in the book reviews, and wayside +paragraphs would tell of the enormous royalties my publishers were +paying me. I took some old envelopes from my pocket and began figuring +on the backs of them as to what purposes the money should be put. It +could not be less than $50,000, perhaps more. Of course my uncle had +given a harbor to a grudge against me and mine, but such things are +always forgotten on the death bed. It occurred to me that I never had +known before what a fine world it was, and I regretted having spoken +ill of it. I glanced across the way. The sky had cleared, and the +last beams of the sun flamed in the windows of the tall buildings. +Fortune, having buffeted me, was now going to make me one of her +favorite children. I had reached the end of the long lane. + +As I left the restaurant I decided to acquaint Phyllis with my good +luck and also my desire that she should share of it. I turned into a +florist's and had a dozen roses sent up to her. They were American +Beauties. I could afford it now. + + +I found Phyllis thrumming on the piano. She was singing in a low voice +the aria from "Lucia." I stood on the threshold of the drawing-room +and waited till she had done. I believed her to be unaware of my +presence. She was what we poets call a "dream of loveliness," a +tangible dream. Her neck and shoulders were like satin, and the head +above them reminded me of Sappho's which we see in marble. From where +I stood I could catch a glimpse of the profile, the nose and firm chin, +the exquisite mouth, to kiss which I would gladly have given up any +number of fortunes. The cheek had that delicate curve of a rose leaf, +and when the warm blood surged into it there was a color as matchless +as that of a jack-rose. Ah, but I loved her. Suddenly the music +ceased. + +"There is a mirror over the piano, Jack," she said, without turning her +head. + +So I crossed the room and sat down in the chair nearest her. I vaguely +wondered if, at the distance, she had seen the love in my eyes when I +thought myself unobserved. + +"I thank you for those lovely roses," she said, smiling and permitting +me to press her hand. + +"Don't mention it," I replied. It is so difficult for a man to say +original things in the presence of the woman he loves! "I have great +news for you. It reads like a fairy tale, you know; happy ever +afterward, and all that." + +"Ah!" + +"Yes. Do you remember my telling you of a rich uncle who lived in the +South?" + +"Is it possible that he has left you a fortune?" she cried, her eyes +shining. + +"You have guessed it." + +"I am very glad for your sake, Jack. I was beginning to worry about +you." + +"Worry about me?" + +"Yes. I do not understand how a newspaper man can afford to buy roses +four or five times a week--and exist." She had the habit of being +blunt and frank to her intimate friends. I secretly considered it an +honor when she talked to me like this. "I have told you repeatedly to +send me flowers only once a week. I'd rather not have them at all. +Last week you spent as much as $30 on roses alone. Mr. Holland does +not do that for Ethel, and he has a million." + +"I'm not Holland," I said. "He doesn't--that is--I do not think he--." +Then I foundered. I had almost said: "He doesn't care as much for +Ethel as I do for you." + +Phyllis pretended not to note my embarrassment. The others came in +then, and conversation streamed into safer channels. + +When we entered the box at the opera the curtain had risen. Phyllis +and I took the rear chairs. They were just out of the glare of the +lights. + +"You are looking very beautiful to-night," I whispered lowly. I was +beginning business early. There was no barrier at my lips. + +"Thank you," she replied. Then with a smile: "Supposing I were to say +that you are looking very handsome?" + +"Oh," said I, somewhat disconcerted, "that would be rather +embarrassing." + +"I do not doubt it." + +"And then it would not be true. The duty we men owe to a beautiful +woman is constantly to keep telling her of it." + +"And the duty we women owe to a fine-looking man?" a rogue of a dimple +in her cheeks. + +"Is to explicitly believe all he says regarding your beauty," I +answered, evading the question. "A man may tell a woman that she is +beautiful, but a woman may not tell a man that he is fine-looking, that +is, in public." + +"The terms are not fair." + +"That may be true, but they make the wheels of the social organization +run smoother. For instance, if I met a strange woman and she told me +that I was handsome, I shouldn't be able to speak again the whole +evening. On the other hand, a beautiful woman, after you say that you +are delighted to meet her, expects the very next remark to concern her +good looks." + +"Your insight is truly remarkable," she said, the dimple continuing its +elusive manoeuvres. "Hush; here comes Carmen." + +And our voices grew faint in the swell of melody. Mrs. Wentworth was +entranced; her daughter was fondly gazing at the back of her fiance's +head; Phyllis had turned her face from me to the stage. As for myself, +I was not particularly interested in the cigarette girl. It was +running through my head that the hour had arrived. I patted my gloves +for a moment, then I drew a long breath. + +"Phyllis!" said I. There was a quaver in my voice. Perhaps I had not +spoken loud enough. "Phyllis!" said I again. + +She turned quickly and gave me an inquiring and at the same time +nervous glance. + +"What is it?" + +"I want to tell you something I have never dared to tell you till now," +I said earnestly. The voice on the stage soared heavenward. "I love +you. Will you be my wife?" + +Ah, me! where were those drooping eyelids, that flush, that shy, sweet +glance of which I had so often dreamt? Phyllis was frowning. + +"Jack, I have been afraid of this," she said. "I am so sorry, but it +cannot be." + +"Oh, do not say that now," I cried, crushing my gloves. "Wait awhile; +perhaps you may learn to love me." + +"Jack, I have always been frank to you because I like you. Do you +suppose it will take me five years to find out what my heart says to +any man? No. Had I loved you I should not have asked you to wait; I +should have said yes. I do not love you in the way you wish. Indeed, +I like you better than any man I know, but that is all I can offer you. +I should be unkind if I held out any false hopes. I have often asked +myself why I do not love you, but there is something lacking in you, +something I cannot define. Some other woman will find what I have +failed to find in you to love." + +I was twisting my gloves out of all recognition. There was a singing +in my ears which did not come from the stage. + +"Look at it as I do, Jack. There is a man in this world whom I shall +love, and who will love me. We may never meet. Then he shall be an +ideal to me, and I to him. You believe you love me, but the love you +offer is not complete." + +"Not complete?" I echoed. + +"No. It would be if I returned it. Do you understand? There is in +this world a woman you will truly love and who will return your love in +its fulness. Will you meet? That is in the hands of your destinies. +Shall I meet my ideal? Who knows? But till I do, I shall remain an +old maid." + +I nodded wearily. A dissertation on affinities seemed ill-timed. + +"And now," she said, "this beautiful friendship of ours must come to an +end." And there were tears in her eyes. + +"Yes," said I, twisting and untwisting the shreds of my gloves. It +seemed as though the world had slipped from under my feet and I was +whirling into nothingness. "My heart is very heavy." + +"Jack, if you talk like that," hastily, "you will have me crying before +all these people." + +Unfortunately Ethel turned and saw the tears in her cousin's eyes. + +"Mercy! what is the matter?" she asked. + +"Jack has been telling me a very pathetic story," said Phyllis, with a +pity in her eyes. + +"Yes; something that happened to-night," said I, staring at the +programme, but seeing nothing, nothing. + +"Well," said Ethel, "this is not the place for them," turning her eyes +to the stage again. + +The concluding acts of the opera were a jangle of chords and discords, +and the hum of voices was like the murmur of a far-off sea. My eyes +remained fixed upon the stage. It was like looking through a broken +kaleidoscope. I wanted to be alone, alone with my pipe. I was glad +when we at last entered the carriage. Mrs. Wentworth immediately began +to extol the singers, and Phyllis, with that tact which is given only +to kind-hearted women, answered most of the indirect questions put to +me. She was giving me time to recover. The direct questions I could +not avoid. Occasionally I looked out of the window. It had begun to +rain again. It was very dreary. + +"And what a finale, Mr. Winthrop!" cried Mrs. Wentworth, + +"Yes, indeed," I replied. To have loved and lost, and such a woman, +was my thought. + +"The new tenor is an improvement. Do you not think so?" + +"Yes, indeed." No more to touch her hand, to hear her voice, to wait +upon her wishes. + +"It was the most brilliant audience of the season." + +"Yes, indeed," I murmured. Those were the only words I could +articulate. + +The carriage rumbled on. + +"Does Patti return in the fall?" + +"Yes." Five years of dreaming, and then to awake! + +And then the carriage mercifully stopped. + +Mrs. Wentworth insisted that I should enter and have some coffee. I +had so few words at my command that I could not invent even a flimsy +excuse. So I went in. The coffee was tasteless. I put in four lumps +of sugar. I stirred and stirred and stirred. Finally, I swallowed the +contents of the cup. It was very hot. When the agony was past I rose +and made my adieu. + +Phyllis came to the door with me. + +"Forget what I have said," I began, fumbling the door-knob. "I suppose +I was an ass to think that you might love me. They say that it is a +malady. Very well. With a few prescribed remedies I shall recover." + +"You are very bitter." + +"Can you blame me," clicking the latch back and forth, "when all the +world has suddenly grown dark?" + +"There are other eyes than mine," gently. + +"Yes; but they will light other paths than those I shall follow." + +"Jack, you are too manly to make threats." + +"That was not a threat," said I. "Well, I shall go and laugh at myself +for my presumption. To laugh at yourself is to cure. There is no more +wine in the cup, nothing but the lees. I'll have to drink them. A wry +face, and then it will all be over. Yes, I am bitter. To have dreamed +as I have dreamed, and to awake as I have! Ah, well; I must go on +loving you till--" + +"Till she comes," supplemented Phyllis. + +"You wrong me. It is only in letters that I am versatile. Forgive my +bitterness and forget my folly." + +"Oh, Jack, if you knew how sorry I am! I shall forgive the bitterness, +but I will not forget what you term folly. It's something any woman +might be proud of, the love of an honest, dear, good fellow. Good +night." She held her hand toward me. + +"Good night," I said, "and God bless you!" I kissed the palm of her +hand, opened the door, and then stumbled down the steps. + +I do not remember how I reached home. + +It was all over. + +My beautiful castle had fallen in ruins about my ears. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +In my bedroom the next morning there was a sad and heavy heart. The +owner woke up, stared at the ceiling, then at the sun-baked bricks +beyond his window. He saw not the glory of the sun and the heavens. +To his eyes there was nothing poetic in the flash of the distant +church-spires against the billowy cloudbanks. The gray doves, circling +about the chimneys, did not inspire him, nor the twittering of the +sparrows on the window ledge. There was nothing at all in the world +but a long stretch of barren, lonely years. And he wondered how, +without her at his side, he ever could traverse them. He was driftwood +again. He had built upon sands as usual, and the tide had come in; his +castle was flotsam and jetsam. He was drifting, and he didn't care +where. He was very sorry for himself, and he had the blue devils the +worst kind of way. Finally he crawled out of bed and dressed because +it had to be done. He was not particularly painstaking with the +procedure. It mattered not what collar became him best, and he picked +up a tie at random. A man generally dresses for a certain woman's +approval, and when that is no longer to be gained he grows indifferent. +The other women do not count. + +My breakfast consisted of a cup of coffee; and as the generous nectar +warmed my veins my thoughts took a philosophical turn. It is fate who +writes the was, the is, and the shall be. We have a proverb for every +joy and misfortune. It is the only consolation fate gives us. It is +like a conqueror asking the vanquished to witness the looting. All +roads lead to Rome, and all proverbs are merely sign posts by which we +pursue our destinies. And how was I to get to Rome? I knew not. Hope +is better than clairvoyance. + +Was Phyllis right when she said that I did not truly love her? I +believed not. Should I go on loving her all my life? Undoubtedly I +should. As to affinities, I had met mine, but it had proved a +one-sided affair. + +It was after ten by the clock when I remembered that I was to meet the +lawyer, the arbiter of my new fortunes. Money is a balm for most +things, and coupled with travel it might lead me to forget. + +He was the family lawyer, and he had come all the way North to see that +I received my uncle's bequest. He was bent, gray and partially bald. +He must have been close to seventy, but for all that there was a +youthful twinkle in his eyes as he took my card and looked up into my +face. + +"So you are John Winthrop?" he said in way of preliminary. You may +hand a card case full of your name to a lawyer, and still he will +insist upon a verbal admission. + +"I have always been led to believe so," I answered smartly, placing my +hat beside the chair in which I sat down. "How did you manage to +locate me in this big city?" + +"Your uncle had seen some of your signed articles in New York papers, +and said that in all probability I should find you here. A few +inquiries set me on your track." Here he pulled out a lengthy document +from his handbag. "I confess, however," he added, "that I am somewhat +disappointed in your looks." + +"Disappointed in my looks!" was my cry. "What sort of a duffer were +you expecting to see?" + +He laughed. "Well, your uncle gave me the idea that I should find a +good-for-nothing hack-writer, a dweller in some obscure garret." + +"If that is the case, what under the sun did he send you up here for?" + +The merriment went out of the old man's face and his eyes became grave. +"Of that anon. Let me proceed with my business and read the will to +you. You will find it rather a remarkable document." + +I settled back in my chair in a waiting attitude. To tell the truth, I +was somewhat confused by all this preamble. To his son my uncle left +the bulk of his property, which amounted to more than a million. I was +listless. The head overseer received the munificent sum of $50,000; to +the butler, the housekeeper and the cook he gave $10,000 each. I began +to grow interested. He was very liberal to his servants. Several +other names were read, and my interest assumed the color of anxiety. +When the lawyer stopped to unfold the last flap, I spoke. + +"And where in the world do I come in?" + +"In the sense you understand, you do not come in." + +I stared at him in amazement. "I don't come in?" I repeated vaguely. +"Ah," reaching down for my hat, "then I go out, as it were;" as +brilliant as a London yellow fog. "What the devil does all this mean?" +I started to rise. + +"Wait!" he commanded. "'To my nephew, John Winthrop, I bequeath the +sum of $1,000 to be presented to him in person immediately after this +will is probated, and with the understanding that he shall make no +further demand upon my son and heir in the future.' That is all," +concluded the lawyer, folding the document. "I have the check in my +pocket." + +"Keep it," said I, rising. A hot flush of indignation swept over me. +I understood. It was his revenge. To have a man make sport of you +after he is dead and gone, leaving you impotent and with never a chance +to retaliate! "Keep it," I said again; "throw it away, or burn it. I +understand. He has satisfied a petty revenge. It is an insult not +only to me, but to my dead parents. You are, of course, acquainted +with the circumstances of my mother's marriage. She married the man +she loved, disregarding her brother's wishes." + +"I knew your mother," said the lawyer, going to the window and looking +out and beyond all that met his gaze. + +"To think," I went on, cooling none, "that my mother's brother should +die in this manner, nourishing so small and petty a spite! When he did +this he knew that I should understand his motive. In the first place, +I never dreamed that he would remember me in his will; never +entertained the least idea of it. I am independent; I am earning a +livelihood, small, but enough and to spare. I'll bid you good +morning." I took a step toward the door. + +"Young man, sit down," said the old man, coming back to his chair. "I +want to talk to you for a few minutes. Your uncle was a peculiarly +vindictive man. What he considered a wrong he neither forgot nor +forgave. His son pleaded with him not to put in that final clause. He +offered even to share with you. Your uncle swore he would leave it all +to the stablemen first. This journey was forced upon me, or I should +not have taken it. This is my advice to you: Accept the check, in the +privacy of your room tear it up, or light a cigar with it; that's about +all it's worth. You will feel no little satisfaction in lighting a +cigar with it, that is, if you are anything like me. Think of it! a +thousand dollars to light your cigar. It is an opportunity not to be +missed. When you grow old you will say to your grandchildren: 'Once I +lit a cigar with a thousand-dollar check.' The oldest inhabitant will +be silenced forever; it may become history. And then, too, if there +are spirits, as Scripture says there are, your uncle's will writhe at +the performance. I trust that you will forgive me my part in the +matter. I have taken a fancy to you, and if you will accept my +friendship I shall be happy to accept yours. Your uncle's revenge will +not be a marker to the restitution his son will make." + +"Restitution?--his son?" + +"Yes. To my sincere regret he is an invalid who may or may not live +the year out. He has already made a will, in which he leaves all to +you. The will is in my safe at home. I return to-night, so I may not +see you again in this world of sin and tribulation." The merry twinkle +had returned to his eyes. "I am very old." + +"It is worth all the trouble to have met you," said I. "You should +have made the jolt very easy." + +So we shook hands, and he gave me a cigar, around which was wrapped the +check. He winked. Then he laughed, and I joined him, though my +laughter resembled mirth less than it did the cackle of a hen which was +disturbed over the future of her brood. + +I left him and went down into the wine room and ordered a stiff brandy +and soda. When that disappeared I ordered another. I rattled the ice +in the glass. "Ha, ha, ha!" I roared, as the events of the past +twenty-four hours recurred to me. There must have been a suicidal +accent to my laughter, for the bartender looked at me with some +concern. I called for another brandy and shot the soda into it myself. +I watched the foam evaporate, "Ha, ha, ha!" + +"Hard luck?" the bartender asked sympathetically. + +"Yes," said I. I seemed to be speaking to several bartenders who +looked at me with several varieties of compassion. + +"Have another on me," said the bartender. + +I had another, and went out into the street. I walked down Broadway, +chuckling to myself. What a glorious farce it all was! My fortune! +Phyllis my wife! What if she had accepted me? I laughed aloud, and +people turned and stared at me. Oh, yes! I was to travel and write +novels and have my pictures in book reviews, and all that! When I +arrived at the office I was on the verge of total insanity. I was +obliged to ask the paragrapher to write my next day's leader. It was +night before I became rational, and once that, the whole world donned +cap and bells and began capering for my express benefit. The more I +thought of it, the more I laughed. What a whimsical world it was! And +was there anything in it so grotesque as my part? I took the check +from my pocket and cracked it between my fingers. A cigar was in my +mouth. Should I light it with the check? It was for $1,000. After +all, it was more than I had ever before held in my hand at once. But +what was a paltry thousand, aye a paltry ten thousand, to a man's +pride? I bit off the end of my cigar, creased the check into a taper, +and struck a match. I watched it burn and burn. I struck another. I +held it within an inch of the check, but for the life of me I could not +light it. + +"The devil take it!" I cried. I flung the cigar out of the window and +laid the check on my desk. Courage? Why, it needed the courage of a +millionaire to light a cigar with a $1,000 check! + +The office boy, who came in then, was salvation. The managing editor +wanted to see me. I sprang up with alacrity; anything but the sight of +that figure 1 and the three demon eyes of that $1,000 check! + +"Winthrop," said the managing editor to me as I entered his office, +"you've got to go to London. Hillars has gone under----" + +"Not dead!" I cried. + +"No, no! He has had to give up work temporarily on account of drink. +If it was any other man I'd throw him over in short order. But I feel +sorry for Hillars, and I am going to give him another chance. I want +you to go over and take care of him if possible. The London work is +not new to you. You can handle that and Hillars too. If you can keep +him in check----" + +I shuddered. The word "check" jarred on my nerves. + +"What's the matter?" asked the editor. + +"A temporary chill," I said. "Go on." + +"Well, if you can manage to keep him in check for a month or so he'll +be able to get on his feet again. And it will be like a vacation to +you. If anything happens to Hillars you will be expected to remain +permanently abroad. Hillars suggested you in his letter. Will you be +ready to go next Monday?" + +"To-morrow if you like," I answered readily enough. Here was an +opportunity not to be missed. To see new scenes and faces is partially +to forget old ones. + +"Very well. I'll give you some letters which will help you. Our +office is in the Strand. Hillars will find you lodgings. He has +bachelor quarters in the west end of the town, where congenial spirits +congregate. Come in to-morrow and we'll talk it over." + +I was much pleased with the turn of events. If I could get away from +New York I might forget Phyllis--no, not forget her; I loved her too +well ever to forget her; but the prolonged absence would cure me of my +malady. + +Before going to bed that night I lit a cigar, but not with the check. +On sober second thought I calculated that the sum would pay up all my +debts and leave me a comfortable margin. A man can well pocket his +pride when he pockets a thousand dollars with it. And why not? I was +about to start life anew and might as well begin on a philosophical +basis. Who knew but my uncle had foreseen the result of his bequest; +my rage, my pride, and finally lighting a cigar with his check? It +really might make his spirit writhe to better effect if I became +benefited. Sober second thought is more or less a profitable +investment. + +On the morrow everything was arranged for my departure. I was to leave +Saturday morning. + +It was a beautiful day, crisp and clear, with a bare ground which rang +to the heel. In the afternoon I wandered over to the Park and sat down +on a bench, and watched the skaters as they glided to and fro. I +caught myself wishing that I was a boy again, with an hour's romp on +the sheeny crust in view. Gradually the mantle of peace fell upon me, +and there was a sense of rest. I was going to forgive the world the +wrong it had done me; perhaps it would feel ashamed of itself and +reward me for my patience. So Hillars was "going to pieces." It is +strange how we men love another who has shared and spent with us our +late patrimonies. Hillars and I had been friends since our youth, and +we had lived together till a few years back. Then he went to +Washington, from there to Paris, thence to London. He was a better +newspaper man than I. I liked to dream too well, while he was always +for a little action. Liquor was getting the best of him. I wondered +why. It might be a woman. There is always one around somewhere when a +man's breath smells of whisky. A good deal of this woman's temperance +business is caused by remorse. I was drawing aimless pictures in the +frozen gravel, when I became aware that two skaters had stopped in +front of me. I glanced up and saw Phyllis and Ethel, their eyes like +stars and their cheeks like roses. + +"I was wondering if it was you," said Ethel. "Phyllis, where is my +cavalier?" + +"I believe he has forsaken us," said the voice of the woman I loved. + +"Will you not accept part of the bench?" I asked, moving along. + +The girls dropped easily beside me. + +"I was just wishing I was a boy again and was in for a game of hockey," +said I. "I am going to London on Saturday. Our foreign correspondent +has had to give up work on account of ill health." + +"You haven't----" Phyllis stopped suddenly. + +"Oh, no," said I intuitively. "I am growing rusty, and they think I +need a vacation." I was glad Ethel was there with her voluble chatter. + +"Oh, a foreign correspondent!"' she cried. + +"Yes." + +"You will have a glorious time. Papa will probably return to B---- +when the next administration comes in. It is sure to be Republican." +There are a few women who pose as Democrats; I never met one of them. +"You know papa was there twenty years ago. I suppose you will be +hob-nobbing with dukes and princes." + +"It cannot be avoided," I said gravely. "I do not expect to remain +long in London. When my work is done perhaps I shall travel and +complete my foreign polish." + +"Oh, yes!" said Phyllis. "I forgot to tell you, Ethel, that a fortune +has been left to Jack, and he need not work but for the love of it." + +I laughed, but they thought it a self-conscious laugh. Somehow I was +not equal to the task of enlightening them. + +"It is jolly to be rich," said Ethel, clicking her skates together. +"It's a bother at times, however, to know what to do with the money. I +buy so many things I do not need just because I feel compelled to spend +my allowance." + +"It must be very inconvenient," I observed. + +"And now that you are a man of leisure," said Phyllis, "you will write +that book you have always been telling me about?" + +"Do you wish it?" I asked. + +"I do. What I have always found lacking in you is application. You +start out to accomplish something, you find an obstacle in your path +and you do not surmount it; you do not persevere." + +My pulse beat quickly. Was there a double meaning to what she said? I +could not tell, for her eyes remained averted. + +I sighed. "It would be nice to become a successful author, but when a +man is as rich as I am fame tarnishes." I took out an envelope from my +pocket. + +"What is that?" asked Phyllis. + +I turned over the back and showed it to her. + +"Figures!" she laughed. "What do they mean?" + +"It is what I am going to do with my fortune," said I. I was holding +out my vanity at arm's length and laughing at it silently. + +"Your air castles will be realized now," said Phyllis. + +"I shall build no more," said I. "The last one gave me a very bad +fall." + +Phyllis looked away again. A vague perfume from her hair wafted past +my nostrils, and for a space I was overwhelmed with sadness. Soon I +discerned Mr. Holland speeding toward us. + +"I shall not see you again," I said, "so I'll bid you good-bye now. If +you should chance to come abroad this summer, do not fail to look me +up." + +"Good luck to you," said Ethel, shaking my hand. "You must bring home +a Princess or a Duchess." Then she moved off a way, thoughtfully. + +"You must write to me occasionally, Jack," said Phyllis, "if only once +a month. I shall always be interested in your career." + +The smile faltered as she put out her gloved hand. + +"You will make some man happy, Phyllis," I said. + +"Good-bye." + +"Good-bye." + +And then--and then they sped away, and I followed them with dimming +gaze till I could see them no more. I trudged home. . . . + +I stood on the upper deck. The spires and domes of the city faded on +my sight till all merged into a gray smoky patch on the horizon. With +a dead cigar clenched between my teeth I watched and watched with a +callous air, as though there had been no wrench, as though I had not +left behind all I loved in the world. And yet I gazed, the keen salt +air singing past my ears, till there was nothing but the sea as far as +the eye could scan. + +Thus I began the quest of the elusive, which is a little of love, a +little of adventure, and a little of all things. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +Hillars hadn't been down to the office in two days, so the assistant +said. + +"Is he ill?" I asked, as I carried a chair to the window. + +"Ill?" The young man coughed affectedly. + +"Do you believe it possible for him to come in this afternoon?" + +"It is quite possible. One does not use the word impossible in regard +to Hillars. It is possible that he may be in St. Petersburg by this +time, for all I know. You see," with an explanatory wave of the hand, +"he's very uncertain in his movements. For the last six months he has +been playing all over the table, to use the parlance of the roulette +player. I have had to do most of the work, and take care of him into +the bargain. If I may take you into my confidence----," with some +hesitancy. + +"Certainly," said I. "I want you to tell me all about him. He was my +roommate at college. Perhaps I can straighten him up." + +"The truth is, the trouble began last September. He came back from the +Continent, where he had been on an errand, a changed man. Hillars +always drank, but never to an alarming extent. On his return, however, +he was in a bad shape. It was nearly November before I got him sobered +up; and then he went under on an average of three times a week. I +asked him bluntly what he meant by it, and he frankly replied that if +he wanted to drink himself to death, that was his business. When he +isn't half-seas over he is gloomy and morose. From the first I knew +that something had gone wrong on the mainland; but I couldn't trap him +for a farthing. No man at his age drinks himself to death without +cause; I told him so, but he only laughed at me. I'd give a good deal +to know what the truth is; not from curiosity, mind you, but to find +the disease in order to apply a remedy. Dan's father died of drink." + +"No," said I coldly; "he was shot." + +"Oh, I know that," was the reply; "but give a conditioned man the same +wound and he will recover, nine times out of ten. The elder Hillars +was so enervated by drink that he had no strength to fight the fever +which came on top of the bullet-hole. Something happened over there; +and it's pounds to pence there's a woman back of the curtain. It is +some one worth while. Hillars is not a man to fall in love with a +barmaid." + +I began to respect the young man's wisdom. + +"So you believe it to be a woman?" + +"Yes. The wind blows from one point at a time. There are four points +to the vane of destiny; there is ambition for glory, ambition for +power, ambition for wealth, and ambition for love. In Hillars's case, +since the wind does not blow from the first three, it must necessarily +blow from the fourth. You know him better than I do; so you must +certainly know that Hillars is not a man to drink because glory or +power or wealth refused to visit him." + +"You are a very discerning young man," said I, whereat he laughed. +"Did he get my cable?" + +"No. I thought that it was some order from headquarters and opened it +myself. I put it in his desk. I spoke to him, but he was too drunk to +pay any heed to what I said. Well, I must be going. I am getting out +a symposium of editorials from the morning papers on the possibility of +a Franco-Russian alliance. It must be at the cable office in half an +hour. If you are going to wait, you'll find the Berlin and Paris files +in the next room. I'll see you later," and he departed. + +It was five of the clock. The Strand was choked. Here and there I saw +the color of martial attire. Save for this, and that the buildings +were low and solid, and that most of the people walked slower, I might +have been looking down upon Broadway for all the change of place I saw. +There is not much difference between New York and London, except in the +matter of locomotion. The American gets around with more rapidity than +does his English cousin, but in the long run he accomplishes no more. +It is only when one steps onto the Continent that the real difference +in the human races is discerned. Strange as this may seem, it is not +distinguishable in a cosmopolitan city. My eyes were greeted with the +same huge wearisome signs of the merchants; the same sad-eyed "sandwich +men;" the same newsboys yelling and scampering back and forth; the same +rumble of the omnibuses, the roar of the drays, and the rattle of the +cabs. I was not much interested in all I saw. Suddenly my roving eyes +rested upon a familiar face. It was Hillars, and he was pushing +rapidly across the street. Any one would have instantly marked him for +an American by the nervous stride, the impatience at being obstructed. +I went into the fire-room, intending to give him a little surprise. I +did not have long to wait. The door to the main office opened and he +came in, singing a snatch from a drinking song we used to sing at +college. The rich baritone that had once made the old glee club famous +was a bit husky and throaty. I heard him unlock his desk and roll back +the lid. There was a quiet for a moment. + +"Dick!" he called. "Hi, Dick! Well, I'm hanged!" + +Evidently he had discovered my cable. + +"Dick isn't in," said I, crossing the threshold. + +In a moment our hands were welded together, and we were gazing into +each other's eyes. + +"You old reprobate!" I cried; "not to have met me at the station, even." + +"Bless my soul, Jack, this cable was the first intimation that you were +within 3,000 miles of London. But it does my heart good to see you!" +pumping my hand again. "Come out to dinner with me. Now don't begin +to talk till we've had something to eat; I'm almost famished. I know +all the questions you want to ask, but not now. There's a Bohemian +joint a block above that'll do your heart good to see. We'll have +chops and ale, just like we did in the old days, the green and salad +days, I would they were back again"--soberly. "Oh, I've a long story +to tell you, my son; time enough when we get to my rooms; but not a +word of it now--not a word. It will all be forgotten in ten minutes +with you. We'll rake up the old days and live 'em over for an hour or +so. I'm glad that I suggested you in my letter. What did the old man +say about my nervous prostration?"--with half a laugh. + +"He put quotation marks around it," I answered. "I wanted to see you +particularly. They told me that you were rolling downhill so fast that +if some one did not put a fulcrum under you, you'd be at the bottom in +no time at all. I'm going to be the lever by which you are to be +rolled uphill again." + +He smiled grimly. "If any one could do that--well, here we are;" and +we entered the chop house and took a table in one of the side rooms. +"Woods," he said to the waiter, "chops for two, chipped potatoes, and +fill up those steins of mine with ale. That will be all. I brought +those steins from across, Jack; you'll go crazy over them, for they are +beauties." + +A college-bred bachelor, nine times out of ten, has a mania for +collecting pipes or steins, or both. Dan and I had been affected this +way. During the year I had studied at Heidelberg I had gathered +together some fifty odd pipes and steins. I have them yet, and many a +pleasant memory they beget me. As for the steins of Dan, they were +beyond compare. + +"I'll tell you a story about them," said Dan, after he had taken a deep +swallow of the amber ale. "Few men can boast of steins like these. +Not many months ago there was a party of men and women, belonging to +the capital of a certain kingdom, who attended a dinner. It was one of +those times when exalted personages divest themselves of the dignity +and pomp of court and become free and informal. There were twenty of +these steins made especially for the occasion. By a circumstance, over +which I had no control, I was the only alien at this dinner. The +steins were souvenirs. How I came by two was due to the lady whom I +took down to dinner, and who presented hers to me after having--after +having--well, kissed the rim. Do you see the crest?" pointing to the +exquisite inlaid work. + +"Why," I said eagerly, "it is the crest of----" + +"Yes, a noted King," Dan completed. "And these were made by his +express command. But never mind," he broke off. "It's merely a part +of the story I am going to tell you when we get to my rooms. I am +always thinking of it, night and day, day and night. Talk to me, or +I'll be drinking again. This is the first time I've been sober in a +month. It's drink or morphine or something like. Do you ever see +anything of the old glee boys?" + +"Once in a while. You know," said I, lighting a cigarette, "all the +fellows but you and I had money. Most of them are carrying on the +business of their paters and ornamenting dinner parties and cotillions." + +"I thought that you had a rich uncle," said Dan. + +"I did have, but he is no more," and I told him all about the bequest. + +He laughed so long and heartily over it that I was glad for his sake +that it had happened. Already I was beginning to look wholly upon the +humorous side of the affair. + +"It is almost too good not to be printed," he said. "But his son may +square matters when he dies." + +"I do not want matters squared," I growled. "I can earn a living for a +few years to come. I shan't worry." + +"By the way, is that Miss Landors whom you used to rave about in your +letters married yet?" + +"No." Miss Landors was Phyllis only to her intimate friends. I called +the waiter and ordered him to replenish my stein, Dan watching me +curiously the while. "No, Miss Landors is not married yet." + +"I have often wondered what she looked like," he mused. + +"When do you go on your vacation?" I asked irrelevantly. + +"In a week or ten days; may be to-morrow. It's according to how long I +stay sober." + +I was sorry that he had recalled to me the name of Phyllis. It +dampened my sociability. I was not yet prepared to take him into my +confidence. The ale, however, loosened our tongues, and though we did +not talk about our present affairs we had a pleasant time recounting +the days when we were young in the sense that we had no real trouble. +Those were the times when we were earning fifteen and twenty the week; +when our watches were always in durance vile; when we lied to the poor +washerwoman and to the landlady; when we would always be "around +to-morrow" and "settle up" with our creditors. + +"There was no ennui those days," laughed Hillars. + +"True. Do you remember the day you stayed in bed because it was +cheaper to sleep than work on an empty stomach?" + +"And do you remember the time I saved you from jail by giving the +Sheriff my new spring overcoat to pay a washerwoman's bill of six +months' standing?" + +"I hung around Jersey City that day," said I. And then there was more +ale; and so on. It was nine when at last we rose. + +"Well, we'll go back to the office and get your case," said Dan. +"Where's your trunk?" + +"At the Victoria." + +"All your luggage must be sent to my rooms. I will not hear of your +going elsewhere for lodging while in town. I have a floor, and you +shall share it. It's a bachelor's ranch from basement to garret, +inhabited by artists, journalists, one or two magazine men, a clever +novelist, and three of our New York men. There is no small fry save +myself. We have little banquets every Friday night, and they sometimes +last till Saturday noon. I've taught the Frenchman who represents the +Paris _Temps_ how to play poker, and he threatens to become my +Frankenstein, who will eventually devour me." Hillars laughed, and it +sounded like the laughter of other days. "Jack, I think you will do me +good. Stay with me and keep me away from the bottle if you can. No +man drinks for pure love of liquor. My father never loved it, and God +knows what he was trying to forget. For that's the substance of it +all, to forget. When you start out to the point of forgetfulness, you +must keep it up; regret comes back threefold with soberness. It seems +silly and weak for a man who has been buffeted as I have, who is +supposed to gather wisdom and philosophy as a snowball gathers snow as +it rolls down hill, to try to drown regret and disappointment in +liquor. A man never knows how weak he is till he meets the one woman +and she will have none of him." + +And somehow I got closer to Hillars, spiritually. There were two of +us, so it seemed, only I was stronger, or else my passion did not burn +so furiously as his. + +The apartments occupied by Dan were all a bachelor could wish for. The +walls were covered with photographs, original drawings, beer steins, +pipes, a slipper here, a fan there, and books and books and books. I +felt at home at once. + +I watched Hillars as he moved about the room, tidying up things a bit, +and I noticed now more than ever how changed he was. His face had +grown thin, his hair was slightly worn at the crown and temples, and +there were dark circles under his eyes. Yet, for all these signs of +dissipation, he was still a remarkably handsome man. Though not so +robust as when I last saw him, his form was yet elegant. In the old +days we had called him Adonis, and Donie had clung to him long after +the Cambridge time. + +"Now," said he, when we had lighted our pipes, "I'll tell you why I'm +going to the dogs. I've got to tell it to some one or go daft; and I +can't say that I'm not daft as it is." + +"It is a woman," said I, after reflection, "who causes a man to drink, +to lose all ambition." + +"It is." + +"It is a woman," I went on, holding the amber stem of my pipe before +the light which gleamed golden through the transparent gum, "who causes +a man to pull up stakes and prospect for new claims, to leave the new +country for the old." + +"It is a woman indeed," he replied. He was gazing at me with a new +interest. "If the woman had accepted him, he would not have been here." + +"No, he would not," said I. + +"In either case, yours or mine." + +"In either case. Go on with your story; there's nothing more to add to +mine." + +Some time passed, and nothing but the breathing of the pipes was heard. +Now and then I would poke away at the ashes in my pipe bowl, and Dan +would do the same. + +"Have you a picture of her?" I asked, reaching for some fresh tobacco. + +"No; I am afraid to keep one." + +To me this was a new phase in the matter of grand passions. + +"A likeness which never changes its expression means nothing to me," he +explained. "Her face in all its moods is graven in my mind; I have but +to shut my eyes, and she stands before me in all her loveliness. Do +you know why I wanted this vacation? Rest?" His shoulders went up and +his lips closed tighter. "My son, I want no rest. It is rest which is +killing me. I am going across. I am going to see her again, if only +from the curb as she rolls past in her carriage, looking at me but not +recognizing me, telling her footman to brush me aside should I attempt +to speak to her. Yet I would suffer this humiliation to see that +glorious face once more, to hear again that voice, though it were keyed +to scorn. I am a fool, Jack. What! have I gone all these years +free-heart to love a chimera in the end? Verily I am an ass. She is a +Princess; she has riches; she has a principality; she is the ward of a +King. What has she to do with such as I? Three months in the year she +dwells in her petty palace; the other months find her here and there; +Paris, St. Petersburg, or Rome, as fancy wills. And I, I love her! Is +it not rich? What am I? A grub burrowing at the root of the tree in +which she, like a bird of paradise, displays her royal plumage. +'Masters, remember that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet +forget not that I am an ass.' The father of this Princess once +rendered the present King's father a great service, and in return the +King turned over to his care a principality whose lineal descendants +had died out. It was with the understanding that so long as he +retained the King's goodwill, just so long he might possess the +principality, and that when he died the sovereignty would pass to his +children. The old King died, and his son sat upon his father's throne. +The father of the Princess also died. The King of to-day made the same +terms as his father before him. The Princess Hildegarde accepted them, +not counting the cost. Last spring she was coronated. Shortly before +the coronation, Prince Ernst of Wortumborg became a suitor for her +hand. The King was very much pleased. Prince Ernst was a cousin of +the Princess Hildegarde's father, and had striven for the principality +in the days gone by. The King, thinking to repair the imaginary wrongs +of the Prince, forced the suit. He impressed upon the Princess that it +was marry the Prince or give up her principality. She gave her +consent, not knowing what to do under the circumstances. Prince Ernst +is a Prince without principality or revenues. In marrying the Princess +he acquires both. I shall tell you how I became concerned." + +Hillars laid his smoking pipe in the ash pan. He got up and roamed +about the room, stopped at the window and stared at the inken sky, then +returned to his chair. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +I shall tell Hillars's story as he told it. He said: + +Last August I went to B----. My mission was important and took me to +the British Legation, where I am well known. I was most cordially +invited to attend a ball to be given the next evening. The notables of +the court were there. For a few moments the King let his sun shine on +the assemblage. It was a brilliant spectacle. At midnight I saw for +the first time a remarkably beautiful woman. I was looking well myself +that night. All women like to see broad shoulders in a man. It +suggests strength--something they have not. Several times this young +woman's eyes met mine. Somehow, mine were always first to fall. There +was a magnetism in hers mine could not withstand. Later, an attache +came to me and said that he wished to present me to her Serene Highness +the Princess Hildegarde of--let us call it Hohenphalia. He whispered +that she had commanded the introduction. I expected to see some +red-faced dowager who wanted to ask me about my country and bore me +with her guttural accents. To my intense pleasure, I found myself at +the side of the beauty whom I had been admiring. There was a humorous +light in her eyes as she put some questions to me. + +"Do you speak German?" she asked in that language. + +"Poorly, your Highness," I answered. + +"Perhaps, then, you speak French?" + +"As I do my mother tongue," said I. + +"I am interested in Americans," she said. + +"Collectively or individually?" I tried to say this with perfect +innocence, but the smile on her lips told me that I had failed. + +"Yes, I was sure that you would interest me." + +She tapped the palm of her hand with the fan she held. "Shall I tell +you why I desired to meet you?" + +I nodded. + +"I have heard it said that the American bows down before a title; and I +am a woman, and curious." + +Said I, laughing: "Your Highness has been misinformed. We never bow +down to a title; it is to the wearers that we bow." + +This time her eyes fell. + +"This sort of conversation is altogether new to me," she said, opening +the fan. + +"I hope that I have not offended your Highness," I said. + +"Indeed, no. But it seems so strange to have any one talk to me with +such frankness and deliberation. Have you no fear?" + +"There is seldom fear where there is admiration. If you had used the +word awe, now----" + +Soft laughter rippled over the fan. She had the most wonderful eyes. + +"Are all Americans brave like yourself?" she next asked. + +"Brave? What do you call brave?" + +"Your utter lack of fear in my presence, in the first place: I am +called dangerous. And then, your exploits in the Balkistan, in the +second place. Are you not the M. Hillars whose bravery not so long ago +was an interesting topic in the newspapers? I know you." + +"This is truly remarkable," said I. "The only thing I did was to lead +a regiment out of danger." + +"The danger was annihilation. If a Captain or a Colonel had done it, +we should have thought nothing of it; but an utter stranger, who had +nothing in common with either cause--ah, believe me, it was a very +gallant thing to do." + +"This is positively the first time I was ever glad that I did the +thing." I placed my hand over my heart. "But, after all, that is not +half so brave as what I am doing now." + +"I do not understand," said she puzzled. + +"Why, it is simple. Here I am talking to you, occupying your time and +keeping those fierce Generals at bay. See how they are gnawing their +mustaches and biting their lips and asking one another who I am. There +are as many as five challenges waiting for me the moment I depart from +your side." + +There was mischief in her eye. + +"Then you shall stay with me, find me an ice and waltz once with me, +for if anything happened to you I should always have myself to blame." + +I waltzed with her, and the perfume of her hair got into my head, and I +grew dizzy. When the dance came to an end, I went into the smoking +room. Suddenly it went through my brain that the world had changed in +an incredibly short time. I tried to smoke, and for the first time in +my life, tobacco was tasteless, I was falling in love with a Princess. +I confess that it did not horrify me; on the contrary, I grew thrilled +and excited. There was a spice here which hitherto had been denied me. +The cost was unspelled. I fell as far as I could fall. The +uncertainty of the affair was in itself an enchantment. + +Well, the next day I strolled up the Avenue of Legations and saw her on +horseback. She was accompanied by an elderly man with a face like an +eagle's. There were various decorations on his breast. As the +Princess saw me, she bent her head. She remembered me. That was all +that was necessary for my transportation. Later, I was informed that +her escort was Prince Ernst of Wortumborg, who was destined to become +her lord and master. I did not care who he was; I knew that I hated +him. + +For a week I lingered on. I met her time and again; alone on +horseback, at the various embassies and at the opera. At these +meetings I learned a great deal about her. She was known to be the +most capricious woman at court, and that she was as courageous as she +was daring; and that the Prince might consider himself lucky if he got +her, King's will or no King's will. She had little liking for her +intended. She treated him contemptuously and held his desires in utter +disregard. One fine morning I was told that the Prince was beginning +to notice my attentions, that he was one of the most noted pistol shots +and swordsmen on the Continent, and that if I had any particular regard +for my epidermis I would cease my attendance on the Princess at once. +This, of course, made me more attentive than ever; for I can hold my +own with any man when it comes to pistols, and I can handle the rapier +with some success. + +It was one night at the opera that the climax was brought about. I sat +in one of the stalls diagonally across from the royal box, where she +sat. She saw me and gave me the barest nod of recognition. Perhaps +she did not wish to attract the attention of the royal personages who +sat with her; for the nod struck me as clandestine. Between the first +and second acts a note was handed to me. It was not addressed, neither +was it signed. But it was for me; the bearer spoke my name. As near +as I can remember, the note contained these words: + +"A carriage will await you two blocks south; it will be without lights. +You will enter it exactly ten minutes after the opera is ended." + +That was all, but it was enough. When I returned to my seat I found +the Princess gazing intently at me. I made an affirmative gesture and +was rewarded with a smile which set my blood to rushing. I made little +out of the last act. I could not dream what the anonymous note had +behind it. I suspicioned an intrigue, but what use had she for me, an +American, a very nobody? Something unusual was about to take place and +I was to be a witness or a participant of it. That was as far as my +talent for logical deduction went. Promptly at the stated time I stood +at the side of the carriage. It was the plainest sort of an affair. +Evidently it had been hired for the occasion. The door opened. + +"Step in, monsieur," said a low voice in French. I obeyed. The horse +started. As we spun along the pavement a light flashed into the +window. The Princess sat before me. There was a ringing in my ears, +and I breathed quickly. But I said no word; it was for her to speak +first. + +"Monsieur is an American," she began. "The American is of a chivalric +race." + +"That should be the aim of all men," I replied. + +"But it is not so. Monsieur, I have been studying you for the past +week. To-night I place my honor and my fame in your hands; it is for +you to prove that you are a knight. I trust you. When I have said +what I shall say to you, you may withdraw or give me your aid, as you +please." + +"I am grateful for your confidence, your Highness," said I. "What is +it that you wish me to do?" + +"Have patience, monsieur, till the ride is done," she said. "Do not +speak again till I permit you. I must think." + +The journey was accomplished in half an hour. + +"It is here, monsieur, that we alight," she said as the carriage +stopped. + +I was glad that her opera cloak was of dark material and that she wore +a veil. + +The building before which we stood was on the outskirts of the city. +Far away to my left I could see the flickering lights of the palaces; a +yellowish haze hung over all. Once within the building I noted with +surprise the luxurious appointments. Plainly it was no common inn, a +resort for the middle and traveling classes; whether it was patronized +by the nobility I could only surmise. + +"We shall continue to speak in French," she said, as she threw back her +cloak and lifted her veil. "Monsieur has probably heard that the +Princess Hildegarde is a creature of extravagant caprices; and he +expects an escapade." + +"Your Highness wrongs me," I protested. "I am an obscure American; +your Highness does not share your--that is----" + +I stopped, not wishing to give the term escapade to anything she might +do. As a matter of fact she has caused her royal guardian, the King, +no end of trouble. She went to Paris once unattended; at another time +she roamed around Heidelberg and slashed a fencing master; she had +donned a student's garb. She is said to be the finest swordswoman on +the Continent. Yet, notwithstanding her caprices, she is a +noble-minded woman. She does all these things called social vagaries +because she has a fine scorn for the innate hypocrisy of the social +organization of this country. She loves freedom not wisely but too +well. To go on: + +"Monsieur wrongs me also," she said. "In what are termed my escapades +I am alone. You appealed to me," with a directness which amazed me, +"because of your handsome face, your elegant form, your bright eyes. +You are a man who loves adventure which has the spice of danger in it. +My countrymen----." She crooked one of her bare shoulders, which shone +like yellow ivory in the subdued light. This rank flattery cooled me. +A woman who has any regard for a man is not likely to flatter him in +respect to his looks on so short and slight an acquaintance. +"Monsieur," she proceeded, "this is to be no escapade, no caprice. I +ask your aid as a desperate woman. At court I can find no one to +succor me, save at the peril of that which is dearer to me than my +life. Among the commoners, who would dare? An Englishman? It is too +much trouble. A Frenchman? I would trust him not quite so far as the +door. You are the first American, not connected with the legation, I +have ever met. Will you help me?" + +"If what you ask me to do is within my capabilities, I am yours to +command." + +"The reward will be small," as if to try me. I laughed. I was so +insanely happy, I suppose. "There will be danger," she persisted; +"secret danger: there will be scandal." + +"The more danger, the merrier," I cried. + +"Ah, yes," smiling; "it is the man of Balkistan." + +I leaned over the table and inhaled the ineffable perfumes which +emanated from her person. "Tell me, from what must I succor the +Princess? Is she a prisoner in a castle over which some ogre rules? +Well, then, I'll be Sir Galahad." + +My jesting tone jarred on her nerves. She straightened in her chair. + +"Monsieur is amused," she said coldly. + +"And he asks a thousand pardons!" I cried contritely. "Command me," +and I grew chilled and serious. + +"You have heard that I am to wed Prince Ernst of Wortumborg?" + +"Yes." I gnawed the ends of my mustache. + +"Monsieur, it is against my will, my whole being. I have no desire to +contribute a principality and a wife to a man who is not worthy of one +or the other. I refuse to become the King's puppet, notwithstanding +his power to take away my principality and leave me comparatively +without resources. I detest this man so thoroughly that I cannot hate +him. I abhor him. It is you who must save me from him; it is you who +must also save me my principality. Oh, they envy me, these poor +people, because I am a Princess, because I dwell in the tinsel glitter +of the court. Could they but know how I envy their lives, their homes, +their humble ambitions! Believe me, monsieur, as yet I love no man; +but that is no reason why I should link my life to that of a man to +whom virtue in a woman means nothing. He caused my mother great +sorrow. He came between her and my father. He spoiled her life, now +he wishes to spoil mine. But I will not have it so. I will give up my +principality rather. But first let me try to see if I cannot retain +the one and rid myself of the other. Listen. To-morrow night there +will be a dinner here. The King and the inner court will hold forth. +But they will cast aside their pomp and become, for the time being, +ordinary people. The Prince will be in Brussels, and therefore unable +to attend. You are to come in his stead." + +"I?" in astonishment. + +"Even so," she smiled. "While the festivities are at their height you +and I will secretly leave and return to the city. We shall go +immediately to the station, thence to France." + +I looked at her as one in a dream. "I!--You!--thence to France?" + + + + +CHAPTER V + +Hillars went to the sideboard and emptied half a glass of brandy. +Coming back to his chair he remained in a reverie for a short time. +Then he resumed his narrative. + +The Princess looked up into my face and smiled. + +"Yes; thence to France. Ah, I could go alone. But listen, monsieur. +Above all things there must be a scandal. A Princess elopes with an +American adventurer. The Prince will withdraw his suit. The King may +or may not forgive me; but I will risk it. He is still somewhat fond +of me, notwithstanding the worry I have caused him. This way is the +only method by which I may convince him how detestable this engagement +is to me. Yet, my freedom is more to me than my principality. Let the +King bestow it upon whom he will. I shall become a teacher of +languages, or something of that sort. I shall be free and happy. Oh, +you will have a merry tale to tell, a merry adventure. You will return +to your country. You will be the envy of your compatriots. You will +recount at your clubs a story such as men read, but never hear told!" +She was growing a bit hysterical. As she looked at me she saw that my +face was grave. + +"Is there no other way?" I asked. "Can it not be accomplished without +scandal?" + +"No. There must be scandal. Otherwise I should be brought back and +forgiven, and no one would know. In a certain sense, I am valuable. +The Hohenphalians love me; I am something of an idol to them. The King +appreciates my rule. It gives him a knowledge that there will be no +internal troubles in Hohenphalia so long as matters stand as they now +do. Still, there are limits to the King's patience; and I am about to +try them severely. But monsieur hesitates; he will withdraw his +promise." + +"No, your Highness," said I, "I have given my word. As for the +scandal, it is not for myself that I care. It will be a jolly +adventure for me; and then, I shall have such a clever story to tell my +friends at the clubs." + +She saw that I was offended. "Forgive me, monsieur; I know that you +would do no such thing. But let me explain to you. At the station we +will be intercepted by two trusted and high officials at court." + +"What!" I exclaimed; "do they know?" + +"No; but I shall write to them anonymously, the note to be placed in +their hands immediately we leave the premises." + +I looked at the woman in wonder. + +"But this is madness!" I cried. + +"Directly you will see the method in the madness. Without their +knowing there could be no scandal. They will try to stop us. You will +over-power and bind them. There will also be several other witnesses +who will not be participants. Through them it will become known that I +have eloped with an American. Oh, it is a well-laid plan." + +"But, supposing I am overpowered myself, thrown into jail and I know +not what?" All this was more than I had bargained for. + +"Nothing of the kind will happen. Monsieur will hold a pistol in each +hand when the carriage door is opened. You will say: 'I am a desperate +man; one of you bind the other, or I fire!' It will be done. You will +spring upon the remaining one and I will help you to bind him likewise. +Oh, you will accomplish it well; you are a strong man; moreover, you +are rapid." + +I sat in my chair, speechless. Here was a woman of details. I had +never met one before. + +"Well, does monsieur accept the adventure or does he politely decline?" +There was a subtle taunt in her tones. That decided me. + +"Your Highness, I should be happy to meet a thousand Uhlans to do you +service. What you ask me to do is quite simple." I knew that I should +lose my head in case of failure. I rose and bowed as unconcernedly as +though she had but asked me to join her with a cup of tea. + +"Ah, monsieur, you are a man!" And she laughed softly as she saw me +throw back my shoulders. There was unmistakable admiration in her +eyes. "And yet," with a sudden frown, "there will be danger. You may +slip; you may become injured. Yes, there is danger." + +"Your Highness," said I lowly, compelling her eyes to meet mine, "it is +not the danger of the adventure or its results that I most fear." I +was honest enough to make my meaning clear. + +She blushed. "I said that I trusted monsieur's honor," was her +rejoinder. "Come," with a return of her imperiousness; "it is time +that we were gone!" She drew on her cloak and dropped the veil. "I +might add," she said, "that we will remain in France one hour. From +there you may go your way, and I shall go secretly to my palace." + +And the glamour fell away like the last leaves of the year. + +I had to wake up the driver, who had fallen asleep. + +"Where shall I say?" I asked. + +"To your hotel. I shall give the driver the remaining instructions." + +"But you haven't told me," said I, as I took my place in the carriage, +"how I am to become a guest at the dinner to-morrow evening." + +"I spoke to the King this morning. I said that I had a caprice. He +replied that if I would promise it to be my last he would grant it. I +promised. I said that it was my desire to bring to the dinner a person +who, though without rank, was a gentleman--one who would grace any +gathering, kingly or otherwise. My word was sufficient. I knew before +I asked you that you would come. Twenty-four hours from now we, that +is, you and I, will be on the way to the French frontier. I shall be +ever in your debt." + +Silence fell upon us. I knew that I loved her with a love that was +burning me up, consuming me. And the adventure was all so unheard of +for these prosaic times! And so full of the charm of mystery was she +that I had not been a man not to have fallen a victim. What +possibilities suggested themselves to me as on we rode! Once across +the frontier I should be free to confess my love for her. A Princess? +What of that? She would be only a woman--the woman I loved. I +trembled. Something might happen so that she would have to turn to me. +If the King refused to forgive her, she was mine! Ah, that plain +carriage held a wonderful dream that night. At length--too shortly for +me--the vehicle drew up in front of my hotel. As I was about to alight +her hand stretched toward me. But instead of kissing it, I pressed my +lips on her round white arm. As though my lips burned, she drew back. + +"Have a care, monsieur; have a care," she said, icily. "Such a kiss +has to be won." + +I stammered an apology and stepped out. Then I heard a low laugh. + +"Good night, Mr. Hillars; you are a brave gentleman!" + +The door closed and the vehicle sped away into the darkness. + +I stood looking after it, bewildered. Her last words were spoken in +pure English. + +With the following evening came the dinner; and I as a guest, a +nervous, self-conscious guest, who started at every footstep. I was +presented to the King, who eyed me curiously. Seeing that I wore a +medal such as his Chancellor gives to men who sometimes do his country +service, he spoke to me and inquired how I had obtained it. It was an +affair similar to the Balkistan; only there was not an army, but a mob. +The Princess was enchanting. I grew reckless, and let her read my eyes +more than once; but she pretended not to see what was in them. At +dinner a toast was given to his Majesty. It was made with those steins +I showed you, Jack. + +The Princess said softly to me, kissing the rim of the stein she held: +"My toast is not to the King, but to the gentleman!" I had both steins +bundled up and left with the host, together with my address. + +It was not long after that the eventful moment for our flight arrived. +I knew that I was basely to abuse the hospitality of the King. But +what is a King to a man in love? Presently we two were alone in the +garden, the Princess and myself. She was whispering instructions, +telling me that I was a man of courage. + +"It is not too late to back out," she said. + +"I would face a thousand kings rather," I replied. + +We could see at the gate the carriage which was to take us to the +station. Now came the moment when I was tried by the crucible and +found to be dross. I committed the most foolish blunder of my life. +My love suddenly overleapt its bounds. In a moment my arms were around +her lithe body; my lips met hers squarely. After it was done she stood +very still, as if incapable of understanding my offence. But I +understood. I was overwhelmed with remorse, love, and regret. I had +made impossible what might have been. + +"Your Highness," I cried, "I could not help it! Before God I could +not! It is because I love you better than anything in the world--you +cannot be of it!--and all this is impossible, this going away together." + +Her bosom heaved, and her eyes flashed like a heated summer sky. + +"I will give you one minute to leave this place," she said, her tones +as even and as cold as sudden repression of wrath could make them. "I +trusted you, and you have dared to take advantage of what seemed my +helplessness. It is well indeed for you that you committed this +outrage before it is too late. I should have killed you then. I might +have known. Could ever a woman trust a man?" She laughed +contemptuously. "You would have made me a thing of scorn; and I +trusted you!" + +"As God is my judge," I cried, "my respect for you is as high as heaven +itself. I love you; is there nothing in that? I am but human. I am +not a stone image. And you have tempted me beyond all control. Pardon +what I have done; it was not the want of respect--." + +"Spare me your protestations. I believe your minute is nearly gone," +she interrupted. + +And then--there was a crunch on the gravel behind us. The Princess and +I turned in dismay. We had forgotten all about the anonymous note. +Two officers were approaching us, and rapidly. The elder of the two +came straight to me. I knew him to be as inexorable as his former +master, the victor of Sedan. The Princess looked on mechanically. + +"Come," said the Count, in broken English; "I believe your carriage is +at the gate." + +I glanced at the Princess. She might have been of stone, for all the +life she exhibited. + +"Come; the comedy is a poor one," said the Count. + +I followed him out of the garden. My indifference to personal safety +was due to a numbness which had taken hold of me. + +"Get in," he said, when we reached the carriage. I did so, and he got +in after me. The driver appeared confused. It was not his fare, +according to the agreement. "To the city," he was briefly told. "Your +hotel?" turning to me. I named it. "Do you understand German?" + +"But indifferently," I answered listlessly. + +"It appears that you understand neither the language nor the people. +Who are you?" + +"That is my concern," I retorted. I was coming about, and not +unnaturally became vicious. + +"It concerns me also," was the gruff reply. + +"Have your own way about it." + +"How came you by that medal?" pointing to my breast. + +"Honestly," said I. + +"Honestly or dishonestly, it is all the same." He made a move to detach +it, and I caught his hand. + +"Please don't do that. I am extremely irritable; and I might throw you +out of the window. I can get back to my hotel without guidance." + +"I am going to see you to your lodgings," asserted the Count, rubbing +his wrist, for I had put some power into my grasp. + +"Still, I might take it into my head to throw you out." + +"You'd better not try." + +"Are you afraid?" + +"Yes. There would be a scandal. Not that I would care about the death +of a miserable adventurer, but it might possibly reflect upon the +virtue of her Highness the Princess Hildegarde." + +"What do you want?" I growled. + +"I want to see if your passports are proper so that you will have no +difficulty in passing over the frontier." + +"Perhaps it would be just as well to wake the American Minister?" I +suggested. + +"Not at all. If you were found dead there might be a possibility of +that. But I should explain to him, and he would understand that it was +a case without diplomatic precedent." + +"Well?" + +"You are to leave this country at once, sir; that is, if you place any +value upon your life." + +"Oh; then it is really serious?" + +"Very. It is a matter of life and death--to you. Moreover, you must +never enter this country again. If you do, I will not give a pfennig +for your life." + +He found my passports in good order. I permitted him to rummage +through some of my papers. + +"Ach! a damned scribbler, too!" coming across some of my notes. + +"Quite right, Herr General," said I. I submitted because I didn't care. + +My luggage was packed off to the station, where he saw that my ticket +was for Paris. + +"Good morning," he said, as I entered the carriage compartment. "The +devil will soon come to his own; ach!" + +"My compliments to him when you see him!" I called back, not to be +outdone in the matter of courtesy. + + +"And that is all, Jack," concluded Hillars. "For all these months not +an hour has passed in which I have not cursed the folly of that moment. +Instead of healing under the balm of philosophy, the wound grows more +painful every day. She did not love me, I know, but she would have +been near me. And if the King had taken away her principality, she +would have needed me in a thousand ways. And it is not less than +possible that in time she might have learned the lesson of love. But +now--if she is the woman I believe her to be, she never could love me +after what has happened. And knowing this, I can't leave liquor alone, +and don't want to. In my cups I do not care." + +"I feel sorry for you both," said I. "Has the Prince married her yet?" + +"No. It has been postponed. Next Monday I am going back. I am going +in hopes of getting into trouble. I may never see her again, perhaps. +To-morrow, to-morrow! Who knows? Well, I'm off to bed. Good night." + +And I was left alone with my thoughts. They weren't very good company. +To-morrow indeed, I thought. I sat and smoked till my tongue smarted. +I had troubles of my own, and wondered how they would end. Poor +Hillars! As I look back to-day, I marvel that we could not see the +end. The mystery of life seems simple to us who have lived most of it, +and can look down through the long years. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +During the first year of my residence in London there happened few +events worth chronicling. Shortly after my arrival Hillars +disappeared. His two months' vacation stretched into twelve, and I was +directed to remain in London. As I knew that Hillars did not wish to +be found I made no inquiries. He was somewhere on the Continent, but +where no one knew. At one time a letter dated at St. Petersburg +reached me, and at another time I was informed of his presence at Monte +Carlo. In neither letter was there any mention of her Serene Highness, +the Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia. Since the night he recounted +the adventure the wayward Princess had never become the topic of +conversation. I grew hopeful enough to believe that he had forgotten +her. Occasionally I received a long letter from Phyllis. I always +promptly answered it. To any one but me her letters would have proved +interesting reading. It was not for what she wrote that I cared, it +was the mere fact that she wrote. A man cannot find much pleasure in +letters which begin with "Dear friend," and end with "Yours sincerely," +when they come from the woman he loves. + +In the preceding autumn I completed my first novel. I carried it +around to publishers till I grew to hate it as one hates a Nemesis, and +when finally I did place it, it was with a publisher who had just +started in business and was necessarily obscure. I bowed politely to +my dreams of literary fame and became wholly absorbed in my +journalistic work. When the book came out I could not but admire the +excellence of the bookmaking, but as I looked through the reviews and +found no mention save in "books received," I threw the book aside and +vowed that it should be my last. The publisher wrote me that he was +surprised that the book had not caught on, as he considered the story +unusually clever. "Merit is one thing," he said, "but luck is +another." I have found this to be true, not only in literature, but in +all walks of life where fame and money are the goals. Phyllis wrote me +that she thought the book "just splendid"; but I took her praise with a +grain of salt, it being likely that she was partial to the author, and +that the real worth of the book was little in comparison with the fact +that it was I who wrote it. + +One morning in early June I found three letters on my desk. The first +was from Hillars. He was in Vienna. + + +"MY DEAR SON," it ran, "there is another rumpus. The Princess +disappeared on the 20th of last month. They are hunting high and low +for her, and incidentally for me. Why me, is more than I can +understand. But I received a letter from Rockwell of the American +Legation warning me that if I remained in Austria I should be +apprehended, put in jail, hanged and quartered for no other reason on +earth than that they suspect me having something to do with her +disappearance. Due, I suppose, to that other miserable affair. Though +I have hunted all over the Continent, I have never seen the Princess +Hildegarde since that night at B----. Where shall I find her? I +haven't the least idea. But as a last throw, I am going to the +principality of Hohenphalia, where she was born and over which she +rules with infinite wisdom. The King is determined that she shall wed +Prince Ernst. He would take away her principality but for the fact +that there would be a wholesale disturbance to follow any such act. If +I ever meet that watch dog of hers, the Count von Walden, the duffer +who gave me my conge, there will be trouble. The world isn't large +enough for two such men as we are. By the way, I played roulette at +the Casino last night and won 3,000 francs. Well, au revoir or adieu +as the case may be. They sell the worst whiskey here you ever heard +of. It's terrible to have an educated palate. + +"HILLARS." + + +So he was still desiring for something he could never have! I got out +of patience with the fellow. Even if she loved him, what chance had he +against the legions of the King? Hillars was a wild-headed fellow, +and, if at liberty, was not incapable of creating a disturbance. It +might land him in jail, or on the gallows. The phlegmatic German is +not particular whom he hangs. In that wide domain there is always some +petty revolution going on. In each of those petty kingdoms, or +principalities, or duchies, there are miniature Rousseaus and Voltaires +who shout liberty and equality in beer halls and rouse the otherwise +peaceful citizens to warfare; short, it is true, but none the less +warfare. Military despotism is the tocsin. When the King presses an +unwilling subject into the army, upon his discharge the unwilling +subject, usually a peasant, becomes a socialist. These Rousseaus and +Voltaires have a certain amount of education, but they lack daring. If +a man like Hillars, who had not only brains but daring, should get +mixed up in one of these embroglios, some blood would be spilled before +the trouble became adjusted. Still, Hillars, with all his love of +adventure, was not ordinarily reckless. Yet, if he met the Princess, +she would find a willing tool in him for her slightest caprice. +Whatever happened the brunt would fall upon him. My opinion, formed +from various stories I had heard of the Princess, was not very +flattering to her. The letter and its possibilities disturbed me. + +The second letter was from headquarters in New York. + + +"DEAR WINTHROP--We want a good Sunday special. Her Serene Highness the +Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia has taken it into her head to +disappear again. Go over and see Rockwell in B----; he will give you a +good yarn. It has never been in type yet, and I daresay that it will +make good reading. London seems particularly dull just now, and you +can easily turn over your affairs to the assistant. This woman's life +is more full of romance than that of any other woman of the courts of +Europe. The most interesting part of it is her reputation is said to +be like that of Caesar's wife--above reproach. Get a full history of +her life and of the Prince whom she is to marry. If you can get any +photographs do so. I know how you dislike this sort of work, prying +into private affairs, as you call it, but with all these sensational +sheets springing up around us, we must keep in line now and then. Do +you know anything about Hillars; is he dead or alive? Take all the +time you want for the story and send it by mail." + + +"The Princess Hildegarde!" I cried aloud. "The deuce take the woman!" + +"What's that?" asked my assistant, who had overheard my outburst. + +"Oh, I am to go across on a special story," I said with a snarl, "just +as I was fixing for a week's fishing. I've got to concern myself with +the Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia." + +"Ah, the Princess Hildegarde?" said the young fellow, pushing back his +hat and elevating his feet, a trick he had acquired while being reared +in his native land, which was the State of Illinois, in America. "You +want to be careful. Every one burns his fingers or singes his wings +around that candle." + +"What do you know about her?" I asked. + +"A little. You see, about six months ago I discovered all regarding +Hillars and his fall from grace. It was through the Reuter agency. +Hillars got badly singed. An elopement of some sort between him and +the Princess was nipped in the bud. He was ordered to leave the +country and warned never to return, at the peril of his liberty. A +description of him is with every post on the frontier. As for the +Princess she is an interesting character. She was educated in this +country and France. She speaks several languages. She is headstrong +and wilful, and her royal guardian is only too anxious to see her +married and settled down. She masquerades in men's clothes when it +pleases her, she can ride a horse like a trooper, she fences and +shoots, she has fought two duels, and heaven alone knows what she has +not done to disturb the tranquility of the Court. For a man she loved +she would be a merry comrade. I saw her once in Paris. She is an +extraordinarily beautiful woman. A man takes no end of risk when he +concerns himself with her affairs, I can tell you. Hillars--Well, I +suppose it's none of my business. He must have had an exciting time of +it," concluded the young man. + +"I'll leave you in charge for a week or so," said I. "What little news +there is at the Houses you can cover. I'll take care of anything of +importance that occurs abroad. I might as well pack up and get out +to-night. A boat leaves Dover early in the morning." + +Then I picked up the third and last letter. It was from Phyllis. It +contained the enjoyable news that the Wentworths were coming abroad, +and that they would remain indefinitely at B----, where Mr. Wentworth +had been appointed charge d'affaires under the American Minister. They +were to visit the Mediterranean before coming to London. They would be +in town in October. The mere thought of seeing Phyllis made my heart +throb. + +The next morning I put out from Dover. It was a rough passage for that +time of the year, and I came near being sea-sick. A day or so in Paris +brought me around, and I proceeded. As I passed the frontier I noticed +that my passports were eagerly scanned, and that I was closely +scrutinized for some reason or other. + +A smartly dressed officer occupied half of the carriage compartment +with me. I tried to draw him into conversation, but he proved to be +untalkative; so I busied myself with the latest issue of the Paris +_L'Illustration_. I never glanced in the direction of the officer but +what I found him staring intently at me. This irritated me. The +incident was repeated so many times that I said: + +"I trust Herr will remember me in the days to come." + +"Eh?" somewhat startled, I thought. + +"I observed that you will possibly remember me in the days to come. +Or, perhaps I resemble some one you know." + +"Not in the least," was the haughty retort. + +I shrugged and relit my pipe. The tobacco I had purchased in Paris, +and it was of the customary vileness. Perhaps I could smoke out Mein +Herr. But the task resulted in a boomerang. He drew out a huge china +pipe and began smoking tobacco which was even viler than mine, if that +could be possible. Soon I let down the window. + +"Does the smoke disturb Herr?" he asked, puffing forth great clouds of +smoke. There was a shade of raillery in his tones. + +"It would not," I answered, "if it came from tobacco." + +He subsided. + +Whenever there was a stop of any length I stepped out and walked the +platform. The officer invariably followed my example. I pondered over +this each time I re-entered the carriage. At last my irritation turned +into wrath. + +"Are you aware that your actions are very annoying?" + +"How, sir?" proudly. + +"You stare me out of countenance, you refrain from entering into +conversation, and by the way you follow me in and out of the carriage, +one would say that you were watching me. All this is not common +politeness." + +"Herr jests," he replied with a forced smile. "If I desire not to +converse, that is my business. As for getting in and out of the +carriage, have I no rights as a passenger?" + +It was I who subsided. A minute passed. + +"But why do you stare at me?" I asked. + +"I do not stare at you, I have no paper and tried to read yours at a +distance. I am willing to apologize for that." + +"Oh, that is different," I said. I tossed the paper to him. "You are +welcome to the paper." + +I covertly watched him as he tried to read the French. By and by he +passed the paper back. + +"I am not a very good French scholar, and the French are tiresome." + +"They would not have been if they had had a General who thought more of +fighting than of wearing pretty clothes." + +"Oh, it would not have mattered," confidently. + +"Prussia was once humbled by a Frenchman." I was irritating him with a +purpose in view. + +"Bah!" + +"The only reason the French were beaten was because they did not think +the German race worth troubling about." + +He laughed pleasantly. "You Americans have a strange idea of the +difference between the German and the Frenchman." + +This was just what I wanted. + +"And who informed you that I was an American?" + +He was disconcerted. + +"Why," he said, lamely, "it is easily apparent, the difference between +the American and the Englishman." Then, as though a bright idea had +come to him, "The English never engage in conversation with strangers +while traveling. Americans are more sociable." + +"They are? Then I advise them to follow the example set by the +Englishman: Never try to get up a conversation while traveling with a +German. It is a disagreeable task;" and I settled back behind my paper. + +How had he found out that I was an American? Was I known? And for +what reason was I known? To my knowledge I had never committed any +offence to the extent that I must be watched like a suspect. What his +object was and how he came to know that I was an American was a mystery +to me. I was glad that the journey would last but an hour or so +longer. The train arrived at the capital late at night. As I went to +inquire about my luggage I saw my late fellow passenger joined by +another officer. The two began talking earnestly, giving me occasional +side-long glances. The mystery was deepening. In passing them I +caught words which sounded like "under another name" and "positive it +is he." This was anything but reassuring to me. At length they +disappeared, only to meet me outside the station. It got into my head +that I was a marked man. A feeling of discomfort took possession of +me. Germans are troublesome when they get an idea. I was glad to get +into the carriage which was to take me to my hotel. The driver seemed +to have some difficulty in starting the horse, but I gave this no +attention. When the vehicle did start it was with a rapidity which +alarmed me. Corner after corner was turned, and the lights went by in +flashes. It was taking a long time to reach my hotel, I thought. +Suddenly it dawned upon me that the direction we were going was +contrary to my instructions. I tried to open the window, but it +refused to move. Then I hammered on the pane, but the driver was deaf, +or purposely so. + +"Hi there!" I thoughtlessly yelled in English, "where the devil are you +going?" + +No one paid any attention to my cries. It was becoming a serious +matter. The lights grew fewer and fewer, and presently there were no +lights at all. We were, I judged, somewhere in the suburbs. I became +desperate and smashed a window. The carriage stopped so abruptly that +I went sprawling to the bottom. I was in anything but a peaceful frame +of mind, as they say, when the door swung open and I beheld, standing +at the side of it, the officer who had accompanied me from the frontier. + +"What tomfoolery is this?" I demanded. I was thoroughly incensed. + +"It means that Herr will act peacefully or be in danger of a broken +head," was the mind-easing reply of my quondam fellow passenger. The +driver then came down from the box, and I saw that he was the officer +who had joined us at the station. + +"If it is a frolic," I said, "one of your beer hall frolics, the sooner +it is ended the better for you." + +The two laughed as if what I had said was one of the funniest things +imaginable. + +"Get out!" + +"With pleasure!" said I. + +Directly one of them lay with his back to the ground and the other was +locked in my embrace. I had not spent four years on the college campus +for intellectual benefits only. And indignation lent me additional +strength. My opponent was a powerful man, but I held him in a grip of +rage. Truthfully, I began to enjoy the situation. There is something +exhilarating in the fighting blood which rises in us now and then. +This exhilaration, however, brought about my fall. In the struggle I +forgot the other, who meantime had recovered his star-gemmed senses. A +crack from the butt of his pistol rendered me remarkably quiet and +docile. In fact, all became a vacancy till the next morning, and then +I was conscious of a terrible headache, and of a room with a window +through which a cat might have climbed without endangering its spine--a +very dexterous cat. + +"Well," I mused, softly nursing the lump on my head, "here's the devil +to pay, and not a cent to pay him with." + +It was evident that, without knowing it, I had become a very important +personage. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +I saw some rye bread, cold meat and a pitcher of water on the table, +and I made a sandwich and washed it down with a few swallows of the +cool liquid. I had a fever and the water chilled it. There was a lump +on the back of my head as large as an egg. With what water remained I +dampened my handkerchief and wound it around the injury. Then I made a +systematic search through my clothes. Not a single article of my +belongings was missing. I was rather sorry, for it lent a deeper +significance to my incarceration. After this, I proceeded to take an +inventory of my surroundings. Below and beyond the little window I saw +a wide expanse of beautiful gardens, fine oaks and firs, velvet lawns +and white pebbled roads. Marble fountains made them merry in the +roseate hue of early morning. A gardener was busy among some hedges, +but beyond the sound of my voice. I was a prisoner in no common jail, +then, but in the garret of a private residence. Having satisfied +myself that there was no possible escape, I returned to my pallet and +lay down. Why I was here a prisoner I knew not. I thought over all I +had written the past twelvemonth, but nothing recurred to me which +would make me liable to arrest. But, then, I had not been arrested. I +had been kidnapped, nothing less. Nothing had been asked of me; I had +made no statement. It had been all too sudden. Presently I heard +footsteps in the corridor, and the door opened. It was mine enemy. He +locked the door and thrust the key into his pocket. One of his eyes +was decidedly mouse-colored. The knuckles of my hand were yet sore. I +smiled; he saw the smile, his jaws hardening and his eyes threatening. + +"I am sorry," I said. "I should have hit you on the point of your +chin; but I was in a great hurry. Did you ever try raw meat as a +poultice?" + +"Enough of this," he snapped, laying a pistol on the table. I was +considered dangerous; it was something to know that. "You must answer +my questions." + +"Must?" + +"Must." + +"Young man you have no tact. You are not an accomplished villain," +said I, pleasantly. "You should begin by asking me how I spent the +night, and if there was not something you could do for my material +comfort. Perhaps, however, you will first answer a few questions of +mine?" + +"There are only two men whose questions I answer," he said. + +"And who might they be?" + +"My commander and the King. I will answer one question--the reason you +are here. You are a menace to the tranquility of the State." + +"Oh; then I have the honor of being what is called a prisoner of State? +Be careful," I cried, suddenly; "that pistol might go off, and then the +American Minister might ask you in turn some questions, disagreeable +ones, too." + +"The American Minister would never know anything about it," said he, +gruffly. "But have no fear; I should hesitate to soil an innocent +leaden bullet in your carcass." + +"Be gentle," I advised, "or when we meet again I shall feel it my duty +to dull the lustre of your other eye." + +"Pah!" he ejaculated. "We are indebted to the French for the word +canaille, which applies to all Americans and Englishmen." + +"Now," said I, climbing off the pallet, "I shall certainly do it." + +"I warn you not to approach me," he cried, his fingers closing over the +pistol. + +"Well, I promise not to do it now," I declared, going over to the +window. I found some satisfaction in his nervousness; it told me that +he feared me. "What place is this; a palace?" + +"Answer this question, sir: Why did you cross the frontier when you +were expressly forbidden to do so?" + +"I forbidden to cross the frontier?" My astonishment was +indescribable. "Young man, you have made a blunder of some sort. I am +not a Socialist or an Anarchist. I have never been forbidden to cross +the frontier of any country. Your Chancellor is one of the best +friends I have in the world. I went to school with his son." + +He rocked to and fro on the table, laughing honestly and heartily. +"You do not lack impudence. Are you, or are you not, the London +correspondent of the New York ------?" + +"I certainly am." + +"You admit it?" eagerly. + +"I see no earthly reason why I should not." + +"When did you last visit this city?" + +"Several years ago." + +"Several years ago?" incredulously. + +"Exactly. Have you ever seen me before?" + +"No. But it was a little less than two years ago when you were here." + +"It is scarcely polite," said I, "to question the veracity of a man you +never saw before and of whom you know positively nothing." Suddenly my +head began to throb again and I grew dizzy. "You hit me rather soundly +with that pistol. Still, your eye ought to be a recompense." + +He replied with a scowl. + +"Perhaps your name is ------" + +"Winthrop, John Winthrop, if that will throw any light on the subject."' + +"One name is as good as another," with a smile of unbelief. + +"That is true. What's in a name? There is little difference, after +all, between the names of the nobility and the rabble." + +"You are determined to irritate me beyond measure," said he. A German +is the most sensitive man in the world as regards his title. + +"Grant that I have some cause. And perhaps," observing him from the +corner of my eye, "it is because you smoke such vile tobacco." + +Remembering the incident in the railway carriage, he smiled in spite of +the gravity of the situation. + +"It was the best I had," he said; "and then, it was done in +self-defence. I'll give you credit for being a fearless individual. +But you haven't answered my question." + +"What question?" + +"Why you returned to this country when you were expressly forbidden to +do so." + +"I answered that," said I. "And now let me tell you that you may go on +asking questions till the crack of doom, but no answer will I give you +till you have told me why I am here, I, who do not know you or what +your business is, or what I am supposed to have done." + +He began to look doubtful. He thumped the table with the butt of the +pistol. + +"Do you persist in affirming that your name is Winthrop?" + +"These gardens are very fine. I could see them better," said I, "if +the window was larger." + +"Perhaps," he cried impatiently, "you do not know where she is?" + +"She?" I looked him over carefully. There was a perfectly sane light +in his eyes. "Am I crazy, or is it you? She? I know nothing about +any she!" + +"Do you dare deny that you know of the whereabouts of her Serene +Highness the Princess Hildegarde, and that you did not come here with +the purpose to aid her to escape the will of his Majesty? And do you +mean--Oh, here, read this!" flinging me a cablegram. + +The veil of mystery fell away from my eyes. I had been mistaken for +Hillars. Truly, things were growing interesting. I bent and picked up +the cablegram and read: + + +"COUNT VON WALDEN: He has left London and is on his way to the capital. +Your idea to allow him to cross the frontier is a good one. +Undoubtedly he knows where the Princess is in hiding. In trapping him +you will ultimately trap her. Keep me informed." + + +The name signed was that of a well-known military attache at the +Embassy in London. I tossed back the cablegram. + +"Well?" triumphantly. + +"No, it is not well; it is all very bad, and particularly for you. +Your London informant is decidedly off the track. The man you are +looking for is in Vienna." + +"I do not believe you! It is a trick." + +"Yes, it is a trick, and I am taking it, and you have lost a point, to +say nothing of the time and labor and a black eye. If you had asked +all these questions yesterday I should have told you that Mr. +Hillars----" + +"Yes, that's the name!" he interrupted. + +"I should have told you that he is no longer the London representative +of my paper. It is true that the description of Hillars and myself +tallies somewhat, only my hair is dark, while his is light, what there +is left of it, and he is a handsomer man than I. All this I should +have told you with pleasure, and you would have been saved no end of +trouble. I presume that there is nothing left for you to do but to +carry me back to the city. To quell any further doubt, here are my +passports, and if these are not satisfactory, why take me before Prince +O----, your Chancellor." + +He was irresolute, and half inclined to believe me. + +"I do not know what to do. You know, then, the gentleman I am seeking?" + +"Yes." + +"Would he enter this country under an assumed name?" + +"No. He is a man who loves excitement. Whatever he does is done +openly. Had it been he instead of me, he would have thrown you out of +the carriage at the first sign on your part that you were watching him. +He is a very strong man." + +"If he is stronger than you, I am half glad that I got the wrong man. +You strike a pretty hard blow. But, whether you are the man I want, or +not, you will have to remain till this afternoon, when the Count will +put in appearance. I daresay it is possible that I have made a +mistake. But I could not do otherwise in face of my instructions." + +"The Princess seems to me more trouble than she is worth." + +"It is possible that you have never seen her Highness," he said, +hinting a smile. "She is worth all the trouble in the world." + +"If a man loved her," I suggested. + +"And what man does not who has seen her and talked to her?" he replied, +pacing. + +"The interest, then, you take in her discovery is not all due to that +imposed upon you by Count von Walden?" I could not resist this thrust. + +"The subject is one that does not admit discussion," squaring his +shoulders. + +"Suppose we talk of something that does not concern her? All this is a +blunder for which you are partly to blame. I have a bad lump on my +head and you have a black eye. But as you did what you believed to be +your duty, and as I did what every man does when self-preservation +becomes his first thought, let us cry quits. Come, what do you say to +a game of cards? Let us play ecarte, or I will teach you the noble +game of poker. To tell you the truth, I am becoming dreadfully bored." + +"Believe me, I bear you no ill will," he said, "and I am inclined to +your side of the story. Whoever you are, you have the bearing of a +gentleman; and, now that we have come to an understanding, I shall +treat you as such. I have a pack of cards downstairs. I'll go and get +them. This is not my house, or I should have placed you in better +quarters. I shall leave the door unlocked," a question in his eyes. + +"Rest assured that I shall return to the city as I came--in a carriage. +And to be honest, I am anxious to see the Count von Walden, who poses +as the Princess's watchdog." + +And when he came back and found me still sitting on the pallet, his +face cleared. + +We played for small sums, and the morning passed away rather pleasantly +than otherwise. The young officer explained to me that he held an +important position at court, and that he was entitled to prefix Baron +to his name. + +"The King is getting out of all patience with her Highness," he said. +"This makes the second time the marriage has been postponed. Such +occurrences are extremely annoying to his Majesty, who does not relish +having his commands so flagrantly disregarded. I shouldn't be +surprised if he forced her into the marriage." + +"When he knows how distasteful this marriage is to her, why does he not +let the matter go?" + +"It is too late now. Royalty, having given its word, never retracts +it. Events which the King wills must come to pass, or he loses a part +of his royal dignity. And then, a King cannot very well be subservient +to the will of a subject." + +"But has she no rights as a petty sovereign?" I asked. + +"Only those which the King is kind enough to give her. She is but a +tenant: the rulers of Hohenphalia are but guests of his Majesty. It is +to be regretted, but it cannot be helped." + +That afternoon, as I lay on my pallet, it seemed to me that in some +unaccountable way I was destined to become concerned in the affairs of +her Serene Highness. I had never seen the woman, not even a picture of +her. Certainly, she must be worth loving, inasmuch as she was worth +trouble. I have always found it to be the troublesome woman who has +the largest train of lovers. Troublesome, they are interesting; +interesting, they are lovable. + +It was more than a year since last I saw Phyllis; yet my love for her +knew no diminution. I began to understand why Hillars traveled all +over the Continent to get a glimpse of the woman he loved. With the +pleasant thought that I should see Phyllis again, I dozed. I was half +asleep when I was aroused by loud voices in the corridor. + +"But I do not believe him to be the man," I heard my jailer declare. + +"Bah! I know there is no mistake," roared a voice which was accustomed +to command. "He's been trying to hoodwink you. Watch the surprise in +his face when he sees me, the cursed meddler and scribbler. It would +be a pleasure to witness his hanging. Come, show him to me." + +"Yes; come along, my dear old warhorse," I murmured, turning my face +toward the wall. "There is a nice little surprise party in here +waiting for you." + +The door opened. + +"Unlocked!" bawled the Count. "What does this mean, Baron?" + +"He gave his word as a gentleman," was the quiet reply. + +"Gentleman? Ach! I'll take a look at the gentleman," said the Count, +stepping up to the pallet and shaking me roughly by the shoulder. +"Wake up!" + +I sat up so as not to miss the comedy which was about to set its scenes +upon the grim visage of the Count. As his eyes met mine his jaw fell. + +"A thousand devils! Who are you?" + +"I couldn't swear," said I, meekly. "Everybody hereabouts insists that +I am some one else. The situation warrants a complete explanation. +Perhaps you can give it?" I should have laughed but for those flashing +eyes. + +"You are a blockhead," he said to his subaltern. + +"He is the man, according to your London correspondent," responded the +other with some show of temper. "I cannot see that the fault lies at +my door. You told me that he would enter the country under an assumed +name." + +"I presume the affair is ended so far as I am concerned," I said, +shaking the lameness from my legs. + +"Of course, of course!" replied the Count, pulling at his gray +mustaches, which flared out on either side like the whiskers of a cat. + +"I should like to return to the city at once," I added. + +"Certainly. I regret that you have been the victim of a blunder for +which some one shall suffer. Your compatriot has caused me a deal of +trouble." + +"I assure you that he is in no wise connected with the present matter. +According to his latest advices he is at Vienna." + +"I should be most happy to believe that," was the Count's rejoinder, +which inferred that he didn't believe it. + +"My friend seems to be a dangerous person?" + +"All men of brains, coupled with impudence, are dangerous; and I give +your friend credit for being as brave as he is impudent. But come, my +carriage is at your service. You are a journalist, but you will +promise not to make public this unfortunate mistake." + +I acquiesced. + +When the Count and I parted company I had not the vaguest idea that we +should ever hold conversation again. + +The result of the adventure was, I sent a very interesting story to New +York, omitting my part in it. This done, I wired my assistant in +London not to expect me for some time yet. + +The truth was, I determined to hunt for Hillars, and incidentally for +her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +As I came along the road, the dust of which had been laid that +afternoon by an odorous summer rain, the principal thing which struck +my eyes was the quaintness and unquestioned age of the old inn. It was +a relic of the days when feudal lords still warred with one another, +and the united kingdom was undreamt of. It looked to be 300 years old, +and might have been more. From time to time it had undergone various +repairs, as shown by the new stone and signs of modern masonry, the +slate peeping out among the moss-covered tiles. It sat back from the +highway, and was surrounded by thick rows of untrimmed hedges, and was +partly concealed from view by oaks and chestnuts. The gardens were +full of roses all in bloom, and their perfumes hung heavy on the moist +air. And within a stone's throw of the rear the Danube noiselessly +slid along its green banks. All I knew about the inn was that it had +been by a whim of nature the birthplace of that beautiful, erratic and +irresponsible young person, her Serene Highness the Princess +Hildegarde. It was here I thought to find Hillars; though it was idle +curiosity as much as anything which led me to the place. + +The village was five miles below. I could see the turrets of the +castle which belonged to the Princess. She was very wealthy, and owned +as many as three strongholds in the petty principality of Hohenphalia. +Capricious indeed must have been the woman who was ready to relinquish +them for freedom. + +The innkeeper was a pleasant, ruddy-cheeked old man, who had seen +service. He greeted me with some surprise; tourists, he said, seldom +made this forgotten, out-of-the-way village an objective point. I +received a room which commanded a fine view of the river and a stretch +of the broad highway. I was the only guest. This very loneliness +pleased me. My travel-stained suit I exchanged for knickerbockers and +a belted jacket. I went down to supper; it was a simple affair, and I +was made to feel at home. From the dining-room I caught a momentary +flash of white skirts in the barroom. + +"Ah," I thought; "a barmaid. If she is pretty it will be a diversion." + +In the course of my wanderings I had seen few barmaids worth looking at +twice. + +When the table was cleared I lit a cigar and strolled into the gardens. +The evening air was delicious with the smell of flowers, still wet with +rain. The spirit of the breeze softly whispered among the branches +above me. Far up in the darkening blues a hawk circled. The west was +a thread of yellow flame; the moon rose over the hills in the east; +Diana on the heels of Apollo! And the river! It was as though Nature +had suddenly become lavish in her bounty and had sent a stream of +melting silver trailing over all the land. There is nothing more +beautiful to see than placid water as it reflects a summer's twilight. +The blue Danube! Who has heard that magic name without the remembrance +of a face close to your own, an arm, bare, white, dazzling, resting and +gleaming like marble on your broadcloth sleeve, and above all, the +dreamy, swinging strains of Strauss? There was a face once which had +rested near mine. Heigho! I lingered with my cigar and watched the +night reveal itself. I lay at the foot of a tree, close to the water's +edge, and surrendered to the dream-god. Some of my dreams knew the +bitterness of regret. "Men have died and worms have eaten them, but +not for love." Yet, no man who has loved and lost can go through his +allotted time without the consciousness that he has missed something, +something which leaves each triumph empty and incomplete. + +And then, right in the midst of my dreams, a small foot planted itself. +I turned my head and saw a woman. On seeing the bright end of my +cigar, she stopped. She stood so that the light of the moon fell full +upon her face. + +My cigar trembled and fell. + +"Phyllis!" I cried, springing to my feet, almost dumbfounded, my heart +nigh suffocating me in its desire to leap forth. "Phyllis!--and here? +What does this mean?" + +The woman looked at me with a puzzled frown, but did not answer. Then, +as I started toward her with outstretched arms, she turned and fled +into the shadows, leaving with me nothing but the echo of her laughter, +the softest, sweetest laughter! I made no effort to follow her, +because I was not quite sure that I had seen anything. + +"Moonlight!" I laughed discordantly. + +Phyllis in this deserted place? I saw how impossible that was. I had +been dreaming. The spirit of some wood-nymph had visited me, and for a +brief space had borrowed the features of the woman I loved. In vain I +searched the grove. The vision was nowhere to be found. I went back +to the inn somewhat shaken up. + +Several old veterans were seated in the barroom, smoking bad tobacco +and drinking a final bout. Their jargon was unintelligible to me. + +"Where's your barmaid?" I asked of the inn-keeper. + +His faded blue eyes scanned me sharply. I read a question in them and +wondered. + +"She went into the garden to get a breath of fresh air," he said. "She +does not like the smoke." + +It annoyed me. I had seen some one, then. What would Phyllis, proud +Phyllis, say, I mused, when she heard that a barmaid was her prototype? +This thought had scarcely left me when the door in the rear of the bar +opened and in came the barmaid herself. No, it was not Phyllis, but +the resemblance was so startling that I caught my breath and stared at +her with a persistency which bordered on rudeness. The barmaid was +blonde, whereas Phyllis was neither blonde nor brunette, but stood +between the extremes, and there was a difference in the eyes: I could +see that even in the insufficient light. + +"Good evening, fraulein," said I, with apparent composure. "And what +might your name be?" + +"It is Gretchen, if it please you," with a courtesy. I had a vague +idea that this courtesy was made mockingly. + +"Gretchen? I have heard the name before," said I, "and you remind me +of some one I have seen." + +"Herr has been to the great city?" + +B---- is the greatest city in the world to the provincial. + +"Yes," said I; "but you remind me of no one I ever saw there." + +She plucked a leaf from the rose she wore and began nibbling at it. +Her mouth was smaller than the one belonging to Phyllis. + +"The person to whom I refer," I went on, "lives in America, where your +compatriots brew fine beer and wax rich." + +"Ah, Herr is an American? I like Americans," archly. "They are so +liberal." + +I laughed, but I did not tell her why. All foreigners have a great +love of Americans--"They are so liberal." + +"So you find Americans liberal? Is it with money or with compliments?" + +Said Gretchen: "The one when they haven't the other." + +A very bright barmaid, thought I. + +Then I said: "Is this your home?" + +"Yes," said Gretchen. "I was born here and I have tended the roses for +ever so long." + +"I have heard of Gretchen of the steins, but I never before heard of a +Gretchen of the roses." + +"Herr must have a large store of compliments on hand to begin this +early." + +"It is a part of my capital," said I. "Once in Switzerland I +complimented an innkeeper, and when my bill was presented I found that +all extras had been crossed off." + +Gretchen laughed. It was a low laugh, a laugh which appeared to me as +having been aroused not at what I had said, but at something which had +recurred to her. I wanted to hear it again. + +So I said: "I suppose you have a stein here from which the King has +drunk; all taverns and inns have them." + +Gretchen only smiled, but the smile was worth something. + +"No; the King has never been within five miles of this inn." + +"So much the worse for the King." + +"And why that?" + +"The King has missed seeing Gretchen." + +It was then Gretchen laughed. + +"I have never heard compliments like Herr's before." + +"Why, I have any amount of them. I'll drink half a litre to your +health." + +She filled one of the old blue earthen steins. + +"I haven't seen your roses in the gardens, but I'll drink to those in +your cheeks," said I, and I drew back the pewter lid. + +"How long does Herr intend to stay?" asked Gretchen. + +"To the day is the evil thereof." + +"Ah, one must be happy with nothing to do." + +"Then you have the ambition common to all; to sit around and let others +wait upon you?" + +"No, that is not my ambition. I wish only to wait upon my own desires +and not those of the--the others." + +"It is all the same," said I. "Some must serve, others must be served." + +When I went upstairs to my room it was my belief that a week or so at +the inn would not hang heavy on my hands. I had forgotten for the +moment the Princess, or that I was hunting for Hillars. It is strange +how a face may upset one's plans. Gretchen's likeness to Phyllis, whom +I loved, upset mine for many days to come. + +As I gazed from my window the next morning I beheld the old innkeeper +and Gretchen engaged in earnest conversation. He appeared to be +pleading, nay, entreating, while she merely shook her head and laughed. +Finally the old man lifted his hands to heaven and disappeared around +the wing. When I came down Gretchen was in the gardens culling roses. +She said they were for the table. + +"Very well," said I; "give me one now." + +"You may have them all at the table." + +"But I shall not want them then." + +She gave me an enigmatical glance, then cut a rose for me which was +withered and worm-eaten. + +"Gretchen is unkind," I observed. + +"What matters it whether the rose be fresh or withered? It dies sooner +or later. Nothing lasts, not even the world itself. You wish a rose, +not because it is a rose, fresh and fragrant, but because I give it to +you." + +"You wrong me, Gretchen; I love a rose better than I love a woman. It +never smiles falsely, the rose, nor plays with the hearts of men. I +love a rose because it is sweet, and because it was made for man's +pleasure and not for his pain." + +"That sounds like a copy-book," laughed Gretchen. "The withered rose +should teach you a lesson." + +"What lesson?" + +"That whatever a woman gives to man withers in the exchange; a rose, a +woman's love." + +Said I reproachfully: "You are spoiling a very pretty picture. What do +you know about philosophy?" + +"What does Herr know about roses?" defiantly. + +"Much; one cannot pick too many fresh ones. And let me tell you a +lesson which you should have learned among these roses. Nature teaches +us to love all things fresh and beautiful; a rose, a face, a woman's +love." + +"Here," holding forth a great red rose. + +"No," said I, "I'll keep this one." + +She said nothing, but went on snipping a red rose here, a white one +there. She wore gloves several sizes too large for her, so I judged +that her hands were small and tender, perhaps white. And there was a +grace in her movements, dispite the ungainly dress and shoes, which +suggested a more intimate knowledge of velvets and silks than of +calico. In my mind's eye I placed her at the side of Phyllis. Phyllis +reminded me of a Venus whom Nature had whimsically left unfinished. +Then she had turned from Venus to Diana, and Gretchen became evolved: a +Diana, slim and willowy. A sculptor would have said that Phyllis might +have been a goddess, and Gretchen a wood nymph, had not Nature suddenly +changed her plans. What I admired in Phyllis was her imperfect +beauties. What I admired in Gretchen was her beautiful perfections. +And they were so alike and yet so different. Have you ever seen a body +of fresh water, ruffled by a sudden gust of wind, the cool blue-green +tint which follows? Then you have seen the color of Gretchen's eyes. +Have you ever seen ripe wheat in a sun-shower? Then you have seen the +color of Gretchen's hair. All in all, I was forced to admit that, from +an impartial and artistic view Gretchen the barmaid was far more +beautiful than Phyllis. From the standpoint of a lover it was +altogether a different matter. + +"Gretchen," said I, "you are very good-looking." + +"It would not be difficult to tell Herr's nationality." + +"Which means----?" + +"That the American says in one sentence what it would take a German or +a Frenchman several hundred sentences to say." + +Gretchen was growing more interesting every minute. + +"Then your mirror and I are not the only ones who have told you that +you are as beautiful as Hebe herself?" + +"I am not Hebe," coldly. "I am a poor barmaid, and I never spill any +wine." + +"So you understand mythology?" I cried in wonder. + +"Does Herr think that all barmaids are as ignorant as fiction and +ill-meaning novelists depict them? I have had a fair education." + +"If I ever was guilty of thinking so," said I, answering her question, +"I promise never to think so again." + +"And now will Herr go to his breakfast and let me attend to my duties?" + +"Not without regret," I said gallantly. I bowed to her as they bowed +in the days of the beaux, while she looked on suspiciously. + +At the breakfast table I proceeded to bombard the innkeeper. I wanted +to know more about Gretchen. + +"Is Gretchen your daughter?" I began. + +"No, I am only her godfather," he said. "Does Herr wish another egg?" + +"Thanks. She is very well educated for a barmaid." + +"Yes. Does Herr wish Rhine wine?" + +"Coffee is plenty. Has Gretchen seen many Americans?" + +"Few. Perhaps Herr would like a knoblauch with salt and vinegar?" + +It occurred to me that Gretchen was not to be discussed. So I made for +another channel. + +"I have heard," said I, "that once upon a time a princess was born in +this inn?" + +The old fellow elevated both eyebrows and shoulders--a deprecating +movement. + +"They say that of every inn; it has become a trade." + +If I had known the old man I might have said that he was sarcastic. + +"Then there is no truth in it?" disappointedly. + +"Oh, I do not say there is no truth in the statement; if Herr will +pardon me, it is something I do not like to talk about." + +"Ah, then there is a mystery?" I cried, with lively interest, pushing +back my chair. + +But the innkeeper shook his head determinedly. + +"Very well," I laughed; "I shall ask Gretchen." + +He smiled. The smile said: "Much good it will do you." + +Gretchen was in the barroom arranging some roses over the fireplace. +Her hands were bare; they were small and white, and surprisingly well +kept. + +"Gretchen," said I, "I want you to tell me the legend of the inn." + +"The legend?" + +"Yes; about the Princess who was born here." + +Gretchen laughed a merry laugh. The laugh said: "You are an amusing +person!" + +"Ah, the American is always after legends when he has tired of +collecting antiquities. Was there a Princess born here? Perhaps. At +any rate it is not a legend; history nor peasantry make mention of it. +Will Herr be so kind as to carry the ladder to the mantel so I may wind +the clock?" + +I do so. Even at this early stage I could see that Gretchen had the +faculty of making persons forget what they were seeking, and by the +mere sound of her voice. And it was I who wound the clock. + +"Gretchen," said I, "time lags. Make a servant out of me this morning." + +"Herr does the barmaid too much honor," with lowered eyes. + +"I, am in the habit of doing anything I please." + +"Ah, Herr is one of those millionaires I have read about!" + +"Yes, I am very rich." I laughed, but Gretchen did not see the point. + +"Come, then, with me, and you shall weed the knoblauch patch." + +She was laughing at me, but I was not to be abashed. + +"To the patch be it, then!" I cried. "An onion would smell as sweet +under any other name." + +So Gretchen and I went into the onion patch, and I weeded and hoed and +hoed and weeded till my back ached and my hands were the color of the +soil. Nothing was done satisfactorily to Gretchen. It was, "There, +you have ruined the row back of you!" or "Pull the weeds more gently!" +and sometimes, "Ach! could your friends see you now!" I suppose that I +did not make a pretty picture. The perspiration would run down my +face. I would forget the condition of my hands and push back my hair, +which fell like a mop over my brow, whereat she would laugh. Once I +took her hand and helped her to jump over a row. I was surprised at +the strength of her grasp. + +"What does Herr do for a living, he works so badly as a gardener?" + +"I am a journalist," I answered, leaning on my hoe and breathing +heavily. + +"Ach! one of those men who tell such dreadful stories about kings and +princes? Who cause men to go to war with each other? Who rouse the +ignorant to deeds of violence? One of those men who are more powerful +than a king, because they can undo him?" She drew away from me. + +"Hold on!" I cried, dropping the hoe; "what do you know about it?" + +"Enough," sadly. "I read the papers. I always look with fear upon one +of those men who can do so much good, and yet who would do so much +evil." + +I had never looked at it in that light before. + +"It seems to me, Gretchen," I said quietly, "that you are about as much +a barmaid as I am a weeder of knoblauches." + +The color of excitement fled from Gretchen's cheeks, her eyes grew +troubled and she looked away. + +"Gretchen has a secret," said I. "It is nothing to me what Gretchen's +secret is; I shall respect it, and continue to think of her only as a +barmaid with--with a superior education." I shouldered the hoe. +"Come, let us go back; I'm thirsty." + +"Thank you, Herr," was the soft reply. Then Gretchen became as dumb, +and our return to the inn was made in silence. Once there, however, +she recovered. "I am sorry to have put you at such a disadvantage," +glancing at my clothes, which were covered with brown earth. + +"Let that be the least of your troubles!" I cried gayly. Then I hummed +in English: + + + So, ho! dear Gretchen, winsome lass, + I want no tricky wine, + But amber nectar bring to me, + Whose rich bouquet will cling to me, + Whose spirit voice will sing to me + From out the mug divine + So, here's your toll--a kiss--away, + You Hebe of the Rhine! + No goblet's gold means cheer to me, + Let no cut glass get near to me-- + Go, Gretchen, haste the beer to me, + And put it in the stein! + + +I thought I saw a smile on her lips, but it was gone before I was +certain. + +"Gott in Himmel!" gasped the astonished innkeeper, as I went into the +barroom. I still had the hoe over my shoulder. + +"Never mind, mein host. I've been weeding your knoblauch patch as a +method of killing time." + +"But--" He looked at Gretchen in dismay. + +"It was I who led him there," said Gretchen, in answer to his inquiring +eyes. + +A significant glance passed between them. There was a question in his, +a command in hers. I pretended to be examining the faded tints in the +stein I held in my hand. + +I was thinking: "Since when has an innkeeper waited on the wishes of +his barmaid?" + +There was a mystery after all. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +I took my pipe and strolled along the river bank. What had I stumbled +into? Here was an old inn, with rather a feudal air; but it was only +one in a thousand; a common feature throughout the Continent. And yet, +why had the gods, when they cast out Hebe, chosen this particular inn +for her mortal residence? The pipe solves many riddles, and then, +sometimes, it creates a density. I put my pipe into my pocket and +cogitated. Gretchen had brought about a new order of things. A +philosophical barmaid was certainly a novelty. That Gretchen was +philosophical I had learned in the rose gardens. That she was also +used to giving commands I had learned in the onion patch. Hitherto I +had held the onion in contempt; already I had begun to respect it. +Above all, Gretchen was a mystery, the most alluring kind of mystery--a +woman who was not what she seemed. How we men love mysteries, which +are given the outward semblance of a Diana or a Venus! By and by, my +journalistic instinct awoke. Who are those who fear the newspapers? +Certainly it is not the guiltless. Of what was Gretchen guilty? The +inn-keeper knew. Was she one of those many conspirators who abound in +the kingdom? She was beautiful enough for anything. And whence came +the remarkable likeness between her and Phyllis? Here was a mystery +indeed. I had a week before me; in that time I might learn something +about Gretchen, even if I could solve nothing. I admit that it is +true, that had Gretchen been plain, it would not have been worth the +trouble. But she had too heavenly a face, too wonderful an eye, too +delicious a mouth, not to note her with concern. + +I did not see Gretchen again that day; but as I was watching the moon +climb up, thinking of her and smoking a few pipes as an incense to her +shrine, I heard her voice beneath my window. It was accompanied by the +bass voice of the inn-keeper. + +"But he is a journalist. Is it safe? Is anything safe from them?" +came to my ears in a worried accent, a bass. + +So the inn-keeper, too, was a Socialist! + +Said an impatient contralto: "So long as I have no fear, why should +you?" + +"Ach, you will be found out and dragged back!" was the lamentation in a +throaty baritone. Anxiety raises a bass voice at least two pitches. +"If you would but return to the hills, where there is absolute safety!" + +"No; I will not go back there, where everything is so dull and dead. I +have lived too long not to read a face at a glance. His eyes are +honest." + +"Thanks, Gretchen," murmured I from above. I was playing the listener; +but, then, she was only a barmaid. + +"And it is so long," went on the contralto, "since I have seen a man--a +strong one, I wish to see if my power is gone." + +"Aha!" thought I; "so you have already laid plans for my capitulation, +Gretchen?" + +"But," said the bass voice once more, "supposing some of the military +should straggle along? There might be one who has seen you before. +Alas! I despair! You will not hide yourself; you will stay here till +they find you." + +I fell to wondering what in the world Gretchen had done. + +"I have not been to the village since I was a little girl. Dressed as +I am, who would recognize me? No one at the castle, for there is no +one there but the steward. Would you send me away?" + +"God forbid! But this American? You say you can read faces; how about +the other one?" + +Silence. + +"Yes; how about him?" + +Said Gretchen: "We are not infallible. And perhaps I was then much to +blame." + +"No; we are not infallible; that is the reason why you should take no +chance," was the final argument of the innkeeper. + +"Hush!" said Gretchen. + +"Confound the pipe!" I muttered. It had fallen over the window sill. + +Five minutes passed; I heard no sound. Glancing from the side of the +window I saw that Gretchen and the innkeeper were gone. + +Yes, there wasn't any doubt about it; Gretchen was a conspirator. The +police were hunting for her, and she was threatened with discovery. It +was beyond my imagination what she could have done. Moreover, she was +rather courting danger; the military post was only five miles down the +river. The one thing which bothered me was the "him" who had suddenly +intruded upon the scene, invisible, but there, like Banquo's ghost. +Perhaps her beauty had lured some fellow to follow her fortunes and his +over-zeal, or lack of it, had brought ruin to some plot. + +"Gretchen," said I, as I jumped into bed, "whoever he was, he must have +been a duffer." + +Her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde was in Jericho, and Hillars +along with her, where I had consigned them. + +Next morning Gretchen waited upon me at breakfast. She was quiet and +answered my questions in monosyllables. Presently she laid something +at the side of my plate. It was my pipe. I looked at her, but the +leads of my eyes could not plumb the depths in hers. + +"Thanks," said I. "It dropped from my window last night, while I was +playing the disgraceful part of eavesdropper." I dare say she had +expected anything but this candid confession. It was very cunning in +me. She knew that I knew she knew. Had I lied I should have committed +an irreparable blunder. + +As it was she lifted her chin and laughed. + +"Will you forgive me?" + +"Yes; for you certainly wasted your time." + +"Yes, indeed; for I am just as much in the dark as ever." + +"And will remain so." + +"I hope so. A mystery is charming while it lasts. Really, Gretchen, I +did not mean to play the listener, and I promise that from now on----" + +"From now on!" cried Gretchen. "Does not Herr leave to-day?" + +"No; I am going to spend a whole week here." + +There was a mixture of dismay and anger in her gaze. + +"But, as I was going to say, I shall make no effort to pry into your +affairs. Honestly, I am a gentleman." + +"I shall try to believe you," said she, the corners of her mouth +broadening into a smile. + +She condescended to show me through the rose gardens and tell me what +she knew about them. It was an interesting lecture. And in the +evening she permitted me to row her about the river. We were getting +on very well under the circumstances. + +The week was soon gone, and Gretchen and I became very good friends. +Often when she had nothing to do we would wander along the river +through the forests, always, I noticed, by a route which took us away +from the village. Each day I discovered some new accomplishment. +Sometimes I would read Heine or Goethe to her, and she would grow rapt +and silent. In the midst of some murmurous stanza I would suddenly +stop, only to see her start and look at me as though I had committed a +sacrilege, in that I had spoiled some dream of hers. Then again I +myself would become lost in dreams, to be aroused by a soft voice +saying: "Well, why do you not go on?" Two people of the opposite sexes +reading poetry in the woods is a solemn matter. This is not +appreciated at the time, however. It comes back afterward. + +In all the week I had learned nothing except that Gretchen was not what +she pretended to be. But I feared to ask questions. They might have +spoiled all. And the life was so new to me, so quiet and peaceful, +with the glamour of romance over it all, that I believe I could have +stayed on forever. And somehow Phyllis was fading away, slowly but +surely. The regret with which I had heretofore looked upon her +portrait was lessening each day; from active to passive. And yet, was +it because Gretchen was Phyllis in the ideal? Was I falling in love +with Gretchen because she was Gretchen, or was my love for Phyllis +simply renewing itself in Gretchen? Was that the reason why the +portrait of Phyllis grew less holding and interesting to me? It was a +complex situation; one I frowned over when alone. It was becoming +plainer to me every hour that I had a mystery all of my own to solve. +And Gretchen was the only one to solve it. + +I shall never forget that night under the chestnuts, on the bank of the +wide white river. The leaves were gossiping among themselves; they had +so much to talk about; and then, they knew so much! Had not they and +their ancestors filtered the same moonbeams, century on century? Had +not their ancestors heard the tramp of the armies, the clash of the +sabre, the roar of the artillery? Had not the hand of autumn and the +hand of death marked them with the crimson sign? Ah, the leaves! It +is well to press them in books when they themselves have such fine +stories to tell. + +"Gretchen," said I, echoing my thoughts, "had I been born a hundred +years ago I must have been a soldier. Napoleon was a great warrior." + +"So was Bluecher, since it was he who helped overcome the little +Corsican." + +The Germans will never forgive Napoleon. + +"But war is a terrible thing," went on Gretchen. + +"Yes, but it is a great educator; it teaches the vanquished how little +they know." + +"War is the offspring of pride; that is what makes it so abhorred." + +"It is also the offspring of oppression; that is what makes it so +great." + +"Yes; when the people take up arms it is well. War is the torch of +liberty in the hands of the people. Oh, I envy the people, who are so +strong, yet know it not. If I were a man I would teach the people that +a king has no divine right, save when it is conferred upon him by them." + +"Gretchen, I'm afraid that you're a bit of a Socialist." + +"And who is not who has any love for humanity?" + +"A beautiful woman who is a Socialist, Gretchen, is a menace to the +King. Sometimes he fears her. At large, she is dangerous. He seeks +her, and if he finds her, he takes away her liberty." All this was +said with a definite purpose. It was to let Gretchen know that I knew +her secret. "Gretchen, you are an embryo Socialist; a chrysalis, as it +were." + +"No, Herr," sadly; "I am a butterfly whose wings have been clipped." + +I had not expected this admission, + +"Never mind," said I. "Gretchen, I do not want you to call me Herr; +call me Jack." + +"Jack!" she said. It became an uncommon name now. + +"Whatever your true name may be, I shall never call you anything but +Gretchen." + +"Ah, Jack!" She laughed, and the lurking echoes clasped the music of +that laughter in their wanton arms and hurried it across the river. + +"Sing to me," said I. + +Then imagine my surprise--I, who had heard nothing but German fall from +her lips?--when in a heavenly contralto she sang a chanson from "La +Fille de Madame Angot," an opera forgotten these ten years! + + + "_Elle est tellement innocente!_" + + +She had risen, and she stood there before me with a halo of moonshine +above her head. The hot blood rushed to my ears. Barmaid, Socialist, +or whatever she might be, she was lovable. In a moment I was kissing +her hand, the hand so small, so white, and yet so firm. A thousand +inarticulate words came to my lips--from my heart! Did the hand +tremble? I thought so. But swiftly she drew it from my clasp, all the +joy and gladness gone from her face and eyes. + +"No, no!" she cried; "this must not be; it must not be!" + +"But I----" I began eagerly. + +"You must not say it; I command you. If you speak, Gretchen will be +Gretchen no more. Yes, the King seeks Gretchen; but will you drive her +away from her only haven?" with a choking sound. + +"Gretchen, trust me. Shall I go to-morrow? Shall I leave you in +peace?" Somehow I believed myself to be in danger. "Speak!" + +There was an interval of stillness, broken only by the beating of +hearts. Then: + +"Stay. But speak no word of love; it is not for such as I. Stay and +be my friend, for I need one. Cannot a woman look with favor upon a +man but he must needs become her lover? I shall trust you as I have +trusted other men. And though you fail me in the end, as others have +done, still I shall trust you. Herr, I conspire against the King. For +what? The possession of my heart. All my life I have stood alone, so +alone." + +"I will be your friend, Gretchen; I will speak no word of love. Will +that suffice?" + +"It is all I ask, dear friend. And now will you leave me?" + +"Leave you?" I cried. "I thought you bade me stay?" + +"Ah," putting out her hand; "you men do not understand. Sometimes a +woman wishes to be alone when--when she feels that she--she cannot hold +back her tears!" + +Gravely I bent over her hand and kissed it. It seemed to me as I let +the hand fall that I had never kissed a woman on the lips. I turned +and went slowly down the path. Once I looked back. I saw something +white lying at the foot of the tree. Heaven knows what a struggle it +was, but I went on. I wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that +I loved her. When I reached the inn I turned again, but I saw nothing. +I sat in my room a long time that night, smoking my pipe till the +candle gasped feebly and died in the stick, and the room was swallowed +in darkness. + +I did not know, I was not sure, but I thought that, so long as I might +not love Phyllis, it would not be a very hard task to love her image, +which was Gretchen. You see, Phyllis was so very far away and Gretchen +was so near! + + + + +CHAPTER X + +I lowered the glasses. I discerned them to be cavalrymen, petty +officers. They were mounted on spirited horses. + +"Gretchen," said I, "they are cavalrymen. They do not wear the +Hohenphalian uniform; so, perhaps, it would be just as well for you to +go to your room and remain there till they are gone. Ah," said I, +elevating the glasses again; "they wear his Majesty's colors. You had +best retire." + +"I refuse. They may be thirsty." + +"I'll see to that," I laughed. + +"But--" she began. + +"Oh, Gretchen wishes to see new faces," said I, with chagrin. + +"If it pleases you, sir," mischievously. + +"What if they are looking for--for--" + +"That is the very reason why I wish to see them." + +"You are determined?" + +"I am." + +"Very well," said I; "you had best eat an onion." + +"And for what purpose?" + +"As a preventive to offensive tactics," looking slyly at her. + +Her laugh rang out mockingly. + +"Do you not know that aside from dueling, the German lives only for his +barmaid, his beer and his knoblauch? Nevertheless, since you wish it I +will eat one--for your sake." + +"For my sake?" I cried in dismay. "Heaven forfend!" + +"Does Herr----" + +"Jack," said I. + +"Does Herr Jack think," her eyes narrowing till naught but a line of +their beautiful blue-green could be seen, "that one of those would dare +take a liberty with me?" + +"I hope he will not. I should have the unpleasant duty of punching his +head." If I could not kiss Gretchen nobody else should. + +"You are very strong." + +"Yes; and there are some things which add threefold to a man's +strength." + +"Such as ----" She looked at me daringly. + +"Yes, such as ----" Her eyes fell before my glance, A delicate veil of +rose covered her face for a moment. I wondered if she knew that it was +only because I clinched my fists till the nails cut, that I did not do +the very thing I feared the stragglers coming down the road might do. +"Come," said I, peremptorily; "there is no need of your welcoming them +here." + +So we entered the inn; and she began furbishing up the utensils, just +to tease me more than anything else. + +Outside there was a clatter of hoofs, the chink of the spur, +intermingled with a few oaths; and then the two representatives of the +King came in noisily. They gazed admiringly at Gretchen as she poured +out their beer. She saw the rage in my eyes. She was aggravating with +her promiscuous smiles. The elder officer noticed my bulldog pipe. + +"English?" he inquired, indifferently. The German cannot disassociate +an Englishman and a briarwood bulldog pipe. + +"English," I answered discourteously. It mattered nothing to me +whether he took me for an Englishman or a Zulu; either answered the +purpose. + +He wore an eyeglass, through which he surveyed me rather contemptuously. + +"What is your name, fraulein?" he asked turning to Gretchen. + +"Gretchen," sweetly. + +"And what is the toll for a kiss?" + +"Nothing," said Gretchen, looking at me. The lieutenant started for +her, but she waved him off. "Nothing, Herr Lieutenant, because they +are not for sale." + +I moved closer to the bar. + +"Out for a constitutional?" I asked, blowing the ash from the live coal +in my pipe. + +"We are on his Majesty's business," with an intonation which implied +that the same was none of mine. "Gretchen, we shall return to-night, +so you may lay two plates at a separate table," with an eye on me. He +couldn't have hated me any more than I hated him. "Then, there is no +way of getting a kiss?" + +"No," said Gretchen. + +"Then I'll blow you one;" and Gretchen made a pretty curtesey. + +I nearly bit the amber stem off my pipe. They were soon gone, and I +was glad of it. + +"Herr Jack is angry," said Gretchen. + +"Not at all," I growled. "What right have I to be angry?" + +"Does Herr Jack wish Gretchen always to be sad?" + +"Certainly not: but sometimes your joy is irritating. You are sad all +day, then some strangers come, and you are all smiles. Your smiles do +not come in my direction as often as I should like." + +"Well, then, look at me," said Gretchen. + +The smile would have dazzled an anchorite, let alone a man who didn't +know whether he loved her for certain, but who was willing to give odds +that he did! + +"Gretchen!" I cried, starting toward her. + +But with a low laugh she disappeared behind the door. Gretchen was a +woman. As a man must have his tobacco, so must a woman have her +coquetry. It was rather unfair of Gretchen, after what I had promised. +It was like getting one in a cage and then offering sweetmeats at a +safe distance. + +It now became a question of analysis. So I went to the river and sat +down in the grass. A gentle wind was stirring the leaves, and the +sunbeams, filtering through the boughs, fell upon the ground in golden +snowflakes. What was Gretchen to me that I should grow jealous of her +smiles? The night before I could have sworn that I loved her; now I +was not so sure. A week ago all the sunshine in the world had come +from Phyllis's face; a shadow had come between. Oh, I knew the +symptoms. They were not new to me. They had visited me some five +years back, and had clung to me with the tenacity of a creditor to a +man with expectations. When a man arrives at that point where he wants +the society of one woman all to himself, the matter assumes serious +proportions. And a man likes to fall in love with one woman and +continue to love her all his days; it is more romantic. It annoys him +to face the fact that he is about to fall in love with another. In my +case I felt that there was some extenuation. Gretchen looked like +Phyllis. When I saw Gretchen in the garden and then went to my room +and gazed upon the likeness of Phyllis, I was much like the bachelor +Heine tells about--I doddered. + +The red squirrel in the branches above me looked wisely. He was +wondering how long before the green burrs would parch and give him +their brown chestnuts. I was contemplating a metaphysical burr. I +wanted to remain true to Phyllis, though there wasn't any sense in my +doing so. Had Gretchen resembled any one but Phyllis I never should +have been in such a predicament. I should have gone away the day after +my arrival. Here I was going into my second week. My assistant in +London was probably worrying, having heard nothing from me during that +time. As matters stood it was evident that I could not be true either +to Phyllis or Gretchen, since I did not know positively which I loved. +I knew that I loved one. So much was gained. I wanted to throw up a +coin, heads for Phyllis, tails for Gretchen, but I couldn't bring +myself to gamble on the matter. I threw a stick at his squirrelship, +and he scurried into the hole in the crotch of the tree. A moment +later he peered at me, and, seeing that nothing was going to follow the +stick, crept out on the limb again, his tail bristling with indignation. + +"If it hadn't been for Gretchen," said I, "you would have been a potpie +long ago." + +He must have understood my impotence, for he winked at me jeeringly. + +A steamer came along then, puffing importantly, sending a wash almost +at my feet. I followed it with my eye till it became lost around the +bend. Over there was Austria and beyond, the Orient, a new world to me. + +"If I could see them together!" I mused aloud. + +The squirrel cocked his head to one side as if to ask: "Austria and +Turkey?" + +"No," said I, looking around for another stick; "Phyllis and Gretchen. +If I could see them together, you know, I could tell positively then +which I love. As it is, I'm in doubt. Do you understand?" + +The squirrel ran out to the end of the limb and sat down. It was an +act of deliberation. + +"Well, why don't you answer?" + +I was startled to my feet by the laughter which followed my question. +A few yards behind me stood Gretchen. + +"Can't you find a better confidant?" she asked, + +"Yes, but she will not be my confidant," said I. I wondered how much +she had heard of the one-sided dialogue. "Will you answer the question +I just put to that squirrel of yours?" + +"And what was the question?" with innocence not feigned. + +"Perhaps it was, Why should Gretchen not revoke the promise to which +she holds me?" + +"You should know, Herr," said Gretchen, gently. + +"But I do not. I only know that a man is human and that a beautiful +woman was made to be loved." Everything seemed solved now that +Gretchen stood at my side. + +But she turned as if to go. + +"Gretchen," I called, "do not go. Forgive me; if only you understood!'" + +"Perhaps I do understand," she replied with a gentleness new to me. +"Do you remember why I asked you to stay?" + +"Yes; I was to be your friend." + +"This time it is for me to ask whether I go or stay." + +"Stay, Gretchen!" But I was a hypocrite when I said it. + +"I knew that you would say that," simply. + +"Gretchen, sit down and I'll tell you the story of my life, as they say +on the stage." I knocked the dead ash from my pipe and stuffed the +bowl with fresh weed. I lit it and blew a cloud of smoke into the air. +"Do you see that, Gretchen?" + +"Yes, Herr," sitting down, the space of a yard between us. + +"It is pretty, very; but see how the wind carries it about! As it +leaves my throat it looks like a tangible substance. Reach for it and +it is gone. That cloud of smoke is my history." + +"It disappears," said Gretchen. + +"And so shall I at the appointed time. That cloud of smoke was a +fortune. I reached for it, and there was nothing but the air in my +hand. It was a woman's love. For five years I watched it curl and +waver. In it I saw many castles and the castles were fair, indeed. I +strove to grasp this love; smoke, smoke. Smoke is nothing, given a +color. Thus it is with our dreams. If only we might not wake!" + +Gretchen's eyes were following the course of the languid river. + +"Once there was a woman I thought I loved; but she would have none of +it. She said that the love I gave her was not complete because she did +not return it. She brought forth the subject of affinities, and +ventured to say that some day I might meet mine. I scoffed inwardly. +I have now found what she said to be true. The love I gave her was the +bud; the rose-- Gretchen," said I, rising, "I love you; I am not a +hypocrite; I cannot parade my regard for you under the flimsy guise of +friendship." + +"Go and give the rose to her to whom you gave the bud," said Gretchen. +The half smile struck me as disdainful. "You are a strange wooer." + +"I am an honest one." I began plucking at the bark of the tree. "No; +I shall let the rose wither and die on the stem. I shall leave +to-morrow, Gretchen. I shall feel as Adam did when he went forth from +Eden. Whatever your place in this world is it is far above mine. I +am, in truth, a penniless adventurer. The gulf between us cannot be +bridged." + +"No," said Gretchen, the smile leaving her lips, "the gulf cannot be +bridged. You are a penniless adventurer, and I am a fugitive from--the +law, the King, or what you will. You are a man; man forgets. You have +just illustrated the fact. His memory and his promises are like the +smoke; they fade away but soon. I shall be sorry to have you go, but +it is best so." + +"Do you love any one else?" + +"I do not; I love no one in the sense you mean. It was not written +that I should love any man." + +"Gretchen, who are you, and what have you done?" + +"What have I done? Nothing! Who am I? Nobody!" + +"Is that the only answer you can give?" + +"It is the only answer I will give." + +There was something in Gretchen's face which awed me. It was power and +resolution, two things man seldom sees in a woman's face. + +"Supposing, Gretchen, that I should take you in my arms and kiss you?" +I was growing reckless because I felt awed, which seems rather a +remarkable statement. "I know you only as a barmaid; why, not?" + +She never moved to go away. There was no alarm in her eyes, though +they narrowed. + +"You would never forgive yourself, would you?" + +I thought for a moment. "No, Gretchen, I should never forgive myself. +But I know that if I ask you to let me kiss your hand before I go, you +will grant so small a favor." + +"There," and her hand stretched toward me. "And what will your kiss +mean?" + +"That I love you, but also respect you, and that I shall go." + +"I am sorry." + +It was dismal packing. I swore a good deal, softly. Gretchen was not +in the dining-room when I came down to supper. It was just as well. I +wanted to be cool and collected when I made my final adieu. After +supper I lit my pipe (I shall be buried with it!) and went for a jaunt +up the road. There was a train at six the next morning. I would leave +on that. Why hadn't I taken Gretchen in my arms and kissed her? It +would have been something to remember in the days to come. I was a +man, and stronger; she would have been powerless. Perhaps it was the +color of her eyes. + +I had not gone up the highway more than 100 yards when I saw the lonely +figure of a man tramping indirectly toward me and directly toward the +inn. Even in the dusk of twilight there was something familiar about +that stride. Presently the man lifted up his voice in song. The +"second lead," as they say back of the scenes, was about to appear +before the audience. + +Evidently Hillars had found "Jericho" distasteful and had returned to +protest. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +"Hello, there!" he hailed, seeing but not recognizing me; "have you +seen any cavalry pass this way?" + +"No, I have not," I answered in English. + +"Eh? What's that?" not quite believing it was English he had heard. + +"I said that no cavalry has passed this way since this afternoon. Are +they looking for you, you jail-bird in perspective?" + +He was near enough now. "Well, I be dam'!" he cried. "What the devil +are you doing here, of all places?" + +"I was looking for you," said I, locking my arm in his. + +"Everybody has been making that their occupation since I left Austria," +cursing lowly. "I never saw such people." + +"What have you been doing this time?" + +"Nothing; but I want to do something right away. They have been +hounding me all over the kingdom. What have I done? Nothing, +absolutely nothing. It makes me hot under the collar. These German +blockheads! Do they think to find the Princess Hildegarde by following +me around? I'd give as much as they to find her." + +"So you haven't seen anything of her?" + +"Not a sign. I came here first, but not a soul was at the castle. +Nobody knows where she is. I came here this time to throw them off the +track, but I failed. I had a close shave this noon. I'll light out +to-morrow. It isn't safe in these parts. It would be of no use to +tell them that I do not know where the princess is. They have +connected me with her as they connect one link of a chain to another. +You can kill a German, but you can't convince him. How long have you +been here?" + +I did not reply at once. "About ten days." + +"Ten days!" he echoed. "What on earth has kept you in this ruin that +long?" + +"Rest," said I, glibly. "But I am going away to-morrow. We'll go +together. They will not know what to do with two of us." + +"Yes, they will. You will be taken for my accomplice. . . . Hark! +What's that?" holding his hand to his ear. "Horses. Come, I'm not +going to take any risk." + +So we made a run for the inn. In the twilight haze we could see two +horsemen coming along the highway at a brisk gallop. + +"By the Lord Harry!" Hillars cried excitedly; "the very men I have been +dodging all day. Hurry! Can you put me somewhere for the time being? +The garret; anywhere." + +"Come on; there's a place in the garret where they'll never find you." + +I got him upstairs unseen. If no one but I knew him to be at the inn, +so much the better. + +"O, say! This'll smother me," said Dan, as I pushed him into the +little room. + +"They'll put you in a smaller place," I said. "Hang it all Jack; I'd +rather have it out with them." + +"They have their pistols and sabres." + +"That's so. In that case, discretion is the better part of valor, and +they wouldn't appreciate any coup on my side. Come back and let me out +as soon as they go." + +I descended into the barroom and found the two officers interrogating +the innkeeper. They were the same fellows who had visited the inn +earlier in the day. Gretchen was at her place behind the bar. She was +paler than usual. + +"Ah," said the innkeeper, turning to me, "am I not right in saying that +you are the only guest at the inn, and that no American has been here?" + +I did not understand his motive, for he knew that I was an American. + +"It is perfectly true," said I, "that I am your only guest." + +"Ah, the Englishman!" said the lieutenant, suspiciously. "We are +looking for a person by the name of Hillars whom we are charged to +arrest. Do you know anything about him?" + +"It is not probable," said I, nonchalantly. + +I glanced at Gretchen. I could fathom nothing there. + +"Well," snarled the lieutenant, "I suppose you will not object to my +seeing your passports?" + +"Not in the least," said I. But I felt a shock. The word "American" +was written after the nationality clause in my passports. I was in for +some excitement on my own account. If I returned from my rooms saying +that I could not find my passports they would undoubtedly hold me till +the same were produced. "I'll go and bring them for you," said I. I +wanted some time in which to mature a plan of action, if action became +necessary. + +There was rather a sad expression in Gretchen's eyes. She understood +to a fuller extent than I what was likely to follow when it was found +that I had misrepresented myself. I cursed the folly which had led me +to say that I was English. And I swore at the innkeeper for meddling. +As I left the room I smiled at Gretchen, but she did not answer it. +Perhaps I was gone five minutes. In that time I made up my mind to +show the passports, and trust to luck for the rest. When I came back +Gretchen had engrossed their attention. They took no notice of me. I +have never understood how it came about, but all at once the lieutenant +bent forward and kissed Gretchen on the cheek. She started back with a +cry, then looked at me. That swift glance told me what to do. I took +the lieutenant by the collar and flung him into the corner. The +surprise on his face was not to be equaled. Then, as he rose to his +feet, the veins in his neck swelled with rage. + +"I'll pay you for that, you meddling beef-eater!" he roared. + +"Don't mention it," said I, with an assumption of blandness which I did +not feel. "That was simply gratuitous. It is a sample of what I shall +do to you if you do not immediately ask this lady's pardon for the +gross insult you have just offered her." + +"Insult! To kiss a common barmaid an insult!" he yelled, now purpling. +"Why--why--what is this woman to you--this tavern wench, this--" + +"Be careful," I warned. + +Gretchen was calmly wiping her cheek; but her eyes were like polished +emeralds. + +"You came here, I believe," said I, "to see if my passports were +proper." + +"Damn you and your passports! Are you a gentleman?" + +"Would you recognize one if you saw him?" I laughed. + +"Can you fight?" + +"Certainly," said I, thinking of the weapons nature in her kindness had +given to me. + +"Good! Otto, have the horses brought around. We will cut for the +barracks and get the colonel's weapons--the rapiers." + +The word "rapier" sent an icy chill up my spine. A duel! + +"The devil!" said I, under my breath. I knew less about fencing than I +did about aerial navigation, which was precious little. The fact that +Gretchen was now smiling aggravated the situation. I could not help +the shudder. Why, the fellow would make a sieve out of me! + +"Will you look at my passports now?" I asked. "You may not have the +opportunity again." + +"Your passports from now on will be void," was the retort. "But I +shall be pleased to give you a passport to the devil. I shall kill +you," complacently. + +"Think of my family," said I, a strange humor taking possession of me. + +"You should have thought of your family before you struck me that +blow," he replied. + +My laughter was genuine; even Gretchen smuggled a smile. The +lieutenant had taken my remark in all seriousness. + +"You will not run away?" he asked. + +"I shall probably be obliged to run away to-morrow," said I, smoothly. +"I should not be able to account for your presence here. But I shall +await your return from the barracks, never fear." All this was mere +bravado; honestly, I shrunk within my clothes and shivered in my shoes. +But I had an unfailing mental nerve. Some call it bluff. + +Gretchen had been whispering to the innkeeper. When he moved from her +side, she was smiling. + +"What the deuce is she smiling about?" I wondered. "Does the woman +take me for a modern D'Artagnan?" + +"Innkeeper," said the lieutenant, "if this man is not here when I +return, I'll take satisfaction out of your hide." + +The innkeeper shrugged. "I have never heard of an Englishman running +away." + +"And I have seen many a German do that," I put in. "How am I to know +that your going to the barracks is not a ruse?" + +He gasped. The words would not come which would do justice to his +feelings. He drew off one of his gloves and threw it into my face. It +stung me. I should have knocked him down, but for the innkeeper +stepping between. + +"No, Herr," he said; "do not disable him." + +"You had best go to the barracks at once," said I to the lieutenant. +My clothes were too small for me now, and I did not shiver in my shoes. +My "Yankee" blood was up. I would have fought him with battle axes. + +"Herr," said the innkeeper, when the two had made off for the barracks, +"you are a man of courage." + +"Thanks," said I. + +"Do you know anything about rapiers?" he asked. + +"I know the handle from the blade; that's all. But that does not make +any difference. I'd fight him with any weapon. He struck me; and +then--then, he kissed Gretchen." + +"I have wiped it off, Herr," said Gretchen, dryly. Then she passed +from the room. + +I went upstairs too. I looked out of my window. There was moonlight; +possibly the last time I should ever see moonlight in the land of the +living. Nothing but a mishap on my opponent's part, and that early in +the combat, would save my epidermis. The absurd side of the affair +struck me, and I laughed, mirthlessly, but none the less I laughed. If +it had been pistols the chances would have been equal. A German does +not like pistols as a dueling apparatus. They often miss fire. A +sword is a surer weapon. And then, the French use them--the +pistols--in their fiascoes. Rapiers? I was as familiar with the +rapier as I was with the Zulu assegai. I unstrapped my traveling case +and took out Phyllis's photograph. I put it back. If I was to have a +last look at any woman it should be at Gretchen. Then I got out my +cane and practiced thrusting and parrying. My wrist was strong. + +"Well," I mused, "there's consolation in knowing that in two hours I +shall be either dead or alive." + +I flung the cane into the corner. To pass away the time I paced back +and forth. It passed too quickly; and it was not long ere I heard the +clatter of the returning cavalrymen. Some one knocked at my door. I +swung it open and--was thrown to the floor, bound and gagged in a tenth +of a minute. + +"Put him on the bed," whispered the leader of my assailants. When this +was done the voice added: "Now you can go to the stables and wait there +till I call you." + +It was the innkeeper. He surveyed me for a moment and scratched his +chin. + +"Will Herr keep perfectly quiet if I take the handkerchief from his +mouth?" he asked. + +I nodded, bewildered. + +"What in tophet does this mean?" I gasped. I did not say tophet, but +it looks better in writing. + +"It means nothing and everything," was the answer. "In the first +place, Herr will fight no duel. The man with whom you were to fight +was sent on an errand to this out-of-the-way place as a punishment for +dueling at the capital. I know him by reputation. He is a brawler, +but a fair swordsman. He would halve you as I would a chicken. There +is another who has a prior claim on him. If there is anything left of +Herr Lieutenant at the end of the fray, you are welcome to it. Yes, +there will be a duel, but you will not be one of the principals. It is +all arranged." + +"But I do not understand," I cried. + +"It is not necessary that you should." He laughed and rubbed his hands +in pleasurable anticipation. "There is a young man downstairs, who +arrived a few moments before the lieutenant. He has a special affair. +There were words. Herr Lieutenant is mad enough to fight a whole +company." + +"Then, why in heaven's name am I up here in this condition?" I cried. +"Let me go and be the young man's second; though I can't for the life +of me see where he has come from so suddenly, and I might say, +opportunely. Come, cut me loose." + +"It is too late!" + +"Too late?" + +"Yes. Herr Lieutenant has been informed that you ran away." + +"Ran away!" I roared. "You told him that I ran away? Damn your +insolence! I'll break every bone in your body for this!" I cried, +straining at the ropes. + +"The ropes are new," said he; "you'll hurt yourself." + +"You told him that I ran away?" This was too much. + +"Yes. Ah, but you will be surprised. The duel will last five minutes. +Herr Lieutenant will thrust; the thrust will be parried. He will +feint; useless. Thrust on thrust; parry on parry. Consternation will +take the place of confidence; he will grow nervous; he will try all his +little tricks and they will fail. Then his eyes will roll and his +breath come in gasps. Suddenly he thinks he sees an opening; he +lunges--ach! the fool; it is all over!" The old man's voice quivered +with excitement. He had passed his time in the barracks and had seen +many a sword skirmish. + +"Well, are you going to take off these ropes?" + +"No. You would break every bone in my body." + +"Damn it, man!" I groaned, in exasperation. + +"You will soon be out of breath." + +Oh! could I have but loosened those cords! + +"Stahlberg, who left the service a year ago, will act in the capacity +of second." Stahlberg was at the head of the vineyard. "I shall watch +the affair from the window here; the scene of action will take place in +the clearing beyond. It will be an affair worth witnessing." + +"And where is Gretchen?" + +"Where she should be; at the bar, a dutiful bar-maid." Then I heard +nothing but the deep cachinations of the innkeeper. There was +something in the affair which appealed to his humor. I could not see +it. For ten minutes my vocabulary was strictly unprintable. + +"Will you kindly tell me what the meaning of all this is?" + +"Herr Winthrop, the idyl has come to an end; the epic now begins." + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +The golden summer moon was far up now, and the yellow light of it came +into the window and illumined the grim face of the innkeeper, throwing +a grotesque shadow of him onto the floor. The leaves rustled and +purred against the eaves. As the branches moved so did the light and +darkness move over the innkeeper's visage. He was silent and +meditative. + +"An epic?" I said. + +"An epic." + +"Innkeeper," said I, "if I give you my word of honor not to molest you +or leave this room, will you let me be a witness?" + +He passed into the gloom, then back into the light. + +"This is no trick?" suspiciously. "I have a deal of regard for my +bones, old as they are." + +"On my honor." + +"Well, I'll do it. It is in the blood of us all. But a false move on +your part, and I promise you that this knife shall find a resting place +in you." + +He cut the ropes and I was free. But my arms ached. + +The two of us took our stand by the window and waited for the +principals in the drama about to be enacted in the clearing. I confess +that my conscience was ill at ease; why, I knew not. I was dreading +something, I knew not what. The inn-keeper's hand trembled on my arm. + +"Sh! they come," he whispered. + +As I looked beyond his finger I saw four figures advance over the +sward. One of them, a slight boyish form, was new to me. The fellow +walked briskly along at the side of Stahlberg, who was built on the +plan of a Hercules. When they came to the clearing they stopped. The +seconds went through the usual formalities of testing the temper of the +swords. Somehow, I could not keep my eyes off the youngster, who was +going to do battle with the veteran; and I could not help wondering +where in the world he had come from, and why in the world he had chosen +this place to settle his dispute in. There were plenty of convenient +places in the village, in and around the barracks. He took his +position, back to me, so I could not tell what he was like. The moon +shone squarely in the lieutenant's face, upon which was an expression +of contempt mingled with confidence. My heart thumped, for I had never +seen a duel before. + +"I do not know where you came from," I heard the lieutenant say; "but +you managed nicely to pick a quarrel. It is all on your own head. It +is too bad that cur of an Englishman had to run away." + +The innkeeper's knife was so close that I could feel the point of it +against my ribs. So I gave up the wild idea of yelling from the window +that I hadn't run away. + +The lieutenant's opponent shrugged. He placed himself on guard; that +was his reply. Suddenly the two sprang forward, and the clash of +swords followed. I could not keep track of the weapons, but I could +see that the youngster was holding his own amazingly well. Neither was +touched the first bout. + +"Two minutes," murmured the old rascal at my side. "It will be over +this time." + +"You seem to have a good deal of confidence in your young man," said I. + +"There is not a finer swords--swordsman in the kingdom, or on the +continent, for that matter. There! they are at it again." + +Step by step the lieutenant gave ground; the clashing had stopped; it +was needle-like work now. Gradually they began to turn around. The +blades flashed in the moonshine like heat lightning. My pulse attuned +itself to every stroke. I heard a laugh. It was full of scorn. The +laugh--it recalled to me a laugh I had heard before. Evidently the +youngster was playing with the veteran. I became fascinated. And +while the innkeeper and I watched a curious thing happened. Something +seemed to be slipping from the youngster's head; he tried to put up his +free hand, but the lieutenant was making furious passes! A flood of +something dimly yellow suddenly fell about the lad's shoulders. Oh, +then I knew! With a snarl of rage I took the inn-keeper by the throat +and hurled him, knife and all, to the floor, dashed from the room, +thence to the stairs, down which I leaped four at a time. Quick as I +was, I was too late. The lieutenant's sword lay on the grass, and he +was clasping his shoulder with the sweat of agony on his brow. + +"Damnation!" he groaned; "a woman!" Then he tottered and fell in the +arms of his subordinate. He had fainted. + +"This will make a pretty story," cried the young officer, as he laid +his superior lengthwise, and tried to staunch the flow of blood. +"Here's a man who runs away, and lets a woman--God knows what +sort--fight his duels for him, the cur!" + +I never looked at him, but went straight to Gretchen. Stahlberg gave +me a questioning glance, and made a move as though to step between. + +"Stand aside, man!" I snapped. "Gretchen, you have dishonored me." + +"It were better than to bury you"--lightly. "I assure you he caused me +no little exertion." + +Yet her voice shook, and she shuddered as she cast aside the sword. + +"You have made a laughing stock of me. I am a man, and can fight my +own battles," I said, sternly. "My God!" breaking down suddenly, +"supposing you had been killed?" + +"It was not possible. And the man insulted me, not you. A woman? +Very well. I can defend myself against everything but calumny. Have I +made a laughing stock of you? It is nothing to me. It would not have +altered my--" + +She was very white, and she stroked her forehead. + +"Well?" said I. + +"It would not have altered my determination to take the sword in hand +again." + +She put her hand to her throat as though something there had tightened. + +"Ah, I am a woman, for I believe that I am about to faint! No!" +imperiously, as I threw out my arms to catch her. "I can reach the +door alone, without assistance." + +And so we went along. I did not know what to do, nor yet what to say. +A conflict was raging in my heart between shame and love; shame, that a +woman had fought for me and won where I should have lost; love, that +strove to spring from my lips in exultation. I knew not which would +have conquered had I not espied the blood on Gretchen's white hand. + +"You are wounded!" I cried. + +She gazed at her hand as though she did not understand; then, with a +little sob and a little choke she extended her arms toward me and +stumbled. Was ever there a woman who could look on blood without +fainting? Gretchen had not quite fainted, but the moon had danced, she +said, and all had grown dim. + +"Gretchen, why did you risk your life? In God's name, what manner of +woman are you, and where did you learn to use the sword? Had you no +thought of me?" I was somewhat incoherent. + +"No thought of you?" She drew the back of her hand over her eyes. "No +thought of you? I did it because--because I did not--I could not--you +would have been killed!" + +I was a man--human. I loved her. I had always loved her; I had never +loved any one else. I was a coward to do what I did, but I could not +help it. I crushed her to my breast and kissed her lips, not once, but +many times. + +"How dare you!" weakly. + +"How dare I, Gretchen, dear Gretchen?" I said. "I dare because I love +you! I love you! What is it to me that you have dishonored me in the +eyes of men? Nothing. I love you! Are you a barmaid? I care not. +Are you a conspirator? I know not, nor care. I know but one thing: I +love you; I shall always love you! Shall I tell you more? Gretchen, +you love me!" + +"No, no! it cannot be!" she sobbed, pushing me back. "I am the most +wretched woman in the world! Do not follow me, Herr; leave me, I beg +you to leave me. I have need of the little strength left. Leave me, +leave me!" + +And she passed through the doorway into the darkness beyond. I did not +move from where I stood. I grew afraid that it was a dream, and that +if I moved it would vanish. I could yet feel her lithe, warm body +palpitating in my arms; my lips still tingled and burned with the flame +of hers. An exultant wave swept over me; she loved me! She had not +told me so, but I knew. She had put her heart before mine; my life was +dearer to her than her own. I could have laughed for joy. She loved +me! My love overwhelmed my shame, engulfed it. Then-- + +"I know you," said a harsh voice at my elbow. It startled me, and I +wheeled swiftly. It was the lieutenant's brother officer. "I thought +from what I heard of you that you were a man worth trouble and caution. +Ach! you, the man we have scoured the country for? I should not have +believed it. To let a woman fight for him! And she--she is more than +a woman--she is a goddess!" with enthusiasm. "If I was betrothed to +her I'd find her if I had to hunt in heaven and hell for her. And what +does she see in you?" He snapped his fingers derisively. "I warn you +that your race is run. You cannot leave a railway station within the +radius of a hundred miles. The best thing you can do is to swim the +river and stop in the middle. The Prince is at the village, and he +shall know. Woe to you, you meddler!" + +"Young man," said a voice from over my shoulder, from the doorway, "you +should by right address those impertinent remarks to me. I am Hillars, +the man you seek." + +And I had forgotten his very existence! What did he know? What had he +seen? + +"You may inform Count von Walden," continued Dan, "that I shall await +his advent with the greatest of impatience. Now let me add that you +are treating this gentleman with much injustice. I'll stake my life on +his courage. The Princess Hildegarde is alone responsible for what has +just happened." + +"The Princess Hildegarde!" I cried. + +Hillars went on: "Why she did this is none of your business or mine. +Why she substituted herself concerns her and this gentleman only. Now +go, and be hanged to you and your Prince and your Count, and your whole +stupid country. Come, Jack." + +The fellow looked first at me, then at Dan. + +"I apologize," he said to Dan, "for mistaking this man for you." He +clicked his heels, swung around, and marched off. + +"Come," said Dan. + +I dumbly followed him up to my room. He struck a match and lit the +candle. + +"Got any tobacco?" he asked, taking out a black pipe. "I have not had +a good smoke in a week. I want to smoke awhile before I talk." + +I now knew that he had been a witness to all, or at least to the larger +part of it. + +"There is some tobacco on the table," I said humbly. I felt that I had +wronged him in some manner, though unintentionally. "The Princess +Hildegarde!" I murmured. + +"The very person," said Hillars. He lit his pipe and sat on the edge +of the bed. He puffed and puffed, and I thought he never would begin. +Presently he said: "And you never suspected who she was?" + +"On my word of honor, I did not, Dan," said I, staring at the faded +designs in the carpet. The golden galleon had gone down, and naught +but a few bubbles told where she had once so proudly ridden the waters +of the sea. The Princess Hildegarde? The dream was gone. Castles, +castles! "I am glad you did not know," said Dan, "because I have +always believed in your friendship. Yet, it is something we cannot +help--this loving a woman. Why, a man will lay down his life for his +friend, but he will rob him of the woman he loves. It is life. You +love her, of course." + +"Yes." I took out my own pipe now. "But what's the use. She is a +Princess. Why, I thought her at first a barmaid--a barmaid! Then I +thought her to be in some way a lawbreaker, a socialist conspirator. +It would be droll if it were not sad. The Princess Hildegarde!" I +laughed dismally. "Dan, old man, let's dig out at once, and close the +page. We'll talk it over when we are older." + +"No, we will face it out. She loves you. Why not? So do I." He got +off the bed and came over to me and rested his hands on my shoulders. +"Jack, my son, next to her I love you better than anything in the +world. We have worked together, starved together, smoked and laughed +together. There is a bond between us that no human force can separate. +The Princess, if she cannot marry you, shall not marry the Prince. I +have a vague idea that it is written. 'The moving finger writes; and, +having writ, moves on.' We cannot cancel a line of it." + +"Dan, you will do nothing rash or reckless?" + +"Sit down, my son; sit down. Premeditation is neither rashness nor +recklessness. Jack, life has begun with you; with me it has come to an +end. When there is nothing more to live for, it is time to die. But +how? That is the question. A war would be a God-send; but these +so-called war lords are a lazy lot, or cowardly, or both. Had I a +regiment, what a death! Jack, do you not know what it is to fight the +invisible death? Imagine yourself on the line, with the enemy +thundering toward you, sabres flashing in the sunlight, and lead +singing about your ears. It is the only place in the world to die--on +a battlefield. Fear passes away as a cloud from the face of the sun. +The enemy is bringing you glory--or death. Yes, I would give a good +deal for a regiment, and a bad moment for our side. But the regiment +non est; still, there is left--" + +"Dan, what are you talking about?" I cried. + +"Death; grim, gaunt and gray death, whose footstep is as noiseless as +the fall of snow; death, the silent one, as the Indian calls him." + +He knocked the ash from his pipe and stuffed the briar into his pocket. + +"Jack, I am weary of it all. If I cannot die artistically, I wish to +die a sudden and awful death. What! Do I look like a man to die in +bed, in the inebriates' ward? For surely I shall land there soon! I +am going to pieces like a sand house in a wind storm. I suppose I'm +talking nonsense. After all, I haven't as much to say as I thought I +had. Suppose we turn in? I'm tired. You see, those fellows moved me +around to-day." + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +Hillars and I stood in the middle of the road. He held the binoculars. + +"How many can you make out?" I asked. + +"Four; all on horseback. There's a coach of some sort following on +behind. But everything is blurred and my hand trembles; the whiskey +here is terrible. Here, look for yourself," handing the glasses to me. +"Tell me what you see." + +"There's one with a white cap--ah, it is Count von Walden! There are +two soldiers in the Hohenphalian uniform; cavalry. I do not know who +the fourth fellow is." + +"Describe him to me," said Hillars, trying to roll a cigarette with his +trembling fingers. "Curse it!" throwing away the rice paper, "I've got +so bad that I can't roll a cigarette. Well, what's he look like?" + +"He's in civilian dress; little black mustache and an imperial." + +"Look anything like Napoleon III?" + +"You've hit it. Who is he?" + +"They say he's Prince Ernst of Wortumborg," said Hillars; "but it is my +opinion that he's the devil on a furlough." + +"Then he is the man--" I began. + +"He is. Your love affair is all over once he gets here; unless--" Dan +looked at the sky as though he was undecided about the weather. + +"Unless what?" I asked. + +"O, just unless," said he. "I'd give 5 pounds for a glass of home-made +whiskey." + +"You've got a plan of some sort," said I. "Speak it out." + +"It wasn't a plan; it was just an idea. It's gone now. Maybe it will +come back later. Are you going to stay here, or come with me and +tackle a bottle of the innkeeper's Rhine wine? The German vinegar used +to make you hilarious." + +"What's the coach for?" I asked. "Are they going to carry us off like +a couple of chickens?" + +"I presume it is for her Serene Highness. I wonder how they found out +she was here? Probably the lieutenant you were going to fight, but +didn't, informed them. At any rate, the coach will not be for us. The +Prince will not bother with you and me while the Princess is here. I +don't know what they will do with us; possibly nothing, possibly put us +in jail. Come along; I'm thirsty." + +It was late in the afternoon of the day following. I had not seen her +Serene Highness, the Princess Hildegarde--Gretchen. She had remained +in her room, and all efforts of mine to hold communication with her had +proved futile. I had stood at her door and supplicated; she had told +me to go away. The innkeeper had scowled when I suggested that he +carry a note to his mistress. He had refused. + +"The Princess receives no notes," he had said. "Gretchen--it was a +different matter." + +And Hillars had slept till after noon. It had been a bad morning for +me. The wounded lieutenant had been carried away the night before, and +there had not been anything for me to do but wander about--waiting. + +"Will you help me with the Rhine wine?" asked Hillars. + +"No. My head is fuddled enough as it is." + +"Then you must let me do all the talking." + +"And why you?" + +"I shall know better how to irritate them," with a laugh. "They will +not take any particular interest in you when they set eyes on me. Homo +sum! I am the man they are looking for. They will find plenty of me. +I shall be a syndicate in myself; where they expect to find one man, +they will find a dozen, all alive and kicking. It will be good sport." + +"What the devil are you up to?" I demanded. + +"Wait and see; wait and see. Come, let us receive them in the hall. +The affair must be conducted on the line of court etiquette. First, we +shall try to avert hostilities by the aid of diplomacy; if that fails +the Princess herself will be made to vindicate us. And why not?" + +"You are not going to drag her in!" I exclaimed. + +"My dear Jack, of course not. The Prince and the Count will do that +for us. You understand that she is concerned in all that is to take +place, do you not? Well, then, it will cost her but little." + +"But this fellow, the Prince!" I cried. "Let us get out while there is +time." + +Dan regarded me seriously. + +"You aren't afraid of him; what do you want to run away for? My son, +there will be some very good sport before this is done. You will miss +it by running away." + +"It's meeting the man who is to marry her--the woman I love. That is +the reason." + +"To marry her--the woman I love!" he repeated softly. "Yes, it is +hard. But it isn't any worse for you than for me." + +"Forgive me, Dan! You know--" + +"Yes, yes; I know," crossly. "Hang it! can't I punch it into your head +that I am taking all this trouble on your account? If it were not for +you, do you suppose I'd wait? The Prince shall never marry the +Princess. Will that satisfy you? Now, look pleasant, as the +photographer says, for here they are." + +The Count entered first, then the Prince, who was followed by two +cavalrymen. Hillars and I stood silently by our chairs, and waited. +The Prince, a man with a hooked nose, black eyes with half-shut lids, +regarded me curiously. He had the air of one amused. + +When his eyes grew accustomed to the semi-darkness of the room, the +Count sounded a note of satisfaction. + +"Ah! so you are here? You have given me a devil of a chase." + +"I return the compliment, Herr General," said Hillars, with a +good-humored smile. "But, may I ask, what the devil have you been +chasing me for?" + +For reply the Count turned to the cavalryman. + +"Arrest that man and bind him," he said. + +"You might make the order wholesale," said I stepping over to the side +of Hillars. + +"I told you there would be some sport," whispered Dan. He put his arm +across my shoulders. + +"And who, in the name of Weimer, are you?" bawled the Count. He +scrutinized me intently; then a light of recognition broke over his +face. "The other one! A nest of them!" + +"Count," interposed the Prince, seating himself at the table, "let me +have a short talk with them before you act. There may be extenuating +circumstances. Anything of this sort amuses and interests me. Let us +use a little diplomacy in the matter." + +"Yes," said Hillars; "let us lie a little." + +"And who can do it better than a journalist?" the Prince laughed. + +"Diplomatists," Hillars sent back. + +"What is her Serene Highness to you?" resumed the Prince. + +"Nothing--positively nothing." + +"Then you are afraid to acknowledge your regard for her?" + +"I?" Hillars dropped his arm from my shoulders. "I am not afraid of +anything--not even the Count here." Then he laughed. "If her Serene +Highness was anything to me, your Highness, I should not be afraid to +say so before the King himself." + +"You impudent--" But a wave of the Prince's hand silenced the Count. + +"Have patience, my friend. This is not impudence; it is courage and +prudence. I believe," re-addressing Hillars, "that once you were on +the point of eloping with the Princess Hildegarde." + +Hillars thrust his hands into his pockets. + +"So they say." + +"And yet you deny your regard for her!" + +"Oh, as to that affair," said Hillars, easily, "it was the adventure +more than anything else. It is not every man in my position who has +such a chance. And then, perhaps, I saw a good newspaper story." The +muscles in his jaws hardened, despite the airy tone he used. + +"I see that there is nothing to be gotten from you." Then the Prince +directed his glance to me. "And you, sir; what is she to you? What is +her Serene Highness to you?" + +"She is everything in the world to me," said I. + +The consternation which followed cannot be described here. The Count +stepped back, dumb-founded. Hillars regarded me as though he thought I +had suddenly gone mad. The countenance of the Prince alone remained +unruffled. + +"Count," he said, laughing, "it seems that the Princess gathers lovers +as a woolen coat does teasels. Her lovers--there must now be a +legion!" + +"You lie!" said Hillars, in an oddly suppressed tone. "You know that +you lie." + +The Prince's lips drew to a thin line, but that was all. + +"Still, who will disprove it?" he asked. + +"If you will allow me," said a voice behind us. + +We beheld the Princess framed in the doorway. There was a pallor and a +look of utter weariness in her face. At the sight of her the Count +uncovered and the Prince rose. + +"Your arrival is quite timely," said he. "Here are two champions of +yours. Come, which do you love?" + +A fury sprang to my head, and I said, "You have too much confidence in +our patience. I warn you that I have no fear of the sabres back of +you." + +The same sabres leapt from their scabbards and fell stiffly against +their owners' shoulders, instinctively. + +"Has it come to this," said the Princess, a superb scorn in her eyes, +"that my honor must needs be defended by strangers and aliens?" For +the briefest space her glance plunged into my eyes. She moved toward +the Prince. "And you, sir, are to be my husband?" + +"It is the will of the King," said the Prince, a mocking smile on his +lips. + +How I lusted for his blood! + +"And though my honor is doubtful," went on the woman I loved, "you +still would marry me?" + +"Your Highness," said the Prince, with a bow which entailed the +sweeping of his hands, "I would marry you were your honor as--" + +"Hell!" roared Hillars in English. + +But he was a moment too late. My hands were around the throat of +Prince Ernst of Wortumborg, and I was shaking him till his teeth +chattered on each other like castanets. Surely I would have throttled +him but for the intervention of the Count and the cavalrymen. The +Count swung his arm around my neck, while the cavalrymen, their sabre +points at Hillars' breast, wrenched loose my hands. I stood glaring at +him, panting and furious. He leaned against the table, gasping and +coughing. Finally he recovered his composure. + +"Count, I was wrong; you were right. These fellows are dangerous." + +"I will fight you on any terms!" I fired back at him. + +"I shall send you one of my lackeys," he replied. "Take them away, and +shoot them if they resist." + +"Liberate the gentlemen," said Gretchen. + +The Count gazed at her in amazement. + +"Liberate them?" he cried. + +"I command it." + +"You?" said the Prince. + +"Yes. This is my principality; these are my soldiers; I command here." + +This was a coup indeed. + +"But we represent his Majesty!" cried the Count, still holding me by +the throat. I was all but strangled myself. + +"I care not whom you represent," said Gretchen. "I am obedient only to +the King, not his minions. Release the gentlemen." + +The Count's arm slowly unwound. Hillars pressed down the sabre points +with his hands and shook off the hand of one of the cavalrymen. + +"If it be Your Highness' will," he said, "we will throw these intruders +into the road. Might is right," waving his hand to the door which led +to the barroom. + +The innkeeper and three others filed into the room, grimly and +silently. They were armed. + +For the first time the Prince lost patience. + +"This is all very well, Your Highness," he sneered. "You misunderstand +the limits of your power to command." + +"Not in any part," said Gretchen. "I am sovereign here, +notwithstanding the King's will is paramount to my own. These people +are my people; these soldiers are fed of my bounty; this is my country +till the King takes it back. You will act further at your peril." + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +A bar of sunlight suddenly pervaded the room; red sunlight, lighting in +its passing a tableau I shall never forget. Gretchen stood at her full +height, her arms held closely to her sides and her hands clenched. On +her face there was that half smile called consciousness of triumph. +Hillars was gazing at her with his soul swimming in his eyes. And I--I +had a wild desire to throw myself at her feet, then and there. Over +the hard-set visage of the innkeeper the bar of sunlight traveled; over +the scowling countenance of the Prince, over the puzzled brow of the +Count, and going, left a golden purple in its wake, which imperceptibly +deepened. + +The Prince was first to speak. "I protest," said he. + +"Against what?" asked Gretchen. + +"It is the King's will that you become my wife. He will not tolerate +this attitude of yours. Your principality is in jeopardy, let me tell +you." + +"Does the fact that I have promised the King to become your wife +detract from my power? Not a jot. Till you are my husband, I am +mistress here--and after." + +"As to that, we shall see," said the Prince. "Then you intend to keep +your promise?" + +"Is there man or woman who can say that I ever broke one?" + +"Your Highness, what are your commands?" It was the innkeeper who +spoke. His fingers were twitching about the hammer of his carbine. He +nodded approvingly toward me. My assault upon the Prince had brought +me again into his good graces. + +Gretchen did not answer him, but she smiled kindly. + +"Ah, yes!" said the Prince. "This is that Breunner fellow." + +The innkeeper made a movement. The Prince saw it, and so did I. +Prince Ernst of Wortumborg was never so near death in all his life as +at that moment. He knew it, too. + +"Your Highness has a very good memory," said the innkeeper, dryly. + +"There are some things it were best to forget," replied the Prince. + +"I am pleased that Your Highness shares my opinion," returned the old +fellow. The muzzle of the carbine was once more pointed at the ceiling. + +The rest of us looked on, but we understood nothing of these passes. +Even Gretchen was in the dark. + +"We met long ago," said the innkeeper. + +"Yes; but I have really forgotten what the subject of Our discussion +was," said the Prince, regarding the innkeeper through half-closed +lids. "Perhaps he can explain." + +"It is very kind of Your Highness," said the innkeeper, laughing +maliciously. "But I am old, and my memory serves me ill." + +The Prince shrugged. "But we have drifted away from the present +matter. Your Highness, then, promises to bend to the will of the King?" + +"Yes," said Gretchen. "I gave the King my promise because I had +wearied of resistance, having no one to turn to--then. I shall marry +you, though I detest you; but I shall be your wife only in name, and +not in the eyes of God." + +"The latter sacrifice was not asked of you," smiled the Prince. + +"I shall depart this day for the capital," continued Gretchen. "I warn +you not to inflict your presence upon me during the journey. Now go. +The air while you remain is somewhat difficult to breathe." + +The Prince surveyed the menacing faces which surrounded him, then +gathered up his hat and gloves. + +"I see that Your Highness will be a dutiful wife," he said, smoothing +the silk of his hat with his elbow. He blew into his gloves and +carefully drew them over his hands. "A pleasant journey to Your +Highness," he added. "Come, Count. And these?" waving his hand toward +Hillars and me. + +"They have my fullest protection." + +He smiled villainously, then walked to the door with a measured tread. +At the door he turned. There was a flash of rage in his eyes, but he +quickly subdued it. + +"Auf wiedersehen!" with a sweeping glance which took in all of us, and +particularly me. + +He passed out, the Count following him soberly. The two cavalrymen +thrust their sabres into the scabbards with a clank, and made as though +to follow. + +"Wait," said Gretchen. "I shall have need of you. You will escort me +to the station. Now you may go." + +They saluted gravely. They appreciated the situation. The Princess +was their bread and butter. + +"Your Highness," said Hillars, "there has been a mistake." + +"A mistake?" repeated Gretchen, wonderingly. + +"Yes. They have made you a Princess, whereas they should have made you +a Queen. Will you forgive me the trouble I have caused?" + +"It is I who must ask forgiveness of you," she said, with a sad smile. +"You may kiss my hand, sir." + +Hillars remained somewhat long over it. + +"And how comes it that you gentlemen know each other?" she asked. + +"Damon and Pythias, Your Highness," answered Hillars. "We were brought +up together, and we have shared our tents and kettles. I recommend +Pythias to you as a brave gentleman." Then he came to me. "You are a +brave fellow, Jack," grasping my hand. "Good luck to you. I had an +idea; it has returned. Now, then, innkeeper, come with me." + +"With you, and where?" asked the innkeeper. If there was one thing for +which he could not account, it was the presence of Hillars at the inn. + +"Never mind where, but come," answered Hillars, gayly. He bent and +whispered something into the old fellow's ear. It was something which +pleased him, for he screwed his lips into a smile, and took the white +hand of the whisperer in his brawny fist and nigh crushed it. + +"Well, well! it doesn't matter where you came from. Here, you," to the +trio behind him, "go back to the stables." They filed out. Then the +innkeeper took Hillars by the arm. "Come along; time passes." + +"And where are you going?" I asked anxiously. Hillars should not have +passed from my sight but for Gretchen. + +"We'll be back shortly," he answered. "You will know all about then, +my son." + +He stood on the sill of the door, a handsome picture. His gray eyes +sparkled, his face was full of excitement and there was a color in his +cheeks. There was no sign here of the dissipated man of the night +before. It was Hillars as I had seen him in the old days. But for his +19th century garb, he might have just stepped down from a frame--a +gallant by Fortuny, who loved the awakened animal in man. The poise +was careless, but graceful, and the smile was debonair. His eyes were +holding Gretchen's. A moment passed; another and another. + +Then: "Long live and God bless her Serene Highness the Princess +Hildegarde!" And he was gone. + +And as he disappeared a shadow of some sort passed before my eyes, and +a something dull and heavy pressed upon my heart. Presently came the +sound of beating hoofs, and then all became still. + +Gretchen and I were alone. + +Gretchen appeared to be studying the blue veins in her hands which she +listlessly held before her. An interval of three or four minutes +passed, still she remained in that pathetic attitude, silent and +motionless. + +"Gretchen," said I, "have you nothing to say?" + +"Yes." Her eyes raised to the level of mine, and I saw that they were +deep in tears. "Herr, I shall say to you that which I have never said +to any man, and that which I shall never say to any man again. I may +say it now because it is sinless. I love you! I love you, and, loving +you, God knows what the future without you shall be. Yes! I love you. +Take me once in your arms and kiss me, and let me go--forever." + +Then with a smile which partly shielded a sob, her arms went around my +neck and her face lay close to mine. Heaven knows which was the +greater, the joy or the pain. + +"Gretchen, think!" I cried, distractedly. "What is a Prince or a King +to you and me, who love?" + +"There is honor," gently. She caressed my cheek with her fingers. + +"Honor!" I cried, vehemently. "Is it honorable to marry the man you do +not love and break the heart of the one you do?" + +She did not answer, but her arms fell from my neck, and she approached +the window. The passing river was reflected in her eyes. Her reverie +was a short one. + +"Listen, Herr; I will tell you why it is honorable. The Prince and the +King? I fear the one as little as I do the other. It is not the +Prince, it is not the King, it is not the principality. Herr, I have +come near to being a very wicked woman, who was about to break the most +sacred promise a sovereign can make. Before I came here a delegation +of my people approached me. On bended knees they asked me not to +voluntarily return the principality to the King, who was likely to give +them a ruler rapacious or cruel or indifferent. And while they +understood what a sacrifice it meant to me, they asked me to bend my +will to the King's and wed the Prince, vowing that I alone should be +recognized as their sovereign ruler. Since my coronation they said +that they had known the first happiness in years. Herr, it was so +pathetic! I love my people, who, after all, are not adopted since I +was born here. So I gave my promise, and, heaven forgive me, I was +about to break it! There are some things, Herr, which the publican +does not understand. One of these is the duty a sovereign owes to the +people. The woman in me wishes to follow your fortunes, though they +carry her to the ends of the world; but the sovereign sees but one +path--honor and duty. What is one human heart to a hundred thousand? +A grain of sand. Herr, let mine be broken; I shall not murmur. Alas! +to be a princess, a puppet in this tinsel show of kings and queens! It +is my word and the King's will which have made my happiness an +impossibility. Though I love you, I wish never to see you again. I +shall be wife but in name, yet I may not have a lover. I am not a +woman of the court. I am proud of my honor, though the man who is to +be my husband doubts that." + +"No, Gretchen," said I, "he does not doubt it, but he wishes me to do +so. I believe in your innocence as I believe in your love." + +"It is sad, is it not," said she, "that we must go through our days +loving each other and all the world standing between? I have never +loved a man before; I did not want to love you. I did not know that I +loved you till I saw that your life was in danger. Yet I am glad that +I have lived for a brief second, for till a woman loves she does not +live. I am brave; do you be likewise. I shall go back to the world, +and who shall know of the heart of fire beneath the ice! Not even the +man I love. Kiss me; it is the last kiss I shall take from the lips of +any man." + +And it seemed to me that our souls met in that last kiss, melted and +became one. Her hands dropped to her side, and swiftly she sped from +the room. + + +She had entered the coach. The cavalrymen were perched upon the box. +There was a crack of the lash, and the coach rolled away. I watched +it, standing in the road. A cloud of yellow dust partially obscured it +from view. Half a mile beyond rose a small hill. This the coach +mounted, and the red gold of the smoldering sun engulfed it. Was it a +face I saw at the window? Perhaps. Then over the hill all +disappeared, and with it the whole world, and I stood in emptiness, +alone. + +Gretchen had gone. + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +I was wandering aimlessly through the rose gardens, when the far-off +sound of galloping hoofs came on the breeze. Nearer and nearer it +drew. I ran out into the highway. I saw a horse come wildly dashing +along. It was riderless, and as it came closer I saw the foam of sweat +dripping from its flanks and shoulders. As the animal plunged toward +me, I made a spring and caught the bridle, hanging on till the brute +came to a standstill. It was quivering from fright. There was a gash +on its neck, and it was bleeding and turning the white flakes of sweat +into a murky crimson. + +"Good Lord!" I ejaculated. "It's one of the cavalry horses. Hillars +or the innkeeper has been hurt." + +I was of the mind to mount the animal and go in search of them, when +Stahlberg, who had come to my assistance, said that I had best wait. A +quarter of an hour passed. Then we could see another horse, perhaps +half a mile away, coming toward the inn at a canter. From what I could +see in the pale light, the horse carried a double burden. A sheet of +ice seemed to fall on my heart. What had happened? Had Dan and the +Prince come to blows? Alas, I could have cried out in anguish at the +sight which finally met my gaze. The innkeeper held the reins, and, +propped up in front of him, was Hillars, to all appearances dead. + +"Gott!" cried the innkeeper, discovering me, "but I am glad to see you, +Herr. Your friend has been hurt, badly, badly." + +"My God!" I cried. The hand and wrist of the innkeeper which encircled +Hillars were drenched in blood. + +"Yes. A bullet somewhere in his chest. Help me down with him. He is +not dead yet. I'll tell you the story when we have made it comfortable +for him." + +Tenderly we carried the inanimate form of poor Hillars into the inn and +laid it on the sofa. I tore back his blood-wet shirt. The wound was +slightly below the right lung. The bullet had severed an artery, for I +could see that the blood gushed. We worked over him for a few moments, +and then he opened his eyes. He saw me and smiled. + +"There wasn't any regiment, old man, but this will suffice. My hand +trembled. But he'll never use his right arm again, curse him!" + +"Dan, Dan!" I cried, "what made you do it?" + +"When I am a man's friend, it is in life and death. He was in the way. +He may thank liquor that he lives." The lids of his eyes contracted. +"Hurts a little, but it will not be for long, my son. I am bleeding to +death inside. Jack, the woman loves you, and in God's eyes, Princess +or not, she belongs to you. You and I cannot understand these things +which make it impossible for a man and a woman who love each other to +wed. Let me hold your hand. I feel like an old woman. Give me a +mouthful of brandy. Ah, that's better! Innkeeper, your courage is not +to be doubted, but your judgment of liquor is. Any way, Jack, I +suppose you will not forget me in a week or so, eh?" + +"Dan!" was all I could say, bending over his hand to hide my tears. + +"Jack, you are not sorry?" + +"Dan, you are more to me than any woman in the world." + +"Oh, say! You wouldn't--hold me up a bit higher; that's it--you +wouldn't have me hang on now, would you? I haven't anything to live +for, no matter how you put it. Home? I never had one. The only +regret I have in leaving is that the Prince will not keep me company. +Put an obol in my hand, and Charon will see me over the Styx. + + + "And when, like her, O Saki, you shall pass + Among the guests star-scattered on the grass, + And in your joyous errand, reach the spot + Where I made one--turn down an empty glass! + + +"Well, hang me, Jack, if you aren't crying! Then you thought more of +me than I believed; a man's tears mean more than a woman's. . . . A +man must die, and what is a year or two? How much better to fold the +tent when living becomes tasteless and the cup is full of lees! . . . +The Prince was a trifle cruel; but perhaps his hand trembled, too. +Innkeeper, you're a good fellow." + +"Herr is a man of heart," said the grizzled veteran, sadly. + +"Tell Jack how it happened," said Dan; "it hurts me." + +On leaving me, Hillars and the innkeeper, after having taken a pair of +pistols, had mounted the cavalry horses despite the protests of the +owners, and had galloped away in pursuit of the Prince and Count von +Walden. They caught sight of them a mile or so ahead. They were +loping along at a fair speed. It took half an hour to bring the two +parties within speaking distance. Although the Prince and von Walden +heard them, they never turned around, but kept on straight ahead. This +made Hillars' choler rise, and he spurred forward. + +"One moment, gentlemen," he cried. "I have a word with you." + +They galloped on unheeding. When Hillars got in front of them they +merely veered to either side. + +"Ah!" said Hillars, choking with rage. With a quick movement he bent +and caught the bridle of the Prince's horse. The Count, seeing that +the Prince was compelled to rein in, did likewise. The Prince looked +disdainful. + +"Well, what is it?" asked Von Walden. "Speak quickly. Has your +scribbling friend run away with Her Highness?" + +"My remarks, most noble and puissant Count," said Hillars, bowing, +satirically, to the neck of his horse, "I shall confine to the still +more noble and puissant Prince of Wortumborg." + +"This is an unappreciated honor," sneered the Prince. + +"So it is," replied Hillars, lightly. "When an honest man speaks to +you he is conferring an honor upon you which you, as you say, cannot +appreciate. It appears to me that Your Highness has what we in America +call malaria. I propose to put a hole through you and let out this bad +substance. Lead, properly used, is a great curative. Sir, your +presence on this beautiful world is an eyesore to me." + +"One excuse is as good as another," said the Prince. "Did Her Highness +delegate you to put me out of the way?" + +"Oh, no; but since you have brought her name into it, I confess that it +is on her account. Well, sir, no man has ever insulted a woman in my +presence and gone unscathed. In English speaking lands we knock him +down. This being Rome I shall do as the Romans do. I believe I called +you a liar; I will do so again. Is the object of my errand plain?" + +"As I said to your friend," smiled the Prince, "I will send a lackey +down here to take care of you. Count, we shall hardly get to the +station in time to catch the train. Young man, stand aside; you annoy +me, I have no time to discuss the Princess or her lovers. Release my +horse!" + +"What a damned cur you are!" cried Hillars, losing his airy tone. "By +God, you will fight me, if I have to knock you down and spit upon you!" +Then with full force he flung his hat into the face of the Prince. + +"You have written finis to your tale," said the Prince, dismounting. + +"Your Highness!" exclaimed the Count, springing to the ground, "this +must not be. You shall not risk your life at the hands of this damned +adventurer." + +"Patience, Count," said the Prince, shaking off the hand which the +Count had placed upon his shoulder. "Decidedly, this fellow is worth +consideration. Since we have no swords, sir, and they seem to be +woman's weapons these days, we will use pistols. Of course, you have +come prepared. It is a fine time for shooting. This first light of +twilight gives us equal advantage. Will it be at ten or twenty paces? +I dare say, if we stand at twenty, in the centre of the road, we shall +have a good look at each other before we separate indefinitely." + +"Your Highness insists?" murmured the Count. + +"I not only insist, I command." The Prince took off his coat and +waistcoat and deposited them on the grass at the side of the road. +Hillars did likewise. There was a pleased expression on his face. "I +do believe, Count," laughed the Prince, "this fellow expects to kill +me. Now, the pistols." + +"If you will permit me," said the innkeeper, taking an oblong box from +under his coat. "These are excellent weapons." + +The Prince laughed. "I suppose, innkeeper, if the result is disastrous +to me, it will please you?" + +The innkeeper was not lacking in courtesy. "It would be a pleasure, I +assure you. There are certain reasons why I cannot fight you myself." + +"To be sure." + +"It would be too much like murder," continued the innkeeper. "Your +hand would tremble so that you would miss me at point-blank. There +goes the last of the sun. We must hurry." + +With a grimace the Count accepted the box and took out the pistols. + +"They are old-fashioned," he said. + +"A deal like the innkeeper's morals," supplemented the Prince. + +"But effective," said the innkeeper. + +The Count scowled at the old fellow, who met the look with phlegm. As +an innkeeper he might be an inferior, but as a second at a duel he was +an equal. It was altogether a different matter. + +The Count carefully loaded the weapons, the innkeeper watching him +attentively. In his turn he examined them. + +"Very good," he said. + +The paces were then measured out. During this labor the Prince gazed +indifferently toward the west. The aftermath of the sun glowed on the +horizon. The Prince shaded his eyes for a spell. + +"Gentlemen," he said, "I believe the Princess is approaching. At any +rate here comes the coach. Let us suspend hostilities till she has +passed." + +A few minutes later the coach came rumbling along in a whirlwind of +dust. The stoical cavalrymen kept on without so much as a glance at +the quartet standing at the side of the road. Hillars looked after the +vehicle till it was obscured from view. Then he shook himself out of +the dream into which he had fallen. He was pale now, and his eyebrows +were drawn together as the Count held out the pistol. + +"Ah, yes!" he said, as though he had forgotten. "There goes the woman +who will never become your wife." + +"That shall be decided at once," was the retort of the Prince. + +"She will marry the gentleman back at the inn." + +"A fine husband he will make, truly!" replied the Prince. "He not only +deserts her but forsakes her champion. But, that is neither here nor +there. We shall not go through any polite formalities," his eyes +snapping viciously. + +The two combatants took their places in the centre of the road. The +pistol arm of each hung at the side of the body. + +"Are you ready, gentlemen?" asked the Count, the barest tremor in his +voice. + +"Yes," said the Prince. + +Hillars simply nodded. + +"When I have counted three you will be at liberty to fire. One!" + +The arms raised slowly till the pistols were on the level of the eyes. + +"Two!" + +The innkeeper saw Hillars move his lips. That was the only sign. + +"Three!" + +The pistols exploded simultaneously. The right arm of the Prince swung +back violently, the smoking pistol flying from his hand. Suddenly one +of the horses gave a snort of pain and terror, and bolted down the +road. No attention was given to the horse. The others were watching +Hillars. He stood perfectly motionless. All at once the pistol fell +from his hand; then both hands flew instinctively to his breast. There +was an expression of surprise on his face. His eyes closed, his knees +bent forward, and he sank into the road a huddled heap. The Prince +shrugged, a sigh of relief fell from the Count's half-parted lips, +while the innkeeper ran toward the fallen man. + +"Are you hurt, Prince?" asked the Count. + +"The damned fool has blown off my elbow!" was the answer. "Bind it up +with your handkerchief, and help me on with my coat. There is nothing +more to do; if he is not dead he soon will be, so it's all the same." + +When the Prince's arm was sufficiently bandaged so as to stop the flow +of blood, the Count assisted him to mount, jumped on his own horse, and +the two cantered off, leaving the innkeeper, Hillars' head propped up +on his knee, staring after them with a dull rage in his faded blue +eyes. The remaining horse was grazing a short distance away. Now and +then he lifted his head and gazed inquiringly at the two figures in the +road. + +"Is it bad, Herr?" the innkeeper asked. + +"Very. Get back to the inn. I don't want to peter out here." Then he +fainted. + +It required some time and all the innkeeper's strength to put Hillars +on the horse. When this was accomplished he turned the horse's head +toward the inn. And that was all. + +"Dan?" said I. + +The lids of his eyes rolled wearily back. + +"Is there anything I can do for you?" + +"Bury me." + +It was very sad. "Where?" I asked. + +"Did you see the little cemetery on the hill, across the valley? Put +me there. It is a wild, forgotten place. 'Tis only my body. Who +cares what becomes of that? As for the other, the soul, who can say? +I have never been a good man; still, I believe in God. I am tired, +tired and cold. What fancies a man has in death! A moment back I saw +my father. There was a wan, sweet-faced woman standing close beside +him; perhaps my mother. I never saw her before. Ah, me! these +chimeras we set our hearts upon, these worldly hopes! Well, Jack, it's +curtain and no encore. But I am not afraid to die. I have wronged no +man or woman; I have been my own enemy. What shall I say, Jack? Ah, +yes! God have mercy on my soul. And this sudden coldness, this sudden +ease from pain--is death!" + +There was a flutter of the eyelids, a sigh, and this poor flotsam, this +drift-wood which had never known a harbor in all its years, this friend +of mine, this inseparable comrade--passed out. He knew all about it +now. + +There were hot tears in my eyes as I stood up and gazed down at this +mystery called death. And while I did so, a hand, horny and hard, +closed over mine. The innkeeper, with blinking eyes, stood at my side. + +"Ah, Herr," he said, "who would not die like that?" + + +And we buried him on the hillside, just as the sun swept aside the rosy +curtain of dawn. The wind, laden with fresh morning perfumes, blew up +joyously from the river. From where I stood I could see the drab walls +of the barracks. The windows sparkled and flashed as the gray mists +sailed heavenward and vanished. The hill with its long grasses +resembled a green sea. The thick forests across the river, almost +black at the water's edge, turned a fainter and more delicate hue as +they receded, till, far away, they looked like mottled glass. Only +yesterday he had laughed with me, talked and smoked with me, and now he +was dead. A rage pervaded me. We are puny things, we, who strut the +highways of the world, parading a so-called wisdom. There is only one +philosophy; it is to learn to die. + +"Come," said I to the innkeeper; and we went down the hill. + +"When does the Herr leave?" + +"At once. There will be no questions?" I asked, pointing to the +village. + +"None. Who knows?" + +"Then, remember that Herr Hillars was taken suddenly ill and died, and +that he desired to be buried here. I dare say the Prince will find +some excuse for his arm, knowing the King's will in regard to dueling. +Do you understand me?" + +"Yes." + +I did not speak to him again, and he strode along at my heels with an +air of preoccupation. We reached the inn in silence. + +"What do you know about her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde?" I +asked abruptly. + +"What does Herr wish to know?" shifting his eyes from my gaze. + +"All you can tell me." + +"I was formerly in her father's service. My wife----" He hesitated, +and the expression on his face was a sour one. + +"Go on." + +"Ah, but it is unpleasant, Herr. You see, my wife and I were not on +the best of terms. She was handsome . . . a cousin of the late Prince. +. . . She left me more than twenty years ago. I have never seen her +since, and I trust that she is dead. She was her late Highness's +hair-dresser." + +"And the Princess Hildegarde?" + +"She is a woman for whom I would gladly lay down my life." + +"Yes, yes!" I said impatiently. "Who made her the woman she is? Who +taught her to shoot and fence?" + +"It was I." + +"You?" + +"Yes. From childhood she has been under my care. Her mother did so +desire. She is all I have in the world to love. And she loves me, +Herr; for in all her trials I have been her only friend. But why do +you ask these questions?" a sudden suspicion lighting his eyes. + +"I love her." + +He took me by the shoulders and squared me in front of him. + +"How do you love her?" a glint of anger mingling with the suspicion. + +"I love her as a man who wishes to make her his wife." + +His hands trailed down my sleeves till they met and joined mine. + +"I will tell you all there is to be told. Herr, there was once a happy +family in the palace of the Hohenphalians. The Prince was rather wild, +but he loved his wife. One day his cousin came to visit him. He was a +fascinating man in those days, and few women were there who would not +give an ear to his flatteries. He was often with the Princess, but she +hated him. One day an abominable thing happened. This cousin loved +the Princess. She scorned him. As the Prince was entering the boudoir +this cousin, making out that he was unconscious of the husband's +approach, took the Princess in his arms and kissed her. The Prince was +too far away to see the horror in his wife's face. He believed her to +be acquiescent. That night he accused her. Her denials were in vain. +He confronted her with his cousin, who swore before the immortal God +himself that the Princess had lain willing in his arms. From that time +on the Prince changed. He became reckless; he fell in with evil +company; he grew to be a shameless ruffian, a man who brought his women +into his wife's presence, and struck her while they were there. And in +his passions he called her terrible names. He made a vow that when +children came he would make them things of scorn. In her great +trouble, the Princess came to my inn, where the Princess Hildegarde was +born. The Prince refused to believe that the child was his. My +mistress finally sickened and died--broken-hearted. The Prince died in +a gambling den. The King became the guardian of the lonely child. He +knows but little, or he would not ask Her Highness--" He stopped. + +"He would not ask her what?" + +"To wed the man who caused all this trouble." + +"What! Prince Ernst?" + +"Yes. I prayed to God, Herr, that your friend's bullet would carry +death. But it was not to be." + +"I am going back to London," said I. "When I have settled up my +affairs there I shall return." + +"And then?" + +"Perhaps I shall complete what my friend began." + +I climbed into the ramshackle conveyance and was driven away. Once I +looked back. The innkeeper could be seen on the porch, then he became +lost to view behind the trees. Far away to my left the stones in the +little cemetery on the hillside shone with brilliant whiteness. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +There were intervals during the three months which followed when I +believed that I was walking in a dream, and waking would find me +grubbing at my desk in New York. It was so unreal for these days; +mosaic romance in the heart of prosaic fact! Was there ever the like? +It was real enough, however, in the daytime, when the roar of London +hammered at my ears, but when I sat alone in my room it assumed the +hazy garments of a dream. Sometimes I caught myself listening for +Hillars: a footstep in the corridor, and I would take my pipe from my +mouth and wait expectantly. But the door never opened and the +footsteps always passed on. Often in my dreams I stood by the river +again. There is solace in these deep, wide streams. We come and go, +our hopes, our loves, our ambitions. Nature alone remains. Should I +ever behold Gretchen again? Perhaps. Yet, there was no thrill at the +thought. If ever I beheld her again it would be when she was placed +beyond the glance of my eye, the touch of my hand. She was mine, aye, +as a dream might be; something I possessed but could not hold. Heigho! +the faces that peer at us from the firelight shadows! They troop along +in a ghostly cavalcade, and the winds that creep over the window sill +and under the door--who can say that they are not the echoes of voices +we once heard in the past? + +I was often on the verge of sending in my resignation, but I would +remember in time that work meant bread and butter--and forgetfulness. +When I returned to the office few questions were asked, though my +assistant looked many of them reproachfully. I told him that Hillars +had died abroad, and that he had been buried on the continent at his +request; all of which was the truth, but only half of it. I did my +best to keep the duel a secret, but it finally came out. It was the +topic in the clubs, for Hillars had been well known in political and +literary circles. But in a month or so the affair, subsided. The +world never stops very long, even when it loses one of its best friends. + +One late October morning I received a note which read: + + +"JOHN WINTHROP: + +"Dear Sir--I am in London for a few days, homeward bound from a trip to +Egypt, and as we are cousins and 'orphans too,' I should like the +pleasure of making your acquaintance. Trusting that I shall find you +at leisure, I am, + +"Your humble servant, + +"PHILIP PEMBROKE." + + +"Ah," said I; "that Louisianian cousin of mine, who may or may not live +the year out," recalling the old lawyer's words. "He seems to hang on +pretty well. I hope he'll be interesting; few rich men are. He writes +like a polite creditor. What did the old fellow say was the matter +with him? heart trouble, or consumption? I can't remember." I threw +the note aside and touched up some of my dispatches. + +Precisely at ten o'clock the door opened and a man came in. He was +fashionably dressed, a mixture of Piccadilly and Broadway in taste. He +was tall, slender, but well-formed; and his blonde mustache shone out +distinctly against a background of tanned skin. He had fine blue eyes. + +"Have I the pleasure of speaking to John Winthrop of New York?" he +began, taking off his hat. + +I rose. "I am the man." + +He presented his card, and on it I read, "Philip Pembroke." + +"Philip Pembroke!" I exclaimed. + +"Evidently you are surprised?" showing a set of strong white teeth. + +"Truthfully, I am," I said, taking his hand. "You see," I added, +apologetically, "your family lawyer--that is--he gave me +the--er--impression that you were a sickly fellow--one foot in the +grave, or something like. I was not expecting a man of your build." + +The smile broadened into a deep laugh, and a merry one, I thought, +enviously. It was so long since I had laughed. + +"That was a hobby of the old fellow," he replied. "When I was a boy I +had the palpitation of the heart. He never got rid of the idea that I +might die at any moment. He was always warning me about violent +exercises, the good old soul. Peace to his ashes!" + +"He is dead?" + +"Yes. When I took to traveling he all but had nervous prostration. I +suppose he told you about that will I made in your favor. It was done +to please him. Still," he added soberly, "it stands. I travel a deal, +and no one knows what may happen. And so you are the John Winthrop my +dad treated so shabbily? Oh, don't protest, he did. I should have +hunted you up long ago, and given you a solid bank account, only I knew +that the son of my aunt must necessarily be a gentleman, and, +therefore, would not look favorably upon such a proceeding." + +"Thank you," said I. The fellow pleased me. + +"And then, I did not know but what you cared nothing for money." + +"True. A journalist doesn't care anything about money; the life is too +easy and pleasant, and most of the things he needs are thrown in, as +they say." + +This bit of sarcasm did not pass; my cousin laughed again that merry +laugh of his. + +"I think we shall become great friends," he said. "I like frankness." + +"My remark in its literal sense was the antithesis of frankness." + +"Ah, you said too much not to be frank. Frankness is one of the +reasons why I do not get on well with the women. I can't lie in the +right place, and when I do it is generally ten times worse than the +plain truth." + +"You're a man of the world, I see." + +"No, merely a spectator." + +"Well, you have the price of admission; with me it's a free pass. Some +day we will compare notes." + +"Who is your banker?" + +"Banker? I have none. I distrust banks. They take your mite and +invest it in what-nots, and sometimes when you go for it, it is not +there." + +"And then again it multiplies so quickly that you have more than you +know what to do with; eh?" + +"As to that I cannot say. It is hearsay, rumor; so far as I know it +may be so. Experience has any number of teachers; the trouble is, we +cannot study under them all. Necessity has been my principal +instructor. Sometimes she has larruped me soundly, though I was a +model scholar. You will go to luncheon with me?" + +"If you will promise to dine with me this evening?" And I promised. + +For an hour or more we chatted upon congenial topics. He was +surprisingly well informed. He had seen more of the world than I, +though he had not observed it so closely. As we were about to leave, +the door opened, and Phyllis, Ethel and her husband, Mr. Holland, +entered. For a moment the room was filled with the fragrance of +October air and the essence of violets. They had been in town a week. +They had been "doing" the Strand, so Ethel said, and thought they would +make me a brief visit to see how "it was done," the foreign +corresponding. Mr. Wentworth and his wife were already domiciled at +B----, and the young people were going over to enjoy the winter +festivities. Phyllis was unchanged. How like Gretchen, I thought. + +While Ethel was engaging my cousin's attention, I conducted Phyllis +through the office. + +"What a place to work in!" said Phyllis, laughing. The laugh awakened +a vague thrill. "Dust, dust; everywhere dust. You need a woman to +look after you, Jack?" + +As I did not reply, she looked quickly at me, and seeing that my face +was grave, she flushed. + +"Forgive me, Jack," impulsively; "I did not think." + +I answered her with a reassuring smile. + +"How long are you to remain in town?" I asked, to disembarrass her. + +"We leave day after to-morrow, Saturday. A day or two in Paris, and +then we go on. Every one in New York is talking about your book. I +knew that you were capable." + +"I hope every one is buying it," said I, passing over her last +observation. + +"Was it here that you wrote it?" + +"Oh, no; it was written in my rooms, under the most favorable +circumstances." + +"I thought so. This is a very dreary place." + +"Perhaps I like it for that very reason." + +Her eyes were two interrogation points, but I pretended not to see. + +"What nice eyes your cousin has," she said, side glancing. + +With a woman it is always a man's eyes. + +"And his father was the man who left you the fortune?" + +"Yes," I answered, with a short laugh. Of course, I had never told +Phyllis of that thousand-dollar check. + +"You must run over this winter and see us," she said. "I anticipate +nothing but dinners, balls and diplomatic receptions. I have never +been there, it will all be new to me. Think of seeing Egypt, the Holy +Lands, Russia, France and Spain, and yet not seeing the very heart of +the continent! Thank goodness, I know the language." + +"And will she not be a sensation?" joined in Ethel. + +"A decided sensation," said I, scrutinizing the beautiful face so near +me. What if they met, as probably they would--Phyllis and Gretchen? +"Phyllis," said I, suddenly, "where were you born?" + +"Where was I born?" with a wondering little laugh; "in America. Where +did you suppose?" + +"Eden," said I. "I wasn't sure, so I asked." + +"I do not know how to take that," she said, with mock severity. + +"Oh, I meant Eden when it was Paradise," I hastened to say. + +"Yes," put in Pembroke; "please go back, Miss Landors, and begin the +world all over again." + +"Phyllis," said I, in a whisper, "have you ever met that remarkable +affinity of yours?" I regretted the words the moment they had crossed +my lips. + +"Yes, you are changed, as I said the other night," distrustfully. +"There is something in your voice that is changed. You have grown +cynical. But your question was impertinent. Have you found yours?" + +I was expecting this. "Yes," I said. "Once I thought I had; now I am +sure of it. Some day I shall tell you an interesting story." + +"We came up to ask you to dine with us this evening," she said, +trailing her brown-gloved finger over the dusty desk. "Are you at +liberty?" + +"No. I have only just met my cousin, and have promised to dine with +him." + +"If that is all, bring him along. I like his face." + +We passed out of the file room. + +"Phyllis, we must be going, dear," said Ethel. + +I led Phyllis down the narrow stairs. A handsome victoria stood at the +curb. + +"I shall be pleased to hear your story," said she. + +It occurred to me that the tale might not be to her liking. So I said: +"But it is one of those disagreeable stories; one where all should end +nicely, but doesn't; one which ends, leaving the hero, the heroine, and +the reader dissatisfied with the world in general, and the author (who +is Fate) in particular." + +I knew that she was puzzled. She wasn't quite sure that I was not +referring to the old affair. + +"If the story is one I never heard before," suspiciously, "I should +like to hear it." + +"And does it not occur to you," throwing back the robes so that she +might step into the victoria, "that fate has a special grudge against +me? Once was not enough, but it must be twice." + +"And she does not love you? Are you quite sure? You poor fellow!" She +squeezed my hand kindly. "Shall I be candid with you?" with the +faintest flicker of coquetry in her smile. + +"As in the old days," said I, glancing over my shoulder to see now near +the others were. A groom is never to be considered. "Yes, as in the +old days." + +"Well, I have often regretted that I did not accept you as an +experiment." + +Then I knew that she did not understand. + +"You must not think I am jesting," said I, seriously. "The story is of +the bitter-sweet kind. The heroine loves me, but cannot be mine." + +"Loves you?" with a slight start. "How do you know?" + +"She has told me so," lowering my voice. + +Frankness of this sort to a woman who has rejected you has a peculiar +effect. The coquetry faded from her smile, and there was a perceptible +contraction of the brows. Her eyes, which were looking into mine, +shifted to the back of the groom. No, I shall never understand a +woman. She should have been the most sympathetic woman in the world, +yet she appeared to be annoyed. + +"What's all this between you and Phyllis?" asked Ethel, coming up. + +"There is nothing between her and me," said I. + +"Well, there should be," she retorted. "That is the trouble." + +My observation was: "I have always held that immediately a woman gets +married she makes it her business to see that all old bachelors are +lugged out and disposed of to old maids." + +"I shall never forgive that," Phyllis declared; "never." + +"Then I shall always have the exquisite pleasure of being a supplicant +for your pardon. It is delightful to sue pardon of a beautiful woman." + +Phyllis sniffed. + +"Forgive him at once," said Ethel, "if only for that pretty speech." + +Mr. Holland pulled out his watch suggestively. + +"Well," I said, "I see that I am keeping you from your lunch. Good-by, +then, till dinner, when I shall continue at length on the evils--" + +"William," interrupted Ethel, addressing the groom, "drive on." + +And so they left us. + +"Shall we go to lunch now?" I asked of Pembroke. + +"Yes," rather dreamily I thought. "Do you know," with sudden +animation, "she is a remarkably beautiful woman?" + +"Yes, she is." After all, the sight of Phyllis had rather upset me. + +"I had a glimpse of her in Vienna last winter," went on Pembroke. "I +never knew who she was." + +"Vienna!" I exclaimed. + +"Yes. It was at a concert. Her face was indelibly graven on my +memory. I asked a neighbor who she was, but when I went to point her +out she was gone. I should like to see more of her." + +So Gretchen had been in Vienna, and poor Hillars had never known! + +I took Pembroke to the club that afternoon, and we dallied in the +billiard room till time to dress for dinner. Dinner came. But Phyllis +forgot to ask me about the story, at which I grew puzzled, considering +what I know of woman's curiosity. And she devoted most of her time to +Pembroke, who did not mind. Later we went to the theatre--some +production of Gilbert and Sullivan. Whenever I glanced at Phyllis I +fell to wondering how Gretchen would have looked in evening dress. +Yes, Phyllis was certainly beautiful, uncommonly. For years I had +worshipped at her shrine, and then--how little we know of the heart. I +was rather abstracted during the performance, and many of my replies +went wide the mark. + +As we were leaving the foyer, Phyllis said: "Jack, a man has been +staring me out of countenance." + +"Pembroke?" I laughed. + +"No. And moreover, the stare was accompanied by the most irritating +sneer." + +"Point him out to me when we reach the street," I said, humoring what I +thought to be a fancy, "and I'll put a head on him." + +The sneer was probably meant for an ogle. Beauty has its annoyances as +well as its compensations. As we came under the glare of the outside +lights, Phyllis's hand tightened on my arm. + +"Look! there he is, and he is making for us." + +At the sight of that face with its hooked nose, its waxed mustache and +imperial, I took a deep breath and held it. In the quick glance I saw +that his right arm hung stiffly at his side. I attempted to slip into +the crowd, but without success. He lifted his hat, smiling into the +astonished face of Phyllis. + +"The Princess Hildegarde--" But with those three words the sentence on +his lips came to an end. Amazement replaced the smile. He stepped +back. Phyllis's eyes expressed scornful surprise. What she understood +to be rudeness I knew to be a mistake. He had mistaken her to be +Gretchen, just as I had mistaken Gretchen to be Phyllis. It was a +situation which I enjoyed. All this was but momentary. We passed on. + +"Was the man crazy?" asked Phyllis, as we moved toward the carriages, +where we saw Pembroke waving his hand. + +"Not exactly crazy," I answered. + +"The Princess Hildegarde; did he not call me that?" + +"He did." + +"He must have mistaken me for some one else, then." + +"The very thing," said I. "I wonder what he is doing here in London?" + +"Mercy! do you know him?" + +"Slightly." We were almost at the carriage. "I am sorry to say that +he is a great personage in this very court which you are so soon to +grace." + +"How strange! I'm afraid we shan't get on." + +Pembroke and I dismissed our carriage. We were going back to the club. +Ethel and her husband were already seated in their carriage. + +Said Phyllis as I assisted her to enter; "And who is this Princess +Hildegarde?" + +"The most beautiful woman in all the world," I answered with +enthusiasm. "You will meet her also." + +"I do not believe I shall like her either," said Phyllis. "Good +night;" and the door swung to. + +Pembroke and I made off for the club. . . . Perhaps it was my +enthusiasm. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +I had just left the office when I ran into Pembroke, who was in the act +of mounting the stairs. It was Saturday morning. Phyllis had left +town. + +"Hello!" he cried. "A moment more, and I should have missed you, and +then you would not have learned a piece of news." + +"News?" + +"Yes. I have made up my mind not to go home till February." + +"What changed your plans so suddenly?" I asked. + +"My conscience." + +"In heaven's name, what has your conscience to do with your plans?" + +"Well, you see, my conscience would not permit me to meet such a +remarkable woman as Miss Landors without becoming better acquainted +with her." He swung his cane back and forth. + +"This is very sudden," said I, lighting a cigar. "When did it happen?" + +"What time did she come into your office the other day?" + +"It must have been after eleven." + +"Then it happened about eleven-fifteen." Pembroke's eyes were dancing. +"Do you--er--think there are any others?" + +"Thousands," said I, "only--" I turned the end of my cigar around to +see if the light had proved effective. + +"Only what?" + +"Only she won't have them." + +"Then there is really a chance?" + +"When a woman is not married there is always a chance," said I, wisely. +"But let me tell you, cousin mine, she has a very high ideal. The man +who wins her must be little less than a demigod and a little more than +a man. Indeed, her ideal is so high that I did not reach it by a good +foot." + +Pembroke looked surprised. "She--ah--rejected--" + +"I did not say that I had proposed to her," said I. + +"If you haven't, why haven't you?" + +"It is strange." As his face assumed an anxious tinge, I laughed. "My +dear relative, go ahead and win her, if you can; you have my best +wishes. She is nothing to me. There was a time--ah, well, we all can +look back and say that. If it isn't one woman it's another." + +Sunshine came into Pembroke's face again. "Ideal or not ideal, I am +going to make the effort." + +"Success to you!" patting his shoulder. He was good to look at, and it +was my opinion that Phyllis might do worse. We miss a good deal in +this world by being over particular. + +We were coming into Trafalgar. Nelson stood high up in the yellow fog. + +"Nature is less gracious than history sometimes," mused Pembroke, +gazing up. "She is doing her best to dull the lustre of the old +gentleman. Ah, those were days when they had men." + +"We have them still," said I. "It is not the men, but the +opportunities, which are lacking." + +"Perhaps that is so. Yet, it is the great man who makes them." + +I was thinking of Hillars. "I would give a good deal for a regiment +and a bad moment for our side." There was no mighty column in his +memory, scarcely a roll of earth. "What do you want to do?" I asked. +"Shall we hail a cab and drive to the park?" + +"Just as you say, if it is not interfering with your work." + +"Not at all." + +"Have a cigar," said Pembroke, after we had climbed into the cab and +arranged our long legs comfortably. The London cab is all very well +for a short and thin person. "These came to me directly from Key West." + +"That is one of the joys of being rich," said I. "Gold is Aladdin's +lamp. I have to take my chances on getting good tobacco in this +country." + +"Talking about gold--" he began. + +"Don't!" I entreated. + +"I was about to say that I drew on my bankers for 20,000 pounds this +morning." + +"You intend to go in for a figure abroad, then?" + +"Oh, no. I deposited the money in another bank--in your name." + +"Mine? Deposited 20,000 pounds in my name?" I gasped. + +"Just so." + +"I understood you to say, because you thought me to be a gentleman, +that you weren't going to do anything like this? Have I done something +to change your opinion?" + +"Of course not. And I never said that I should not do it. You may or +may not use it, that is as you please. But so far as I am concerned, +it will stay there and accumulate interest till the crack of doom. It +isn't mine any more. If I were not almost your brother, I dare say you +might justly take offense at the action. As it is," complacently, "you +will not only accept the gift, but thank me for it." + +"How old are you?" I asked. + +"Exactly twenty-five." + +"I thought that you could not be older than that. Aren't you afraid to +be so far away from home?" + +Pembroke lay back and laughed. "You haven't thanked me yet." + +"I must get a new tailor," said I. "What! shall I pay a tailor to make +a well-dressed man out of me, and then become an object of charity? Do +I look, then, like a man who is desperately in need of money?" + +"No, you don't look it. That's because you are clever. But what is +your salary to a man of your brains?" + +"It is bread and butter and lodging." + +He laughed again. To laugh seemed to be a part of his business. +"Jack, I haven't a soul in the world but you. I have only known you +three days, but it seems that I have known you all my life. I have so +much money that I cannot even fritter away the income." + +"It must be a sad life," said I. + +"And if you do not accept the sum in the spirit it is given, I'll +double it, and then you'll have trouble. You will be a rich man, then, +with all a rich man's cares and worries." + +"You ought to have a trustee to take care of your money." + +"It would be a small matter to bribe him off, Jack, of course, you do +not need the money now, but that is no sign you may not in the days to +come. I have known many journalists; they were ever improvident. I +want to make an exception in your case. You understand; the money is +for your old age." + +"Let me tell you why a newspaper man is improvident. He earns money +only to spend it. He has a fine scorn for money as money. He cares +more for what a dollar spent has bought than what five saved might buy." + +"Poor creditors!" was the melancholy interpolation. + +I passed over this, and went on: "It is the work which absorbs his +whole attention. He begins at the bottom of the ladder, which is in +the garret. First, he is running about the streets at two and three in +the morning, in rain and snow and fog. The contact with the lower +classes teaches him many things. He becomes the friend of the +policeman and the vagabond. And as his mind grows broader his heart +grows in proportion. It is the comparing of the great and small which +makes us impartial and philosophical. Well, soon the reporter gets +better assignments and shorter hours. He meets the noted men and women +of the city. Suddenly from the city editor's desk his ambition turns +to Washington. He succeeds there. He now comes into the presence of +distinguished ambassadors, ministers and diplomatists. He acquires a +polish and a smattering of the languages. His work becomes a feature +of his paper. The president chooses him for a friend; he comes and +goes as he wills. Presently his eye furtively wanders to Europe. The +highest ambition of a journalist, next to being a war correspondent, is +to have a foreign post. In this capacity he meets the notable men and +women of all countries; he speaks to princes and grand dukes and +crowned heads. In a way he becomes a personage himself, a man whom +great men seek. And he speaks of the world as the poet did of the fall +of Pompeii, 'Part of which I was and all of which I saw.' Ah," as my +mind ran back over my own experiences, "what man with this to gain +would care for money; a thing which would dull his imagination and take +away the keen edge of ambition, and make him play a useless part in +this kingly drama of life!" + +"I like your frankness," said Pembroke. "I have no doubt that +journalism is the most fascinating profession there is. Yet, you must +not accuse the rich of being ambitionless. I have known of rich men +losing their all to make papers for men who are ambitious to be foreign +correspondents." The young fellow was brimming with raillery. "I have +never tried to run a newspaper, but I am, notwithstanding your tirade, +ambitious. I am desirous to wed Miss Landors." + +The cab was now rolling along the row. + +"A truly great ambition," I admitted. "After all, what greater +ambition is there than to marry the woman you love? Philip, I will +accept your gift in the spirit it is given, and I'll make use of it in +the days to come, when I am old and rusted. I understand your motive. +You are happy and wish every one to be." + +"That's the idea," said he, leaning back and spreading an arm behind my +shoulders. + +"But not all the money in the world, nor all the fame for that matter, +would make me happy." Gretchen was so far away! "Very well; we'll go +to Paris together; that is as far as I go. To follow her you will have +to go alone." + +"And why can't you go the rest of the way?" + +"Work. I must be back in town in three days. You must not forget that +I have had my vacation; there is plenty to be done." + +"Now that you are comparatively wealthy, why not give up the grind, as +you call it?" + +"The truth is, I must work. When a man works he forgets." + +"Then you have something to forget?" + +"Every man who has reached the age of thirty has something to forget," +said I. + +I was gloomy. In my pocket I had the only letter I had ever received +from Gretchen. Every hour fate outdoes the romancer. The story she +had written for me was a puzzling one. And the finis? Who could say? +Fate is more capricious than the novelist; sometimes you can guess what +he intends for an end; what fate has in store, never. Gretchen's +letter did not begin as letters usually do. It began with "I love you" +and ended with the same sentence. "In November my marriage will take +place. Do not come abroad. I am growing strong now; if I should see +you alas, what would become of that thin ice covering the heart of +fire; we have nothing to return, you and I. I long to see you; I dare +not tell you how much. Who knows what the world holds hidden? While +we live there is always a perhaps. Remember that I love you!" + +"Perhaps," I mused absently. + +"Perhaps what?" asked Pembroke. + +"What?" I had forgotten him. "Oh, it was merely a slip of the +tongue." I poked the matting with my cane. "It is high noon; we had +best hunt up a lunch. I have an engagement with the American military +attache at two, so you will have to take care of yourself till dinner." + +Let me tell you what happened in the military club that night. I was +waiting for Col. J---- of the Queen's Light, who was to give me the +plan of the fall maneuvers in Africa. Pembroke was in the billiard +room showing what he knew about caroms and brandy smashes to a trio of +tanned Indian campaigners. I was in the reading room perusing the +evening papers. All at once I became aware of a man standing before +me. He remained in that position so long that I glanced over the top +of my paper. + +It was Prince Ernst of Wortumborg. He bowed. + +"May I claim your attention for a moment?" he asked. + +Had I been in any other place but the club I should have ignored him. +I possessed the liveliest hatred for the man. + +"If you will be brief." + +"As brief as possible," dropping into the nearest chair. "It has +become necessary to ask you a few questions. The matter concerns me." + +"Whatever concerns you is nothing to me," I replied coldly. + +He smiled. "Are you quite sure?" + +I had turned the sword on myself, so it seemed. But I said: "I +answered some of your questions once; I believe I was explicit." + +"As to that I can say you were; startlingly explicit. It is a delicate +matter to profess one's regard for a woman before total strangers. It +is not impossible that she would have done the same thing in your +place. Her regard for you--" + +I interrupted him with a menacing gesture. "I am extremely irritable," +I said. "I should regret to lose control of myself in a place like +this." + +"To be sure!" he said. "This is England, where they knock one another +down." + +"We do not murder on this side of the channel," I retorted. + +"That is unkind. Your friend was a very good shot," with a significant +glance at his useless arm. "But for my arm, and his nerves, which were +not of the best order, I had not lived to speak to you to-night." + +"So much the worse for the world," said I. "Your questions?" + +"Ah! Who was that remarkably beautiful woman under your distinguished +care Thursday evening?" + +"I see that our conversation is to be of the shortest duration. Who +she was is none of your business," rudely. I unfolded my paper and +began reading. + +"Perhaps, after all," not the least perturbed by my insolence, "it were +best to state on paper what I have to say. I can readily appreciate +that the encounter is disagreeable. To meet one who has made a thing +impossible to you sets the nerves on edge." He caught up his opera +hat, his cane and gloves. He raised the lapel of his coat and sniffed +at the orchid in the buttonhole. + +Some occult force bade me say, "Why do you wish to know who she was?" + +He sat down again. "I shall be pleased to explain. That I mistook her +for another who I supposed was on the other side of the channel was a +natural mistake, as you will agree. Is it not strange that I should +mistake another to be the woman who is so soon to be my wife? Is there +not something behind this remarkable, unusual likeness? Since when are +two surpassingly beautiful women, born in different lands, of different +parents, the exact likeness of each other?" + +Now as this was a thing which had occupied my mind more than once, I +immediately put aside the personal affair. That could wait. I threw +my paper onto the table. + +"Do you know, sir," said I, "that thought echoes my own?" + +"Let us for the moment put ourselves into the background," said the +Prince. "What do you know about her Serene Highness the Princess +Hildegarde; her history?" + +"Very little; proceed." + +"But tell me what you know." + +"I know that her father was driven to a gambler's grave and that her +mother died of a broken heart, and that the man who caused all this +wishes to break the heart of the daughter, too." + +"Scandal, all scandal," said the Prince. "Who ever heard of a broken +heart outside of a romantic novel? I see that the innkeeper has been +holding your ear. Ah, that innkeeper, that innkeeper! Certainly some +day there will come a reckoning." + +"Yes, indeed," said I. "Beware of him." + +"It was twenty years ago," said the Prince. "It is beyond the recall. +But let me proceed. Not many years ago there was a Prince, a very bad +fellow." + +"Most of them are." + +"He married a woman too good for him," went on the Prince, as though he +had not heard. + +"And another is about to do likewise." + +"There was some scandal. When the Princess was born, her father +refused to believe her to be his child. Now, it came to pass, as they +say in the Bible, which I assure you is a very interesting book, that +there were vague rumors immediately after the birth of Princess +Hildegarde that another child had been born." + +"What!" I was half out of my chair. "Another child?" + +"Another child. The fact that the Prince swore that when children came +he would make them counterparts of their kind and loving father, lent +color to the rumor that the Princess had had one spirited away to +escape this threatened contamination. And one of the nurses was +missing. Whither had she gone remained a mystery, and is still a +mystery, for she never has returned. Did she spirit away the other +child, the other girl? I say girl advisedly; if there had been a son, +the mother would have retained him. Two years after this interesting +episode, the Princess died, and dying, confessed the deception. But +the curious thing is, nobody believed her. Her mind was not strong, +and it was thought to be a hallucination, this second child. Now let +me come to the present time. Twins are generally alike; one mirrors +the other; when they mature, then comes the deviation, perhaps in the +color of the hair and the eyes. Behold! here are two women, but for +their hair and eyes were one. Tell me what you know of the other." He +bent forward with subdued eagerness. + +"Do you think it possible?" I cried excitedly. + +"Not only possible, but probable. She is a Princess; at least she +should be." + +Then I told him what I knew about Phyllis. + +"America! Born in America! It cannot be." He was baffled. + +"I have known her for eight years," said I. "She was born in America +as certainly as I was." + +"But this likeness? This rumor of another daughter? Ah, there is +something here I do not understand. And this uncle of hers, this +Wentworth; who is he?" + +"A retired banker, very wealthy, and at present with the American +ministry at your own capital." + +"To him we must go, then." He rose and walked the length of the room, +stopped a moment at the chess table in the corner, then resumed his +chair. "You are wondering, no doubt, what it is to me, all this?" + +"I confess you have read my mind correctly." + +"Then listen. I am a Prince without a principality; a Prince by +courtesy, my brother ruling the principality of Wortumborg. Thus being +without a principality, I am necessarily without revenues. I must +replenish my very low exchequer by a marriage, a marriage not so +distasteful as it might be." He met my darkening eyes with serenity. +"Since Thursday night I have not been so certain of my wife's dowry. +If there are two Princesses, twins, they must govern jointly, or one +may abdicate in favor of the other. Her Serene Highness the Princess +Hildegarde is the one who will be most likely to relinquish her claims +to Hohenphalia. If your friend is proved to be her sister--" He +stroked the orchid reflectively. + +"Well?" I cried, my pulse quickening. + +"I shall withdraw my claim to the hand of the Princess Hildegarde. I +do not care to rule half a principality or share half its revenues. +There are better things left than that. It is my hope, however, that +no proofs can be found, and that your banker-diplomatist will show +conclusively that his niece was born in America. Until this question +is definitely settled, my fortunes shall not undergo any risks. This +is what I wanted to say to you, why I wanted to know who your friend +was. Will you help me to get at the bottom of things? We are both +concerned; the result will mean all or nothing to you and me. Ah, +believe me, but you are a favored mortal. The friendship of the one, +and the love of the other! No; do not look angry. With all my sins, +it cannot be said that I lack frankness and truthfulness. You love the +Princess Hildegarde; I offer you an equal chance to win her. Is not +that remarkable good nature? Till the affair is settled my marriage is +postponed. Now, to our personal affair. You cannot blame me if I give +you all my honest hatred. I am at your service, after, of course, the +respective positions of the Princesses are assured. I should take more +pleasure in shooting you, or running a sword through your body, than I +took in the affair with your friend. His courage was truly admirable. +I had nothing against him. But you have grievously wounded my +self-love; we forgive all wrongs but that. I warn you that the affair +will not be conducted after the French mode. You have perhaps a +fortnight in which to improve your markmanship. The matter which shall +carry us abroad will conclude within that time. I shoot and fence with +my left hand as well as I did with my right." + +"I shall be only too happy to meet you," I replied. "I prefer the +pistol, there is less exertion, and it is quicker." + +"You shall have every advantage," said the Prince. "You will have that +to nerve your arm which I shall not have--a woman's love." With a bow +which was not without a certain dignity and grace, he walked from the +room. + +Phyllis a Princess? Gretchen free? I sent for my coat and hat and +went out. I forgot all about my appointment with Col. J---- of the +Queen's light and that I had left Pembroke playing billiards in a +strange club, where I myself had been but a guest. The crisp October +air blew in my face as I rapidly walked up the mall, and it cooled the +fever in my veins. But my mind ran on rather wildly. Gretchen free? +Phyllis a Princess? Gretchen's little word, "perhaps," came back and +sang into my ears. Yet, win or lose, I was to meet the Prince in +mortal combat. If Phyllis was not proven Gretchen's twin sister, I +should care but little for the Prince's bullet. On the other +hand--Well, I should trust to luck. Before I was aware of my +destination, I stood fumbling the key in the door of my apartment. I +wanted my pipe. At eleven by the clock, Pembroke came in. + +"Hang your apologies!" he said. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +"Phyllis," said I, "do you remember the day we first met?" + +We were in the morning room of the Wentworth mansion at B----. +Phyllis, Pembroke and I sat before the warm grate, while Mrs. Wentworth +and Ethel stood by one of the windows, comparing some shades of ribbon. +My presence at B---- was due to a wire I had sent to New York, which +informed headquarters that I was on the track of a great sensation. +The return wire had said, "Keep on it." + +"When first we met?" echoed Phyllis. "Why, it was at Block Island." + +"Oh," said I, "I do not refer to the time when you had shouldered the +responsibilities of a society bud. I mean the time when the +introduction was most informal. You were at the time selling lemonade +without license and with very little lemon." + +"Selling lemonade?" cried Pembroke. + +"Never mind him, Mr. Pembroke," laughed Phyllis. + +"It was a long time ago," I went on. "I was a new reporter. Mr. +Wentworth had to be interviewed. It was one of those hot days in May. +The servant at the door said that Mr. Wentworth was in the back +yard--he called it the garden--where I soon found myself. You had a +small table, a glass and a pitcher. I suppose every time your uncle +got thirsty you sold him a glass. You wore short dresses--" + +"Terrible!" cried Phyllis, shielding her face with the hand-screen. + +"And looked as cool as the ice in the pitcher, and as fresh as the +flowers which lined the walls. I thought that if I bought a glass of +you I might make my approach to your uncle an easier task. So I looked +at you and smiled, and you giggled." + +"Giggled!" cried Phyllis, indignantly. + +Pembroke was laughing. + +"Yes, actually giggled," I went on. "I laid down a twenty-five-cent +piece, and you poured but some water which had had nothing more than a +mild flirtation with a lemon, and I gulped it down. I held out my +hand, and you said that there wasn't any change. I smiled a false +smile. Let me make a confession." + +"Well?" mockingly from Phyllis. + +"It was my last quarter. It was very pathetic. I had to walk four +miles down town. I did not know your uncle well enough or I should +have borrowed carfare from him." + +"And I took your last penny?" said Phyllis, gently. "Why did you not +tell me then?" + +"I was twenty-two and proud," said I. "Where are you going?" for she +had risen. + +"I'll be back in a moment," she said, as she left the room. When she +returned she put out her hand. On the palm lay two bright American +dimes. + +"What's this?" I asked. + +"The change." + +"Very good!" laughed Pembroke. + +I said nothing, but took out my wallet. In opening it to put in the +dimes, something fell to the floor. It was Gretchen's rose. + +"What is that?" asked Phyllis, as I stooped to pick it up. + +"It is the end of a story," I answered. I busied myself with the fire +till the poker grew too hot. + +"How many romances commonplace wallets contain?" said Pembroke, +sententiously. + +"I have two in mine," said I. + +Pembroke looked at Phyllis, but the fire seemed to be claiming her +attention. Then he looked at me, but I was gazing at Phyllis. He was +in a puzzle. + +"Do you know, Miss Landors," he said, "that I never dreamed to meet you +again when I saw you in Vienna last year?" + +"Vienna?" said she. "I have never been to Vienna." + +I suddenly brought down my heel on Pembroke's toes. + +"Ah, a curious mistake on my part. I suppose the ball at the ministry +to-night will be your first on the continent?" + +I gazed admiringly at him. He had not even looked at me. He was +certainly clever. + +"Yes," said Phyllis, "and already I believe I am going to have what +they call stage fright, though I cannot understand why I should feel +that way." + +"Possibly it's a premonition," said I, absently. + +"And of what?" asked Phyllis. + +"How should I know?" said I, mysteriously. + +"What in the world is going on?" she demanded. "You step on Mr. +Pembroke's toes, you prophesy, and then you grow mysterious." + +My glance and Pembroke's met. He burst out laughing. A possible +contretemps was averted by the approach of Mrs. Wentworth, who asked us +to have a cup of chocolate before we went out into the chill air. +Finally we rose to make our departure. While Pembroke was bidding +Ethel a good morning, Phyllis spoke to me. + +"The last flowers you sent me were roses," she said softly. + +"Were they?" said I. "I had forgotten. Shall I send you some for this +evening?" + +It was something in her eyes that I did not understand. + +"Thank you, but Mr. Pembroke has promised to do that." And then she +added: "So you have really had two romances?" + +"Yes," said I; "and both ended badly." + +"Let us hope that the third will be of happier termination," she +smiled. The smile caused me some uneasiness. + +"There never will be a third," I said. "It is strange, is it not, when +you think that there might have been--but one? You will give me a +waltz to-night?" + +"With pleasure. Good morning." + +Pembroke and I passed down the broad stairs. On the street we walked a +block or so in silence. + +Finally Pembroke said: "What the deuce made you step on my foot? And +why does she not want me to know that she was in Vienna last winter?" + +"Because," said I, "Miss Landors never was in Vienna." + +"But, man, my eyes!" + +"I do not care anything about your eyes." + +"What makes you so positive?" + +"Knowledge." + +"Do you love her?" bluntly. + +"No." + +"Because--?" + +"There is another. Pembroke, to-night will be pregnant with +possibilities. You will see the woman you love and the woman I love." + +"What do you mean?" + +"Have you ever heard of her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde of +Hohenphalia?" + +"So high?" + +"Yes." + +"Then the woman I saw in Vienna--" + +"Was the Princess." + +"But this remarkable likeness?" + +"Perhaps I had best tell you all." And when I had done, his +astonishment knew no bounds. + +"Great George, that makes Miss Landors a Princess, too!" + +"It does, truly. Herein lies the evil of loving above one's station. +In our country love is like all things, free to obtain. We are in a +country which is not free. Here, those who appear to have the greatest +liberty have the least." + +"And she knows nothing about it?" + +"Nothing." + +"Why tell her?" he asked, fearful of his own love affair now. + +"It is a duty. Some day she might learn too late. This afternoon I +shall visit the Chancellor and place the matter before him and ask his +assistance. He must aid me to find the proofs." + +Pembroke began kicking the snow with his toes. + +"I wish you had not told me, Jack." + +"It is for the best. You and I are in the same boat; we ride or sink +together." + +At luncheon his mind was absent and he ate but little. And I ate less +than he. It was going to be very hard for me to meet Gretchen. + + +The Chancellor waved his hand toward a chair. We were very good +friends. + +"What is it now?" he asked, smiling. "I dare not stir up the +antagonists against the government to give you a story, and aside from +the antagonists it is dull." + +"I will find the story in the present instance," said I. And in the +fewest words possible I laid before him the object of my visit. + +"This is a very strange story," he said, making a pyramid of his +fingers and contemplating the task with a careful air. "Are you not +letting your imagination run away with you?" + +"Not for a moment. I ask you to attend the ball at the American +ministry this evening, and if the likeness between the two women does +not convince you, the matter shall drop, so far as I am concerned." + +"Has Herr Wentworth any idea of the affair?" + +"It is not possible. What would be his object in keeping it a secret?" + +"Still, it is a grave matter, and without precedent. We must move +carefully. You understand that there was no knowledge of another +child, only rumor; and then it was believed to be an hallucination of +the mother, whose mind was not very strong." + +"Do you believe," I asked, "that two persons born of different +parentage, in different lands, may resemble each other as these two do?" + +"No. I shall let you know what stand I'll take when I have seen them +together. And what will His Majesty say?" he mused. "I'm afraid the +matter will assume many complications. And I might add that you seem +particularly interested." + +A slight warmth came into my cheeks. + +"Your Excellency understands that a journalist always takes great +interest in affairs of this sort," was my rejoinder. + +"Yes, yes!" pleasantly. "But this so-called sister; has she not lived +most of her life in America, your own country?" + +"Your Excellency," said I, honestly, "whether she regains her own or +not is immaterial to me, from a personal standpoint." + +"Well, one way or the other, I shall decide what to do to-night. But, +mind you, there must be proofs. Though they may look enough alike to +be two peas in a pod, that will give your friend nothing you claim for +her. The fate of your Princess rests in the hands of Herr Wentworth. +Have the two met?" + +"No; but during the short time they have been in the city they have +been mistaken for each other. And why do you call her my Princess?" + +"She is not ours yet. It was a strange story, as I remember it. In +those days we had our doubts, as we still have, of another child. By +the way, who suggested the matter to you?" + +I recounted my interview with the Prince. + +"Ah," said the Chancellor; "so it was he? He is a greedy fellow and +careful. I can readily understand his object. He wants all or +nothing. I shall help you all I can," he concluded, as I reached for +my hat. + +"I ask nothing more," I replied; and then I passed from the cabinet +into the crowded anteroom. It was filled with diplomats and soldiers, +each waiting for an audience. They eyed me curiously and perhaps +enviously as I made my way to the street. "Yes, indeed, what will the +King say?" I mused on the way back to my rooms. What could he say? + +That night Pembroke and I arrived at the ministry a little after ten. +I was in a state of extreme nervousness. + +"I'm in a regular funk," said Pembroke. "Supposing your Princess does +not come?" + +"It is written that she will come." + +"Well, I'm glad that I looked you up in London. I would not have +missed this adventure." + +We found Phyllis in a nook under the grand staircase. I gave a slight +exclamation as I saw her. I had never seen her looking so beautiful. + +"Come and sit down," said she, making room for us. "I have had a +curious adventure." + +"Tell us all about it," said Pembroke. + +"I have had the honor of being mistaken for a Princess," triumphantly. + +"Who could doubt it!" said I, with a glance I could not help, which +made her lower her eyes. + +"Moreover," she continued, this time looking at Pembroke, "the +gentleman who committed the error was the Austrian Ambassador. What a +compliment to take home!" + +"And who was the Princess?" I felt compelled to ask, though I knew +perfectly well. + +"The Princess Hildegarde. Do you recall the night in London," to me, +"when the same thing occurred? I am very anxious to meet this Princess +who looks so like me." + +"You will have that pleasure immediately after the opera," said I. + +Pembroke's eyes said something to me then, and I rose. + +"There is Mr. Wentworth. I wish to speak to him. Will you excuse me?" + +"With pleasure!" laughed Pembroke. + +I threaded my way through the gathering throng to the side of Mr. +Wentworth. + +"How d'y' do, Winthrop?" he said, taking me by the arm. "Come into the +conservatory. I want you to see some of the finest orchids that ever +came from South America. The girls are looking well to-night. I +suppose you noticed." + +"Especially Phyllis." Our eyes met. + +When we entered the conservatory, he suddenly forgot all about the +orchids. + +"Jack, I'm worried about her--Phyllis. You see, she is not my niece. +There's a long story, This morning a gentleman visited my department. +He was Prince Ernst of Wortumborg. He began by asking me if Phyllis +was my niece. That started the business. He proceeded to prove to me, +as far as possible, that Phyllis was a Princess. I could not say that +it was all nonsense, because I did not know. Some twenty years ago, a +strange thing happened. I occupied the same residence as to-day. It +was near midnight, and snowing fiercely. I was looking over some +documents, when the footman came in and announced the presence of a +strange woman in the hall, who demanded to see me. The woman was young +and handsome, and in her arms she carried a child. Would I, for +humanity's sake, give a roof to the child till the morrow? The woman +said that she was looking for her relatives, but as yet had not found +them, and that the night was too cold for the child to be carried +around. She was a nurse. The child was not hers, but belonged to a +wealthy family of the south, who were to have arrived that day, but had +not. The thing seemed so irregular that I at once consented, thinking +to scan the papers the next day for an account of a lost or stolen +child. She also carried a box which contained, she said, the child's +identity. Now, as I am a living man, there was nothing in that box to +show who the child was; nothing but clothes, not a jewel or a trinket. +I looked through the papers in vain. And the woman never appeared +again. Much against my will I was forced to keep the child. I am glad +I did, for I have grown to love her as one of my own. I had a married +sister who died in Carolina, so I felt secure in stating that Phyllis +was her daughter, therefore my niece. And that is positively all I +know. And here comes a fellow who says he knows who she is, and, +moreover, that she is a Princess. What do you say to that?" + +"What he said was true," gloomily. Without proofs Gretchen remained as +far away as ever. I told him what I knew. + +"I must see this Princess before I move. If they look alike, why, let +things take their course. As a matter of fact, Phyllis is to share +equally with Ethel. So, whether or not she proves to be a Princess, it +will not interfere with her material welfare. And, by the way, Jack, +isn't there a coldness of some sort between you and Phyllis?" + +"Not a coldness," said I; "merely an understanding. Let us be getting +back to the ballroom. I am anxious to see the two when they meet." + +I left him in the reception room. As I was in the act of crossing the +hall which led to the ballroom, I was stopped. It was the Prince. + +"Well," he said, smiling ironically, "the matter is, sadly for you, +definitely settled. Your friend may in truth be a Princess, but there +are no proofs. In the eyes of men they are sisters; in the eyes of the +law they are total strangers. I shall not ask you to congratulate me +upon my success. I shall now wed the Princess Hildegarde with a sense +of security. Come--have you seen her yet? She does not know that you +are here. It will be a surprise and a pleasure. As to that other +matter, I shall send a gentleman around to your rooms in the morning to +arrange the affair." + +I shivered. I had forgotten that I had accepted a challenge. + +"Take me to her," said I. "She will be happy indeed to see me, as you +know." I laughed in his face. "How convenient it would be for both of +us--her and me--should my bullet speed to the proper place! Believe +me, I shall be most happy to kill you. There are many things on the +slate to wipe out." + +"I see that you are a gentleman of spirit," said he, smoothing the +scowl from his brow. "Ah, there she stands. Look well, my friend; +look at her well. This is probably the last night you will see her, +save as my wife." + +The sight of that dear face took the nerves from me, and left me +trembling. Even in the momentary glance I detected a melancholy cast +to her features. She was surrounded by several men, who wore various +decorations. + +"Your Highness," said the Prince, mockery predominating his tones, +"permit me to present to you an old friend." + +Was it because her soul instinctively became conscious of my presence +and nerved her for the ordeal, that she turned and smiled on me? The +Prince appeared for a moment crestfallen. Perhaps the scene lacked a +denouement. Oh, I was sure that implacable hate burned under that +smile of his, just as I knew that beneath the rise and fall of +Gretchen's bosom the steady fire of immutable love burned, burned as it +burned in my own heart. It was a defeat for the Prince, a triumph for +Gretchen and me. The greeting took but a moment. I stepped back, +strong and hopeful. She loved me. I knew that her heart was singing +the same joyous song as my own. + +"Ah, here you are!" said a voice behind me, giving me an indescribable +start. "I have been looking high and low for you. You have forgotten +this dance." + +It was Phyllis. + +And then a sudden hush fell upon the circle. The two women stood face +to face, looking with strange wonder into each other's eyes. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +Phyllis and I were sitting in one of the numerous cozy corners. I had +danced badly and out of time. The music and the babel of tongues had +become murmurous and indistinct. + +"And so that is the Princess Hildegarde?" she said, after a spell. + +"Yes; she is your double. Is she not beautiful?" + +"Is that a left-handed compliment to me?" Phyllis was smiling, but she +was colorless. + +"No," said I. "I could never give you a left-handed compliment." + +"How strange and incomprehensible!" said she, opening her fan. + +"What?--that I have never, and could never, give you a--" + +"No, no! I was thinking of the likeness. It rather unnerved me. It +seemed as though I was looking into a mirror." + +"What do you think of her?" suppressing the eagerness in my voice. + +"She is to be envied," softly. + +And I grew puzzled. + +"Jack, for a man who has associated with the first diplomatists of the +world, who has learned to read the world as another might read a book, +you are surprisingly unadept in the art of dissimulation." + +"That is a very long sentence," said I, in order to gain time enough to +fathom what she meant. I could not. So I said: "What do you mean?" + +"Your whole face was saying to the Princess, 'I love you!' A glance +told me all. I was glad for your sake that no other woman saw you at +that moment. But I suppose it would not have mattered to you." + +"Not if all the world had seen the look," moodily. + +"Poor Jack, you are very unlucky!" Her voice was full of pity. "I +feel so sorry for you, it is all so impossible. And she loves you, +too!" + +"How do you know?" + +"I looked at her while she was looking at you." + +"You have wonderful eyes." + +"So I have been told. I wonder why she gave you that withered and +worm-eaten rose?" + +"A whim," I said, staring at the rug. I wondered how she came to +surmise that it was Gretchen's rose? Intuition, perhaps. + +"Do you love her well enough," asked Phyllis, plucking the lace on her +fan, "to sacrifice all the world for her, to give up all your own +happiness that she might become happy?" + +"She never can be happy without me--if she loves me as I believe." I +admit that this was a selfish thought to express. + +"Then, why is it impossible--your love and hers? If her love for you +is as great as you say it is, what is a King, a Prince, or a +principality to her?" + +"It is none of those. It is because she has given her word, the word +of a Princess. What would you do in her place?" suddenly. + +"I?" Phyllis leaned back among the cushions her eyes half-closed and a +smile on her lips. "I am afraid that if I loved you I should follow +you to the end of the world. Honor is a fine thing, but in her case it +is an empty word. If she broke this word for you, who would be +wronged? No one, since the Prince covets only her dowry and the King +desires only his will obeyed. Perhaps I do not understand what social +obligation means to these people who are born in purple." + +"Perhaps that is it. Phyllis, listen, and I will tell you a romance +which has not yet been drawn to its end. Once upon a time--let me call +it a fairy story," said I, drawing down a palm leaf as if to read the +tale from its blades. "Once upon a time, in a country far from ours, +there lived a Prince and a Princess. The Prince was rather a bad +fellow. His faith in his wife was not the best. And he made a vow +that if ever children came he would make them as evil as himself. Not +long after the good fairy brought two children to her godchild, the +Princess. Remembering the vow made by the Prince, the good fairy +carried away one of the children, and no one knew anything about it +save the Princess and the fairy. When the remaining child was two +years old the Princess died. The child from then on grew like a wild +flower. The Prince did his best to spoil her, but the good fairy +watched over her, just as carefully as she watched over the child she +had hidden away. By and by the wicked Prince died. The child reached +womanhood. The good fairy went away and left her; perhaps she now gave +her whole attention to the other." I let the palm leaf slip back, and +drew down a fresh one, Phyllis watching me with interest. "The child +the fairy left was still a child, for all her womanhood. She was +willful and capricious; she rode, she fenced, she hunted; she was as +unlike other women as could be. At last the King, who was her +guardian, grew weary of her caprices. So he commanded that she marry. +But what had the fairy done with the other child, the twin sister of +this wild Princess? Perhaps in this instance the good fairy died and +left her work unfinished, to be taken up and pursued by a conventional +newspaper reporter. Now this pro tem fairy, who was anything but good, +as the word goes, made some curious discoveries. It seems that the +good fairy had left the lost Princess in the care of one of a foreign +race. Having a wife and daughter of his own, he brought the Princess +up as his niece, not knowing himself who she really was. She became +wise, respected, and beautiful in mind and form. Fate, who governs all +fairy stories, first brought the newspaper reporter into the presence +of the lost Princess. She was a mere girl then, and was selling +lemonade at--at twenty-five cents a glass. She--" + +"Jack," came in wondering tones, "for mercy's sake, what are you +telling me?" + +"Phyllis, can you not look back, perhaps as in a dream, to an old inn, +where soldiers and ministers in a hurry and confusion moved to and fro? +No; I dare say you were too young. The Princess Hildegarde of +Hohenphalia is your sister." I rose and bowed to her respectfully. + +"My sister?--the Princess?--I, a Princess? Jack," indignantly, "you +are mocking me! It is not fair!" + +"Phyllis, as sure as I stand before you, all I have said is true. And +now let me be the first to do homage to Your Serene Highness," taking +her hand despite her efforts to withdraw it, and kissing it. + +"It is unreal! Impossible! Absurd!" she cried. + +"Let me repeat the words of the French philosopher, who said, 'As +nothing is impossible, let us believe in the absurd,'" said I. + +"But why has Uncle Bob kept me in ignorance all these years?" +unconvinced. + +"Because, as I have said before, he knew nothing till to-day. I have +even spoken to the Chancellor, who has promised to aid in recovering +your rights." + +"And does she know--the Princess Hildegarde? My sister? How strange +the word feels on my tongue." + +"No; she does not know, but presently she will." + +Then Phyllis asked in an altered tone, "And what is all this to you +that you thrust this greatness upon me?--a greatness, I assure you, for +which I do not care?" + +I regarded her vaguely. I saw a precipice at my feet. I could not +tell her that in making her a Princess I was making Gretchen free. I +could not confess that my motive was purely a selfish one. + +"It was a duty," said I, evasively. + +"And in what way will it concern the Princess Hildegarde's affairs--and +yours?" She was rather merciless. + +"Why should it concern any affair of mine?" I asked. + +"You love her, and she loves you; may she not abdicate in my favor?" + +"And if she should?" with an accent of impatience. + +Phyllis grew silent. "Forgive me, Jack!" impulsively. "But all this +is scarcely to be believed. And then you say there are no proofs." + +"Not in the eyes of the law," I replied; "but nature has written it in +your faces." I was wondering why she had not gone into raptures at the +prospect of becoming a Princess. + +"It is a great honor," she said, after some meditation, "and it is very +kind of you. But I care as little for the title as I do for this +rose." And she cast away one of Pembroke's roses. It boded ill for my +cousin's cause. + +Presently we saw the giver of the rose loom up in the doorway. He was +smiling as usual. + +"It is supper, Jack," he said; "I'm afraid you'll have to go." + +"Does he know?" whispered Phyllis as we rose. + +"Yes." + +She frowned. And as they went away I mused upon the uncertainty of +placing valuable things in woman's hands. + +The next person I saw was the Chancellor. + +"Well?" I interrogated. + +"There can be no doubt," he said, "but--" with an expressive shrug. + +"Life would run smoother if it had fewer 'buts' and 'its' and +'perhapses.' What you would say," said I, "is that there are no +proofs. Certainly they must be somewhere." + +"But to find them!" cried he. + +"I shall make the effort; the pursuit is interesting." + +The expression in his eyes told me that he had formed an opinion in +regard to my part. "Ah, these journalists!" as he passed on. + +Everything seemed so near and yet so far. Proofs? Where could they be +found if Wentworth had them not? If only there had been a trinket, a +kerchief, even, with the Hohenphalian crest upon it! I shook my fists +in despair. Gretchen was so far away, so far! + +I went in search of her. She was still surrounded by men. The women +were not as friendly toward her as they might have been. The Prince +was standing near. Seeing me approach, his teeth gleamed for an +instant. + +"Ah," said Gretchen, "here is Herr Winthrop, who is to take me in to +supper." + +It was cleverly done, I thought. Even the Prince was of the same mind. +He appreciated all these phases. As we left them and passed in toward +the supper room, I whispered: + +"I love you!" + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +When I whispered these words I expected a gentle pressure from +Gretchen's fingers, which rested lightly on my arm. But there was no +sign, and I grew troubled. The blue-green eyes sparkled, and the white +teeth shone between the red lips. Yet something was lacking. + +"Let us go into the conservatory," she said. "It was merely a ruse of +mine. I want no supper. I have much to say to you." + +Altogether, I had dreamed of a different reception. When I entered the +doorway, and she first saw me, it was Gretchen; but now it was +distinctly a Princess, a woman of the world, full of those devices +which humble and confuse us men. + +Somehow we selected, by mutual accord, a seat among the roses. There +was a small fountain, and the waters sang in a murmurous music. It +seemed too early for words, so we drew our thoughts from the marble and +the water. As for me, I looked at, but did not see, the fountain. It +was another scene. There was a garden, in which the roses grew in +beautiful disorder. The sunbeams straggled through the chestnuts. +Near by a wide river moved slowly, and with a certain majesty. There +was a man and a woman in the garden. She was culling roses, while the +man looked on with admiring eyes. + +"Yes," said the Princess, "all that was a pretty dream. Gretchen was a +fairy; and now she has gone from your life and mine--forever. My dear +friend, it is a prosaic age we live in. Sometimes we forget and dream; +but dreams are unreal. Perhaps a flash of it comes back in after days, +that is all; and we remember that it was a dream, and nothing more. It +is true that God designs us, but the world molds us and fate puts on +the finishing touches." She was smiling into my wonder-struck face. +"We all have duties to perform while passing. Some of us are born with +destinies mapped out by human hands; some of us are free to make life +what we will. I am of the first order, and you are of the second. It +is as impossible to join the one with the other as it is to make +diamonds out of charcoal and water. Between Gretchen and the Princess +Hildegarde of Hohenphalia there is as much difference as there is +between--what simile shall I use?--the possible and the impossible?" + +"Gretchen--" I began. + +"Gretchen?" The Princess laughed amusedly. "She is flown. I beg you +not to waste a thought on her memory." + +Things were going badly for me. I did not understand the mood. It +brought to mind the woman poor Hillars had described to me in his rooms +that night in London. I saw that I was losing something, so I made +what I thought a bold stroke. I took from my pocket a withered rose. +I turned it from one hand to the other. + +"It appears that when Gretchen gave me this it was as an emblem of her +love. Still, I gave her all my heart." + +"If that be the emblem of her love, Herr, throw it away; it is not +worth the keeping." + +"And Gretchen sent me a letter once," I went on. + +"Ah, what indiscretion!" + +"It began with 'I love you,' and ended with that sentence. I have worn +the writing away with my kisses." + +"How some men waste their energies!" + +"Your Highness," said I, putting the rose back into my pocket, "did +Gretchen ever tell you how she fought a duel for me because her life +was less to her than mine?" + +The Princess Hildegarde's smile stiffened and her eyes closed for the +briefest instant. + +"Ah, shall I ever forget that night!" said I. "I held her to my heart +and kissed her on the lips. I was supremely happy. Your Highness has +never known what a thing of joy it is to kiss the one you love. It is +one of those things which are denied to people who have their destinies +mapped out by human hands." + +The Princess opened her fan and hid her lips. + +"And do you know," I continued, "when Gretchen went away I had a +wonderful dream?" + +"A dream? What was it?" The fan was waving to and fro. + +"I dreamed that a Princess came in Gretchen's place, and she threw her +arms around my neck and kissed me of her own free will." + +"And what did she say, Herr?" Certainly the voice was growing more +like Gretchen's. + +I hesitated. To tell her what the dream Princess had said would undo +all I had thus far accomplished, which was too little. + +"It will not interest Your Highness," said I. + +"Tell me what she said; I command it!" And now I was sure that there +was a falter in her voice. + +"She said--she said that she loved me." + +"Continue." + +"And that, as she was a Princess and--and honor bound, it could never +be." I had to say it. + +"That is it; that is it. It could never be. Gretchen is no more. The +Princess who, you say, came to you in a dream was then but a woman--" + +"Aye, and such a woman!" I interrupted. "As God hears me, I would give +ten years of my life to hold her again in my arms, to kiss her lips, to +hear her say that she loved me. But, pardon me, what were you going to +say?" + +"Your dream Princess was but a woman--ah, well; this is Tuesday; +Thursday at noon she will wed the Prince. It is written." + +"The devil!" I let slip. I was at the start again. + +"Sir, you do him injustice." + +"Who?--the Prince?" savagely. + +"No; the--the devil!" She had fully recovered, and I had no weapon +left. + +"Gretchen, did you really ever love me?" + +There was no answer. + +"No; I do not believe you did. If you had loved me, what to you would +have been a King, a Prince, a principality? If you broke that promise +who would be wronged? Not the King, not the Prince." + +"No, I should not have wronged them, but," said the Princess rising, "I +should have wronged my people whom I have sworn to protect; I should +have wronged my own sense of honor; I should have broken those ties +which I have sworn to hold dear and precious as my life; I should have +forsaken a sacred duty for something I was not sure of--a man's love!" + +"Gretchen!" + +"Am I cruel? Look!" Phyllis stood at the other end of the +conservatory. "Does not there recur to you some other woman you have +loved? You start. Come; was not your love for Gretchen pique? Who is +she who thus mirrors my own likeness? Whoever she is, she loves you! +Let us return; I shall be missed." It was not the woman but the +Princess who spoke. + +"You are breaking two hearts!" I cried, my voice full of +disappointment, passion and anger. + +"Two? Perhaps; but yours will not be counted." + +"You are--" + +"Pray, do not lose your temper," icily; and she swept toward the +entrance. + +I had lost. + +As the Princess drew near to Phyllis the brown eyes of the one met the +blue-green eyes of the other. There was almost an exclamation on +Phyllis's lips; there was almost a question on Gretchen's; both paled. +Phyllis understood, but Gretchen did not, why the impulse to speak +came. Then the brown eyes of Phyllis turned their penetrating gaze to +my own eyes, which I was compelled to shift. I bowed, and the Princess +and I passed on. + +By the grand staircase we ran into the Prince. His face wore a +dissatisfied air. + +"I was looking for Your Highness," he said to Gretchen. "Your carriage +is at the curb. Permit me to assist you. Ah, yes," in English, "it is +Herr Winthrop. I regret that the interview of to-morrow will have to +be postponed till Monday." + +"Any time," said I, watching Gretchen whose eyes widened, "will be +agreeable to me." + +Gretchen made as though to speak, but the Prince anticipated her. + +"It is merely a little discussion, Your Highness," he said, "which Herr +Winthrop and I left unfinished earlier in the evening. Good night." + +On the way to the cloak room it kept running through my mind that I had +lost. Thursday?--she said Thursday was the day of her wedding? It +would be an evil day for me. + +Pembroke was in the cloak room. + +"Going?" he asked. + +"Yes." + +"Well, let us go together. Where shall it be--Egypt or the steppes of +Siberia?" + +"Home first," said I; "then we shall decide." + +When we got into the carriage we lit cigars. For some reason Pembroke +was less talkative than usual. Suddenly he pulled down the window, and +a gust of snow blew in. Then up went the window again, but the cigar +was gone. + +"Has anything gone wrong?" I asked. + +"'One more unfortunate. . . . Make no deep scrutiny!'" he quoted. +"Jack, she wouldn't think of it, not for a moment. Perhaps I was a +trifle too soon. Yes, she is a Princess, indeed. As for me, I shall +go back to elephants and tigers; it's safer." + +"'The Bridge of Sighs,'" said I. "Let us cross it for good and all." + +"And let it now read 'Sighs Abridged.'" + +He asked me no questions, and I silently thanked him. Once in our +rooms, he drank a little more brandy than I thought good for one "who +may or may not live the year out." I told him so. He laughed. And +then I laughed. Both of us did it theatrically; it was laughter, but +it was not mirth. + +"Cousin," said I, "that's the idea; let us laugh. Love may sit on the +windowsill and shiver to death." + +"That fellow Anacreon was a fool," said Pembroke. "If the child of +Venus had been left then and there, what a lot of trouble might have +been averted! What do you say to this proposition; the north, the +bears and the wolves? I've a friend who owns a shooting box a few +miles across the border. There's bears and gray wolves galore. Eh?" + +"I must get back to work," said I, but half-heartedly. + +"To the devil with your work! Throw it over. You've got money; your +book is gaining you fame. What's a hundred dollars a week to you, and +jumping from one end of the continent to the other with only an hour's +notice?" + +"I'll sleep on it." + +"Good. I'll go to bed now, and you can have the hearth and the tobacco +to yourself." + +"Good night," said I. + +Yes, I wanted to be alone. But I did not smoke. I sat and stared into +the flickering flames in the grate. I had lost Gretchen. . . . To +hold a woman in your arms, the woman you love, to kiss her lips, and +then to lose her! Oh, I knew that she loved me, but she was a +Princess, and her word was given, and it could not be. The wind sang +mournfully over the sills of the window; thick snow whitened the panes; +there was a humming in the chimneys. . . . She was jealous of Phyllis; +that was why I knew that she loved me. . . . And the subtle change in +Phyllis's demeanor towards me; what did it signify? . . . Gretchen was +to be married Thursday because there were no proofs that Phyllis was +her sister. . . . What if Gretchen had been Phyllis, and Phyllis had +been Gretchen. . . . Heigho! I threw some more coals on the fire. +The candle sank in the socket. There are some things we men cannot +understand; the sea, the heavens and woman. . . . Suddenly I brought +both hands down on my knees. The innkeeper! The innkeeper! He knew! +In a moment I was rummaging through the stack of time tables. The next +south-bound train left at 3:20. I looked at the clock; 2:20. My dress +suit began to fly around on various chairs. Yes; how simple it was! +The innkeeper knew; he had known it all these years. I threw my white +cravat onto the table and picked up the most convenient tie. In ten +minutes from the time the idea came to me I was completely dressed in +traveling garments. I had a day and a half. It would take twenty +hours to fetch the innkeeper. I refused to entertain the possibility +of not finding him at the inn. I swore to heaven that the nuptials of +the Princess Hildegarde of Hohenphalia and the Prince Ernst of +Wortumborg should not be celebrated at noon, Thursday. I went into the +bedroom. + +"Pembroke?" + +"What is it?" came drowsily. + +"I am going on a journey." + +"One of those cursed orders you get every other day?" he asked. + +"No. It's one on my own account this time. I shall be back in +twenty-four hours. Goodby!" And I left him there, blinking in the dim +light of the candle. + +I rushed into the street and looked up and down it. Not a vehicle in +sight. I must run for it. The railway station was a long way off. A +fine snow pelted my face. I stopped at the first lamp and pulled out +my watch. It was twenty minutes to three. What if the time-tables had +been changed? A prayer rose to my lips; there was so much in the +balance. Down this street I ran, rounding this corner and that. I +knocked down a drunken student, who cursed me as he rolled into the +gutter. I never turned, but kept on. One of the mounted police saw me +rushing along. He shaded his eyes for a moment, then called to me to +stop. I swore under my breath. + +"Where are you going at such a pace and at this time of morning?" he +demanded. + +"To the station. I beg of you not to delay me. I am in a great hurry +to catch the 3:20 south-bound train. If you doubt me, come to the +station with me." An inspiration came to me. "Please see," I added +impressively, "that no one hinders me. I am on the King's business." + +"His Majesty's business? Ach! since when has His Majesty chosen an +Englishman to dispatch his affairs? I will proceed with you to the +station." + +And he kept his word. When he saw the gateman examine my ticket and +passports and smile pleasantly, he turned on his heel, convinced that +there was nothing dangerous about me. He climbed on his horse and +galloped away. He might have caused me no end of delay, and time meant +everything in a case like mine. Scarcely had I secured a compartment +in a first-class carriage than the wheels groaned and the train rolled +out of the station. My brow was damp; my hands trembled like an +excited woman's. Should I win? I had a broken cigar in my pocket. I +lit the preserved end at the top of the feeble carriage lamp. I had +the compartment alone. Sleep! Not I. Who could sleep when the car +wheels and the rattling windows kept saying, "The innkeeper knows! The +innkeeper knows!" Every stop was a heartache. Ah, those eight hours +were eight separate centuries to me. I looked careworn and haggard +enough the next morning when I stepped on the station platform. I +wanted nothing to eat; not even a cup of coffee to drink. + +To find conveyance to the inn was not an easy task. No one wanted to +take the drive. Finally I secured a horse. There was no haggling over +the price. And soon I was loping through the snowdrifts in the +direction of the old inn. The snow whirled and eddied over the stubble +fields; the winds sang past my ears; the trees creaked and the river +flowed on, black and sluggish. It was a dreary scene. It was bitter +cold, but I had no mind for that. On, on I went. Two miles were left +in the rear. The horse was beginning to breathe hard. Sometimes the +snow was up to his knees. What if the old man was not there? The +blood sank upon my heart. Once the horse struck a slippery place and +nearly fell, but I caught him in time. I could now see the inn, +perhaps a mile away, through the leafless trees. It looked dismal +enough. The vines hung dead about it, the hedges were wild and +scrawny, the roses I knew to be no more, and the squirrel had left his +summer home for a warmer nest in the forest. A wave of joy swept over +me as I saw a thin stream of smoke winding above the chimney. Some one +was there. On, on; presently I flew up the roadway. A man stood on +the porch. It was Stahlberg. When I pushed down my collar his jaw +dropped. I flung the reins to him. + +"Where is the innkeeper?" I cried with my first breath. + +"In the hall, Herr. But--" + +I was past him and going through the rooms. Yes, thank God, there he +was, sitting before the huge fireplace, where the logs crackled and +seethed, his grizzled head sunk between his shoulders, lost in some +dream. I tramped in noisily. He started out of his dream and looked +around. + +"Gott!" he cried. He wiped his eyes and looked again. "Is it a dream +or is it you?" + +"Flesh and blood!" I cried. "Flesh and blood!" + +I closed the door and bolted it. He followed my movements with a +mixture of astonishment and curiosity in his eyes. + +"Now," I began, "what have you done with the proofs which you took from +your wife--the proofs of the existence of a twin sister of the Princess +Hildegarde of Hohenphalia?" + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +The suddenness of this demand overwhelmed him, and he fell back into +the chair, his eyes bulging and his mouth agape. + +"Do you hear me?" I cried. "The proofs!" going up to him with clenched +fists. "What have you done with those proofs? If you have destroyed +them I'll kill you." + +Then, as a bulldog shakes himself loose, the old fellow got up and +squared his shoulders and faced me, his lips compressed and his jaws +knotted. I could see by his eyes that I must fight for it. + +"Herr Winthrop has gone mad," said he. "The Princess Hildegarde never +had a sister." + +"You lie!" My hands were at his throat. + +"I am an old man," he said. + +I let my hands drop and stepped back. + +"That is better," he said, with a grim smile. "Who told you this +impossible tale, and what has brought you here?" + +"It is not impossible. The sister has been found." + +"Found!" I had him this time. "Found!" he repeated. "Oh, this is not +credible!" + +"It is true. And to-morrow at noon the woman you profess to love will +become the wife of the man she abhors. Why? Because you, you refuse +to save her!" + +"I? How in God's name can I save her?" the perspiration beginning to +stand out on his brow. + +"How? I will tell you how. Prince Ernst marries Gretchen for her +dowry alone. If the woman I believe to be her sister can be proved so, +the Prince will withdraw his claims to Gretchen's hand. Do you +understand? He will not marry for half the revenues of Hohenphalia. +It is all or nothing. Now, will you produce those proofs? Will you +help me?" The minute hand of the clock was moving around with deadly +precision. + +"Are you lying to me?" he asked, breathing hard. + +"You fool! can't you see that it means everything to Gretchen if you +have those proofs? She will be free, free! Will you get those proofs, +or shall your god-child live to curse you?" + +This was the most powerful weapon I had yet used. + +"Live to curse me?" he said, not speaking to me, but to the thought. +He sat down again and covered his face with his hands. The minute +which passed seemed very long. He flung away his hands from his eyes +with a movement which expressed despair and resignation. "Yes, I will +get them. It is years and years ago," he mused absently; "so long ago +that I had thought it gone and forgotten. But it was not to be. I +will get the proofs," turning to me as he left the chair. "Wait here." +He unbolted the door and passed forth. . . . It was a full confession +of the deception, written by the mother herself, and witnessed by her +physician, the innkeeper and his wife. Not even the King could contest +its genuineness. + +"Where is this Dr. Salzberg?" + +The innkeeper leaned against the side of the fireplace, staring into +the flames. + +"He is dead," briefly. + +"Who was he?" + +"Her late Highness's court-physician. Oh, have no fear, Herr; this +new-found Princess of yours will come into her own," with a bitter +smile. + +"And why have you kept silent all these years?" I asked. + +"Why?" He raised his arms, then let them fall dejectedly. "I loved +the Princess Hildegarde. I was jealous that any should share her +greatness. I have kept silent because I carried her in my arms till +she could walk. Because her father cursed her, and refused to believe +her his own. Because she grew around my heart as a vine grows around a +rugged oak. And the other? She was nothing to me. I had never seen +her. My wife spirited her away when it was night and dark. I took the +proofs of her existence as a punishment to my wife, who, without them, +would never dare to return to this country again. Herr, when a man +loads you with ignominy and contempt and ridicule for something you are +not to blame, what do you seek? Revenge. The Prince tried to crush +this lonely child of his. It was I who brought her up. It was I who +taught her to say her prayers. It was I who made her what she is +to-day, a noble woman, with a soul as spotless as yonder snowdrift. +That was my revenge." + +"Who are you?" I cried. For this innkeeper's affection and eloquence +seemed out of place. + +"Who am I?" The smile which lit his face was wistful and sad. "The +law of man disavows me--the bar sinister. In the eyes of God, who is +accountable for our being, I am Gretchen's uncle, her father's brother." + +"You?" I was astounded. + +"And who knows of this?" + +"The King, the Prince--and you." + +I thrust a hand toward him. "You are a man." + +"Wait. Swear to God that Her Highness shall never know." + +"On my honor." + +Then he accepted my clasp and looked straight into my eyes. + +"And all this to you?" + +"I love her." + +"And she?" + +"It is mutual. Do you suppose she would have put her life before mine +if not? She knew that the lieutenant would have killed me." + +"Ach! It never occurred to me in that light. I understood it to be a +frolic of hers. Will you make her happy?" + +"If an honest man's love can do it," said I. "Now, get on your hat and +coat. You must go to the capital with me. The King would send for you +in any case. The next train leaves at five, and to save Gretchen, +these proofs must be in the Chancellor's hands to-morrow morning." + +"Yes, my presence will be necessary. Perhaps I have committed a crime; +who knows?" His head fell in meditation. "Herr, and this other +sister, has she been happy?" + +"Happier than ever Gretchen." + +He had the sleigh brought around. Stahlberg was to ride my horse back +to the village and return with the sleigh. We climbed into the seat, +there was a crunching of snow, a jangle of bells, and we were gliding +over the white highway. As I lay back among the robes, I tried to +imagine that it was a dream, that I was still in New York, grinding +away in my den, and not enacting one of the principal roles in a court +drama; that I was not in love with a woman who spoke familiarly to +kings and grand dukes and princes, that I was not about to create a +Princess of whom few had vaguely heard and of whom but one had really +known; that Phyllis and I were once more on the old friendly grounds, +and that I was to go on loving her till the end of time--till the end +of time. + +"You have known this sister?" asked the innkeeper. + +"For many years," said I. + +And those were the only words which passed between us during that +five-mile drive. At the station I at once wired the Chancellor that +the proofs had been found, and requested him to inform the King and +Prince Ernst. And then another eight hours dragged themselves out of +existence. But Gretchen was mine! + + +The King was dressed in a military blouse, and, save for the small +cross suspended from his neck by a chain of gold, there was nothing +about him to distinguish his rank. He strode back and forth, sometimes +going the whole length of the white room. The Chancellor sat at a long +mahogany table, and the Prince and Mr. Wentworth were seated at either +side of him. The innkeeper stood before the Chancellor, at the +opposite side of the table. His face might have been cut from granite, +it was so set and impressive. I leaned over the back of a chair in the +rear of the room. The King came close to me once and fixed his keen +blue eyes on mine. + +"Was this the fellow, Prince," he asked, "who caused you all the +trouble and anxiety?" + +I felt uneasy. My experience with Kings was not large. + +"No, Your Majesty," answered the Prince. "The gentleman to whom you +refer has departed the scene." The Prince caught the fire in my eye, +and laughed softly. + +"Ah," said the King, carelessly. "It is a strange story. Proceed," +with a nod to the Chancellor. + +"What is your name?" the Chancellor asked, directing his glance at the +innkeeper. + +The innkeeper gazed at the King for a space. The Prince was watching +him with a mocking smile. + +"Hermann Breunner, Your Excellency." + +The King stood still. He had forgotten the man, but not the name. + +"Hermann Breunner," he mused. + +"Yes, Your Majesty," said the innkeeper. + +"The keeper of the feudal inn," supplemented the Prince. + +The glance the innkeeper shot him was swift. The Prince suddenly +busied himself with the papers. + +"Are you aware," went on the Chancellor, who had not touched the +undercurrent, "that you are guilty of a grave crime?" + +"Yes, Your Excellency." + +"Which is punishable by long imprisonment?" + +The innkeeper bent his head. + +"What have you to say in your defense?" + +"Nothing," tranquilly meeting the frowning eyes of the King. + +"What was your object in defrauding the Princess--" the Chancellor +opened one of the documents which lay before him--"the Princess +Elizabeth of her rights?" + +"I desired the Princess Hildegarde to possess all," was the answer. It +was also a challenge to the Prince to refute the answer if he dared. +"I acknowledge that I have committed a crime. I submit to His +Majesty's will," bowing reverentially. + +The King was stroking his chin, a sign of deep meditation in him. + +"Let Their Highnesses be brought in," he said at last. + +The Chancellor rose and passed into the anteroom. Shortly he returned, +followed by Gretchen. I could see by the expression in her face that +she was mystified by the proceeding. + +"Her Highness the Princess Elizabeth is just leaving the carriage," +announced the Chancellor, retiring again. + +Gretchen looked first at the King, then at the Prince. As she saw the +innkeeper, a wave of astonishment rippled over her face. + +"Be seated, Your Highness," said the King, kindly. + +She knew that I was in the room, but her eyes never left the King. + +The Prince was plucking at his imperial. The innkeeper's eyes were +riveted on the door. He was waiting for the appearance of her whom he +had wronged. Presently Phyllis came in. Her cheeks were red, and her +eyes sparkled with excitement. Wentworth nodded reassuringly. The +innkeeper was like one stricken dumb. He stared at Phyllis till I +thought his eyes would start from their sockets. + +"Your Majesty has summoned me?" said Gretchen. + +"Yes. Explain," said the King to the Chancellor. + +"Your Highness," began the Chancellor, "it has been proved by these +papers here and by that man there," pointing to the innkeeper, "that +your mother of lamented memory gave birth to twins. One is yourself; +the other was spirited away at the request of your mother. We shall +pass over her reasons. It was all due to the efforts of this clever +journalist here--" Gretchen was compelled to look at me now, while the +King frowned and the Prince smiled--"that your sister has been found." + +Gretchen gave a cry and started to go to Phyllis with outstretched +arms; but as Phyllis stood motionless she stopped, and her arms fell. + +"Your Highness," said the King to Phyllis, "it is your sister, the +Princess Hildegarde. Embrace her, I beg you." + +The King willed it. But it occurred to me that there was a warmth +lacking in the embrace. Gretchen lightly brushed with her lips the +cheek of her sister, and the kiss was as lightly returned. There was +something about it all we men failed to understand. + +"Moreover," said the King, "she desires you to remain the sovereign +Princess of Hohenphalia." + +"Nay, Your Majesty," said Gretchen, "it is I who will relinquish my +claims. Your Majesty is aware that I have many caprices." + +"Indeed, yes," said the King. "And I can assure you that they have +caused me no small anxiety. But let us come to an understanding, once +and for all. Do you wish to abdicate in favor of your sister?" + +Gretchen gave me the briefest notice. + +"Yes, Your Majesty." + +Phyllis was regarding me steadfastly. + +"This is final?" said the King. + +"It is." + +"And what is your will?" to Phyllis. "Yes, the likeness is truly +remarkable," communing aloud to his thought. + +I could not suppress the appeal in my eyes. + +"Your Majesty," said Phyllis, "if my sister will teach me how to become +a Princess, I promise to accept the responsibility." + +"You will not need much teaching," replied the King, admiringly. + +"You will do this?--you, my sister?" asked Gretchen eagerly. + +"Yes." There was no color now in Phyllis's cheeks; they were as white +as the marble faun on the mantel. + +"Remember, Your Highness," said the King, speaking to Gretchen, "there +shall be no recall." + +"Sire," said the Prince, rising, "I request a favor." + +"And it shall be granted," said the King, "this being your wedding day." + +It was Gretchen who now paled; the hands of the innkeeper closed; I +clutched the chair, for my legs trembled. To lose, after all! + +"Ah," said the Prince, "I thank Your Majesty. The favor I ask is that +you will postpone this marriage--indefinitely." + +"What!" cried the King. He was amazed. "Have I heard you aright, or +do my ears play me false?" + +"It is true. I thank Your Majesty again," said the Prince, bowing. + +"But this is beyond belief," cried the King in anger. "I do not +understand. This marriage was at your own request, and now you +withdraw. Since when," proudly, "was the hand of the Princess +Hildegarde to be ignored?" + +"It is a delicate matter," said the Prince, turning the ring on his +finger. "It would be impolite to state my reasons before Her Highness. +Your Highness, are you not of my opinion, that, as matters now stand, a +marriage between us would be rather absurd?" + +"Now, as at all times," retorted Gretchen, scornfully. "It has never +been my will," a furtive glance at the King. + +"But--" began the King. He was wrathful. + +"Your Majesty," said the innkeeper, "you are a great King; be a +generous one." + +All looked at him as though they expected to see the King fly at him +and demolish him--all but I. The King walked up to the bold speaker, +took his measure, then, with his hands clasped behind his back, resumed +his pacing. After a while he came to a standstill. + +"Your Highness," he said to Phyllis, "what shall I do with this man who +has so grossly wronged you?" + +"Forgive him." + +The King passed on. I was not looking at him, but at the innkeeper. I +saw his lip tremble and his eyes fill. Suddenly he fell upon his knees +before Phyllis and raised her hand to his lips. + +"Will Your Highness forgive a sinner who only now realizes the wrong he +has done to you?" + +"Yes, I forgive you," said Phyllis. "The only wrong you have done to +me is to have made me a Princess. Your Majesty will forgive me, but it +is all so strange to me who have grown up in a foreign land which is +dearer to my heart than the land in which I was born." + +I felt a thrill of pride, and I saw that Mr. Wentworth's lips had +formed into a "God bless her!" + +"It is a question now," said the King, "only of duty." + +"And Your Majesty's will regarding my marriage?" put in the Prince, +holding his watch in his hand. It was ten o'clock. + +"Well, well! It shall be as you desire." Then to me: "I thank you in +the name of Their Highnesses for your services. And you, Mr. +Wentworth, shall always have the good will of the King for presenting +to his court so accomplished and beautiful a woman as Her Highness the +Princess Elizabeth. Hermann Breunner, return to your inn and remain +there; your countenance brings back disagreeable recollections. I +shall expect Your Highnesses at dinner this evening. Prince, I leave +to you the pleasant task of annulling your nuptial preparations. Good +morning. Ah! these women!" as he passed from the room. "They are our +mothers, so we must suffer their caprices." + +And as we men followed him we saw Gretchen weeping silently on +Phyllis's shoulder. + +The innkeeper touched the Prince. + +"I give you fair warning," he said. "If our paths cross again, one of +us shall go on alone." + +"I should be very lonely without you," laughed the Prince. "However, +rest yourself. As the King remarked, your face recalls unpleasant +memories. Our paths shall not cross again." + +When the innkeeper and the Chancellor were out of earshot, I said: "She +is mine!" + +"Not yet," the Prince said softly. "On Tuesday morn I shall kill you." + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +The affair caused considerable stir. The wise men of diplomacy shook +their heads over it and predicted grave things in store for +Hohenphalia. Things were bad enough as they were, but to have a woman +with American ideas at the head--well, it was too dreadful to think of. +And the correspondents created a hubbub. The news was flashed to +Paris, to London, thence to New York, where the illustrated weeklies +printed full-page pictures of the new Princess who had but a few months +since been one of the society belles. And everybody was wondering who +the "journalist" in the case was. The Chancellor smiled and said +nothing. Mr. Wentworth said nothing and smiled. A cablegram from New +York alarmed me. It said: "Was it you?" I answered, "Await letter." +The letter contained my resignation, to take effect the moment my name +became connected with the finding of the Princess Elizabeth. A week or +so later I received another cablegram, "Accept resignation. Temptation +too great." In some manner they secured a photograph of mine, and I +became known as "The reporter who made a Princess;" and for many days +the raillery at the clubs was simply unbearable. But I am skipping the +intermediate events, those which followed the scene in the King's +palace. + +I was very unhappy. Three days passed, and I saw neither Phyllis nor +Gretchen. The city was still talking about the dramatic ending of +Prince Ernst's engagement to the Princess Hildegarde, Twice I had +called at the Hohenphalian residence to pay my respects. Once I was +told that Their Highnesses were at the palace. The second time I was +informed that Their Highnesses were indisposed. I became gloomy and +disheartened. I could not understand. Gretchen had not even thanked +me for my efforts in saving her the unhappiness of marrying the Prince. +And Phyllis, she who had called me "Jack," she whom I had watched grow +from girlhood to womanhood, she, too, had forsaken me. I do not know +what would have become of me but for Pembroke's cheerfulness. + +Monday night I was sitting before the grate, reading for the hundredth +time Gretchen's only letter. Pembroke was buried behind the covers of +a magazine. Suddenly a yellow flame leaped from a pine log, and in it +I seemed to read all. Gretchen was proud and jealous. She believed +that I loved Phyllis and had made her a Princess because I loved her. +It was the first time I had laughed in many an hour. Pembroke looked +over his magazine. + +"That sounds good. What caused it?" + +"A story," I answered. "Some day I shall tell you all about it. Have +you noticed how badly I have gone about lately?" + +"Have I!" he echoed. "If I haven't had a time of it, I should like to +know!" + +"Well, it is all over," said I, placing a hand on his shoulder and +smiling into his questioning eyes. "Now if you will excuse me, cousin +mine, I'll make a call on her Serene Highness the Princess Hildegarde." + +Just then the door opened and Pembroke's valet came in. He handed a +card to me, and I read upon it, "Count von Walden." I cast it into +Pembroke's lap. + +"That's the man. He is the inseparable of the Prince of Wortumborg." +Then to the valet, "Show him up." + +"What's it all about?" asked Pembroke. + +"Honestly, I should like to run away," I said musingly. The snow on +the housetops across the way sparkled in the early moonshine. "It's +about a woman. If I live--ah!" I went to the door and swung it open. +The Count gravely passed over the threshold. + +"Good evening," he said, with a look of inquiry at Pembroke. + +"This gentleman," said I, as I introduced him, "will second me in the +affair to-morrow morning. I suppose you have come to make the final +arrangements?" + +"Pardon me," began Pembroke, "but I do not understand--" + +"Oh, I forgot. You are," I responded, "to be my second in a duel +to-morrow morning. Should anything happen to me, it were well to have +a friend near by, better still a relative. Well, Count?" + +"The Prince desires me to inform you that he has selected pistols at +your request, and despite the fact that he has only the use of his left +hand, he permits you to use either of yours. There will be one shot +each, the firing to be drawn for on the grounds. The time is six, the +place one mile out on the north road, in the rear of the Strasburg inn. +I trust this is entirely satisfactory to you?" + +"It is," I answered. + +"Then allow me to bid you good night." He bowed and backed toward the +door. He remained a moment with his hand on the knob, gazing into my +eyes. I read in his a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "Good +night," and he was gone. + +Pembroke stared at me in bewilderment. "What the devil--" + +"It is a matter of long standing," said I. + +"But a duel!" he cried, impatiently. "Hang me if I'll be your second +or let you fight. These are not the days of Richelieu. It is pure +murder. It is against the law." + +"But I cannot draw back honorably," I said. "I cannot." + +"I'll notify the police and have them stop it," he said with +determination. + +"And have us all arrested and laughed at from one end of the continent +to the other. My dear cousin, that man shot the dearest friend I had +in the world. I am going to try to kill him at the risk of getting +killed myself. He has also insulted the noblest woman that ever lived. +If I backed down, I should be called a coward; the people who respect +me now would close their doors in my face." + +"But you have everything to lose, and he has nothing to gain." + +"It cannot be helped," said I. "The woman I love once fought a duel +for me; I cannot do less for her. You will be my second?" + +"Yes. But if he wounds you, woe to him." + +"Very well, I'll leave you," said I. + +It was not far to the residence of Their Highnesses, so I walked. It +was a fine night, and the frost sang beneath my heels. I had never +fought a duel. This time no one would stand between. I was glad of +this. I wanted Gretchen to know that I, too, was brave, but hitherto +had lacked the opportunity to show it. It was really for her sake, +after all, even though it would be something to avenge poor Hillars. +And I wondered, as I walked along, would Gretchen and Phyllis love each +other? It was difficult to guess, since, though sisters, they were +utter strangers in lives and beliefs. Soon my journey came to an end, +and I found myself mounting the broad marble steps of the Hohenphalian +mansion. My heart beat swiftly and I had some difficulty in finding +the bell. + +The liveried footman took my card. + +"Present it to her Highness the Princess Hildegarde," I said, as I +passed into the hall. + +"Her Serene Highness has left town, I believe, Your Excellency. Her +Serene Highness the Princess Elizabeth is dining at the palace." + +"Gone?" said I. + +"Yes, Your Excellency." He examined my card closely. "Ah, allow me to +deliver this note to you which Her Serene Highness directed me to do +should you call." + +My hands shook as I accepted the missive, and the lights began to +waver. I passed out into the cold air. Gone? And why? I walked back +to the rooms in feverish haste. Pembroke was still at his reading. + +"Hello! What brings you back so soon?" + +"She was not at home," I answered. I threw my coat and hat on the +sofa. I balanced the envelope in my hand. For some moments I +hesitated to open it. Something was wrong; if all had been well +Gretchen would not have left the city. I glanced at Pembroke. He went +on with his reading, unconcerned. Well, the sooner it was over, the +better. I drew forth the contents and read it. + + +"Herr Winthrop--Forgive the indiscretion of a Princess. On my honor, I +am sorry for having made you believe that you inspired me with the +grand passion. Folly finds plenty to do with idle minds. It was a +caprice of mine which I heartily regret. There is nothing to forgive; +there is much to forget. However, I am under great obligations to you. +I am positive that I shall love my sister as I have never loved a human +being before. She is adorable, and I can well comprehend why you +should love her deeply. Forgive me for playing with what the French +call your summer affections. I am about to leave for Hohenphalia to +prepare the way for the new sovereign. Will you kindly destroy that +one indiscreet letter which I, in the spirit of mischief, wrote you +last autumn? + +"The Princess Hildegarde." + + +The envelope reminded me of a rusty scabbard; there was a very keen +weapon within. I lit my pipe and puffed for a while. + +"Cousin," said I, "I have a premonition that I shall not kill Prince +Ernst of Wortumborg at six o'clock to-morrow morning." + +"What put that into your head? You are not going to back down, after +all, are you?" + +"Decidedly not. Something strikes me that I shall miss fire." + +"Pshaw!" exclaimed Pembroke. "I have been thinking it over, and I've +come to the conclusion that it would not be a bad plan to rid this +world of a man like your Prince. It'll all come out right in the end. +You will wed the Princess Hildegarde just as sure as--as I will not wed +her sister." He spoke the last words rapidly, as though afraid of them. + +"I shall never marry the Princess Hildegarde," said I. "She has gone." + +"Gone? Where?" + +"It matters not where. Suffice it is that she has gone. Pembroke, you +and I were very unfortunate fellows. What earthly use have Princesses +for you and me? The little knowledge of court we have was gotten out +of cheap books and newspaper articles. To talk with Kings and +Princesses it requires an innate etiquette which commoners cannot +learn. We are not to the manner born. These Princesses are but +candles; and now that we have singed our mothy wings, and are crippled +so that we may not fly again, let us beware. This may or may not be my +last night on earth. . . . Let us go to the opera. Let us be original +in all things. I shall pay a prima donna to sing my requiem from the +footlights--before I am dead." + +"Jack!" cried Pembroke, anxiously. + +"Oh, do not worry," said I. "I am only trying to laugh--but I can't!" + +"Are you truly serious about going to the opera?" he asked. + +"Yes. Hurry and dress," said I. + +I leaned against the mantel and stared into the flickering tongues of +flame. A caprice? I read the letter again, then threw it into the +grate and watched the little darts of light devour it. Now and then a +word stood out boldly. Finally the wind carried the brown ashes up the +chimney, I would keep the other letter--the one she had asked for--and +the withered rose till the earth passed over me. She was a Princess; I +was truly an adventurer, a feeble pawn on the chess-board. What had I +to do with Kings and bishops and knights? The comedy was about to +end--perhaps with a tragedy. I had spoken my few lines and was going +behind the scenes out of which I had come. As I waited for Pembroke +the past two years went by as in a panorama. I thought of the old +lawyer and the thousand-dollar check; the night at the opera with +Phyllis; the meeting of Hillars and his story. "When there is nothing +more to live for, it is time to die." If there was such a place as +Elysium in the nether world, Hillars and I should talk it all over +there. It is pleasant to contemplate the fact that when we are dead we +shall know "the reason why." + +"Come along," said Pembroke, entering. + +So we went to the opera. They are full of wonderful scenes, these +continental opera houses. Here and there one sees the brilliant +uniforms, blue and scarlet and brown, glittering with insignias and +softened by furs. Old men with sashes crossing the white bosoms of +their linen dominate the boxes, and the beauty of woman is often lost +in the sparkle of jewels. And hovering over all is an oppressive +fragrance. Pembroke's glasses were roving about. Presently he touched +my arm. + +"In the upper proscenium," he said. + +It was Phyllis. The Chancellor and the Grand Duke of S---- were with +her. + +"We shall visit her during the first intermission," said I. + +"You had better go alone," replied Pembroke. "I haven't the courage." + +The moment the curtain dropped I left the stall. I passed along the +corridor and soon stood outside the box in which Phyllis sat. I +knocked gently. + +"Enter!" said a soft voice. + +"Ah," said the Chancellor, smiling as he saw me. "Duke, I believe +their Majesties are looking this way. Let us go to them. I am pleased +to see you, Herr Winthrop. Duke, this is the gentleman who has turned +us all upside down." + +The Duke bowed, and the two left me alone with Phyllis. + +There was an embarrassing silence, but she surmounted it. + +"Why have you not been to see me?" she asked. "Are you done with me +now that you have made me a Princess?" + +"I did call, but was told that you were indisposed," said I. + +"It was because I did not see your card. I shall never be indisposed +to my friends--the old ones. However, they will be crowding in here +shortly. Will you come and see me at four to-morrow afternoon?" + +"Is it important?" I was thinking of the duel when I said this. + +"Very--to you. You have a strange funereal expression for a man who is +about to wed the woman he loves." + +"Your sister has left town?" not knowing what else to say. + +"Only for a few days; at least so she told me. Have you seen her?" + +"No, I have not. A Princess!" dropping into a lighter tone. "You +carry your honors well. It was to be expected of you. I might have +made you a Queen, but that would not have changed you any." + +"Thank you. Do you know, a title is a most wonderful drawing +apparatus? Since Thursday it has been a continued performance of +presentations. And I care absolutely nothing for it all. Indeed, it +rests heavily upon me. I am no longer free. Ah, Jack, and to think +that I must blame you! I have been longing all the evening for the +little garden at home. Yes, it will always be home to me. I am almost +an alien. I would rather sell lemonade to poor reporters who had only +twenty-five-cent pieces in their pockets than queen it over a people +that do not interest me and with whom I have nothing in common." She +smiled, rather sadly, I thought, at the remembrance of that garden +scene so long ago. + +"Time has a cruel way of moving us around," said I, snapping the clasps +on my gloves, and pulling the fingers and looking everywhere but at +her. I was wondering if I should ever see her again. "When is the +coronation to take place?" + +"In June. The King does not wish to hurry me. You see, I must learn +to be a Princess first. It was kind of him. And you will be at +Hohenphalia to witness the event?" + +"If nothing happens. We live in a continual uncertainty." + +She regarded me somewhat strangely. + +"Is there a significance in that last sentence?" + +"No," I answered. I felt compelled to add something. "But here come +some of your new admirers. Their glittering medals will make me feel +out of place if I remain. I shall do my best to accept your +invitation." + +"Jack, you are hiding something from me. Are you going to leave the +city to search for her?" + +"No," said I. "The truth is," with a miserable attempt to smile, "I +have an engagement to-morrow morning, and it is impossible to tell how +long it will last. Good night." + +Fate played loose with me that night. As I was turning down the +corridor I ran into the Prince. He was accompanied by Von Walden and +an attache whom I knew. + +"Good evening," said the Prince. "Do you not prefer the French opera, +after all?" + +"All good music is the same to me," I answered, calmly returning his +amused look with a contemptuous one. "Wagner, Verdi, Gounod, or Bizet, +it matters not." + +The attache passed some cigarettes. Only the Prince refused. + +"No thanks. I am not that kind of a villain." He laughed as he +uttered these words, and looked at me. + +I would have given much to possess that man's coolness. + +"Till we meet again," he said, as I continued on. "Shall I add +pleasant dreams?" + +"I am obliged to you," I answered over my shoulder, "but I never have +them. I sleep too soundly." + +"Cousin," said I, later, "what was that opera?" + +"I forgot to bring along a program," said Pembroke. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +When Pembroke and I arrived at the Strasburg inn, on the north road, +neither the Prince nor Von Walden were in evidence. I stepped from our +carriage and gazed interestedly around me. The scene was a picturesque +one. The sun, but half risen, was of a rusty brass, and all east was +mottled with purple and salmon hues. The clearing, a quarter of a mile +away, where the Prince and I were to settle our dispute, was hidden +under a fine white snow; and the barren trees which encircled it stood +out blackly. Pembroke looked at his watch. + +"They ought to be along soon; it's five after six. How do you feel?" +regarding me seriously. + +"As nerveless as a rod of steel," I answered. "Let us go in and order +a small breakfast. I'm a bit cold." + +"Better let it go at a cup of coffee," he suggested. + +"It will be more consistent, that is true," I said. "Coffee and +pistols for two." + +"I'm glad to see that you are bright," said Pembroke. "Hold out your +hand." + +I did so. + +"Good. So long as it doesn't tremble, I have confidence of the end." + +We had scarcely finished our coffee when the Prince, followed by Von +Walden, entered. + +"Pardon me," he said, "for having made you wait." + +"Permit me," said I, rising, "to present my second; Mr. Pembroke, His +Highness Prince Ernst of Wortumborg." + +The two looked into each other's eyes for a space, and the Prince +nodded approvingly. + +"I have heard of Your Highness," said my cousin, with a peculiar smile. + +"Some evil report, I presume?" laughed the Prince. + +"Many of them," was the answer. + +The Prince showed his teeth. "Count, these Americans are a positive +refreshment. I have yet to meet one who is not frankness itself. At +your pleasure!" + +And the four of us left the inn and crossed the field. The first shot +fell to me. Pembroke's eyes beamed with exultant light. Von Walden's +face was without expression. As for the Prince, he still wore that +bantering smile. He was confident of the end. He knew that I was a +tyro, whereas he had faced death many times. I sighed. I knew that I +should not aim to take his life. I was absolutely without emotion; +there was not the slightest tremble in my hand as I accepted the +pistol. There is nothing like set purpose to still the tremors of a +man's nerves. I thought of Hillars, and for a moment my arm stiffened; +then I recalled Gretchen's last letter. . . . I fell to wondering +where the bullet would hit me. I prayed that his aim might be sure. + +"Many persons think that I am a man without compassion," said the +Prince, as we were about to step to our places. "I have an abundance +of it. You have everything to lose, and I have nothing to gain. If it +is your desire, I shall be happy to explain that you wish to withdraw. +But say the word." + +He knew what my reply would be. "Withdraw," said I, "and have you +laugh at me and tell your friends that I acted the poltroon? Really, +you do me injustice." + +"And do you hate me so very much?" mockery in his eyes. + +"Not now. I did hate you, but hatred is a thing we should not waste +any more than love. I have taken the bird and the nest from your +hands; that is more than enough. You are merely an object for scorn +and contempt and indifference now. No; I have no wish to withdraw." + +"You read between the lines," he said. "Indeed, I should like nothing +better than to have the privilege of calling you a poltroon and a +coward and to tell your Princess of it." He sauntered back to his +place leisurely. + +"Aim the slightest to the left," whispered Pembroke; "the wind will +carry it home." + +I pressed his hand. A moment later I stood facing the Prince. I +lifted the pistol and fired. Had the Prince been ten feet to the right +he must have been hit. I threw the smoking pistol aside, let my arms +fall and waited. I could see that Pembroke was biting his lip to hide +his anxiety and disappointment. Slowly the Prince leveled the weapon +at my breast. Naturally I shut my eyes. Perhaps there was a prayer on +my lips. God! how long that wait seemed to me. It became so tedious +that I opened my eyes again. The pistol arm of the Prince appeared to +have frozen in the air. + +"It is getting cold," I cried. "Shoot, for God's sake shoot, and end +it!" + +In reply the Prince fired into the air, took the pistol by the barrel +and flung it at my feet. The rest of us looked on dumfounded. + +"They are all of the same kidney, Count, these Americans," said he. +"They would be dangerous as a nation were it not for their love of +money." Then to me: "Go tell your Princess that I have given your life +to you." + +"The devil take you!" I cried. The strain had been terrible. + +"All in good time," retorted the Prince, getting into his coat and +furs. "Yesterday morning I had every intention of killing you; this +morning it was farthest from my thoughts, though I did hope to see you +waver. You are a man of courage. So was your friend. It is to be +regretted that we were on different sides. Devil take the women; good +morning!" + +After the Count had gathered up the pistols, the two walked toward the +inn. Pembroke and I followed them at a distance. + +"I wonder if he had any idea of what a poor shot you were?" mused +Pembroke. "It was a very good farce." + +"I aimed ten feet to the right," said I. + +"What?" + +"Yes." + +"Then you knew--" + +"Pembroke," said I, "I had no intention of killing him, or even +wounding him. And I never expected to leave this place alive. +Something has occurred during the last twenty-four hours which we do +not understand." + +"He was taking great risks." + +"It shows the man he is," said I; and the remainder of the distance was +gone in silence. + +The carriages were in the road, a short way from the inn. Pembroke and +I got into ours. As the Prince placed a foot on the step of his he +turned once more to me. + +"Pardon me," he said, "but I came near forgetting to tell you why I did +not kill you this morning. In some way your Princess came into the +knowledge that we were going to fight it out as they did in the old +days. She came to my rooms, and there begged me to spare your life. +There was a condition. It was that she get down on her knees to +sue--down on her knees. Ah, what was your life compared to the joy of +her humiliation! Not in the figure of speech--on her living, mortal +knees, my friend--her living knees!" The carriage door banged behind +him. + +It was only because Pembroke threw his arms around me that I did not +leap out of the carriage. + +"Sit still, Jack, sit still! If she begged your life, it was because +she loves you." + +And, full of rage, I saw the carriage of the Prince vanish. As the +carriage vanished, so vanished the Prince from the scene of my +adventures. It was but recently that I read of his marriage to the +daughter of a millionaire money lender; and, unlike the villain in the +drama, pursues the even tenor of his way, seemingly forgotten by +retribution, which often hangs fire while we live. + +"There are some curious people in this world," said Pembroke, when he +had succeeded in quieting me. + +I had no argument to offer. After a time I said: "To-morrow, cousin, +we shall return to America, our native land. When we are older it will +be pleasant to recount our adventures." + +Arriving at our rooms, we found them in possession of a lieutenant of +the guard hussars. He was drumming on the hearthstone with the end of +his sword scabbard. As we entered he rose and briefly saluted us. + +"Which of you two gentlemen is Herr Winthrop?" he asked. + +"I am he," said I. + +"His Majesty commands your immediate presence at the palace." + +"The King?" + +"Yes." + +"Have you any idea what his desires are?" + +"A soldier never presumes to know His Majesty's desires, only his +commands. Let us begone at once, sir. I have been waiting for an +hour. His Majesty likes dispatch." + +"It cannot be anything serious," said I to Pembroke, who wore a worried +frown. + +Perhaps the King had heard of the duel. I was in a mood to care but +little what the King had heard, or what he was going to do. The thing +uppermost in my mind was that Gretchen had begged my life of the +Prince--and then run away! + +At the palace the Chancellor met me in the anteroom. His face was +grave almost to gloominess. + +"Have you ever seen a King angry?" he asked. "Ah, it is not a pleasant +sight, on my word; least of all, to the one who has caused a King's +anger." + +"You alarm me," I said. "Have I done aught to bring the anger of the +King upon my head?" + +"Ah, but you have! The King is like a bear in his den. He walks back +and forth, waving his hands, pulling his mustache and muttering dire +threats." + +"Might I not take to my legs?" I asked. After all, I cared more than I +thought I should in regard to what the King might do to me. + +The Chancellor gave my back a sounding thump, and roared with laughter. + +"Cheerful, my son; be cheerful! You are a favorite already." + +"You bewilder me." + +"You have powerful friends; and if the King is angry you need have no +fear." + +"I should like to know--" I began. + +"Ah!" interrupted the Chancellor, "the audience is ended; it is our +turn. The Austrian Ambassador," he whispered as a gray-haired man +passed us, bowing. There was an exchange of courtesies, and once more +I stood before the King. + +"I believe you have kept me waiting," said the King, "as Louis once +said." He gazed at me from under knotted eyebrows. "I wish," +petulantly, "that you had remained in your own country." + +"So do I, Your Majesty," I replied honestly. The Chancellor shook with +laughter, and the King glared at him furiously. + +"What is your name?" asked the King in a milder tone. He was holding a +missive in his hand. + +"John Winthrop," I answered. I was wondering what it was all about. + +"Were you born in America?" + +"Yes, Your Majesty." + +"Is your family an honored one in your country?" + +"It is," I answered proudly. + +"Then, why in heaven's name do you scribble?" cried the King. + +"In my country one may have an honored name and still be compelled to +earn a competence." + +"Ah, yes! After all, scribbling is better than owning a shop." This +is the usual argument of Kings. "Can you trace your pedigree very far +back?" the King proceeded. + +"My ancestors came over in the Mayflower," said I. + +"The Mayflower?" said the King, puzzled. + +"All the Americans," explained the Chancellor, "went over in the +Mayflower. The ark and the Mayflower were the largest ships ever put +to sea, Your Majesty." To hide his smile, the Chancellor passed over +to the window and began drawing pictures on the frosted panes. + +Continued the King: "If you loved one of my countrywomen, would you be +willing to sacrifice your own country? I mean, would you be willing to +adopt mine, to become a naturalized citizen, to uphold its laws, to +obey the will of its sovereign, and to take up arms in its defense?" + +My knees began to knock together. "I should be willing," I answered, +"if I should never be called upon to bear arms against the country in +which I was born." + +"I should never ask you to do that," replied the King. + +"No; His Majesty has too wholesome a respect for America," the +Chancellor interpolated. + +"Prince," said the King, "go and finish your window panes." + +The Chancellor meekly obeyed. + +"This is your answer?" said the King to me. + +"Yes, Your Majesty." + +"Then marry the Princess Elizabeth," he said, tossing the missive to me. + +"Yes, marry her," said the irrepressible Chancellor; "and some day the +King will put a medal on your breast and make you a baron of the realm. +Your Majesty, come and help me with this last pane." + +The Princess Elizabeth? I glanced at the writing on the envelope. It +was Gretchen's. "And, Your Majesty," I read, "it is true that they +love each other. Permit them to be happy. I ask your forgiveness for +all the trouble I have caused you. I promise that from now on I shall +be the most obedient subject in all your kingdom. Hildegarde." I +dropped the letter on the table. + +"Your Majesty," I began nervously, "there is some mistake. I do not +love Her Highness the Princess Elizabeth." + +The King and his Chancellor whirled around. The decorations on the +panes remained unfinished. The King regarded me with true anger, and +the Chancellor with dismay. + +"I love the Princess Hildegarde," I went on in a hollow voice. + +"Is this a jest?" demanded the King. + +"No; on my honor." For once I forgot court etiquette, and left off +"Your Majesty." + +"Let me see the letter," said the Chancellor, with a pacific purpose. +"There is some misunderstanding here." He read the letter and replaced +it on the table--and went back to his window. + +"Well?" cried the King, impatiently. + +"I forgot, Your Majesty," said the Chancellor. + +"Forgot what?" + +"The letter was written by a woman. I remember when I was a boy," went +on the Chancellor tranquilly, "I used to take great pleasure in drawing +pictures on frosted window panes. Women always disturbed me." + +"Perhaps, Your Majesty," said I, "it is possible that Her +Highness . . . the likeness between her and her sister . . . perhaps, +knowing that I have known Her Highness Phyllis . . . that is, the +Princess Elizabeth . . . she may believe that I . . ." It was very +embarrassing. + +"Continue," said the King. "And please make your sentences +intelligible." + +"What I meant to say was that Her Highness the Princess Hildegarde, +believes that I love her sister instead of herself . . . I +thought . . . she has written otherwise . . ." And then I foundered +again. + +"Prince," said the King, laughing in spite of his efforts to appear +angry, "for pity's sake, tell me what this man is talking about!" + +"A woman," said the Chancellor. "Perhaps Her Highness the Princess +Hildegarde. . . . That is, I believe. . . . She may love this +man . . . perhaps thinking he loves the other. . ." He was mocking +me, and my face burned. + +"Prince, do not confuse the man; he is bad enough as it is." The King +smoothed away the remnant of the smile. + +"Your Majesty is right," said I, desperately. "I am confused. I know +not what to say." + +"What would you do in my place?" asked the King of the Chancellor. + +"I should say in an ominous voice, 'Young man, you may go; but if you +ever enter our presence again without either one or the other of the +Hohenphalian Princesses as your wife, we shall confiscate your property +and put you in a dungeon for the remainder of your natural days.' I +put in the confiscation clause as a matter of form. Have you any +property?" + +"What I have," I answered, my confidence returning, "I can put in my +pockets." + +"Good," said the King. "What the Chancellor says is but just. See to +it that his directions are followed." + +"Now, my King," concluded the Chancellor, "put a medal on him and let +him go." + +"In time," replied the King. "You may go, Herr Winthrop." + +"Go and scribble no more," added the Chancellor. + +I could hear them laughing as I made my escape from the room. It could +not be expected of me to join them. And Gretchen was as far away as +ever. Phyllis love me? It was absurd. Gretchen had played me the +fool. She had been laughing at me all the time. Yet, she had begged +my life of the Prince, and on her knees. Or, was it a lie of his? Oh, +it seemed to me that my brain would never become clear again. + +In the afternoon at four I was ushered into the boudoir of Her Highness +the Princess Elizabeth. It was Phyllis no longer; Phyllis had passed; +and I became conscious of a vague regret. + +"I am glad," she said, "that you were able to come. I wanted to speak +to you about--about my sister." + +"Your Highness--" + +She laughed. "Our interview shall end at once if you call me by that +title. Sir," with a gaiety which struck me as unnatural, "you are +witnessing the passing of Phyllis. It will not be long before she +shall pass away and never more return, and the name shall fade till it +becomes naught but a dear memory. Phyllis has left the green pastures +for the city, and Corydon followeth not." + +"Phyllis," said I, "you are cutting me to the heart." + +"But to the matter at hand," she said quickly. "There is a +misunderstanding between you and my sister Hildegarde. She sent me +this letter. Read it." + +It differed but little from the one I had read in the King's chamber +that morning. I gave it back to her. + +"Do you understand?" + +"I confess that I do not. It seems that I am never going to understand +anything again." + +Phyllis balanced the letter on the palm of her hand. "You are so very +blind, my dear friend. Did you not tell her that there had been +another affair? Do you not believe she thinks your regard for her +merely a matter of pique, of consolation? It was very kind of her to +sacrifice herself for me. Some women are willing to give up all to see +the man they love made happy. My sister is one of those. But I shall +refuse the gift. Jack, can you not see that the poor woman thinks that +you love me?" Phyllis was looking at me with the greatest possible +kindness. + +"I know not what she thinks. I only know that she has written me that +she is sorry for having played with my affections. Phyllis, if she +loved me she would not leave me as she has done." + +"Oh, these doubting Thomases!" exclaimed Phyllis. "How do you know +that she does not love you? Have you one true proof that she does not? +No; but you have a hundred that she does." + +"But--" + +"Do you love her?" demanded Phyllis, stamping her foot with impatience. + +"Love her? Have I not told you that I do?" gloomily. + +"And will you give her up because she writes you a letter? What has +ink to do with love and a woman? If you do not set out at once to find +her, I shall never forgive you. She is my sister, and by that I know +that you cannot win her by sitting still. Go find her and tell her +that you will never leave her till she is your wife. I do not mean to +infer," with a smile, "that you will leave her after. Go to her as a +master; that is the way a woman loves to be wooed. Marry her and be +happy; and I shall come and say, 'Heaven bless you, my children.' I +have accepted the renunciation of her claims so that she may be free to +wed you. If you do not find her, I will. Since I have her promise to +teach me the lesson of being a Princess, she cannot have gone far. And +when you are married you will promise to visit me often? I shall be +very lonely now; I shall be far away from my friends; I shall be in a +prison, and men call it a palace." + +"I will promise you anything you may ask," I said eagerly. A new hope +and a new confidence had risen in my heart. I wonder where man got the +idea that he is lord of creation when he depends so much upon woman? +"And you will really be my sister, too!" taking her hands and kissing +them. "And you will think of me a little, will you not?" + +"Yes." She slowly withdrew her hands. "If you do not find her, write +to me." + +"Your Highness, it is my hope that some day you will meet a Prince who +will be worthy of you, who will respect and honor you as I do." + +"Who can say? You have promised the King to become a subject of +Hohenphalia." + +"Yes." + +"Then you will be a subject of mine. It is my will--I am in a +sovereign mood--that you at once proceed to find Hildegarde, and I will +give her to you." + +We had arrived at the head of the stairs. The departing light of the +smoldering sun poured through the stained windows. The strands of her +hair were like a thousand flames, and her eyes had turned to gold, and +there was a smile on her lips which filled me with strange uneasiness. +I kissed her hands again, then went down the stairs. At the foot I +turned. + +"Auf wiedersehen!" + +"Good-by!" + +My ear detected the barest falter in her voice, and something glistened +on her eyelashes. . . . Ah! why could not the veil have remained +before my eyes and let me gone in darkness? Suddenly I was looking +across the chasm of years. There was a young girl in white, a table +upon which stood a pitcher. It was a garden scene, and the air was +rich with perfumes. The girl's hair and eyes were brown, and there +were promises of great beauty. Then, as swiftly as it came, the vision +vanished. + +On reaching the street I was aware that my sight had grown dim and that +things at a distance were blurred. Perhaps it was the cold air. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +Immediately Pembroke and I journeyed to the feudal inn. When we +arrived a mixture of rain and snow was falling. But I laughed at that. +What if I were drenched to the skin with chill rain and snow, my heart +was warm, warmer than it had been in many a day. Woman is infallible +when she reads the heart of another. Phyllis said that Gretchen loved +me; it only remained for me to find her. Pembroke began to grumble. + +"I am wet through," he said, as our steaming horses plodded along in +the melting snow. "You might have waited till the rain let up." + +"I'm just as wet as you are," I replied, "but I do not care." + +"I'm hungry and cold, too," he went on. + +"I'm not, so it doesn't matter." + +"Of course not!" he cried. "What are my troubles to you?" + +"Nothing!" I laughed and shook the flakes from my sleeves. "Cousin, I +am the happiest man in the world." + +"And I'm the most dismal," said he. "I wish you had brought along an +umbrella." + +"What! Ride a horse with an umbrella over you? Where is your sense of +romance?" + +"Romance is all well enough," said he, "when your stomach is full and +your hide is dry. If you can call this romance, this five-mile ride +through rain and snow, you are gifted with a wonderful imagination." + +"It is beautiful here in the summer," defensively. + +"I wish you had waited till then, or brought a mackintosh. Your +Princess would have kept." He shoved his head deeper into his collar, +and began to laugh. "This is the discomfort man will go through for +love. If she is a true woman she will feed you first and explain +afterward. But, supposing she is not here?" + +"Where else can she be?" I asked. + +"The world is very large--when a woman runs away from you." + +This set me thinking. If she shouldn't be there! I set my teeth and +gave the horse a cut, sending him into a gallop, which I forced him to +maintain till the end. At length we turned into the roadway. A man I +had never seen before came out. + +"Where is the innkeeper?" I asked, my heart sinking. + +"He is not here," was the answer, + +"Is Her Highness the Princess Hildegarde--" + +"Her Highness?" he cried, in astonishment. "She has never been here. +This is an inn; the castle is in the village." + +"How long have you been here?" asked Pembroke. + +"Two weeks, Your Highness." Doubtless he thought us to be high +personages to be inquiring for the Princess. + +"Is Stahlberg here?" I asked. + +"He is visiting relatives in Coberg," was the answer. + +"Do you know where Her Highness is?" + +"No." It occurred to me that his voice had taken to sullen tones. + +"When will the innkeeper be back?" + +The fellow shrugged his shoulders. "I cannot say, Your Highness. The +inn is not open for guests till March." + +"Jack," said Pembroke in English, "it is evident that this fellow has +been instructed to be close-lipped. Let us return to the village. The +castle is left." He threw some coins to the servant and they rattled +along the porch. "Come." And we wheeled and trotted away. + +I cannot tell how great was my disappointment, nor what I did or said. +The ride back to the village was a dreary affair so far as conversation +went. At the castle we found not a soul. + +"It is as I expected," said Pembroke. "Remember that Her Highness is +accustomed to luxury, and that it is not likely for her to spend her +winter in such a deserted place. You're a newspaper man; you ought to +be full of resources. Why don't you telegraph to all the news agencies +and make inquiries? She is a personage, and it will not be difficult +to find her if you go at it the right way." + +I followed his advice, and the first return brought me news. Gretchen +was at present in Vienna. So we journeyed to Vienna, futilely. Then +commenced a dogged, persistent search. I dragged my cousin hither and +thither about the kingdom; from village to train, from train to city, +till his life became a burden to him and his patience threadbare. At +Hohenphalia, the capital, we were treated coldly; we were not known; +they were preparing the palace for the coronation of Her Serene +Highness the Princess Elizabeth; the Princess Hildegarde might be in +Brussels. At Brussels Her Highness was in Munich, at Munich she was in +Heidelberg, and so on and so on. It was truly discouraging. The +vaguest rumor brought me to the railway, Pembroke, laughing and +grumbling, always at my heels. At last I wrote to Phyllis; it was the +one hope left. Her reply was to the effect that she, too, did not know +where her sister was, that she was becoming a puzzle to her, and +concluded with the advice to wait till the coronation, when Gretchen +would put in appearance, her presence being imperative. So weeks +multiplied and became months, winter passed, the snows fell from the +mountains, the floods rose and subsided, summer was at hand with her +white boughs and green grasses. May was blooming into June. Still +Gretchen remained in obscurity. Sometimes in my despair I regretted +having loved her, and half resolved to return to Phyllis, where (and I +flushed at the thought!) I could find comfort and consolation. And +yet--and yet! + +"I shall be a physical wreck," said Pembroke, when we finally returned +to B----, "if you keep this up much longer." + +"Look at me!" was my gloomy rejoinder. + +"Well, you have that interesting pallor," he admitted, "which women +ascribe to lovers." + +Thrusting my elbows on the table, I buried my chin in my hands and +stared. After a while I said: "I do not believe she wants to be found." + +"That has been my idea this long while," he replied, "only I did not +wish to make you more despondent than you were." + +So I became resigned--as an animal becomes resigned to its cage. I +resolved to tear her image from my heart, to go with Pembroke to the +jungles and shoot tigers; to return in some dim future bronzed, +gray-haired and noted. For above all things I intended to get at my +books again, to make romances instead of living them. + +There were times when I longed to go to Phyllis and confide my troubles +to her, but a certain knowledge held me back. + +One morning, when I had grown outwardly calm, I said to Pembroke: +"Philip, I shall go with you to India." + +"Here is a letter for you," he replied; "it may change your plans." + +My mail, since leaving the journalistic field, had become so small that +to receive a letter was an event. As I stretched forth a hand for the +letter my outward calm passed swiftly, and my heart spoke in a voice of +thunder. I could not recall the chirography on the envelope. The +hand, I judged, which had held the pen was more familiar with flays and +scythes. Inside of the envelope I discovered only six words, but they +meant all the world to me. "She is here at the inn." It was unsigned. +I waved the slip of paper before Pembroke's eyes. + +"She is found!" I cried. + +"Then go in search of her," he said. + +"And you will go with me?" + +"Not I! I prefer tigers to princesses. By the way, here is an article +in the Zeitung on the coming coronation of Her Serene Highness the +Princess Elizabeth of Hohenphalia. I'm afraid that I shan't be present +to witness the event." He thrust the paper into my hands and +approached the window, out of which he leaned and stared at the garden +flowers below. . . . "When I asked her why it could not be, she +answered that she had no love to give in return for mine." Presently +he rapped his pipe on the sill and drew in his head. His brow was +wrinkled and his lips were drawn down at the corners. With some shame +I remembered that I had thought only of myself during the past few +months. "Jack," he said, "I have gone around with you for the +excitement of it, for the temporary forgetfulness, and because I wanted +to see you well cared for before I left you. The excitement took my +mind from my own malady, but it has returned to-day with all its old +violence. There is the same blood in our veins. We must have one +woman or none. I must get away from all this. We are at the parting +of the ways, old man. To-night I leave for India. The jungle is a +great place. I am glad for your sake that you are not to go with me. +Sometimes one gets lost." + +"She may change her mind," I said, putting a hand on his. "Most women +do." + +"Most admit of exceptions," he replied, regarding me with earnest eyes +as if to read what was going on behind mine. "There are some women who +never change. Her Highness is one of these. As I remarked before, she +has no love to give me; it is gone, and as it is gone without reward, +she will make no attempt to recall it to give to another. I love her +all the more for that. The game fate plays with our hearts is a cruel +one. For one affinity there are ten unfinished lives. Her Highness +loves a good man." + +My hand fell from his, and I went over to the window. This was the +first intimation he had given to me that he knew the secret, the secret +which had made me so sad, the secret which I tried not to believe. + +"You are determined to go to India?" I said, without turning my head. +I could find no other words. + +"Yes. It will be the best thing in the world." + +"You will promise to write?" + +"Whenever I strike the post. Marry and be happy; it is the lot of the +few." + +That night he started for Bombay, by the way of England, and the next +morning I put out for the feudal inn. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +I was passing along the highway, a pipe between my teeth. It was the +beginning of twilight, that trysting hour of all our reveries, when the +old days come back with a perfume as sweet and vague as that which +hovers over a jar of spiced rose leaves. I was thinking of the year +which was gone; how I first came to the inn; of the hour when I first +held her in my arms and kissed her, and vowed my love to her; of the +parting, when she of her own will had thrown her arms about my neck and +confessed. The shadows were thickening on the ground, and the voices +of the forests were hushed. I glanced at the western sky. It was like +a frame of tarnished gold, waiting for night with her diadem of stars +to step within. The purple hills were wrapping themselves in robes of +pearly mists; the flowing river was tinted with dun and vermilion; and +one by one the brilliant planets burst through the darkening blues of +the heavens. The inn loomed up against the sky, gray and lonely. +Behind me, far away down the river, I could catch occasional glimpses +of the lamps of the village. Presently there came a faint yellow glow +in the east, and I knew that Diana was approaching. + + + She tosses loose her locks upon the night, + And, through the dim wood Dian threads her way. + + +A wild sweetness filled the air. I was quite half a mile from the inn, +yet I could smell the odor of her roses, Gretchen's roses. It was a +long and weary year which had intervened. And now she was there, only +a short way from my arms. But she did not know that I was coming. A +million diamonds sprang into the air whenever I struck the lush grasses +with my cane. Everywhere I breathed the perfume of her roses. They +seemed to hide along the hedges, to lurk among the bushes, red roses +and white. On the hill, across the valley, I saw the little cemetery +with its white stones. I arrested my steps and took off my hat. The +dust of Hillars lay there. I stood motionless for some time. I had +loved the man as it is possible for one man to love another. I had not +thought of him much of late; but in this life we cannot always stand by +the grave of those who have gone before. He had loved Gretchen with a +love perhaps less selfish than mine, for he had sacrificed his life +uselessly for her that she might--be mine! Mine! I thought. And who +was I that she should love me instead of him? All the years I had +known him I had known but little of him. God only knows the hearts of +these men who rove or drift, who, anchorless and rudderless, beat upon +the ragged reels of life till the breath leaves them and they pass +through the mystic channel into the serene harbor of eternity. A +sudden wave of dissatisfaction swept over me. What had I done in the +world to merit attention? What had I done that I, and not he, should +know the love of woman? Why should I live to-day and not he? From out +the silence there came no answer; and I continued on. It was life. It +was immutable, and there was no key. + +The lights of the inn cheered me and lifted the gloom. Should I enter +by stealth or boldly? I chose the second method. Gretchen and the +innkeeper were in the old hall. I entered and threw my traps into a +corner. As they turned and saw me consternation was written on their +faces. + +"I have found you at last," I said, holding out a hand to each of them. +The innkeeper thrust his hands behind his back and sauntered leisurely +toward the window. Gretchen showed signs of embarrassment, and her +eyes were studiously fixed on the cracks which yawned here and there in +the floor. My hands fell unnoticed. + +"You have been looking for us?" she asked in even tones. "Why have +you?" + +Vaguely I gazed at her, at the innkeeper, then at my traps in the +corner. It was apparent that I was an intruder. I struck my forehead +in anger and despair. Triple fool that I was! I was nothing to her. +She had told me so, and I had not believed. + +"Yes; why?" asked the innkeeper, turning around. + +"I believe," said I, my voice trembling, "that I am an unwelcome guest. +Is it not so?" + +"Oh, as for that," said the innkeeper, observing Gretchen, "this is a +public inn, on the highway. All wayfarers are of necessity welcome." + +"Go, then, and prepare me a supper," said I. "I am indeed hungry, +having journeyed far." I wanted him out of the room. + +The innkeeper appeared not to have the slightest intention of leaving +the room to do my bidding. + +"Yes, Hermann," said Gretchen, coloring, "go and prepare Herr +Winthrop's supper." + +"Thank you," said I, with a dismal effort to be ironical. + +The innkeeper, a puzzling smile on his lips, passed out. + +"Gretchen," I burst forth, "in heaven's name what does this mean? I +have hunted for you day after day, week after week, month after month. +I have traveled the four ends of the continent. I have lived--Oh, I do +not know how I have lived! And when I do find you, it is for this!" +My voice broke, and I was positively on the verge of tears. + +"And was all this fair to her?" asked Gretchen, coldly. + +"To her? I do not understand." + +"I mean, was all this fair to my sister?" + +"Gretchen," a light piercing the darkness, "has she not written to you?" + +"A long time ago. She wanted to see me on an important matter, but I +could not change my plans at the time. I shall see her at the palace +next week. Ought you not to be with her instead of here?" + +"Why should I be with her?" + +Gretchen laughed, but the key was false. + +"Are you not going to marry her? Surely, it is easy after the King has +given his permission. Have you already fallen out of love with her, +after all your efforts to make her a Princess? Truly, man is as +unstable as sand and water! Ah, but you fooled us all to the top of +our bent. You knew from the first that she was a Princess; but you +could not find the proofs. Hermann and I were the means to the end. +But who shall blame you? Not I! I am very grateful to you for having +given to me a sister. And if you fooled me, I returned measure for +measure. It is game and quit. Time hung heavy on my hands, and the +victory, however short, was amusing." + +"I never loved her!" I cried. Where were the words I needed? + +"So much the worse for you," disdainfully. "But here comes Hermann to +announce your supper." + +"I shall not break the bread of inhospitality," said I, in the +bitterness of my despair. I gathered up my traps--and then I let them +tumble back. The needed words came with a rush to my lips. I went +close to her. "Why did you humiliate yourself in begging my life of +the Prince? Why, if my life was nothing to you? Answer. Why did you +stoop to your knees to that man if I was worthless to you? Why?" + +Her cheeks grew red, then white; her lips formed words which she could +not speak. + +"Herr Winthrop's supper is ready," announced the innkeeper. + +"Go and eat it!" I said childishly. + +"Your appetite is gone then?" imperturbably. + +"Yes, and get you gone with it!" + +The innkeeper surveyed me for a space. "Will you kindly tell me from +whom you received the information that Her Highness was at the inn?" + +I produced the unsigned letter. He read it carefully, while Gretchen +looked on nervously. + +"Ach!" said the innkeeper, "that Stahlberg! He shall be dismissed." + +Unhappily for him, that individual was just passing along the corridor. +The innkeeper signaled him to approach. + +"How dared you?" began the innkeeper, thrusting the letter under +Stahlberg's nose. + +"Dare?--I?--Herr," said the big fellow, "I do not understand. What is +it you accuse me of?" + +"This," cried the innkeeper: "You have written to Herr Winthrop and +told him that Her Highness was at the inn. And you were expressly +forbidden to do so." + +Stahlberg looked around blankly. "I swear to heaven, Herr--" + +"Do not prevaricate!" the innkeeper interrupted. "You know that you +wrote this." + +"Stahlberg," I cried excitedly; "tell me why you wrote this note to me +and I'll see that you are taken care of the rest of your days." + +"I forbid him!" commanded Gretchen in alarm. + +"As God hears me, Herr," said Stahlberg stoutly. "I wrote not a line +to you or to any one." + +"Oh!" cried the innkeeper, stamping. "And you deny that you have +written here that you saw Her Highness in the garden three nights ago?" + +Gretchen was beginning to grow terrified for some reason. I myself was +filled with wonder, knowing well enough that nothing about a garden had +been written in the note I had received. + +"Do you dare deny," went on the implacable old man, "that you have +written here that you saw Her Highness in the garden, and that she was +weeping and murmuring this man's name?" + +"Oh!" cried Gretchen, gazing wildly at the door. + +The innkeeper suddenly took the bewildered giant by the shoulders and +pushed him from the room, following him swiftly; and the door closed +noisily behind them. + +My heart was in flames. I understood all now, though I dare say +Gretchen didn't. All at once, her head fell on the back of the chair +from which she had but lately risen. She was weeping silently and +deeply. I did not move, but stood watching her, drinking in with +exultation the loveliness of a woman in tears. She was mine, mine, +mine! The innkeeper had not really known her heart till the night in +the garden to which he so adroitly referred; then he had made up his +mind that things were not as they should be, and had sent me that +anonymous note. Mine at last, I thought. Somehow, for the first time +in my life I felt what is called masterful; that is to say, not all +heaven and earth should take her away from me now. Softly I passed +over to her side and knelt at her feet. I lifted the hem of her gown +and pressed it to my lips. + +"My Princess!" I murmured, "all mine." I kissed her unresisting hand. +Then I rose and put my arms around her. She trembled but made no +effort to withdraw. "I swear to you, Gretchen, that I will never leave +you again, not if the King should send an army against me, which he +will never do, since he has commanded that I marry you. Beware! It is +a dangerous thing to trifle with a King's will. And then, even if the +King should change his mind, I should not. You are mine. I should +like to know if I haven't won you! Oh, they do well to call you +Princess Caprice. Oh, Gretchen," falling back to humble tones, "what a +weary year has been wasted. You know that I love you; you have never +really doubted it; you know that you have not. Had you gone to your +sister when she wrote to you, she would have told you that it was for +you alone that I made her a Princess; that all my efforts were to make +you free to wed. Gretchen, you will not send me away this time, will +you? You will be kind and bid me to stay?" + +"She loves you," whispered Gretchen. + +This admitted no reply. I simply pressed my lips to her hair. The +sobs were growing audibly less. + +"I read it in her eyes," persisted Gretchen. + +"Gretchen, answer me: do you love me?" + +"Yes." + +I placed my hands against her temples, and turned her head around so +that those blue-green eyes, humid and tearful, looked into mine. + +"Oh, I cannot deny it. If I wrong her in accepting your love, it is +because I cannot help it. I love you better than all the world; so +well do I love you that--" Her head sank on my heart, and her sobs +began afresh. + +"That what, Gretchen?" I asked. + +"Nothing." By and by she said; "Keep faith with me, and I promise to +love as few women can." + +Then I kissed her lips. "Gretchen?" + +"What is it?" + +"I have an idea that we shall be very happy. Now let us go and make +terms of peace with the innkeeper." + +We found him alone in the barroom. + +"Gretchen," said I, "read this note." + +As her eyes ran over those six words, she blushed. + +"Hermann," she said, "you have betrayed me." + +"And when will Your Highness order me out to be shot?" asked he, +smiling. + +"At sunrise; but I shall blindfold the soldiers and take the charges +from their guns. I forgive you." + +"Now, Hermann," said I, "fill me up a stein." I held it high above my +head. "A health! Long live the King! Long live Her Serene Highness +the Princess--" + +"Elizabeth," said Gretchen, gently. "I fear she has lost something +which is never to be found again." + +I drained the stein, and as I set it down I thought: Phyllis is so far +away and Gretchen is so near! + +"Let us go into the garden," said I. + +For a long time we wandered here and there, saying nothing. I was +thinking that I had found a castle at last which neither tides nor +winds nor sudden awakenings could tumble down. + +"Gretchen, you must never take up the sword again." + +"Only in my lord's defence." From the movement of her arm, which clung +to mine, I knew that she was laughing. + +The moon had risen, the round and mellow moon of summer. The silver +mists of night wavered and sailed through the aisles of the forests, +and from the river came the cool fresh perfume of the river rush. + +"And so you really love me?" I asked. + +"I do." + +"Why do you love me?" + +"Because," said Gretchen. + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ARMS AND THE WOMAN*** + + +******* This file should be named 17359.txt or 17359.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/7/3/5/17359 + + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. 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