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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0a18068 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #54916 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54916) diff --git a/old/54916-0.txt b/old/54916-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1dd3e05..0000000 --- a/old/54916-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7120 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Prince to Order, by Charles Stokes Wayne - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: A Prince to Order - -Author: Charles Stokes Wayne - -Release Date: June 15, 2017 [EBook #54916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A PRINCE TO ORDER *** - - - - -Produced by Charlie Howard and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -A Prince To Order - - - - - A PRINCE - TO ORDER - - _A NOVEL_ - - BY - CHARLES STOKES WAYNE - - - JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD - NEW YORK AND LONDON MCMV - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1904 - BY CHARLES STOKES WAYNE - - COPYRIGHT, 1905 - BY JOHN LANE - - - SET UP AND ELECTROTYPED BY - WILLIAM G. HEWITT, NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A. - PRINTED BY - THE CAXTON PRESS, NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A. - - - - - TO MY WIFE - - WHO, AS THE INSPIRATION, EXCITED THE IMPULSE AND - FURNISHED THE INCENTIVE FOR ITS PRODUCTION, - THIS TALE IS AFFECTIONATELY - - DEDICATED - - - - -A Prince To Order - - - - -I - - -Grey’s awakening was as gradual as a clouded dawn. For a time dreams -and realities intermingled. Then slowly a partial consciousness of his -physical being obtruded: his fingers were clutching a silken coverlet; -he turned on his side and the linen pillow-case was cool to his cheek; -through half-open eyelids a sweep of pale blue became visible. Later -he realised that he was in a curtained bed and that the blue was -the colour of the draperies. He lay still for a long while--drowsy, -inert, his sensibilities numb. Presently the ticking of a clock became -audible, and then a rumble of street sounds. At the same moment a -throbbing pain in his head asserted itself. With an effort he sat up, -his hands pressed against his temples, his mind groping. Then in a -flash the unfamiliarity of his surroundings aroused him suddenly, -sharply, like a cold plunge, and his brain cleared a trifle. His memory -went staggering back after the night before; but the mists descended -again and the way grew dark, and he could remember no night without its -morning. - -He put his feet to the floor and stood up, but a dizziness overcame -him, and he sank back upon the bed, weak and limp. His heart was -beating tumultuously and his breath came in short, quick gasps. After a -little these abnormalities passed and he raised himself on one elbow, -resting his cheek on his hand. At the contact he started, amazed, -bewildered. In some unaccountable manner he had grown a beard. His -hand ran from his cheek to his chin. Close-cropped at the sides it was -here an inch long and trimmed to a point, and his moustache was one of -several months’ culture and training. He fancied he was dreaming and -would awaken presently to find himself clean-shaven, as he had been for -years. - -And now, he remembered; after all, it was quite clear. He had been to -the opera last night, had gone from there to the club, had returned -home late, and, having a pressing business appointment at ten this -morning, had dragged himself out of bed at eight, still fagged and -aggravatingly sleepy. Now he had just had his coffee, and while Lutz -was shaving him he was dozing and dreaming. - -But how wonderfully real the transformation all seemed! He grew curious -as to how he looked with beard and moustache, and, crawling out between -the pale-blue velvet curtains, he sought a mirror. The revelation was -dumfounding. He, Carey Grey, who from infancy had been as dark as a -Spaniard, was as blond as a Norseman. He ran his fingers through his -hair, tousled it, going closer to the glass to make sure that there -was not some optical illusion. He puffed out his lip and pulled at his -moustache until his lowered eyes could see it, and he thrust his chin -forward and turned up the point of his beard with the back of his hand -until it, too, came within the range of his vision. If this were a -dream, he told himself, never before had dream been so real. If it were -a reality, never before had reality been so mystifying. - -His puzzled survey of himself was followed by a minute inspection -of the room into which he had been so mysteriously transported. Its -general aspect was foreign; its detail distinctly French. The walls -were panelled and medallioned. The bed from which he had risen was -one of a pair, each with its gilded _papier mâché_ frieze and its -looped-back blue velvet curtains. At the head of each bed were six -pillows and another of down at the foot. The full-length mirror into -which he had gazed was duplicated between two windows. Upon the mantel -was a bronze and gilt clock, flanked by partially burned candles in -brass sticks. Two tables, a couch, a washstand, a cheffonier, three -chairs and a wardrobe completed the furnishing. A couple of companion -pictures, unmistakably French both in conception and execution, -decorated two of the wall panels. The hands of the clock stood at -twenty minutes of four. He crossed to a window with three sets of -curtains and three sets of cord loops all of a tangle, and looked out. - -For the spectacle that confronted him he was not prepared. The change -in his appearance had indeed been incomprehensible; the strangeness -of the room in which he awakened was inexplicable; but to discover at -a glance that he was no longer on his native soil, that without his -knowledge he had been carried across sea and land and dropped into a -Paris hotel on the Boulevard des Italiens, was not only inconceivable -but terrifying. He was very pale, and his brain was reeling. Twice -he drew trembling fingers across his eyes, as if to wipe out the -kaleidoscope of the street below; but when he looked again the view was -even more convincing. It was a bit of the French Capital with which he -was almost as familiar as with that part of Fifth avenue lying within -range of his club windows or with that portion of Broad street near -Wall into which he had been wont to glance from his office in the Mills -Building. - -He turned away from it as from a nightmare, and, sitting down, tried -to think. The idea that he was dreaming was not tenable. He knew that -he was very wide awake and thoroughly possessed of his faculties. -His head still ached with a dull, swollen, congested sensation such -as follows a too riotous night, but he could recall nothing of the -cause. It occurred to him now that he had read in the newspapers of -cases where men had lost their memory for months and had wandered -into remote states or countries. This must be the explanation. And -in his aberration he had given way to some freak of fancy, had grown -a beard and then had had it and his hair bleached corn colour. Men -under similar mental derangement, he recollected, forgot their names -and homes. Perhaps he had been in the same plight. Now, however, his -mind was clear on those points, at least, and he thanked God for his -restoration. - -Then he wondered how long he had been away. That night at the opera and -the club; that morning he had risen early to keep an engagement, and -had dozed off while his valet was shaving him--why, that was midwinter; -and now, if he could judge by the trees on the boulevard, and the -tables in front of the Café Riche across the road, and the straw hats, -it must be early summer--late May or June; possibly, indeed, July. -And all this time his friends at home--his mother, his fiancée, his -partner--were probably thinking him dead. What a relief it would be to -them to get the cablegrams he would send, telling that he was alive and -well and was returning by the first steamer! - -He smiled as he got up and went to the cheffonier and the wardrobe in -search of clothes. He was thinking of the sensation the papers in New -York must have made over his disappearance; the theories they must have -advanced and the pictures they must have published. And then the tragic -side of the affair took hold of him, and he put himself in his mother’s -place, in Hope’s place, and fancied he could appreciate, in a way at -least, their anxiety as the days passed without tidings, and their -grief and despair as weeks quadrupled into months. - -Having discovered an assortment of garments, including a bathrobe of -pongee silk, he looked about for a tub. Across the passage he found a -bathroom, and a dip into cold water relieved his headache and balanced -his nerves. When at length he was in attire which, while quite as -unfamiliar as his yellow hair and beard, was nevertheless tasteful and -well fitting, he emerged from his room, locked the door and started -forth on a tour of investigation. His curiosity had grown with his -dressing, enhanced, perhaps, by his failure to find in any drawer, -closet, or pocket a scrap of writing or printing from which he could -gain a clue concerning his recent past. His sole discovery indeed had -been a wallet containing two fifty-franc notes and a trunk key. - -A tall, round-faced _portier_ in green livery smiled and bowed, rather -obsequiously he thought, as he passed out through the wide portal into -the boulevard. Then the commingled scent of asphalt and macadam and -burning charcoal--that characteristically Parisian odour--smote his -olfactories, and before his eyes was the afternoon panorama of the -gayest of Paris thoroughfares. It was the newspaper hour, and a kiosk -in front of the hotel was being besieged by a horde, each hungry for -his favourite journal. Every man that passed had a paper in his hand -or in his pocket. Some were reading as they walked. On the roadway -carriages, _fiacres_, omnibuses were crowding, and Grey noted, with a -sense of old friends returned, the varnished hats of the _cochers_. -The chairs under the awnings of the cafés were filling, and the -white-aproned waiters were coming and going with their inevitable -bustle of trays and glasses. - -At the corner of the rue St. Anne he crossed to the north side -of the boulevard and turned into the rue Taitbout, in which, he -remembered, there was a telegraph office, for he meant to lose no time -in despatching his cables. As he picked his way through the narrow -street the messages took form, and on reaching the office it was but -the labour of a moment to put them on paper, poke them in through the -little window and pay the stipulated toll. To his mother he wired: - - Safe and well. Sailing first steamer. Hôtel Grammont. - -And the others--one addressed to Hope Van Tuyl, East Sixty-fourth -street, New York, and one to “Malgrey,” the code name of the stock -brokerage firm in which he was a junior partner--were similar. - -Rejoining the throng of pedestrians on the boulevard, he sauntered -leisurely towards the Avenue de l’Opéra, his mind still busy with -conjectures. - -The billboards in front of the Théâtre du Vaudeville caught his eye, -but the attractions they announced made no impression. At the groups -of idlers seated at little round tables before the Café Américain he -scarcely glanced and his own unfamiliar reflection in the plate glass -of the shop windows he failed utterly to recognise. He crossed the -Place de l’Opéra without so much as turning his head, and halting at -the far corner stepped in under the ample awning of the Café de la -Paix and found a seat. Of the waiter who approached him he ordered a -_mazagran_ and some Egyptian cigarettes, and when they were brought he -sat for some time, heedless of his surroundings, his brain racked with -futile speculations. - -“_Pardon, monsieur!_” - -Someone in passing had inadvertently touched his foot and was -apologising. Startled out of his reverie he looked up, and his face -lighted. Instantly he was on his feet. - -“Frothingham, by all that’s good!” he exclaimed. - -The other, tall, straight and swarthy, turned upon him a look in which -mystification and suspicion fought for supremacy. - -“Really,” he said, coldly, “I--I don’t remember ever having----” - -“Of course, of course,” Grey interrupted, not without some -embarrassment, “I can quite understand that you shouldn’t recognise me. -You see, I--well, I’m Carey Grey.” - -Mr. Frothingham’s demeanour showed no change. - -“Carey Grey,” he repeated, icily; “I used to know a Carey Grey in New -York, a member of the Knickerbocker and the Union; but he was nearly as -dark as I am, and besides--why, he’s dead.” - -“If you don’t mind sitting down a bit,” Grey went on, as he staggered -under the news of his own demise, “I’ll try to explain. I’m Carey Grey, -just the same--_the_ Carey Grey, of the Knickerbocker and the Union, -and I’m not dead.” - -Frothingham recognised his voice now, and mystification routed -suspicion from the field. He took a chair and Grey sat down, too, with -the marble-topped table between them. - -“First and foremost,” Grey began, “tell me what day of the month it -is.” - -“The fourteenth.” - -“Of what?” - -“Of June, of course.” - -“And of the week?” - -“Thursday.” - -“Thanks. I hadn’t the slightest idea.” - -Frothingham fancied the man had gone mad. - -“The whole thing is most extraordinary,” Grey went on, and then he -proceeded to relate his afternoon’s experience, while his listener -preserved an interested but incredulous silence. - -“Can’t remember a blessed thing,” the narrator concluded, “since that -morning last winter--I suppose it was last winter. What year is this?” - -He was told. - -“Yes, it was last winter, then--January, if I’m not mistaken.” - -Frothingham looked thoughtful and counted back. He wondered whether it -was insanity or drugs, or--cunning. - -“You must have heard something of it,” Grey went on, eagerly. “Did the -newspapers say I was dead?” - -“I think that was the ultimate conclusion.” - -“I suppose they searched for me?” - -“Oh, yes, they searched. They followed up every clue. There were -columns in the papers for days--yes, for weeks.” - -Grey sighed audibly. - -“I can’t understand it,” he said, with something of distress in his -voice; “I never thought my head was weak. To be sure, I’d been under -rather a strain, with the market in the unsettled condition it was, but -my memory was always clear enough. Why, I could give you the closing -price and highest and lowest of about every active stock on the list, -day after day, without an error of an eighth. By the way, do you know -how things have been going in the Street? What’s New York Central -now--and St. Paul?” - -“Really, I have lost track, Grey,” replied Frothingham indifferently. - -“I must get a Paris _Herald_,” the man who had been out of the world -for five months continued; “I’m the modern Rip Van Winkle. Thousands of -things have happened--must have happened, and I’m in blank ignorance. I -just cabled to New York--to Mallory, my partner, and----” - -“You what!” exclaimed Frothingham, in amazement. - -“Cabled to Mallory. You know him--Dick Mallory, my partner. He’ll be -surprised to hear I’m alive, I suppose.” - -“Good God, man!” - -“What’s the matter?” - -The two sat staring at each other across the table, each a picture of -sudden startled bewilderment. - -“Then you really don’t know?” Frothingham asked. “Oh, that’s -impossible! You can’t make me believe--see here, Carey, you’re very -clever and all that, but you don’t think for one minute, do you, that -you are taking me in? I did fancy for a little while that you’d gone -off your head; but I was wrong. You’re sharp and shrewd, and you feared -I had recognised you and that that was why I stumbled over your foot; -so you made up your mind that you’d block my game by recognising me and -telling me this pipe dream. Oh, come, come, be fair! You know; and you -know that I know.” - -Grey caught his breath sharply as this torrent of insult surged upon -him. The blood rushed to his face only to desert it. His fists doubled -instinctively, and he rose to his feet, white with indignant anger. - -“Take that back!” he commanded, in a hoarse whisper. “Take it back, I -say, or I’ll----” - -There was no mistaking his earnestness, his determination; no, nor at -this juncture, his honesty. Frothingham was convinced even against his -judgment. - -“Oh, I say,” he retorted, mildly, “don’t make a scene, old chap. If I -said anything, I--I--well, of course you don’t understand. I see it -now. I’m sure I was wrong, and I ask your pardon. There now, sit down.” - -“I don’t know that I care to,” Grey replied, the words of the other -still rankling. “I’m not used to being called a blackguard. I’ve never -in my life done anything to be seriously ashamed of, and nobody has -ever dared, until this day, to utter such an insinuation.” - -Frothingham was silent for a moment, the mere suggestion of a smile on -his lips. He calmly unbuttoned one of his gloves and then buttoned it -again. - -“God forbid,” he said, without looking up, “that I should be the first -to imply anything; but--I wish you would sit down, Grey!--you say -you’ve lost count for five months, and--well, there are some things -that you ought to know.” - -Grey resumed his seat. Now the man was talking reasonably. Of course -there were things that he ought to know--hundreds of things probably -in which he was personally interested. The thought instantly became -appalling. What, indeed, might not have happened in five months? Where -had he been during that time? And what had he been doing? - -“Yes,” he admitted, “you are quite right, I suppose. One of the things, -for instance, is----” - -“One of the things, for instance, is,” repeated the other, interrupting -him, “that you left New York suddenly--disappeared totally and--you -ought to know this for your own salvation--under a cloud.” - -Grey started, and the colour that had returned to his face fled again. -He leaned across the table, resting his arms on its marble top. - -“Under a cloud!” he exclaimed, breathlessly. “My God, Frothingham! -What do you mean?” - -“I’d rather not go into details,” was the answer, given very quietly. -“It’s not a pleasant position that I have chosen for myself, and I -prefer that you don’t question me. What you have told me--and I’m -satisfied now it is the truth--has put another light on the whole -business. And you really cabled to New York?” - -“Not half an hour ago. I sent three.” - -“It’s too late, I suppose, to stop them.” - -“I fancy so.” - -“I’d see, if I were you. It is important.” - -“But why? For God’s sake, man, tell me why.” - -“No,” said Frothingham, rising; “you’d better read about it for -yourself. It will be more satisfactory. You can find a file of the New -York _Herald_ at the office of the Paris paper. It’s only a block or so -away, you know. Look up last January. But I’d try to stop those cables -first. I must be off now; I’ve got an appointment.” And he joined the -now much augmented throng on the promenade. - -Grey dropped a five-franc piece on the table, and hurried into a -_fiacre_ that stood in waiting. - -“Rue Taitbout, 46,” he directed. - -But when he reached there it was to learn that his messages had been -dispatched and that no power on earth could recall them. - - - - -II - - -Consumed with eager concern, Grey had himself driven to the office of -the _Herald_. He was perturbed, distraught, and nervously apprehensive. - -“Under a cloud,” he repeated, thoughtfully; “under a cloud. That may -mean anything--murder, arson, theft, elopement. I’m a fugitive from -justice, I suppose. That much Frothingham made very clear when he urged -my stopping those cables.” And then his mood changed, and he argued -that he was unnecessarily agitated. It could not be so bad. In his -senses or out of them he would never, he felt sure, have committed a -crime--some indiscretion, possibly, but not a crime. - -When at length the file of the newspaper was before him and he was -turning the pages, he noted that his fingers were unsteady and that -perspiration was oozing from every pore. Carefully he scanned each -headline, running down column after column with keen scrutiny. Ten -minutes passed and he had reached nearly the middle of the month -without finding so much as a line of what he sought. Much of the -matter, however, was familiar, from which he argued that the date of -revelation must be farther on. Each leaf of the book of days he turned -now with dread expectation. He had been standing, the file on a table -at arm’s length, but suddenly he sat down, stunned by the message of -the types that faced him: - - “CAREY GREY AN EMBEZZLER--WELL-KNOWN WALL STREET BROKER - HYPOTHECATES FIRM’S SECURITIES AND DISAPPEARS--UPWARDS OF A - HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS GONE.” - -His heart was pounding very hard and his head was bursting. - -“It’s a lie,” he muttered, inaudibly, “an outrageous, despicable lie. -It’s impossible. It’s preposterous. Embezzle from my own firm? It’s -ridiculous.” - -He leaned forward and pulled the file of papers down until one end -rested in his lap, and then he read hastily, but with the scrupulous -heed of absolute concentration, every word of the two columns that -told with minute detail the story of his defalcation and flight. - -“Carey Grey, of the firm of Mallory & Grey, stockbrokers, with offices -in the Mills Building,” began the account, “has been missing for -a week and securities to the value of $110,000, it was discovered -yesterday, have disappeared from the firm’s safe deposit vault. Most -of the securities, including first mortgage bonds of the Chicago & -Northwestern Railroad Company, to the amount of $40,000, and Brooklyn -Rapid Transit 5s, worth $40,000 more, Grey hypothecated, personally, -with the Shoe and Leather Bank on the day prior to his flight. - -“The news of the defalcation caused a sensation in the Street and -in society as well. Carey Grey was one of the most popular members -of the Stock Exchange and his character had always been regarded as -beyond reproach. A member of an old New York family--his mother was a -Livingstone--his social position was of the best. He occupied bachelor -apartments in the Dunscombe, on Sixty-sixth street, near Madison -avenue, and his name appears on the membership lists of the Union, -Knickerbocker, and other clubs. - -“Mr. Mallory, his partner, said yesterday: ‘Mr. Grey was at his desk -last Wednesday when I reached the office, and he was there when I went -away at half-past three. There was nothing unusual in his manner. He -discussed with me several matters of business and spoke of a certain -directors’ meeting that he should attend the next day. I have not seen -or heard from him since. When he did not appear on Thursday I feared he -was ill and telephoned to his rooms, but the answer came that he was -not in. The whole business is to me inexplicable. I have known Carey -Grey from childhood, and I would have been willing to swear that there -was not a dishonest bone in his body. But the evidence against him is -simply indisputable. The loss struck us at an especially bad time, but -we shall pull through all right.’ - -“Inspector McClusky admitted that he was all at sea concerning Grey’s -whereabouts. The case was not reported to him for a week--not until the -securities were missed--and so it was quite possible the absconder had -left the country; nevertheless he was doing all in his power to locate -him. - -“At Grey’s apartments yesterday Franz Lutz, his valet, was preparing to -seek employment elsewhere. - -“‘Mr. Grey,’ he said, ‘slept here last Wednesday night. He rose about -eight o’clock Thursday morning, saying he had an urgent business -appointment at the Waldorf-Astoria at ten sharp. He went away in a cab, -and I have not seen him since.’ - -“Grey’s mother, who lives with her sister, Mrs. Hermann Valkenburgh, -in Washington Square, North, has been prostrated by the revelations of -the past twenty-four hours, and is under the care of her physician, Dr. -Elbridge Bond. - -“A rumour that Grey was engaged to be married to Miss Hope Van Tuyl, -daughter of Nicholas Van Tuyl, president of the Consolidated Mortgage -Company, was current yesterday. Miss Van Tuyl when seen last night -denied the report.” - -There was more of it, much more, all of which Grey read with deep and -astonished interest; but it was merely repetition and speculation. -When he finished the two columns he turned to the paper of the day -following, and found a column there. As Frothingham had told him, the -newspapers had kept up the sensation for weeks, and the _Herald_ was -as energetic as any. At length came a report that a man answering -his description had jumped overboard from a steamer in the Gulf of -Mexico and had been drowned before assistance could reach him. There -was nothing in his effects to give a hint as to his identity, but the -world, with one accord, apparently, had accepted the suggestion that it -was the missing Grey, and then the subject was dropped. - -He ran through the files for another month, but other matters of more -immediate interest had crowded the Grey affair out of the public -thought. - -He returned the papers to the clerk who had provided them, and went -out onto the Avenue de l’Opéra, horrified and perplexed. He was a -felon, hiding from the law. And yet never, so far as he could remember, -had he harboured a dishonest impulse. He was disguised to escape -detection, and the disguise when he had discovered it had been, and -still was, more mystifying to himself than it could possibly be to -others. Then he began to wonder what his cables would bring forth. He -would be arrested, of course, and tried, and in all probability found -guilty. The evidence against him as set forth in the newspaper account -was not merely strong--it was irrefutable. Against the testimony of -Mallory and of the bank officials what could he offer in refutation? -To fancy any court or jury would put faith in his asseveration that -he was unconscious when the act was committed was to count on the -impossible. Nevertheless it was clearly his duty now to return at -once to America and do all in his power to make reparation. And then -it occurred to him that in spite of his alleged embezzlement he was, -apparently, practically without funds. If he had taken the money, as -charged, it must, of course, be somewhere, but of its location he had -not the faintest idea. That he had disposed of a hundred or even eighty -thousand dollars in five months was in the highest degree improbable. - -At the corner of the Rue de la Paix is the office of Thomas Cook & -Sons, and Grey entered and inquired as to the sailing of transatlantic -liners. The _Celtic_, he learned, was to sail the next day from -Liverpool, but he could make better time probably, the clerk told him, -by taking the _Deutschland_ from Boulogne, or the _Kaiser Wilhelm der -Grosse_ from Cherbourg, on Saturday. The tide of travel was all the -other way at this season and he would have no difficulty in securing a -stateroom, even at the last minute. - -Resuming his stroll he had very nearly reached his hotel when a young -man, pale and evidently much agitated, halted before him, and raising -his hat, deferentially, said: - -“A thousand pardons, Herr Arndt, but I beg you to make haste. Herr -Schlippenbach--he is dying.” - -He spoke in German, and Grey noted that in feature and manner he was -Teutonic. For an instant the American imagined the youth had addressed -him by mistake, but he had sufficient presence of mind to give no sign. -A second later he was reassured. - -“I went to your room, Herr Arndt, as usual at four-thirty, but you were -gone out, and the _portier_ told me you left no message.” - -Grey hesitated over a reply. He realized that he was on the verge of a -discovery. It was very evident now that he was not alone in Paris--that -he had acquaintances, at least; probably companions; and that one of -them was dying. In order to learn more he must give no indication of -the change that had been wrought in him in the last few hours. - -“Dying!” he exclaimed, in a tone of surprise; “I had no idea it was so -serious.” - -His German was excellent. In his early youth he had spent two years at -Göttingen, and had lived for one winter with a German family in Vienna. - -“Yes,” went on the young man, excitedly, “the Herr Doctor says it is -a matter now of hours only, perhaps minutes. They have sent for a -priest. Herr Schlippenbach--poor old Herr Schlippenbach--he is quite -unconscious.” - -“He can recognise no one?” - -“No, Herr Arndt, he just lies staring at the ceiling, and breathing -very hard and loud. Oh, it is so pitiful! And the Fräulein, she is -sobbing, sobbing, sobbing all the time.” - -_Herr Arndt._ So that is the name he is known by here in Paris, at -the Hôtel Grammont, by those he has met--those he has travelled with, -perhaps! And there is a Fräulein in the party! Herr Schlippenbach’s -daughter, probably. A hundred questions crowded for utterance, but he -held them back. - -“It was the Fräulein who sent for the priest, I suppose?” he ventured. - -“Yes, Herr Arndt; she and Herr Captain Lindenwald. When Herr -Schlippenbach dies Fräulein von Altdorf will have a great fortune; yes?” - -“Surely,” Grey hazarded. Then the girl was not the old German’s -daughter, after all, though she was to inherit his property. The affair -was growing a trifle complicated. - -“And Herr Captain Lindenwald--will he, do you think, Herr Arndt, marry -the Fräulein?” - -Grey was silent. If this fellow was a servant he was evidently -forgetting his place, and it was well to remind him of it. - -“How odd it is I never can remember your name!” he said, at length, -ignoring the question and scowling a little. - -“Johann, Herr Arndt.” - -“Yes, yes, to be sure. How stupid!” - -And then they turned in at the broad marble entrance of the hotel. - - - - -III - - -The room into which Johann conducted Grey was on the second floor, its -windows overlooking the court. With the glare of the boulevards still -in their eyes, the gloom of the darkened chamber was for a moment -almost impenetrable. Grey was conscious of the presence of several -persons, but they appeared more like shadows than realities, their -outlines alone distinguishable. The room was very quiet, save for the -sound of the laboured breathing which Johann had mentioned, and which -came from a bed in an alcove to the left of the entrance. Grey stood -hesitant just inside the doorway, while his vision grew accustomed to -the semi-darkness; and Johann, hat in hand, stood behind him. - -Presently from out of the dusk a figure approached, tiptoeing across -the floor. - -“He is dying!” - -The words were whispered in German. The speaker, Grey observed, was of -medium height, but broad of shoulder and of erect military bearing. The -ends of his moustache were trained upward after the fashion affected by -the German Emperor. - -Grey nodded his head in token that he understood. - -“Dr. Zagaie is here. He has just administered nitro-glycerine and -tincture of aconite. We are hoping that he may regain consciousness.” - -Objects were now becoming more clearly defined. Grey could see the bed -now, though its occupant was hidden by the bulky form of the physician, -who had his fingers on the dying man’s pulse, and by the black-clad, -slender figure of a woman who was pressing a handkerchief to her eyes. -At the foot of the bed stood a white-capped and white-cuffed nurse. - -“Let us hope,” Grey responded. - -The situation was most trying. He was with those who, it was apparent, -knew him extremely well, and yet were to him utter strangers. He was -almost afraid to speak lest he betray himself, and if the necessity -for learning something concerning his associates and associations had -not been so urgently important he would have retreated without waiting -further developments. He was nervously a-tremble, his fingers were -twitching involuntarily and alternately waves of hot and cold bathed -him from head to heel. The atmosphere of the room stifled him; the -stertorous breathing of the invalid oppressed him, the gloom and the -whispers and the soft tread of the persons present drove him frantic. -He was seized with an almost uncontrollable impulse to shout, to rush -about, to pull back the curtains and let in some daylight. He gripped -his hat until the brim cracked in his hand, the sound cutting the -silence discordantly. - -“Sit down, Herr Arndt. We are expecting the Reverend Father. I sent -Lutz for him half an hour ago.” - -_Lutz!_ Had the dusk been less deep the surprise that came over Grey’s -features must have been observed. Lutz! Could it be possible that his -valet was here in Paris with him, he asked himself. And instantly he -negatived the answer. Such a supposition was beyond reason. He had -misunderstood, or it was another Lutz. The name was not uncommon. - -He placed his hat on a table and took a chair near a window, from which -he could look into the court below. The man who had addressed him -joined the group at the bedside. Johann quietly opened the door and -went out, closing it as quietly behind him. The silence became painful. -The inhalations and exhalations of the patient grew less strident. The -sobs of the Fraülein, which had at intervals punctured the stillness, -were suppressed. - -Then, of a sudden, there was a commotion about the bed. The dying man, -who for hours had been gazing fixedly at the ceiling, turned his eyes -upon his watchers and moved his head feebly. The doctor beckoned the -nurse. - -“Raise his head and shoulders a trifle. Quick, another pillow!” - -Promptly and deftly the nurse obeyed. - -“The stimulants are acting,” murmured the Herr Captain to the Fraülein: -“he has responded, but it will be but temporary.” - -She wiped her eyes with her wet handkerchief, but said nothing. The -invalid’s gaze passed each of the four in turn. Then his lips moved, -and the doctor, bending down, placed his ear close to his mouth. - -“Monsieur Arndt,” the physician said, in a low tone, as he straightened -himself, “it is Monsieur Arndt that he wants.” - -The other three turned towards Grey. Captain Lindenwald raised his hand -with a beckoning gesture. - -“He wants you,” he whispered; and as the American approached the bed -they made way for him. It was a face very thin and drawn that met -Grey’s view. Very sallow, too, and parchment-like; the nose long -and peaked, and the under lip, where it showed above the snow-white -beard, darkly purple. A great shock of hair vied with the pillows in -whiteness. In the tired eyes was a look of recognition. - -“Lean over,” said Dr. Zagaie; “he wishes to speak to you. His voice is -very weak.” - -A sensation of repulsion had swept over Grey at sight of the old man, -and now, to bring his face close to that of the invalid upon whom death -had already set its mark was sickeningly repugnant. But with an effort -of will he bent his head. A withered, wrinkled hand gripped his wrist -and for the hundredth part of a second he recoiled. The voice that -breathed into his ear was little more than a sigh, and he strained to -gather the words. - -“Take it,” he heard; “it is yours. The key----” - -And then the utterances sank so low as to be unintelligible. That -the old man had spoken in English was a circumstance over which Grey -marvelled quite as much as he did over the ambiguous command. He stood -erect again and would have stepped back, but the grip of the sufferer -was still upon his arm. Then, from the glazing eyes came an appeal that -was unmistakable, and again Grey bent his ear. - -“The throne,” breathed the voice feebly; “it is yours. Take it!” This -much the listener heard quite clearly, mentally commenting that the -speaker was delirious. But from the sentences that followed he could -only glean a word here and there. “Key” was mentioned again, and -“box,” and he thought he heard “proofs,” and something that sounded -like “Gare du Nord.” - -At length the fingers on his wrist relaxed and the eyes of Herr -Schlippenbach closed. Instantly and with professional celerity Dr. -Zagaie plunged the needle of a hypodermic syringe into the fainting -man’s arm. Simultaneously there was a gentle tap on the door, and -without waiting to be bidden a florid-faced priest entered, carrying a -small black leather case. - -Grey resumed his place by the window, his brain teeming with problems -so enigmatical as to defy even theoretical solution. The dying man was -delirious, of course, he argued; therefore his words were unworthy of -consideration. And yet, he answered himself, he had made a supreme -effort to convey a message and he had chosen to phrase it in not -his own tongue but his listener’s, to make sure that it would be -understood. He felt like a man in a maze. At every turn there was some -new surprise; and he was going on and on, getting farther and farther -into the tangle, without as yet seeing any chance of extricating -himself. - -Meanwhile, unnoticed by him, preparations for the Sacrament of Extreme -Unction were being hurriedly made. The priest had donned his alb and -stole and poured from a cruet the holy oil. The next minute the voice -of the cleric, clear and distinct, cleaving the hush of the room, -startled Grey from his meditation. The droning of the Latin ritual, -solemn and awesome, struck a new chord in his emotional being. He got -to his feet and stood with clasped hands and bowed head. Now the priest -was anointing the dying man’s eyes. With oily thumb he made the sign of -the cross and recited the words: “Through this holy unction, and His -most blessed mercy, may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou hast -committed by thy sight, Amen.” And then his ears, his nose, his mouth, -his hands, his feet were each in turn anointed with the same form of -supplication. - -The ceremony concluded, Dr. Zagaie again stepped forward, taking the -place vacated by the priest. As he did so Herr Schlippenbach, who -had been breathing softly, peacefully, with closed lids, opened his -eyes wide with a look of sudden horror. There was a quick, convulsive -movement that stirred the coverlet, a long deep-drawn sigh, and the -aged man lay motionless. - -Fraülein von Altdorf turned away, grief-stricken and horrified, from -the spectacle of death, and Grey for the first time saw her face. It -was more than pretty, he thought, with its big, sad blue eyes and its -full, red-lipped mouth all a-quiver with emotion. And her hair, which -shone even in the dusk of that darkened apartment with a lustre of its -own imparting, was very abundant and very beautiful. He realised that -she was coming towards him and he took a step forward to meet her. She -raised her arms and stretched out her hands gropingly until they rested -on his shoulders, and instinctively he knew that she had grown suddenly -faint. He clasped her swaying figure about the waist and supported her -to a couch. - -“Dr. Zagaie,” he called, impatiently, “Mlle. von Altdorf requires a -restorative.” - -Captain Lindenwald, who had been speaking to the nurse, turned -solicitously at the words. - -“My dear,” he cried, kneeling beside the prostrate girl, “my dear, let -me get you some wine; the strain has been too much for you.” - -But the Fräulein motioned him away. - -“I shall be quite myself presently,” she said. - -Nevertheless Dr. Zagaie insisted on her taking a sedative. - -After a little Grey withdrew, and not without some difficulty found -his apartment, which was on the same floor, but in another part of the -hotel. In his absence his room had been put in order, and there now lay -upon the table a blue envelope, addressed in a distinctly English hand -to “M. Max Arndt.” Though it was undoubtedly meant for him it was with -rather a sense of impropriety that he took it up and tore off the end. -Revelation after revelation had followed one another so rapidly that -afternoon that he was growing callous to discovery, and when he read-- - - MY DEAR MAX: - - I shall be unable to dine with you tonight as I promised, but - will meet you later in the Café Américain if you can arrange - it--say between eleven and midnight. JACK. - ---it was with scarcely a tremour of surprise. Indeed there was -something in the tone of the scrawl--something, perhaps, in the -penmanship, that gave him a sense of reassurance. The dying Herr -Schlippenbach had affected him oddly. Nearness to him had produced -a sort of emotional nausea, and for some reason which he could not -explain he had experienced a violent antipathy to Captain Lindenwald. -He realized that, surrounding the little company of which he had so -strangely found himself one, there was a mystery which baffled his -understanding. Then the last words of the old German recurred to him, -and again he pondered as to whether they bore any significance or were -merely the murmurings of dementia. As the clock on the mantel-shelf -chimed seven, a knock sounded on the door, and in answer to his -“Entrez!” Johann entered. - -“Will Herr Arndt dress for dinner?” he asked. “Herr Captain Lindenwald -is not dressing, and thought perhaps Herr Arndt would dine with him in -the _salle à manger_. Fräulein von Altdorf is indisposed, and is having -some tea and toast in her room. - -“No, Johann,” Grey replied, after a moment’s consideration, “I won’t -dress. Give my compliments to the Herr Captain, and say that I’m -feeling a bit seedy and will dine here alone, if he will be so good as -to excuse me.” - -Johann bowed and was about to go, but stopped with his hand on the -doorknob. - -“Will Herr Arndt order his dinner now?” he queried; and Grey named the -dishes. - -His appetite, he all at once discovered, was excellent, and when the -table had been spread and the courses followed one another in leisurely -succession and with admirable service, he found himself eating with -the relish that betokens good digestion. It seemed, too, when he had -finished and lighted a cigarette that he could think more calmly and -coherently. The windows of his room opened upon a narrow balcony, and -placing a chair he stepped out and sat there meditative above the -changeful tide of the boulevard which flowed unceasingly below. - -He was no longer exercised over the possible effect of his cables, for -he reflected that Carey Grey, so far as all Paris save one man knew, -was still dead. A message or a messenger to the Hôtel Grammont would -find no such person. His changed appearance, his changed name, and his -changed associates were a disguise that must prove quite impenetrable. -He would therefore have ample time, unhampered by either enemies or -friends, to delve into the perplexing riddle that confronted him. -It would be policy, he argued, to delay his return to America until -he could trace his movements abroad. The difficulties that he must -encounter he did not pretend to belittle. When he strove to lay out a -plan of action he was balked at the very outset. To ask questions was -to betray himself, and yet it must be a very long and tedious, not to -say perilous, procedure to attempt to drift blindly with the current -without either chart or compass to warn him of rocks and shoals. - -The twilight deepened into night, and as the stars sparkled into the -darkening canopy above the electric lights flashed into a brighter -brilliancy along the boulevard below. Grey’s cigarette had been tossed -away, and he sat listlessly watching the vari-coloured lamps of the -cabs as they passed to and fro--now a green, now a red, now a yellow. -He had moved his chair to the space of balcony between the windows to -escape an annoying draft, and from where he sat he could neither see -into his room nor be seen from it. The scratching of a match inside, -however, was plainly audible. Someone evidently was lighting his -candles. And then the sound of voices came to him, and he pricked his -ears. - -“It is indeed a catastrophe,” he heard. The speaker was Johann. The -accent was unmistakable. - -“You have no idea. It is worse, a thousand times worse than you -know----” - -Grey, with difficulty, choked back an exclamation. - -“Lutz!” he muttered to himself, in astonishment. “By all that’s good! -Lutz! Here in Paris, and with me.” - -“Yes,” the valet continued, “Herr Schlippenbach was necessary to Herr -Arndt. Without Herr Schlippenbach, Herr Arndt is another man. He is -mad, Johann, and filled with wild notions. He does not know his own -people. He fancies he is someone else. Herr Schlippenbach was his -balance wheel.” - -“So!” murmured Johann. “So!” - -“I have a great fear we shall never get him to Kürschdorf at all.” - -“But the Herr Captain?” - -“Oh, yes, the Herr Captain will do his best, I am sure,” Lutz assented; -“but it will be a mad Prince, and not a sane one, he will have on his -hands.” - -The comment that Johann made was not distinguishable. They were going -towards the door, which Grey next heard open and then close sharply, -forced by the draft from the window. - - - - -IV - - -It lacked but a few minutes of midnight when Grey entered the -smoke-clouded air of the Café Américain. The great room was crowded and -the babel of voices and the clatter of glass and china were wellnigh -deafening. He stood for a moment near the door, looking about through -half-closed lids like one near-sighted. A dark, languorous-eyed woman, -gorgeous in scarlet silk and lace, smiled and beckoned him, but he -paid no heed. He forced his way between the closely aligned tables to -the centre of the room, glancing from right to left as he proceeded. -His imagination had pictured his correspondent as a youngish, fair -man, but he realised that his imagination was not to be relied on. He -must depend on being seen and recognised, since recognition on his -part was impossible. A waiter brushed against him, spattering him with -beer from jostled glasses. A pretty brunette in a white gown and a -great rose-trimmed hat of coarse straw seized his hand and pressed it -suggestively as she passed him on her way to the door. And then, over -near the mirrored wall to the right, he saw a man standing, his arm -raised to attract attention, a smile on his honest, sun-browned face; -and he knew it was “Jack.” He was tall and spare, all muscle and sinew, -and his hair was brightly red, as also was his rather close-cropped -moustache. - -“Gad, man,” he exclaimed, as Grey came to him, “I fancied you weren’t -to be here.” - -He spoke with the pleasant brogue of the North of Ireland, and his -voice and manner were as confidence-inspiring as had been his note. - -Grey smiled, with something of embarrassment in his eyes. The very -frankness of the other man was disconcerting. It had been comparatively -easy to hide his simulation from the others, but now it was different. -This big, hearty fellow was not only all honesty himself, but he -inspired honesty--he demanded it. - -“To tell the truth,” the American replied, feeling that a confession -was about to be wrung from him, “I’ve had a rather wretched day.” - -Jack looked at him keenly, his lips pressed tight in cogitation, as -Grey ordered a _grenadine_. - -“What’s the trouble, old chap?” he asked presently, throwing back his -head and sending an inverted cone of cigarette smoke ceilingward. “Tell -me about it; you don’t look well; you are pale and--by Jove! What’s the -matter with your voice? You don’t speak like yourself. If I didn’t see -you sitting there I’d fancy it was another man who spoke.” - -“Would you, really?” Grey asked. The information, seeing that it -was necessary for him to keep up his masquerade for awhile, was -disconcerting. - -“Really, you have quite lost something--or perhaps I should say you -have gained something. Your tone now has some colour, some modulation. -Yesterday you spoke like--you’ll pardon me, won’t you?--you spoke like -an automaton.” - -“Would you mind giving me an imitation?” Grey laughed. “Oh, yes, I am -serious. I want to hear you. After awhile I’ll tell you why.” - -“Since it is your pleasure, my dear Max,” Jack replied in an even drone -at low pitch, “I am only too delighted to do as I am bidden. There you -are! That’s not exaggerated the least bit, either.” - -“Thank you,” Grey said; and then he sat for a full minute in silence. -He was impelled to make a clean breast of the whole astounding affair -to this man and ask his aid. Though he was unacquainted even with his -name he felt he could trust him. In this sudden and inexplicable faith -his aversion for Herr Schlippenbach and Captain Lindenwald found its -antithesis. He nevertheless appreciated the importance of extreme -caution, and his judgment warred for the moment with his impulse. -Finally a truce was signed. - -“Was yesterday’s tone an affectation or is today’s?” asked the Irishman -jocularly. - -Grey took a sip at the pink contents of his glass. - -“Neither,” he answered, seriously; “yesterday I was asleep; today I am -awake.” - -“Tut, tut, man! Don’t talk in riddles,” the other protested. “You were -no more asleep last night at Maxim’s than you are this minute. By the -way, did you see your friend Sarema as you came in? She was sitting -quite near the door a little while ago.” - -“Sarema?” - -“To be sure. Come, come, my lad, has your mood changed as well as your -tone and voice? You certainly remember the odalisque from the Folies -Bergères.” - -Grey’s eyes showed that his astonishment was unfeigned. - -“Oh, but this is marvellous,” cried Jack, leaning forward, his arms on -the table. “You weren’t drunk, man. You--you certainly weren’t asleep.” - -“What is your name?” Grey asked, suddenly. - -“Fancy!” exclaimed the Irishman. “Have you forgotten that, too? John -James O’Hara, lieutenant in His Majesty’s Second Dragoon Guards, of -Kirwan Lodge, Drumsna, County Leitrim, at your service, sir. And you’ll -be telling me next, I suppose, that you don’t remember meeting me in -the smoke-room of the _Lucania_ the first day out of New York, and that -over two months ago. - -“As God is my judge,” Grey answered, solemnly, “I have no recollection -of ever seeing you before tonight.” - -O’Hara’s muscles stiffened and then relaxed. There was no incredulity -in his face, only wonder. - -“And have you forgotten your own name, too?” he queried, after a moment. - -“I never knew the name I am called by until today.” - -“Gad, man, you’re crazy,” the Irishman commented, lighting a fresh -cigarette. “You’ve got me all of a tangle. I’m damned if you’re not -uncanny. And your name is not Max Arndt at all, then?” - -“No.” - -“And Herr Schlippenbach. He is not your uncle?” - -“God forbid!” - -“And the Fräulein von Altdorf is not your sister’s daughter, I suppose?” - -“I never had a sister.” - -The dragoon guard threw up his hands. - -“Then, if it’s all the same to you,” he continued, “and not revealing -any State secrets, would you be so good as to tell me who you are? -Introduce yourself to me. For it seems that though we’ve been together -the better part of two months we’re still strangers.” - -Grey made a rapid but careful survey of his neighbours. Under the -circumstances it might not be well to speak his own name where it could -be overheard. He took another drink of his _grenadine_ before replying. - -“After all,” he said, “this is hardly the place for confidences. What -do you say to walking over to my hotel? We can have privacy there.” - -And Lieutenant O’Hara readily consented. - -At the door of the Hôtel Grammont a courier was in excited dispute with -the _portier_. - -“But he will be here tomorrow, perhaps. Is it not so?” - -“I cannot say. There is no Monsieur Grey here now, of a certainty.” - -“You are sure? You are most sure?” - -“Is it not that I have said it twenty--thirty--a hundred times?” -insisted the _portier_. “And you are not the only one who has asked. -There have been three others here, including an agent of police. Ah, -Monsieur Grey! He had better stay away, perhaps.” - -When at length the room of the American was reached and the door locked -on the inside, Grey turned to his friend. - -“Did you overhear the conversation below?” he asked. - -“I caught snatches of it. A wire for someone, wasn’t it?” - -“Yes; for me.” - -“For you?” O’Hara stared. “Then why in God’s name didn’t you take it?” - -“I couldn’t afford to, and yet I’d give a good deal to know its -message.” - -“But it was for a person named Grey, I thought. You are Grey, then?” - -“Yes.” - -“And the police officer! He was looking for--you?” - -“For me,” Grey confessed. “Now you can understand why I didn’t care to -talk in the café.” - -O’Hara dropped into a chair. - -“This is very interesting,” he said, and his blue eyes twinkled. - -Grey, his hands in his trousers’ pockets, was standing before the -chimney-piece. His expression was very grave. - -“I suppose,” he began, “that you think me rather a blackguard. -Appearances so far are against me, aren’t they? By my own admission -I’m here under an assumed name trying to evade the minions of the law, -who are hot-foot on my trail. Everything you thought you knew about -me I have informed you is false. Therefore you are not likely to be -predisposed in my favour. Consequently the story I’m going to tell -you now you’ll probably not believe. I’m free to admit that if the -situation were reversed I wouldn’t believe you; and yet--I--well, I -wouldn’t have taken you into my confidence if it were not that I’m sure -you’re a gentleman--an honest, high-principled, Irish gentleman who -loves right and is willing to fight for it.” - -O’Hara smiled encouragingly. - -“Drive ahead, my boy,” he urged; “the jury is absolutely unprejudiced.” - -Then Grey plunged into a detailed narrative of that surprising day. He -told of his strange awakening and parenthetically gave his hearer an -idea of his position at home and a glimpse of his previous life. He -rehearsed his conversation with Frothingham; he repeated word for word -the cables he had sent to New York; he summarized the articles he had -read in the _Herald_; he described the passing of Herr Schlippenbach -and recited his death-bed communication, and finally he gave, as nearly -as he could remember it, the conversation between Lutz and Johann. - -O’Hara listened with rapt interest, interrupting him now and then with -a question, at times smiling understandingly and at others scowling at -what he regarded as evidence of importance against the little group by -which Grey was surrounded. At the conclusion of the recital he sprang -up and impulsively grasped the American’s hand. - -“You’ll come out on top yet, boy,” he cried, “and it’s John James -O’Hara that’ll help to put you there. I’ve heard of such cases as this -before. They’ve been drugging you, lad, that’s as plain as the nose on -my face, and your dear uncle, Herr Schlippenbach, do you mind, has been -the chief drugger. It was because he was too ill to do his work that -the effects wore off. Now that he’s gone they’re worried to death over -you. Sure, you’re not so blind that you can’t see that yourself.” - -“But I don’t understand----” - -“Of course you don’t. Neither do I. There’s a lot we have got to find -out. But two heads are better than one; and you just put a big bundle -of trust in mine.” - -He was excited and his brogue, Grey thought, was delightful. - -“What do you suggest?” - -“In the first place it is probably best that I tell you what little I -know. Your memory, up until this afternoon, is a blank. Well, then, -I’ll give you the benefit of mine.” - -O’Hara lighted another cigarette and, taking a deep inhalation, started -pacing the floor, his head bent thoughtfully forward. - -“As I said,” he began, “we met in the smoke-room of the _Lucania_ -on the afternoon of Saturday, the seventh of April. You told me -your name was Max Arndt, that you were born in Kürschdorf, the -capital of Budavia, where your uncle, Herr Schlippenbach, whom you -accompanied, had at one time been tutor in the royal family. You had -spent your life, however, in the United States, had been engaged in -the importation of German wines, I think you said, in New York, and -were now on your way back to your native town, where, by the death of -a relation, you had recently come into large estates. The man Lutz was -with you, but he appeared to be old Schlippenbach’s valet rather than -yours. On reaching Liverpool you were met by Captain Lindenwald, who -is of the royal household of the Kingdom of Budavia, and by the fellow -Johann. After about a week in London your party was joined by Miss von -Altdorf, who had been at school somewhere in Kent. You told me she -was your sister’s child, an orphan, and that your uncle and yourself -supported her.” - -“Great God!” exclaimed Grey, amazedly, “and did I seem sane--rational?” - -“Perfectly,” O’Hara answered; “you were the character to the smallest -detail. Your voice was the only peculiar thing about you. You spoke -like a deaf man, with practically no inflection.” - -“Did you talk to Schlippenbach?” - -“Oh, yes; frequently. He was really very clever. He had a wonderful -fund of general knowledge. There was scarcely a subject with which he -was not familiar. But his specialty was phrenology. He told me that -in his youth he had known Dr. Spurzheim, the pupil of Dr. Franz Gall, -the founder of the science, that he had studied under him and gone -very deeply into the matter. He was a chemist, too, and from something -he let drop one day I got the impression that he had experimented -considerably with anæsthetics, narcotics, and that sort of thing.” - -“And to some purpose, apparently,” put in Grey. “But his object, -O’Hara? What in heaven’s name could have been his object? I never knew -him--never saw him to my recollection until he was dying.” - -“Ah, lad, we haven’t got that far yet, but we’ll know before we’re -through.” - -And then he went on with his story. He was with the quartet a great -deal in London, he said. He showed them about, and they were all very -appreciative. They stopped there until the middle of May and then they -moved on to Paris. Without any intention of prying into their affairs -he had observed that Herr Schlippenbach and Captain Lindenwald had a -good deal of correspondence with parties in Kürschdorf. - -“And what was my attitude towards them all?” Grey inquired. “Was I very -sociable or was I reserved?” - -“You were rather dignified,” O’Hara answered; “and now I come to think -of it, they treated you with considerable deference, though they -endeavoured to dissemble it whenever I was about. Miss von Altdorf -seemed quite fond of you, old chap, and it was amusing to note how -Captain Lindenwald insisted on making love to her at every opportunity, -only to be gently, but firmly, repulsed. As for that young woman I -found her most charming,--and you did too, apparently. Of course, as -she was your niece, you could take her to dine tête-à-tête and to -places of amusement unchaperoned, and you did very frequently, much to -Lindenwald’s annoyance. Whatever the plot is, Grey, I feel satisfied -that she is not in it.” - -“And now what do you advise?” - -“For the present at least to give no sign that you suspect anything. -You are well enough posted now, my boy, to go straight ahead. Give them -enough rope and they’ll hang themselves as sure as your name’s Grey -and mine’s O’Hara. Assume the tone I told you of, and they’ll never -suspect. They may be surprised, but they’ll be happy and they’ll be -unwary. Never take the initiative yourself. Leave it all to Lindenwald.” - -“But what will they make out of it?” Grey urged, curiously. “Surely you -have formed some theory?” - -“Yes, I have a theory,” O’Hara responded, “but it is probably just as -well for me to keep it to myself for a while.” - -“What do you think this talk about ‘thrones’ and ‘mad princes’ means?” - -“That is for us to find out. And unless I am more of a fool than I -think, it will very shortly develop. In the meantime you are anxious -about the answers to your cables, aren’t you? Since they are addressed -to Grey, you can’t accept them, that’s clear. But you shall know what -is in them just the same. I’ll undertake that for you.” - -“But----” - -“Never mind, lad; leave it to me.” - -“And the box with proofs that Schlippenbach spoke of? That is -important.” - -“To be sure. It is at the Gare du Nord in his name or yours, eh? I’ll -get it for you. But the key?” - -Suddenly Grey remembered. - -“There is a key in a wallet I found. Possibly that is it.” - -“Possibly.” - -And the thought of the wallet reminded him that a fifty-franc note and -some change was all the money he had in his possession. - -“I’m a little short of funds,” he said. “Do you happen to know how or -where I have been in the habit of getting money when I needed it?” - -O’Hara laughed. - -“The whole thing is so absurd,” he explained, “as well as serious. -Fancy your not knowing what you have done every few days since you -landed! Johann has your letter of credit and gets you whatever you -desire. All that is necessary is for you to sign your name.” - -When O’Hara had gone Grey sat for a long time brooding over his -extraordinary experience. His head was still aching, throbbingly, -and his nerves were still a-tingle. Whatever treatment he had been -subjected to its effects had not yet been entirely eliminated. He -undressed, got into his pyjamas and went to bed; but sleep was coy -and not to be won by wooing. He heard the clock strike two and three -and four, and he saw the first gray sign of dawn between his curtains -before he fell into a restless, troubled, unrefreshing slumber. - - - - -V - - -Mr. Herbert Frothingham had that evening been one of a dinner party of -six at Armenonville. He had sat between Miss Hope Van Tuyl and Lady -Constance Vincent, and across a plateau of primrose-coloured orchids -the charming Mrs. Dickie Venable had at intervals favoured him with -fleeting smiles. Nicholas Van Tuyl, sleek and ruddy, was at the left -of Lady Constance, who had for her vis-à-vis Sinclair Edson, a tall, -young, sallow-faced secretary from the United States Embassy. - -“I hope you haven’t failed to observe the notabilities,” this -latter-named gentleman was saying as he daintily dissected his _carpe -au buerre noir_; “there are quite a number here this evening.” His pose -as mentor was apt to grow annoying at times, but the Van Tuyls had been -in Paris only two days, and father and daughter were alike interested. - -“Oh, do show me that East Indian prince or whatever he is,” cried Hope -enthusiastically, her great dark eyes brilliant; “I’ve heard so much of -him. Is he here?” - -“The Maharajah of Kahlapore? Yes, he must be here, surely. I never come -nowadays but he is.” - -He turned his head and craned his neck in an effort to locate the Hindu -potentate. The piazza of the pavilion was, as usual, crowded. Every -table was occupied--and the throng was the acme of cosmopolitanism. -Five continents were represented. It was indeed a veritable congress -of nations. Monarchs, kings dethroned, and pretenders rubbed elbows. -Women of the world and of the half-world brushed skirts. Dazzling -toilets of delicate tints were silhouetted against coats of lustreless -black. Diamonds blazed; pearls reflected the myriad lights; gems of all -colours, shapes, and sizes glistened in the foreground and sparkled in -remote corners. - -“Ah, there he is,” Edson discovered, speaking without turning his face; -“there, off to the right. You can just see his white turban over the -head of that Titian-haired woman in the blue gown.” - -The whole party stared, stretching, twisting to get a glimpse. - -“Rather insignificant, isn’t he?” observed Mrs. Dickie disparagingly. - -“His turban accentuates his _café au lait_ complexion,” laughed Hope. - -“But you should see him at finger-bowl time,” suggested Lady Constance, -who had lunched next to him and his suite that day at Paillard’s. “He -is most original.” - -“Oh, tell us,” cried Hope pleadingly; “what does he do?” - -“It must be seen to be appreciated,” the Englishwoman replied. She was -auburn-haired, generously proportioned, and rather stolid. Her tone was -even more of a refusal than her words. - -“I’ll tell you,” volunteered Edson glibly. “He has a special bowl twice -the ordinary size and he plunges his whole face in it.” - -“Horrors!” shrieked Mrs. Dickie; “he should be arrested for attempted -suicide.” - -“But he isn’t the most interesting personage here by any means,” Edson -pursued, now thoroughly launched in the exercise of his _métier_; -“have you noticed the sallow-faced, heavy-browed and long-moustached -gentleman just three tables away, dining with the dark-bearded -president of the Chamber of Deputies?” - -“The man with that enormous, gorgeously jewelled star on his breast?” -asked Miss Van Tuyl, leaning back and gazing over Frothingham’s -shoulder. “Oh, what a brutal face he has!” - -“It is the Shah of Persia,” announced Edson; and then he glanced about -to revel in the effect of his revelation. - -“He’s a beast,” commented Lady Constance, disgustedly, “though I -believe his manners have improved somewhat since he was here last. -Do you know when he was in Berlin some years ago he sat next to the -Empress Augusta at a State banquet, and whenever he got anything in his -mouth that was not to his taste, he just calmly removed it!” - -“They say he thought nothing of putting his hands on the bare shoulders -of the women he met,” Edson added. - -“I saw the King of the Belgians as we came in,” said Mr. Van Tuyl, -presently, as a waiter passed the _filet aux truffes_; “one sees him -everywhere, eh?” - -“Oh, yes,” Edson hastened to observe; “he’s as omnipresent as the poor. -But did you see the woman with him? She’s the very latest, you know. -Was a _Quartier Latin_ model six months ago and is now regarded as the -most beautiful woman in Paris. _La Minette Blanche_, they call her. She -has a palace on the Boulevard Malesherbes and as many retainers as a -princess.” - -“The old scoundrel!” exclaimed Mrs. Dickie, vindictively; “I don’t know -which is worse, the Shah or he. He gained a reputation as a wife-beater -or something, didn’t he? At all events I’ll bet the devil is keeping a -griddle hot for him down below, and it’s pretty near time he occupied -it.” - -“How terribly spiteful!” laughed Frothingham; “His Majesty isn’t a bad -sort at all; a little fickle, perhaps, but with his love of beauty and -his opportunities you can hardly expect domesticity. And he’s done a -lot of good in his way.” - -“Speaking of royalty, that is rather an odd condition of affairs in -Budavia, by the way,” suggested Nicholas Van Tuyl. “Did you see the -paper this morning? The King is very ill. Can’t live a fortnight; and -there is a question as to the succession. It seems that the Crown -Prince was kidnapped when he was five years old and nothing has ever -been heard of him. They don’t know whether he is alive or dead.” - -“Oh, how interesting!” exclaimed Mrs. Dickie, putting down her fork to -listen. “And to whom does the crown go?” - -“To King Frederic’s nephew, Prince Hugo; as thorough a reprobate, they -say, as there is in all Europe.” - -“Wouldn’t it be funny if the Crown Prince should turn up at this -juncture?” suggested Edson; and there was something significant in his -tone. - -“Has such a possibility been hinted at?” asked Van Tuyl. - -“Well--” and Edson hesitated the briefest moment, “one can never tell.” -Whether intentionally or not, he gave the impression that he knew more -than he cared to divulge. “I had a call today from an officer of the -Budavian army. He is a member of the royal household.” He said this -with an air, and Frothingham muttered, “Snob!” under his breath. - -“I suppose he spoke of the situation, eh?” asked Van Tuyl. - -“Yes, of course, he referred to it. I met him last year in Vienna. His -call was purely social.” - -“Is he to be in Paris long?” asked Mrs. Dickie, quickly. “Bring him to -tea next Tuesday.” - -But Edson evaded a promise. He was listening to Frothingham, who was -saying: - -“You can never tell when or where or under what circumstances a lost -man will reappear. After today I shall make it a rule not to believe a -man is dead unless I have seen him buried.” - -“Why, whom on earth have you seen?” questioned Miss Van Tuyl. There was -just the slightest suspicion of a tremour in her voice, and her eyes -were apprehensive. The speaker, however, detected neither. He had, in -fact, quite forgotten, if he had ever heard, that there had been an -attachment between the man he had that day met on the _terrasse_ of -the Café de la Paix and the woman who sat at his side. - -“Carey Grey, the absconder!” - -The words struck her as a blow from a clenched fist. Her cheeks, which -had been a trifle flushed, went suddenly white as the damask napery. -Her jewelled fingers clutched the edge of the table. She felt that she -was falling backward, that everything was receding, and she caught the -table edge to save herself. - -“Carey Grey!” repeated Nicholas Van Tuyl, in amazement. “Surely you -must have been mistaken!” - -“Not a bit of it. I talked to him.” - -“The devil!” exclaimed Edson and then apologised. - -“You’d never know him,” Frothingham went on, after emptying his -champagne glass; “he has bleached his hair, and he is wearing a -bleached beard, too.” - -“Oh, horrible!” This from Mrs. Dickie. - -“Told a most remarkable story about not knowing anything for five -months; brain fever or something. I must admit he was very convincing.” - -“I wonder if that is the man I knew?” Lady Constance broke in. “He -came over with an American polo team; he was a great friend of Lord -Stanniscourt’s.” - -“Same man,” said Van Tuyl, with a glint of admiration in his tone. “He -was a capital polo player, and--yes, by Jove, a rattling good fellow in -every way. It was a surprise to everyone when he went wrong.” He had -been watching his daughter with no little anxiety. Now her colour was -returning and her hands were in her lap. - -“Yes, to everyone,” Mrs. Dickie volunteered, “the whole thing was -simply astounding. He had a good business, hadn’t he? What do you -suppose he wanted with that money?” - -“Nobody was ever able to conjecture,” answered Frothingham, as he -helped himself to some _caneton_. - -“And he is really here in Paris?” queried Edson, twirling the long stem -of a fragile wineglass between thumb and finger. “Where is he stopping?” - -Hope Van Tuyl unconsciously leaned forward to catch the address. - -“I don’t know. I never thought to inquire.” - -From the violins of the tziganes glided the languorous strains of -the “Valse Bleue,” and instantly all other sounds dwindled. Even -the clatter of knives and forks seemed gradually to cease and the -babble of tongues was vague and far away. Into the girl’s dark eyes -came an expression of melancholy, and the corners of her red-lipped -mouth drooped. The leaves of her calendar had been fluttered back -a twelvemonth by the melody, and she was out under the stars with -the cool breeze from the Hudson fanning her flushed cheeks. Through -the open French windows of the clubhouse at her back the music was -floating. Beside her, his arm girdling her waist, was the man to whom -she had just promised her love and loyalty--the man whose name she -would be proud to wear through all her days--Carey Grey. The ineffable -joy, the blissful content of the moment were, in some mystic manner, -reborn by the chords that sang and swelled and vibrated and whispered, -and yet over all, mingling with the delicious, intoxicating happiness -of this reincarnated experience, was an overpowering sense of -loss--dire, monstrous, crushing. - -“Hope, dear,”--it was her father’s voice that brought her back to the -present. His anxious eyes had still been upon her. “Drink your wine, -girl; you aren’t ill, are you? Mr. Edson has been speaking to you and I -don’t believe you’ve heard a word.” - -“Oh, I beg your pardon, Mr. Edson,” she ejaculated, recovering herself. -“I fear for the moment I was very far off. Would you mind repeating -what you said?” - -“I was proposing a coaching party to Versailles for Saturday, and as -everybody seemed to approve I took the opportunity to ask you if you -would do me the honour of occupying the box seat.” - -“With pleasure,” she accepted, smiling bravely, though a dull, leaden -pain was gripping her heart; “I think it will be simply lovely.” - -The sextet had come to the restaurant crowded into Mr. Edson’s big -touring car, and when at length the dinner was finished and the men had -smoked their cigars and the moon had come up from behind the trees and -floated like a silver boat in the deep blue sea of the heavens, they -took their places again and went spinning at frantic speed out into the -Allée de Longchamp. A quick turn to the left and in another instant -the Porte Dauphine had been passed and the machine was flying smoothly -down the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne with the Arc de Triomphe rising -massively white in the moonlight ahead. - -Frothingham found himself brought very close to Hope Van Tuyl by the -exigencies of the arrangement of six goodly sized persons in a space -designed for five; and he was glad that it was so. He had seen much -of her during the winter season in New York, and he had come abroad -chiefly because he knew that she and her father had planned to spend -the early summer in Europe. She was the type of woman he admired. She -was tall and athletic, fond of sports and clever at them, but not so -much of an enthusiast as to be open to the charge of having unsexed -herself. She was, indeed, intensely feminine. Though she could handle a -coach and four as dexterously as the average masculine whip and could -drive a golf ball well on to two hundred yards, her hands were as -delicately white and her fingers as long and taper as those of a girl -whose most strenuous exertion was the execution of a Chopin nocturne. -Her hair was dark, almost black, with glinting bronze reflections in -the sunlight. Her eyes were the brown of chestnuts and her eyebrows -black and perfectly arched. Frothingham had dreamed night after night -of her mouth--it was so red and so tenderly curved, and her lips seemed -always moist. - -He had noticed her preoccupation towards the close of the dinner, and -he had marvelled as to the cause. It was such an unusual mood for -her. Now, as they were sweeping with exhilarating speed down the long -avenue, with its double row of glittering lights that flashed by in -streaks--while all the rest were laughing, shouting, shrieking in the -exuberance of the moment--she was still abstracted, silent. - -Frothingham ventured to place a hand over one of hers, but she drew -her own away instantly, as though the contact were painful. He fancied -then that he had perhaps unwittingly offended her in some way, and he -whispered, close to her ear: - -“I hope you are not annoyed at me. Have I been guilty of any -discourtesy? I am sure I----” - -But it was very evident she was not listening, and he broke off in the -middle of the sentence. - -The Van Tuyls were stopping at the Ritz, and there Edson put them down. -Frothingham, who had taken lodgings not far away, alighted too, and -Nicholas Van Tuyl asked him in. - -“I feel like a brandy and soda,” he said, “and I want company.” - -Hope excused herself and went directly to her room. She was very -nervous and very _distraite_. The story that Carey Grey was not -only alive and in Paris, but had been ill, delirious and therefore -unaccountable, disquieted and distressed her. She had loved him more -than she knew until his crime and his flight, and, above all, his -desertion without a word of explanation, revealed to her the fulness of -her passion. Then she had battled with herself for a time; had grown -philosophic and had reasoned, and eventually had gathered together the -pages of her life that bore his name, had torn them out and, as she -believed, destroyed them utterly. And now they were here before her, -suddenly restored as a magician makes whole again the articles that he -tears into bits before his auditors’ eyes. - -As she entered her room her maid, who had been reading near a window, -arose, took up something from her dressing-table and came toward her -with it in her outstretched hand. - -“A telegram for m’amselle,” she said. She was a very pretty French -maid, and she had a very delicious French accent. She preferred to -speak in English, though Miss Van Tuyl invariably answered her in -French. “It came not ten minutes ago, m’amselle.” - -Hope walked listlessly to where an electric lamp glowed under a Dresden -shade, tearing open the envelope as she went. Unfolding the inclosure, -she held it in the light’s glare; and then the little blue sheet -dropped from her nerveless fingers, and she reeled. Had it not been for -Marcelle she might have fallen; but the girl, burning with curiosity -to learn the contents of the telegram--or cablegram, as it proved--had -followed her mistress’s every movement, and now her arm was about her -waist. - -“Oh, m’amselle, m’amselle,” she cried in alarm; “my poor m’amselle! Is -it that you hear the bad news?” - -But Miss Van Tuyl made no reply. Recovering herself, she crossed the -room and sat down in the chair by the window that Marcelle had just -vacated. The girl stood for a moment irresolute. Then she stooped and -picked up the sheet of blue paper, placing it on the table under the -lamp. As she did so her quick eye took in enough to satisfy her as to -its import. It was from Miss Van Tuyl’s brother in New York, and it -repeated a cable just received. The words made a very deep impression -on Marcelle because of one of them, of which, though it was quite as -much French as it was English, she did not know the meaning. - -“That he is here in Paris I can understand; and that he is alive and -well, oh, yes!” she iterated and reiterated to herself; “but what is it -he means by ‘_in-ex-pleek-able_’? ‘Conditions _in-ex-pleek-able_’? Oh, -I fear, I fear, that is something very terrible.” - - - - -VI - - -There came a gentle tap on Grey’s door; then a rap, louder and more -insistent; and then repeated knocking, aggressive, commanding; and -Grey, aroused suddenly from what was more stupor than sleep, sat up in -bed, startled, crying: - -“Come in! _Entrez! Herein!_” - -The door opened and Johann entered. - -“It is long after noon, Herr Arndt,” he said, bowing, “and the funeral -is arranged for three o’clock.” - -Grey rubbed his eyes and made an effort to collect his scattered senses. - -“Ah, yes,” he murmured, after a moment; “Herr Schlippenbach’s funeral.” - -“It is very wet,” Johann continued; “since six this morning it has been -raining. I have ordered Herr Arndt’s coffee. It will be here presently.” - -“And my tub?” - -“It waits, Herr Arndt.” - -While Grey, in bathrobe and slippers, was sipping his _café au lait_ -and nibbling a _brioche_, Captain Lindenwald presented himself. - -“I have arranged everything,” he announced, with an air of thorough -self-satisfaction; “for the present we will leave the remains here -in Paris. Later we can decide whether they shall be brought on to -Kürschdorf or sent back to America. I have placed all the details of -the obsequies in the hands of the _Compagnie des Pompes Funèbres_. The -temporary interment will be this afternoon at Père-la-Chaise. Will it -be the pleasure of Herr Arndt to attend?” - -Grey raised his cup to his lips and replaced it on the saucer before -replying. He wished to make sure that he could rid his tone of all -modulation. - -“Yes,” he answered, speaking with great care, “I will go.” If he was to -play the game it were better that he played every hand dealt to him. - -After a little he asked: - -“And the Fraülein von Altdorf? How is she today?” - -“Oh, much better,” returned the Herr Captain, his face beaming; “she -is more composed, more resigned. She is a wonderful young woman, Herr -Arndt; and oh, she is so beautiful!” - -“Yes, she is very lovely,” Grey acquiesced. - -But his thoughts at the moment were not of her. Lindenwald’s eulogy had -set vibrant a chord of emotion, had conjured a picture, had reproduced -a dream that seemed a reality. It was indeed difficult for him to -reconcile the remembrance of that sleep fantasy, so vivid was it in -every detail, with the knowledge that it was not a waking experience. -He had sat for hours, it seemed, beside Hope Van Tuyl, gazing into the -limpid depths of her sympathetic eyes, listening to the melody of her -clear, full-toned voice. They were in a great garden with parterres of -gay, sweet-scented flowers--roses and heliotrope and geraniums--and -smooth terraces of greensward with marble nymphs and satyrs on mossy -pedestals, and above them the kindly, protecting, leafy branches of an -old oak. He had, he thought, just found again the girl he loved--found -her after a long, long separation, and now she was close within his -hungry arms and her lips were always very near his own. He was telling -her some fantastic tale, like a bit culled from the Arthurian legends, -of how he was a great king, and had only been away to claim his own, -and now she was to be his queen and sit beside him on the throne in -robes of purple and ermine and help him rule his people with justice -and mercy. - -Yet here he was sitting in a Paris hotel bedchamber, with a man who -was almost a stranger, while the rain was pelting on the window-panes -and the room was so gloomy that he could scarcely see the face of his -visitor. The recollection of the dream thus contrasted filled him -with a spirit of rebellion. He was beset with an impulse to reveal -without further delay his true condition and let the culprits, whoever -they might be, escape with their object undefined and their plunder -unrestored. The craving to see and hold and talk to the woman he adored -obsessed him for the moment, and he felt that all else was trivial and -futile. - -It was in this mood still that Jack O’Hara found him an hour later. - -“I am off to America by the first steamer,” he said, joyously. “It is -all tommyrot following this thing up. I’m going back, tell everything -as far as I know, and let the police do the rest.” - -The Irishman looked at him in amazement. - -“What’s come over you, lad?” he asked, solemnly. “Have you gone off -your head or are you dreaming? Sure you’re not going to back out now -when we’ve got such a pretty little fight ahead of us, with the enemy -in ambush and afraid to show their colours?” - -“No, I’m not off my head,” Grey replied a little less gaily. He did not -like the suggested imputation of cowardice. - -“Then you are dreaming, sure.” - -“I have been.” The reply was ambiguous, but O’Hara took it that his -friend had changed his mind. - -“And you’re not now; you’re awake, wide awake, eh? And you’re going to -stop and rout ’em, horse, foot, and dragoon? That’s right, man. What -the devil put the going-home notion in your noddle? I’ll wager twenty -pounds it’s a woman you’ve been thinking of.” - -Grey stood by the window looking out on the drenched Boulevard. -O’Hara’s words were an inspiration, but the face and form of Hope were -still before him and her voice still echoed in his ears. The longing -would not easily down. - -“I’ve been looking after your blessed cablegrams,” the Irishman went -on. “There’s only one there for you. I told ’em my name was Grey and -opened it and read it. Then I gave it back to ’em, and explained it -must be for same other Grey. I told ’em my name was Charley, and that -that was addressed to Carey.” - -“Only one?” Grey exclaimed, in a tone of disappointment, turning. “I -don’t suppose Mallory will answer. What a damned blackguard he must -think me! He’s handed my cable over to the police, of course. I suppose -extradition papers are under way by this time. But the one? What was -it?” - -“Here, I wrote it down so as not to forget,” and O’Hara, after fumbling -in his breast pocket, produced an envelope on which was written: - - Overcome with joy. I never gave up hope. God bless you.--MOTHER. - -Grey turned to the window again, his eyes as wet as the panes. After a -little he asked: - -“And that was the only one?” - -“The only one.” - -Then Hope had not answered. She believed him guilty, of course. It -would have been better to have let her, like the rest of the world, -think him dead. What a trickster is the weaver of dreams! How real had -seemed his vision, and yet how untrue! And he had thought of going to -her as fast as the speediest ocean liner could take him. Oh, yes, he -was awake now; wide, wide awake. - -“I couldn’t get the box at the Gare du Nord,” O’Hara continued. “They’d -given a brass or something for it and had no record of your name or -Schlippenbach’s either. You had better ask Johann about it, or Lutz.” - -“I will,” said Grey. - -A hearse had stopped before the door, and he began now putting on his -gloves. - -“No,” he added as he buttoned the grey suèdes, “I’m not going back to -America, O’Hara. Maybe I’ll never go back. I’m going to Schlippenbach’s -funeral now, and I’m going to follow this thing to the end of the route -if it takes me through hell.” His face was very set and solemn, and he -spoke with a determination that made O’Hara’s eyes dance. - -“Bravo, lad!” he cried, enthusiastically. “I still have two months’ -leave, and I’ll go with you, hand in hand, every step of the way.” - -The drive to Père-la-Chaise was very long and very boresome. Captain -Lindenwald was not inclined to conversation and Grey dared not attempt -to lead in the direction he wished, for fear of revealing how little -he knew of what had been prearranged. He gathered, however, that it -had been planned to start for Budavia early in the following week and -that the death of Herr Schlippenbach was not to interfere with this -arrangement; but of what they were going for--of what was to follow -their arrival, he could glean no hint. - -On the return from the cemetery, however, an incident occurred which he -regarded as significant, though it only added to his perplexity. The -carriage had just crossed the Place de la République, past the great -bronze statue which adorns the square, and was rolling leisurely along -the Boulevard St. Martin, when Lindenwald suddenly drew back in the -corner in evident trepidation, catching Grey’s arm and dragging him -back with him. - -“For God’s sake!” he whispered, excitedly. “Did you see that man?” - -“What man?” Grey asked, a little annoyed. He had seen a score of men. -The day was waning; the rain had ceased and there was the usual crowd -that throngs the boulevards at the green hour. - -Lindenwald clutched him tightly for a moment, huddled away from the -window of the voiture. At this point the sidewalks are somewhat higher -than the roadway and they had both been looking up at the pedestrians, -more interested in the procession than in each other. - -“He was standing in front of the Folies Dramatiques,” Lindenwald -explained, presently; “his presence here means no good.” - -“But who?” Grey persisted. - -“It was the Baron von Einhard. You know who the Baron von Einhard is. -Ah! It is very plain. In some way, in spite of all our precautions, -Hugo has got word. We must now be more than careful. The Baron, my dear -Herr Arndt, would not hesitate one little--one very little moment to -cut your throat if he got the chance.” Lindenwald shut his teeth tight, -puckered his lips, and peered convincingly at Grey between half-lowered -lids. - -The American crushed back an exclamation of surprise. In its place he -substituted an inquiry. - -“What is the Baron like?” he asked, wondering whether he had seen him. -The question was a risk, but he ventured. - -“He is small, dark, sharp-featured. He looks more like an Italian -than a Budavian, and he is vengeful. He is, too, oh, so shrewd! Six -assassinations are at his door, and yet--positively, Herr Arndt, what I -say is true--not one of them can be brought home to him.” - -“You are quite sure it was he whom you saw?” - -“Oh, quite sure, of a certainty. I only trust he did not see us. But -his eyes are lynx-like. If he saw us you can be assured we are even -now being followed. Will it be too warm, do you think, if I lower the -shade? He is not here alone, and they are on the lookout.” - -“As you think best,” Grey replied. And Captain Lindenwald pulled down -the silk covering of the window. - -When at length they alighted at the Hôtel Grammont and entered the -courtyard the _portier_ informed the Captain that a gentleman was -waiting for him in the reading-room. He went in, with Grey, who wished -to look at a newspaper, closely following; and a tall, sallow-faced -young man, faultlessly attired, rose and came towards them. - -Grey turned aside to a table, but Lindenwald greeted the caller with no -little suavity of manner. - -“Ah, Monsieur Edson,” he said, affably, “this is indeed an honour. You -have not, I hope, been waiting long?” - -“I have a favour to ask,” the young diplomat replied, “and I shall take -only a moment of your time, Captain. I today received advices from the -State Department at Washington that there is an American stopping at -this hotel whose name is Grey, though they tell me here there is no one -of that name in the house. It seems he cabled to New York yesterday and -gave this as his address. He is wanted for embezzlement.” - -Grey overheard the words and stood motionless, tense, listening -eagerly. His eyes were bent over the table, but it was so dark in the -room that the print of the paper before him was but a grey blur. - -“And you would like me to--?” asked Lindenwald. There was no savour of -agitation in his voice, and Grey wondered how much or how little he -knew. - -“I thought perhaps you might aid me. Fortunately I have his -description. I dined in company with a man last night who has seen him. -He is tall, well set-up, and has fair hair, beard and moustache.” - -“There are many such,” replied the Captain, shrugging his shoulders. - -A servant entered with a burning wax taper, and Grey stepped aside for -him to light the gas over the table. As he did so he faced Edson, and -the illumination lit his features. - -“Ah, there,” the caller whispered, a little nervously, “standing by the -table behind you--there is a man of the very type. Perhaps that is he.” - -Captain Lindenwald turned his head. - -“Ha, ha!” he laughed, clapping his hand on Edson’s shoulder, “that is -very droll, very. Do you remember what I told you yesterday at the -Embassy?” - -Edson nodded. - -“Yes, yes, of course. But----” - -“Well, it is he.” - -“He?” - -“Yes, to be sure. In the strictest confidence, mind you. I would not -tell you were it not that I want to assure you beyond all question that -he, of all persons, cannot be suspected.” - -Grey smiled in spite of himself. - -“That man is----” - -“Sh!” warned Lindenwald his voice very low. “Yes, that man is His Royal -Highness, Prince Maximilian, heir apparent to the throne of Budavia.” - -In spite of the low tone of the speaker Grey caught the words, and the -blood went rushing to his head and set him dizzy. What monstrous lie -was this? He heir apparent to the throne of Budavia! He, a descendant -of plain Puritan ancestry, a republican of republicans, being posed -as a royal personage! It was staggering. And this was the solution to -the riddle. This was why they were going to Kürschdorf. Herr Arndt was -a name assumed. The Crown Prince was travelling incognito. It was all -too ridiculous. He had suspected some mad scheme from Schlippenbach’s -death-bed admonition and from Lutz’s overheard conversation with -Johann, but this comic opera dénouement was quite beyond anything he -had permitted himself to fancy. - -The young gentleman from the United States Embassy was evidently duly -impressed. He coloured and he apologised and he looked hard at Grey to -make sure that he would recognise Prince Maximilian should he again -chance to see him--dining at Armenonville, for instance. - -“I hope,” he added, with a faint smile, “that you will not mention my -stupid blunder to His Royal Highness. I should be mortified to have him -know.” - -“Ha, ha!” laughed Lindenwald again, “he would take it as a good joke. -Oh, yes, I must tell him. He will be so much amused.” - -Edson sidled toward the door and the Budavian officer turned to -accompany him, but stopped short, his face suddenly pallid. Standing -on the threshold, not five paces away, was the small, wiry, dark, -sharp-featured man he had noticed on the Boulevard St. Martin. - -“Good evening, Herr Captain,” said the Baron von Einhard, his eyes -twinkling. - -Captain Lindenwald saluted in military fashion, and the Baron returned -the salute as Edson brushed by him into the passage. - -“You did not, I suppose, expect to see me in Paris, eh?” the newcomer -observed. - -“You were the last man for whom I looked, Baron,” the officer rejoined. -“What is the latest news from Kürschdorf?” - -“You have not seen the evening papers, then?” - -“No.” - -“His Majesty is much worse. His condition became alarming this -morning, at nine o’clock. He cannot, the doctors say, live over -forty-eight hours.” He made the announcement with an air of pleasurable -anticipation. “I should fancy, Herr Captain, that your presence might -be required at the Palace. Or,” and there was a world of cunning -suggestion in his tone, “you have more important business here in -Paris?” - -“As you say, Herr Baron,” Lindenwald replied, visibly uncomfortable. He -was questioning whether the Baron had overheard his conversation with -Edson, and if so, how much. The man’s small eyes were like the eyes of -a snake, beady and sinister. They compelled against one’s will. - -“You remain here long?” von Einhard continued, smiling insinuatingly. - -“The length of my stay is undetermined.” - -“I trust we shall meet again,” and the Baron, still smiling, bowed, -turned on his heel and vanished. - -Grey, who had been listening, now rejoined the Captain. - -“He followed us, evidently,” he ventured. - -“He is a serpent,” Lindenwald commented, gravely, “and one to be -feared. He crawls in the grass, gives no sign and strikes with poisoned -fang where and when least expected. We must be very wary--very wary, -indeed, until we are quite sure he has left the city. Ah, and that is -not the worst--how can we ever be sure? This is a case, Herr Arndt, -where caution is more advisable than valour.” - -“And your advice is?” Grey queried. - -“My advice is never to go out unaccompanied. Already he is setting his -traps, arranging his pitfalls. You cannot conceive of his ingenuity. I -am vexed because I feel myself unequal to combat his trickery. In fair -fight I have no fear, but to fence with von Einhard is to be always in -danger of the impalpable.” - -When they had separated and Grey was alone in his room, he flung -himself into a comfortable chair, lighted a cigarette and gave himself -up to reflection. The gravity of the affair was not to be minimized, -yet he could not repress a smile as he thought of the triangular form -the matter had assumed and of the complications, ramifications and -cross-purposes that had developed. Personally his object was to detect -and bring to justice those persons who had, for some reason not yet -divulged, been using him as a cat’s-paw to attain an end of which he -was also ignorant. He had, of course, every reason to believe that in -this plot Captain Lindenwald was a prominent factor, and as such his -hand was against him. Meanwhile the machinery of international justice -had been set in motion to bring about his own apprehension, extradition -and punishment for a crime he had never contemplated and never -willingly committed. Whether to this infraction Captain Lindenwald had -been a party he had no means of knowing, but now it had turned out that -another enemy was in the field--an aggressive foe seeking his life--and -in this new battle Captain Lindenwald, strangely enough, was, it would -seem, his staunch ally. He wondered whether any man had ever before -been so harassed, so persecuted, so maligned, so humiliated through no -fault of his own; and his sense of injury waxed more galling and his -resentment more turbulently avid. He grew impatient of every hour’s -delay in the chase, restless under his enforced inaction and fretful -over the tardy revelation of past events and the development of future -plans. - -Then the thought of the box at the Gare du Nord recurred to him, and he -got up and rang for Johann. But the youth knew nothing of it. - -“Lutz, perhaps,” he said; “it is possible that Lutz knows. I will send -him to you, Herr Arndt.” - -And a little later Lutz came in. His air was timid and his manner -uneasy. His eyes were furtive and refused to meet his master’s, and his -fingers were in constant motion. - -“Ah, Lutz,” Grey greeted him composedly, taking great care to erase -all modulation from his tone, “there is somewhere, probably among poor -Herr Schlippenbach’s effects, a receipt or check for a box at a railway -station here in Paris--at the Gare du Nord, in fact. I wish you would -see if you can find it for me.” - -“Yes, Herr Arndt.” His gaze was on the carpet. - -“Immediately, Lutz.” - -“Yes, Herr Arndt.” - -“That is all.” - -When he had gone Grey began pacing the floor like a madman, his fists -clenched, his eyes blazing. - -“Was ever guilt more apparent?” he asked himself. “It is written all -over him.” - -And he wondered how he had controlled himself, how he had refrained -from catching him by the throat and strangling a confession from him -without more ado. - - - - -VII - - -Grey dined that evening across the Boulevard at the Maison Dorée, in -company with Fräulein von Altdorf and Herr Captain Lindenwald; and, as -the officer insisted that it was advisable for them to avoid as much -as possible the public eye, the trio dined in a _cabinet particulier_ -on the second floor with windows open on the street. It was not a very -gay dinner, in spite of the Herr Captain’s efforts to infuse some mirth -into it. Miss von Altdorf was apparently still grief-stricken over her -great-uncle’s sudden death, and though she strove valiantly to smile -at Lindenwald’s essays at wit and to respond with some animation to -Grey’s less jocose but cheerful observations, it was with such palpable -exertion as to rather discourage her would-be entertainers. - -Her youth was a surprise to the American. At first sight he had fancied -her three or four-and-twenty, but he was satisfied now that she could -not be more than eighteen. Her figure was distinctly girlish. - -She was all in white, from her great ostrich-plumed hat of Leghorn -straw to her tiny canvas bottines, because, young as she was, she -entertained prejudices against conventional mourning, and exercised -them. It was a question, however, whether in black or white she was -more beautiful. In the death-chamber Grey had seen her sombre-robed -and had pronounced her rarely lovely, and now in raiment immaculately -snowy she was equally alluring. Her expression was naturally pensive -and her recent sorrow had given to her big, deep-set, long-lashed blue -eyes a pathos that awoke the tenderest emotions. As the American gazed -at her across the table he experienced a thrill of sentiment that -was undeniable, and he had but to glance at Lindenwald to see in his -contemplation the same fervency of soul. - -“I should like it,” Grey said to her when the dinner was about over -and he was burning his cognac over his coffee, “if you would take a -trip with me tomorrow into the country. We will start early and have -_déjeuner_ at some inn, under the trees. It will do you a world of -good.” - -Something very like a frown gathered on Lindenwald’s brow, but it -passed before he spoke. - -“Do not forget my warning, Herr Arndt,” he interjected. “It would -perhaps be safer for me to accompany Fraülein von Altdorf.” - -“I will chance it,” Grey replied, decisively. “I feel that I, too, need -a little outing.” - -“It will be lovely, Uncle Max,” the girl responded, with more animation -than she had previously shown. “Let us go to Versailles. I have never -been, and I have read so much about it.” - -“Versailles it shall be, my dear,” he answered, lighting a cigarette, -while Lindenwald brushed his hand across his brow to hide a scowl. - -Grey’s broken, unrefreshing, dreamful slumber of the night before, -followed by a tiresome, distressing day, resulted early in the evening -in a drowsiness that he could not shake off. For a while he dozed in a -chair by an open window, but when the clock had struck eleven he arose -and prepared for bed, and in a little while he was sleeping soundly -behind his blue velvet curtains. - -The night, however, was warm and close after the rain of the day, and, -as the hours wore on, the sleeper grew restless and turned uneasily -from side to side, by-and-by waking at each turning and seeking a -cool spot between the sheets. At length sleep forsook him altogether, -and he lay quite wide awake peering into the darkness in an effort to -distinguish objects. But the night was very black and the room was -enveloped in a pall of ink, save where the reflection from the street -lamps spread patches of dim yellow light on wall and ceiling. The -stillness, too, was oppressive. The boulevard was dead, and within -doors no sound except the monotonous ticking of the clock on the -mantel-shelf was audible. - -He waited longingly for the clock to strike that he might know how many -hours must elapse before the dawn; and as he waited, his senses alert, -there broke softly on the silence the stealthy tread of feet in the -passage on the other side of the wall near which he lay. No sooner had -he heard the footsteps than they ceased, and the sound was succeeded -by a muffled, metallic clicking from the direction of his door. With -Lindenwald’s warning in mind he had turned the key in the lock before -retiring, and he recalled this now with a sense of satisfied security; -but even as he did so he was conscious of the door being pushed slowly -but creakingly ajar, and then the tread that he had heard without he -heard within. He held his breath, not in affright, for he was, he -realised, wonderfully composed, but lest he scare away the intruder -before the object of his visit was made plain. - -Another second and a figure had crossed in the dim light that came -from one of the windows. It was a rather undersized figure, Grey -thought, but its attitude was crouching, almost creeping, and he might -be deceived. Quickly a hand went to the cord loops at either side of -the casements and dropped the curtains, and now the room was devoid -of even the dim illumination from the street lamps. Then again, for a -heart-beat, there was a blade of light visible as the visitor’s arm -shot quickly between the lowered window hangings and drew cautiously -together the open sashes, first one and then the other. - -The steps now approached the bed--very slowly, haltingly, as though the -intruder stopped at each footfall to listen. Grey waited, with every -muscle tense, his nerves a-strain, wondering, speculating as to this -night prowler’s next move. For a little while his approach ceased and -the suspense grew maddening. The man had evidently halted in the centre -of the room. Then there came the faintest tinkle of glass touched to -glass, so faint that the ticking of the clock made question whether it -was not imagination; and then the stealthy stepping was resumed, but -more nearly silent than before, until the man in the bed, with heart -pounding, teeth shut tight and breath indrawn and held, knew that the -other was there beside him--leaning in over him, between the curtains, -with a hand outstretched.... - -Blindly, into the pitch dark, with all its power of nerve and muscle, -Grey’s clenched fist shot upward just as a cloth, wet with a liquid -so suffocatingly volatile as to stagger him for the instant, dropped -on his face. He heard a startled cry, half moan, half groan, and then -a crash as a body reeled backward and, losing its balance, toppled -over a chair. On his feet in a flash, Grey made haste to follow up his -advantage. His foot touched his fallen assailant and he flung his full -weight down upon him, groping wildly in the dark to find his arms and -pinion them. But the fellow wriggled like a worm--twisting agilely, -squirming from under his clutch--and his arms evaded capture. Locked in -a desperate embrace they rolled over and over, now half rising to their -knees, now thrown back again, upsetting tables and chairs, pounding -their heads stunningly on floor and wall, clutching at each other’s -hair, gripping each other’s throats--a wrestling match in which science -had neither time nor place; a struggle for capture on the part of one, -and for escape on the part of the other. - -Grey was the stronger of the two, the heavier, the more muscular, but -his foe was all elasticity, wiry, resilient, untiring, indomitable. The -minutes passed without any apparent advantage to either. The smaller -man was swearing in four languages and Grey was breathing hard. The -noise they were making, as they rose and fell and overturned furniture, -was thunderous. Each moment Grey expected the house would be awakened -and assistance would arrive. Perspiration was pouring from his every -pore; his pyjamas were in ribbons, his body and limbs half naked. -Vainly he strove to strike and stun his adversary. His blows were -dodged as if by instinct and his knuckles were bleeding where they had -come in contact with the floor. - -At length he succeeded in laying hold of the fellow’s face, his nose -and mouth in his iron grasp, but instantly the jaws wrenched open and -then closed savagely with Grey’s finger between viciously incisive -teeth. A cry of pain escaped him as for the smallest moment a wave of -faintness swept over him, and then he felt his antagonist slipping -sinuously from under him and he grabbed wildly for a fresh hold. He -caught a wrist and tried to cling to it, but the teeth were cutting to -the bone, grinding on the joint, and the wrist slid through his grasp -and the head followed in a twinkling. He rolled over and lunged out -again, but the steely jaws had at that instant released his mangled -finger, and even as he was striving to reach, struggling pantingly -to his knees, he heard the door open quickly and he knew that he was -alone. - -He sank back to a sitting posture, breathing hard and deeply, but the -air seemed suddenly to have grown thick and foul and choking, and -he clambered to his feet and sought in the darkness for a window. -Presently the touch of the curtains rewarded him. He thrust them -frantically aside, pushed open the sashes and then dropped down again -with his head and shoulders far out over the balcony, drinking in the -cool, fresh air of the very early morning. - -And it was here, in this position, a minute later that Johann, who had -after considerable deliberation decided to investigate the cause of the -disturbance, found him pale and exhausted, with the remnants of his -pyjamas spattered with blood from his bleeding finger. - -“Oh, Herr Arndt,” he cried, in perturbation, “what has happened? Have -you tried to kill yourself? Oh, it is suffocating here! The gas--the -room is full of gas.” - -Johann helped Grey to his feet, sat him in a chair by the window, and -having discovered the four gas jets of the chandelier which depended -from the ceiling in the centre of the room turned full on, he turned -them off, opened the other window and threw wide the door to effect a -draft. Then he lighted the candles and returned to make an inventory of -his master’s injuries. - -“I’m not very much hurt, Johann,” Grey assured him; “but it was a -pretty tough scrimmage while it lasted, and the brute did give my -finger a biting. He had teeth like a saw and jaws like a vise. His -original idea was asphyxiation, I suppose. He fancied I was asleep and -that he would make it my last. By the way, look in the bed over there. -You’ll find a chloroformed handkerchief, I think.” - -“And was it for robbery, do you imagine, Herr Arndt, that he came?” -Johann asked, as he went toward the bed. - -“God knows,” Grey answered. “It looks rather professional when a fellow -unlocks your door with a pair of nippers. The key was in the lock, you -see.” - -“You did not see his face, Herr Arndt? You would not know him?” - -“I’m not a cat, Johann, and I cannot see in the dark.” - -Then the valet hastened away to investigate, but returned without any -information worth the calling. He had aroused the _portier_ only to -learn that the street door had not been opened in two hours either for -ingress or egress. Whoever the depredator was he must either have come -in early and remained hidden or have entered through some unbarred -window in the rear of the hotel, probably escaping by the same means. -Having made his report Johann bathed and bound Grey’s finger, drew a -bath for him, got out clean nightwear, remade the bed, and, just as the -clock struck the half-hour after four, left him once more alone, still -with the chloroformed handkerchief in his hand, which he was examining -carefully for the third time. But it was merely a square piece of fine -hemstitched linen without any distinguishing mark whatever. In that, -certainly, there was no clue to his visitor. - -But just as he was about to blow out his candles his foot trod on -something hard, and he stooped and picked up a seal ring. It was very -heavy and richly chased, and it bore an elaborately engraved coat of -arms. In that last despairing clutch at the fellow’s hand he had -evidently stripped this from his finger--this which could not but -prove damaging evidence of his identity. The heraldic device was to -Grey unfamiliar, but it would be a comparatively easy matter to learn -to what family it belonged. Indeed, he had a vague recollection of -having noticed a ring of this pattern on the little finger of Baron von -Einhard’s ungloved hand the afternoon before in the hotel reading-room; -but the pattern was not uncommon, and-- but it was preposterous to -fancy that a man of his position, no matter what Lindenwald had said, -no matter what his reputation for chicanery, craft, and cunning, would -personally undertake a deliberate attempt at homicide. Such impossible -characters might figure in melodramas, but in real life they were out -of the question. And then he looked at the ring again, turning it over -and inspecting it very minutely in the light of the candle flame. - -Captain Lindenwald, when he was told of the affair, was quite sure -it was von Einhard even before he was shown the ring, and when that -was forthcoming he was willing to swear to it. The arms, he declared, -were the von Einhard arms, and the ring could have been worn by no -one save the Baron himself. He was for putting the matter in the hands -of the police and thus avoiding future dangers, but after a little -deliberation he realised that such a course would be impracticable. For -the present it was absolutely necessary, he knew, to reveal nothing as -to his and his charge’s whereabouts. Too much was known already; and -general publicity, even though it put von Einhard where he could do no -personal harm, would more greatly imperil the carrying out of the plans -that were indispensable. - -This, at least, was the impression he conveyed to Grey, though he was, -as usual, most guarded in his choice of words. Never yet, the American -observed, had he directly spoken of his mission, nor had he once so -much as intimated to him that he knew him as other than Herr Max Arndt. -That he was a crown prince _en route_ to the bedside of his dying sire -Captain Lindenwald had zealously refrained from uttering save to a -third party under stress of unusual circumstance, and then in a tone so -low that he could not reasonably be expected to hear. - -“If I may be permitted,” the Captain requested, “I will keep this ring -for a little. I may run across von Einhard, and I should like to give -him this one hint that his attempt on your life is known to us.” - -But for some reason which he could not define Grey demurred. - -“I have a whim to wear it,” he said, replacing it upon his finger; and -Lindenwald made no further plea. - - - - -VIII - - -It was deemed best not to mention the incident of the night to Miss -von Altdorf, and on their way to the Gare St. Lazare that morning Grey -accounted for his bandaged finger by the subterfuge of having caught -it in a door. He was not altogether satisfied with the spot chosen for -the day’s outing. Had he been allowed unaided to make the choice he -would undoubtedly have selected a resort of quite different character, -but the girl had expressed a wish to visit Louis XIV’s “_Abîme des -dépenses_,” and he had without demur acceded to her desire. After -all, to be alone with her and thus gather from her knowledge as much -information as possible concerning the mystery that surrounded him was -his prime object, and for this purpose Versailles offered as propitious -a background as Bougival or Croissy or a dozen other places that he -personally would have preferred. - -The day, washed clear and brilliant by the rain of yesterday, was not -uncomfortably warm, and, though the maimed finger ached distractingly -at times, Grey, in spite of his misgivings, found the little jaunt -delightfully diverting. The Fraülein had shaken off much of her -melancholy of the previous evening, and her mood was cheerful, if not -merry. Her appreciation, which was mingled with a joyousness almost -childish, was especially gratifying to her companion. Everything she -saw interested her, and her comment, while invariably intelligent, was -so unaffected and ingenuous as to be ofttimes amusing. - -When, after _déjeuner_ at the Café de la Comédie, they had come out -upon the terrace of the palace and stood overlooking the quaint, -solemn, old-fashioned gardens, cut up into squares and triangles and -parallelograms and ornamented with statues and vases and fountains -arranged with monotonously geometric precision, her face shone with -pleasure for a moment and then a shadow crossed it. - -“Are all landscape gardeners atheists?” she asked, naïvely. - -“I’m sure I don’t know,” Grey replied, smiling; “I’ve never -investigated their religious beliefs.” - -“Well, the one who designed all this,” she added, with a sweep of her -hand, “had very little respect for God’s taste.” - -And later, as they sauntered through room after room and gallery after -gallery of the palace, with their interminable succession of paintings -and sculptures, she was much impressed by the pictured ceilings. - -“I wonder why they put their best work where one must break one’s neck -to see it?” she queried; and then she laughed. “Do you suppose it was -to encourage the kings and queens and other grandees to bear in mind -their exalted position and to hold their heads high?” - -Grey had thus far refrained from broaching the subject which had -inspired the excursion. He had chosen first of all to study the girl -and gauge her character. Over her presence in the little party of -questionables in which he had so unexpectedly found himself he was much -perplexed. It seemed scarcely reasonable to suppose that she was not -in some way involved in the plot, but whether actively or passively, -with knowledge or without, was, or at least might be, open to question. -He certainly could gather no indication from her attitude, her manner, -or her utterance that she was other than artless and sincere. She -appeared, in fact, uncommonly simple-hearted, straightforward, and -guileless, and, after weighing the evidence, he reached the conclusion -that if she had a place in the scheme of his enemies it was most -assuredly without her ken or connivance. It was nevertheless clear that -she must be innocently aware of much that he wished eagerly to know, -and, as they wandered over the palace together, from the sumptuously -decorated _Salles des Croisades_, reflecting in picture, trophy and -souvenir the conquest of Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre, to the -magnificent _Galerie des Glaces_, with its many high-arched windows and -glittering, gilt-niched mirrors, he ponderingly strove to outline some -course of procedure that would yield him what he desired and yet not -reveal his own delicately fragile position. - -It was not, however, until they had finished their inspection of the -palace and had passed out into the gardens by the _Cour des Princes_ -that an opportunity offered to make trial of the plan he had conceived. -They had strolled under the orange trees beside that long stretch -of velvet lawn towards what is known as the basin of Apollo and had -found seats on the marble coping of the fountain. As they sat there -facing each other amid the perfume of the flowers and the spice of the -shrubbery, the balmy breath of summer fanning their cheeks and the -genial glow of a tempered June sun bathing them, the girl’s eye fell -for the first time upon the ring on Grey’s little finger, and she gave -an involuntary start of surprise. - -“Oh, is it you, then?” she cried, and there was something of awe in -her voice, though her eyes were smiling. “But no,” she added, quickly, -“that cannot be. I do not understand, Uncle Max.” - -“Nor I, child,” Grey replied, smiling back at her. He had not observed -her glance, and her exclamation had startled him. She took his hand in -her long, white, rose-tipped fingers and held it up before his eyes, -the ring glinting in the sunshine. - -“That!” she said. “What does it mean, your wearing it?” - -“Mean?” he hesitated, wondering. “Why should it mean anything? Has not -a gentleman a right to wear a ring if his fancy runs that way?” - -“Oh, yes, of course; some rings; but no ordinary gentleman has a right -to wear that one.” - -“But suppose I am not an ordinary gentleman?” he pursued. “Suppose I -have a title and bear arms, have I not a right to engrave those arms -upon gold and wear them on my finger?” - -She looked at him very seriously from out her deep-set, long-lashed -eyes of purplish blue, and then she said: - -“But it is the ring of the Crown Prince. And you are not the Crown -Prince. If you were you could not be my uncle.” - -Grey’s heart leaped. His decision had been confirmed. She was not -trying to put him on a throne to which he had no more right than -those workmen who were repairing the stone margin of the great canal -a hundred yards away. Yet, at the same time, she had filled him with -a new perplexity. It was evident that the ring was quite familiar -to her. Therefore it could hardly be von Einhard’s, and Lindenwald’s -assertion must not only have been false but knowingly false, and with -an object. If the Fraülein von Altdorf knew the ring as the Crown -Prince’s ring, Lindenwald must also have known it as such. It was for -that reason he did not wish Grey to keep it. He feared, probably, just -such a revelation as had come about. These points were plain enough, -but the whole intricate problem was growing more and more involved. -Its likeness to a maze again recurred. With every effort to extricate -himself he seemed to get further and more bewilderingly entangled. And -once more he was tempted to leave the path, which seemed to turn and -turn again on itself, and to cut his way through thicket and underbrush -regardless of consequences. - -“What a wise Fraülein it is!” he replied, after a pause. “What you say -is very true. If I am the Crown Prince I am not your uncle, and if I -am your uncle I am not the Crown Prince. Now which would you prefer to -have me?” - -“Oh, for your sake,” she answered, quickly, “I’d rather you were heir -to the throne; but for my sake I’d rather you were my uncle.” - -“But not being able to be both, suppose you should learn that I am -neither?” he queried, laughing. - -“But you are,” she protested, with conviction. “You are my uncle, that -is a fact.” - -“How do you know?” Grey asked. The situation was growing interesting; -disclosures were imminent, and they were coming quite naturally without -his having had to resort to the plan he had mapped out. - -“How does one ever know such things?” she replied, a little annoyance -in her tone. “You were my Great-uncle Schlippenbach’s nephew and I am -your niece. I call you Uncle Max and you call me Minna.” - -“Ah, yes, that is very true,” Grey went on, banteringly, and he -remembered what O’Hara had told him of how they had met in London a -week after his setting foot on English soil; “but you never saw me in -your life until two months ago. Do you remember how we first met?” - -“I have a very vivid recollection of it. It was at dinner at the -Folsonham, in London. I wore a pale green frock. And poor Great-uncle -Schlippenbach said: ‘Minna, my dear, this is your Uncle Max, who hasn’t -seen you since you were a baby.’” - -“And what else did he say?” - -“Oh, I don’t remember all the conversation.” - -“Did he say anything about where we were going, and what we were going -for?” - -“I don’t think he said anything then. But you must remember. You were -as much there as I was.” - -“Ah, but I was not listening,” Grey pleaded, his eyes a-twinkle. “I had -something better to do.” - -“What was that, pray?” - -“I had my pretty niece to look at.” - -The rose in Minna’s cheeks deepened and her eyes fell shyly. - -“Now you are teasing me again,” she said. - -Grey turned an uninterested gaze for a brief space on the sun-god and -his chariot which, surrounded by tritons, nymphs, and dolphins, rose in -heroic proportions from the centre of the basin. - -“I never knew much of my Uncle Schlippenbach,” he ventured, after a -little; “tell me about him.” - -“You should know more than I,” the Fraülein returned. “You were in New -York with him while I was in England.” - -“Yes, I know,” her companion went on, as he took a cigarette from his -case and struck a match, “but I don’t mean intimately, personally. Tell -me a little of his history.” - -“Everybody knew he was eccentric.” - -“Of course.” - -“Otherwise he would never have left Budavia. Just think of what he gave -up!” - -“That’s just it,” Grey interposed, eagerly. “What did he give up? I’ve -heard stories, to be sure, but I don’t know that I ever had the truth -of it.” - -“Oh, I’ve heard it a hundred times,” Minna responded, digging the -point of her parasol into the gravel. “You see, he was tutor to the -Court. He had taught King Frederic about all there was to teach, -and when His Majesty outgrew school books--of course he wasn’t His -Majesty then, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince--Great-uncle -Schlippenbach accompanied him on the grand tour. They visited every -court in Europe and then went over to Africa and Turkey in Asia, and -I don’t know where else. Then when Frederic succeeded to the throne, -Great-uncle Schlippenbach was still retained, and after a while, when -a little prince was born to Queen Anna, he was constituted a sort of -kindergarten-professor to the royal infant.” - -“In other words, a mental wet-nurse,” suggested Grey. - -“Yes, exactly. I think he taught him to say ‘bah’ and ‘boo’ and -‘gee-gee’ and ‘moo-cow’--or rather their German equivalents--and led -him gloriously on to the alphabet. Then, just as he was beginning to -spell nicely in words of three letters, something happened. Nobody -ever knew just exactly what it was, but Great-uncle Schlippenbach took -offence. Her Majesty, Queen Anna, it seems, was to blame. He brooded -over the matter for weeks and months, growing more and more incensed, -more and more bitter. In vain King Frederic tried to mollify him. He -was very fond of Great-uncle Schlippenbach, and he wanted to smooth -matters over, but the royal tutor was not to be pacified. He broke out -in a torrent of rage, recounting his fancied wrongs and declaring that -he had wasted the best years of his life in a hopeless effort to grow -flowers of intellect from barren soil. The German Emperor would have -had him behind the bars for _lèse-majesté_, but King Frederic only -laughed and offered him a baronetcy. But Great-uncle Schlippenbach -scorned the offer. Having spoken his mind, he packed his boxes and -left the Court, left Kürschdorf, left Budavia, left Europe and went to -America to begin life anew. That was twenty-five years ago, and he was -forty years old.” - -“And the poor little Crown Prince had to learn his words of four -letters from someone less gifted, eh?” - -“Dear only knows from whom he ever did learn them,” Miss von Altdorf -continued. “He disappeared the very next week after Great-uncle -Schlippenbach.” - -“Disappeared?” repeated Grey. - -“Oh, yes, you remember that, surely. He was abducted, you know. Why, -that’s a part of the history of your own country. That’s why there’s so -much excitement now over rumours of his turning up at this late day. -Oh, dear, Uncle Max, why will you tease me so? You made me tell you -that whole story, and I’m sure you knew it quite as well as I.” - -Grey laughed joyously. - -“I love to hear you talk,” he told her, his gaze lingering fondly -on her blushing face. “And so,” he added, “they are looking for the -kidnapped baby to reappear a man and claim his own? Is that it?” - -But she was silent, her eyes downcast. - -“Won’t you answer me?” he pleaded. - -“I won’t again tell you what you already know,” she answered, a little -petulantly. - -“But I don’t know about this ring, really,” Grey urged. “Tell me about -it. What has it got to do with the stolen Crown Prince?” - -Minna looked up, regarding him searchingly. - -“Where did you get it?” she asked. - -“I found it,” he answered, quite truthfully. - -“In a jewel casket, within a great iron chest, inside an ordinary -travelling box?” she cross-questioned. - -The significance of the description was not lost on her hearer. - -“No,” he returned, frankly, “not in anything at all. On the floor of my -room.” - -Her eyes were round with surprise. - -“And how did it come there?” - -“I cannot imagine. That is why I’d like you to tell me what you know of -it.” - -“And before you found it on the floor of your room you had never seen -it?” - -“Never. I swear it by the sun-god yonder.” - -“My great-uncle never showed it to you--never told you of it?” - -“Never,” Grey repeated. - -“He showed it to me in London,” she confessed, reaching out for the -finger it adorned, “and told me all about it. It seems that when -he left Budavia it had in some way got in with his effects. He did -not find it until a year or more afterward. It had belonged to the -King before his coronation, and to his father before him, and to his -grandfather before that. The arms are those of the Prince of Kronfeld. -The Crown Prince is always, you know, the Prince of Kronfeld.” - -“And as the little Prince of Kronfeld had been kidnapped and Uncle -Schlippenbach did not know where to find him, he simply put the ring -away for safe-keeping, eh?” asked Grey, quizzically. - -“He was taking it back to Kürschdorf when he died,” Minna answered, -with rebuke in her tone. “As soon as he heard that the Crown Prince had -been found he started. He wished, he said, to put it on his finger with -his own hand. ‘His Royal Highness will probably travel _incognito_,’ he -said to me, ‘but I shall know him; and when we meet I shall give him -the ring. When you see it worn you will know that the wearer is the -Crown Prince.’” - -“And when you saw it on my finger you thought--just for a moment--that -I was he, didn’t you, Minna? But then, as I am your uncle I cannot be -the Prince of Kronfeld, so we will take it off and wear it no more,” -Grey concluded, slipping the golden circlet from his finger and stowing -it away in a pocket of his waistcoat. - -“But what I should like to know,” continued the Fraülein, “is how it -came on the floor of your room?” - -“And so should I,” her companion echoed; “how it got out of the casket, -and the iron chest, and the travelling box.” - -Presently the sound of many shuffling feet was borne to their ears, -accompanied by the discordant piping of high-pitched voices, and -turning their heads they saw approaching an army of tourists with a -gesticulating, haranguing guide in the lead. - -“It’s a case of ‘follow the man from Cook’s,’” Grey observed, annoyed -at having their privacy invaded. “We had better stroll on.” - -They walked rapidly for a while, keeping always to the right, until -they were out of sight and sound of the disturbing company, and then -they dawdled from terrace to terrace; leaned over lichen-stained -marble balustrades to see their reflections in the dark, silent pools; -loitered on banks of mossy turf beneath the shade of towering trees; -stopped to admire, to criticise, and not infrequently to laugh over -the sculptures that dotted the way, and came out at length upon an -avenue, long and straight and level and gleaming white in the afternoon -sunshine. - -“You want to see the Trianons, of course,” Grey suggested to the girl. -“I know you are familiar with many of the events that took place there.” - -And so, turning to the left, they sauntered on until they came to the -one-story horse-shoe shaped villa that Louis XIV built for Madame de -Maintenon. But Minna was tired of sight-seeing, and the porcelains and -the pictures proved alike uninteresting. The Petit Trianon pleased -her much better because of its associations with Marie Antoinette, -who had been one of her school-girl heroines, and over its delightful -English-looking garden she grew enthusiastic. - -They strolled along the winding paths, dallied on the shore of the -funny little artificial lake, and rested for a while in the “_Temple -de l’Amour_.” The number of visitors, however, was to both of them a -disturbing influence. They would have liked the place to themselves, -but they were at every turn running into couples and parties whose -presence, as Grey put it, “spoiled the picture.” - -They had just emerged from that group of homely, quaint cottages in a -far corner of the garden where the fair ladies of Louis’s Court were -wont to play at peasant life, when the rippling laughter of women and -the more hearty if less musical merriment of men broke jarringly upon -their hearing. - -“Can’t we have some milk at the _vacherie Suisse_?” Grey heard a -woman’s voice ask in the English of the well-bred. - -And then a man rejoined: - -“Milk! What for? There’s still an unopened case of champagne in the -coach.” - -Again the laughter echoed, but nearer. The little company were coming -towards them, hidden by the shrubbery. A second later and they came -into view--a tall, large woman with brilliant auburn hair, in gown and -hat of pale lavender; a middle-aged man, red-faced and well-groomed; a -dainty little dark woman, all in red, with a tall, dark man in grey, -and then--Grey went white as the whitest cloud overhead, for Hope Van -Tuyl was approaching, and with her was the young man from the Embassy -whom he had seen yesterday at the hotel. And there was Frothingham, -too, whom he had not recognised at first glance; and it was Nicholas -Van Tuyl, he saw now, who was with the red-haired woman in the lead. - -For a second he halted, undecided, a powerful impulse urging him to -speak to the woman he loved, at all hazards. His lips were framing -words, his eyes were beaming, his hand was half way to his hat, before -his judgment came to the rescue--and held him; told him that it would -be folly, that now as never before it was his duty to maintain his -disguise and thereby eventually establish his innocence. His eyes -cooled, his teeth closed on his embryo utterance, his hand dropped to -his side. - -“Carey Grey!” - -Hope’s voice rang out suddenly above the babble of the party. She had -seen him and recognised him. The others had passed on. Only she and -Edson were there beside him. With an effort that cost him the most -poignant torture he ever suffered he turned to Minna, murmuring words -that had no meaning and walked heedlessly by. - -Edson caught Miss Van Tuyl’s trembling arm. - -“Sh!” he warned, a little excitedly; “you’ve made a mistake. That isn’t -Grey.” - -“But”--and the colour came and went in her face and she breathed -quickly--“but I know it is. I know him, I’m sure; oh, quite, quite -sure. I cannot be mistaken. His hair is changed; yes, and he has a -beard, but his eyes--I should always know his eyes; and”--as she stood -gazing after him--“his shoulders. There isn’t another man in the world -who has shoulders just like Carey Grey’s.” - -“No other man, possibly,” added Edson, “except the Crown Prince of -Budavia.” - - - - -IX - - -On the way back to Paris Grey’s thoughtful silence contrasted so -markedly with his cheery loquacity of the morning that Fraülein von -Altdorf was led to observe: - -“I do believe you’re tired, Uncle Max.” - -“Tired?” he repeated, forcing a smile. “No, my child, not a bit. The -day has been a joy. I’ve revelled in it. Tired! The idea! Am I a -septuagenarian or am I an invalid?” - -“But you haven’t spoken for fifteen whole minutes.” - -“Haven’t I, really? I suppose I was thinking.” - -“Of what?” she asked, mischievously. - -Grey hesitated a little moment. - -“Of fortune and misfortune,” he answered, gravely; “of Fate and the -pranks she plays; of life and its inconsistencies; of right and wrong -and rewards and punishments; of love and hatred and jealousy; of fair -women and brutal, selfish men; of a hundred and one things more or less -interesting and absorbing.” - -“Oh, you _were_ busy!” the girl exclaimed. “I don’t wonder you didn’t -hear my question. Altogether I have asked it three times.” - -“I beg your pardon,” he pleaded contritely; “that was very rude of me. -Won’t you ask it once more?” - -They had a compartment to themselves and were seated opposite each -other. The train had just left Asnières and was crossing the Seine. - -“I was wondering whether you noticed the lady we passed in the garden -of the Petit Trianon. I don’t believe you did.” - -“We passed many ladies,” Grey temporised; “I can’t say that I noticed -them all.” - -“Oh, but this one was very beautiful,” she insisted. “She had such -colouring and such lovely brown eyes, and I think she thought she -recognised you.” - -“Why didn’t you tell me at the time?” he asked, striving to appear -unconscious. - -“Why didn’t I? That’s a nice question. I nudged you and I tried to -catch your eye; and, after we had gone on a few steps I begged you to -look back, but you wouldn’t heed me. Oh, you were thinking very hard -just then. Was it about fair ladies and brutal, selfish men, do you -imagine?” - -“Probably,” Grey answered. “I’m sorry I was so rude.” And once more he -relapsed into meditative silence. - -Very bitter indeed was his self-condemnation. If he could have had -a second more in which to make his decision he would have decided -differently. Of that he was sure. It may have been that he took the -course of wisdom, but wisdom and love have been enemies since time -began, and where his allegiance was due there he had proved traitor. -He contrasted his selfishness with her loyalty, and his ready -willingness to conclude that she believed ill of him with her now -proved steadfastness, even to the disregard of place and circumstance. -He had metaphorically given her a curse for a caress, and he mentally -and emotionally scourged himself for his brutality. The suggestion that -desperate ills require desperate remedies--that it was necessary to -be cruel that he might be kind--presented itself, but he refused to -admit that it had any application. He was consumed by a desire to make -reparation, to wipe out this blot of cowardice with some recklessly -bold bit of bravery. He would go to her hotel--the Van Tuyls always -stopped at the Ritz--and regardless of consequences he would present -himself, explain all, and, in abject abasement, beseech her pardon. -This, he argued, was the very least he could do. But when he reached -this conclusion doubts assailed him and robbed him of what little peace -he had garnered. Would she receive him? What right had he to expect -that she could permit him to speak to her, now that he had repulsed -her--cut her in the presence of her friends and further insulted and -humiliated her by appearing more than interested in another woman--and -a very young and very pretty woman, too? He most assuredly could have -no just cause for complaint should she adopt such an attitude. She had -indicated clearly enough that as long as only newspaper reports were -his accusers she was willing to await his side of the story, but when -she had given him an opportunity to defend himself, and he had chosen -to ignore it and herself as well, was it in reason to hope for any -further forbearance? - -It was in this mood that Grey’s return from Versailles was -accomplished; in this ill-temper with himself and this doubt of being -able to undo what he looked on as a more dire menace to his happiness -than all the charges of defalcation and embezzlement and all the -dangers of extradition. - -When at length he and Miss von Altdorf reached the Hôtel Grammont they -found O’Hara awaiting them. He came running out to the _fiacre_ and -gave a hand to the young woman, assisting her to alight. - -“Where on earth have you been?” he asked, smiling; but Grey caught a -note of concern in his voice. - -“To Versailles, for the day,” the Fraülein answered, gaily. “And oh, -such a lovely day, too! I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” - -“Didn’t they tell you?” Grey asked. “Lindenwald knew.” - -“I haven’t seen him.” - -“Johann knew.” - -“I haven’t seen Johann either.” - -It was not until the two men were together in Grey’s room that O’Hara -broke his news. - -“They’ve cleared out,” he said, bluntly. “What do you think of that for -a rum go?” - -Grey, who had been drawing off his gloves, stopped midway in the -process. - -“Cleared out!” he repeated, in astonishment. “Who have cleared out? -What do you mean?” - -“The whole crew,” declared O’Hara, “Lindenwald and Lutz and Johann. I -understood at first that you and the Fraülein had gone with them, but -the _portier_ told me that you and she had started earlier and that -your traps were still here.” - -“But they?” Grey pursued, eagerly. “Where have they gone? Did they -leave no word?” - -“Devil a word,” returned the Irishman. “They paid their bill--that is, -the Captain did--and departed, kit and all.” - -“What does it mean?” - -“That’s what I’d like to know.” - -Grey drew off his other glove. - -“They’re frightened,” he decided; “they have grown suspicious. They -never knew at what minute they would be pounced on. Their plot was -clear enough. What they wanted to do was to palm me off as the Crown -Prince of Budavia and put me on the throne when the King dies, as he is -going to, if he has not already.” - -“What rot!” exclaimed O’Hara. “Have you gone clean daft? What would be -their object? How could they hope to do it?” - -“I don’t know anything about their object,” Grey continued, calmly; -“that’s still a puzzle to me; but they might hope for a lot with me in -the condition I was in a few days ago. I apparently did their bidding -to their utmost satisfaction.” - -“It’s very improbable,” the Irishman insisted; “you’ll never be able to -make any one believe it.” - -“Won’t I?” the American demanded. “Well, then, wait and see. I’ve -learned a lot since I saw you last. As much as I’ve told you is very -plain. I have witnesses to prove it. And the other proofs--my God! What -do you suppose has become of that box at the Gare du Nord? I sent Lutz -for the check or receipt last night, and he never brought it. And this -ring!” he went on, talking more to himself than to his companion, -“it was in that box. Of course it was. And--” He ceased speaking--his -thoughts were coming now too rapidly for words--and stood with lips -pressed and eyelids drawn, gazing through his lashes into space. - -He was satisfied that someone--he suspected it was Lutz--had got the -box from the railway station, had rifled it, had abstracted the ring, -had made so bold as to wear it. Yes, when Lutz had come in answer to -his summons of the previous evening, he was wearing it even then. -It must have been too large for him. He had been nervous, his hands -had been twitching, and it had dropped from his finger, and--but no; -could it be possible? Was it--_was_ it Lutz who had returned in the -early morning with intent to smother him? Was it he with whom he had -wrestled? Was it from his hand that he had stripped this heirloom of -the Budavian Court? And Lindenwald’s assurance that it bore the von -Einhard arms? What could that mean, other than that Lindenwald was in -league with Lutz and striving to shield him? And now their flight.... - -“Will you kindly tell me whether you are subject to these attacks?” -asked O’Hara, interrupting his train of thought. “If I’m to be your -lieutenant and serve in your campaign, it strikes me that I should have -your full and entire confidence, and yet you are keeping something from -me.” - -“I’ll tell you everything after dinner,” Grey consented. “We’ll have a -council of war and we’ll map out a plan of action.” - -When O’Hara had run away to dress, promising to meet Grey and the -Fraülein in a private room of the Café Riche at seven-thirty and dine -with them, the American’s thoughts reverted to his resolution to see -Hope Van Tuyl at all hazards. The disappearance of Lindenwald and -the others, however, had again somewhat altered the situation. It -was now more than ever necessary that he retain his freedom in order -to track and run down the fugitives, and he recognised the risk he -took in going to a hotel patronised largely by Americans and sending -up a card bearing his real name. Once more his judgment was in the -ascendency--wisdom had gained a slight advantage over the little blind -god. - -Sitting down at his table Grey took up a pen and wrote: - - MY DARLING: For the last two hours I have been in purgatory. What - must you think of me? I would come to you at once if I could, but - it is impossible. Tomorrow morning, though, I must see you. At - the end of the Tuileries gardens, near the Place de la Concorde, - there is, you may remember, a grove of trees. Arrange to be there - with your maid at eleven o’clock. There will be few there at that - hour. - -This he despatched to the Ritz by messenger. - -“Fancy Captain Lindenwald going off!” cried Minna, as, promptly at -twenty minutes past seven, she joined Grey in the drawing-room. “Where -has he gone, do you suppose? And Lutz, too, and even Johann.” - -“They’ve gone to the seaside over Sunday,” was Grey’s jesting reply. -“Paris was getting too warm for them.” - -“But,” she protested, at fault, “I understood we were all to start for -Kürschdorf tomorrow night.” - -“Were we? Who said so?” - -“Captain Lindenwald, last evening.” - -“Well, Captain Lindenwald has changed his plans.” - -“It is certainly very mysterious,” she concluded, perplexedly. “I -couldn’t believe it when the chambermaid told me.” And the great solemn -eyes were graver than usual. - -When, after dinner, they returned to the hotel, Grey’s glance detected -a telegram in the rack addressed to the decamping Captain and he made -haste to appropriate it. A little later, in his room, he handed it to -O’Hara. - -“It may be of service,” he said, significantly. “I don’t much like -prying into another man’s affairs, but in this case his and mine are, -in a way, identical.” - -The Irishman nodded. - -“We’ll keep it until you’ve told me all you know without it,” he -suggested, taking out a briarwood pipe and filling it, “so drive ahead, -lad, and don’t omit any details.” - -And then Grey told his story, beginning with the glimpse of von -Einhard, on the Boulevard St. Martin; following with the visit of Edson -and the overheard announcement that he, Grey, was the Crown Prince -Maximilian; the reappearance of the Baron; Lutz’s suspicious demeanour; -the attempt on his life; the finding of the ring; the ring’s history; -and, finally, his own deductions. - -O’Hara listened attentively, blowing great clouds of smoke from under -his red moustache. Occasionally he interrupted with a question. When -the recital was concluded he got up and extended his hand. - -“Well done, man,” he exclaimed; “you have been making hay in sun and -rain alike. I wonder if we could lay our hands on this Baron von -Einhard. It seems to me that he is just the chap we want to make -friends with.” - -“I dare say he is still hanging about,” the American replied; “he -probably has not lost sight of me. I’d know him if I saw him again. -We’ll have a look in at the cafés a little later. And now about -Lindenwald and the others. Didn’t the _portier_ know which way they -went?” - -“No, they hailed a couple of passing _fiacres_, and he didn’t hear what -directions were given.” - -Grey tore open the telegram which O’Hara had tossed onto the table. It -was dated Kürschdorf. “The King is dead,” it read; “wire when you will -be here,” and it was signed, “Ritter.” - -He pushed it across to the Irishman, remarking: - -“He probably had that news from some other source before he left.” - -“You think it hastened him?” - -“In a way, yes. At least it directed him,” Grey said, with conviction. - -O’Hara looked at him inquiringly. - -“You surely don’t imagine the three of them have gone to Kürschdorf?” -he blurted, in a tone of surprise. - -“I do mean that exactly.” - -“But why there, of all places? If Lindenwald is expected to bring the -Crown Prince with him he surely wouldn’t go there empty-handed. What -excuses could he make?” - -“I don’t pretend to conjecture his excuses,” Grey replied, smiling, -“but it seems very clear to me that Kürschdorf is his only sanctuary. -There he will be with friends. Whatever he says is likely to be -believed. If he fled elsewhere he would be in constant danger of -arrest. His very flight would be evidence of his guilt.” - -O’Hara nodded. - -“You’re probably right,” he acquiesced; “anyway he turned he had -to take chances, and Kürschdorf must have looked to him the least -dangerous. What do you propose to do?” - -“Follow him,” Grey answered, promptly. “Take the Orient Express -tomorrow night.” - -“And once we are there; what then?” - -“The Crown Prince claims the throne.” - -O’Hara put down his pipe and sat staring in amazement. - -“Claims the throne?” he repeated, “the Crown Prince?” - -“The Crown Prince claims the throne.” Grey reiterated it with calm -decision. - -“You mean that _you_ will claim the throne?” the Irishman persisted, -still perplexed. - -“Precisely.” - -The dragoon guard got up and walked the length of the room, smoking -very hard. - -“That’s a dangerous business,” he said, as he came back and stood -with the tips of his fingers resting on the table, “a very dangerous -business.” - -“There’s no other way in God’s world to find out who are in the plot,” -Grey returned, grimly. - -“I don’t quite see--” O’Hara began, but the American interrupted him. - -“I haven’t mastered all the details myself,” he said, “but that’s the -kernel of the nut we’re cracking. Perhaps von Einhard can aid us. He -must know the conspirators, and he can give us the names of the men -into whose hands we are supposed to play. I have a suspicion that the -Budavian Minister here in Paris is one of the lot. But it won’t do to -take that for granted. Otherwise I’d see him before leaving.” - -“I have been thinking over the idea of consulting the Baron,” O’Hara -ventured, after a pause. “Suppose he won’t believe you?” - -“Oh, but he will,” the other insisted; “I’ll make it quite clear to him -that I am an American and that I’m a victim and not an aspirant for -kingly honours, except in so far as goes to set matters right and bring -the guilty to justice.” - -“It’s a risk that you take there, lad,” the Irishman argued; “the more -I think of it the bigger it looks. He’s just as likely to fancy it’s -only a game of yours to throw him off the scent and secure your own -ends. I don’t believe Lindenwald exaggerated his shrewdness. I’ve -heard of him myself.” - -Grey rose, leaned over the table and took a cigarette from a tray. - -“Come,” he said, as he struck a match, “we’re liable to find him about -this time.” - -During the past twenty-four hours he had experienced a gradual -reawakening of faculties that had previously lain dull or dormant. His -five months of lost memory had had an after-effect in what he could -only describe as a mental thickness. His thoughts had run slowly and -sluggishly; he had lacked keenness of perception and the ability to -draw deductions; he had been all the while conscious of a timidity, an -indecision, a hesitation, a tendency to rely upon others, against which -he strove with but little effect. His actions were dictated by outside -suggestion rather than by his own judgment. And with this, too, was a -contrasting dignity of demeanour unnatural to him, and all the more -annoying in that it was, he knew, superficial and at discord with his -temperament. - -The clearing of his brain, the reassertion of his naturally alert -mentality, the recovery of his self-reliance, were now becoming -evident; but that unwonted, and to him unwelcome, exaggeration of -dignity in his carriage and demeanour gave no sign of deserting him. - -O’Hara observed the change and delighted in it. The soldier in him -could find only admiration for the manner in which Grey had risen -mentally in one day from a subaltern to a commanding officer; and the -dignified, distinguished air which had seemed, he once thought, a -little incongruous appeared now as most fitting and admirable. - -Together they went in search of the Budavian Baron. Into one café after -another they wandered, but always without success. They encountered -acquaintances by the dozen--men and women whom Grey and O’Hara had met -since their arrival in Paris, and whom Grey had no recollection of ever -having seen before--but the little, wiry, sallow-faced Italian-looking -nobleman was nowhere in evidence. - -It is never safe, however, to assume that a visitor to the French -capital is abed and asleep simply because he cannot be found in any of -the boulevard cafés around the hour of midnight. - - - - -X - - -At the door of the Hôtel Grammont, Grey and O’Hara stood for some -little time in conversation. As they were about to part, O’Hara asked: -“You haven’t a revolver, have you?” - -“No,” Grey answered, carelessly. “Shall I need one, do you think?” - -“After your experience of last night it seems to me it would be just as -well to sleep with one under your pillow.” - -Grey laughed. - -“I don’t fancy I shall be disturbed again,” he said. - -“I’ll run over to my place and get you one,” O’Hara insisted. “I shall -be back in ten minutes.” - -As he went off at a brisk walk Grey turned into the wide passage that -gave entrance to the court. The _portier_ was not visible, but at the -foot of the narrow stairway to the right a man who in the dim light -had the appearance of one of the hotel valets, addressed him. - -“Captain Lindenwald has returned, Monsieur Arndt,” he said, quietly, -respectfully; “he met with an accident and has come back. He begs that -Monsieur Arndt will see him before retiring.” - -For a moment Grey stood silent in surprise. - -“An accident?” he queried, recovering himself. - -“Yes, monsieur. His train ran into an open switch at Villieurs. His -leg is broken in two places, and he is injured internally. I will show -monsieur to his room.” - -As he led the way to the floor above and along a passage towards the -back of the house where Herr Schlippenbach’s room had been, Grey -marvelled over this new twist in the thread of fate. That the Captain -had returned to this hotel and had sent for him argued, he thought, -that there must have been some mistake or misunderstanding as to his -departure. If he had meant to desert his charge he would not under any -circumstances have acted in this fashion. Perhaps--indeed it was quite -possible--he had left a letter which some stupid French servant had -failed to deliver, or it might simply have been his intention to spend -Sunday out of Paris, giving Lutz and Johann permission to take a brief -holiday as well. O’Hara had said something about their luggage being -gone, but that might have been an error, too. - -At a turn in the passage Grey’s guide halted before a door and rapped, -playing, as it were, a sort of brief tattoo on the panel with his -knuckles; and at the same time a waiter passed on his way to the rear -stairway. - -An instant later the door was opened by someone who shielded himself -behind it. The man who had led the way and done the rapping stepped -back, and the American, his eyes a little dazzled by the light, put -a foot across the threshold. Just what followed Grey never exactly -knew. A myriad brilliant, sparkling, rapidly darting specks of fire -filled his vision. In his ears was a thunderous rushing sound like -a storm sweeping through a forest--a swollen river churning through -rocky narrows. His body seemed dropping through interminable space, -gaining momentum with every foot of its fall, but shooting straight, -straight downward without a swerve; the lights flashing by him, the -winds roaring past him as he sped. An agony of apprehension seized -him. He was going to be crushed to atoms; mangled, broken, distorted. -He tried to raise his arms, to clutch at the impalpable, but they were -held down as if by leaden weights. To bend a knee, to lift a foot, to -cry out, were alike impossible of achievement. And then, with a crash -that split his ears, that tore every joint asunder, that racked every -nerve, muscle, sinew and tendon, the end came. The myriad sparks, like -the countless flashing facets of countless diamonds, were drowned in -blackest night and the terrifying rush of furious winds and frantic -waves was hushed in a silence profound and awful--the blackness and the -silence of unconsciousness. - -Very gradually, but in much shorter time than he fancied, or than his -assailants expected, he recovered command of his faculties and became -aware that he was lying upon a couch, an improvised gag in his mouth, -his arms pinioned in a most uncomfortable way at his sides, and his -feet bound together with cords that cut cruelly into the flesh of his -ankles. He realised then that he had been led into a trap and had been -sandbagged or otherwise assaulted as he entered it. His mind was still -busy with Lindenwald and his motives, he fancied at first that he was -responsible for this outrage, and warily, between his lashes, with -his eyes scarcely opened, he glanced about the room in search of this -gallant member of the Budavian royal household. - -There were, however, but two persons present, and Lindenwald was not -one of them. One was the little man whom he had mistaken for a hotel -valet and who had lured him to his downfall; and the other was a tall, -burly, bearded fellow, with a low forehead and sinister, bloodshot -eyes. The two were standing near an open window and the larger man had -in his hands a thick hempen rope, one end of which Grey observed was -knotted about the heavy post of an old-fashioned mahogany bedstead -which stood against the opposite wall. On more careful inspection he -saw that the man was deliberately making a slip knot of the pattern -known as a hangman’s noose. The only light in the room was that given -by a single candle, but it sufficed for Grey to gather these details. - -The smaller man leaned out of the window for a moment, and on drawing -in his head he turned to the other with the remark: - -“The carriage is there. Make haste with your knot. I’m not in love with -this business.” - -He spoke in German and his partner replied in the same tongue. - -“Have patience,” he said, calmly; “it’s a heavy body we’ve got to lower -and the knot must be strong. There’s plenty of time. He won’t come to -himself for hours, and there’s no fear of anyone interrupting us now.” - -“Don’t be too sure of that,” was the reply, in a tone of nervous -apprehension; “we have been here too long as it is. If we should fail -at the last minute, the Baron would----” - -“S--sh!” warned the other, “no names is safer. Just another wrapping -now and she’ll hold all right. Some wrap it seven times and some only -five, but I’m giving it nine, to be sure.” - -He had scarcely finished the sentence when a blow, aggressive and -imperious, sounded on the door. The younger man started nervously, but -the other just phlegmatically lowered his work and raised his head. - -“What’s that mean?” he whispered. - -“God knows!” the other replied, agitatedly. “What’s to be done?” - -“Done? Nothing. Keep still, that’s all. Blow out that candle,” he -commanded. Though he spoke very low his voice penetrated and Grey -caught every word. - -Again a heavy blow struck the door, repeated blows, accompanied by a -demand: - -“_Ouvrez la porte!_” - -The voice was O’Hara’s. Grey recognised it with a thrill. He had -returned with the revolver, and not finding him in his room had set out -in search of him. But how, he wondered, could he have traced him here? -And then he thought of the waiter he had seen in the passage, who had -evidently recognised him. Yes, the waiter must have told. - -Now Grey heard other voices outside. There was the shuffling, too, of -many feet. Still, the men within made no sound. The candle had been -extinguished and the darkness was intense. - -The knocking became clamorous. There was a general ominous murmur like -low growling thunder from the other side of the door. - -Bang! bang! bang! resounded the blows. - -“Open the door! Open at once or I’ll break it down,” O’Hara roared. - -Grey’s enforced silence and inertia were maddening. He bit at his gag, -contorted his mouth, tugged at his arms, but could accomplish nothing, -beyond a wriggling change of position. - -“Perhaps they have gone,” he heard someone say, whose voice was -sonorous, “perhaps they have gone. Escaped by the window. There is no -light there; and no sound.” - -“Stop!” It was O’Hara speaking. “Listen!” - -With an effort Grey squirmed to the edge of the couch and dropped his -bound body to the floor with a thud that echoed through the silent room. - -“Damn him!” he heard the bigger of his two companions hiss through his -teeth. - -From outside there came a yell of triumph; and then a heavy, crashing, -catapultian mass fell upon the fragile portal. There was a crackling, -splintering sound of wood rent apart, and through the aperture thus -made, in the dim light of the single gas-jet in the passage, O’Hara -came plunging with half a dozen of the hotel employés at his heels. - -At the same instant a head disappeared below the sill of the window, -and the rope from the bedpost was stretched taut and creaking with the -weight of two descending bodies. - -The Irishman, crossing the room in a flash, missed the form of his -prostrate friend by a hair’s-breadth and dived headlong for the open -casement. But quick as he was the fleeing scapegraces, realising their -danger, were even more speedy. As his head shot out into the night -the strain on the rope relaxed and there came up from the darkness -below a patter of feet on the stone flagging of the alley. His pistol -was in his hand and he fired once--twice--three times--blindly into -the blackness beneath, guided only by the echo of those retreating -footsteps. - -Meanwhile, one of the Frenchmen--Baptiste, the waiter, by the way, -who had told O’Hara that he saw Monsieur Arndt enter this room--was -removing the gag from Grey’s mouth, while others were cutting the -cords that bound his limbs. For a moment the American’s view of the -Irishman’s broad back was cut off by those surrounding him, but the -next minute he was on his feet and--but in that instant O’Hara had -disappeared. Clutching the dangling rope, he had swung himself out of -the window and had slid down nimbly in pursuit. - -Grey’s impulse was to follow, but at the first step he reeled dizzily -and would have fallen had not Baptiste thrown an arm about him and -aided him to a chair. His head was aching splittingly and his legs and -arms were numb. For a little while he was lost to everything save the -racking torture of physical pain. Then the voluble, excited clatter of -the men about him recalled him to a sense of what had happened. - -“What are you standing here for?” he cried, vexedly. “Get down to the -street, every one of you. Monsieur O’Hara may need you. Off, I say. Be -quick!” - -“But, monsieur,” urged Baptiste, hanging back as the other five made a -hasty exit, “is it not that monsieur would like a surgeon?” - -“Surgeon be damned!” yelled Grey, excitedly. “Out with you!” - -But in five minutes they were back again in augmented numbers, with -O’Hara accompanied by a _sergent de ville_ at their head. - -“They got clean away, the beggars,” the Irishman announced; and then -seeing Grey very white, he exclaimed: “Are you hurt, lad? What in God’s -name did they do to you, the scalawags?” - -“I’m only a little knocked up,” the American answered, with a forced -smile; “it was a pretty hard rap on the head they gave me, though.” - -The police officer had taken out a notebook, and now he began to ask -questions. There was very little, however, that anyone could tell him. -Grey described his assailants as accurately as he knew how, and gave -him the benefit of his suspicions. - -“By whom was the room engaged?” asked the _sergent_, addressing -Baptiste; but Baptiste did not know. Then a messenger was sent to -arouse the _portier_, who had been abed for an hour or more, and when -at length he came in, still rubbing his eyes, the information that he -gave conveyed nothing. - -The room, he said, was taken that evening by a man of ordinary -appearance who gave the name of Schmidt. His brother and a friend would -occupy it, he told the _portier_, and he paid one day’s rent in advance. - -“Was the man tall or short?” asked the officer. - -The _portier_ shrugged his stalwart shoulders. - -“I do not know,” he replied. - -“Was he dark or fair?” - -“I cannot tell you, monsieur,” he repeated; “I did not notice.” - -“Of what age?” - -“It is impossible that I should conjecture, monsieur,” with another -shrug. - -Grey laughed, sneeringly. “He evidently paid more than room rent,” he -said to O’Hara. “The Baron von Einhard is very clever.” - -And when, a little while after, he thought of looking through his -pockets he had reason to reiterate and emphasise this opinion. Not a -penny of his money had been touched; his watch and chain were still in -his possession, as were indeed all of his belongings save one. The ring -of the Prince of Kronfeld alone was missing. - - - - -XI - - -Resentment--fierce, vengeful, absorbing--took possession of Carey -Grey. That he should have been disgraced, dishonoured, robbed for a -time of his reason and his memory, his friends made to suffer, his -life put in jeopardy, and all without the slightest provocation, was -an outrage so heinous that he considered no punishment too great for -its perpetrators. The fact that the one who was apparently mainly -responsible for the inspiration and the execution had been summoned to -a spiritual tribunal to answer for his misdeeds tempered not a whit -the victim’s bitter animosity. Indeed, he felt that death had cheated -him of what he craved as a meagre compensation for his wrongs--the -opportunity to visit personally upon the arch-offender his own -retribution. But if Herr Schlippenbach had been snatched from his hands -by a too kindly Providence there were others remaining who should feel -the weight of his relentless vengeance. - -In this mood, wakeful and dreamful by turns, a cold compress on his -bruised head, Grey worried through the early hours of the morning. With -the first sign of the blue dawn, however, he became more composed. -His meditations took on a more gentle guise; his brow, which had been -wrinkled with frowns, smoothed; into his eyes came a tenderness that -routed spleen, and his mouth softened its tensity of line. The day held -for him a joy the anticipation of which was a benison. - -After all, heaven was not wholly unkind. He had been made to suffer -cruelly and undeservedly, but there was at least one compensation--the -woman he loved was here, near him, in the same city; in a few hours -he would meet her, talk with her, feel the warmth of her hand in -his, experience the benignant sympathy of her eyes and the caressing -graciousness of her voice. With the dawn had come confidence, and he -smiled as he recalled his doubts of the previous afternoon. Her love -was steadfast, enduring, immutable. Of this he felt assured. And her -faith and loyalty were like her love. He lay for hours in blissful -contemplation of the character, disposition, mind, manner and person of -the woman he adored. - -He recalled their first meeting at a barn dance at Newport, when she -was in her débutante year; and then, an event of the following day -came back to him vividly as in a picture. The scene was the polo field -at Point Judith. He had just made a goal by dint of hard riding and -unerring strokes, and a hurricane of applause had followed, led, it -seemed to him, by a tall young woman in white, with great, shining -brown eyes and flushed cheeks, who was standing up in her place atop -a coach, clapping her hands in frantic delight. And this picture was -followed by others--a panorama in which the same girl figured again and -again--always beautiful, always smart, always gracious. - -He attired himself, this fine Sunday morning, with more than usual -care, despite the absence of his valet, and set forth early for the -rendezvous he had chosen. Already the boulevards were alive. Many of -the chairs in front of the cafés were occupied by sippers of absinthe -and drinkers of black bitters. From the gratings in the sidewalks -arose the appetising aroma of the Parisian _déjeuner à la fourchette_. -He crossed the Avenue de l’Opéra and, turning into the rue de la Paix, -was presently passing the entrance of the hotel that sheltered her who -filled his thoughts--her whom he had come out to meet. A _fiacre_ was -at the curb, and, fancying that it might be awaiting her, he hastened -his steps so that he should not encounter her in so public a place. -From the summit of the Vendôme Column the imperial-robed Napoleon cast -an abbreviated shadow across his path as he cut across the _place_ into -the rue de Castiglione. A man he did not remember bowed graciously as -he passed him at the corner of the rue de Rivoli, and a little further -on a somewhat showily gowned woman in an enormous picture hat, probably -on her way to the Madeleine, leaned from her carriage to smile upon -him. And she, likewise, was without his recollection. - -At the corner of the rue Cambon he made a diagonal cut to the garden -side of the street, and a minute later reached the broad and imposing -Place de la Concorde in all its bravery of bronzed iron and granite -fountains, sculptured stone figures, rostral columns and majestic -Obelisk. - -As he turned into the gardens of the Tuileries, Grey glanced at his -watch to discover that the time still lacked five minutes of eleven. -He looked back in expectation of seeing a cab approaching, but, though -there were many crossing the place at various angles, there was none -headed in his direction. He strolled off between the flower-beds -into the little grove at his right. Just ahead of him he descried a -figure in pink, and his heart bounded; but he overtook it only to meet -disappointment. He lighted a cigarette, sat down on a bench, and dug -in the gravel with his walking-stick; his eyes, though, ever on the -alert, looking now one way, now another. He took out his watch again. -The minute hand was still a single space short of twelve. He got up and -retraced his steps towards the entrance with the object of meeting her -as she came in. Again he gazed across the wide, sun-washed area of the -place, but without reward, and then a dour melancholy threatened him. -He was assailed by forebodings. She would not come. He had offended her -beyond reparation. The day suddenly grew dull. A cloud hid the sun. -The gaiety of those who passed him became offensive. The sight of a -youth with his sweetheart hanging on his arm filled him with rancour. -He walked back and forth irritably. He was depressed, heavy-hearted, -apprehensive. - -Another five minutes dragged by, with a corresponding increase in the -young man’s dejection. His imagination was now active. It was quite -possible she had left Paris. His messenger, perhaps, had failed to -deliver his note. He wondered if by any chance she might be ill. - -He was standing, pensive, by the fountain, undecided whether to wait -longer or to go on to the Ritz in search of her, when the rustle of -skirts behind him caused him to turn. - -“Ah--h!” exclaimed a laughing voice, “it is then you after all. I was -not sure. I looked and I looked, but you are so changed, Mr. Grey!” - -It was Marcelle, Miss Van Tuyl’s maid, and at the sound of her peculiar -accent Grey recognised her instantly. He realised, too, that it was she -whom he had seen on the moment of his coming--the figure in the pink -frock. - -“Miss Van Tuyl sent this note, Mr. Grey,” she went on, handing him an -envelope which he noticed was unaddressed. - -His spirits rose a trifle. She had not left Paris, then, and she had -received his message. - -“Miss Van Tuyl is not ill, I hope?” he questioned, anxiously. - -“Oh, no, Mr. Grey,” and Marcelle shrugged her plump shoulders and -raised her black eyebrows, “but--” and she hesitated just the shade of -a second “she is--oh, I fear she is most unhappy.” - -“Thank you very much, Marcelle,” he said, ignoring her comment, though -the words were as a sword-thrust, and handing her a louis. “Is there an -answer?” - -“I do not know, monsieur; but I think not.” - -Grey tore open the envelope and glanced over the inclosure. - -“No,” he announced, his face very set and suddenly pale. “Give my -compliments to Miss Van Tuyl,” he added, “that is all.” - -When the girl had gone he turned again into the little grove and once -more found the seat under the trees where a few minutes before he had -impatiently dug the gravel with his walking-stick. He sat now with his -forearms resting on his thighs, the note crushed in his hand, his eyes -bent, thoughtful but unseeing, on the grass across the walk. - -She had refused to come to him. It was probably better, she had -written, that they should not meet again. She could imagine nothing -in the way of explanation that would form an adequate excuse for his -action of the afternoon before. And that was all. Only five lines in a -large hand. - -The self-chastisement of the man was pitiless; his contrition pathetic. -He was willing now to make any sacrifice, to suffer any abasement, to -risk any punishment, to sustain any loss if by so doing he could gain -forgiveness, achieve reinstatement in favour--aye, even attain the -privilege of pleading his cause. He had been so sure of her; it had not -seemed possible that she could ever be other than love and devotion and -loyalty personified. Her smile was the one sun he thought would never -set and never be clouded. And now she had taken this light from his -life forever. With that gone, he asked himself, what else in all the -world mattered? What were honour, position, credit, fortune, if she -were not to share them? - -He smoothed out the crumpled sheet and read it again, slowly, -carefully, weighing each word, measuring each phrase, considering each -sentence. And then the utter hopelessness of his expression changed. -“It is probably better,” he repeated, quoting from the note, and the -“probably” seemed larger and more prominent than any other eight -letters on the page. There was nothing absolutely final about that. It -was an assertion, to be sure, but there was a lot of qualification in -that “probably.” And further on, she had not said: “There is nothing in -the way of explanation you can offer,” but “_I can imagine_ nothing.” -He thanked God for that “I can imagine.” Oh, yes, indeed, there was -a very large loophole there; and so he took heart of grace, and even -smiled, and got up swinging his stick jauntily. All he wanted was a -fighting chance. He had won her a year ago from a score of rivals, and -he would win her now from herself. And not from herself, either, for -with the return of hope he felt that he would have no more stanch ally -than she. It was with her sense of what was fit and becoming that he -must battle--her pride and her self-esteem which he had outraged. He -would go to her, bravely, as he should have done before, instead of -asking her to meet him in this clandestine fashion. He had been a fool, -but he would make amends and she would forgive him. Yes, he was quite -sanguine now that he could win her pardon. - -He retraced his steps briskly to the Place Vendôme and turned in at -the Ritz with head erect and chin thrust forward. He had no cards, -of course, but he scribbled “_Carey Grey_” upon a slip of paper and -asked that it be sent to Miss Van Tuyl at once. And then he waited, -nervously, smoking one cigarette after another, walking back and forth, -sitting down, only to get up again, agitatedly, and to resume his -pacing to and fro. - -“Miss Van Tuyl is not at home, monsieur.” - -It was the _portier_ who delivered the message. Grey stood for a full -half-minute, staring stupidly. He had not counted upon this. He had -been all confidence. That she was in the hotel he felt very certain; -but she would not see him. He might have foreseen that consistency -demanded this attitude of her. To send him a note one moment refusing -to permit him to explain and at the next to grant him an audience -was not to be expected of a young woman of Hope Van Tuyl’s sterling -character. There was, therefore, but one course open to him. What he -had to say he must put in writing. - -“I’ll leave a note,” he said to the _portier_; and he went into the -writing-room and sat down at a table. But when he came to write he was -embarrassed by the flood of matter that craved expression. There was -so much to tell, so much to make clear, so much to plead that he was -staggered by the contemplation. Again and again he began, and again and -again he tore the sheet of paper into tiny bits. He dipped his pen into -the ink and held it poised while he made effort to frame an opening -sentence; and the ink dried on the nib as one thought after another was -evolved only to be rejected. - -For the fifth time he wrote: “My Very Dearest,” and then, nettled over -his laggard powers, he dove straight and determinedly into the midst -of the subject that engrossed him, writing rapidly and without pause -until he had finished: - -“I cannot find it in my heart to question the justice of your -decision,” he began. “Viewed in the light of your meagre knowledge, -or rather ignorance, of facts, I must look indeed very black. But I -am guiltless; that I swear. Under the circumstances you must know how -anxious I am to prove this, and how, in justice to you and myself, I -must let no opportunity pass to discover and convict the real culprits. -To have recognised you at Versailles yesterday before the man you were -with would have been to ruin every chance of accomplishing what I have -set out to do. Imagine, my dear, the alternative from which I had to -choose. Had it been simply a question of my personal liberty, you -cannot doubt which course I should have taken. I was burning to speak -to you--to look into the eyes I love, to hear the voice I adore--and -yet for both our sakes I had to deny myself. The child who was with me -is sweet and charming, and in no way implicated in the plot against me. -When you know her, as I hope you will one day, you will be very fond -of her. But I can understand how the situation must have appeared to -you. I would give all I have and all I hope for if I could but be with -you and tell you everything. All I ask now is that you trust me. I am -leaving Paris this afternoon for Kürschdorf by the Orient Express. I -cannot say when I shall return. But when I do it will be to search for -you, and with honour vindicated and no further need of secrecy. My -heart is with you always, my darling. _’Au revoir._” - -The letter dulled, in a measure, the keenness of Grey’s disappointment -and reinspired him to the accomplishment of the task that lay before -him. After luncheon he had up his trunks from the hotel storeroom and -with Baptiste’s assistance accomplished his packing. Already O’Hara -had engaged places for three on the train, for Miss von Altdorf’s -destination was the same as theirs. She had a married sister living -in Kürschdorf, and she was most anxious to join her at the earliest -possible moment. - -By half-past five everything was in readiness for their departure; -Baptiste had retired with a liberal tip, and Grey and O’Hara were -making themselves ready for the journey. Just at this juncture there -was a knock at the door, and in answer to Grey’s command to enter, -it swung open to reveal, bowing on the threshold, the sturdy little -figure, pale face, and close-cropped yellow head of Johann. - -The two occupants of the room stood astonished, their eyes wide with -surprise. - -“Johann!” they exclaimed together. - -“Yes, Herr Arndt,” said the lad, bowing again; “it is as you see--I -have come back.” - -“Back from where, Johann?” Grey asked. - -“I started for Kürschdorf with the Herr Captain Lindenwald; but I am -come back from Strasburg.” - -“And why?” queried the American, very much puzzled. - -“Because, Herr Arndt, I knew it was not right for me to be going with -the Herr Captain. I was in your service, and perhaps if you were seized -with madness you have all the more need of me.” - -“Madness!” repeated Grey, frowning. “What is this? Who said I was mad?” - -“The Herr Captain and Lutz,” confessed Johann, stolidly, with scarce a -change of expression. - -O’Hara laughed. “Oh, ho!” he shouted, dropping into a chair, “now we -have it. You are mad, and so you cannot go to Budavia to claim your -own.” - -Johann nodded; and Grey, leaning against the edge of the table, was -lost for a moment in thought. - -“But the Fraülein?” O’Hara questioned. “What did they say of her? Was -she to be left with the madman?” - -“No, Herr O’Hara; only for a little. The Herr Captain Lindenwald had -arranged, Lutz told me, to have Herr Arndt taken to an asylum by the -doctors and then the Fraülein was to be brought to Kürschdorf.” - -Grey smiled, grimly. “The doctors were the gentlemen you chased out of -the window last night, Jack,” he said. And then he asked of Johann: -“Did they say anything of Baron von Einhard?” - -“No, Herr Arndt.” - -“You are quite sure?” - -“I have not heard of his name, Herr Arndt.” - -Then Johann was told of the plan of departure and was sent off to -telephone for another place on the Orient Express for himself. When he -returned the American said to him: - -“It was very good of you, Johann, to come back.” - -“Ah, Herr Arndt,” he returned, in a tone of appreciation, “I could not -do less. Can I ever, do you think, forget that it was you who saved my -life?” - -Grey’s surprise must have shown in his eyes, but he asked no questions. -Later, however, just as they were about to start for the Gare de -Strasbourg, he found himself alone with O’Hara for a moment and put the -query to him: - -“What is this about my having saved Johann’s life?” - -“You don’t remember it? Oh, of course not,” the Irishman answered. -“Well, you had your pluck with you, lad, if you didn’t have your -memory. We were in that fire at the Folsonham, in Piccadilly. It -happened in the early morning when the whole house was asleep, and -that the death list was not larger was little short of a miracle. The -front stairs were burning as Schlippenbach, the Fraülein and you and -I reached them. When I got to the bottom I missed you, and looking -back saw you through the smoke still standing at the top. ‘For God’s -sake, make haste, man!’ I called, ‘the stairs may fall at any minute.’ -But you had seen a figure staggering down, half suffocated, from the -floor above. Well, instead of saving yourself you went back to help -that figure, which proved to be Johann. And even at that moment the -staircase fell with a crash. But you caught the stumbling, dazed -Budavian from out a hurricane of sparks, rushed him through a room -filled with blinding smoke and climbed with him hanging limp over your -shoulder out of a window onto an already burning ten-inch cornice. -And there you held him, against the wall, God only knows how, until a -ladder was run up and the pair of you brought safely to the street just -as the cornice crumbled and went down. And, good Lord, but didn’t the -crowd cheer! Only fancy your not remembering anything of it!” - -“I’m glad I managed it,” said Grey, simply. But the story depressed -him. What else had he done in those five months of somnambulism? The -thought of that period and its possibilities had grown distressful to -him. He had committed a great crime and he had performed a brave deed. -They were the opposite poles of that world of sleep. But what other -acts lay between? What other incidents of right and wrong filled the -intermediate zones? He shrank from asking general questions on the -subject, and speculation was as distasteful as it was futile. When, as -in this instance, accident had revealed something, the result was a -sort of emotional nausea. - - - - -XII - - -On the platform of the Gare de l’Est, with ten minutes to spare before -the departure of the Orient Express, Grey and O’Hara, with the fair -Minna von Altdorf between them, strolled leisurely up and down beside -the long and lugubrious train of _wagons-lit_. There was the usual -bustle incident to the leaving of the great transcontinental flyer. -Passengers were nervously seeking their locations; blue-overalled -porters wheeling trucks piled high with trunks and boxes hurried -towards the luggage vans, and others with smaller impedimenta in hand -crowded on the narrow platforms of the cars and ran into the still -smaller passageways upon which the compartments opened. English and -American tourists unable to speak the language of the country were -besieging the interpreters; friends and kinsfolk with lingering -handshakes, effusive embraces, and kisses upon either cheek were -bidding departing travellers farewell, and dapper-uniformed guards -were at intervals repeating the stereotyped command: “_En voiture, -messieurs!_” There was the distracting hissing of escaping steam, the -shrill piping of whistles, the rumble and roar of arriving trains. And -over all hung an atmosphere of intolerably humid heat. - -O’Hara and the Fraülein were chatting animatedly, but Grey was still -depressed and silent. The delay irritated him. He was impatient to be -gone. For the hundredth time he was wondering whether he had said too -much or too little in his letter to Hope Van Tuyl; wondering how she -regarded it; whether she was still obdurate. He had not given her an -address and there was no way in which she could communicate with him. -He regretted this now. A word from her would be a talisman. - -His memory of her as he had seen her yesterday at Versailles was very -vivid. It was only a glimpse, but in that instant he had drunk in -greedily the marvellous perfection of her beauty; and the picture had -dwelt with him since. Sleeping and waking he could see the bronze dusk -of her hair, the gentleness of her eyes, the softly flushed curve of -her cheek, the tender sympathy of her mouth, the supple grace of her -figure. The portrait was not new to him, to be sure--he had many times -revelled in fond contemplation of those rare features--but absence -had its usual effect, and it had been centuries, it seemed, since his -vision had been so blessed. Against the dull, dun, grimy background of -the railway station this radiant reflection was projected, clear and -sharp. He saw her mentally just as he had seen her physically on the -previous afternoon. - -And as he gazed a miracle was wrought. For into and out of the image -came and grew the reality, and he suddenly realised that she was -standing before him, that in one hand he was holding his hat and that -his other hand was clasping hers. All the sights and sounds of the -platform died away, and he saw only her, more beautiful even than he -had dreamed, her eyes alight with love, her lips smiling forgiveness. - -O’Hara and the Fräulein had passed on, and he and the one woman in the -world had drawn aside out of the hurry and scurry. A few steps away -stood Marcelle, the maid, her interest decorously diverted. - -“Oh, how good you are!” Grey was saying, his heart in his voice; “how -very, very good you are!” - -Her hand answered the ardent pressure of his. - -“I just couldn’t let you go without seeing you,” she returned. “You -cannot imagine what I have suffered. I tried to be brave--I tried so -hard, dear; but I’m only a weak woman and my soul longed for you every -minute.” - -What bliss it was to hear her speak! It set the man’s pulses surging. -His face was flushed and young and happy again, as it had not been -since his awakening. - -“The whole thing has been frightful,” he told her, clenching his teeth -at the recollection. “You haven’t an idea what a net of circumstance -has been thrown around me.” - -“Yes,” she hastened, “I know--they told me you had been ill, -irresponsible; that you had had brain fever or something, and--oh, -Carey, why did you do that?” and she pointed to his beard. - -He smiled grimly. - -“I didn’t do it,” he answered, with emphasis. “You surely don’t think -I’d be guilty of such a ridiculous transformation, do you?” - -“But----” - -“I’ll explain some day, dear heart,” he interrupted her, “but there -isn’t time now; the train leaves in about five minutes, and I want all -of that in which to tell you how very beautiful you are and how very, -very much I love you.” - -She wore a perfectly fitting gown of white with rich lace, and a large -hat of pale blue with a circling ostrich plume of the same delicate -tint. Her tall and shapely figure was quite unavoidably a little -conspicuous, and a target for admiring glances. - -“Leaves in five minutes?” she repeated, dolorously. “But I can’t let -you go in five minutes. I have so much to say to you. It has been -five months since I spoke to you. You must wait and take the next -train--wait until tomorrow.” - -“If only I might!” Grey replied, his eyes in hers. “If it could only be -we should never part again, never! Ah, my own, how my arms ache for -you!” - -“But you can stay,” she urged. He was still holding her hand, and now -she placed her other hand over his as she pleaded. “There is no reason -why you shouldn’t. What difference will twenty-four hours make? Are you -going for the King’s funeral? It is set for Friday, you know. We are -thinking of going ourselves. Wait until tomorrow, and you and papa and -I can go together.” - -“But, my darling,” Grey protested, arguing against his inclination, -“don’t you see that that would be quite impossible? Your father could -not afford to be seen with me. I am a supposed fugitive from justice. -He would be guilty of aiding and abetting a criminal,” and he smiled -grimly again. - -“What would he care?” the young woman demanded, airily. “He doesn’t -believe you guilty. He knows you are not. He has said as much. I can’t -let you go, dear; I can’t--I won’t.” - -“Please, please don’t make it more difficult for me to part from you -than it is already,” he begged. “You know how much I long to have you -with me, and yet another day’s delay might ruin everything. I should be -in Kürschdorf at this very minute.” - -Her eyes glistened and tears hung on her lashes. - -“Why?” she asked, simply. - -“All my hopes of undoing the wrong that has been done me lie in that -direction,” he answered, gravely. “It was a conspiracy, dear, involving -men high in the Budavian government. The work of unmasking them will -grow more difficult with each hour it is put off.” - -She gazed at him in sudden alarm. - -“You are going into danger,” she murmured. Her voice trembled. Anxiety -was in her tone. She pressed his hands nervously, convulsively. “Tell -me the truth. You are, aren’t you?” - -Grey laughed to reassure her. - -“Not a bit, my darling,” he answered, with an assumption of -nonchalance; “the whole affair can, I think, be adjusted most -peacefully.” - -For a moment she was silent, her eyes reading his thoughts. - -“I’m going with you,” she exclaimed, suddenly. - -Grey stared at her in surprise. - -“I only wish you could,” he said, refusing to take her seriously, “but -I don’t see just how----” - -“I’m going,” she interrupted, determinedly. “I shan’t be in the least -in your way, that I promise. But I’m going. I refuse to be left behind.” - -“_En voiture, messieurs et mesdames!_” - -The guard’s command had grown imperative. The second bell had rung. - -Grey pulled out his watch. It showed thirty seconds of starting time. -O’Hara was standing at the car’s step looking anxiously towards him. -Johann was at his side, his hat deferentially raised. - -“The train is now to start, Herr Arndt,” he said. - -The man turned to the woman he loved. - -“I am going with you,” she reiterated before he could speak; and she -beckoned to Marcelle. - -“_En voiture!_” shouted the guards. - -There was no time for further protest or parley. The four crossed -the platform hurriedly. Hope entered the car, her maid following; -and then Grey, with O’Hara at his heels and Johann bringing up the -rear, stepped from the platform of the station to the platform of the -_wagon-lit_. - -The third bell rang; the locomotive whistled its piping treble, gates -clashed, doors slammed, and the Orient Express drew slowly and solemnly -out of the hot, dingy station into the red glare of the torrid June -sunset. - -After the presentation of Miss von Altdorf and Lieutenant O’Hara had -been accomplished Grey left Hope in their company and went in search -of the conductor. As it happened, there were several berths to spare -in the sleeping-car, and he arranged for the accommodation of Miss Van -Tuyl and her maid. There would be no stop, however, he learned, until -they reached Château-Thierry, at 8.15. From there, the conductor told -him, a telegram might be sent. - -Before returning to the compartment Grey lit a cigarette and stood for -a few minutes in the refreshing draft that swept through the narrow -passage. To have Hope with him was a joy undreamt, and yet he could -not repress a little uneasiness over her action. He feared that in -a calmer mood she might regret her impulsiveness as savouring too -strongly of a sensational elopement. He wondered how Nicholas Van Tuyl -would regard it. He was, Grey knew, the most indulgent of fathers, -but his anxiety over her absence would necessarily be poignant, and -there was no possible means of getting word to him of her safety until -hours after he had missed her. But in spite of these reflections Carey -Grey was experiencing a gratified pride in the fact that the girl had -acted as she had. She was proving her love for him and her faith in -him by a disregard of convention that was undeniably very flattering, -particularly grateful after his recent trying experiences, and his -affection for her, if possible, waxed warmer under the stimulus of -appreciation. - -Meanwhile the trio Grey had left to their own devices, with scarcely a -word of explanation, were getting into a wellnigh inextricable tangle. - -“Fancy my deciding to run off this way on the spur of the moment, -without even a handful of luggage,” Miss Van Tuyl had exclaimed, “but -Mr. Grey and I have so much to talk about I just couldn’t think of -waiting another twenty-four hours, and he said he couldn’t possibly -stop over another day in Paris.” - -Minna had recognised her minutes before on the platform, as the -beautiful lady she had noticed the previous afternoon at Versailles, -and she had been and was still wondering how it came about that her -Uncle Max had not seen her and spoken to her there. And now this -mention of a Mr. Grey perplexed her. Was he in another car or another -compartment? And if she had so much to say to him why had she stood -talking to another man until the train was on the point of leaving? and -why was she sitting here now instead of being with him? - -“American women are such fun,” O’Hara was saying, his cheery, ruddy -face one broad smile. “I admire them awfully. They’re so superbly -self-reliant.” - -“You’re an American, Miss Van Tuyl?” the Fräulein ventured. “Oh, of -course. It was in America, I suppose, you met Uncle Max?” - -Hope stared questioningly. - -“Uncle Max?” she questioned. “I don’t understand you. Who is----” - -“Didn’t you know he was my uncle?” the girl asked, a little embarrassed. - -“Really, I--” she began again. And then O’Hara came to the rescue: - -“Our mutual friend, Miss Van Tuyl. After all, what’s in a name? Miss -von Altdorf calls him ‘Uncle Max’ and you--what is your favourite pet -name for him? Or is it rude of me to ask?” - -“Oh, I beg your pardon,” Hope implored, addressing the fair-haired -girl beside her; “how stupid of me! Yes, of course; I met him in -America when we were both very young. You were with him yesterday at -Versailles, weren’t you? I remember you distinctly. Mr. Grey wrote me -something very nice about you.” - -“About me? Mr. Grey?” It was the Fräulein’s turn to be audibly -perplexed. - -“Yes, certainly, Mr. Grey wrote me about you.” - -“But I don’t know any Mr. Grey.” - -O’Hara laughed aloud. Should he or should he not, he asked himself, -set them right and thus end this game of cross-purposes? It was very -amusing, it appealed to his native love of fun and he enjoyed it, so -he concluded to let the play go on. - -“Why, my dear Miss von Altdorf,” Hope insisted, “do you mean to tell me -that you don’t know your Uncle Max’s name is Grey?” - -Minna’s eyes were wide with amazement. Could it be possible that her -uncle was known in the United States by another name? The supposition -was preposterous. - -“My Uncle Max’s name is Arndt,” she said, very decidedly. “He is my -mother’s brother, and my mother’s name was Arndt before she married.” - -Hope leaned back in the hot, stuffy cushions of the railway carriage, -nonplussed. This was altogether beyond her understanding. And the -Fräulein, a little nettled, but triumphant, sat looking at her with -something of pity in her great long-lashed blue eyes, while O’Hara on -the seat opposite was bent double in a convulsion of merriment. - -“I don’t really see, Mr. O’Hara,” Minna observed, rebukingly, a moment -later, “what there is to laugh over. Would you mind telling me?” - -The Irishman, who had more than a passing fondness for the girl, -pulled a straight face on the instant. - -“I’m sorry, Miss von Altdorf,” he apologised. “It’s too bad of me, -isn’t it? And I beg Miss Van Tuyl’s pardon, too. I’d like to explain -the whole blessed thing to you both, but to tell the truth, I fancy -the gentleman of the mixed nomenclature had better be after doing it -himself.” - -But when Grey arrived and the situation was laid before him, the -explanation was not at the moment forthcoming. He evaded it as deftly -as he knew how, which, if the truth be told, was not by any means to -the taste of either of the ladies. It would have been an easy matter -to clear the mystery for Hope, but he hesitated to confess to Minna, -in the presence of the others, that he had been sailing under false -colours. She was a sensitive child, and serious, and he had no relish -for inflicting the pain that his unmasking would, he knew, entail. So -he simply said: - -“Ah, that’s a long story and we’ll have it at another time. Just now I -want to know what Miss Van Tuyl is going to wire to her doting father.” - -O’Hara excused himself and went out, and Miss von Altdorf extracted a -novel from her satchel and buried herself in its pages. - -“Wire him,” Hope directed, “that I’ve gone on with you unexpectedly to -Kürschdorf to secure rooms for the royal obsequies, and that he is to -follow tomorrow night with the luggage.” - -“But he won’t get it until late tonight, you know; possibly not until -tomorrow morning,” Grey told her. - -“No, he won’t get it until after two o’clock tomorrow, at the -earliest,” she replied, smiling. - -“How do you know that?” he asked, surprised. - -“Because he went to Trouville last night to see a man,” she laughed. -“He does not leave there until nine-one tomorrow morning, and it takes -these crawling French railway trains five hours to make the journey.” - - - - -XIII - - -“Kürschdorf,” the guide-books will tell you, “is the Capital of the -Kingdom of Budavia; 118 miles from Munich and forty-nine miles from -Nuremberg. It stands on both banks of the Weisswasser, united by -the Charlemagne and Wartberg bridges, 400 yards long. Surrounded by -towering mountains its King’s Residenz Schloss, erected 1607-1642, -rises like the Acropolis above the dwellings and other buildings of -the city. The steep sides of the Wartberg (1,834 feet) rise directly -from amid the houses of the town, and it is on one extremity of the -elevation that the imposing royal palace is located, with its 365 -rooms, frescoes and statues, a ‘Diana’ of Canova, a ‘Perseus’ of -Schwanhaler, a ‘Sleeping Ariadne’ of Thorwaldsen, and casts. The -palace gardens are two miles long, and consist of a series of terraces -overlooking the Wartberg valley on one side and a fertile plain on the -other.” - -The guide-books, too, will tell you of the Königsbau, a quarter-mile -long, containing a coffee house, the Bourse, and the Concert Hall; and -of the Museum, where the chief treasures of Kürschdorf are on view -daily (10 A. M. TO 4 P. M.); and of the Hof Theatre, and of the beer -gardens. And they will give you a long and detailed description of the -cathedral, completed in 1317, with its spire 452 feet high, ascended -by 575 steps, its wonderful astronomical clock, and its great west -window. They will even tell you that the best shops are in the Schloss -Strasse, and that the Grand Hotel Königin Anna is a first-class and -well-situated hostelry. But in no one of them will you find any mention -of the most ancient dwelling house in all Kürschdorf, a quaint, dark -stone building, on the Graf Strasse, only a stone’s throw from the -Friedrich Platz and two blocks away from the Wartburg Brücke. - -At the moment Carey Grey was sending his telegram from the railway -station at Château-Thierry to Nicholas Van Tuyl, in Paris, Count -Hermann von Ritter, Chancellor of Budavia, was standing at a rear -window of this venerable Kürschdorf mansion, gazing out upon a spacious -and orderly rose garden. He was very tall and very angular. From a -fringe of silver-white hair rose a shining pink crown; from beneath -bushy brows of only slightly darker grey appeared small, keen black -eyes; and a moustache of the same colour, heavy but close-cropped, -accentuated rather than hid a straight, thin-lipped, nervous mouth. His -head was bent thoughtfully forward and his hands, long and sinewy, with -sharply defined knuckles, were clasped behind his back. - -The drawing-room in which he stood was large and square, with high -walls hung with many splendid pictures in heavy gilded frames. The -furniture was massive and richly carved. Rococo cabinets held a wealth -of curios--odd vases and drinking cups of repoussé work in gold and -silver; idols from the Orient, peculiar antique knives--bodkins and -poniards, and carvings of jade and ivory and ebony. The polished floor -was strewn with Eastern rugs of silken texture, and at the doors and -windows were hangings of still softer fabric and less florid colour and -ornamentation. - -After a little the Count crossed to a table on which stood lighted -candelabra, and taking out his watch glanced at it with some show of -impatience. Almost at the same moment a bell jangled, and very soon -after a portière was raised by a servant wearing the Court mourning -livery. - -“Herr Captain Lindenwald, your Excellency!” he announced. And the -Captain entered, saluting. - -He was flushed and somewhat ill at ease, and the Chancellor’s icy -manner as he bade him be seated was not altogether reassuring. - -“I am very much distressed over the news conveyed by your telegram,” -began the older man, when he had taken a chair at a little distance -from his visitor. “Any delay at this juncture, you must understand, is -only calculated to result in complications. Was His Royal Highness so -violent that to bring him with you was impracticable?” - -Lindenwald hesitated for just the shade of a second, his fingers -playing nervously with the arm of his chair. - -“I regarded the risk as too great,” he ventured. - -“That is no answer,” the Count returned, irritably. “I asked you if he -was violent.” - -“Yes, Count, he was,” replied the Captain, with sudden assurance. “He -was very violent at intervals. It would have been impossible to get -him here without his causing a scene at some stage of the journey and -probably revealing his identity. Besides, it was most dangerous. He was -liable to evade his watchers and throw himself from the train.” - -The annoyance of the Chancellor increased. - -“You have never heard, Captain,” he said with a sneer, “that there are -such things as handcuffs and strait-jackets.” - -“Ah, but Count,” pleaded the other, in a tone of conciliation. “His -Royal Highness! Could I put the Crown Prince to such humiliation? You -know yourself that I would not be justified. It was better, it seemed -to me, to have him safely confined in a private hospital in Paris for -the present. In a little while, perhaps, his mind will clear.” - -“What is the form of his mania?” - -“It is most peculiar,” explained the Herr Captain. “You understand, of -course, that until five months ago he had no idea whatever that he was -who he is. He was, as you have been told, a valet, but a very superior -man of his class. It is most certainly true that blood counts. He had -all the inherent dignity of birth. His mind was far above his assumed -station. All this you know. You may not have heard, though, that he was -employed by an American stock broker named Grey who one day embezzled -four hundred thousand marks and ran away.” - -“Yes,” put in the Count, “I was informed of that as well.” - -“Just so. Well,” continued the Captain, “His Royal Highness now, -strangely enough, imagines that he is Grey.” - -“Imagines that he is an embezzler?” queried Ritter. - -“Precisely. He even cabled to New York giving his Paris address, and -the United States Embassy there was for arresting him and having him -extradited.” - -“And when did this mania develop?” - -“After the death of the Herr Doctor Schlippenbach.” - -The Chancellor sat thoughtfully rubbing together his long, virile hands. - -“But I thought that this man Grey, this embezzler, committed -suicide--was drowned or something.” - -“He was,” Lindenwald assented, “at least he is supposed to be dead.” - -“It will be possible, I presume,” the Count pursued, after another -moment of meditation, “to have the present temporary regency continued -by simply proving that Prince Maximilian, the heir apparent, is alive -and mentally incapacitated, though to have had him here in the flesh -would have been far better. And now as to these proofs--I am in -possession of copies of the papers, but where are the originals?” - -The Captain shifted uneasily in his chair, and his eyes refused to meet -those of his interlocutor. - -“That is a question, Count,” he replied. - -“A question!” cried the other, surprised and annoyed. “Why a question? -Surely you are in possession of them!” - -“Alas, I am not!” - -His Excellency, his face crimson, sprang to his feet. - -“My God, Captain!” he exclaimed in a rage, “you exasperate me beyond -all bearing.” - -“I am deeply sorry, Count von Ritter,” returned Lindenwald, “but if you -will hear me for one moment you will know that I am not to blame.” - -“Excuses will not avail,” he retorted, glowering. “You are a bungler, -sir, a bungler. You have been either criminally careless in this matter -or intentionally--yes, Captain, intentionally criminal.” - -“Your Excellency!” The Captain arose with a fine assumption of anger. -“I permit no man, your Excellency----” - -The Chancellor’s lips were close pressed. His beady eyes were two -points of fire. - -“Tut, tut,” he said, “this is neither the time nor place for that -sort of thing. I am pained, distressed, mortified. From first to last -your mission has been a series of blunders. Delay has followed delay; -excuse has followed excuse; and now, at the crucial moment, comes the -climax of your incapacity. A child could have done better. Knowing the -importance of getting the Prince of Kronfeld here while His Majesty -still lived you, on one pretext and another, dawdled away week after -week in London and Paris; you permitted knowledge of the existence of -the Prince to leak out; you could not even hide your stopping place -from Hugo’s emissaries--ah, you see I am well posted--and finally you -come here not only without the heir but without the documents that are -absolutely essential to the continuance of the direct succession.” - -Lindenwald listened, cowed and speechless. After a little, however, -he spoke falteringly, while the Count, his hands behind him, strode -excitedly up and down the large, square drawing-room. - -“If you will but hear me,” he protested, sullenly, “I think--I am -indeed almost certain, your Excellency, that I can show you I am at -least not altogether to blame. The Herr Doctor was ill when he landed -in England. He was, moreover, most eccentric and most self-willed. -And His Royal Highness was of the Herr Doctor’s mind, always. For -me to make a more expeditious journey was, under the circumstances, -impossible. It appeared to me that it was the Herr Doctor’s object -to delay our arrival until after the death of His Majesty. Then, as -you know, Herr Doctor Schlippenbach died, somewhat suddenly, and the -madness of the Prince ensued.” - -“But the papers, the papers?” cried von Ritter, irritably, halting in -his walk. “What of them?” - -“The Herr Doctor never so much as showed them to me, Count. They were, -I understand, in a strong-box, of which he and Prince Maximilian had -duplicate keys. But the strong-box when we reached Paris was not -brought to our hotel. Schlippenbach seemed to think it would be safer -at the railway station. I argued with him, but to no avail. There was -a fire, you remember, at our hotel in London, and that it and its -contents were not destroyed was simply miraculous. It was that which -frightened the Herr Doctor, and he refused to risk it in another hotel. -Well, your Excellency, after his death we could find no trace of the -box. The receipt for it had disappeared. I did my utmost to locate and -secure it, but as yet I have been unsuccessful. I have tracers out, -however, and it may be discovered any day.” - -“Bah!” almost shrieked the Chancellor, irascibly, “and a throne hangs -on the slender thread of that ‘may be.’ Unless the box is found, -Captain, it will be well for you to--but it is needless for me to -suggest. You yourself know that your life, henceforth, would be not -only useless, but a burden.” - -Lindenwald’s chin dropped and his eyes sought the floor. - -“The box shall be found,” he said; but the assurance in his tone was -meagre. - -“And His Royal Highness,” continued von Ritter, “is in a sanitarium in -Paris?” - -“Yes, Count; the sanitarium of----” - -But a rap on the door cut short his answer, and the name either was not -pronounced or was drowned in the Chancellor’s stentorian: - -“_Herein!_” - -A footman handed His Excellency a telegram, and with a “Pardon me, -Captain!” he opened it. - -Years of diplomatic training had given the Count von Ritter a command -of his facial muscles that was perfect. Not by so much even as the -quiver of an eyelash did he signify the character of the tidings thus -conveyed to him. Having read the message at a glance he refolded the -paper with some deliberation, and then turning to Lindenwald again, -asked: - -“In whose sanitarium did you say?” - -“Dr. De Cerveau’s.” - -“You saw him there yourself?” - -“Yes, Count.” - -“And there is no possible chance of his escaping?” - -“None whatever, Count.” - -His Excellency took another turn to the window overlooking the rose -garden, his head bowed meditatively. Lindenwald was still standing, his -arm resting on the high back of the chair from which he had risen. - -“You are quite sure,” His Excellency pursued, when he was again -opposite the Captain, “that we need have no apprehension on that score?” - -“Quite sure, Count von Ritter.” - -Very slowly, and with a care and precision that emphasised the action, -the Chancellor again unfolded the telegram he held and extended it -towards Lindenwald. - -“Then you will, perhaps, explain to me what that means?” he said, with -a calmness that was portentous. - -The face of the Herr Captain went ashen white. He caught his breath -sharply, and his left hand gripped the chair back where a second before -his arm had rested. - - “_Am leaving this evening, Orient Express_,” he read. “_Have me - met on arrival._ ARNDT.” - -He made as if to speak, but his lips emitted no sound. - -“Well? Well?” queried the Count, impatiently. “What is it? Explain it. -That is from His Royal Highness, isn’t it?” - -“I--I--you see, I--” stammered the Captain, dazed and affrighted, “I--I -am not so sure. It may be a hoax--a trap.” - -Von Ritter’s eyes poured out upon him their contempt. - -“A hoax, a trap,” he sneered. “No, no, unless it be a trap in which -to catch a certain officer of the Army who is not so very far away. I -think, Captain, that it is useless to prolong this interview,” and he -pressed an electric button in the table under his thumb. - -Captain Lindenwald bowed, but said nothing. - -At the same moment the footman reappeared and at a signal from -the Chancellor lifted the portière, and the Captain went rather -shamefacedly from the room. - -When the Count heard the street door close he pressed the button in the -table again, and to the footman who entered he said: - -“Otto, I wish to speak to the Chief of Police. Call him up, and when -you have him on the telephone let me know.” - -He walked to the window again. The moon had risen, and the rose garden -was clad in luminous white with trimmings of purplish grey and black -shadows. - - - - -XIV - - -Passengers for Kürschdorf by the Orient Express change cars at -Munich, which, if the train is on time, is reached at 12.24 on the -day following the departure from Paris. On this particular Monday the -express was nearly forty minutes late, and, as the connecting train -was timed to start at 1.02, the transfer was of necessity accomplished -with somewhat undignified expedition. That it was accomplished at -all, however, and that the quartet, of which Carey Grey was one, was -so fortunate as to secure a compartment to itself, were subjects for -mutual congratulation. - -The journey from the French to the Bavarian capital had been rife with -explanations. To Hope Van Tuyl, Grey had made the entire situation most -clear, though he considerately refrained from revealing any feature -or incident that would tend to alarm her. In his interview with Minna -von Altdorf he had brought to bear all the tact of which he was -possessed. It was no easy matter for him, in view of his duplicity that -day at Versailles, to make her a completely veracious statement of the -facts; and it was especially difficult because of her veneration for -her great-uncle, the late Herr Schlippenbach, whom Grey could not but -regard as an egregious knave. - -She had been startled, surprised, pained, and bewildered by turns as he -told her the story, but she never once questioned the truth nor doubted -the honesty of the narrator. - -“I simply can’t understand it,” she said, with distress in her pathetic -eyes. “Why should Great-uncle Schlippenbach do such a thing? Why should -he? How could he?” - -“And I am just as much in the dark as you are,” Grey answered, -soothingly. “I have thought it over continually, and I can’t arrive at -any satisfactory conclusion. I don’t remember ever having seen him, and -why he should have selected me for this great honour--for, after all, -it is an honour to be elevated to the throne, isn’t it?” he laughed--“I -can’t imagine.” - -“We always knew he was eccentric,” the Fraülein went on. “He had -most marvellous ideas on certain subjects, but I won’t believe he was -criminal. He must have been just a little bit insane.” - -And then Grey asked her how it came that she joined the little party in -London. - -“You see, Great-uncle Schlippenbach wrote me that he was going to -Budavia and asked me if I would like to go with him and see my sister -in Kürschdorf,” she explained. “That was reasonable enough--there was -nothing insane about that, was there? My school term had just ended, -and it was a question whether I should make my home with my sister over -here or return to America with him.” - -“And he told you I was your uncle?” - -“Oh, yes. You know I have an uncle in New York. His name is Max Arndt. -That is true. And he told me that you were he.” - -Grey shook his head in token of his perplexity. - -“What became of your Great-uncle Schlippenbach’s luggage?” he asked, -suddenly, after a pause. - -“I have it with me,” the girl answered, frankly. “I shall take it to my -sister’s.” - -“Have you opened it?” - -“No. I thought that she and I would open it together.” - -“It is possible, you know, that it may contain something that will give -us a hint as to his motive in this matter,” Grey said, in explanation -of his interest. - -“Oh, I do hope so,” the Fräulein returned. “I am so anxious about it.” - -Grey was on the point of leaving the compartment, when he felt a hand -holding the hem of his coat. - -“I have just one question to ask,” said the girl as he turned. She was -not looking at him, but she still retained her hold. - -“Well?” he queried, laconically; and his voice was kindly inviting. - -“Would you mind very much if I--that is to say, may I, still, although -you are not really, but--may I go on calling you Uncle Max?” The -hesitating embarrassment of the first part of her utterance was -followed by a nervous blurting of the question in conclusion. - -“I shall feel very much hurt, Minna,” Grey answered, “if you call me -anything else.” And he took the little hand from his coat and pressed -it affectionately. - - * * * * * - -When the train for Kürschdorf arrived at Anslingen, on the Budavian -border, there was more than the ordinary delay. There was, moreover, -evidence of something unusual in the throng upon the platform and the -suppressed excitement of those composing it. Johann, who had sprung -out instantly from the third-class carriage in which he and Marcelle -were travelling--his object being to secure the passage of the party’s -luggage through the Custom House--was at once recognised and besieged -by a horde of questioners. - -“The Prince!” they cried with one accord. “You are with him, are you -not? Where is he? In which carriage? What is he like?” And he had no -little difficulty in shaking them off and attending to the business in -hand. - -By some mysterious means the report had spread, and what was at first -mere rumour had later found substantial confirmation in the discovered -presence at the station of two distinguished personages: General -Roederer, Commander of the Budavian army, and Prince von Eisenthal, -conservative leader of the Budavian Assembly; each accompanied by a -more or less gorgeously uniformed retinue. - -Grey, looking from the carriage window, noted the crowd with some -little apprehension. He glanced at O’Hara and saw that he too suspected -the cause. To the two ladies of the party nothing had been said of the -telegram addressed to the name appended to the Lindenwald despatch, and -they consequently saw less of significance in the demonstration, though -they noted the gathering as extraordinary. - -As Grey peered at the constantly increasing throng he wondered whether -his message had been ill-considered. He had, in a way, sent it blindly, -not knowing whether Ritter was an ally or a dupe of the conspirators, -and he had sent it knowing that, in either event, Lindenwald was on -the spot to take whatever ground he chose and to use whatever argument -he deemed most fitting. If the Captain so fancied he could have him -arrested on the charge of being a pretender to the throne, and would, -armed with that strong-box left by old Schlippenbach, have small -difficulty in proving his allegation. For exoneration he himself might -appeal to his Government, but as an absconding defaulter he could look -for meagre assistance from that quarter. O’Hara had told him it was -dangerous business, but he had spurned advice, and now he was face to -face with the consequences, whatever they might be. He was a trifle -nervous, his heart was beating faster than its wont, and there was a -red spot in each cheek; but even while looking on the darkest side of -the picture he regretted nothing. This crisis had to be faced in one -form or another, and he was glad the moment for facing it had arrived. - -There was a movement in the crowd a few yards down the platform. The -police were ordering the people back and clearing a lane beside the -railway carriages. Grey thrust his head from the window and saw coming -down this lane, in company with the train conductor, an army officer -in olive green uniform and black helmet. Upon his breast was pinned a -rosette of crepe, the insignia of mourning for the dead monarch. - -At the door of each first-class compartment the two men halted for -a second, asked a question and came on. But before they reached the -carriage in which Grey was waiting, Johann, who had discerned their -object, overtook them and led the way. Meanwhile, though Grey had not -spoken, his companions had, intuitively, or by some other occult means, -become aware of what was impending, and sat in breathless expectation. - -And then, suddenly, before anticipation had been quite dethroned -by realization, the officer was saluting, was being joined by his -superiors and the rest of their retinues, and Grey was standing erect -and dignified, listening to a little formal speech of welcome from the -bearded lips of Prince von Eisenthal. - -The crowd cheered lustily, of course, and cried: “God save Prince Max!” -And a band played the Budavian national anthem. After which, or rather -in the midst of which, the Prince and General Roederer entered the -compartment with Grey and his friends, their suites finding places as -best they could elsewhere, and the train, with much ringing of bells -and blowing of whistles, moved off into the valley of the Weisswasser, -its locomotive now gay with many Budavian flags and streamers of red -and white bunting--colours of the royal house of Kronfeld. - -Grey’s relief from the tension of uncertainty found expression in -an interested animation that impressed Prince von Eisenthal most -favourably. He asked many questions concerning the affairs of the -little kingdom, both political and commercial, and exhibited a concern -over the conservative policy of the late King that was especially -pleasing to the leader of the conservative forces. General Roederer, -meanwhile, addressed himself to the ladies and Lieutenant O’Hara. He -was a bluff but gallant old fellow, with ruddy complexion and iron-grey -hair, and he possessed a quaint humour that kept the little company in -gay spirits throughout the hour of the trip from the frontier to the -capital. - -“I am deeply regretful, your Royal Highness,” he said to Grey, as the -towers and spires of Kürschdorf came into view, “that we are not at -liberty to offer you such a demonstration on your arrival as I should -have liked. But His Majesty, the late King, you understand, is still -above sod, the Court is in mourning, and the Prince Regent deemed it -unfitting to give you more than the most informal of welcomes.” - -Grey bowed his acknowledgment. - -“I am glad,” he said, tactfully, “though I do not fail to appreciate -the expression of good will in your desire. The Prince Regent’s views -and mine, in this matter, are in perfect accord.” - -But, however well the ideas of the supposed heir and the Prince Regent -may have coincided, the populace was by no means of the same mind. It -is not every day that a Prince of Kronfeld arrives in Kürschdorf--not -every day that a new King comes from across the sea to take his place -as ruler of his people--and the loyal townsfolk, despite the brevity of -time between announcement and arrival, and the expressed opposition of -their temporary ruler to anything in the nature of an ovation, hung gay -banners amid the mourning drapery of their house fronts, closed their -offices and shops and turned out in gala dress and mood to crowd the -streets, the squares and the cafés. - -As the train drew slowly into the railway station Grey leaned over and -took Hope’s hand. - -“I’ll probably have to leave you for a little,” he said, regretfully, -“but O’Hara will see that you get to the hotel, and I’ll try to look in -this evening.” - -Outside the station a landau, its panels decorated with the royal arms -and drawn by six cream-white Arabian horses in glittering, gold-mounted -harness, stood in waiting, with coachman, footman and postillions in -the purple and scarlet livery of the Court; while thirty yards away, in -line along the opposite side of the Bahnhof Platz, was a troop of the -King’s Cuirassiers, their breastplates and helmets of silver and gold -glinting fiery red in the glow of the sunset. - -Cheer after cheer rang out as Grey, with the Prince on his right and -the General on his left, passed through the station, followed by the -welcoming company that had escorted him from Anslingen, and took his -place in the waiting carriage. And, as the little procession of which -he was the dominating feature wound through the boulevards and streets -of the new town and across the beautiful Charlemagne bridge over the -turbulent Weisswasser into the more ancient and picturesque quarter -of the city, the cheering, it seemed to him, grew louder and more -continuous. At one point a group of young girls in white frocks and red -ribbons ran out into the roadway to spread flowers in the path of his -equipage, and at another a chorus of a hundred students, crowded on the -balconies of a _Brauerei_, greeted his coming with a patriotic glee, -sung as only male voices of Teutonic breeding and training can sing -choruses. - -Grey’s emotions during this drive were novel and complex. There were -moments when he almost felt that he was indeed the Prince--not that any -marvellous transubstantiation had taken place, but that he had always -been so--and that all this homage, this enthusiastic applause and -adulation were his by right; and there were moments when his heart grew -sick at the fraud, the imposition, the error, and he knit his brows and -reproached himself for letting the deception go so far. - -The magnitude the affair had suddenly assumed appalled him. Heretofore -he had regarded it as a mere personal matter. He had been outraged, -his honour sullied, his life threatened, and he was justified, he -had told himself, in using every means within his power to bring -his enemies to book. But he had not perceived the possibilities of -permitting this line of investigation to run on unchecked. In a -single moment the adventure had become a matter of national import. -He was guilty now of masquerading as heir to the throne of a European -monarchy. Hitherto the crime lay at the doors of a few conspirators, -who, to serve certain nefarious ends of which he knew nothing, had -striven to secure for him the crown. In that plot he had personally -had no part. Everything had been done without his cognisance or -consent; but now it was not they alone who were forcing the scheme -to a consummation. He had, practically, for the time being at least, -joined hands with them and was passively allowing their plans to be -carried out, though fully aware of the impious character of the whole -proceeding. - -And the enormity of his thoughtless offence was at each foot of the way -made more and more apparent by these cheering masses of people. When -they should learn that they had been tricked, what explanation would -serve to assuage their resentment? Love and homage would be turned to -hatred and vengeance, and no excuse that he could offer would have any -weight against their sense of outraged loyalty. - -Then his thoughts took a new trend, and he asked himself how it was -possible that old Schlippenbach and his fellow-plotters had been able -thus to fool the conservative leaders of a great nation regarding -a matter so vital to the very existence of their most cherished -institutions as the legitimate succession to the regal sceptre. What -incontrovertible proofs had it been possible to offer in order to bring -about this ready acceptance of a man whom the Budavian people had never -seen to rule over their nation’s destinies? After all, there was where -the blame must lie. The preposterousness of the proposition, it seemed -to him, should have been apparent to the most simple-minded. - -And, as he thought, the landau, with the flashing cuirassiers galloping -ahead and behind and on either side, began the tortuous ascent of the -Wartburg by the wide, wooded avenues that wind from the palace gates -through the sumptuous royal gardens up to the imposing Residenz -Schloss on the mountain’s apex. Now and then, through rifts in the -foliage, Grey got glimpses of the vast, formidable, castle-like pile -of sombre stone perched far above him, the outline of its battlemented -towers showing sharp and clear against the pink of the sunset-tinted -sky; and it seemed to frown forbiddingly, resembling more a great -fortress at this distance than the magnificent palace it is. - -Twenty minutes later, to a musical fanfare of bugles, a clinking of bit -chains and a rattle of steel-shod hoofs on stone paving, the carriage -swept in under the great grey _porte-cochère_; the massive oaken doors -of the Schloss swung impressively inward, and Chancellor von Ritter, -in his robes of office, with a dozen attendants at his back, stood in -token of formal welcome on the threshold. - -To Grey’s immense relief, however, the ensuing formalities were of -the briefest description, and almost immediately he found himself -proceeding under the Chancellor’s guidance and direction toward a suite -of rooms in the Flag Tower that had been prepared against his coming. - - - - -XV - - -The Grand Hotel Königin Anna at Kürschdorf is much like the -Schweitzerhof at Lucerne. It stretches its long, yellow front, bordered -by a stone terrace, along the wide Schloss Strasse, on the other side -of which, shaded by four rows of leafy linden trees, is the Königin -Quai, skirting the fast-flowing Weisswasser. At one end of the Quai is -the Wartburg Brücke, and at the other the Kursaal. - -At about ten o’clock on the morning following his arrival in -Kürschdorf, O’Hara appeared on the terrace with a troubled expression -on his usually care-free face and a newspaper in his hand. The events -of the previous evening had filled him with an apprehension greater -even than that which had beset his friend. Being himself a subject -of monarchical rule, and appreciating by reason of his breeding and -environment the very serious nature of the affair, he viewed these -late developments with less leniency than would naturally temper the -consideration of a citizen of a republic, whose knowledge of the ethics -of dynasties had been gleaned chiefly from books. - -Grey, in allowing himself to be invested with royal honours, had cut -loose from O’Hara’s counsel. The Crown Prince was no longer travelling -_incognito_. He was now within the very shadow of the throne that -awaited him, and was consequently hedged in by all the formalities -of the Court. Yesterday they were able to consult as man to man on -an equal footing. Today a gulf divided them. It would be possible, -of course, for O’Hara to present himself at the Palace and crave an -audience, but it was doubtful whether anything approaching a private -consultation could be managed. The American now, oddly enough, was not -his own master. Otherwise he would have come to the hotel the evening -before, as he had planned. He belonged to the state, and, if rumour -spoke truly, he was, and had been since his arrival at the Residenz -Schloss, under the strictest surveillance. - -There was a hint of this in the paper that O’Hara carried, and the -very air was pregnant with more or less detailed gossip, sensational -in the extreme. At breakfast the Irishman had overheard a conversation -at the next table to the effect that the Crown Prince was quite mad -and had been locked in a dungeon under the Palace in the care of a -half-dozen burly wardens. Everyone was talking on the same subject. An -officer in uniform, connected with the Royal Horse Guards, was reported -to have said that Prince Max had attempted suicide on his way from -Paris, and O’Hara, knowing this to be untrue, discounted most of the -other tales as equally baseless. Nevertheless, he was very considerably -disturbed. He longed to act, but realised that his hands were tied. All -that was left for him to do was to wait with what patience he could -command until something further developed. And so he lighted a cigar -and strolled forth across the Schlosse Strasse to the Quai, where, -presently, he was joined by Miss Van Tuyl and the Fräulein von Altdorf. - -They, too, had heard the rumours with which the very atmosphere was -vibrant, and they came to him with long faces seeking reassurance. - -“Isn’t it possible to find out something definite?” Hope asked, -plaintively. “Surely there must be some authority somewhere. You are -his friend and you have a right to know. Why not go to see General -Roederer? Let us get a carriage and we will all three go.” - -“I should be only too glad, Miss Van Tuyl,” O’Hara replied, “if I -thought anything was to be gained by it; but the truth of the matter -is, you are unnecessarily alarmed. Carey is all right. Don’t you pay -any attention to these cock-and-bull stories. He has done this thing -with his eyes open, and if we go interfering we may upset all his -plans. We shall hear from him some time during the day, I feel certain. -But if we don’t I’ll see that you have the facts before you sleep -tonight. By the way, have you heard from your father?” - -“Oh, yes. I had a telegram late last night. He is on his way. He will -be here this evening.” - -“Good. Two heads are better than one, and when he arrives we’ll find -out what we want to know if we have to blow up the palace to do it. -But I really feel that we shall have tidings from His Royal Highness -before many hours.” And he laughed in his characteristic rollicking -fashion. - -“It all seems just like a dream to me,” said Minna, soberly. “I’m -completely dazed. So much has happened in the last week that I hardly -know what I’m doing. And now I shouldn’t stop here another minute, for -I’m sure my sister will be at the hotel and those stupid people will -not know where to tell her to find me.” - -“We’ll all go over and sit on the terrace,” suggested O’Hara. “The band -will be playing before long, and they tell me it is a very good one.” - -On the journey from Paris the Irishman and the Fräulein had been much -in each other’s company, and the growth of their mutual interest had -been more than once remarked by both Grey and Miss Van Tuyl. Now, as he -gazed at her fresh young beauty, there was a tenderness in his eyes, -the meaning of which there was no mistaking. Hope saw it, and when the -terrace was reached she excused herself and went inside, leaving them -together. - -“You will be going to your sister’s today, then, I suppose,” said the -soldier, when they had found places under the shade of an awning not -too close to the band stand and well away from the other loungers; in -his tone was regret. - -“Yes,” Minna answered, and her accent, too, was regretful. “Her house -is to be my home after this, you know.” - -“And there’ll be somebody that will miss you very much,” O’Hara -ventured. His eyes had grown worshipful, and the girl’s colour deepened -as she looked into them. - -“And I shall miss somebody very much,” she returned, with a tincture of -coquetry; adding, after a briefest moment, “Miss Van Tuyl is lovely. I -feel as if I had known her always.” - -“But I wasn’t speaking of her,” he protested, softly. “She’ll miss you, -I dare say; but there’s a man who’ll miss you a whole lot more--miss -you as he never thought it would be possible for him to miss anyone.” - -The girl’s eyes drooped under the ardour of his gaze, and her cheeks -flushed pinker still at his words. Her heart fluttered with an -emotion that was new to it, and that she did not quite understand. -She had experienced it once or twice before, in lesser degree, on -the train when this big, hearty, boyish fellow had--not altogether by -chance--touched her hand. It made her mute then, and now her tongue was -again for the moment tied. - -“But I am not going far,” she replied, when utterance returned; “my -sister’s place is only a mile or two out of town, and the man has told -me that he is very fond of walking.” - -“And may he come?” he pleaded, eagerly, his face suddenly alight with -the smile she had grown to regard as not the least of his attractions. -“May he?” - -“Why not?” she asked, laughing lightly. - -“Yes, why not?” he repeated, joyously. “Since he will want to see her -very much, and since she has not denied him.” - -Frau Fahler, Minna’s sister, was much older than she; a woman of -thirty-four at least, short, stout and fair-haired, but with eyes of -that deep pansy blue which was a family characteristic. She arrived -about eleven o’clock in a rather quaint-looking country wagon, and she -carried off the Fräulein almost immediately, in spite of the urging of -Hope and O’Hara that she would stop for luncheon and delay the parting -until afternoon. - -Minna was naturally loth to leave until some tidings had been received -from the Palace, but her sister had a dozen reasons for her haste, and -so it was arranged that when towards evening her luggage was sent for, -the messenger should be given whatever news had arrived. - -Hope’s anxiety meanwhile had grown with every passing minute. O’Hara’s -assurances were well intentioned, but, backed only by surmise, they -were by no means satisfying. - -“I don’t suppose he can come himself, or he would be here,” she said, -in reply to his oft-repeated explanation that a Crown Prince is not -wholly his own master, “but he certainly could send Johann or some one -with a note.” - -But the afternoon wore away without any message. On the other hand, -the rumours of the morning grew more ominous. A special session of the -Budavian Assembly had been called for that very evening. A question, it -was said, had arisen as to the legitimacy of the alleged heir apparent. -Certain members of the Royal household were reported under arrest, -charged with no less a crime than treason. The adherents of Prince Hugo -were in the highest feather. Already the more optimistic were speaking -of him as His Majesty. In the crowded cafés, the _Brauerei_ and the -beer gardens but the one subject was discussed; and the newspapers got -out special extras, which hinted guardedly at the mystery, but gave -absolutely no facts. - -At seven o’clock Hope Van Tuyl drove to the railway station and met -her father. She was nervously excited to the verge of hysteria, and -Nicholas Van Tuyl had some difficulty in piecing together her somewhat -disconnected and, it seemed to him at times, irrational statements. -Eventually, however, by dint of careful questioning he became -acquainted with the salient points of the situation; and later, at -dinner, the Irishman supplied what was lacking in important detail. - -“I agree with Lieutenant O’Hara,” said Mr. Van Tuyl, in a tone that -smacked of the judicial; “it is a very delicate problem, and one that -must be handled with the utmost care. At the same time, my dear child, -your anxiety is natural, and, though I think you have exaggerated the -seriousness of the affair, I can well understand your impatience for -facts. And facts we are going to have.” - -He smiled confidently, and his daughter’s face brightened on the -instant. - -“All the time you have been telling me your story,” he went on, “I have -been trying to think of the name of a man I met in Munich a few years -ago. He holds some high position here, and would be just the chap to -help us now. We were excellent friends, and when we parted he begged me -to come to Kürschdorf and visit him. Strange I can’t think of his name.” - -“What about the American Minister?” O’Hara suggested. - -“I doubt that he would know. Besides, under the circumstances, there’s -no use taking chances. If we told him the truth it would be a case of -out of the frying-pan into the fire. Grey is extraditable, you know. I -wonder if we could learn anything by attending this Parliament meeting?” - -“We couldn’t get in. I thought of that at once and made inquiries. It’s -an executive session.” - -Van Tuyl was silent for a minute or more, evidently deep in thought. - -“I don’t suppose you know the names of the high monkey-monks here, do -you?” he asked, presently. - -“I know a few,” O’Hara answered. “There’s Prince von Eisenthal, and -Herr Marscheim, and Count von Ritter, and----” - -“Aha!” cried the New York man, gleefully, “now you’ve hit it. Von -Ritter--Count von Ritter. He is my Munich friend. What is he? What -position does he hold?” - -“He is what they call Chancellor, I believe; but in reality he’s a sort -of Prime Minister.” - -“That’s our man, by all that’s good!” Van Tuyl exclaimed. “We’ll find -where he hangs out and call on him. And, girlie,” he added, turning to -his daughter, “you’ll know all about it in a few hours.” - -“He’ll be at the Assembly session, of course,” said O’Hara. - -“Certainly. We’ll go there and send him in a message, and I’ll bet -ten dollars to a cent he’ll come a-running. He owes me a debt of -gratitude; I put him in the way of placing a government loan at very -good figures when the Budavian credit wasn’t the best in all Europe by -any means.” - -Hope smiled her gratitude. She had great faith in her father. He was of -the type of successful Americans that do things. - - - - -XVI - - -The apartment in the Flag Tower to which Carey Grey was conducted by -Chancellor von Ritter was at the top of two flights of winding stone -stairs, and the barred windows of its four rooms commanded a view of -varied and picturesque loveliness. In the foreground were the Palace -gardens, with their series of descending terraces, their fountains and -statuary, their parterres of gay flowers, their gracefully curving -driveways and gravelled walks, and their wonderful old trees of every -shade of green leafage. Beyond the gardens were the red and grey roofs, -the spires and steeples and domes and turrets of the city, divided by -the sparkling silver-white waters of the rushing river, and beyond -these stretched the fertile valley checkered with fields of ripening -grain--yellow and orange and russet--and olive patches of woodland, and -dotted with farm houses and cottages and barns and hayricks. - -The rooms, themselves, were somewhat sombre. There was a small library, -panelled and finished in black oak; a _salon_, long and high, with -much tarnished gilt ornamentation and red upholstery; a tiny bare -dressing-room, and a bedchamber with a great canopied bedstead, beside -which stood a quaintly carved _prie-dieu_. - -“Your Royal Highness will, I trust, be comfortable here,” said the -Chancellor, when he had walked with Grey from one room to another and -the two were standing together in the long _salon_. - -The American hesitated a moment before replying. He was revolving -mentally several alternatives of action. It was his duty, he knew, not -to let this farce proceed further; and yet he had thus far learned -absolutely nothing. - -“I shall,” he said, at length, “be quite comfortable.” - -“If there is anything your Royal Highness desires,” continued the -Chancellor, “you have but to make it known.” - -The invitation arrested the whirl of indecision and settled the course -of procedure. - -“If you will be so good as to answer me a few questions, Count,” Grey -began, “I shall be indebted. Won’t you sit down?” - -Count von Ritter found a place for his angular length upon a settee -beside a pedestalled bust of King Oswald the First, and Grey sank into -a chair near by. - -“I am entirely at your Royal Highness’s disposal,” the Chancellor -avowed, amiably; and the American, not without some trepidation, it -must be confessed, began: - -“You understand, of course, that events in my career have followed one -another in the most rapid succession during the past few months; and -regarding some of the most important details I am entirely uninformed. -You will be surprised, perhaps, to learn, for instance, that I do not -know with any degree of definiteness how my identity was established. -Herr Schlippenbach was my discoverer, of course, but with whom did he -consult here and by what means was it made clear that I am really the -abducted heir of the Budavian crown?” - -Count von Ritter listened to the question with growing suspicion. -Here were, perhaps, the first indications of that insanity of which -Lindenwald had spoken. - -“It does seem hardly possible, your Royal Highness,” he replied, “that -on such a vital matter you should have been left in ignorance. It was, -I think, nearly a year ago that the first communication from the Herr -Doctor Schlippenbach was brought to me by Herr Professor Trent.” - -“And who is Herr Professor Trent?” Grey asked, quickly. - -“The Herr Professor,” answered the Chancellor, “is the head of the -University of Kürschdorf.” - -“And his reputation is, of course, beyond reproach, eh?” - -“Quite beyond reproach, your Royal Highness.” - -“And what steps followed?” Grey pursued, inquisitorially, crossing his -legs and leaning back in his chair. - -“I took up the matter personally,” the Count responded, with frankness. -“I entered into correspondence with Schlippenbach at once, and after -some months of writing back and forth he placed before me a very -circumstantial story, which he afterward confirmed with documentary -evidence--old letters, photographs, affidavits.” - -“And then?” - -“When I had thoroughly assured myself of the authenticity of all he -claimed, I brought the subject to the attention of the Privy Council, -and eventually it was laid before His Majesty. In the meantime the -Budavian Minister at Washington had been investigating, and the -Budavian Consul at New York as well. But all that, of course, you know.” - -Grey nodded, dissembling. He was studying Count von Ritter as he -spoke; noting every accent, every inflection, every expression, in an -endeavour to decide whether he were innocent or guilty. Thus far he -had been inclined to regard him as honest. It hardly seemed possible -that one occupying his position could stoop to such chicanery. And the -head of the university appeared likewise as too impregnably placed to -be open to suspicion. The Budavian Minister and the Budavian Consul, -however, he concluded could not be guiltless. - -“And how did Captain Lindenwald chance to be chosen to meet me on my -arrival in England?” he asked. - -“Captain Lindenwald,” answered the Chancellor, “is an officer of the -Royal household--he was the late King’s equerry--and he is, moreover, -the brother of our Minister to the United States.” - -Grey smiled in spite of himself. Of Lindenwald’s complicity he had -had no doubt from the first. The fact that the Budavian Minister at -Washington was his brother made it all the more probable that that -dignitary was also criminally involved. - -“Now, just one more matter, Count,” the American continued. “Can you -tell me anything of this Baron von Einhard?” - -The Chancellor shrugged his square shoulders. - -“The Baron is a supporter of Prince Hugo,” he answered. - -“That much I know,” Grey returned. “And in his loyalty to his leader he -is apt to be unscrupulous to the Prince’s opponents?” - -Count von Ritter smiled a trifle cynically. - -“I have been led to understand so,” he answered. - -“He would pay well, I suppose, to get Prince Max out of the way just at -this juncture? Is it not so?” - -“The price asked would probably not deter him.” - -“And Captain Lindenwald--But no, of course not. It is silly of me to -suggest such a possibility. You are satisfied of that officer’s fealty, -I am sure?” - -The Chancellor straightened in his seat and leaned forward with an -exhibition of concern that had hitherto been lacking. - -“You do not make yourself altogether clear, your Royal Highness,” he -ventured. “Am I to understand that you have reason to suspect that -Captain Lindenwald and the Baron von Einhard are----” - -“Pardon me,” interrupted Grey, pleased nevertheless at the awakened -interest of the Chancellor, “I did not say so. I merely asked a -question. You are satisfied of Captain Lindenwald’s entire honesty and -loyalty, are you not?” - -“The Captain,” von Ritter replied, guardedly, “has not been as eager as -I could have wished at times, but I have never regarded him as venal.” - -“Then his explanation of why he left me in Paris, without so much as a -word as to his going, and why that night an attempt was made to abduct -me by persons in the employ of Baron von Einhard--I suppose he has made -such an explanation--was entirely satisfactory to you?” - -Grey sprung the question suddenly and noted scrutinisingly the effect. - -The Chancellor’s usually immobile features gave perceptible token of -his surprise. His bushy brows raised the merest trifle, and his keen -black eyes widened. - -“His story was, I must confess, not altogether satisfactory, your Royal -Highness,” he answered, quietly; “it was, I may say, lacking in detail.” - -“I would suggest,” continued Grey, in a tone equally repressed, “that -you question him in the line I have indicated.” - -The Chancellor bowed. - -“I have to thank you,” he said, gravely. “I shall do so. That is very -certain.” - -Grey arose and Count von Ritter got to his feet instantly. The American -stood for a moment in indecision, very tall, very erect. There was no -denying that he looked every inch the Prince. Whether to declare that -he was not he hurriedly debated. Meanwhile the Chancellor was still -striving to detect the madness of which Lindenwald had spoken. To each -question he had given the most searching mental scrutiny; to each -gesture, to each intonation he had paid the closest heed, but he had -discovered practically no indication of the malady charged. With Grey’s -next utterance, however, all the fabric of his assurance fell crumbling. - -“Count von Ritter,” he said--he had been for a moment gazing out -through the window at the varied landscape now dimming with the dusk, -but as he spoke he turned and faced the Chancellor--“Count von Ritter, -I can delay no longer in confiding to you a matter so grave that I -scarcely know how to frame it in words. May I ask you to again be -seated?” And he waved his hand towards the settee from which the Count -had risen. - -The Chancellor seated himself without speaking, and Grey resumed his -place in the chair near him. - -“The reason I have asked you what I have,” continued he, speaking -slowly and with more than his usual deliberation, “is that I have -been--I was about to say astounded, but that is too weak a word--I -have been stunned and dumfounded by the proved credulity of a nation -which has the reputation, next to Russia, of possessing the most astute -diplomats in all Europe. That a government so fortified could be -tricked into placing its sceptre in the hands of an American citizen, -whose ancestry shows no trace of Budavian blood and whose antecedents -are an open book, seems out of all reason; and yet it is precisely what -you and your confrères, Count, have, as is now conclusively evidenced, -been led into.” - -Upon the Chancellor’s face was an expression which Grey could not -fathom. He was neither startled nor incensed. There was, indeed, just -the faintest suspicion of amusement in his keen black eyes, mingled -with a spirit of kindly indulgence. - -“You mean,” he said, quietly, “that you are not the heir?” - -“Most assuredly,” Grey answered, in amazement at his companion’s -inscrutable manner, “I am no more the Prince of Kronfeld than I am the -Prince of Wales. I am Carey Grey, of New York, an American born and -bred, who was drugged, hypnotised, mesmerised or what you please; made -unknowingly to commit a theft, made unknowingly to cross the Atlantic, -to travel under a false name, to attempt to usurp a title and a throne.” - -Count von Ritter’s foot tapped the floor nervously. He laced his long, -knotted fingers and unlaced them again. - -“This is a very grave matter,” he said, his voice low and steady, “and -I shall lose no time in looking into it. As you say, such a thing would -appear beyond the bounds of reason. Your Royal High--I beg your pardon! -Mr. Grey, did I understand?” And there was a humouring leniency, not -to say pity, in his tone--“you can imagine how much this statement of -yours at this late hour will involve in the way of complications.” - -“That you were not enlightened earlier, Count,” Grey continued, -“was due to my desire to learn just how far the conspiracy had been -carried. As a matter of fact, until I reached Anslingen this afternoon -I had no positive assurance that the affair had gone further than Herr -Schlippenbach and Captain Lindenwald. Of their intentions I was well -satisfied, but concerning the chances for the ultimate success of their -plans I was in the dark.” - -Again the two men stood up. - -“And now,” said the Chancellor, “as to dinner. A state banquet has been -prepared at which your--pardon me!--at which _His_ Royal Highness was -to have presided. Under the circumstances, however, I presume you would -prefer not to attend. If I may be permitted,” he added, tactfully, “I -will explain that His Royal Highness is indisposed.” - -“Thank you,” Grey acquiesced, cheerily; “that’s the better course--the -only course, in fact. Unless you can yourself join me--and I suppose -that is impossible--I’ll dine alone here. And afterward I should like a -conveyance to the Hotel Königin Anna. I have some friends there that I -must see this evening.” - -The Chancellor bowed. The next moment he was gone, and Grey crossed to -the open window and stood for a long while lost in thought. Meanwhile -the gloom deepened over the valley and the room behind him grew dark. - -He was awakened from his reverie by a rapping on the door, and in -response to his permission to enter Johann came in, followed by porters -with his luggage. Then the candles were lighted, and a little later his -dinner was served. - -Afterward he got into his evening clothes, and when he was quite ready -he sent Johann to see if the carriage he had ordered was in waiting. -But the boy returned with dismay mantling his usually placid features. - -“The carriage is not coming, your Royal Highness,” he said, with an -accent of apology, as though the fault was his. - -“Not coming?” Grey repeated in astonishment. “Why is it not coming?” - -“None has been ordered, your Royal Highness.” - -“Then order one at once.” - -“I tried to, your Royal Highness; but I was not permitted.” - -Grey’s customary calmness gave way to palpable irritation. - -“What the devil do you mean?” he asked. “Am I a prisoner here?” - -Johann’s distress increased. - -“It is not I, your Royal Highness, on whom the blame lies. Outside this -door is a guard. He will not let me pass. He will not let your Royal -Highness pass. He has orders.” - -The American strode angrily towards the door. - -“We will see,” he said, determinedly. - -Outside a soldier was standing. - -“What does this mean?” he asked, in as repressed a tone as he could -muster. “Why will you not let my man do as I bid him?” - -The sentry saluted respectfully. - -“I have been ordered by my commanding officer, your Royal Highness,” he -answered. - -“Ordered to what?” cried Grey. - -“Ordered, your Royal Highness, to permit no one to leave the Flag -Tower.” - -And he saluted again. - - - - -XVII - - -The realisation that he was a prisoner aroused in Carey Grey a spirit -of revolt. He thought that he had calculated the cost. He had foreseen -that his confession would bring about complications, and had counted on -perhaps a long and trying investigation, but he had not imagined that -he would be deprived of his liberty pending the question’s settlement. -The fact that he had been honest should of itself, he argued, have -entitled him to consideration; but his frankness had been misjudged and -his candour rewarded with punishment. - -Smarting under the indignity, he wrote a witheringly sarcastic note -to Count von Ritter, and demanded that the guard should see to its -expeditious delivery. At the end of an hour he received a brief reply: - -“The Chancellor,” it read, “regrets deeply that he is unable to aid -Mr. Grey. The Chancellor repeated his interview of the early evening to -His Highness, the Prince Regent, and it is by His Highness’s command -that the present temporary restraint exists.” - -Thereupon Grey set about devising some means of escape; but the barred -windows and the armed guard, which, he learned from Johann, was not -alone at his door but on the landings above and below and surrounding -the Tower as well, were seemingly insurmountable obstacles. He thought -of bribery, and as an entering wedge endeavoured to have a note taken -to Miss Van Tuyl, offering a sum of money out of all proportion to the -service, but the offer was phlegmatically declined. - -It was very late before he threw himself upon the great high bed in the -dingy bedchamber and tried to snatch a few hours’ sleep; and he was up -again at dawn. But if his slumber had been brief, Johann’s had even -been briefer. He had spent hours in conversation with the soldier in -the passage, and he had gathered at least one fact of interest, if not -of importance--there were other prisoners on the floor above. How many, -he was unable to learn, and of the strength of the guard he was also -uninformed. There would be a change, though, at seven o’clock, and then -it would be possible to ascertain. - -From the window of the library which was over the Tower door the -approach of the relief and the departure of the night watch could be -seen. The bars were too close to permit of a head being thrust between -them, but the barracks were at some distance from the Palace, and the -route, Johann said, lay diagonally across the uppermost terrace in -full view of this particular window. There Grey watched, and promptly -at seven, as the bell in the Bell Tower on another corner of the -quadrangle clanged the hour, a cornet sounded and seven armed infantry -men came marching over the stone pavement. That, he concluded, meant -one man on each of the three landings and four men on guard below. Not -counting the guard on the floor above, there were six against two, -and escape under these conditions appeared hopeless. If, however, the -prisoners on the floor above could be communicated with and a plan -of concerted action agreed upon there might be a fighting chance of -success. But the question was, how to reach them. The ceilings were -high and the floors thick, and to invent and execute a code of signals -by rapping would be a tedious and not at all promising undertaking. -Nevertheless Grey was more than half inclined to try it. By piling one -piece of furniture on another the ceiling could be reached readily -enough, and by giving each letter of the alphabet its number it would -be possible to hammer out words. Those above might not be able to hear -or, hearing, might not be clever enough to understand, but the American -was desperate, and, notwithstanding the odds against him, he determined -after some little consideration to make the effort. - -Upon a large table in the centre of the _salon_ he and Johann lifted a -smaller one which they brought from the library, and upon this in turn -they placed a chair. To the top of this edifice Grey climbed, armed -with a heavy walking-stick, with which he began a series of regular -and irregular blows upon the heavy oaken panelling which ceiled the -room. Having continued this for something like three minutes without -intermission, he paused in the hope of some response. But none was -forthcoming, and he repeated the signalling with increased vigour. When -he halted again there was a distinct reply--an exact reproduction, in -fact, of his rhythm--and the serious, anxious expression he had worn -gave way to one of relief, if not indeed of triumph. - -His next move was to repeat in strokes the entire alphabet, beginning -with one for A, two for B, and so on. This was a long and rather -laborious operation, but when he had finished he was given the -prompt gratification of an alert understanding from those above, -for immediately taking the cue, the answering thuds spelled out the -word “window,” and turning his glance in the direction of the barred -casement he saw hanging there, at the end of an improvised string made -of torn and tied strips of linen, a fluttering piece of paper. - -With a single bound he reached the floor, and the next instant he was -reading with eager interest the pencilled words: - -“Write what you wish to say, attach it, pull gently twice, and we will -raise it.” - -“Johann,” he cried, enthusiastically, “see this! If those fellows have -as much nerve as they have wit we’ll soon be out of here, all right.” - -And while Johann read and smiled his approval Grey sat down and wrote. - -For an hour or more questions and answers, propositions and -suggestions, went back and forth from floor to floor by means of this -novel line of communication, and by the end of that time a complete -scheme of escape with all its details had been arranged and was -mutually understood. - -There were two prisoners above--a gentleman and his man; just as -there were two prisoners below--a gentleman and his man. Who the two -gentlemen were was not asked by either. That they were guarded in -the Flag Tower was proof that their offences were political merely. -Nevertheless, the two gentlemen resented the indignity put upon them, -and both were anxious to escape. The two men were loyal to their -masters and could be depended upon to act with valour. The gentleman -above was unarmed, but the gentleman below had a revolver. The time -agreed upon for the delivery was two o’clock in the morning. As that -hour sounded from the Bell Tower the guards on their respective -floors were to be called in on some pretext, overpowered and stripped -of their uniforms, which would be donned by the two gentlemen. Their -weapons would be appropriated, likewise, and thus disguised and armed -it would be comparatively easy to make captive the guard on the first -landing. There would then remain but the four soldiers outside the -Tower, and the chances of their subduing were largely in favour of the -prisoners, three of whom would by this time be as well equipped as -the watch, while the fourth would have Grey’s revolver. The advantage -is invariably with the surprising party, and the plan was to take the -guardsmen unawares and effect their capture before they were even -conscious of attack. - -All this having been definitely decided on there was nothing to do but -wait, and the hours, for Grey at least, dragged interminably. Again and -again at intervals he rehearsed the plan with Johann, so that there -could be no possible chance of error, but this after a while grew -monotonous and he looked about for something interesting to read. The -books he found in the library, however, were not diverting. They were -for the most part historical and written in the heaviest of German; -nevertheless their very ponderousness was in a way an advantage. They -provoked somnolence, and late in the afternoon the uninterested reader -fell asleep and was so snugly wrapped in slumber when his dinner was -brought in that Johann found it a rather difficult task to rouse him. -He had slept but little the night before, and his rest on the train the -night previous to that had been broken and fitful. His nerves needed -just this repose, and when he finally awakened it was with a clearer -eye and a steadier hand. He ate heartily of the distinctively Teutonic -dishes that were provided, and when he finished he remarked to Johann -on his general fitness, indulging in an Americanism which the valet -vainly tried to interpret. - -“I feel tonight, Johann,” he said, stretching himself with arms -extended and fists doubled, “that I could lick my weight in wildcats -and paint whole townships red.” - -As the hours wore away he sat with one leg thrown over the arm of his -chair, smoking placidly and with evident enjoyment. It was not until -some time after the Bell Tower had bellowed its single note that Grey -alluded to the business of the night. - -“Everything is ready, is it, Johann?” he asked; “where are the thongs -you made from the sheet?” - -“Safe in my coat pockets, your Highness,” the youth answered. - -“Now you may bring me my revolver,” the American continued; “it is on -the cheffonier in my dressing-room.” - -The revolver was brought, and Grey examined its chambers once again -to make sure that it was fully loaded. Then, throwing the end of his -cigar through an open window, he lighted a cigarette and continued in -desultory talk with his valet. - -A few minutes before two he rose and went into his dressing-room, -which separated the _salon_ from the bedchamber. In the latter candles -were alight, but the dressing-room was in darkness. He stepped behind -the curtains, close to the wall, and stood there, silent, hidden, and -shortly from the Bell Tower solemnly sounded the hour. Simultaneously -Johann tried the door which gave from the little library on to the -landing. But it was locked and bolted from without. Then he hammered -loudly, a little excitedly; and very promptly the bolt was drawn and -the key turned. - -“Quick!” he cried to the guard, who swung open the heavy oaken -planking. “Quick! His Royal Highness is ill! I fear that he is -dying! Come!” And he started off hurriedly, the soldier following -unsuspectingly. - -In a second the little comedy was played. At the entrance to the -dressing-room Johann stepped back and the guardsman went in ahead, to -find his arms caught in a flash from behind by Grey and held hard and -fast in spite of his struggles, while Johann slung about his wrists -the heavy linen thongs and knotted them with deft and muscular hands. -Meanwhile the fellow was kicking and stamping viciously, but, barring -a barked shin for Johann and a bruised toe for Grey, the effects were -not material. And, once his arms were bound and the glittering barrel -of the revolver brought to his attention, his rebellion ceased. Then -Johann bound his feet as well, having first marched him into the -bedchamber and compelled him, protesting, to stretch himself upon the -high, old-fashioned bed. - -Grey was in the act of unbuckling the captive’s belt when a pistol -shot, muffled but unmistakable, echoed from overhead, and he stopped, -breathless, just as a hoarse shriek split the silence which for an -instant followed the report. The door from the library to the landing -had been left open, and from that direction now came a scuffle of feet -on stone, mingled with a succession of crashing, thumping, jolting -noises, alarmed shouts and angry imprecations. - -Through the three connecting rooms Grey dashed, revolver in hand and -with Johann close at his heels. The lantern the guard had left on the -landing had been knocked over and was out, but by the light from the -open doorway they at once discovered the huddled, distorted body of -a man, whose groans added to the bedlam of hurrying feet and excited -voices from below and oaths, cries, and sounds of struggle from above. - -And as they looked there came bounding down the stairs, by jumps of -a half-dozen or more steps at a time, another figure, followed by -futile shot after shot from rapidly belching revolver and rifle. The -fugitive’s feet landed on the groaning, doubled heap on the landing, -and that he did not stumble to his death was a miracle. But he kept -his balance, flashed by down the next winding flight, and, striking -the first of the ascending guards, toppled him backwards against his -followers. - -For the space of a heart-beat Grey and Johann paused, staring at each -other. In that instant of his passing both had recognised the fleeing -prisoner. It was Captain Lindenwald. - -And then, as they stood inert, the guard from above, his rifle still -smoking, reached the landing, tripped over the crumpled body and went -staggering, lurching, clutching at the air, towards the confusion below. - -The moment for action had now come; and Grey, calm and collected in -spite of the flurry of events, motioning to Johann to follow, ran -swiftly down the stone stairs, which, once they were out of the meagre -glow from the library, grew dark as Erebus. The struggling, swearing, -wriggling mass blocked the way at the next landing, but Grey and -the lad, guided by the sounds, were not taken unawares. They were, -moreover, for the moment on their feet, which no one of the others -was; and though they were caught by desperate hands and more than once -dragged to their knees, their clothing torn and ripped, their hands -scratched, and their arms and legs wellnigh disjointed, they kept their -wits and gained the last flight of steps without serious injury. - -Down this they veritably hurled themselves, and with no further -impediment to delay them reached the open door of the Tower and dashed -out onto the stone flagging of the upper terrace, into the brilliant -starlight of the early morning. - -“So far, so good,” said Grey, inhaling deeply of the cool, clear air; -and catching Johann’s sleeve he pulled him back into the shadow of the -buttress. “But,” he added, “we are not free yet, are we? The gates of -the Palace Gardens are locked at night, I suppose.” - -“Yes, your Royal Highness,” the youth answered. - -“Never mind that Royal Highness business now, Johann,” he directed; -“Herr Arndt will do for the present. I’m no more a Royal Highness than -you are.” - -“Yes, Herr Arndt,” acquiesced Johann, imperturbably, without change of -tone, “and the walls are very high.” - -“Nevertheless, we had better move on in the direction of some exit,” -Grey advised, in a whisper; “it won’t do to stop here. They may come -rushing down on us at any minute. You know the way; you lead.” - -Johann started off to the right, hugging the Tower walls, and Grey -followed. At a distance of fifty yards they came to a clump of -shrubbery, into which the younger man plunged with Grey still close -behind. Through this a gravelled path led into a wood, under the trees -of which they walked in silence for at least a quarter of an hour, -their course one of gradual descent. - -“Without our hats we’ll be suspicious figures in the streets of -Kürschdorf,” Grey observed, despondently, as they came out upon a -driveway, “and our recapture is certain. After all, I don’t see that we -have gained a very great deal. The gates won’t be open till morning, -and by that time, if we are not captured inside, every exit will be -guarded against us. Are the walls too high to scale?” - -“Yes, Herr Arndt,” answered Johann, respectfully, but he did not -slacken his pace. - -“What do you propose, then? Come, now, this is serious. You know every -inch of ground here, don’t you? Is there no way we can get out?” - -“Yes, Herr Arndt,” came the stereotyped answer. - -“There is? Then why didn’t you say so? How? In God’s name, Johann, how?” - -The youth halted and turned. - -“At the head gardener’s is a long ladder,” he answered; “we are going -to the head gardener’s, Herr Arndt.” - -At the head gardener’s they very shortly arrived. Johann’s familiarity -with the place was now more than ever evident. Without hesitation -he entered one of the larger greenhouses, the door of which stood -invitingly ajar, and, though it was quite dark within, he very promptly -laid his hand upon a ladder which lay stretched against the wall to -the right of the entrance. Having thus assured himself that it was in -its usual place, he groped to the left and from a row of pegs there -secured two hats; one of green felt and the other of dark straw, soiled -and dilapidated, it is true, but in the present strait of the fugitives -of inestimable value. - -The high wall of the garden was, it subsequently developed, but a -stone’s throw distant, and the work of carrying and placing the ladder, -climbing to the coping and springing over onto the border of soft turf -without was a matter of a very few minutes. - -“And now,” said Grey, as with the faded and stained green hat upon his -head he stood looking up and down the dark, silent street, “where are -we to go? Our presence at a hotel would simply invite detection. It is -too early for me to call on the American Minister. All of your usual -haunts will be searched before sunrise.” - -“The sister of the Fräulein von Altdorf,” suggested Johann, “to whom -the Fräulein herself was going, lives in the country, about two miles -away.” - -“You know where?” cried Grey, delightedly; “you can find it?” - -“I know it well,” answered the youth; “at the next farm I was born, -Herr Arndt.” - -“Then we will go there, by all means.” - -And they set off walking rapidly through the narrow side streets of the -old town to the bridge of Charlemagne, and thence across the river, and -on through the wider avenue of the new city out into the silent lanes -of the sweet-scented suburbs. - -Both were busy with their thoughts and neither was inclined to -conversation. After twenty minutes’ trudging, however, Grey asked: - -“Do you suppose that fellow on the landing will die, Johann?” - -“That fellow?” repeated the valet, “which, Herr Arndt? Do you mean -Lutz?” - -“Lutz!” exclaimed Grey, surprisedly, “was Lutz there?” - -“Of a certainty, Herr Arndt. Did you not see his face? It was Lutz who -lay outside our door.” - - - - -XVIII - - -The rumoured meeting of the Budavian Assembly proved, like many other -rumoured events, to be a canard, the only foundation for which was a -hastily called session of the Privy Council. Before this august body, -over which the Prince Regent presided, Chancellor von Ritter laid -all the facts that had come into his possession; and very startling -facts they were, including a confiscated letter from Baron von -Einhard addressed to Captain Lindenwald, telling of the failure of -the abduction plot and of the securing of that precious heirloom, the -signet ring of the Prince of Kronfeld. - -This communication gave indubitable proof that Lindenwald had been -false to his trust, and it fully justified the Chancellor in having him -placed under arrest. It did not tend, however, to throw any light on -the mystifying main question. Was the man who had been welcomed with -such acclaim on the previous evening really the Crown Prince, as every -bit of evidence up to the time of his arrival tended to prove, or was -he, as he claimed, simply the cat’s-paw of a company of conscienceless -conspirators? - -The von Einhard letter would in a way indicate that his title was -clear and genuine, as, had it been otherwise, there would have been no -necessity to conspire with Lindenwald to bring about his abduction. -Yet, if Lindenwald knew him to be the Crown Prince, why should he -run the risk of dickering with the Baron, seeing that greater good -fortune than he could possibly hope to earn by such a course lay in the -direction of his faithful carrying out of his mission? - -Upon these points the Privy Council debated long and eagerly, if not -altogether wisely. Men are slow to confess even to themselves that -they have been imposed upon, and the State Council had months before -by an overwhelming majority declared its faith in the integrity of -the claimant. It was, therefore, no more than to be expected that -the majority should still favour the theory that Prince Max, in his -assertion that he was simply a plain American citizen, was labouring -under an hallucination. There had been a strain of dementia in the -ruling line for seven generations, and this exhibition of mental -malady was to those who now recalled the fact but another evidence of -legitimacy. - -On the minority who were known to be partial to Prince Hugo the proof -of von Einhard’s treachery served as an effective gag. They could not -afford to imply sympathy for such conduct by opposition to the ruling -notion; and so it happened that, while every phase of the question was -discussed with much earnestness, there was ever an underlying sentiment -that promised but one conclusion--the unqualified endorsement of the -fancied unfortunately demented young Prince in the Flag Tower. - -As the session was approaching its close, a card was brought to Count -von Ritter. The Chancellor, however, deeply interested in the speech -of the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, which was then in progress, laid -it on the table before him without adjusting his glasses to read it, -and had it not been for the dullness of the speech of the Secretary -of War which followed, the session would probably have come to a vote -and adjourned before he gave it heed. But as it chanced, bored by the -prosiness of the speaker, he took up the piece of pasteboard, placed -his _pince-nez_ on the bridge of his nose, and read the name: “Mr. -Nicholas Van Tuyl,” with a pencil scrawl beneath: “Your friend of -Munich and the Monterossan War Loan.” Whereupon he arose instantly and -tip-toed from the Council Hall into the ante-room adjoining, where Van -Tuyl and O’Hara were with some impatience waiting. - -Their reception by Count von Ritter was cordial in the extreme. The -sentiment of the Council had served to lift a load from his shoulders, -and he was in fine good humour. - -“Remember you!” he cried, wringing Van Tuyl’s hand, his small eyes -alight, “of course I remember you; and my debt to you, too--Budavia’s -debt to you. Why, my dear sir, you should have had a decoration. The -late King was very remiss in not sending you one. But we will do what -we can to make up for it.” - -“Ah,” returned the New York banker, “you are very good indeed, Count, -and I am going to hold you to your word. Lieutenant O’Hara and I have -come for something this evening--something we want very much, and -something I feel sure you can give us.” - -The Chancellor bowed and stretched forth his hands with palms upturned -and open, in signal of his willingness to give. - -“What we desire,” continued Nicholas Van Tuyl, smiling his recognition, -“is information. There are many sensational reports abroad, as you -probably know; but we men of finance are in the habit of discounting -unverified rumours. We are not credulous. We want facts with an -authority to back them up. We want confirmation or denial.” - -Von Ritter’s geniality was still fervent. - -“You wish to know, for instance--” he invited. - -“We wish to know, Count, whether there is any basis for the story that -His Royal Highness, Prince Maximilian, is being restrained of his -liberty.” - -The Chancellor smiled a little patronisingly. - -“Do they say that?” he asked. - -“That is the least they say,” Van Tuyl returned. - -For a moment Count von Ritter hesitated. - -“May I, without discourtesy, inquire why you are interested?” he -questioned. - -“We are interested,” answered the New Yorker, promptly, “because he is -our personal friend. I have known him for years, and Lieutenant O’Hara -here has been with him, he tells me, continually from the day he left -America.” - -The three were still standing; but now the Chancellor motioned his -visitors to be seated. - -“You in turn interest me,” he said, as he took a chair and sat down -facing them. “How long, Mr. Van Tuyl, have you known him? For how many -years?” - -“Ten at least,” was the answer. “He came down to the Street when he was -twenty. He was with Dunscomb & Fiske in 1893, I remember.” - -“The Street?” repeated the Count, questioningly. - -“Yes, Wall Street. You knew he was a Wall Street stock broker, didn’t -you?” - -The Chancellor paled perceptibly, his eyes widened a trifle and the -straight line of his lips narrowed under his close-cropped moustache. - -“Yes,” he returned, diplomatically, after an instant’s pause. “Yes. His -name, I think, was Grey, was it not?” - -“Grey. Yes, Carey Grey.” - -Count von Ritter cleared his throat and then for a moment he sat in -silence, his lids half-closed, his mouth tight-drawn. When he spoke it -was very seriously, with a changed demeanour. - -“Budavia has still more for which to thank you, Mr. Van Tuyl,” he said, -rising. - -The New York banker and the Irish lieutenant also stood up. It was -evident to both that a blunder had been made. - -“I don’t just see for what,” said the older man, a little nervously. “I -haven’t told you anything you didn’t know. I didn’t come here to tell -you anything. I came to have you tell me something.” - -“I think,” replied the Count, with an urbanity that was the acme of -trained diplomacy, “that you said just now you came here to confirm a -rumour, or words to that effect. You have, my dear sir, confirmed it. -And now I must ask you to excuse me. You are at the Königin Anna, I -suppose? I shall have the pleasure of calling upon you tomorrow.” - -The Chancellor bowed, smiling, and before Van Tuyl could remonstrate -had disappeared into the Hall of Council. And then it was that O’Hara -for the first time found words. - -“Well, I’m damned!” he said. And he said it with emphasis. - -Meanwhile the Colonial Secretary had finished his wearying oration -and the Prince Regent had suggested the advisability of adjournment. -But the return of the Chancellor, craving the privilege of the floor, -awakened a new interest. His usually immobile face was portentous in -its marked gravity, and when he spoke every ear was alert. - -“Your Highness,” he began, addressing the Prince Regent, “I am come to -cry ‘Pause!’ I have listened to and taken part in a debate this evening -the sole purpose of which, as I regard it now, has been to accomplish -our own convincing. We constructed a theory upon a basis as unstable -as the sands of the sea, and then marshalled arguments of straw to -effect its establishment. In the whole history of Budavia I know of no -incident of parallel puerility. We call ourselves statesmen, and we -have acted with the confiding innocence of children. We gambolled like -foolhardy lads blindfold upon the brink of a precipice, over which, -had not a miracle intervened, we must have fallen into the slough of -ignominious dishonour. Even as it is the smirch of its miasma is upon -us, and we cannot escape the ridicule that is entailed. - -“Our supposed mad Prince Maximilian of Kronfeld, now so carefully -guarded in the Flag Tower, your Highness, is, I make bold to announce, -a perfectly sane American gentleman and nothing more.” - -The Prince Regent leaned suddenly forward, his hands clutching the arms -of his chair. The other members of the Council stirred, changed their -positions; two of them got onto their feet. But the Chancellor still -standing, the Prince Regent motioned them back to their places, and the -speaker continued: - -“In the chain of evidence I have, within the past five minutes, found -a broken link. The statements made to me by the supposed heir have, -in one important particular, been verified to my entire satisfaction, -and these statements were, as you know, at utter variance with what we -had been led to believe was the truth--in direct contradiction to the -alleged proofs of royal birth.” - -“But, your Excellency,” protested the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, -rising again, “is not this simply jumping from one conclusion to -another?” - -The Chancellor frowned grimly. - -“At first glance,” he replied, resting the tips of his long, knotted -fingers on the table between them, “it may appear so. But a chain is -only as strong as its weakest link, and this link, as I have stated, -has been shattered into infinitesimal atoms.” - -Count von Ritter spoke for fully an hour. He reviewed the affair from -the beginning, detailing every step in the building up of the fabric -and demonstrating with marked effect how a single pin-prick had brought -about its total collapse. The pretender--if he could be so called in -view of the fact that he personally had laid no claim to the throne, -but, on the other hand, had of his own free will protested against the -honour they would have forced upon him--should be quietly deported, and -as expeditiously as possible arrangements effected for the coronation -of Prince Hugo. The detection and punishment of those involved in the -plot to steal the crown must be brought about with all the secrecy -possible. Already two of the conspirators, he announced, were under -arrest, and the apprehension of others would speedily follow. - -It was long after midnight when the Council adjourned, and the -Chancellor returned to his ancient mansion on the Graf Strasse. Rest -for him, however, was not yet to come. Upon the writing table in his -library were many State papers demanding his attention, and, aided -by his secretary, who had been awaiting his home-coming, he went -systematically to work to clear away the more important before retiring. - -At a quarter past two he threw down his quill and leaned back in his -chair with a yawn. - -“That will do for tonight, Heinrich,” he said, kindly, “I’m sorry to -have had to keep you up so long.” - -And as he spoke the telephone rang long, loud and viciously. The -secretary put the receiver to his ear, and answered into the -mouthpiece. The Count rose and stretched himself. It was unusual -for the telephone to ring at that hour, and he wondered, watching -Heinrich’s face. He saw the young man’s chin drop and his eyes suddenly -grow round. - -“Your Excellency!” he exclaimed, excitement in his voice. “Your -Excellency! Listen! The Crown Prince has escaped from the Flag Tower, -together with his servant and Captain Lindenwald. And the Captain’s -man has been shot, seriously--they think fatally. One of the guards -was found bound in His Royal Highness’s apartment. Another guard has a -broken leg, and three others are slightly injured.” - - - - -XIX - - -The following day was rife with revelations. Grey and Johann had -arrived at the farmhouse of Herr Fahler before cock-crow and had been -greeted first with a yelping of dogs and then by a cheery, if somewhat -sleepy, welcome from the master of the house, to whom Minna had told -the whole wonderful story. Johann he had recognised at once, and he had -suspected the identity of his companion at sight. From a great cask in -the corner of the big living-room he had drawn them foaming beakers of -beer, and from a cupboard had produced for their further refreshment -some cold meat and dark bread. And as they ate and drank, Frau Fahler -had appeared to add her welcome to her husband’s, and a little later -the Fraülein, with rosy cheeks fresh from slumber and wearing the most -becoming of negligées, had enthusiastically thrown her arms about -Grey’s neck and mingled tears of joy with her smiles over “Uncle -Max’s” deliverance. - -At daybreak the fugitive Crown Prince wrote a note to Hope, telling -her of his flight and his place of refuge, and one of the farm hands -was despatched with it to the town. Then Minna suggested that the two -refugees needed rest, and was for sending them to bed for a few hours’ -sleep, but Grey protested and Johann blankly refused. - -In the American’s mind one desire was now dominant--to see the -contents of the late Herr Schlippenbach’s luggage, among which, he -was impressed, he would find some clue to the mystery--some evidence, -perhaps, that would make clear what was still the most perplexing of -enigmas. Whether this impression was born of hope, merely, or whether -it was inspired by some psychic manifestation cannot be demonstrated -and is not material; but, as the discoveries of the day proved, it was -well founded. - -After the family breakfast, which was served early, Minna took Grey -to an upper room where were the three boxes of her great-uncle, and -producing the keys a thorough search was made of the dead man’s -effects. In one box were his clothes, in another relics of his family, -and in the third a small library of books and manuscripts, with many -bottles and jars and boxes, wrapped in straw and packed with consummate -care to guard against breakage. - -The books for the most part bore on one subject--phrenology. Nearly -every known work treating of it was included in the collection. There -were the early writings of Dr. Franz Joseph Gall and his pupil, -Dr. Spurzheim; there were the discoveries of George and Andrew -Coombs and of Dr. Elliotson, and the lectures of that earliest and -ablest of American phrenologists, Dr. Charles Caldwell, and of the -later disciple, Fowler. All of these bore many annotations, marked -paragraphs, underlined sentences and marginal comments. Here and there -were inserted pages of closely written manuscript, recording the -results of Schlippenbach’s personal observation--cases that had come -under his notice and to which he had given infinite study. From these -it was very soon made apparent to Grey that the late Herr Doctor had -ideas distinctively his own. While he accepted many of the conclusions -of the earlier apostles of the creed he went a step further, and -believed that character could be formed and developed by the systematic -physical building up of certain portions of the mental structure -and the depression of other portions. This, he claimed, was best -accomplished by magnetic stimulation and absorption. Positive magnetic -currents stimulated and nourished, while negative currents degenerated -and destroyed. - -He had conceived this theory, his writings made clear, while tutor at -the Budavian Court, and had presumed to experiment on the infant Crown -Prince. At that time he had kept a journal in which he made entry, -briefly and roughly, not only of his scientific accomplishments, but of -incidents bearing in any way on his career. This journal was secured by -a lock, but Minna and her sister not merely consented to its breaking, -but insisted upon it. And here was found the long and well-kept secret -of the writer’s quarrel with Queen Anna and the abduction of the young -heir apparent. Her Majesty having been informed of the tutor’s novel -methods of mental development had commanded their cessation so far as -her infant son was concerned; and the tutor’s departure from the Court -was only a part of the outcome. The journal revealed the fact--though -it was not stated in so many words, and to those unfamiliar with -Budavian history the entries might have meant nothing--that the tutor -was, if not personally the abductor of the young sprig of royalty, -certainly an important factor in the abduction, his object being not so -much to avenge himself on Queen Anna as to gather the results of the -experiments he had been engaged in from the child’s earliest infancy. -There was no direct mention, either, of the little fellow’s death, -but the absence after a few months of entries concerning him was good -ground for the belief that he did not long survive his arrival in -America. - -Package after package of letters from Professor Trent showed that from -the time of Schlippenbach’s emigration up to almost the immediate -present he had been in correspondence with the head of the University -of Kürschdorf. In view of what Count von Ritter had told him, the more -recent of these letters were to Grey of paramount interest, and he -read them with careful attention, and especially one in which appeared -the following paragraph: - - You can fancy the surprise, not unmixed with joy, with which I - read your letter of the twenty-fifth of August. The fact that - the heir to our throne is still alive and where you can lay your - hands upon him seems a wonderful dispensation of an all-wise - Providence; for in the event of His Majesty’s death--and he - has been for two years a terrible sufferer from an incurable - ailment--the crown must otherwise go, as you know, to that prince - of scapegraces, Hugo. I have given your communication to the - Chancellor, and you will doubtless hear from him in the near - future. Fancy our future King, all unmindful, serving in the - capacity of a valet! Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. - -Subsequent letters gave hints here and there of the progress of the -investigation, which, it seemed, was conducted with no little secrecy. -From these it appeared that Schlippenbach had had many interviews -with the Budavian Minister at Washington and the Budavian Consul at -New York, but that the person of the pretended Crown Prince was not -revealed to them until some time in March, by which date, or, in -fact, as early as January, he had become a member of Schlippenbach’s -household in Avenue A. Of his removal from where he was supposed to -have been in service to the home of the old Herr Doctor, Professor -Trent wrote: - - And you have not told him yet, you say, of the honours that are - his. All through this I can see the Divine Hand. The embezzlement - and disappearance of his employer offered just the opportunity - you desired to have him with you. You can now, by degrees, fit - him--gradually prepare him, I mean--for the high estate which is - his inheritance; whereas had he continued in his employment such - a procedure would have been hedged around with difficulties. I - am glad you set me right in the matter of names. I knew that he - had gone by the name of Lutz; and I could not understand who this - other Lutz was. You say he is his foster-brother, the son of the - woman who reared him. I think it wise to have him take another - name for the journey over here; and your idea of having him pose - as your nephew, Arndt, is capital, provided, of course, there is - none of your nephews’ friends or acquaintances coming on the same - steamer. - -The insight which these letters gave to Grey only served to whet his -appetite for additional detail. Many of the revelations were startling, -some of them in a way amusing, yet the general impression they made -was not of the cleverness of the schemers but rather of their want of -skill, their rash indiscretion, their apparently laboured complication -of things, which by very reason of the resultant network offered -unnecessary loopholes for discovery and frustration. In this he found -proof of Schlippenbach’s lack of balance, which he was charitable -enough to consider the result of mental derangement. He was not so much -a knave, he told himself, as he was a maniac. - -From Kürschdorf the news had come to him that the King was going to -die. He remembered then, possibly with a stricken conscience, that he -was partly if not wholly responsible for the fact that His Majesty -would leave no son to succeed him. If at this juncture he were able to -produce the heir, what might he not expect in the way of honours? But -the Crown Prince was dead and therefore not producible. - -Grey could read very clearly between the lines of the story as it -was opened up to him, and he perceived the birth just here of the -temptation to produce the heir to the throne by constructing a replica -of the deceased Maximilian. Had he been going about such a business -himself, he would probably have chosen some conscienceless fellow to -personify the departed one. But with Schlippenbach his science was -always pre-eminent. As, years before, he had endeavoured by means of -this to build up from the real infant heir a prince that should meet -his views of what a prince should be, so now he chose to make, from a -young man possessed of certain fitting physical and mental attributes, -a prince to order. - -The raw material must be tall, erect and of dignified bearing, of -intelligence and education. The Crown Prince had been dark-eyed, but -flaxen-haired. To secure this latter natural combination was not easy. -But while his knowledge of chemicals left him powerless to change blue -eyes to brown, his familiarity with the potency of peroxide of hydrogen -made it quite possible for him to change black hair to blond. And so he -set about finding a gentleman of the desired type. Daily he must have -passed hundreds on the street, but seeing them and getting them within -the radius of his ministration were two different things. In his circle -of acquaintances he knew of no one that would answer. But from one of -his acquaintances, Lutz, the valet, he had heard much of the valet’s -employer, and the valet’s employer evidently seemed to him to be very -nearly what he required. - -All this Grey gathered by the very simple process of logical reasoning -from what he found in Herr Schlippenbach’s books and papers. But there -was much still which by no method of inference could he satisfactorily -explain. - -In the examination of the contents of the boxes Minna was deeply -interested, and with her Grey discussed each and every significant -paragraph and passage. They were still busy exchanging views when, -towards five o’clock in the afternoon, the sound of carriage wheels on -the driveway below drew the Fraülein to the open window. - -“Oh, dear,” she cried, joyously, “it’s Miss Van Tuyl and Mr. O’Hara and -another gentleman. Come, we’ll go down and meet them.” - -But Grey was not altogether pleased. In his note to Hope he had warned -her that it would not be safe for her or anyone to visit or communicate -with him until events shaped themselves one way or another. It being -known that she and O’Hara had come to Kürschdorf with him they would -probably be watched with a view to discovering his whereabouts. Seeing -that he had sent this caution it was, he thought, most inconsiderate -of them to disregard it. But he got up from his seat on the floor -and went downstairs with Minna, nevertheless; and in spite of his -momentary annoyance there was only gladness in his eyes when they fell -upon the brown-eyed, white-clad girl in the victoria, whose face was -radiant with the joy of seeing him again and the good news that she -was bringing. For she had not disobeyed, after all. Events had already -shaped themselves, as her father’s little speech--once introductions -were over and they were all seated in the big square living-room--very -definitely proved. - -“I’m more than glad to see you, Carey, my boy,” Nicholas Van Tuyl had -exclaimed, gripping Grey’s hand with a cordiality that was stimulating, -“I’m delighted; and I’m happy to be the one to bring you the best news -you have had in a long while.” This had been said outside, and it had -filled Grey with delicious expectancy. What followed, however, was even -better than he imagined. - -“Not an hour ago,” began the New York banker, “I had a call from your -friend, Chancellor von Ritter. I know him, met him in Munich years ago, -and went to him last night to get the truth about your imprisonment. -He wouldn’t tell me anything then, but I told him enough, it seems, to -upset the whole Privy Council and put a scapegrace on the throne of -Budavia. However, that’s only by way of introduction. This afternoon -he called on me at the hotel, and told me a good many things that -the great and glorious Budavian public will never know. He told me, -for instance, how the Government had been fooled and how now it was -going to get out of its predicament with as good a grace as possible. -He told me all about your escape last night, and how you had done -the very thing that he could have most wished. One of the problems -that confronted him was how to get rid of you without revealing the -Government’s error. Now that you have taken the matter in your own -hands, that question is answered. All he hopes is that they’ll never be -able to find you; and they won’t--because they are going to shut their -eyes and not look.” - -Grey laughed, and the rest of the party joined in. - -“This diplomacy reminds me of a French farce,” remarked O’Hara. “The -actors who really know it all better than anyone else are apparently -the only ones who cannot see what is perfectly palpable to the -audience.” - -“If I were you,” Van Tuyl continued, “I’d shave off that beard and -moustache at once; that will make their dissembling appear a little -bit real. And then I’d get out of town just as soon as I could make it -convenient. Not that there would be any danger from the Government as -it now stands, but with Hugo and his followers in command you can’t -tell what might happen overnight.” - -Grey nodded. - -“Yes,” he agreed, smiling, “I think you’re right. I won’t stop for the -royal obsequies. It may seem disrespectful to my late sire, but now -that I have my wings back I feel like using them.” - -“I never did care much for funerals,” added Nicholas Van Tuyl, “and so -Hope and I will go with you.” - -O’Hara’s eyes were fixed on Minna, who was gazing pensively at the -white-scrubbed floor. - -“I think I’ll stop,” he said, a little seriously. “You won’t need me, -Grey, and I’d like to look over the Budavian military, which will be -out in force.” - -The Fraülein’s gaze was lifted and her eyes for an instant met those -of the Irish lieutenant. In them he read the answer he craved to the -question his heart was asking. - - - - -XX - - -Grey had set apart the books and papers that had to do either directly -or indirectly with his case, because he saw in them a circumstantial -defence to the charges which were still hanging over him at home. To -his use of them for this purpose Minna and her sister gladly consented, -and so when that evening, after having been cropped and clean-shaven by -Johann, he bade the little household good-bye and was driven into town -to the Grand Hotel Königin Anna, he carried this evidence with him. - -It was, as has been observed, a day rife with revelations. The -discoveries of its daylight hours were of incalculable value, but the -disclosures reserved for the night were of even more consequence. The -train that afternoon had brought from Paris a large company of visitors -intent upon viewing the pomp and panoply of a royal funeral, and among -them were the remaining members of that gay little dinner party at -Armenonville the week before. - -The Van Tuyls ran into them at the hotel on their return from the -Fahler farm, and Hope immediately had an inspiration. - -“I’m going to give a dinner tonight,” she said, “just the most informal -sort of a dinner in our _salon_. And I want you all to come. It doesn’t -make any difference whether you have your trunks or not. You are not -expected to dress. I’m going to treat you to a surprise.” - -The women were all curiosity on the instant and showed it. The men -accepted politely, but declared that the hostess was attraction -sufficient. - -Hope had made the proposition on impulse, and it was too late to draw -back when she caught her father’s disapproving eye. - -“I’m not at all sure,” he commented, once they were alone, “that this -thing is wise. Carey isn’t yet out of the woods, and the story of his -alleged embezzlement and all that is too fresh to have been forgotten. -Explanations at a dinner party aren’t pleasant things. We know he is -innocent, but you don’t want to put him on trial before a jury of your -guests.” - -But Hope was staunch in her loyalty. - -“Our verdict will be sufficient,” she answered, bravely. “If I had -stopped to think of all you say I probably shouldn’t have asked them, -but as it is I’m glad I did it. It clears the situation at once. They -must know from my having promised to be his wife and your having given -your consent, that he is innocent.” - -Nicholas Van Tuyl shrugged his shoulders. - -“Perhaps,” he replied, a little doubtfully, “perhaps; but, my dear -girl, don’t hint at the Prince business. The Fahlers will keep their -mouths closed for the sake of their dead relative, but no injunction of -secrecy would still the tongues of Mrs. Dickie and Lady Constance.” - -Hope demurred. - -“It’s such an interesting story,” she protested, “and I am a woman!” - -“But the Government here does not want it to get out.” - -“And I’d like to know what we owe to the Government,” the girl -inquired. “I don’t want to be disobedient, father dear, but I can’t -promise to control myself under provocation.” - -Again Mr. Van Tuyl shrugged his shoulders. His daughter was his idol -and he was as yarn in her hands. - -When Grey arrived and was told of the plan, he received the tidings -somewhat ruefully. He complained that his trunks were still at the -Residenz Schloss, and that, in the torn and bedraggled raiment he was -wearing, to pose as the object of interest at a dinner party, no matter -how informal, was apt to be a little trying, to say the least. But -O’Hara, who had driven into town with him, came to the rescue. He and -Grey were very nearly of a size, and as he was the fortunate possessor -of two evening suits he promptly placed one of them at Grey’s disposal. - -Nevertheless, in spite of this satisfactory overcoming of a grave -difficulty, Grey was not present when the party sat down to dinner; -for, as he was about to join the company, Nicholas Van Tuyl broke in -upon him, carrying in his hand a note which had just been delivered by -an orderly from the Royal Hospital. - -“You’ll have to go, won’t you?” he asked, as Grey ran his eye over the -page. - -It was from Chancellor von Ritter and was addressed to the banker. - -“If you are in communication with Mr. Grey,” it read, “send him here -with all speed. The man Lutz can last only a few hours. He is anxious -to make an ante-mortem statement, but insists that Mr. Grey shall be -present when he makes it.” - -And so Grey rushed off in a cab, and as the dinner party took their -places at table in the Van Tuyl _salon_, he was climbing the Royal -Hospital stairs to the little white room in which lay dying the young -man who had served him faithfully for over two years as valet, only -to fall by reason of avarice into the rôle of villain in his life’s -melodrama. - -The eyes that looked up at him from dark, cavernous depths in a face -pale as chalk had in them an appeal that touched a chord of his -sympathy, and for the moment he forgot the injuries he had suffered and -remembered only the services he had experienced at those hands, which -lay limp and waxen-yellow against the spotless white of the coverlet. - -The small room was somewhat crowded. Chancellor von Ritter was there -with a notary and a stenographer; near the window stood a soldier, -whose very presence seemed an irony, which he appeared to recognise -in retiring as far as the limits of the tiny chamber would permit; -and there, too, of course, was the inevitable nun-like nurse in -significantly immaculate muslin and the great flaring headdress of her -sisterhood. - -“He seems a little stronger at the moment,” whispered the Chancellor; -“you came at an opportune time. He has been asking for you all the -afternoon.” - -The nurse was moistening the sufferer’s lips. When she finished, Grey -spoke to him. - -“I am sorry to see you here, Lutz,” he said, simply. - -His breathing, he noticed, was very short and laboured. - -“I’m obliged to you for coming, sir,” he replied, and his voice was -stronger than one would have expected. “I’ve got a lot to tell you; but -it’s so late now I don’t know whether I’ll be able.” He paused between -his sentences in an effort to husband his waning strength. “I was a -good enough fellow once, Mr. Grey, wasn’t I?” - -Grey nodded. - -“Yes,” he agreed, with sincerity, “you were all right, Lutz.” - -“I never really meant you any harm, sir,” he went on. “It seemed to me -that it would be a good thing for you.” - -The Chancellor motioned to the stenographer, who drew his chair closer -to the bedside and took a note-book and pencil from his pocket. - -“Afterwards,” Lutz continued, “after Dr. Schlippenbach died and I knew -we couldn’t keep you under the spell any more, I got frightened; and -then I drank a good deal, and I--yes, I was crazy at times. Absinthe, -Mr. Grey. I wasn’t used to it, and it turned my head. I thought to -save myself I must get rid of you. I tried to smother you with gas -that night last week in Paris. Captain Lindenwald knew of it. He was -afraid of you, too. He said suspicion would fall on Baron von Einhard; -that we would never be suspected. And when I failed he went to Baron -von Einhard and--how much he got I don’t know; but the Baron paid him -to go away and leave you, agreeing that he would put you where you -would never be heard of again. Then we came here, with a story about -your being mad and being locked up in a Paris sanitarium. It was the -only thing we could do. If the plan had worked we should have been in -trouble for a while, maybe, but when Prince Hugo came to the throne we -should have been rewarded. I sold the Baron the strong-box with all -those manufactured proofs of your right to the crown; and I told him -you had the Prince of Kronfeld ring. I’m sorry, sir, I’m sorry. But I’m -a coward, and I was in terror and more than half insane with that green -stuff.” - -“Yes, yes, I know,” Grey interjected. “But tell me, Lutz, how this -whole thing started, back in New York. Tell me about Schlippenbach and -how you and he managed it together.” - -The nurse, from her place by the pillow, leaned over and wiped her -patient’s brow. Then she moistened his lips again, and his deep-sunken -eyes looked his appreciation. For some minutes he was silent, -endeavouring apparently by an effort of will to gather fresh energy; -and to Grey’s mind recurred the picture of that darkened room in Paris, -just six days ago, with the dying Herr Schlippenbach struggling to make -himself understood. - -“He was more devil than man,” Lutz resumed. “He was always working with -strange drugs and experimenting with batteries on cats and dogs, and -children, too. One day he asked me a great many questions about you, -Mr. Grey, and then he asked me if I’d like to be rich--very rich, he -said. ‘Everyone wants to be rich,’ I answered. ‘If you’ll do just as -I tell you,’ he said, ‘you’ll have more money than you ever dreamed -of.’ He told me he wanted me to put just one tiny pellet in your coffee -each morning. It would not harm you, he said, but you would doze off -for just ten minutes after you had taken it, and you would never know -you had been dozing. ‘And while he is asleep,’ he said, ‘you can tell -him to do anything you wish at any time in that day and he will do it. -Tell him, for instance,’ he advised me, ‘to double your wages when he -returns from his office in the evening, and he will do it.’ I laughed -at the idea and had no faith in it; but I consented to try it. And it -worked. You did double my wages, Mr. Grey, just as I asked you to, and -you never knew I had asked you. Each day I gave you the pellet, as -he directed, and each day I suggested that you do certain things at -certain hours, and you always did them.” - -“Hypnotic suggestion,” commented Grey, involuntarily. - -“Something like it,” Lutz replied, “but he said it was not. At least, -only in part. The pellet was the principal thing. He made the pellets -himself. They were his secret. I gave you the last the day before he -died; and I knew then that I could control you no more.” - -“Yes,” Grey urged, “but after the first, what happened? After I raised -your wages, what other things did you suggest?” - -“Nothing of importance for a month or two. Just trifles--that you come -home early and tell me you would not require me that night; or that -you would give me a coat I wanted very much, and things of that sort. -But one day Schlippenbach came to the rooms while you were down town. -‘Tomorrow morning,’ he said,’I am coming here early, before Mr. Grey is -up. You must hide me somewhere until you have given him the pellet.’ He -came and I hid him in your wardrobe; but when you had had your coffee -with his drug in it he came out, and then I saw for the first time the -power of this thing. He directed you very minutely and very exactly. -Every minute in the day you were under his commands. You were to secure -a hundred thousand dollars in cash and you were to bring it to his -house on Avenue A at four o’clock in the afternoon. And at this house -you were to remain. That evening I went there, and there you were. You -did not know me. Your name had been changed to Arndt. I called you -Mr. Grey to test the thing, and you appeared to think I was crazy. -Schlippenbach told me you had brought the money. You never left his -house until we sailed for this country.” - -“What did I do there?” - -“You did very little, but Schlippenbach did a great deal. Each day he -had his batteries working on your head. He told me he was building -up your self-esteem and that he was depleting your reverence. He was -developing those cerebral organs which he thought would fit you for a -throne and reducing those which he thought would unfit you. He said -that in this way he could change you completely. After a few years of -constant treatment, three or four years at most, you would, he told me, -be no more Mr. Grey, the New York broker, than I would. You would be -the King of Budavia and never know that you had not been born to it. -And then there would be no further need of pellets or of galvanism. The -transformation would have been accomplished.” - -The dying man, becoming more and more interested in his subject, was -speaking in clearer tones and with much less effort; and his auditors -listened, spellbound, to his exposition of the marvellous methods of -his mountebank master. - -“And as the days went on it was wonderful how you did change, sir. You -spoke differently and you acted differently. He made you grow a beard -and moustache, which he bleached without your knowledge, as he did your -hair, and your most intimate friend wouldn’t have recognised you, Mr. -Grey. I don’t believe your mother would have known you, sir.” - -“And the money?” Grey queried, fearing that in his enthusiasm Lutz -would overtax his strength and leave this most important point -uncovered. “What did Schlippenbach do with the hundred thousand -dollars?” - -“A good deal of it was spent,” the valet answered, “but some of it is -still in the East River National Bank, and some with Graeff & Welbrock, -the German bankers. When we came away we brought with us two letters of -credit, one in his name and one in yours, for twenty thousand dollars -each.” - -Of these facts Grey made a mental note. - -“Some of it you will get back, sir,” Lutz added, after a pause. -“Perhaps most of it, for the old man owns some property on the East -Side, and you can prove that he was responsible for the theft. And now, -Mr. Grey”--and something in the nature of a smile flickered ghastly and -distressful about the corners of his livid mouth--“I think I have told -you all. But”--his yellow right hand slid slowly a few inches over the -coverlet towards its edge--“I have in return a favour to ask. Maybe -you’ll feel you can’t grant it. I’m going pretty fast, I imagine. They -say I won’t last till daylight comes, and--I’d like, sir--if you don’t -mind too much”--his sentences were very halt once more--“don’t mind too -much----” - -Grey leaned over and took the sliding hand in his own. - -“All right, Lutz,” he said, with a tremour in his voice that he could -not control, “all right, man. I don’t believe you were half to blame. -He had you under a spell, too, I dare say. I forgive you freely, and -God bless you!” - -The flickering, vagrant smile merged into an expression of peace. Into -the sunken eyes came resignation. - -“Thank you, sir!” the grey lips murmured, “thank you! thank you!” - -The notary mumbled a form of oath to which Lutz gave a voiceless -assent. Then his lids fell, and when Grey and Count von Ritter left the -room he was barely conscious. - -“I’ll have a certified copy of the statement sent to you Mr. Grey,” the -Chancellor volunteered. “In it you will have evidence that is beyond -all dispute. I congratulate you on securing such a complete refutation -of so baseless and yet so dangerous a slander.” - - - - -XXI - - -The contrast between the tiny white room in the hospital with the -dire shadow of the Grim Reaper hovering over the narrow cot bed, and -the spacious, brilliant _salon_ of the hotel, where life, assertive, -aggressive, almost obtrusive, was dominant, had something of a dazzling -effect on Carey Grey, and he paused a moment on the threshold, with -blinking eyes, in an effort to adjust his vision to the sudden change -of scene. - -There was a momentary lull in the merriment that smote him as the door -swung open in answer to his knock, and then the cannonade of voices--of -cries of surprise, of welcoming greetings, of laughter--was resumed, -and Nicholas Van Tuyl rose from his place at the round table, which, -with its snowy damask dotted with pink-shaded candles and dappled with -silver and crystal, seemed like the centre of some giant flower of -which the men and women about it were the variegated petals. - -“My friends,” cried the host, raising his voice and hand simultaneously -for silence, “I have pleasure in presenting to you my future -son-in-law, Mr. Carey Grey, of New York.” - -The next instant everybody was shouting at once. The men were up and -bearing down on the newcomer in a solid phalanx, and Lady Constance -and Mrs. Dickie were waving their napkins and fairly shrieking their -congratulations. When at length something like order reigned again, -Frothingham found his champagne glass and proposed a toast: - -“To the bride-elect,” he cried. “‘She moves a goddess and she looks a -queen.’” - -Grey’s response was brief but enthusiastic, and the significance of the -quotation with which he closed it evoked an outburst of applause that -must have been heard as far as the Kursaal, two blocks away. - - “All yet seems well, and if it end so meet, - The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet. - The king’s a beggar now the play is done: - All is well ended, if _this_ suit be won.” - -He did not know it at the time, but prior to his coming the whole -story of his adventure had been related and discussed, much to the -entertainment of the party in general and to the intense edification -and delight of young Edson in particular, who resolved to make to his -chief, the Ambassador, a full report of the extraordinary affair, with -a view to having it forwarded to Washington to be filed among the State -archives, as indicative of a vulnerable point in Budavia’s boasted -supremacy in statecraft. The aptness of the quotation, therefore, was -more generally appreciated than Grey had any notion it would be, and -the hilarious approbation of his auditors was consequently a good deal -of a surprise. - -Nicholas Van Tuyl, however, leaned over in the midst of the cheering, -to tell him that the plot of his play and the part he had enacted -were known to the company. The news was not ungrateful, for from the -moment of his entrance he had felt a natural restraint, which was -now relieved. Very soon the matter came up again, and he related his -experience at the hospital, which was listened to with the deepest -interest. - -“Under the circumstances,” observed Sinclair Edson when Grey had -finished, “it is not surprising that the extradition proceedings have -been withdrawn.” - -“Withdrawn?” exclaimed Grey, in amazement. “If it be true I should say -it were most surprising.” - -“We had a cable to that effect yesterday before I left Paris,” -continued the secretary. “They were withdrawn at the instance of your -partner, Mr. Mallory.” - -“That is inexplicable,” Grey commented. “He doesn’t know anything more -now than he did a week ago.” - -Van Tuyl drained his wine-glass and wiped his lips with his napkin. - -“Oh, yes he does, Carey,” he said, “he knows pretty much about it. I -took the liberty of cabling to him all I knew. Besides, that whole -business was a mare’s nest. If you hadn’t disappeared there would never -have been any prosecution. Any one knows that a partner can’t be held -for borrowing from his own firm, and unless I’m very much mistaken you -were in a position to turn over real estate worth several times the -amount secured on the bonds.” - -“That is very true,” Grey replied, smiling, “but, strange as it may -seem, that view of the situation never occurred to me before.” - -“The newspapers were responsible for most of the hue and cry, I fancy,” -Van Tuyl continued, “and as for the extradition part, I imagine -Mallory took that step more from an impulse to find out whether the -cable you sent him was really from you, and with the hope of locating -you--dragging you back from the grave, so to speak--than with an idea -of punishment for a crime that was never really committed.” - -A Dresden clock on the mantel-shelf had tinkled midnight before the -party broke up, agreeing to be down for an early breakfast at a quarter -of eight, since the Van Tuyls and Grey were leaving Kürschdorf at nine, -to connect with the Orient Express at Munich. - -When the rest had gone, Grey, who had lingered, drew Hope out onto -the balcony. The music of the band which had floated up from below -throughout the evening had ceased, but the rushing Weisswasser and -the breeze stirring the foliage of the trees on the Quai combined in a -melody to which their hearts beat a joyous refrain. The stars twinkled -in unison in the blue-black canopy of the heavens, and from the -distance a nightingale’s song made chorus. - -“‘She moves a goddess and she looks a queen,’” Grey repeated, his -arm about the girl’s supple waist. “That was an inspiration on -Frothingham’s part. The line was never more aptly quoted. _My_ goddess! -_My_ queen! Ah, my darling, if I could only make you know the happiness -that is mine tonight!” - -Her head was resting against his shoulder, but now she turned her face -to him and in her eyes was a world of passionate adoration. - -“I know,” she murmured, softly. “It is mine, too, dear. It is a mutual -happiness, and we both know it. That is the reason it is so sweet.” - -He drew her still closer, until he could feel her heart beating against -his side. - -“God is good,” he said, reverently. “There were moments in the past -week when I saw only the frowning face of an implacable fate; when I -felt that the net woven about me was too cruelly strong ever to give -way to my struggles; and then I was more than half inclined to curse -God and die. But we are only blind children, as it has been said, and -when Providence is preparing for us the most delectable morsels we grow -rebellious because we can’t see just how it is being done.” - -“‘More welcome is the sweet,’” she quoted, returning the pressure of -his hand. “You will never know, my very dear, the agony I suffered in -those weeks after your disappearance. I would have died gladly--oh, so -gladly; but, as you say, God is good, only we cannot always see. The -sky was very black, without a single star, and the sun would never rise -again, never, never. I knew it.” - -“But it has, love, hasn’t it?” Grey asked, cheerily. “And we’ll pray -now for a long, long, sunshiny day to make up for so dark a night.” - -Then he bent his head and kissed her; and the nightingale’s song was a -pæan, and the music of the trees and the river a serenade. - -After a little, Nicholas Van Tuyl joined them. - -“Well, lad,” he said to Grey, as he flicked the ashes from his cigar, -“what are your plans?” - -“I’m taking _La Savoie_ from Havre on Saturday,” the young man -answered. “I’d rather lose my right arm than leave Hope now, just as I -have found her, but there’s no getting out of it. I must hurry back to -New York and square things.” - -“You must go so soon, dear?” she questioned, with just a suspicion of a -pout. - -“I must,” he replied, reluctance in his voice. “I’ll try to rejoin you -later; but every duty demands my presence in America now.” - -“We’ll have to stop, of course,” Van Tuyl observed; and then he added, -with a smile: “my daughter, here, will be very busy, I fancy, for the -next few weeks with _couturières_ and _marchandes de modes_ in the rue -de la Paix and thereabouts. So don’t exercise yourself unnecessarily, -Carey. She’ll hardly have time to miss you. There’s no salve in the -world to a woman so effective as that to be found in ordering new -finery.” - -“Don’t you believe him, dear,” the girl protested, her fingers -tightening on Grey’s hand. “I shall think of you every minute I’m -awake, and dream of you every minute I’m asleep.” - -The two men lounging against the iron railing of the balcony smoked -and chatted for a long time after Hope went in. They had much in -common, and to each occurred a multiplicity of matters of mutual -interest. - -Meanwhile the street below grew quiet, the terrace was deserted, the -wind in the trees died to a whisper, and the incessant murmur of the -hurrying waters accentuated rather than disturbed the silence. But the -two great lamps on either side of the hotel’s broad entrance still -blazed, throwing a half circle of illumination out across the roadway -and in under the lindens of the Quai. - -Grey, flinging away the end of his cigar, turned and looked down, -watching it fall and sputter red sparks upon the macadam of the -drive. And as he looked a shadow glided swiftly across the arc of -light beneath the trees and was swallowed up in the gloom beyond--a -shadow, the contour of which even in that brief moment struck Grey as -unmistakably familiar, recalling a figure that he had seen twenty-four -hours before, leaping wildly, from dark to dark, down a winding stone -stairway. - -“It’s bed time,” said Nicholas Van Tuyl, yawning. “You must be tired. -Suppose we----” - -A pistol shot, startlingly loud and sharp against the night silence, -clipped off the end of the sentence. - -For a moment neither spoke, and the stillness was the stillness of -death. Then came the patter of hurrying steps, and presently voices -were heard and men were darting across the street from all directions, -and all heading toward the Quai at a point just opposite the balcony. - -“Murder?” suggested Van Tuyl. - -“No,” answered Grey, with conviction. “Suicide.” - -Five minutes later, as they watched and listened, the crowd came -straggling back, two by two and in groups, all chattering. - -“Poor devil!” said one. The words rose distinctly audible. - -“He made very sure,” commented another. - -“Fancy blowing out his brains on the edge of the Quai and burying -himself in the river!” exclaimed a third. - -“For love, I suppose,” a young man ventured. - -“Lost his last mark at the Kursaal tonight probably,” an older man -theorised. - -Grey and Van Tuyl turned into the _salon_ through the open window. - -“That is what is called retribution,” said the younger man, “but it is -usually longer delayed.” - -Van Tuyl’s face asked for enlightenment. - -“I could hardly have been mistaken,” Grey answered, with assurance. “I -saw the fellow just a moment before. It was Captain Lindenwald, of the -Royal Household and Equerry to the late King Frederic of Budavia.” - - -THE END - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - - -Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a -predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not -changed. - -Spelling and punctuation of non-English words was not changed. - -Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unbalanced -quotation marks retained. - -Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's A Prince to Order, by Charles Stokes Wayne - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A PRINCE TO ORDER *** - -***** This file should be named 54916-0.txt or 54916-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/9/1/54916/ - -Produced by Charlie Howard and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. 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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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: A Prince to Order - -Author: Charles Stokes Wayne - -Release Date: June 15, 2017 [EBook #54916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A PRINCE TO ORDER *** - - - - -Produced by Charlie Howard and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="max-width: 25em;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="543" height="800" alt="Cover" /> -</div> - -<div class="transnote"> -<h2 class="nobreak p1">Transcriber’s Note</h2> - -<p class="center">Table of Contents created by Transcriber and placed in the Public Domain.</p> - -<p class="p2 center vspace" style="font-family: serif;"> -<a href="#I">I</a><br /> -<a href="#II">II</a><br /> -<a href="#III">III</a><br /> -<a href="#IV">IV</a><br /> -<a href="#V">V</a><br /> -<a href="#VI">VI</a><br /> -<a href="#VII">VII</a><br /> -<a href="#VIII">VIII</a><br /> -<a href="#IX">IX</a><br /> -<a href="#X">X</a><br /> -<a href="#XI">XI</a><br /> -<a href="#XII">XII</a><br /> -<a href="#XIII">XIII</a><br /> -<a href="#XIV">XIV</a><br /> -<a href="#XV">XV</a><br /> -<a href="#XVI">XVI</a><br /> -<a href="#XVII">XVII</a><br /> -<a href="#XVIII">XVIII</a><br /> -<a href="#XIX">XIX</a><br /> -<a href="#XX">XX</a><br /> -<a href="#XXI">XXI</a> -</p> -</div> - -<hr /> -<h1>A Prince To Order</h1> - -<hr /> - -<p class="newpage p4 center xxlarge vspace wspace gesperrt bold"> -A PRINCE<br /> -TO ORDER</p> - -<p class="p2 center gesperrt"><i>A NOVEL</i></p> - -<p class="p2 center vspace">BY<br /> -<span class="large">CHARLES STOKES WAYNE</span></p> - -<p class="p2 center larger">JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD<br /> -NEW YORK AND LONDON MCMV -</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="newpage p4 center vspace"> -<span class="smcap">Copyright, 1904<br /> -By Charles Stokes Wayne</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">Copyright, 1905<br /> -By John Lane</span></p> - -<p class="p2 center small vspace">SET UP AND ELECTROTYPED BY<br /> -WILLIAM G. HEWITT, NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A.<br /> -PRINTED BY<br /> -THE CAXTON PRESS, NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A. -</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="newpage p4 center"> -<span class="larger">TO MY WIFE</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smaller">WHO, AS THE INSPIRATION, EXCITED THE IMPULSE AND<br /> -FURNISHED THE INCENTIVE FOR ITS PRODUCTION,<br /> -THIS TALE IS AFFECTIONATELY</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="larger">DEDICATED</span> -</p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><span class="larger">A Prince To Order</span></h2> -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1">1</a></span></p> -<h2><a id="I"></a>I</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap b"><span class="smcap1">Grey’s</span> awakening was as gradual as a -clouded dawn. For a time dreams -and realities intermingled. Then -slowly a partial consciousness of his -physical being obtruded: his fingers were -clutching a silken coverlet; he turned on his -side and the linen pillow-case was cool to his -cheek; through half-open eyelids a sweep of pale -blue became visible. Later he realised that he was -in a curtained bed and that the blue was the colour -of the draperies. He lay still for a long while—drowsy, -inert, his sensibilities numb. Presently -the ticking of a clock became audible, and then a -rumble of street sounds. At the same moment a -throbbing pain in his head asserted itself. With -an effort he sat up, his hands pressed against his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2">2</a></span> -temples, his mind groping. Then in a flash the -unfamiliarity of his surroundings aroused him -suddenly, sharply, like a cold plunge, and his brain -cleared a trifle. His memory went staggering -back after the night before; but the mists descended -again and the way grew dark, and he -could remember no night without its morning.</p> - -<p>He put his feet to the floor and stood up, but a -dizziness overcame him, and he sank back -upon the bed, weak and limp. His heart was -beating tumultuously and his breath came in short, -quick gasps. After a little these abnormalities -passed and he raised himself on one elbow, resting -his cheek on his hand. At the contact he started, -amazed, bewildered. In some unaccountable manner -he had grown a beard. His hand ran from his -cheek to his chin. Close-cropped at the sides it -was here an inch long and trimmed to a point, and -his moustache was one of several months’ culture -and training. He fancied he was dreaming and -would awaken presently to find himself clean-shaven, -as he had been for years.</p> - -<p>And now, he remembered; after all, it was quite -clear. He had been to the opera last night,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3">3</a></span> -had gone from there to the club, had returned -home late, and, having a pressing business appointment -at ten this morning, had dragged himself -out of bed at eight, still fagged and aggravatingly -sleepy. Now he had just had his coffee, and -while Lutz was shaving him he was dozing and -dreaming.</p> - -<p>But how wonderfully real the transformation -all seemed! He grew curious as to how he looked -with beard and moustache, and, crawling out between -the pale-blue velvet curtains, he sought a -mirror. The revelation was dumfounding. He, -Carey Grey, who from infancy had been as dark -as a Spaniard, was as blond as a Norseman. He -ran his fingers through his hair, tousled it, going -closer to the glass to make sure that there was not -some optical illusion. He puffed out his lip and -pulled at his moustache until his lowered eyes -could see it, and he thrust his chin forward and -turned up the point of his beard with the back of -his hand until it, too, came within the range of -his vision. If this were a dream, he told himself, -never before had dream been so real. If it were a -reality, never before had reality been so mystifying.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4">4</a></span> -His puzzled survey of himself was followed by -a minute inspection of the room into which he had -been so mysteriously transported. Its general -aspect was foreign; its detail distinctly French. -The walls were panelled and medallioned. The -bed from which he had risen was one of a pair, -each with its gilded <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">papier mâché</i> frieze and its -looped-back blue velvet curtains. At the head of -each bed were six pillows and another of down at -the foot. The full-length mirror into which he -had gazed was duplicated between two windows. -Upon the mantel was a bronze and gilt clock, -flanked by partially burned candles in brass sticks. -Two tables, a couch, a washstand, a cheffonier, -three chairs and a wardrobe completed the furnishing. -A couple of companion pictures, unmistakably -French both in conception and execution, -decorated two of the wall panels. The hands of -the clock stood at twenty minutes of four. He -crossed to a window with three sets of curtains -and three sets of cord loops all of a tangle, and -looked out.</p> - -<p>For the spectacle that confronted him he was -not prepared. The change in his appearance had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5">5</a></span> -indeed been incomprehensible; the strangeness of -the room in which he awakened was inexplicable; -but to discover at a glance that he was no longer -on his native soil, that without his knowledge -he had been carried across sea and land -and dropped into a Paris hotel on the Boulevard -des Italiens, was not only inconceivable but -terrifying. He was very pale, and his brain was -reeling. Twice he drew trembling fingers across -his eyes, as if to wipe out the kaleidoscope of the -street below; but when he looked again the view -was even more convincing. It was a bit of the -French Capital with which he was almost as familiar -as with that part of Fifth avenue lying within -range of his club windows or with that portion of -Broad street near Wall into which he had been -wont to glance from his office in the Mills Building.</p> - -<p>He turned away from it as from a nightmare, -and, sitting down, tried to think. The idea that -he was dreaming was not tenable. He knew that -he was very wide awake and thoroughly possessed -of his faculties. His head still ached with a dull, -swollen, congested sensation such as follows a too<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6">6</a></span> -riotous night, but he could recall nothing of the -cause. It occurred to him now that he had read -in the newspapers of cases where men had lost -their memory for months and had wandered into -remote states or countries. This must be the explanation. -And in his aberration he had given -way to some freak of fancy, had grown a beard -and then had had it and his hair bleached corn -colour. Men under similar mental derangement, -he recollected, forgot their names and homes. -Perhaps he had been in the same plight. Now, -however, his mind was clear on those points, at -least, and he thanked God for his restoration.</p> - -<p>Then he wondered how long he had been away. -That night at the opera and the club; that morning -he had risen early to keep an engagement, and -had dozed off while his valet was shaving him—why, -that was midwinter; and now, if he could -judge by the trees on the boulevard, and the tables -in front of the Café Riche across the road, and the -straw hats, it must be early summer—late May or -June; possibly, indeed, July. And all this time -his friends at home—his mother, his fiancée, his -partner—were probably thinking him dead. What<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7">7</a></span> -a relief it would be to them to get the cablegrams -he would send, telling that he was alive and well -and was returning by the first steamer!</p> - -<p>He smiled as he got up and went to the cheffonier -and the wardrobe in search of clothes. He -was thinking of the sensation the papers in New -York must have made over his disappearance; the -theories they must have advanced and the pictures -they must have published. And then the tragic -side of the affair took hold of him, and he put -himself in his mother’s place, in Hope’s place, and -fancied he could appreciate, in a way at least, their -anxiety as the days passed without tidings, and -their grief and despair as weeks quadrupled into -months.</p> - -<p>Having discovered an assortment of garments, -including a bathrobe of pongee silk, he looked -about for a tub. Across the passage he found a -bathroom, and a dip into cold water relieved his -headache and balanced his nerves. When at length -he was in attire which, while quite as unfamiliar -as his yellow hair and beard, was nevertheless -tasteful and well fitting, he emerged from his -room, locked the door and started forth on a tour<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8">8</a></span> -of investigation. His curiosity had grown with -his dressing, enhanced, perhaps, by his failure to -find in any drawer, closet, or pocket a scrap of -writing or printing from which he could gain a -clue concerning his recent past. His sole discovery -indeed had been a wallet containing two fifty-franc -notes and a trunk key.</p> - -<p>A tall, round-faced <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i> in green livery -smiled and bowed, rather obsequiously he thought, -as he passed out through the wide portal into the -boulevard. Then the commingled scent of asphalt -and macadam and burning charcoal—that characteristically -Parisian odour—smote his olfactories, -and before his eyes was the afternoon panorama -of the gayest of Paris thoroughfares. It -was the newspaper hour, and a kiosk in front of -the hotel was being besieged by a horde, each hungry -for his favourite journal. Every man that -passed had a paper in his hand or in his pocket. -Some were reading as they walked. On the roadway -carriages, <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">fiacres</i>, omnibuses were crowding, -and Grey noted, with a sense of old friends returned, -the varnished hats of the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">cochers</i>. The -chairs under the awnings of the cafés were filling,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9">9</a></span> -and the white-aproned waiters were coming and -going with their inevitable bustle of trays and -glasses.</p> - -<p>At the corner of the rue St. Anne he crossed to -the north side of the boulevard and turned into the -rue Taitbout, in which, he remembered, there was -a telegraph office, for he meant to lose no time in -despatching his cables. As he picked his way -through the narrow street the messages took form, -and on reaching the office it was but the labour of -a moment to put them on paper, poke them in -through the little window and pay the stipulated -toll. To his mother he wired:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Safe and well. Sailing first steamer. Hôtel Grammont.</p></blockquote> - -<p>And the others—one addressed to Hope Van -Tuyl, East Sixty-fourth street, New York, and -one to “Malgrey,” the code name of the stock -brokerage firm in which he was a junior partner—were -similar.</p> - -<p>Rejoining the throng of pedestrians on the boulevard, -he sauntered leisurely towards the Avenue -de l’Opéra, his mind still busy with conjectures.</p> - -<p>The billboards in front of the Théâtre du Vaudeville<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10">10</a></span> -caught his eye, but the attractions they announced -made no impression. At the groups -of idlers seated at little round tables before the -Café Américain he scarcely glanced and his own -unfamiliar reflection in the plate glass of the -shop windows he failed utterly to recognise. He -crossed the Place de l’Opéra without so much as -turning his head, and halting at the far corner -stepped in under the ample awning of the Café de -la Paix and found a seat. Of the waiter who -approached him he ordered a <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">mazagran</i> and some -Egyptian cigarettes, and when they were brought -he sat for some time, heedless of his surroundings, -his brain racked with futile speculations.</p> - -<p>“<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Pardon, monsieur!</i>”</p> - -<p>Someone in passing had inadvertently touched -his foot and was apologising. Startled out of his -reverie he looked up, and his face lighted. Instantly -he was on his feet.</p> - -<p>“Frothingham, by all that’s good!” he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>The other, tall, straight and swarthy, turned -upon him a look in which mystification and suspicion -fought for supremacy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11">11</a></span> -“Really,” he said, coldly, “I—I don’t remember -ever having——”</p> - -<p>“Of course, of course,” Grey interrupted, not -without some embarrassment, “I can quite understand -that you shouldn’t recognise me. You see, -I—well, I’m Carey Grey.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Frothingham’s demeanour showed no -change.</p> - -<p>“Carey Grey,” he repeated, icily; “I used to -know a Carey Grey in New York, a member of -the Knickerbocker and the Union; but he was -nearly as dark as I am, and besides—why, he’s -dead.”</p> - -<p>“If you don’t mind sitting down a bit,” Grey -went on, as he staggered under the news of his -own demise, “I’ll try to explain. I’m Carey Grey, -just the same—<em>the</em> Carey Grey, of the Knickerbocker -and the Union, and I’m not dead.”</p> - -<p>Frothingham recognised his voice now, and -mystification routed suspicion from the field. He -took a chair and Grey sat down, too, with the -marble-topped table between them.</p> - -<p>“First and foremost,” Grey began, “tell me -what day of the month it is.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12">12</a></span> -“The fourteenth.”</p> - -<p>“Of what?”</p> - -<p>“Of June, of course.”</p> - -<p>“And of the week?”</p> - -<p>“Thursday.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks. I hadn’t the slightest idea.”</p> - -<p>Frothingham fancied the man had gone mad.</p> - -<p>“The whole thing is most extraordinary,” Grey -went on, and then he proceeded to relate his afternoon’s -experience, while his listener preserved an -interested but incredulous silence.</p> - -<p>“Can’t remember a blessed thing,” the narrator -concluded, “since that morning last winter—I -suppose it was last winter. What year is this?”</p> - -<p>He was told.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it was last winter, then—January, if I’m -not mistaken.”</p> - -<p>Frothingham looked thoughtful and counted -back. He wondered whether it was insanity or -drugs, or—cunning.</p> - -<p>“You must have heard something of it,” Grey -went on, eagerly. “Did the newspapers say I was -dead?”</p> - -<p>“I think that was the ultimate conclusion.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13">13</a></span> -“I suppose they searched for me?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, they searched. They followed up -every clue. There were columns in the papers for -days—yes, for weeks.”</p> - -<p>Grey sighed audibly.</p> - -<p>“I can’t understand it,” he said, with something -of distress in his voice; “I never thought my head -was weak. To be sure, I’d been under rather a -strain, with the market in the unsettled condition -it was, but my memory was always clear enough. -Why, I could give you the closing price and -highest and lowest of about every active stock on -the list, day after day, without an error of an -eighth. By the way, do you know how things -have been going in the Street? What’s New York -Central now—and St. Paul?”</p> - -<p>“Really, I have lost track, Grey,” replied Frothingham -indifferently.</p> - -<p>“I must get a Paris <i>Herald</i>,” the man who had -been out of the world for five months continued; -“I’m the modern Rip Van Winkle. Thousands -of things have happened—must have happened, -and I’m in blank ignorance. I just cabled to New -York—to Mallory, my partner, and——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14">14</a></span> -“You what!” exclaimed Frothingham, in -amazement.</p> - -<p>“Cabled to Mallory. You know him—Dick -Mallory, my partner. He’ll be surprised to hear -I’m alive, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“Good God, man!”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?”</p> - -<p>The two sat staring at each other across the -table, each a picture of sudden startled bewilderment.</p> - -<p>“Then you really don’t know?” Frothingham -asked. “Oh, that’s impossible! You can’t make -me believe—see here, Carey, you’re very clever -and all that, but you don’t think for one minute, -do you, that you are taking me in? I did fancy -for a little while that you’d gone off your head; -but I was wrong. You’re sharp and shrewd, and -you feared I had recognised you and that that was -why I stumbled over your foot; so you made up -your mind that you’d block my game by recognising -me and telling me this pipe dream. Oh, come, -come, be fair! You know; and you know that I -know.”</p> - -<p>Grey caught his breath sharply as this torrent<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15">15</a></span> -of insult surged upon him. The blood rushed to -his face only to desert it. His fists doubled instinctively, -and he rose to his feet, white with -indignant anger.</p> - -<p>“Take that back!” he commanded, in a hoarse -whisper. “Take it back, I say, or I’ll——”</p> - -<p>There was no mistaking his earnestness, his determination; -no, nor at this juncture, his honesty. -Frothingham was convinced even against his -judgment.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I say,” he retorted, mildly, “don’t make -a scene, old chap. If I said anything, I—I—well, -of course you don’t understand. I see it now. -I’m sure I was wrong, and I ask your pardon. -There now, sit down.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know that I care to,” Grey replied, the -words of the other still rankling. “I’m not used -to being called a blackguard. I’ve never in my -life done anything to be seriously ashamed of, and -nobody has ever dared, until this day, to utter such -an insinuation.”</p> - -<p>Frothingham was silent for a moment, the mere -suggestion of a smile on his lips. He calmly unbuttoned -one of his gloves and then buttoned it again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16">16</a></span> -“God forbid,” he said, without looking up, -“that I should be the first to imply anything; but—I -wish you would sit down, Grey!—you say -you’ve lost count for five months, and—well, there -are some things that you ought to know.”</p> - -<p>Grey resumed his seat. Now the man was talking -reasonably. Of course there were things that -he ought to know—hundreds of things probably -in which he was personally interested. The -thought instantly became appalling. What, indeed, -might not have happened in five months? -Where had he been during that time? And what -had he been doing?</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he admitted, “you are quite right, I -suppose. One of the things, for instance, is——”</p> - -<p>“One of the things, for instance, is,” repeated -the other, interrupting him, “that you left New -York suddenly—disappeared totally and—you -ought to know this for your own salvation—under -a cloud.”</p> - -<p>Grey started, and the colour that had returned -to his face fled again. He leaned across the table, -resting his arms on its marble top.</p> - -<p>“Under a cloud!” he exclaimed, breathlessly.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17">17</a></span> -“My God, Frothingham! What do you -mean?”</p> - -<p>“I’d rather not go into details,” was the answer, -given very quietly. “It’s not a pleasant position -that I have chosen for myself, and I prefer that -you don’t question me. What you have told me—and -I’m satisfied now it is the truth—has put -another light on the whole business. And you -really cabled to New York?”</p> - -<p>“Not half an hour ago. I sent three.”</p> - -<p>“It’s too late, I suppose, to stop them.”</p> - -<p>“I fancy so.”</p> - -<p>“I’d see, if I were you. It is important.”</p> - -<p>“But why? For God’s sake, man, tell me -why.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Frothingham, rising; “you’d better -read about it for yourself. It will be more satisfactory. -You can find a file of the New York -<i>Herald</i> at the office of the Paris paper. It’s only -a block or so away, you know. Look up last January. -But I’d try to stop those cables first. I -must be off now; I’ve got an appointment.” And -he joined the now much augmented throng on the -promenade.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18">18</a></span> -Grey dropped a five-franc piece on the table, and -hurried into a <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">fiacre</i> that stood in waiting.</p> - -<p>“Rue Taitbout, 46,” he directed.</p> - -<p>But when he reached there it was to learn that -his messages had been dispatched and that no -power on earth could recall them.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19">19</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="II"></a>II</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">Consumed</span> with eager concern, Grey -had himself driven to the office of the -<i>Herald</i>. He was perturbed, distraught, -and nervously apprehensive.</p> - -<p>“Under a cloud,” he repeated, thoughtfully; -“under a cloud. That may mean anything—murder, -arson, theft, elopement. I’m a fugitive -from justice, I suppose. That much Frothingham -made very clear when he urged my -stopping those cables.” And then his mood -changed, and he argued that he was unnecessarily -agitated. It could not be so bad. In his senses -or out of them he would never, he felt sure, have -committed a crime—some indiscretion, possibly, -but not a crime.</p> - -<p>When at length the file of the newspaper was -before him and he was turning the pages, he noted -that his fingers were unsteady and that perspiration -was oozing from every pore. Carefully he scanned<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20">20</a></span> -each headline, running down column after column -with keen scrutiny. Ten minutes passed and -he had reached nearly the middle of the month -without finding so much as a line of what he -sought. Much of the matter, however, was familiar, -from which he argued that the date of revelation -must be farther on. Each leaf of the book of -days he turned now with dread expectation. He -had been standing, the file on a table at arm’s -length, but suddenly he sat down, stunned by the -message of the types that faced him:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Carey Grey an Embezzler—Well-known -Wall Street Broker Hypothecates Firm’s -Securities and Disappears—Upwards of a -Hundred Thousand Dollars Gone.</span>”</p></blockquote> - -<p>His heart was pounding very hard and his head -was bursting.</p> - -<p>“It’s a lie,” he muttered, inaudibly, “an outrageous, -despicable lie. It’s impossible. It’s preposterous. -Embezzle from my own firm? It’s -ridiculous.”</p> - -<p>He leaned forward and pulled the file of papers -down until one end rested in his lap, and then he -read hastily, but with the scrupulous heed of absolute<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21">21</a></span> -concentration, every word of the two columns -that told with minute detail the story of his defalcation -and flight.</p> - -<p>“Carey Grey, of the firm of Mallory & Grey, -stockbrokers, with offices in the Mills Building,” -began the account, “has been missing for a week -and securities to the value of $110,000, it was discovered -yesterday, have disappeared from the -firm’s safe deposit vault. Most of the securities, -including first mortgage bonds of the Chicago & -Northwestern Railroad Company, to the amount -of $40,000, and Brooklyn Rapid Transit 5s, worth -$40,000 more, Grey hypothecated, personally, with -the Shoe and Leather Bank on the day prior to -his flight.</p> - -<p>“The news of the defalcation caused a sensation -in the Street and in society as well. Carey -Grey was one of the most popular members of the -Stock Exchange and his character had always -been regarded as beyond reproach. A member of -an old New York family—his mother was a Livingstone—his -social position was of the best. He -occupied bachelor apartments in the Dunscombe, -on Sixty-sixth street, near Madison avenue, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22">22</a></span> -his name appears on the membership lists of the -Union, Knickerbocker, and other clubs.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Mallory, his partner, said yesterday: -‘Mr. Grey was at his desk last Wednesday when -I reached the office, and he was there when I went -away at half-past three. There was nothing unusual -in his manner. He discussed with me several -matters of business and spoke of a certain -directors’ meeting that he should attend the next -day. I have not seen or heard from him since. -When he did not appear on Thursday I feared he -was ill and telephoned to his rooms, but the answer -came that he was not in. The whole business -is to me inexplicable. I have known Carey Grey -from childhood, and I would have been willing -to swear that there was not a dishonest bone in -his body. But the evidence against him is simply -indisputable. The loss struck us at an especially -bad time, but we shall pull through all right.’</p> - -<p>“Inspector McClusky admitted that he was all -at sea concerning Grey’s whereabouts. The case -was not reported to him for a week—not until the -securities were missed—and so it was quite possible -the absconder had left the country; nevertheless<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23">23</a></span> -he was doing all in his power to locate -him.</p> - -<p>“At Grey’s apartments yesterday Franz Lutz, -his valet, was preparing to seek employment elsewhere.</p> - -<p>“‘Mr. Grey,’ he said, ‘slept here last Wednesday -night. He rose about eight o’clock Thursday -morning, saying he had an urgent business appointment -at the Waldorf-Astoria at ten sharp. -He went away in a cab, and I have not seen him -since.’</p> - -<p>“Grey’s mother, who lives with her sister, Mrs. -Hermann Valkenburgh, in Washington Square, -North, has been prostrated by the revelations of -the past twenty-four hours, and is under the care -of her physician, Dr. Elbridge Bond.</p> - -<p>“A rumour that Grey was engaged to be married -to Miss Hope Van Tuyl, daughter of Nicholas -Van Tuyl, president of the Consolidated Mortgage -Company, was current yesterday. Miss Van -Tuyl when seen last night denied the report.”</p> - -<p>There was more of it, much more, all of which -Grey read with deep and astonished interest; but -it was merely repetition and speculation. When<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24">24</a></span> -he finished the two columns he turned to the paper -of the day following, and found a column there. -As Frothingham had told him, the newspapers -had kept up the sensation for weeks, and the -<i>Herald</i> was as energetic as any. At length came -a report that a man answering his description had -jumped overboard from a steamer in the Gulf of -Mexico and had been drowned before assistance -could reach him. There was nothing in his effects -to give a hint as to his identity, but the world, -with one accord, apparently, had accepted the suggestion -that it was the missing Grey, and then the -subject was dropped.</p> - -<p>He ran through the files for another month, but -other matters of more immediate interest had -crowded the Grey affair out of the public thought.</p> - -<p>He returned the papers to the clerk who had -provided them, and went out onto the Avenue de -l’Opéra, horrified and perplexed. He was a felon, -hiding from the law. And yet never, so far as -he could remember, had he harboured a dishonest -impulse. He was disguised to escape detection, -and the disguise when he had discovered it had -been, and still was, more mystifying to himself<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25">25</a></span> -than it could possibly be to others. Then he began -to wonder what his cables would bring forth. He -would be arrested, of course, and tried, and in all -probability found guilty. The evidence against -him as set forth in the newspaper account was not -merely strong—it was irrefutable. Against the -testimony of Mallory and of the bank officials -what could he offer in refutation? To fancy any -court or jury would put faith in his asseveration -that he was unconscious when the act was committed -was to count on the impossible. Nevertheless -it was clearly his duty now to return at once -to America and do all in his power to make reparation. -And then it occurred to him that in spite -of his alleged embezzlement he was, apparently, -practically without funds. If he had taken the -money, as charged, it must, of course, be somewhere, -but of its location he had not the faintest -idea. That he had disposed of a hundred or even -eighty thousand dollars in five months was in the -highest degree improbable.</p> - -<p>At the corner of the Rue de la Paix is the office -of Thomas Cook & Sons, and Grey entered and -inquired as to the sailing of transatlantic liners.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26">26</a></span> -The <i>Celtic</i>, he learned, was to sail the next day -from Liverpool, but he could make better time -probably, the clerk told him, by taking the -<i>Deutschland</i> from Boulogne, or the <i>Kaiser Wilhelm -der Grosse</i> from Cherbourg, on Saturday. -The tide of travel was all the other way at this -season and he would have no difficulty in securing -a stateroom, even at the last minute.</p> - -<p>Resuming his stroll he had very nearly reached -his hotel when a young man, pale and evidently -much agitated, halted before him, and raising his -hat, deferentially, said:</p> - -<p>“A thousand pardons, Herr Arndt, but I beg -you to make haste. Herr Schlippenbach—he is -dying.”</p> - -<p>He spoke in German, and Grey noted that in -feature and manner he was Teutonic. For an -instant the American imagined the youth had addressed -him by mistake, but he had sufficient presence -of mind to give no sign. A second later he -was reassured.</p> - -<p>“I went to your room, Herr Arndt, as usual at -four-thirty, but you were gone out, and the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i> -told me you left no message.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27">27</a></span> -Grey hesitated over a reply. He realized that -he was on the verge of a discovery. It was very -evident now that he was not alone in Paris—that -he had acquaintances, at least; probably companions; -and that one of them was dying. In -order to learn more he must give no indication -of the change that had been wrought in him in the -last few hours.</p> - -<p>“Dying!” he exclaimed, in a tone of surprise; -“I had no idea it was so serious.”</p> - -<p>His German was excellent. In his early youth -he had spent two years at Göttingen, and -had lived for one winter with a German family in -Vienna.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” went on the young man, excitedly, “the -Herr Doctor says it is a matter now of hours only, -perhaps minutes. They have sent for a priest. -Herr Schlippenbach—poor old Herr Schlippenbach—he -is quite unconscious.”</p> - -<p>“He can recognise no one?”</p> - -<p>“No, Herr Arndt, he just lies staring at the -ceiling, and breathing very hard and loud. Oh, it -is so pitiful! And the Fräulein, she is sobbing, -sobbing, sobbing all the time.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28">28</a></span> -<i xml:lang="de" lang="de">Herr Arndt.</i> So that is the name he is known -by here in Paris, at the Hôtel Grammont, by those -he has met—those he has travelled with, perhaps! -And there is a Fräulein in the party! Herr Schlippenbach’s -daughter, probably. A hundred questions -crowded for utterance, but he held them -back.</p> - -<p>“It was the Fräulein who sent for the priest, I -suppose?” he ventured.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Herr Arndt; she and Herr Captain Lindenwald. -When Herr Schlippenbach dies Fräulein -von Altdorf will have a great fortune; yes?”</p> - -<p>“Surely,” Grey hazarded. Then the girl was not -the old German’s daughter, after all, though she -was to inherit his property. The affair was growing -a trifle complicated.</p> - -<p>“And Herr Captain Lindenwald—will he, do -you think, Herr Arndt, marry the Fräulein?”</p> - -<p>Grey was silent. If this fellow was a servant -he was evidently forgetting his place, and it was -well to remind him of it.</p> - -<p>“How odd it is I never can remember your -name!” he said, at length, ignoring the question -and scowling a little.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29">29</a></span> -“Johann, Herr Arndt.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, to be sure. How stupid!”</p> - -<p>And then they turned in at the broad marble -entrance of the hotel.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30">30</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="III"></a>III</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> room into which Johann conducted -Grey was on the second floor, its windows -overlooking the court. With -the glare of the boulevards still in -their eyes, the gloom of the darkened chamber -was for a moment almost impenetrable. Grey -was conscious of the presence of several persons, -but they appeared more like shadows than -realities, their outlines alone distinguishable. The -room was very quiet, save for the sound of the -laboured breathing which Johann had mentioned, -and which came from a bed in an alcove to the -left of the entrance. Grey stood hesitant just inside -the doorway, while his vision grew accustomed -to the semi-darkness; and Johann, hat in -hand, stood behind him.</p> - -<p>Presently from out of the dusk a figure approached, -tiptoeing across the floor.</p> - -<p>“He is dying!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31">31</a></span> -The words were whispered in German. The -speaker, Grey observed, was of medium height, -but broad of shoulder and of erect military bearing. -The ends of his moustache were trained upward -after the fashion affected by the German -Emperor.</p> - -<p>Grey nodded his head in token that he understood.</p> - -<p>“Dr. Zagaie is here. He has just administered -nitro-glycerine and tincture of aconite. We are -hoping that he may regain consciousness.”</p> - -<p>Objects were now becoming more clearly defined. -Grey could see the bed now, though its -occupant was hidden by the bulky form of the -physician, who had his fingers on the dying man’s -pulse, and by the black-clad, slender figure of a -woman who was pressing a handkerchief to her -eyes. At the foot of the bed stood a white-capped -and white-cuffed nurse.</p> - -<p>“Let us hope,” Grey responded.</p> - -<p>The situation was most trying. He was with -those who, it was apparent, knew him extremely -well, and yet were to him utter strangers. He was -almost afraid to speak lest he betray himself, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32">32</a></span> -if the necessity for learning something concerning -his associates and associations had not been so -urgently important he would have retreated without -waiting further developments. He was nervously -a-tremble, his fingers were twitching involuntarily -and alternately waves of hot and cold -bathed him from head to heel. The atmosphere -of the room stifled him; the stertorous breathing -of the invalid oppressed him, the gloom and the -whispers and the soft tread of the persons present -drove him frantic. He was seized with an almost -uncontrollable impulse to shout, to rush about, to -pull back the curtains and let in some daylight. -He gripped his hat until the brim cracked in his -hand, the sound cutting the silence discordantly.</p> - -<p>“Sit down, Herr Arndt. We are expecting the -Reverend Father. I sent Lutz for him half an -hour ago.”</p> - -<p><i>Lutz!</i> Had the dusk been less deep the surprise -that came over Grey’s features must have been observed. -Lutz! Could it be possible that his valet -was here in Paris with him, he asked himself. -And instantly he negatived the answer. Such a -supposition was beyond reason. He had misunderstood,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33">33</a></span> -or it was another Lutz. The name was -not uncommon.</p> - -<p>He placed his hat on a table and took a chair -near a window, from which he could look into the -court below. The man who had addressed him -joined the group at the bedside. Johann quietly -opened the door and went out, closing it as quietly -behind him. The silence became painful. The -inhalations and exhalations of the patient grew -less strident. The sobs of the Fraülein, which -had at intervals punctured the stillness, were suppressed.</p> - -<p>Then, of a sudden, there was a commotion about -the bed. The dying man, who for hours had been -gazing fixedly at the ceiling, turned his eyes upon -his watchers and moved his head feebly. The -doctor beckoned the nurse.</p> - -<p>“Raise his head and shoulders a trifle. Quick, -another pillow!”</p> - -<p>Promptly and deftly the nurse obeyed.</p> - -<p>“The stimulants are acting,” murmured the -Herr Captain to the Fraülein: “he has responded, -but it will be but temporary.”</p> - -<p>She wiped her eyes with her wet handkerchief,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34">34</a></span> -but said nothing. The invalid’s gaze passed each -of the four in turn. Then his lips moved, and the -doctor, bending down, placed his ear close to his -mouth.</p> - -<p>“Monsieur Arndt,” the physician said, in a -low tone, as he straightened himself, “it is Monsieur -Arndt that he wants.”</p> - -<p>The other three turned towards Grey. Captain -Lindenwald raised his hand with a beckoning gesture.</p> - -<p>“He wants you,” he whispered; and as the -American approached the bed they made way for -him. It was a face very thin and drawn that met -Grey’s view. Very sallow, too, and parchment-like; -the nose long and peaked, and the under lip, -where it showed above the snow-white beard, -darkly purple. A great shock of hair vied with -the pillows in whiteness. In the tired eyes was a -look of recognition.</p> - -<p>“Lean over,” said Dr. Zagaie; “he wishes to -speak to you. His voice is very weak.”</p> - -<p>A sensation of repulsion had swept over Grey -at sight of the old man, and now, to bring his face -close to that of the invalid upon whom death had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35">35</a></span> -already set its mark was sickeningly repugnant. -But with an effort of will he bent his head. A -withered, wrinkled hand gripped his wrist and for -the hundredth part of a second he recoiled. The -voice that breathed into his ear was little more -than a sigh, and he strained to gather the -words.</p> - -<p>“Take it,” he heard; “it is yours. The -key——”</p> - -<p>And then the utterances sank so low as to be -unintelligible. That the old man had spoken in -English was a circumstance over which Grey -marvelled quite as much as he did over the ambiguous -command. He stood erect again and would -have stepped back, but the grip of the sufferer was -still upon his arm. Then, from the glazing eyes -came an appeal that was unmistakable, and again -Grey bent his ear.</p> - -<p>“The throne,” breathed the voice feebly; “it -is yours. Take it!” This much the listener heard -quite clearly, mentally commenting that the -speaker was delirious. But from the sentences -that followed he could only glean a word here and -there. “Key” was mentioned again, and “box,”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36">36</a></span> -and he thought he heard “proofs,” and something -that sounded like “Gare du Nord.”</p> - -<p>At length the fingers on his wrist relaxed and -the eyes of Herr Schlippenbach closed. Instantly -and with professional celerity Dr. Zagaie plunged -the needle of a hypodermic syringe into the fainting -man’s arm. Simultaneously there was a gentle -tap on the door, and without waiting to be -bidden a florid-faced priest entered, carrying a -small black leather case.</p> - -<p>Grey resumed his place by the window, his brain -teeming with problems so enigmatical as to defy -even theoretical solution. The dying man was -delirious, of course, he argued; therefore his -words were unworthy of consideration. And yet, -he answered himself, he had made a supreme effort -to convey a message and he had chosen to phrase -it in not his own tongue but his listener’s, to make -sure that it would be understood. He felt like a -man in a maze. At every turn there was some -new surprise; and he was going on and on, getting -farther and farther into the tangle, without as yet -seeing any chance of extricating himself.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, unnoticed by him, preparations for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37">37</a></span> -the Sacrament of Extreme Unction were being -hurriedly made. The priest had donned his alb -and stole and poured from a cruet the holy oil. -The next minute the voice of the cleric, clear and -distinct, cleaving the hush of the room, startled -Grey from his meditation. The droning of the -Latin ritual, solemn and awesome, struck a new -chord in his emotional being. He got to his feet -and stood with clasped hands and bowed head. -Now the priest was anointing the dying man’s -eyes. With oily thumb he made the sign of the -cross and recited the words: “Through this holy -unction, and His most blessed mercy, may the -Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou hast committed -by thy sight, Amen.” And then his ears, -his nose, his mouth, his hands, his feet were each -in turn anointed with the same form of supplication.</p> - -<p>The ceremony concluded, Dr. Zagaie again -stepped forward, taking the place vacated by the -priest. As he did so Herr Schlippenbach, who -had been breathing softly, peacefully, with closed -lids, opened his eyes wide with a look of sudden -horror. There was a quick, convulsive movement<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38">38</a></span> -that stirred the coverlet, a long deep-drawn sigh, -and the aged man lay motionless.</p> - -<p>Fraülein von Altdorf turned away, grief-stricken -and horrified, from the spectacle of death, -and Grey for the first time saw her face. It was -more than pretty, he thought, with its big, sad -blue eyes and its full, red-lipped mouth all a-quiver -with emotion. And her hair, which shone even -in the dusk of that darkened apartment with a -lustre of its own imparting, was very abundant -and very beautiful. He realised that she was coming -towards him and he took a step forward to -meet her. She raised her arms and stretched out -her hands gropingly until they rested on his shoulders, -and instinctively he knew that she had grown -suddenly faint. He clasped her swaying figure -about the waist and supported her to a couch.</p> - -<p>“Dr. Zagaie,” he called, impatiently, “Mlle. -von Altdorf requires a restorative.”</p> - -<p>Captain Lindenwald, who had been speaking to -the nurse, turned solicitously at the words.</p> - -<p>“My dear,” he cried, kneeling beside the prostrate -girl, “my dear, let me get you some wine; -the strain has been too much for you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39">39</a></span> -But the Fräulein motioned him away.</p> - -<p>“I shall be quite myself presently,” she said.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless Dr. Zagaie insisted on her taking -a sedative.</p> - -<p>After a little Grey withdrew, and not without -some difficulty found his apartment, which was -on the same floor, but in another part of the hotel. -In his absence his room had been put in order, and -there now lay upon the table a blue envelope, addressed -in a distinctly English hand to “M. Max -Arndt.” Though it was undoubtedly meant for -him it was with rather a sense of impropriety that -he took it up and tore off the end. Revelation -after revelation had followed one another so rapidly -that afternoon that he was growing callous -to discovery, and when he <span class="locked">read—</span></p> - -<blockquote> -<p class="in0"> -<span class="smcap">My Dear Max</span>: -</p> - -<p>I shall be unable to dine with you tonight as I promised, -but will meet you later in the Café Américain if you -can arrange it—say between eleven and midnight. <span class="smcap">Jack.</span></p></blockquote> - -<p class="in0">—it was with scarcely a tremour of surprise. Indeed -there was something in the tone of the scrawl—something, -perhaps, in the penmanship, that -gave him a sense of reassurance. The dying Herr -Schlippenbach had affected him oddly. Nearness<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40">40</a></span> -to him had produced a sort of emotional nausea, -and for some reason which he could not explain -he had experienced a violent antipathy to Captain -Lindenwald. He realized that, surrounding the -little company of which he had so strangely found -himself one, there was a mystery which baffled his -understanding. Then the last words of the old -German recurred to him, and again he pondered -as to whether they bore any significance or were -merely the murmurings of dementia. As the -clock on the mantel-shelf chimed seven, a knock -sounded on the door, and in answer to his “Entrez!” -Johann entered.</p> - -<p>“Will Herr Arndt dress for dinner?” he asked. -“Herr Captain Lindenwald is not dressing, and -thought perhaps Herr Arndt would dine with him -in the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">salle à manger</i>. Fräulein von Altdorf is -indisposed, and is having some tea and toast in -her room.</p> - -<p>“No, Johann,” Grey replied, after a moment’s -consideration, “I won’t dress. Give my compliments -to the Herr Captain, and say that I’m feeling -a bit seedy and will dine here alone, if he will -be so good as to excuse me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41">41</a></span> -Johann bowed and was about to go, but stopped -with his hand on the doorknob.</p> - -<p>“Will Herr Arndt order his dinner now?” he -queried; and Grey named the dishes.</p> - -<p>His appetite, he all at once discovered, was excellent, -and when the table had been spread and -the courses followed one another in leisurely succession -and with admirable service, he found himself -eating with the relish that betokens good -digestion. It seemed, too, when he had finished -and lighted a cigarette that he could think more -calmly and coherently. The windows of his room -opened upon a narrow balcony, and placing a -chair he stepped out and sat there meditative above -the changeful tide of the boulevard which flowed -unceasingly below.</p> - -<p>He was no longer exercised over the possible -effect of his cables, for he reflected that Carey -Grey, so far as all Paris save one man knew, was -still dead. A message or a messenger to the Hôtel -Grammont would find no such person. His -changed appearance, his changed name, and his -changed associates were a disguise that must -prove quite impenetrable. He would therefore<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42">42</a></span> -have ample time, unhampered by either enemies -or friends, to delve into the perplexing riddle that -confronted him. It would be policy, he argued, -to delay his return to America until he could trace -his movements abroad. The difficulties that he -must encounter he did not pretend to belittle. -When he strove to lay out a plan of action he was -balked at the very outset. To ask questions was to -betray himself, and yet it must be a very long and -tedious, not to say perilous, procedure to attempt -to drift blindly with the current without either -chart or compass to warn him of rocks and shoals.</p> - -<p>The twilight deepened into night, and as the -stars sparkled into the darkening canopy above -the electric lights flashed into a brighter brilliancy -along the boulevard below. Grey’s cigarette had -been tossed away, and he sat listlessly watching -the vari-coloured lamps of the cabs as they passed -to and fro—now a green, now a red, now a yellow. -He had moved his chair to the space of balcony -between the windows to escape an annoying draft, -and from where he sat he could neither see into -his room nor be seen from it. The scratching of -a match inside, however, was plainly audible.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43">43</a></span> -Someone evidently was lighting his candles. And -then the sound of voices came to him, and he -pricked his ears.</p> - -<p>“It is indeed a catastrophe,” he heard. The -speaker was Johann. The accent was unmistakable.</p> - -<p>“You have no idea. It is worse, a thousand -times worse than you know——”</p> - -<p>Grey, with difficulty, choked back an exclamation.</p> - -<p>“Lutz!” he muttered to himself, in astonishment. -“By all that’s good! Lutz! Here in -Paris, and with me.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” the valet continued, “Herr Schlippenbach -was necessary to Herr Arndt. Without Herr -Schlippenbach, Herr Arndt is another man. He -is mad, Johann, and filled with wild notions. He -does not know his own people. He fancies he is -someone else. Herr Schlippenbach was his balance -wheel.”</p> - -<p>“So!” murmured Johann. “So!”</p> - -<p>“I have a great fear we shall never get him to -Kürschdorf at all.”</p> - -<p>“But the Herr Captain?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44">44</a></span> -“Oh, yes, the Herr Captain will do his best, I -am sure,” Lutz assented; “but it will be a mad -Prince, and not a sane one, he will have on his -hands.”</p> - -<p>The comment that Johann made was not distinguishable. -They were going towards the door, -which Grey next heard open and then close -sharply, forced by the draft from the window.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45">45</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="IV"></a>IV</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">It</span> lacked but a few minutes of midnight -when Grey entered the smoke-clouded air -of the Café Américain. The great room -was crowded and the babel of voices and -the clatter of glass and china were wellnigh -deafening. He stood for a moment near the -door, looking about through half-closed lids like -one near-sighted. A dark, languorous-eyed woman, -gorgeous in scarlet silk and lace, smiled and beckoned -him, but he paid no heed. He forced his way -between the closely aligned tables to the centre of -the room, glancing from right to left as he proceeded. -His imagination had pictured his correspondent -as a youngish, fair man, but he realised -that his imagination was not to be relied on. He -must depend on being seen and recognised, since -recognition on his part was impossible. A waiter -brushed against him, spattering him with beer<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46">46</a></span> -from jostled glasses. A pretty brunette in a white -gown and a great rose-trimmed hat of coarse -straw seized his hand and pressed it suggestively -as she passed him on her way to the door. And -then, over near the mirrored wall to the right, he -saw a man standing, his arm raised to attract -attention, a smile on his honest, sun-browned face; -and he knew it was “Jack.” He was tall and -spare, all muscle and sinew, and his hair was -brightly red, as also was his rather close-cropped -moustache.</p> - -<p>“Gad, man,” he exclaimed, as Grey came to -him, “I fancied you weren’t to be here.”</p> - -<p>He spoke with the pleasant brogue of the North -of Ireland, and his voice and manner were as confidence-inspiring -as had been his note.</p> - -<p>Grey smiled, with something of embarrassment -in his eyes. The very frankness of the other man -was disconcerting. It had been comparatively easy -to hide his simulation from the others, but now it -was different. This big, hearty fellow was not -only all honesty himself, but he inspired honesty—he -demanded it.</p> - -<p>“To tell the truth,” the American replied, feeling<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47">47</a></span> -that a confession was about to be wrung from -him, “I’ve had a rather wretched day.”</p> - -<p>Jack looked at him keenly, his lips pressed tight -in cogitation, as Grey ordered a <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">grenadine</i>.</p> - -<p>“What’s the trouble, old chap?” he asked presently, -throwing back his head and sending an inverted -cone of cigarette smoke ceilingward. “Tell -me about it; you don’t look well; you are pale -and—by Jove! What’s the matter with your -voice? You don’t speak like yourself. If I -didn’t see you sitting there I’d fancy it was another -man who spoke.”</p> - -<p>“Would you, really?” Grey asked. The information, -seeing that it was necessary for him to -keep up his masquerade for awhile, was disconcerting.</p> - -<p>“Really, you have quite lost something—or -perhaps I should say you have gained something. -Your tone now has some colour, some modulation. -Yesterday you spoke like—you’ll pardon me, won’t -you?—you spoke like an automaton.”</p> - -<p>“Would you mind giving me an imitation?” -Grey laughed. “Oh, yes, I am serious. I want -to hear you. After awhile I’ll tell you why.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48">48</a></span> -“Since it is your pleasure, my dear Max,” Jack -replied in an even drone at low pitch, “I am only -too delighted to do as I am bidden. There you -are! That’s not exaggerated the least bit, either.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” Grey said; and then he sat for a -full minute in silence. He was impelled to make -a clean breast of the whole astounding affair to -this man and ask his aid. Though he was unacquainted -even with his name he felt he could trust -him. In this sudden and inexplicable faith his -aversion for Herr Schlippenbach and Captain Lindenwald -found its antithesis. He nevertheless -appreciated the importance of extreme caution, -and his judgment warred for the moment with his -impulse. Finally a truce was signed.</p> - -<p>“Was yesterday’s tone an affectation or is today’s?” -asked the Irishman jocularly.</p> - -<p>Grey took a sip at the pink contents of his glass.</p> - -<p>“Neither,” he answered, seriously; “yesterday -I was asleep; today I am awake.”</p> - -<p>“Tut, tut, man! Don’t talk in riddles,” the -other protested. “You were no more asleep last -night at Maxim’s than you are this minute. By -the way, did you see your friend Sarema as you<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49">49</a></span> -came in? She was sitting quite near the door a -little while ago.”</p> - -<p>“Sarema?”</p> - -<p>“To be sure. Come, come, my lad, has your -mood changed as well as your tone and voice? -You certainly remember the odalisque from the -Folies Bergères.”</p> - -<p>Grey’s eyes showed that his astonishment was -unfeigned.</p> - -<p>“Oh, but this is marvellous,” cried Jack, -leaning forward, his arms on the table. “You -weren’t drunk, man. You—you certainly weren’t -asleep.”</p> - -<p>“What is your name?” Grey asked, suddenly.</p> - -<p>“Fancy!” exclaimed the Irishman. “Have -you forgotten that, too? John James O’Hara, -lieutenant in His Majesty’s Second Dragoon -Guards, of Kirwan Lodge, Drumsna, County -Leitrim, at your service, sir. And you’ll be telling -me next, I suppose, that you don’t remember meeting -me in the smoke-room of the <i>Lucania</i> the first -day out of New York, and that over two months -ago.</p> - -<p>“As God is my judge,” Grey answered, solemnly,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50">50</a></span> -“I have no recollection of ever seeing you -before tonight.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara’s muscles stiffened and then relaxed. -There was no incredulity in his face, only -wonder.</p> - -<p>“And have you forgotten your own name, -too?” he queried, after a moment.</p> - -<p>“I never knew the name I am called by until -today.”</p> - -<p>“Gad, man, you’re crazy,” the Irishman commented, -lighting a fresh cigarette. “You’ve got -me all of a tangle. I’m damned if you’re not uncanny. -And your name is not Max Arndt at all, -then?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“And Herr Schlippenbach. He is not your -uncle?”</p> - -<p>“God forbid!”</p> - -<p>“And the Fräulein von Altdorf is not your -sister’s daughter, I suppose?”</p> - -<p>“I never had a sister.”</p> - -<p>The dragoon guard threw up his hands.</p> - -<p>“Then, if it’s all the same to you,” he continued, -“and not revealing any State secrets,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51">51</a></span> -would you be so good as to tell me who you are? -Introduce yourself to me. For it seems that -though we’ve been together the better part of two -months we’re still strangers.”</p> - -<p>Grey made a rapid but careful survey of his -neighbours. Under the circumstances it might -not be well to speak his own name where it could -be overheard. He took another drink of his <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">grenadine</i> -before replying.</p> - -<p>“After all,” he said, “this is hardly the place for -confidences. What do you say to walking over to -my hotel? We can have privacy there.”</p> - -<p>And Lieutenant O’Hara readily consented.</p> - -<p>At the door of the Hôtel Grammont a courier -was in excited dispute with the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i>.</p> - -<p>“But he will be here tomorrow, perhaps. Is it -not so?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot say. There is no Monsieur Grey here -now, of a certainty.”</p> - -<p>“You are sure? You are most sure?”</p> - -<p>“Is it not that I have said it twenty—thirty—a -hundred times?” insisted the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i>. “And you -are not the only one who has asked. There have -been three others here, including an agent of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52">52</a></span> -police. Ah, Monsieur Grey! He had better stay -away, perhaps.”</p> - -<p>When at length the room of the American was -reached and the door locked on the inside, Grey -turned to his friend.</p> - -<p>“Did you overhear the conversation below?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>“I caught snatches of it. A wire for someone, -wasn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; for me.”</p> - -<p>“For you?” O’Hara stared. “Then why in -God’s name didn’t you take it?”</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t afford to, and yet I’d give a good -deal to know its message.”</p> - -<p>“But it was for a person named Grey, I -thought. You are Grey, then?”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“And the police officer! He was looking for—you?”</p> - -<p>“For me,” Grey confessed. “Now you can -understand why I didn’t care to talk in the café.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara dropped into a chair.</p> - -<p>“This is very interesting,” he said, and his blue -eyes twinkled.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53">53</a></span> -Grey, his hands in his trousers’ pockets, was -standing before the chimney-piece. His expression -was very grave.</p> - -<p>“I suppose,” he began, “that you think me -rather a blackguard. Appearances so far are -against me, aren’t they? By my own admission -I’m here under an assumed name trying to evade -the minions of the law, who are hot-foot on my -trail. Everything you thought you knew about -me I have informed you is false. Therefore you -are not likely to be predisposed in my favour. -Consequently the story I’m going to tell you now -you’ll probably not believe. I’m free to admit that -if the situation were reversed I wouldn’t believe -you; and yet—I—well, I wouldn’t have taken -you into my confidence if it were not that I’m sure -you’re a gentleman—an honest, high-principled, -Irish gentleman who loves right and is willing to -fight for it.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara smiled encouragingly.</p> - -<p>“Drive ahead, my boy,” he urged; “the jury -is absolutely unprejudiced.”</p> - -<p>Then Grey plunged into a detailed narrative of -that surprising day. He told of his strange awakening<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54">54</a></span> -and parenthetically gave his hearer an idea -of his position at home and a glimpse of his previous -life. He rehearsed his conversation with -Frothingham; he repeated word for word the -cables he had sent to New York; he summarized -the articles he had read in the <i>Herald</i>; he described -the passing of Herr Schlippenbach and -recited his death-bed communication, and finally -he gave, as nearly as he could remember it, the -conversation between Lutz and Johann.</p> - -<p>O’Hara listened with rapt interest, interrupting -him now and then with a question, at times smiling -understandingly and at others scowling at -what he regarded as evidence of importance -against the little group by which Grey was surrounded. -At the conclusion of the recital he -sprang up and impulsively grasped the American’s -hand.</p> - -<p>“You’ll come out on top yet, boy,” he cried, -“and it’s John James O’Hara that’ll help to put -you there. I’ve heard of such cases as this before. -They’ve been drugging you, lad, that’s as plain -as the nose on my face, and your dear uncle, Herr -Schlippenbach, do you mind, has been the chief<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55">55</a></span> -drugger. It was because he was too ill to do his -work that the effects wore off. Now that he’s -gone they’re worried to death over you. Sure, -you’re not so blind that you can’t see that yourself.”</p> - -<p>“But I don’t understand——”</p> - -<p>“Of course you don’t. Neither do I. There’s -a lot we have got to find out. But two heads are -better than one; and you just put a big bundle of -trust in mine.”</p> - -<p>He was excited and his brogue, Grey thought, -was delightful.</p> - -<p>“What do you suggest?”</p> - -<p>“In the first place it is probably best that I tell -you what little I know. Your memory, up until -this afternoon, is a blank. Well, then, I’ll give you -the benefit of mine.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara lighted another cigarette and, taking a -deep inhalation, started pacing the floor, his head -bent thoughtfully forward.</p> - -<p>“As I said,” he began, “we met in the smoke-room -of the <i>Lucania</i> on the afternoon of Saturday, -the seventh of April. You told me your -name was Max Arndt, that you were born in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56">56</a></span> -Kürschdorf, the capital of Budavia, where your -uncle, Herr Schlippenbach, whom you accompanied, -had at one time been tutor in the royal family. -You had spent your life, however, in the -United States, had been engaged in the importation -of German wines, I think you said, in New -York, and were now on your way back to your -native town, where, by the death of a relation, -you had recently come into large estates. The -man Lutz was with you, but he appeared to be old -Schlippenbach’s valet rather than yours. On -reaching Liverpool you were met by Captain Lindenwald, -who is of the royal household of the -Kingdom of Budavia, and by the fellow Johann. -After about a week in London your party was -joined by Miss von Altdorf, who had been at -school somewhere in Kent. You told me she was -your sister’s child, an orphan, and that your uncle -and yourself supported her.”</p> - -<p>“Great God!” exclaimed Grey, amazedly, -“and did I seem sane—rational?”</p> - -<p>“Perfectly,” O’Hara answered; “you were the -character to the smallest detail. Your voice -was the only peculiar thing about you. You<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57">57</a></span> -spoke like a deaf man, with practically no inflection.”</p> - -<p>“Did you talk to Schlippenbach?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes; frequently. He was really very -clever. He had a wonderful fund of general -knowledge. There was scarcely a subject with -which he was not familiar. But his specialty was -phrenology. He told me that in his youth he had -known Dr. Spurzheim, the pupil of Dr. Franz -Gall, the founder of the science, that he had -studied under him and gone very deeply into the -matter. He was a chemist, too, and from something -he let drop one day I got the impression that -he had experimented considerably with anæsthetics, -narcotics, and that sort of thing.”</p> - -<p>“And to some purpose, apparently,” put in -Grey. “But his object, O’Hara? What in -heaven’s name could have been his object? I -never knew him—never saw him to my recollection -until he was dying.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, lad, we haven’t got that far yet, but we’ll -know before we’re through.”</p> - -<p>And then he went on with his story. He was -with the quartet a great deal in London, he said.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58">58</a></span> -He showed them about, and they were all very -appreciative. They stopped there until the middle -of May and then they moved on to Paris. Without -any intention of prying into their affairs he -had observed that Herr Schlippenbach and Captain -Lindenwald had a good deal of correspondence -with parties in Kürschdorf.</p> - -<p>“And what was my attitude towards them all?” -Grey inquired. “Was I very sociable or was I -reserved?”</p> - -<p>“You were rather dignified,” O’Hara answered; -“and now I come to think of it, they -treated you with considerable deference, though -they endeavoured to dissemble it whenever I was -about. Miss von Altdorf seemed quite fond of -you, old chap, and it was amusing to note how -Captain Lindenwald insisted on making love to -her at every opportunity, only to be gently, but -firmly, repulsed. As for that young woman I -found her most charming,—and you did too, apparently. -Of course, as she was your niece, you -could take her to dine tête-à-tête and to places of -amusement unchaperoned, and you did very frequently, -much to Lindenwald’s annoyance. Whatever<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59">59</a></span> -the plot is, Grey, I feel satisfied that she is -not in it.”</p> - -<p>“And now what do you advise?”</p> - -<p>“For the present at least to give no sign that -you suspect anything. You are well enough -posted now, my boy, to go straight ahead. Give -them enough rope and they’ll hang themselves as -sure as your name’s Grey and mine’s O’Hara. -Assume the tone I told you of, and they’ll never -suspect. They may be surprised, but they’ll be -happy and they’ll be unwary. Never take the initiative -yourself. Leave it all to Lindenwald.”</p> - -<p>“But what will they make out of it?” Grey -urged, curiously. “Surely you have formed some -theory?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I have a theory,” O’Hara responded, -“but it is probably just as well for me to keep it -to myself for a while.”</p> - -<p>“What do you think this talk about ‘thrones’ -and ‘mad princes’ means?”</p> - -<p>“That is for us to find out. And unless I am -more of a fool than I think, it will very shortly -develop. In the meantime you are anxious about -the answers to your cables, aren’t you? Since they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60">60</a></span> -are addressed to Grey, you can’t accept them, -that’s clear. But you shall know what is in them -just the same. I’ll undertake that for you.”</p> - -<p>“But——”</p> - -<p>“Never mind, lad; leave it to me.”</p> - -<p>“And the box with proofs that Schlippenbach -spoke of? That is important.”</p> - -<p>“To be sure. It is at the Gare du Nord in his -name or yours, eh? I’ll get it for you. But the -key?”</p> - -<p>Suddenly Grey remembered.</p> - -<p>“There is a key in a wallet I found. Possibly -that is it.”</p> - -<p>“Possibly.”</p> - -<p>And the thought of the wallet reminded him -that a fifty-franc note and some change was all -the money he had in his possession.</p> - -<p>“I’m a little short of funds,” he said. “Do -you happen to know how or where I have been in -the habit of getting money when I needed it?”</p> - -<p>O’Hara laughed.</p> - -<p>“The whole thing is so absurd,” he explained, -“as well as serious. Fancy your not knowing -what you have done every few days since you<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61">61</a></span> -landed! Johann has your letter of credit and gets -you whatever you desire. All that is necessary -is for you to sign your name.”</p> - -<p>When O’Hara had gone Grey sat for a long -time brooding over his extraordinary experience. -His head was still aching, throbbingly, and his -nerves were still a-tingle. Whatever treatment -he had been subjected to its effects had not yet -been entirely eliminated. He undressed, got into -his pyjamas and went to bed; but sleep was coy -and not to be won by wooing. He heard the -clock strike two and three and four, and he saw -the first gray sign of dawn between his curtains -before he fell into a restless, troubled, unrefreshing -slumber.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62">62</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="V"></a>V</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">Mr. Herbert Frothingham</span> -had that evening been one of a -dinner party of six at Armenonville. -He had sat between Miss -Hope Van Tuyl and Lady Constance Vincent, -and across a plateau of primrose-coloured orchids -the charming Mrs. Dickie Venable had at -intervals favoured him with fleeting smiles. -Nicholas Van Tuyl, sleek and ruddy, was -at the left of Lady Constance, who had for her -vis-à-vis Sinclair Edson, a tall, young, sallow-faced -secretary from the United States Embassy.</p> - -<p>“I hope you haven’t failed to observe the notabilities,” -this latter-named gentleman was saying -as he daintily dissected his <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">carpe au buerre noir</i>; -“there are quite a number here this evening.” -His pose as mentor was apt to grow annoying at -times, but the Van Tuyls had been in Paris only<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63">63</a></span> -two days, and father and daughter were alike interested.</p> - -<p>“Oh, do show me that East Indian prince or -whatever he is,” cried Hope enthusiastically, her -great dark eyes brilliant; “I’ve heard so much of -him. Is he here?”</p> - -<p>“The Maharajah of Kahlapore? Yes, he must -be here, surely. I never come nowadays but he is.”</p> - -<p>He turned his head and craned his neck in an -effort to locate the Hindu potentate. The piazza -of the pavilion was, as usual, crowded. Every -table was occupied—and the throng was the acme -of cosmopolitanism. Five continents were represented. -It was indeed a veritable congress of nations. -Monarchs, kings dethroned, and pretenders -rubbed elbows. Women of the world and of the -half-world brushed skirts. Dazzling toilets of -delicate tints were silhouetted against coats of -lustreless black. Diamonds blazed; pearls reflected -the myriad lights; gems of all colours, -shapes, and sizes glistened in the foreground and -sparkled in remote corners.</p> - -<p>“Ah, there he is,” Edson discovered, speaking -without turning his face; “there, off to the right.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64">64</a></span> -You can just see his white turban over the head of -that Titian-haired woman in the blue gown.”</p> - -<p>The whole party stared, stretching, twisting to -get a glimpse.</p> - -<p>“Rather insignificant, isn’t he?” observed Mrs. -Dickie disparagingly.</p> - -<p>“His turban accentuates his <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">café au lait</i> complexion,” -laughed Hope.</p> - -<p>“But you should see him at finger-bowl time,” -suggested Lady Constance, who had lunched next -to him and his suite that day at Paillard’s. “He -is most original.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, tell us,” cried Hope pleadingly; “what -does he do?”</p> - -<p>“It must be seen to be appreciated,” the Englishwoman -replied. She was auburn-haired, generously -proportioned, and rather stolid. Her tone -was even more of a refusal than her words.</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you,” volunteered Edson glibly. “He -has a special bowl twice the ordinary size and he -plunges his whole face in it.”</p> - -<p>“Horrors!” shrieked Mrs. Dickie; “he should -be arrested for attempted suicide.”</p> - -<p>“But he isn’t the most interesting personage<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65">65</a></span> -here by any means,” Edson pursued, now thoroughly -launched in the exercise of his <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">métier</i>; -“have you noticed the sallow-faced, heavy-browed -and long-moustached gentleman just three tables -away, dining with the dark-bearded president of -the Chamber of Deputies?”</p> - -<p>“The man with that enormous, gorgeously jewelled -star on his breast?” asked Miss Van Tuyl, -leaning back and gazing over Frothingham’s -shoulder. “Oh, what a brutal face he has!”</p> - -<p>“It is the Shah of Persia,” announced Edson; -and then he glanced about to revel in the effect of -his revelation.</p> - -<p>“He’s a beast,” commented Lady Constance, -disgustedly, “though I believe his manners have -improved somewhat since he was here last. Do -you know when he was in Berlin some years ago -he sat next to the Empress Augusta at a State -banquet, and whenever he got anything in his -mouth that was not to his taste, he just calmly -removed it!”</p> - -<p>“They say he thought nothing of putting his -hands on the bare shoulders of the women he -met,” Edson added.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66">66</a></span> -“I saw the King of the Belgians as we came in,” -said Mr. Van Tuyl, presently, as a waiter passed -the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">filet aux truffes</i>; “one sees him everywhere, -eh?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” Edson hastened to observe; “he’s -as omnipresent as the poor. But did you see the -woman with him? She’s the very latest, you -know. Was a <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Quartier Latin</i> model six months -ago and is now regarded as the most beautiful -woman in Paris. <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">La Minette Blanche</i>, they call -her. She has a palace on the Boulevard Malesherbes -and as many retainers as a princess.”</p> - -<p>“The old scoundrel!” exclaimed Mrs. Dickie, -vindictively; “I don’t know which is worse, the -Shah or he. He gained a reputation as a wife-beater -or something, didn’t he? At all events I’ll -bet the devil is keeping a griddle hot for him down -below, and it’s pretty near time he occupied it.”</p> - -<p>“How terribly spiteful!” laughed Frothingham; -“His Majesty isn’t a bad sort at all; a little -fickle, perhaps, but with his love of beauty and his -opportunities you can hardly expect domesticity. -And he’s done a lot of good in his way.”</p> - -<p>“Speaking of royalty, that is rather an odd<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67">67</a></span> -condition of affairs in Budavia, by the way,” suggested -Nicholas Van Tuyl. “Did you see the -paper this morning? The King is very ill. Can’t -live a fortnight; and there is a question as to the -succession. It seems that the Crown Prince was -kidnapped when he was five years old and nothing -has ever been heard of him. They don’t know -whether he is alive or dead.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, how interesting!” exclaimed Mrs. Dickie, -putting down her fork to listen. “And to whom -does the crown go?”</p> - -<p>“To King Frederic’s nephew, Prince Hugo; as -thorough a reprobate, they say, as there is in all -Europe.”</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t it be funny if the Crown Prince -should turn up at this juncture?” suggested Edson; -and there was something significant in his -tone.</p> - -<p>“Has such a possibility been hinted at?” asked -Van Tuyl.</p> - -<p>“Well—” and Edson hesitated the briefest -moment, “one can never tell.” Whether intentionally -or not, he gave the impression that he -knew more than he cared to divulge. “I had a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68">68</a></span> -call today from an officer of the Budavian army. -He is a member of the royal household.” He said -this with an air, and Frothingham muttered, -“Snob!” under his breath.</p> - -<p>“I suppose he spoke of the situation, eh?” -asked Van Tuyl.</p> - -<p>“Yes, of course, he referred to it. I met him -last year in Vienna. His call was purely social.”</p> - -<p>“Is he to be in Paris long?” asked Mrs. Dickie, -quickly. “Bring him to tea next Tuesday.”</p> - -<p>But Edson evaded a promise. He was listening -to Frothingham, who was saying:</p> - -<p>“You can never tell when or where or under -what circumstances a lost man will reappear. After -today I shall make it a rule not to believe a man -is dead unless I have seen him buried.”</p> - -<p>“Why, whom on earth have you seen?” questioned -Miss Van Tuyl. There was just the slightest -suspicion of a tremour in her voice, and her -eyes were apprehensive. The speaker, however, detected -neither. He had, in fact, quite forgotten, -if he had ever heard, that there had been an attachment -between the man he had that day met on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69">69</a></span> -<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">terrasse</i> of the Café de la Paix and the woman -who sat at his side.</p> - -<p>“Carey Grey, the absconder!”</p> - -<p>The words struck her as a blow from a clenched -fist. Her cheeks, which had been a trifle flushed, -went suddenly white as the damask napery. Her -jewelled fingers clutched the edge of the table. -She felt that she was falling backward, that everything -was receding, and she caught the table edge -to save herself.</p> - -<p>“Carey Grey!” repeated Nicholas Van Tuyl, -in amazement. “Surely you must have been mistaken!”</p> - -<p>“Not a bit of it. I talked to him.”</p> - -<p>“The devil!” exclaimed Edson and then apologised.</p> - -<p>“You’d never know him,” Frothingham went -on, after emptying his champagne glass; “he has -bleached his hair, and he is wearing a bleached -beard, too.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, horrible!” This from Mrs. Dickie.</p> - -<p>“Told a most remarkable story about not knowing -anything for five months; brain fever or something. -I must admit he was very convincing.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70">70</a></span> -“I wonder if that is the man I knew?” Lady -Constance broke in. “He came over with an -American polo team; he was a great friend of -Lord Stanniscourt’s.”</p> - -<p>“Same man,” said Van Tuyl, with a glint of -admiration in his tone. “He was a capital polo -player, and—yes, by Jove, a rattling good fellow -in every way. It was a surprise to everyone when -he went wrong.” He had been watching his -daughter with no little anxiety. Now her colour -was returning and her hands were in her lap.</p> - -<p>“Yes, to everyone,” Mrs. Dickie volunteered, -“the whole thing was simply astounding. He -had a good business, hadn’t he? What do you -suppose he wanted with that money?”</p> - -<p>“Nobody was ever able to conjecture,” answered -Frothingham, as he helped himself to some -<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">caneton</i>.</p> - -<p>“And he is really here in Paris?” queried -Edson, twirling the long stem of a fragile -wineglass between thumb and finger. “Where is -he stopping?”</p> - -<p>Hope Van Tuyl unconsciously leaned forward -to catch the address.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71">71</a></span> -“I don’t know. I never thought to inquire.”</p> - -<p>From the violins of the tziganes glided the -languorous strains of the “Valse Bleue,” and instantly -all other sounds dwindled. Even the clatter -of knives and forks seemed gradually to cease -and the babble of tongues was vague and far -away. Into the girl’s dark eyes came an expression -of melancholy, and the corners of her red-lipped -mouth drooped. The leaves of her calendar -had been fluttered back a twelvemonth by the melody, -and she was out under the stars with the cool -breeze from the Hudson fanning her flushed -cheeks. Through the open French windows of -the clubhouse at her back the music was floating. -Beside her, his arm girdling her waist, was the -man to whom she had just promised her love and -loyalty—the man whose name she would be proud -to wear through all her days—Carey Grey. The -ineffable joy, the blissful content of the moment -were, in some mystic manner, reborn by the chords -that sang and swelled and vibrated and whispered, -and yet over all, mingling with the delicious, intoxicating -happiness of this reincarnated experience,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72">72</a></span> -was an overpowering sense of loss—dire, -monstrous, crushing.</p> - -<p>“Hope, dear,”—it was her father’s voice that -brought her back to the present. His anxious -eyes had still been upon her. “Drink your wine, -girl; you aren’t ill, are you? Mr. Edson has been -speaking to you and I don’t believe you’ve heard -a word.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I beg your pardon, Mr. Edson,” she ejaculated, -recovering herself. “I fear for the -moment I was very far off. Would you mind -repeating what you said?”</p> - -<p>“I was proposing a coaching party to Versailles -for Saturday, and as everybody seemed to approve -I took the opportunity to ask you if you would do -me the honour of occupying the box seat.”</p> - -<p>“With pleasure,” she accepted, smiling bravely, -though a dull, leaden pain was gripping her heart; -“I think it will be simply lovely.”</p> - -<p>The sextet had come to the restaurant crowded -into Mr. Edson’s big touring car, and when at -length the dinner was finished and the men had -smoked their cigars and the moon had come up -from behind the trees and floated like a silver boat<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73">73</a></span> -in the deep blue sea of the heavens, they took their -places again and went spinning at frantic speed -out into the Allée de Longchamp. A quick turn to -the left and in another instant the Porte Dauphine -had been passed and the machine was flying -smoothly down the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne -with the Arc de Triomphe rising massively white -in the moonlight ahead.</p> - -<p>Frothingham found himself brought very close -to Hope Van Tuyl by the exigencies of the -arrangement of six goodly sized persons in a space -designed for five; and he was glad that it was so. -He had seen much of her during the winter season -in New York, and he had come abroad chiefly -because he knew that she and her father had -planned to spend the early summer in Europe. -She was the type of woman he admired. She was -tall and athletic, fond of sports and clever at them, -but not so much of an enthusiast as to be open to -the charge of having unsexed herself. She was, -indeed, intensely feminine. Though she could -handle a coach and four as dexterously as the -average masculine whip and could drive a golf ball -well on to two hundred yards, her hands were as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74">74</a></span> -delicately white and her fingers as long and taper -as those of a girl whose most strenuous exertion -was the execution of a Chopin nocturne. Her hair -was dark, almost black, with glinting bronze reflections -in the sunlight. Her eyes were the brown -of chestnuts and her eyebrows black and perfectly -arched. Frothingham had dreamed night after -night of her mouth—it was so red and so tenderly -curved, and her lips seemed always moist.</p> - -<p>He had noticed her preoccupation towards the -close of the dinner, and he had marvelled as to -the cause. It was such an unusual mood for her. -Now, as they were sweeping with exhilarating -speed down the long avenue, with its double row -of glittering lights that flashed by in streaks—while -all the rest were laughing, shouting, shrieking -in the exuberance of the moment—she was -still abstracted, silent.</p> - -<p>Frothingham ventured to place a hand over one -of hers, but she drew her own away instantly, as -though the contact were painful. He fancied then -that he had perhaps unwittingly offended her in -some way, and he whispered, close to her ear:</p> - -<p>“I hope you are not annoyed at me. Have I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75">75</a></span> -been guilty of any discourtesy? I am sure -I——”</p> - -<p>But it was very evident she was not listening, -and he broke off in the middle of the sentence.</p> - -<p>The Van Tuyls were stopping at the Ritz, and -there Edson put them down. Frothingham, who -had taken lodgings not far away, alighted too, -and Nicholas Van Tuyl asked him in.</p> - -<p>“I feel like a brandy and soda,” he said, “and -I want company.”</p> - -<p>Hope excused herself and went directly to her -room. She was very nervous and very <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">distraite</i>. -The story that Carey Grey was not only alive and -in Paris, but had been ill, delirious and therefore -unaccountable, disquieted and distressed her. She -had loved him more than she knew until his crime -and his flight, and, above all, his desertion without -a word of explanation, revealed to her the fulness -of her passion. Then she had battled with -herself for a time; had grown philosophic and had -reasoned, and eventually had gathered together -the pages of her life that bore his name, had torn -them out and, as she believed, destroyed them -utterly. And now they were here before her, suddenly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76">76</a></span> -restored as a magician makes whole again -the articles that he tears into bits before his auditors’ -eyes.</p> - -<p>As she entered her room her maid, who had -been reading near a window, arose, took up something -from her dressing-table and came toward -her with it in her outstretched hand.</p> - -<p>“A telegram for m’amselle,” she said. She was -a very pretty French maid, and she had a very -delicious French accent. She preferred to speak -in English, though Miss Van Tuyl invariably -answered her in French. “It came not ten minutes -ago, m’amselle.”</p> - -<p>Hope walked listlessly to where an electric lamp -glowed under a Dresden shade, tearing open the -envelope as she went. Unfolding the inclosure, -she held it in the light’s glare; and then the little -blue sheet dropped from her nerveless fingers, and -she reeled. Had it not been for Marcelle she might -have fallen; but the girl, burning with curiosity -to learn the contents of the telegram—or cablegram, -as it proved—had followed her mistress’s -every movement, and now her arm was about her -waist.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77">77</a></span> -“Oh, m’amselle, m’amselle,” she cried in alarm; -“my poor m’amselle! Is it that you hear the bad -news?”</p> - -<p>But Miss Van Tuyl made no reply. Recovering -herself, she crossed the room and sat down in the -chair by the window that Marcelle had just -vacated. The girl stood for a moment irresolute. -Then she stooped and picked up the sheet of blue -paper, placing it on the table under the lamp. -As she did so her quick eye took in enough to -satisfy her as to its import. It was from Miss -Van Tuyl’s brother in New York, and it repeated -a cable just received. The words made a very -deep impression on Marcelle because of one of -them, of which, though it was quite as much -French as it was English, she did not know the -meaning.</p> - -<p>“That he is here in Paris I can understand; -and that he is alive and well, oh, yes!” she iterated -and reiterated to herself; “but what is it he means -by ‘<em>in-ex-pleek-able</em>’? ‘Conditions <em>in-ex-pleek-able</em>’? -Oh, I fear, I fear, that is something very -terrible.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78">78</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="VI"></a>VI</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">There</span> came a gentle tap on Grey’s -door; then a rap, louder and more -insistent; and then repeated knocking, -aggressive, commanding; and -Grey, aroused suddenly from what was more -stupor than sleep, sat up in bed, startled, crying:</p> - -<p>“Come in! <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Entrez! Herein!</i>”</p> - -<p>The door opened and Johann entered.</p> - -<p>“It is long after noon, Herr Arndt,” he said, -bowing, “and the funeral is arranged for three -o’clock.”</p> - -<p>Grey rubbed his eyes and made an effort to collect -his scattered senses.</p> - -<p>“Ah, yes,” he murmured, after a moment; -“Herr Schlippenbach’s funeral.”</p> - -<p>“It is very wet,” Johann continued; “since six -this morning it has been raining. I have ordered -Herr Arndt’s coffee. It will be here presently.”</p> - -<p>“And my tub?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79">79</a></span> -“It waits, Herr Arndt.”</p> - -<p>While Grey, in bathrobe and slippers, was sipping -his <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">café au lait</i> and nibbling a <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">brioche</i>, Captain -Lindenwald presented himself.</p> - -<p>“I have arranged everything,” he announced, -with an air of thorough self-satisfaction; “for -the present we will leave the remains here in -Paris. Later we can decide whether they shall be -brought on to Kürschdorf or sent back to America. -I have placed all the details of the obsequies in -the hands of the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Compagnie des Pompes Funèbres</i>. -The temporary interment will be this afternoon at -Père-la-Chaise. Will it be the pleasure of Herr -Arndt to attend?”</p> - -<p>Grey raised his cup to his lips and replaced it -on the saucer before replying. He wished to make -sure that he could rid his tone of all modulation.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he answered, speaking with great care, -“I will go.” If he was to play the game it were -better that he played every hand dealt to him.</p> - -<p>After a little he asked:</p> - -<p>“And the Fraülein von Altdorf? How is she -today?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, much better,” returned the Herr Captain,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80">80</a></span> -his face beaming; “she is more composed, more -resigned. She is a wonderful young woman, Herr -Arndt; and oh, she is so beautiful!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, she is very lovely,” Grey acquiesced.</p> - -<p>But his thoughts at the moment were not of her. -Lindenwald’s eulogy had set vibrant a chord of -emotion, had conjured a picture, had reproduced -a dream that seemed a reality. It was indeed difficult -for him to reconcile the remembrance of that -sleep fantasy, so vivid was it in every detail, with -the knowledge that it was not a waking experience. -He had sat for hours, it seemed, beside Hope Van -Tuyl, gazing into the limpid depths of her sympathetic -eyes, listening to the melody of her clear, -full-toned voice. They were in a great garden with -parterres of gay, sweet-scented flowers—roses and -heliotrope and geraniums—and smooth terraces -of greensward with marble nymphs and satyrs on -mossy pedestals, and above them the kindly, protecting, -leafy branches of an old oak. He had, he -thought, just found again the girl he loved—found -her after a long, long separation, and now she was -close within his hungry arms and her lips were -always very near his own. He was telling her<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81">81</a></span> -some fantastic tale, like a bit culled from the -Arthurian legends, of how he was a great king, -and had only been away to claim his own, and now -she was to be his queen and sit beside him on the -throne in robes of purple and ermine and help him -rule his people with justice and mercy.</p> - -<p>Yet here he was sitting in a Paris hotel bedchamber, -with a man who was almost a stranger, -while the rain was pelting on the window-panes -and the room was so gloomy that he could scarcely -see the face of his visitor. The recollection of the -dream thus contrasted filled him with a spirit of -rebellion. He was beset with an impulse to reveal -without further delay his true condition and let -the culprits, whoever they might be, escape with -their object undefined and their plunder unrestored. -The craving to see and hold and talk to -the woman he adored obsessed him for the -moment, and he felt that all else was trivial and -futile.</p> - -<p>It was in this mood still that Jack O’Hara found -him an hour later.</p> - -<p>“I am off to America by the first steamer,” he -said, joyously. “It is all tommyrot following this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82">82</a></span> -thing up. I’m going back, tell everything as far -as I know, and let the police do the rest.”</p> - -<p>The Irishman looked at him in amazement.</p> - -<p>“What’s come over you, lad?” he asked, solemnly. -“Have you gone off your head or are -you dreaming? Sure you’re not going to back out -now when we’ve got such a pretty little fight ahead -of us, with the enemy in ambush and afraid to -show their colours?”</p> - -<p>“No, I’m not off my head,” Grey replied a little -less gaily. He did not like the suggested imputation -of cowardice.</p> - -<p>“Then you are dreaming, sure.”</p> - -<p>“I have been.” The reply was ambiguous, but -O’Hara took it that his friend had changed his -mind.</p> - -<p>“And you’re not now; you’re awake, wide -awake, eh? And you’re going to stop and rout -’em, horse, foot, and dragoon? That’s right, -man. What the devil put the going-home notion -in your noddle? I’ll wager twenty pounds it’s a -woman you’ve been thinking of.”</p> - -<p>Grey stood by the window looking out on the -drenched Boulevard. O’Hara’s words were an<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83">83</a></span> -inspiration, but the face and form of Hope were -still before him and her voice still echoed in his -ears. The longing would not easily down.</p> - -<p>“I’ve been looking after your blessed cablegrams,” -the Irishman went on. “There’s only -one there for you. I told ’em my name was Grey -and opened it and read it. Then I gave it back -to ’em, and explained it must be for same other -Grey. I told ’em my name was Charley, and that -that was addressed to Carey.”</p> - -<p>“Only one?” Grey exclaimed, in a tone of disappointment, -turning. “I don’t suppose Mallory -will answer. What a damned blackguard he must -think me! He’s handed my cable over to the police, -of course. I suppose extradition papers are under -way by this time. But the one? What was it?”</p> - -<p>“Here, I wrote it down so as not to forget,” -and O’Hara, after fumbling in his breast pocket, -produced an envelope on which was written:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Overcome with joy. I never gave up hope. God bless -you.—<span class="smcap">Mother.</span></p></blockquote> - -<p>Grey turned to the window again, his eyes as -wet as the panes. After a little he asked:</p> - -<p>“And that was the only one?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84">84</a></span> -“The only one.”</p> - -<p>Then Hope had not answered. She believed -him guilty, of course. It would have been better -to have let her, like the rest of the world, think -him dead. What a trickster is the weaver of -dreams! How real had seemed his vision, and yet -how untrue! And he had thought of going to her -as fast as the speediest ocean liner could take -him. Oh, yes, he was awake now; wide, wide -awake.</p> - -<p>“I couldn’t get the box at the Gare du Nord,” -O’Hara continued. “They’d given a brass or -something for it and had no record of your name -or Schlippenbach’s either. You had better ask -Johann about it, or Lutz.”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said Grey.</p> - -<p>A hearse had stopped before the door, and he -began now putting on his gloves.</p> - -<p>“No,” he added as he buttoned the grey suèdes, -“I’m not going back to America, O’Hara. Maybe -I’ll never go back. I’m going to Schlippenbach’s -funeral now, and I’m going to follow this thing -to the end of the route if it takes me through hell.” -His face was very set and solemn, and he spoke<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85">85</a></span> -with a determination that made O’Hara’s eyes -dance.</p> - -<p>“Bravo, lad!” he cried, enthusiastically. “I -still have two months’ leave, and I’ll go with you, -hand in hand, every step of the way.”</p> - -<p>The drive to Père-la-Chaise was very long and -very boresome. Captain Lindenwald was not inclined -to conversation and Grey dared not attempt -to lead in the direction he wished, for fear of revealing -how little he knew of what had been prearranged. -He gathered, however, that it had been -planned to start for Budavia early in the following -week and that the death of Herr Schlippenbach -was not to interfere with this arrangement; but -of what they were going for—of what was to -follow their arrival, he could glean no hint.</p> - -<p>On the return from the cemetery, however, an -incident occurred which he regarded as significant, -though it only added to his perplexity. The carriage -had just crossed the Place de la République, -past the great bronze statue which adorns -the square, and was rolling leisurely along the -Boulevard St. Martin, when Lindenwald suddenly -drew back in the corner in evident trepidation,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86">86</a></span> -catching Grey’s arm and dragging him back with -him.</p> - -<p>“For God’s sake!” he whispered, excitedly. -“Did you see that man?”</p> - -<p>“What man?” Grey asked, a little annoyed. -He had seen a score of men. The day was waning; -the rain had ceased and there was the usual -crowd that throngs the boulevards at the green -hour.</p> - -<p>Lindenwald clutched him tightly for a moment, -huddled away from the window of the voiture. At -this point the sidewalks are somewhat higher than -the roadway and they had both been looking up -at the pedestrians, more interested in the procession -than in each other.</p> - -<p>“He was standing in front of the Folies Dramatiques,” -Lindenwald explained, presently; “his -presence here means no good.”</p> - -<p>“But who?” Grey persisted.</p> - -<p>“It was the Baron von Einhard. You know -who the Baron von Einhard is. Ah! It is very -plain. In some way, in spite of all our precautions, -Hugo has got word. We must now be more -than careful. The Baron, my dear Herr Arndt,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87">87</a></span> -would not hesitate one little—one very little -moment to cut your throat if he got the chance.” -Lindenwald shut his teeth tight, puckered his lips, -and peered convincingly at Grey between half-lowered -lids.</p> - -<p>The American crushed back an exclamation of -surprise. In its place he substituted an inquiry.</p> - -<p>“What is the Baron like?” he asked, wondering -whether he had seen him. The question was -a risk, but he ventured.</p> - -<p>“He is small, dark, sharp-featured. He looks -more like an Italian than a Budavian, and he is -vengeful. He is, too, oh, so shrewd! Six assassinations -are at his door, and yet—positively, Herr -Arndt, what I say is true—not one of them can be -brought home to him.”</p> - -<p>“You are quite sure it was he whom you saw?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, quite sure, of a certainty. I only trust he -did not see us. But his eyes are lynx-like. If he -saw us you can be assured we are even now being -followed. Will it be too warm, do you think, if I -lower the shade? He is not here alone, and they -are on the lookout.”</p> - -<p>“As you think best,” Grey replied. And Captain<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88">88</a></span> -Lindenwald pulled down the silk covering of -the window.</p> - -<p>When at length they alighted at the Hôtel -Grammont and entered the courtyard the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i> -informed the Captain that a gentleman was waiting -for him in the reading-room. He went in, -with Grey, who wished to look at a newspaper, -closely following; and a tall, sallow-faced young -man, faultlessly attired, rose and came towards -them.</p> - -<p>Grey turned aside to a table, but Lindenwald -greeted the caller with no little suavity of manner.</p> - -<p>“Ah, Monsieur Edson,” he said, affably, “this -is indeed an honour. You have not, I hope, been -waiting long?”</p> - -<p>“I have a favour to ask,” the young diplomat -replied, “and I shall take only a moment of your -time, Captain. I today received advices from the -State Department at Washington that there is an -American stopping at this hotel whose name is -Grey, though they tell me here there is no one of -that name in the house. It seems he cabled to -New York yesterday and gave this as his address. -He is wanted for embezzlement.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89">89</a></span> -Grey overheard the words and stood motionless, -tense, listening eagerly. His eyes were bent over -the table, but it was so dark in the room that the -print of the paper before him was but a grey -blur.</p> - -<p>“And you would like me to—?” asked Lindenwald. -There was no savour of agitation in his -voice, and Grey wondered how much or how little -he knew.</p> - -<p>“I thought perhaps you might aid me. Fortunately -I have his description. I dined in company -with a man last night who has seen him. He is -tall, well set-up, and has fair hair, beard and -moustache.”</p> - -<p>“There are many such,” replied the Captain, -shrugging his shoulders.</p> - -<p>A servant entered with a burning wax taper, -and Grey stepped aside for him to light the gas -over the table. As he did so he faced Edson, and -the illumination lit his features.</p> - -<p>“Ah, there,” the caller whispered, a little nervously, -“standing by the table behind you—there -is a man of the very type. Perhaps that is he.”</p> - -<p>Captain Lindenwald turned his head.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90">90</a></span> -“Ha, ha!” he laughed, clapping his hand on -Edson’s shoulder, “that is very droll, very. Do -you remember what I told you yesterday at the -Embassy?”</p> - -<p>Edson nodded.</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, of course. But——”</p> - -<p>“Well, it is he.”</p> - -<p>“He?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, to be sure. In the strictest confidence, -mind you. I would not tell you were it not that -I want to assure you beyond all question that he, -of all persons, cannot be suspected.”</p> - -<p>Grey smiled in spite of himself.</p> - -<p>“That man is——”</p> - -<p>“Sh!” warned Lindenwald his voice very -low. “Yes, that man is His Royal Highness, -Prince Maximilian, heir apparent to the throne of -Budavia.”</p> - -<p>In spite of the low tone of the speaker Grey -caught the words, and the blood went rushing to -his head and set him dizzy. What monstrous lie -was this? He heir apparent to the throne of -Budavia! He, a descendant of plain Puritan ancestry, -a republican of republicans, being posed as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91">91</a></span> -a royal personage! It was staggering. And this -was the solution to the riddle. This was why they -were going to Kürschdorf. Herr Arndt was a -name assumed. The Crown Prince was travelling -incognito. It was all too ridiculous. He had suspected -some mad scheme from Schlippenbach’s -death-bed admonition and from Lutz’s overheard -conversation with Johann, but this comic opera -dénouement was quite beyond anything he had -permitted himself to fancy.</p> - -<p>The young gentleman from the United States -Embassy was evidently duly impressed. He coloured -and he apologised and he looked hard at -Grey to make sure that he would recognise Prince -Maximilian should he again chance to see him—dining -at Armenonville, for instance.</p> - -<p>“I hope,” he added, with a faint smile, “that -you will not mention my stupid blunder to His -Royal Highness. I should be mortified to have -him know.”</p> - -<p>“Ha, ha!” laughed Lindenwald again, “he -would take it as a good joke. Oh, yes, I must tell -him. He will be so much amused.”</p> - -<p>Edson sidled toward the door and the Budavian<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92">92</a></span> -officer turned to accompany him, but stopped -short, his face suddenly pallid. Standing on the -threshold, not five paces away, was the small, wiry, -dark, sharp-featured man he had noticed on the -Boulevard St. Martin.</p> - -<p>“Good evening, Herr Captain,” said the Baron -von Einhard, his eyes twinkling.</p> - -<p>Captain Lindenwald saluted in military fashion, -and the Baron returned the salute as Edson -brushed by him into the passage.</p> - -<p>“You did not, I suppose, expect to see me in -Paris, eh?” the newcomer observed.</p> - -<p>“You were the last man for whom I looked, -Baron,” the officer rejoined. “What is the latest -news from Kürschdorf?”</p> - -<p>“You have not seen the evening papers, -then?”</p> - -<p>“No.”</p> - -<p>“His Majesty is much worse. His condition -became alarming this morning, at nine o’clock. -He cannot, the doctors say, live over forty-eight -hours.” He made the announcement with an air -of pleasurable anticipation. “I should fancy, -Herr Captain, that your presence might be required<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93">93</a></span> -at the Palace. Or,” and there was a world -of cunning suggestion in his tone, “you have more -important business here in Paris?”</p> - -<p>“As you say, Herr Baron,” Lindenwald replied, -visibly uncomfortable. He was questioning -whether the Baron had overheard his conversation -with Edson, and if so, how much. The man’s -small eyes were like the eyes of a snake, beady and -sinister. They compelled against one’s will.</p> - -<p>“You remain here long?” von Einhard continued, -smiling insinuatingly.</p> - -<p>“The length of my stay is undetermined.”</p> - -<p>“I trust we shall meet again,” and the Baron, -still smiling, bowed, turned on his heel and -vanished.</p> - -<p>Grey, who had been listening, now rejoined the -Captain.</p> - -<p>“He followed us, evidently,” he ventured.</p> - -<p>“He is a serpent,” Lindenwald commented, -gravely, “and one to be feared. He crawls in -the grass, gives no sign and strikes with poisoned -fang where and when least expected. We must -be very wary—very wary, indeed, until we are -quite sure he has left the city. Ah, and that is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94">94</a></span> -not the worst—how can we ever be sure? This -is a case, Herr Arndt, where caution is more advisable -than valour.”</p> - -<p>“And your advice is?” Grey queried.</p> - -<p>“My advice is never to go out unaccompanied. -Already he is setting his traps, arranging his pitfalls. -You cannot conceive of his ingenuity. I -am vexed because I feel myself unequal to combat -his trickery. In fair fight I have no fear, but to -fence with von Einhard is to be always in danger -of the impalpable.”</p> - -<p>When they had separated and Grey was alone -in his room, he flung himself into a comfortable -chair, lighted a cigarette and gave himself up to -reflection. The gravity of the affair was not to -be minimized, yet he could not repress a smile as -he thought of the triangular form the matter had -assumed and of the complications, ramifications -and cross-purposes that had developed. Personally -his object was to detect and bring to justice -those persons who had, for some reason not yet -divulged, been using him as a cat’s-paw to attain -an end of which he was also ignorant. He had, -of course, every reason to believe that in this plot<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95">95</a></span> -Captain Lindenwald was a prominent factor, and -as such his hand was against him. Meanwhile the -machinery of international justice had been set in -motion to bring about his own apprehension, extradition -and punishment for a crime he had never -contemplated and never willingly committed. -Whether to this infraction Captain Lindenwald -had been a party he had no means of knowing, -but now it had turned out that another enemy was -in the field—an aggressive foe seeking his life—and -in this new battle Captain Lindenwald, -strangely enough, was, it would seem, his staunch -ally. He wondered whether any man had ever -before been so harassed, so persecuted, so -maligned, so humiliated through no fault of his -own; and his sense of injury waxed more galling -and his resentment more turbulently avid. He -grew impatient of every hour’s delay in the chase, -restless under his enforced inaction and fretful -over the tardy revelation of past events and the -development of future plans.</p> - -<p>Then the thought of the box at the Gare du -Nord recurred to him, and he got up and rang for -Johann. But the youth knew nothing of it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96">96</a></span> -“Lutz, perhaps,” he said; “it is possible that -Lutz knows. I will send him to you, Herr -Arndt.”</p> - -<p>And a little later Lutz came in. His air was -timid and his manner uneasy. His eyes were furtive -and refused to meet his master’s, and his -fingers were in constant motion.</p> - -<p>“Ah, Lutz,” Grey greeted him composedly, taking -great care to erase all modulation from his -tone, “there is somewhere, probably among poor -Herr Schlippenbach’s effects, a receipt or check -for a box at a railway station here in Paris—at -the Gare du Nord, in fact. I wish you would see -if you can find it for me.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Herr Arndt.” His gaze was on the -carpet.</p> - -<p>“Immediately, Lutz.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Herr Arndt.”</p> - -<p>“That is all.”</p> - -<p>When he had gone Grey began pacing the -floor like a madman, his fists clenched, his eyes -blazing.</p> - -<p>“Was ever guilt more apparent?” he asked -himself. “It is written all over him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97">97</a></span> -And he wondered how he had controlled himself, -how he had refrained from catching him by -the throat and strangling a confession from him -without more ado.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98">98</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="VII"></a>VII</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap b"><span class="smcap1">Grey</span> dined that evening across the -Boulevard at the Maison Dorée, in -company with Fräulein von Altdorf -and Herr Captain Lindenwald; and, -as the officer insisted that it was advisable for -them to avoid as much as possible the -public eye, the trio dined in a <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">cabinet particulier</i> -on the second floor with windows open on the -street. It was not a very gay dinner, in spite of -the Herr Captain’s efforts to infuse some mirth -into it. Miss von Altdorf was apparently still -grief-stricken over her great-uncle’s sudden death, -and though she strove valiantly to smile at Lindenwald’s -essays at wit and to respond with some -animation to Grey’s less jocose but cheerful observations, -it was with such palpable exertion as -to rather discourage her would-be entertainers.</p> - -<p>Her youth was a surprise to the American. At -first sight he had fancied her three or four-and-<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99">99</a></span>twenty, -but he was satisfied now that she could -not be more than eighteen. Her figure was distinctly -girlish.</p> - -<p>She was all in white, from her great ostrich-plumed -hat of Leghorn straw to her tiny canvas -bottines, because, young as she was, she entertained -prejudices against conventional mourning, and -exercised them. It was a question, however, -whether in black or white she was more beautiful. -In the death-chamber Grey had seen her sombre-robed -and had pronounced her rarely lovely, and -now in raiment immaculately snowy she was -equally alluring. Her expression was naturally -pensive and her recent sorrow had given to her -big, deep-set, long-lashed blue eyes a pathos that -awoke the tenderest emotions. As the American -gazed at her across the table he experienced a -thrill of sentiment that was undeniable, and he -had but to glance at Lindenwald to see in his contemplation -the same fervency of soul.</p> - -<p>“I should like it,” Grey said to her when the -dinner was about over and he was burning his -cognac over his coffee, “if you would take a trip -with me tomorrow into the country. We will<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100">100</a></span> -start early and have <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">déjeuner</i> at some inn, under -the trees. It will do you a world of good.”</p> - -<p>Something very like a frown gathered on Lindenwald’s -brow, but it passed before he spoke.</p> - -<p>“Do not forget my warning, Herr Arndt,” he -interjected. “It would perhaps be safer for me -to accompany Fraülein von Altdorf.”</p> - -<p>“I will chance it,” Grey replied, decisively. “I -feel that I, too, need a little outing.”</p> - -<p>“It will be lovely, Uncle Max,” the girl responded, -with more animation than she had previously -shown. “Let us go to Versailles. I have -never been, and I have read so much about it.”</p> - -<p>“Versailles it shall be, my dear,” he answered, -lighting a cigarette, while Lindenwald brushed -his hand across his brow to hide a scowl.</p> - -<p>Grey’s broken, unrefreshing, dreamful slumber -of the night before, followed by a tiresome, distressing -day, resulted early in the evening in a -drowsiness that he could not shake off. For a -while he dozed in a chair by an open window, but -when the clock had struck eleven he arose and -prepared for bed, and in a little while he was sleeping -soundly behind his blue velvet curtains.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101">101</a></span> -The night, however, was warm and close after -the rain of the day, and, as the hours wore on, the -sleeper grew restless and turned uneasily from -side to side, by-and-by waking at each turning -and seeking a cool spot between the sheets. At -length sleep forsook him altogether, and he lay -quite wide awake peering into the darkness in an -effort to distinguish objects. But the night was -very black and the room was enveloped in a pall -of ink, save where the reflection from the street -lamps spread patches of dim yellow light on wall -and ceiling. The stillness, too, was oppressive. -The boulevard was dead, and within doors no -sound except the monotonous ticking of the clock -on the mantel-shelf was audible.</p> - -<p>He waited longingly for the clock to strike that -he might know how many hours must elapse before -the dawn; and as he waited, his senses alert, -there broke softly on the silence the stealthy tread -of feet in the passage on the other side of the wall -near which he lay. No sooner had he heard the -footsteps than they ceased, and the sound was succeeded -by a muffled, metallic clicking from the -direction of his door. With Lindenwald’s warning<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102">102</a></span> -in mind he had turned the key in the lock before -retiring, and he recalled this now with a sense -of satisfied security; but even as he did so he was -conscious of the door being pushed slowly but -creakingly ajar, and then the tread that he had -heard without he heard within. He held his breath, -not in affright, for he was, he realised, wonderfully -composed, but lest he scare away the intruder -before the object of his visit was made plain.</p> - -<p>Another second and a figure had crossed in the -dim light that came from one of the windows. It -was a rather undersized figure, Grey thought, but -its attitude was crouching, almost creeping, and -he might be deceived. Quickly a hand went to -the cord loops at either side of the casements -and dropped the curtains, and now the room -was devoid of even the dim illumination from -the street lamps. Then again, for a heart-beat, -there was a blade of light visible as the -visitor’s arm shot quickly between the lowered -window hangings and drew cautiously together -the open sashes, first one and then the other.</p> - -<p>The steps now approached the bed—very -slowly, haltingly, as though the intruder stopped<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103">103</a></span> -at each footfall to listen. Grey waited, with every -muscle tense, his nerves a-strain, wondering, speculating -as to this night prowler’s next move. For -a little while his approach ceased and the suspense -grew maddening. The man had evidently halted -in the centre of the room. Then there came the -faintest tinkle of glass touched to glass, so faint -that the ticking of the clock made question whether -it was not imagination; and then the stealthy -stepping was resumed, but more nearly silent than -before, until the man in the bed, with heart pounding, -teeth shut tight and breath indrawn and held, -knew that the other was there beside him—leaning -in over him, between the curtains, with a hand -outstretched....</p> - -<p>Blindly, into the pitch dark, with all its power -of nerve and muscle, Grey’s clenched fist shot upward -just as a cloth, wet with a liquid so suffocatingly -volatile as to stagger him for the instant, -dropped on his face. He heard a startled cry, half -moan, half groan, and then a crash as a body reeled -backward and, losing its balance, toppled over a -chair. On his feet in a flash, Grey made haste to -follow up his advantage. His foot touched his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104">104</a></span> -fallen assailant and he flung his full weight down -upon him, groping wildly in the dark to find his -arms and pinion them. But the fellow wriggled -like a worm—twisting agilely, squirming from -under his clutch—and his arms evaded capture. -Locked in a desperate embrace they rolled over -and over, now half rising to their knees, now -thrown back again, upsetting tables and chairs, -pounding their heads stunningly on floor and wall, -clutching at each other’s hair, gripping each -other’s throats—a wrestling match in which -science had neither time nor place; a struggle for -capture on the part of one, and for escape on the -part of the other.</p> - -<p>Grey was the stronger of the two, the heavier, -the more muscular, but his foe was all elasticity, -wiry, resilient, untiring, indomitable. The minutes -passed without any apparent advantage to -either. The smaller man was swearing in four -languages and Grey was breathing hard. The -noise they were making, as they rose and fell and -overturned furniture, was thunderous. Each -moment Grey expected the house would be awakened -and assistance would arrive. Perspiration was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105">105</a></span> -pouring from his every pore; his pyjamas were -in ribbons, his body and limbs half naked. Vainly -he strove to strike and stun his adversary. His -blows were dodged as if by instinct and his -knuckles were bleeding where they had come in -contact with the floor.</p> - -<p>At length he succeeded in laying hold of the -fellow’s face, his nose and mouth in his iron grasp, -but instantly the jaws wrenched open and then -closed savagely with Grey’s finger between viciously -incisive teeth. A cry of pain escaped him -as for the smallest moment a wave of faintness -swept over him, and then he felt his antagonist -slipping sinuously from under him and he grabbed -wildly for a fresh hold. He caught a wrist and -tried to cling to it, but the teeth were cutting -to the bone, grinding on the joint, and the wrist -slid through his grasp and the head followed in a -twinkling. He rolled over and lunged out again, -but the steely jaws had at that instant released his -mangled finger, and even as he was striving to -reach, struggling pantingly to his knees, he heard -the door open quickly and he knew that he was -alone.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106">106</a></span> -He sank back to a sitting posture, breathing -hard and deeply, but the air seemed suddenly to -have grown thick and foul and choking, and he -clambered to his feet and sought in the darkness -for a window. Presently the touch of the curtains -rewarded him. He thrust them frantically aside, -pushed open the sashes and then dropped down -again with his head and shoulders far out over the -balcony, drinking in the cool, fresh air of the very -early morning.</p> - -<p>And it was here, in this position, a minute later -that Johann, who had after considerable deliberation -decided to investigate the cause of the disturbance, -found him pale and exhausted, with the -remnants of his pyjamas spattered with blood -from his bleeding finger.</p> - -<p>“Oh, Herr Arndt,” he cried, in perturbation, -“what has happened? Have you tried to kill -yourself? Oh, it is suffocating here! The gas—the -room is full of gas.”</p> - -<p>Johann helped Grey to his feet, sat him in a -chair by the window, and having discovered the -four gas jets of the chandelier which depended -from the ceiling in the centre of the room turned<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107">107</a></span> -full on, he turned them off, opened the other window -and threw wide the door to effect a draft. -Then he lighted the candles and returned to make -an inventory of his master’s injuries.</p> - -<p>“I’m not very much hurt, Johann,” Grey -assured him; “but it was a pretty tough scrimmage -while it lasted, and the brute did give my -finger a biting. He had teeth like a saw and jaws -like a vise. His original idea was asphyxiation, -I suppose. He fancied I was asleep and that he -would make it my last. By the way, look in the -bed over there. You’ll find a chloroformed handkerchief, -I think.”</p> - -<p>“And was it for robbery, do you imagine, Herr -Arndt, that he came?” Johann asked, as he went -toward the bed.</p> - -<p>“God knows,” Grey answered. “It looks -rather professional when a fellow unlocks your -door with a pair of nippers. The key was in the -lock, you see.”</p> - -<p>“You did not see his face, Herr Arndt? You -would not know him?”</p> - -<p>“I’m not a cat, Johann, and I cannot see in the -dark.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108">108</a></span> -Then the valet hastened away to investigate, -but returned without any information worth the -calling. He had aroused the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i> only to learn -that the street door had not been opened in two -hours either for ingress or egress. Whoever the -depredator was he must either have come in early -and remained hidden or have entered through -some unbarred window in the rear of the hotel, -probably escaping by the same means. Having -made his report Johann bathed and bound Grey’s -finger, drew a bath for him, got out clean nightwear, -remade the bed, and, just as the clock struck -the half-hour after four, left him once more alone, -still with the chloroformed handkerchief in his -hand, which he was examining carefully for the -third time. But it was merely a square piece of -fine hemstitched linen without any distinguishing -mark whatever. In that, certainly, there was no -clue to his visitor.</p> - -<p>But just as he was about to blow out his candles -his foot trod on something hard, and he stooped -and picked up a seal ring. It was very heavy and -richly chased, and it bore an elaborately engraved -coat of arms. In that last despairing clutch at the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109">109</a></span> -fellow’s hand he had evidently stripped this from -his finger—this which could not but prove damaging -evidence of his identity. The heraldic device -was to Grey unfamiliar, but it would be a -comparatively easy matter to learn to what family -it belonged. Indeed, he had a vague recollection -of having noticed a ring of this pattern on the little -finger of Baron von Einhard’s ungloved hand the -afternoon before in the hotel reading-room; but -the pattern was not uncommon, and— but it was -preposterous to fancy that a man of his position, -no matter what Lindenwald had said, no matter -what his reputation for chicanery, craft, and cunning, -would personally undertake a deliberate -attempt at homicide. Such impossible characters -might figure in melodramas, but in real life they -were out of the question. And then he looked at -the ring again, turning it over and inspecting it -very minutely in the light of the candle flame.</p> - -<p>Captain Lindenwald, when he was told of the -affair, was quite sure it was von Einhard even -before he was shown the ring, and when that was -forthcoming he was willing to swear to it. The -arms, he declared, were the von Einhard arms,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110">110</a></span> -and the ring could have been worn by no one save -the Baron himself. He was for putting the matter -in the hands of the police and thus avoiding future -dangers, but after a little deliberation he realised -that such a course would be impracticable. For -the present it was absolutely necessary, he knew, -to reveal nothing as to his and his charge’s whereabouts. -Too much was known already; and general -publicity, even though it put von Einhard -where he could do no personal harm, would more -greatly imperil the carrying out of the plans that -were indispensable.</p> - -<p>This, at least, was the impression he conveyed -to Grey, though he was, as usual, most guarded in -his choice of words. Never yet, the American observed, -had he directly spoken of his mission, nor -had he once so much as intimated to him that he -knew him as other than Herr Max Arndt. That -he was a crown prince <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">en route</i> to the bedside of -his dying sire Captain Lindenwald had zealously -refrained from uttering save to a third party -under stress of unusual circumstance, and then in -a tone so low that he could not reasonably be expected -to hear.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111">111</a></span> -“If I may be permitted,” the Captain requested, -“I will keep this ring for a little. I may run -across von Einhard, and I should like to give him -this one hint that his attempt on your life is known -to us.”</p> - -<p>But for some reason which he could not define -Grey demurred.</p> - -<p>“I have a whim to wear it,” he said, replacing -it upon his finger; and Lindenwald made no further -plea.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112">112</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="VIII"></a>VIII</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">It</span> was deemed best not to mention the incident -of the night to Miss von Altdorf, -and on their way to the Gare St. Lazare -that morning Grey accounted for his bandaged -finger by the subterfuge of having caught -it in a door. He was not altogether satisfied -with the spot chosen for the day’s outing. -Had he been allowed unaided to make the choice -he would undoubtedly have selected a resort of -quite different character, but the girl had expressed -a wish to visit Louis XIV’s “<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Abîme des dépenses</i>,” -and he had without demur acceded to her desire. -After all, to be alone with her and thus gather -from her knowledge as much information as possible -concerning the mystery that surrounded him -was his prime object, and for this purpose Versailles -offered as propitious a background as Bougival -or Croissy or a dozen other places that he -personally would have preferred.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113">113</a></span> -The day, washed clear and brilliant by the rain -of yesterday, was not uncomfortably warm, and, -though the maimed finger ached distractingly at -times, Grey, in spite of his misgivings, found the -little jaunt delightfully diverting. The Fraülein -had shaken off much of her melancholy of the previous -evening, and her mood was cheerful, if not -merry. Her appreciation, which was mingled -with a joyousness almost childish, was especially -gratifying to her companion. Everything she -saw interested her, and her comment, while invariably -intelligent, was so unaffected and ingenuous -as to be ofttimes amusing.</p> - -<p>When, after <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">déjeuner</i> at the Café de la Comédie, -they had come out upon the terrace of the -palace and stood overlooking the quaint, solemn, -old-fashioned gardens, cut up into squares and -triangles and parallelograms and ornamented with -statues and vases and fountains arranged with -monotonously geometric precision, her face shone -with pleasure for a moment and then a shadow -crossed it.</p> - -<p>“Are all landscape gardeners atheists?” she -asked, naïvely.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114">114</a></span> -“I’m sure I don’t know,” Grey replied, smiling; -“I’ve never investigated their religious beliefs.”</p> - -<p>“Well, the one who designed all this,” she -added, with a sweep of her hand, “had very little -respect for God’s taste.”</p> - -<p>And later, as they sauntered through room after -room and gallery after gallery of the palace, with -their interminable succession of paintings and -sculptures, she was much impressed by the pictured -ceilings.</p> - -<p>“I wonder why they put their best work where -one must break one’s neck to see it?” she queried; -and then she laughed. “Do you suppose it was to -encourage the kings and queens and other -grandees to bear in mind their exalted position -and to hold their heads high?”</p> - -<p>Grey had thus far refrained from broaching the -subject which had inspired the excursion. He had -chosen first of all to study the girl and gauge her -character. Over her presence in the little party of -questionables in which he had so unexpectedly -found himself he was much perplexed. It seemed -scarcely reasonable to suppose that she was not in -some way involved in the plot, but whether actively<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115">115</a></span> -or passively, with knowledge or without, -was, or at least might be, open to question. He -certainly could gather no indication from her attitude, -her manner, or her utterance that she was -other than artless and sincere. She appeared, in -fact, uncommonly simple-hearted, straightforward, -and guileless, and, after weighing the evidence, -he reached the conclusion that if she had a -place in the scheme of his enemies it was most -assuredly without her ken or connivance. It was -nevertheless clear that she must be innocently -aware of much that he wished eagerly to know, -and, as they wandered over the palace together, -from the sumptuously decorated <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Salles des Croisades</i>, -reflecting in picture, trophy and souvenir -the conquest of Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulchre, -to the magnificent <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Galerie des Glaces</i>, with its -many high-arched windows and glittering, gilt-niched -mirrors, he ponderingly strove to outline -some course of procedure that would yield him -what he desired and yet not reveal his own delicately -fragile position.</p> - -<p>It was not, however, until they had finished -their inspection of the palace and had passed out<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116">116</a></span> -into the gardens by the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Cour des Princes</i> that an -opportunity offered to make trial of the plan he -had conceived. They had strolled under the -orange trees beside that long stretch of velvet -lawn towards what is known as the basin of -Apollo and had found seats on the marble coping -of the fountain. As they sat there facing each -other amid the perfume of the flowers and the -spice of the shrubbery, the balmy breath of summer -fanning their cheeks and the genial glow of -a tempered June sun bathing them, the girl’s eye -fell for the first time upon the ring on Grey’s little -finger, and she gave an involuntary start of surprise.</p> - -<p>“Oh, is it you, then?” she cried, and there was -something of awe in her voice, though her eyes -were smiling. “But no,” she added, quickly, “that -cannot be. I do not understand, Uncle Max.”</p> - -<p>“Nor I, child,” Grey replied, smiling back at -her. He had not observed her glance, and her -exclamation had startled him. She took his hand -in her long, white, rose-tipped fingers and held it -up before his eyes, the ring glinting in the sunshine.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117">117</a></span> -“That!” she said. “What does it mean, your -wearing it?”</p> - -<p>“Mean?” he hesitated, wondering. “Why -should it mean anything? Has not a gentleman -a right to wear a ring if his fancy runs that -way?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, of course; some rings; but no ordinary -gentleman has a right to wear that one.”</p> - -<p>“But suppose I am not an ordinary gentleman?” -he pursued. “Suppose I have a title and -bear arms, have I not a right to engrave those -arms upon gold and wear them on my finger?”</p> - -<p>She looked at him very seriously from out her -deep-set, long-lashed eyes of purplish blue, and -then she said:</p> - -<p>“But it is the ring of the Crown Prince. And -you are not the Crown Prince. If you were you -could not be my uncle.”</p> - -<p>Grey’s heart leaped. His decision had been confirmed. -She was not trying to put him on a throne -to which he had no more right than those workmen -who were repairing the stone margin of the -great canal a hundred yards away. Yet, at the -same time, she had filled him with a new perplexity.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118">118</a></span> -It was evident that the ring was quite -familiar to her. Therefore it could hardly be von -Einhard’s, and Lindenwald’s assertion must not -only have been false but knowingly false, and with -an object. If the Fraülein von Altdorf knew the -ring as the Crown Prince’s ring, Lindenwald must -also have known it as such. It was for that reason -he did not wish Grey to keep it. He feared, probably, -just such a revelation as had come about. -These points were plain enough, but the whole -intricate problem was growing more and more -involved. Its likeness to a maze again recurred. -With every effort to extricate himself he seemed -to get further and more bewilderingly entangled. -And once more he was tempted to leave the path, -which seemed to turn and turn again on itself, and -to cut his way through thicket and underbrush -regardless of consequences.</p> - -<p>“What a wise Fraülein it is!” he replied, after -a pause. “What you say is very true. If I am -the Crown Prince I am not your uncle, and if I -am your uncle I am not the Crown Prince. Now -which would you prefer to have me?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, for your sake,” she answered, quickly,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119">119</a></span> -“I’d rather you were heir to the throne; but for -my sake I’d rather you were my uncle.”</p> - -<p>“But not being able to be both, suppose you -should learn that I am neither?” he queried, -laughing.</p> - -<p>“But you are,” she protested, with conviction. -“You are my uncle, that is a fact.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know?” Grey asked. The situation -was growing interesting; disclosures were -imminent, and they were coming quite naturally -without his having had to resort to the plan he -had mapped out.</p> - -<p>“How does one ever know such things?” she -replied, a little annoyance in her tone. “You were -my Great-uncle Schlippenbach’s nephew and I am -your niece. I call you Uncle Max and you call -me Minna.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, yes, that is very true,” Grey went on, -banteringly, and he remembered what O’Hara had -told him of how they had met in London a week -after his setting foot on English soil; “but you -never saw me in your life until two months ago. -Do you remember how we first met?”</p> - -<p>“I have a very vivid recollection of it. It was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120">120</a></span> -at dinner at the Folsonham, in London. I wore -a pale green frock. And poor Great-uncle Schlippenbach -said: ‘Minna, my dear, this is your -Uncle Max, who hasn’t seen you since you were a -baby.’”</p> - -<p>“And what else did he say?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I don’t remember all the conversation.”</p> - -<p>“Did he say anything about where we were -going, and what we were going for?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t think he said anything then. But you -must remember. You were as much there as I -was.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, but I was not listening,” Grey pleaded, -his eyes a-twinkle. “I had something better -to do.”</p> - -<p>“What was that, pray?”</p> - -<p>“I had my pretty niece to look at.”</p> - -<p>The rose in Minna’s cheeks deepened and her -eyes fell shyly.</p> - -<p>“Now you are teasing me again,” she said.</p> - -<p>Grey turned an uninterested gaze for a brief -space on the sun-god and his chariot which, surrounded -by tritons, nymphs, and dolphins, rose in -heroic proportions from the centre of the basin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121">121</a></span> -“I never knew much of my Uncle Schlippenbach,” -he ventured, after a little; “tell me about -him.”</p> - -<p>“You should know more than I,” the Fraülein -returned. “You were in New York with him -while I was in England.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I know,” her companion went on, as he -took a cigarette from his case and struck a match, -“but I don’t mean intimately, personally. Tell -me a little of his history.”</p> - -<p>“Everybody knew he was eccentric.”</p> - -<p>“Of course.”</p> - -<p>“Otherwise he would never have left Budavia. -Just think of what he gave up!”</p> - -<p>“That’s just it,” Grey interposed, eagerly. -“What did he give up? I’ve heard stories, to be -sure, but I don’t know that I ever had the truth -of it.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I’ve heard it a hundred times,” Minna -responded, digging the point of her parasol into -the gravel. “You see, he was tutor to the Court. -He had taught King Frederic about all there was -to teach, and when His Majesty outgrew school -books—of course he wasn’t His Majesty then,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122">122</a></span> -but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince—Great-uncle -Schlippenbach accompanied him on -the grand tour. They visited every court in -Europe and then went over to Africa and Turkey -in Asia, and I don’t know where else. Then when -Frederic succeeded to the throne, Great-uncle -Schlippenbach was still retained, and after a while, -when a little prince was born to Queen Anna, he -was constituted a sort of kindergarten-professor -to the royal infant.”</p> - -<p>“In other words, a mental wet-nurse,” suggested -Grey.</p> - -<p>“Yes, exactly. I think he taught him to say -‘bah’ and ‘boo’ and ‘gee-gee’ and ‘moo-cow’—or -rather their German equivalents—and led -him gloriously on to the alphabet. Then, just as -he was beginning to spell nicely in words of three -letters, something happened. Nobody ever knew -just exactly what it was, but Great-uncle Schlippenbach -took offence. Her Majesty, Queen Anna, -it seems, was to blame. He brooded over the -matter for weeks and months, growing more and -more incensed, more and more bitter. In vain -King Frederic tried to mollify him. He was very<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123">123</a></span> -fond of Great-uncle Schlippenbach, and he wanted -to smooth matters over, but the royal tutor was -not to be pacified. He broke out in a torrent of -rage, recounting his fancied wrongs and declaring -that he had wasted the best years of his life in a -hopeless effort to grow flowers of intellect from -barren soil. The German Emperor would have -had him behind the bars for <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">lèse-majesté</i>, but King -Frederic only laughed and offered him a baronetcy. -But Great-uncle Schlippenbach scorned the -offer. Having spoken his mind, he packed his -boxes and left the Court, left Kürschdorf, left -Budavia, left Europe and went to America to -begin life anew. That was twenty-five years ago, -and he was forty years old.”</p> - -<p>“And the poor little Crown Prince had to learn -his words of four letters from someone less gifted, -eh?”</p> - -<p>“Dear only knows from whom he ever did -learn them,” Miss von Altdorf continued. “He -disappeared the very next week after Great-uncle -Schlippenbach.”</p> - -<p>“Disappeared?” repeated Grey.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes, you remember that, surely. He was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124">124</a></span> -abducted, you know. Why, that’s a part of the -history of your own country. That’s why there’s -so much excitement now over rumours of his turning -up at this late day. Oh, dear, Uncle Max, -why will you tease me so? You made me tell you -that whole story, and I’m sure you knew it quite -as well as I.”</p> - -<p>Grey laughed joyously.</p> - -<p>“I love to hear you talk,” he told her, his gaze -lingering fondly on her blushing face. “And so,” -he added, “they are looking for the kidnapped -baby to reappear a man and claim his own? Is -that it?”</p> - -<p>But she was silent, her eyes downcast.</p> - -<p>“Won’t you answer me?” he pleaded.</p> - -<p>“I won’t again tell you what you already -know,” she answered, a little petulantly.</p> - -<p>“But I don’t know about this ring, really,” Grey -urged. “Tell me about it. What has it got to -do with the stolen Crown Prince?”</p> - -<p>Minna looked up, regarding him searchingly.</p> - -<p>“Where did you get it?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“I found it,” he answered, quite truthfully.</p> - -<p>“In a jewel casket, within a great iron chest,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125">125</a></span> -inside an ordinary travelling box?” she cross-questioned.</p> - -<p>The significance of the description was not lost -on her hearer.</p> - -<p>“No,” he returned, frankly, “not in anything -at all. On the floor of my room.”</p> - -<p>Her eyes were round with surprise.</p> - -<p>“And how did it come there?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot imagine. That is why I’d like you -to tell me what you know of it.”</p> - -<p>“And before you found it on the floor of your -room you had never seen it?”</p> - -<p>“Never. I swear it by the sun-god yonder.”</p> - -<p>“My great-uncle never showed it to you—never -told you of it?”</p> - -<p>“Never,” Grey repeated.</p> - -<p>“He showed it to me in London,” she confessed, -reaching out for the finger it adorned, “and -told me all about it. It seems that when he left -Budavia it had in some way got in with his effects. -He did not find it until a year or more afterward. -It had belonged to the King before his coronation, -and to his father before him, and to his grandfather -before that. The arms are those of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126">126</a></span> -Prince of Kronfeld. The Crown Prince is always, -you know, the Prince of Kronfeld.”</p> - -<p>“And as the little Prince of Kronfeld had been -kidnapped and Uncle Schlippenbach did not know -where to find him, he simply put the ring away -for safe-keeping, eh?” asked Grey, quizzically.</p> - -<p>“He was taking it back to Kürschdorf when he -died,” Minna answered, with rebuke in her tone. -“As soon as he heard that the Crown Prince had -been found he started. He wished, he said, to put -it on his finger with his own hand. ‘His Royal -Highness will probably travel <i xml:lang="la" lang="la">incognito</i>,’ he said -to me, ‘but I shall know him; and when we meet -I shall give him the ring. When you see it worn -you will know that the wearer is the Crown -Prince.’”</p> - -<p>“And when you saw it on my finger you -thought—just for a moment—that I was he, didn’t -you, Minna? But then, as I am your uncle I cannot -be the Prince of Kronfeld, so we will take it -off and wear it no more,” Grey concluded, slipping -the golden circlet from his finger and stowing it -away in a pocket of his waistcoat.</p> - -<p>“But what I should like to know,” continued<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127">127</a></span> -the Fraülein, “is how it came on the floor of your -room?”</p> - -<p>“And so should I,” her companion echoed; -“how it got out of the casket, and the iron chest, -and the travelling box.”</p> - -<p>Presently the sound of many shuffling feet was -borne to their ears, accompanied by the discordant -piping of high-pitched voices, and turning their -heads they saw approaching an army of tourists -with a gesticulating, haranguing guide in the -lead.</p> - -<p>“It’s a case of ‘follow the man from Cook’s,’” -Grey observed, annoyed at having their privacy -invaded. “We had better stroll on.”</p> - -<p>They walked rapidly for a while, keeping always -to the right, until they were out of sight and -sound of the disturbing company, and then they -dawdled from terrace to terrace; leaned over -lichen-stained marble balustrades to see their -reflections in the dark, silent pools; loitered -on banks of mossy turf beneath the shade of towering -trees; stopped to admire, to criticise, and -not infrequently to laugh over the sculptures that -dotted the way, and came out at length upon an<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128">128</a></span> -avenue, long and straight and level and gleaming -white in the afternoon sunshine.</p> - -<p>“You want to see the Trianons, of course,” -Grey suggested to the girl. “I know you are -familiar with many of the events that took place -there.”</p> - -<p>And so, turning to the left, they sauntered on -until they came to the one-story horse-shoe shaped -villa that Louis XIV built for Madame de Maintenon. -But Minna was tired of sight-seeing, and -the porcelains and the pictures proved alike uninteresting. -The Petit Trianon pleased her much -better because of its associations with Marie Antoinette, -who had been one of her school-girl heroines, -and over its delightful English-looking garden -she grew enthusiastic.</p> - -<p>They strolled along the winding paths, dallied -on the shore of the funny little artificial lake, and -rested for a while in the “<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Temple de l’Amour</i>.” -The number of visitors, however, was to both of -them a disturbing influence. They would have -liked the place to themselves, but they were at -every turn running into couples and parties whose -presence, as Grey put it, “spoiled the picture.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129">129</a></span> -They had just emerged from that group of -homely, quaint cottages in a far corner of the -garden where the fair ladies of Louis’s Court were -wont to play at peasant life, when the rippling -laughter of women and the more hearty if less -musical merriment of men broke jarringly upon -their hearing.</p> - -<p>“Can’t we have some milk at the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">vacherie -Suisse</i>?” Grey heard a woman’s voice ask in the -English of the well-bred.</p> - -<p>And then a man rejoined:</p> - -<p>“Milk! What for? There’s still an unopened -case of champagne in the coach.”</p> - -<p>Again the laughter echoed, but nearer. The -little company were coming towards them, hidden -by the shrubbery. A second later and they came -into view—a tall, large woman with brilliant auburn -hair, in gown and hat of pale lavender; a -middle-aged man, red-faced and well-groomed; a -dainty little dark woman, all in red, with a tall, -dark man in grey, and then—Grey went white as -the whitest cloud overhead, for Hope Van Tuyl -was approaching, and with her was the young -man from the Embassy whom he had seen yesterday<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130">130</a></span> -at the hotel. And there was Frothingham, -too, whom he had not recognised at first glance; -and it was Nicholas Van Tuyl, he saw now, who -was with the red-haired woman in the lead.</p> - -<p>For a second he halted, undecided, a powerful -impulse urging him to speak to the woman he -loved, at all hazards. His lips were framing -words, his eyes were beaming, his hand was half -way to his hat, before his judgment came to the -rescue—and held him; told him that it would be -folly, that now as never before it was his duty to -maintain his disguise and thereby eventually establish -his innocence. His eyes cooled, his teeth -closed on his embryo utterance, his hand dropped -to his side.</p> - -<p>“Carey Grey!”</p> - -<p>Hope’s voice rang out suddenly above the babble -of the party. She had seen him and recognised -him. The others had passed on. Only she and -Edson were there beside him. With an effort that -cost him the most poignant torture he ever suffered -he turned to Minna, murmuring words that had -no meaning and walked heedlessly by.</p> - -<p>Edson caught Miss Van Tuyl’s trembling arm.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131">131</a></span> -“Sh!” he warned, a little excitedly; “you’ve -made a mistake. That isn’t Grey.”</p> - -<p>“But”—and the colour came and went in her -face and she breathed quickly—“but I know it is. -I know him, I’m sure; oh, quite, quite sure. I -cannot be mistaken. His hair is changed; yes, -and he has a beard, but his eyes—I should always -know his eyes; and”—as she stood gazing after -him—“his shoulders. There isn’t another man -in the world who has shoulders just like Carey -Grey’s.”</p> - -<p>“No other man, possibly,” added Edson, “except -the Crown Prince of Budavia.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132">132</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="IX"></a>IX</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap b"><span class="smcap1">On</span> the way back to Paris Grey’s thoughtful -silence contrasted so markedly -with his cheery loquacity of the morning -that Fraülein von Altdorf was led -to observe:</p> - -<p>“I do believe you’re tired, Uncle Max.”</p> - -<p>“Tired?” he repeated, forcing a smile. “No, -my child, not a bit. The day has been a joy. I’ve -revelled in it. Tired! The idea! Am I a septuagenarian -or am I an invalid?”</p> - -<p>“But you haven’t spoken for fifteen whole -minutes.”</p> - -<p>“Haven’t I, really? I suppose I was thinking.”</p> - -<p>“Of what?” she asked, mischievously.</p> - -<p>Grey hesitated a little moment.</p> - -<p>“Of fortune and misfortune,” he answered, -gravely; “of Fate and the pranks she plays; of -life and its inconsistencies; of right and wrong -and rewards and punishments; of love and hatred<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133">133</a></span> -and jealousy; of fair women and brutal, selfish -men; of a hundred and one things more or less interesting -and absorbing.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you <em>were</em> busy!” the girl exclaimed. “I -don’t wonder you didn’t hear my question. Altogether -I have asked it three times.”</p> - -<p>“I beg your pardon,” he pleaded contritely; -“that was very rude of me. Won’t you ask it -once more?”</p> - -<p>They had a compartment to themselves and -were seated opposite each other. The train had -just left Asnières and was crossing the Seine.</p> - -<p>“I was wondering whether you noticed the -lady we passed in the garden of the Petit Trianon. -I don’t believe you did.”</p> - -<p>“We passed many ladies,” Grey temporised; -“I can’t say that I noticed them all.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, but this one was very beautiful,” she insisted. -“She had such colouring and such lovely -brown eyes, and I think she thought she recognised -you.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you tell me at the time?” he -asked, striving to appear unconscious.</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t I? That’s a nice question. I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134">134</a></span> -nudged you and I tried to catch your eye; and, -after we had gone on a few steps I begged you to -look back, but you wouldn’t heed me. Oh, you -were thinking very hard just then. Was it about -fair ladies and brutal, selfish men, do you -imagine?”</p> - -<p>“Probably,” Grey answered. “I’m sorry I was -so rude.” And once more he relapsed into meditative -silence.</p> - -<p>Very bitter indeed was his self-condemnation. -If he could have had a second more in which to -make his decision he would have decided differently. -Of that he was sure. It may have been -that he took the course of wisdom, but wisdom -and love have been enemies since time began, and -where his allegiance was due there he had proved -traitor. He contrasted his selfishness with her -loyalty, and his ready willingness to conclude that -she believed ill of him with her now proved steadfastness, -even to the disregard of place and circumstance. -He had metaphorically given her a -curse for a caress, and he mentally and emotionally -scourged himself for his brutality. The suggestion -that desperate ills require desperate remedies—that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135">135</a></span> -it was necessary to be cruel that he -might be kind—presented itself, but he refused -to admit that it had any application. He was -consumed by a desire to make reparation, to wipe -out this blot of cowardice with some recklessly -bold bit of bravery. He would go to her hotel—the -Van Tuyls always stopped at the Ritz—and -regardless of consequences he would present himself, -explain all, and, in abject abasement, beseech -her pardon. This, he argued, was the very least -he could do. But when he reached this conclusion -doubts assailed him and robbed him of what little -peace he had garnered. Would she receive him? -What right had he to expect that she could permit -him to speak to her, now that he had repulsed her—cut -her in the presence of her friends and further -insulted and humiliated her by appearing -more than interested in another woman—and a -very young and very pretty woman, too? He most -assuredly could have no just cause for complaint -should she adopt such an attitude. She had indicated -clearly enough that as long as only newspaper -reports were his accusers she was willing -to await his side of the story, but when she had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136">136</a></span> -given him an opportunity to defend himself, and -he had chosen to ignore it and herself as well, was -it in reason to hope for any further forbearance?</p> - -<p>It was in this mood that Grey’s return from -Versailles was accomplished; in this ill-temper -with himself and this doubt of being able to undo -what he looked on as a more dire menace to his -happiness than all the charges of defalcation and -embezzlement and all the dangers of extradition.</p> - -<p>When at length he and Miss von Altdorf -reached the Hôtel Grammont they found O’Hara -awaiting them. He came running out to the -<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">fiacre</i> and gave a hand to the young woman, assisting -her to alight.</p> - -<p>“Where on earth have you been?” he asked, -smiling; but Grey caught a note of concern in his -voice.</p> - -<p>“To Versailles, for the day,” the Fraülein answered, -gaily. “And oh, such a lovely day, too! -I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”</p> - -<p>“Didn’t they tell you?” Grey asked. “Lindenwald -knew.”</p> - -<p>“I haven’t seen him.”</p> - -<p>“Johann knew.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137">137</a></span> -“I haven’t seen Johann either.”</p> - -<p>It was not until the two men were together in -Grey’s room that O’Hara broke his news.</p> - -<p>“They’ve cleared out,” he said, bluntly. “What -do you think of that for a rum go?”</p> - -<p>Grey, who had been drawing off his gloves, -stopped midway in the process.</p> - -<p>“Cleared out!” he repeated, in astonishment. -“Who have cleared out? What do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“The whole crew,” declared O’Hara, “Lindenwald -and Lutz and Johann. I understood at first -that you and the Fraülein had gone with them, -but the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i> told me that you and she had -started earlier and that your traps were still here.”</p> - -<p>“But they?” Grey pursued, eagerly. “Where -have they gone? Did they leave no word?”</p> - -<p>“Devil a word,” returned the Irishman. -“They paid their bill—that is, the Captain did—and -departed, kit and all.”</p> - -<p>“What does it mean?”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I’d like to know.”</p> - -<p>Grey drew off his other glove.</p> - -<p>“They’re frightened,” he decided; “they have -grown suspicious. They never knew at what minute<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138">138</a></span> -they would be pounced on. Their plot was -clear enough. What they wanted to do was to -palm me off as the Crown Prince of Budavia and -put me on the throne when the King dies, as he is -going to, if he has not already.”</p> - -<p>“What rot!” exclaimed O’Hara. “Have you -gone clean daft? What would be their object? -How could they hope to do it?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t know anything about their object,” -Grey continued, calmly; “that’s still a puzzle to -me; but they might hope for a lot with me in the -condition I was in a few days ago. I apparently -did their bidding to their utmost satisfaction.”</p> - -<p>“It’s very improbable,” the Irishman insisted; -“you’ll never be able to make any one believe -it.”</p> - -<p>“Won’t I?” the American demanded. “Well, -then, wait and see. I’ve learned a lot since I -saw you last. As much as I’ve told you is very -plain. I have witnesses to prove it. And the -other proofs—my God! What do you suppose has -become of that box at the Gare du Nord? I sent -Lutz for the check or receipt last night, and he -never brought it. And this ring!” he went on,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139">139</a></span> -talking more to himself than to his companion, -“it was in that box. Of course it was. And—” -He ceased speaking—his thoughts were coming -now too rapidly for words—and stood with lips -pressed and eyelids drawn, gazing through his -lashes into space.</p> - -<p>He was satisfied that someone—he suspected it -was Lutz—had got the box from the railway station, -had rifled it, had abstracted the ring, had -made so bold as to wear it. Yes, when Lutz had -come in answer to his summons of the previous -evening, he was wearing it even then. It must -have been too large for him. He had been nervous, -his hands had been twitching, and it had -dropped from his finger, and—but no; could it -be possible? Was it—<em>was</em> it Lutz who had returned -in the early morning with intent to smother -him? Was it he with whom he had wrestled? -Was it from his hand that he had stripped this -heirloom of the Budavian Court? And Lindenwald’s -assurance that it bore the von Einhard -arms? What could that mean, other than that -Lindenwald was in league with Lutz and striving -to shield him? And now their flight....</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140">140</a></span> -“Will you kindly tell me whether you are subject -to these attacks?” asked O’Hara, interrupting -his train of thought. “If I’m to be your lieutenant -and serve in your campaign, it strikes me -that I should have your full and entire confidence, -and yet you are keeping something from me.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll tell you everything after dinner,” Grey -consented. “We’ll have a council of war and we’ll -map out a plan of action.”</p> - -<p>When O’Hara had run away to dress, promising -to meet Grey and the Fraülein in a private -room of the Café Riche at seven-thirty and dine -with them, the American’s thoughts reverted to -his resolution to see Hope Van Tuyl at all hazards. -The disappearance of Lindenwald and the others, -however, had again somewhat altered the situation. -It was now more than ever necessary that -he retain his freedom in order to track and run -down the fugitives, and he recognised the risk he -took in going to a hotel patronised largely by -Americans and sending up a card bearing his real -name. Once more his judgment was in the ascendency—wisdom -had gained a slight advantage over -the little blind god.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141">141</a></span> -Sitting down at his table Grey took up a pen -and wrote:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Darling</span>: For the last two hours I have been in -purgatory. What must you think of me? I would come -to you at once if I could, but it is impossible. Tomorrow -morning, though, I must see you. At the end of the -Tuileries gardens, near the Place de la Concorde, there -is, you may remember, a grove of trees. Arrange to be -there with your maid at eleven o’clock. There will be -few there at that hour.</p></blockquote> - -<p>This he despatched to the Ritz by messenger.</p> - -<p>“Fancy Captain Lindenwald going off!” cried -Minna, as, promptly at twenty minutes past seven, -she joined Grey in the drawing-room. “Where -has he gone, do you suppose? And Lutz, too, -and even Johann.”</p> - -<p>“They’ve gone to the seaside over Sunday,” -was Grey’s jesting reply. “Paris was getting too -warm for them.”</p> - -<p>“But,” she protested, at fault, “I understood -we were all to start for Kürschdorf tomorrow -night.”</p> - -<p>“Were we? Who said so?”</p> - -<p>“Captain Lindenwald, last evening.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Captain Lindenwald has changed his -plans.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142">142</a></span> -“It is certainly very mysterious,” she concluded, -perplexedly. “I couldn’t believe it when -the chambermaid told me.” And the great solemn -eyes were graver than usual.</p> - -<p>When, after dinner, they returned to the hotel, -Grey’s glance detected a telegram in the rack addressed -to the decamping Captain and he made -haste to appropriate it. A little later, in his room, -he handed it to O’Hara.</p> - -<p>“It may be of service,” he said, significantly. -“I don’t much like prying into another man’s -affairs, but in this case his and mine are, in a way, -identical.”</p> - -<p>The Irishman nodded.</p> - -<p>“We’ll keep it until you’ve told me all you know -without it,” he suggested, taking out a briarwood -pipe and filling it, “so drive ahead, lad, and don’t -omit any details.”</p> - -<p>And then Grey told his story, beginning with -the glimpse of von Einhard, on the Boulevard St. -Martin; following with the visit of Edson and the -overheard announcement that he, Grey, was the -Crown Prince Maximilian; the reappearance of -the Baron; Lutz’s suspicious demeanour; the attempt<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143">143</a></span> -on his life; the finding of the ring; the -ring’s history; and, finally, his own deductions.</p> - -<p>O’Hara listened attentively, blowing great -clouds of smoke from under his red moustache. -Occasionally he interrupted with a question. When -the recital was concluded he got up and extended -his hand.</p> - -<p>“Well done, man,” he exclaimed; “you have -been making hay in sun and rain alike. I wonder -if we could lay our hands on this Baron von Einhard. -It seems to me that he is just the chap we -want to make friends with.”</p> - -<p>“I dare say he is still hanging about,” the -American replied; “he probably has not lost sight -of me. I’d know him if I saw him again. We’ll -have a look in at the cafés a little later. And now -about Lindenwald and the others. Didn’t the -<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i> know which way they went?”</p> - -<p>“No, they hailed a couple of passing <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">fiacres</i>, -and he didn’t hear what directions were given.”</p> - -<p>Grey tore open the telegram which O’Hara had -tossed onto the table. It was dated Kürschdorf. -“The King is dead,” it read; “wire when you -will be here,” and it was signed, “Ritter.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144">144</a></span> -He pushed it across to the Irishman, remarking:</p> - -<p>“He probably had that news from some other -source before he left.”</p> - -<p>“You think it hastened him?”</p> - -<p>“In a way, yes. At least it directed him,” Grey -said, with conviction.</p> - -<p>O’Hara looked at him inquiringly.</p> - -<p>“You surely don’t imagine the three of them -have gone to Kürschdorf?” he blurted, in a tone -of surprise.</p> - -<p>“I do mean that exactly.”</p> - -<p>“But why there, of all places? If Lindenwald -is expected to bring the Crown Prince with him -he surely wouldn’t go there empty-handed. What -excuses could he make?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t pretend to conjecture his excuses,” -Grey replied, smiling, “but it seems very clear to -me that Kürschdorf is his only sanctuary. There -he will be with friends. Whatever he says is likely -to be believed. If he fled elsewhere he would be -in constant danger of arrest. His very flight -would be evidence of his guilt.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara nodded.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145">145</a></span> -“You’re probably right,” he acquiesced; “anyway -he turned he had to take chances, and -Kürschdorf must have looked to him the least -dangerous. What do you propose to do?”</p> - -<p>“Follow him,” Grey answered, promptly. -“Take the Orient Express tomorrow night.”</p> - -<p>“And once we are there; what then?”</p> - -<p>“The Crown Prince claims the throne.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara put down his pipe and sat staring in -amazement.</p> - -<p>“Claims the throne?” he repeated, “the Crown -Prince?”</p> - -<p>“The Crown Prince claims the throne.” Grey -reiterated it with calm decision.</p> - -<p>“You mean that <em>you</em> will claim the throne?” -the Irishman persisted, still perplexed.</p> - -<p>“Precisely.”</p> - -<p>The dragoon guard got up and walked the -length of the room, smoking very hard.</p> - -<p>“That’s a dangerous business,” he said, as he -came back and stood with the tips of his fingers -resting on the table, “a very dangerous business.”</p> - -<p>“There’s no other way in God’s world to find -out who are in the plot,” Grey returned, grimly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146">146</a></span> -“I don’t quite see—” O’Hara began, but the -American interrupted him.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t mastered all the details myself,” he -said, “but that’s the kernel of the nut we’re cracking. -Perhaps von Einhard can aid us. He must -know the conspirators, and he can give us the -names of the men into whose hands we are supposed -to play. I have a suspicion that the Budavian -Minister here in Paris is one of the lot. But -it won’t do to take that for granted. Otherwise -I’d see him before leaving.”</p> - -<p>“I have been thinking over the idea of consulting -the Baron,” O’Hara ventured, after a -pause. “Suppose he won’t believe you?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, but he will,” the other insisted; “I’ll -make it quite clear to him that I am an American -and that I’m a victim and not an aspirant for -kingly honours, except in so far as goes to set -matters right and bring the guilty to justice.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a risk that you take there, lad,” the Irishman -argued; “the more I think of it the bigger it -looks. He’s just as likely to fancy it’s only a -game of yours to throw him off the scent and -secure your own ends. I don’t believe Lindenwald<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147">147</a></span> -exaggerated his shrewdness. I’ve heard of -him myself.”</p> - -<p>Grey rose, leaned over the table and took a -cigarette from a tray.</p> - -<p>“Come,” he said, as he struck a match, “we’re -liable to find him about this time.”</p> - -<p>During the past twenty-four hours he had experienced -a gradual reawakening of faculties that -had previously lain dull or dormant. His five -months of lost memory had had an after-effect in -what he could only describe as a mental thickness. -His thoughts had run slowly and sluggishly; he -had lacked keenness of perception and the ability -to draw deductions; he had been all the while conscious -of a timidity, an indecision, a hesitation, a -tendency to rely upon others, against which he -strove with but little effect. His actions were dictated -by outside suggestion rather than by his own -judgment. And with this, too, was a contrasting -dignity of demeanour unnatural to him, and all -the more annoying in that it was, he knew, superficial -and at discord with his temperament.</p> - -<p>The clearing of his brain, the reassertion of his -naturally alert mentality, the recovery of his self-<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148">148</a></span>reliance, -were now becoming evident; but that -unwonted, and to him unwelcome, exaggeration -of dignity in his carriage and demeanour gave no -sign of deserting him.</p> - -<p>O’Hara observed the change and delighted in -it. The soldier in him could find only admiration -for the manner in which Grey had risen mentally -in one day from a subaltern to a commanding officer; -and the dignified, distinguished air which had -seemed, he once thought, a little incongruous appeared -now as most fitting and admirable.</p> - -<p>Together they went in search of the Budavian -Baron. Into one café after another they wandered, -but always without success. They encountered -acquaintances by the dozen—men and -women whom Grey and O’Hara had met since -their arrival in Paris, and whom Grey had no recollection -of ever having seen before—but the little, -wiry, sallow-faced Italian-looking nobleman was -nowhere in evidence.</p> - -<p>It is never safe, however, to assume that a visitor -to the French capital is abed and asleep simply -because he cannot be found in any of the boulevard -cafés around the hour of midnight.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149">149</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="X"></a>X</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap al"><span class="smcap1">At</span> the door of the Hôtel Grammont, -Grey and O’Hara stood for some -little time in conversation. As they -were about to part, O’Hara asked: -“You haven’t a revolver, have you?”</p> - -<p>“No,” Grey answered, carelessly. “Shall I -need one, do you think?”</p> - -<p>“After your experience of last night it seems to -me it would be just as well to sleep with one under -your pillow.”</p> - -<p>Grey laughed.</p> - -<p>“I don’t fancy I shall be disturbed again,” he -said.</p> - -<p>“I’ll run over to my place and get you one,” -O’Hara insisted. “I shall be back in ten minutes.”</p> - -<p>As he went off at a brisk walk Grey turned into -the wide passage that gave entrance to the court. -The <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i> was not visible, but at the foot of the -narrow stairway to the right a man who in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150">150</a></span> -dim light had the appearance of one of the hotel -valets, addressed him.</p> - -<p>“Captain Lindenwald has returned, Monsieur -Arndt,” he said, quietly, respectfully; “he met -with an accident and has come back. He begs -that Monsieur Arndt will see him before retiring.”</p> - -<p>For a moment Grey stood silent in surprise.</p> - -<p>“An accident?” he queried, recovering himself.</p> - -<p>“Yes, monsieur. His train ran into an open -switch at Villieurs. His leg is broken in two -places, and he is injured internally. I will show -monsieur to his room.”</p> - -<p>As he led the way to the floor above and along -a passage towards the back of the house where -Herr Schlippenbach’s room had been, Grey marvelled -over this new twist in the thread of fate. -That the Captain had returned to this hotel and -had sent for him argued, he thought, that there -must have been some mistake or misunderstanding -as to his departure. If he had meant to desert -his charge he would not under any circumstances -have acted in this fashion. Perhaps—indeed it -was quite possible—he had left a letter which -some stupid French servant had failed to deliver,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151">151</a></span> -or it might simply have been his intention to -spend Sunday out of Paris, giving Lutz and Johann -permission to take a brief holiday as well. -O’Hara had said something about their luggage -being gone, but that might have been an error, too.</p> - -<p>At a turn in the passage Grey’s guide halted before -a door and rapped, playing, as it were, a sort -of brief tattoo on the panel with his knuckles; and -at the same time a waiter passed on his way to the -rear stairway.</p> - -<p>An instant later the door was opened by someone -who shielded himself behind it. The man -who had led the way and done the rapping stepped -back, and the American, his eyes a little dazzled by -the light, put a foot across the threshold. Just what -followed Grey never exactly knew. A myriad brilliant, -sparkling, rapidly darting specks of fire -filled his vision. In his ears was a thunderous -rushing sound like a storm sweeping through a -forest—a swollen river churning through rocky -narrows. His body seemed dropping through -interminable space, gaining momentum with every -foot of its fall, but shooting straight, straight -downward without a swerve; the lights flashing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152">152</a></span> -by him, the winds roaring past him as he sped. -An agony of apprehension seized him. He was -going to be crushed to atoms; mangled, broken, -distorted. He tried to raise his arms, to clutch at -the impalpable, but they were held down as if by -leaden weights. To bend a knee, to lift a foot, to -cry out, were alike impossible of achievement. -And then, with a crash that split his ears, that tore -every joint asunder, that racked every nerve, -muscle, sinew and tendon, the end came. The -myriad sparks, like the countless flashing facets of -countless diamonds, were drowned in blackest -night and the terrifying rush of furious winds -and frantic waves was hushed in a silence profound -and awful—the blackness and the silence of -unconsciousness.</p> - -<p>Very gradually, but in much shorter time than -he fancied, or than his assailants expected, he recovered -command of his faculties and became -aware that he was lying upon a couch, an improvised -gag in his mouth, his arms pinioned in a -most uncomfortable way at his sides, and his feet -bound together with cords that cut cruelly into the -flesh of his ankles. He realised then that he had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153">153</a></span> -been led into a trap and had been sandbagged or -otherwise assaulted as he entered it. His mind -was still busy with Lindenwald and his motives, -he fancied at first that he was responsible for this -outrage, and warily, between his lashes, with his -eyes scarcely opened, he glanced about the room -in search of this gallant member of the Budavian -royal household.</p> - -<p>There were, however, but two persons present, -and Lindenwald was not one of them. One was -the little man whom he had mistaken for a hotel -valet and who had lured him to his downfall; and -the other was a tall, burly, bearded fellow, with a -low forehead and sinister, bloodshot eyes. The -two were standing near an open window and the -larger man had in his hands a thick hempen rope, -one end of which Grey observed was knotted about -the heavy post of an old-fashioned mahogany bedstead -which stood against the opposite wall. On -more careful inspection he saw that the man was -deliberately making a slip knot of the pattern -known as a hangman’s noose. The only light in -the room was that given by a single candle, but it -sufficed for Grey to gather these details.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154">154</a></span> -The smaller man leaned out of the window for -a moment, and on drawing in his head he turned -to the other with the remark:</p> - -<p>“The carriage is there. Make haste with your -knot. I’m not in love with this business.”</p> - -<p>He spoke in German and his partner replied in -the same tongue.</p> - -<p>“Have patience,” he said, calmly; “it’s a heavy -body we’ve got to lower and the knot must be -strong. There’s plenty of time. He won’t come -to himself for hours, and there’s no fear of anyone -interrupting us now.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t be too sure of that,” was the reply, in -a tone of nervous apprehension; “we have been -here too long as it is. If we should fail at the -last minute, the Baron would——”</p> - -<p>“S—sh!” warned the other, “no names is -safer. Just another wrapping now and she’ll -hold all right. Some wrap it seven times and -some only five, but I’m giving it nine, to be -sure.”</p> - -<p>He had scarcely finished the sentence when a -blow, aggressive and imperious, sounded on the -door. The younger man started nervously, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155">155</a></span> -the other just phlegmatically lowered his work -and raised his head.</p> - -<p>“What’s that mean?” he whispered.</p> - -<p>“God knows!” the other replied, agitatedly. -“What’s to be done?”</p> - -<p>“Done? Nothing. Keep still, that’s all. Blow -out that candle,” he commanded. Though he -spoke very low his voice penetrated and Grey -caught every word.</p> - -<p>Again a heavy blow struck the door, repeated -blows, accompanied by a demand:</p> - -<p>“<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Ouvrez la porte!</i>”</p> - -<p>The voice was O’Hara’s. Grey recognised it -with a thrill. He had returned with the revolver, -and not finding him in his room had set out in -search of him. But how, he wondered, could he -have traced him here? And then he thought of -the waiter he had seen in the passage, who had -evidently recognised him. Yes, the waiter must -have told.</p> - -<p>Now Grey heard other voices outside. There -was the shuffling, too, of many feet. Still, the men -within made no sound. The candle had been extinguished -and the darkness was intense.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156">156</a></span> -The knocking became clamorous. There was a -general ominous murmur like low growling thunder -from the other side of the door.</p> - -<p>Bang! bang! bang! resounded the blows.</p> - -<p>“Open the door! Open at once or I’ll break it -down,” O’Hara roared.</p> - -<p>Grey’s enforced silence and inertia were maddening. -He bit at his gag, contorted his mouth, -tugged at his arms, but could accomplish nothing, -beyond a wriggling change of position.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps they have gone,” he heard someone -say, whose voice was sonorous, “perhaps they -have gone. Escaped by the window. There is -no light there; and no sound.”</p> - -<p>“Stop!” It was O’Hara speaking. “Listen!”</p> - -<p>With an effort Grey squirmed to the edge of -the couch and dropped his bound body to the floor -with a thud that echoed through the silent room.</p> - -<p>“Damn him!” he heard the bigger of his two -companions hiss through his teeth.</p> - -<p>From outside there came a yell of triumph; and -then a heavy, crashing, catapultian mass fell upon -the fragile portal. There was a crackling, splintering -sound of wood rent apart, and through the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157">157</a></span> -aperture thus made, in the dim light of the single -gas-jet in the passage, O’Hara came plunging -with half a dozen of the hotel employés at his -heels.</p> - -<p>At the same instant a head disappeared below -the sill of the window, and the rope from the bedpost -was stretched taut and creaking with the -weight of two descending bodies.</p> - -<p>The Irishman, crossing the room in a flash, -missed the form of his prostrate friend by a hair’s-breadth -and dived headlong for the open casement. -But quick as he was the fleeing scapegraces, realising -their danger, were even more speedy. As -his head shot out into the night the strain on the -rope relaxed and there came up from the darkness -below a patter of feet on the stone flagging -of the alley. His pistol was in his hand and he -fired once—twice—three times—blindly into the -blackness beneath, guided only by the echo of -those retreating footsteps.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, one of the Frenchmen—Baptiste, -the waiter, by the way, who had told O’Hara that -he saw Monsieur Arndt enter this room—was removing -the gag from Grey’s mouth, while others<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158">158</a></span> -were cutting the cords that bound his limbs. For -a moment the American’s view of the Irishman’s -broad back was cut off by those surrounding him, -but the next minute he was on his feet and—but -in that instant O’Hara had disappeared. Clutching -the dangling rope, he had swung himself out -of the window and had slid down nimbly in -pursuit.</p> - -<p>Grey’s impulse was to follow, but at the first -step he reeled dizzily and would have fallen had -not Baptiste thrown an arm about him and aided -him to a chair. His head was aching splittingly -and his legs and arms were numb. For a little -while he was lost to everything save the racking -torture of physical pain. Then the voluble, excited -clatter of the men about him recalled him to a -sense of what had happened.</p> - -<p>“What are you standing here for?” he cried, -vexedly. “Get down to the street, every one of -you. Monsieur O’Hara may need you. Off, I -say. Be quick!”</p> - -<p>“But, monsieur,” urged Baptiste, hanging back -as the other five made a hasty exit, “is it not that -monsieur would like a surgeon?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159">159</a></span> -“Surgeon be damned!” yelled Grey, excitedly. -“Out with you!”</p> - -<p>But in five minutes they were back again in -augmented numbers, with O’Hara accompanied -by a <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">sergent de ville</i> at their head.</p> - -<p>“They got clean away, the beggars,” the Irishman -announced; and then seeing Grey very white, -he exclaimed: “Are you hurt, lad? What in -God’s name did they do to you, the scalawags?”</p> - -<p>“I’m only a little knocked up,” the American -answered, with a forced smile; “it was a pretty -hard rap on the head they gave me, though.”</p> - -<p>The police officer had taken out a notebook, and -now he began to ask questions. There was very -little, however, that anyone could tell him. Grey -described his assailants as accurately as he knew -how, and gave him the benefit of his suspicions.</p> - -<p>“By whom was the room engaged?” asked the -<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">sergent</i>, addressing Baptiste; but Baptiste did not -know. Then a messenger was sent to arouse the -<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i>, who had been abed for an hour or more, -and when at length he came in, still rubbing his -eyes, the information that he gave conveyed -nothing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160">160</a></span> -The room, he said, was taken that evening by a -man of ordinary appearance who gave the name of -Schmidt. His brother and a friend would occupy -it, he told the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i>, and he paid one day’s rent -in advance.</p> - -<p>“Was the man tall or short?” asked the officer.</p> - -<p>The <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i> shrugged his stalwart shoulders.</p> - -<p>“I do not know,” he replied.</p> - -<p>“Was he dark or fair?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot tell you, monsieur,” he repeated; “I -did not notice.”</p> - -<p>“Of what age?”</p> - -<p>“It is impossible that I should conjecture, monsieur,” -with another shrug.</p> - -<p>Grey laughed, sneeringly. “He evidently paid -more than room rent,” he said to O’Hara. “The -Baron von Einhard is very clever.”</p> - -<p>And when, a little while after, he thought of -looking through his pockets he had reason to reiterate -and emphasise this opinion. Not a penny -of his money had been touched; his watch and -chain were still in his possession, as were indeed -all of his belongings save one. The ring of the -Prince of Kronfeld alone was missing.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161">161</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XI"></a>XI</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap b"><span class="smcap1">Resentment</span>—fierce, vengeful, -absorbing—took possession of Carey -Grey. That he should have been disgraced, -dishonoured, robbed for a -time of his reason and his memory, his -friends made to suffer, his life put in jeopardy, -and all without the slightest provocation, was an -outrage so heinous that he considered no punishment -too great for its perpetrators. The fact that -the one who was apparently mainly responsible -for the inspiration and the execution had been -summoned to a spiritual tribunal to answer for his -misdeeds tempered not a whit the victim’s bitter -animosity. Indeed, he felt that death had cheated -him of what he craved as a meagre compensation -for his wrongs—the opportunity to visit personally -upon the arch-offender his own retribution. -But if Herr Schlippenbach had been snatched -from his hands by a too kindly Providence there<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162">162</a></span> -were others remaining who should feel the weight -of his relentless vengeance.</p> - -<p>In this mood, wakeful and dreamful by turns, -a cold compress on his bruised head, Grey worried -through the early hours of the morning. With -the first sign of the blue dawn, however, he became -more composed. His meditations took on a more -gentle guise; his brow, which had been wrinkled -with frowns, smoothed; into his eyes came a tenderness -that routed spleen, and his mouth softened -its tensity of line. The day held for him a joy the -anticipation of which was a benison.</p> - -<p>After all, heaven was not wholly unkind. He -had been made to suffer cruelly and undeservedly, -but there was at least one compensation—the -woman he loved was here, near him, in the same -city; in a few hours he would meet her, talk with -her, feel the warmth of her hand in his, experience -the benignant sympathy of her eyes and the -caressing graciousness of her voice. With the -dawn had come confidence, and he smiled as he -recalled his doubts of the previous afternoon. Her -love was steadfast, enduring, immutable. Of this -he felt assured. And her faith and loyalty were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163">163</a></span> -like her love. He lay for hours in blissful contemplation -of the character, disposition, mind, manner -and person of the woman he adored.</p> - -<p>He recalled their first meeting at a barn dance -at Newport, when she was in her débutante year; -and then, an event of the following day came back -to him vividly as in a picture. The scene was the -polo field at Point Judith. He had just made a -goal by dint of hard riding and unerring strokes, -and a hurricane of applause had followed, led, it -seemed to him, by a tall young woman in white, -with great, shining brown eyes and flushed cheeks, -who was standing up in her place atop a coach, -clapping her hands in frantic delight. And this -picture was followed by others—a panorama in -which the same girl figured again and -again—always beautiful, always smart, always -gracious.</p> - -<p>He attired himself, this fine Sunday morning, -with more than usual care, despite the absence of -his valet, and set forth early for the rendezvous -he had chosen. Already the boulevards were alive. -Many of the chairs in front of the cafés were occupied -by sippers of absinthe and drinkers of black<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164">164</a></span> -bitters. From the gratings in the sidewalks arose -the appetising aroma of the Parisian <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">déjeuner à la -fourchette</i>. He crossed the Avenue de l’Opéra -and, turning into the rue de la Paix, was presently -passing the entrance of the hotel that sheltered -her who filled his thoughts—her whom he -had come out to meet. A <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">fiacre</i> was at the curb, -and, fancying that it might be awaiting her, he -hastened his steps so that he should not encounter -her in so public a place. From the summit of the -Vendôme Column the imperial-robed Napoleon -cast an abbreviated shadow across his path as he -cut across the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">place</i> into the rue de Castiglione. -A man he did not remember bowed graciously as -he passed him at the corner of the rue de Rivoli, -and a little further on a somewhat showily -gowned woman in an enormous picture hat, probably -on her way to the Madeleine, leaned from her -carriage to smile upon him. And she, likewise, -was without his recollection.</p> - -<p>At the corner of the rue Cambon he made a -diagonal cut to the garden side of the street, and -a minute later reached the broad and imposing -Place de la Concorde in all its bravery of bronzed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165">165</a></span> -iron and granite fountains, sculptured stone figures, -rostral columns and majestic Obelisk.</p> - -<p>As he turned into the gardens of the Tuileries, -Grey glanced at his watch to discover that the time -still lacked five minutes of eleven. He looked -back in expectation of seeing a cab approaching, -but, though there were many crossing the place at -various angles, there was none headed in his direction. -He strolled off between the flower-beds -into the little grove at his right. Just ahead of -him he descried a figure in pink, and his heart -bounded; but he overtook it only to meet disappointment. -He lighted a cigarette, sat down on a -bench, and dug in the gravel with his walking-stick; -his eyes, though, ever on the alert, looking -now one way, now another. He took out his -watch again. The minute hand was still a single -space short of twelve. He got up and retraced -his steps towards the entrance with the object of -meeting her as she came in. Again he gazed -across the wide, sun-washed area of the place, but -without reward, and then a dour melancholy -threatened him. He was assailed by forebodings. -She would not come. He had offended her beyond<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166">166</a></span> -reparation. The day suddenly grew dull. A cloud -hid the sun. The gaiety of those who passed him -became offensive. The sight of a youth with his -sweetheart hanging on his arm filled him with -rancour. He walked back and forth irritably. -He was depressed, heavy-hearted, apprehensive.</p> - -<p>Another five minutes dragged by, with a corresponding -increase in the young man’s dejection. -His imagination was now active. It was quite -possible she had left Paris. His messenger, perhaps, -had failed to deliver his note. He wondered -if by any chance she might be ill.</p> - -<p>He was standing, pensive, by the fountain, undecided -whether to wait longer or to go on to the -Ritz in search of her, when the rustle of skirts -behind him caused him to turn.</p> - -<p>“Ah—h!” exclaimed a laughing voice, “it is -then you after all. I was not sure. I looked and -I looked, but you are so changed, Mr. Grey!”</p> - -<p>It was Marcelle, Miss Van Tuyl’s maid, and at -the sound of her peculiar accent Grey recognised -her instantly. He realised, too, that it was she -whom he had seen on the moment of his coming—the -figure in the pink frock.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167">167</a></span> -“Miss Van Tuyl sent this note, Mr. Grey,” she -went on, handing him an envelope which he -noticed was unaddressed.</p> - -<p>His spirits rose a trifle. She had not left Paris, -then, and she had received his message.</p> - -<p>“Miss Van Tuyl is not ill, I hope?” he questioned, -anxiously.</p> - -<p>“Oh, no, Mr. Grey,” and Marcelle shrugged -her plump shoulders and raised her black eyebrows, -“but—” and she hesitated just the shade -of a second “she is—oh, I fear she is most unhappy.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you very much, Marcelle,” he said, -ignoring her comment, though the words were as -a sword-thrust, and handing her a louis. “Is -there an answer?”</p> - -<p>“I do not know, monsieur; but I think not.”</p> - -<p>Grey tore open the envelope and glanced over -the inclosure.</p> - -<p>“No,” he announced, his face very set and suddenly -pale. “Give my compliments to Miss Van -Tuyl,” he added, “that is all.”</p> - -<p>When the girl had gone he turned again into -the little grove and once more found the seat under<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168">168</a></span> -the trees where a few minutes before he had impatiently -dug the gravel with his walking-stick. -He sat now with his forearms resting on his -thighs, the note crushed in his hand, his eyes bent, -thoughtful but unseeing, on the grass across the -walk.</p> - -<p>She had refused to come to him. It was probably -better, she had written, that they should not -meet again. She could imagine nothing in the -way of explanation that would form an adequate -excuse for his action of the afternoon before. And -that was all. Only five lines in a large hand.</p> - -<p>The self-chastisement of the man was pitiless; -his contrition pathetic. He was willing now to -make any sacrifice, to suffer any abasement, to risk -any punishment, to sustain any loss if by so doing -he could gain forgiveness, achieve reinstatement -in favour—aye, even attain the privilege of pleading -his cause. He had been so sure of her; it had -not seemed possible that she could ever be other -than love and devotion and loyalty personified. -Her smile was the one sun he thought would never -set and never be clouded. And now she had taken -this light from his life forever. With that gone,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169">169</a></span> -he asked himself, what else in all the world mattered? -What were honour, position, credit, fortune, -if she were not to share them?</p> - -<p>He smoothed out the crumpled sheet and read -it again, slowly, carefully, weighing each word, -measuring each phrase, considering each sentence. -And then the utter hopelessness of his expression -changed. “It is probably better,” he repeated, -quoting from the note, and the “probably” -seemed larger and more prominent than any other -eight letters on the page. There was nothing -absolutely final about that. It was an assertion, -to be sure, but there was a lot of qualification in -that “probably.” And further on, she had not -said: “There is nothing in the way of explanation -you can offer,” but “<em>I can imagine</em> nothing.” -He thanked God for that “I can imagine.” Oh, -yes, indeed, there was a very large loophole there; -and so he took heart of grace, and even smiled, -and got up swinging his stick jauntily. All he -wanted was a fighting chance. He had won her a -year ago from a score of rivals, and he would win -her now from herself. And not from herself, -either, for with the return of hope he felt that he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170">170</a></span> -would have no more stanch ally than she. It was -with her sense of what was fit and becoming that -he must battle—her pride and her self-esteem -which he had outraged. He would go to her, -bravely, as he should have done before, instead of -asking her to meet him in this clandestine fashion. -He had been a fool, but he would make amends -and she would forgive him. Yes, he was quite -sanguine now that he could win her pardon.</p> - -<p>He retraced his steps briskly to the Place Vendôme -and turned in at the Ritz with head erect -and chin thrust forward. He had no cards, of -course, but he scribbled “<em>Carey Grey</em>” upon a slip -of paper and asked that it be sent to Miss Van -Tuyl at once. And then he waited, nervously, -smoking one cigarette after another, walking back -and forth, sitting down, only to get up again, -agitatedly, and to resume his pacing to and fro.</p> - -<p>“Miss Van Tuyl is not at home, monsieur.”</p> - -<p>It was the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i> who delivered the message. -Grey stood for a full half-minute, staring stupidly. -He had not counted upon this. He had been all -confidence. That she was in the hotel he felt very -certain; but she would not see him. He might<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171">171</a></span> -have foreseen that consistency demanded this attitude -of her. To send him a note one moment -refusing to permit him to explain and at the next -to grant him an audience was not to be expected -of a young woman of Hope Van Tuyl’s sterling -character. There was, therefore, but one course -open to him. What he had to say he must put -in writing.</p> - -<p>“I’ll leave a note,” he said to the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">portier</i>; and -he went into the writing-room and sat down at a -table. But when he came to write he was embarrassed -by the flood of matter that craved expression. -There was so much to tell, so much to -make clear, so much to plead that he was staggered -by the contemplation. Again and again he began, -and again and again he tore the sheet of paper into -tiny bits. He dipped his pen into the ink and held -it poised while he made effort to frame an opening -sentence; and the ink dried on the nib as one -thought after another was evolved only to be -rejected.</p> - -<p>For the fifth time he wrote: “My Very Dearest,” -and then, nettled over his laggard powers, he -dove straight and determinedly into the midst of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172">172</a></span> -the subject that engrossed him, writing rapidly -and without pause until he had finished:</p> - -<p>“I cannot find it in my heart to question the -justice of your decision,” he began. “Viewed in -the light of your meagre knowledge, or rather -ignorance, of facts, I must look indeed very black. -But I am guiltless; that I swear. Under the circumstances -you must know how anxious I am to -prove this, and how, in justice to you and myself, -I must let no opportunity pass to discover and -convict the real culprits. To have recognised you -at Versailles yesterday before the man you were -with would have been to ruin every chance of -accomplishing what I have set out to do. Imagine, -my dear, the alternative from which I had to -choose. Had it been simply a question of my personal -liberty, you cannot doubt which course I -should have taken. I was burning to speak to you—to -look into the eyes I love, to hear the voice I -adore—and yet for both our sakes I had to deny -myself. The child who was with me is sweet and -charming, and in no way implicated in the plot -against me. When you know her, as I hope you -will one day, you will be very fond of her. But I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173">173</a></span> -can understand how the situation must have appeared -to you. I would give all I have and all I -hope for if I could but be with you and tell you -everything. All I ask now is that you trust me. -I am leaving Paris this afternoon for Kürschdorf -by the Orient Express. I cannot say when I shall -return. But when I do it will be to search for you, -and with honour vindicated and no further need of -secrecy. My heart is with you always, my darling. -<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">’Au revoir.</i>”</p> - -<p>The letter dulled, in a measure, the keenness of -Grey’s disappointment and reinspired him to the -accomplishment of the task that lay before him. -After luncheon he had up his trunks from the -hotel storeroom and with Baptiste’s assistance accomplished -his packing. Already O’Hara had engaged -places for three on the train, for Miss von -Altdorf’s destination was the same as theirs. She -had a married sister living in Kürschdorf, and she -was most anxious to join her at the earliest possible -moment.</p> - -<p>By half-past five everything was in readiness -for their departure; Baptiste had retired with a -liberal tip, and Grey and O’Hara were making<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174">174</a></span> -themselves ready for the journey. Just at this -juncture there was a knock at the door, and in -answer to Grey’s command to enter, it swung open -to reveal, bowing on the threshold, the sturdy little -figure, pale face, and close-cropped yellow head of -Johann.</p> - -<p>The two occupants of the room stood astonished, -their eyes wide with surprise.</p> - -<p>“Johann!” they exclaimed together.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Herr Arndt,” said the lad, bowing again; -“it is as you see—I have come back.”</p> - -<p>“Back from where, Johann?” Grey asked.</p> - -<p>“I started for Kürschdorf with the Herr Captain -Lindenwald; but I am come back from Strasburg.”</p> - -<p>“And why?” queried the American, very much -puzzled.</p> - -<p>“Because, Herr Arndt, I knew it was not right -for me to be going with the Herr Captain. I was -in your service, and perhaps if you were seized -with madness you have all the more need of me.”</p> - -<p>“Madness!” repeated Grey, frowning. “What -is this? Who said I was mad?”</p> - -<p>“The Herr Captain and Lutz,” confessed Johann,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175">175</a></span> -stolidly, with scarce a change of expression.</p> - -<p>O’Hara laughed. “Oh, ho!” he shouted, -dropping into a chair, “now we have it. You are -mad, and so you cannot go to Budavia to claim -your own.”</p> - -<p>Johann nodded; and Grey, leaning against the -edge of the table, was lost for a moment in -thought.</p> - -<p>“But the Fraülein?” O’Hara questioned. -“What did they say of her? Was she to be left -with the madman?”</p> - -<p>“No, Herr O’Hara; only for a little. The Herr -Captain Lindenwald had arranged, Lutz told me, -to have Herr Arndt taken to an asylum by the -doctors and then the Fraülein was to be brought -to Kürschdorf.”</p> - -<p>Grey smiled, grimly. “The doctors were the -gentlemen you chased out of the window last -night, Jack,” he said. And then he asked of -Johann: “Did they say anything of Baron von -Einhard?”</p> - -<p>“No, Herr Arndt.”</p> - -<p>“You are quite sure?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176">176</a></span> -“I have not heard of his name, Herr Arndt.”</p> - -<p>Then Johann was told of the plan of departure -and was sent off to telephone for another place on -the Orient Express for himself. When he returned -the American said to him:</p> - -<p>“It was very good of you, Johann, to come -back.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, Herr Arndt,” he returned, in a tone of -appreciation, “I could not do less. Can I ever, -do you think, forget that it was you who saved -my life?”</p> - -<p>Grey’s surprise must have shown in his eyes, -but he asked no questions. Later, however, just -as they were about to start for the Gare de Strasbourg, -he found himself alone with O’Hara for a -moment and put the query to him:</p> - -<p>“What is this about my having saved Johann’s -life?”</p> - -<p>“You don’t remember it? Oh, of course not,” -the Irishman answered. “Well, you had your -pluck with you, lad, if you didn’t have your memory. -We were in that fire at the Folsonham, in -Piccadilly. It happened in the early morning when -the whole house was asleep, and that the death list<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177">177</a></span> -was not larger was little short of a miracle. The -front stairs were burning as Schlippenbach, the -Fraülein and you and I reached them. When I -got to the bottom I missed you, and looking back -saw you through the smoke still standing at the -top. ‘For God’s sake, make haste, man!’ I called, -‘the stairs may fall at any minute.’ But you had -seen a figure staggering down, half suffocated, -from the floor above. Well, instead of saving -yourself you went back to help that figure, which -proved to be Johann. And even at that moment -the staircase fell with a crash. But you caught -the stumbling, dazed Budavian from out a hurricane -of sparks, rushed him through a room filled -with blinding smoke and climbed with him hanging -limp over your shoulder out of a window -onto an already burning ten-inch cornice. And -there you held him, against the wall, God only -knows how, until a ladder was run up and the -pair of you brought safely to the street just as -the cornice crumbled and went down. And, good -Lord, but didn’t the crowd cheer! Only fancy -your not remembering anything of it!”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad I managed it,” said Grey, simply.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178">178</a></span> -But the story depressed him. What else had he -done in those five months of somnambulism? The -thought of that period and its possibilities had -grown distressful to him. He had committed a -great crime and he had performed a brave deed. -They were the opposite poles of that world of -sleep. But what other acts lay between? What -other incidents of right and wrong filled the intermediate -zones? He shrank from asking general -questions on the subject, and speculation was as -distasteful as it was futile. When, as in this instance, -accident had revealed something, the result -was a sort of emotional nausea.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179">179</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XII"></a>XII</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap b"><span class="smcap1">On</span> the platform of the Gare de l’Est, -with ten minutes to spare before the -departure of the Orient Express, Grey -and O’Hara, with the fair Minna von -Altdorf between them, strolled leisurely up and -down beside the long and lugubrious train -of <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">wagons-lit</i>. There was the usual bustle -incident to the leaving of the great transcontinental -flyer. Passengers were nervously seeking -their locations; blue-overalled porters wheeling -trucks piled high with trunks and boxes hurried -towards the luggage vans, and others with -smaller impedimenta in hand crowded on the narrow -platforms of the cars and ran into the still -smaller passageways upon which the compartments -opened. English and American tourists -unable to speak the language of the country were -besieging the interpreters; friends and kinsfolk -with lingering handshakes, effusive embraces, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180">180</a></span> -kisses upon either cheek were bidding departing -travellers farewell, and dapper-uniformed guards -were at intervals repeating the stereotyped command: -“<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">En voiture, messieurs!</i>” There was the -distracting hissing of escaping steam, the shrill -piping of whistles, the rumble and roar of -arriving trains. And over all hung an atmosphere -of intolerably humid heat.</p> - -<p>O’Hara and the Fraülein were chatting animatedly, -but Grey was still depressed and silent. -The delay irritated him. He was impatient to be -gone. For the hundredth time he was wondering -whether he had said too much or too little in -his letter to Hope Van Tuyl; wondering how she -regarded it; whether she was still obdurate. He -had not given her an address and there was no -way in which she could communicate with him. -He regretted this now. A word from her would -be a talisman.</p> - -<p>His memory of her as he had seen her yesterday -at Versailles was very vivid. It was only a -glimpse, but in that instant he had drunk in greedily -the marvellous perfection of her beauty; and -the picture had dwelt with him since. Sleeping<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181">181</a></span> -and waking he could see the bronze dusk of her -hair, the gentleness of her eyes, the softly flushed -curve of her cheek, the tender sympathy of her -mouth, the supple grace of her figure. The portrait -was not new to him, to be sure—he had many -times revelled in fond contemplation of those rare -features—but absence had its usual effect, and it -had been centuries, it seemed, since his vision had -been so blessed. Against the dull, dun, grimy -background of the railway station this radiant reflection -was projected, clear and sharp. He saw -her mentally just as he had seen her physically on -the previous afternoon.</p> - -<p>And as he gazed a miracle was wrought. For -into and out of the image came and grew the reality, -and he suddenly realised that she was standing -before him, that in one hand he was holding -his hat and that his other hand was clasping hers. -All the sights and sounds of the platform died -away, and he saw only her, more beautiful even -than he had dreamed, her eyes alight with love, -her lips smiling forgiveness.</p> - -<p>O’Hara and the Fräulein had passed on, and he -and the one woman in the world had drawn aside<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182">182</a></span> -out of the hurry and scurry. A few steps away -stood Marcelle, the maid, her interest decorously -diverted.</p> - -<p>“Oh, how good you are!” Grey was saying, -his heart in his voice; “how very, very good you -are!”</p> - -<p>Her hand answered the ardent pressure of his.</p> - -<p>“I just couldn’t let you go without seeing you,” -she returned. “You cannot imagine what I have -suffered. I tried to be brave—I tried so hard, -dear; but I’m only a weak woman and my soul -longed for you every minute.”</p> - -<p>What bliss it was to hear her speak! It set -the man’s pulses surging. His face was flushed -and young and happy again, as it had not been -since his awakening.</p> - -<p>“The whole thing has been frightful,” he told -her, clenching his teeth at the recollection. “You -haven’t an idea what a net of circumstance has -been thrown around me.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” she hastened, “I know—they told me -you had been ill, irresponsible; that you had had -brain fever or something, and—oh, Carey, why -did you do that?” and she pointed to his beard.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183">183</a></span> -He smiled grimly.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t do it,” he answered, with emphasis. -“You surely don’t think I’d be guilty of such a -ridiculous transformation, do you?”</p> - -<p>“But——”</p> - -<p>“I’ll explain some day, dear heart,” he interrupted -her, “but there isn’t time now; the -train leaves in about five minutes, and I want -all of that in which to tell you how very beautiful -you are and how very, very much I love -you.”</p> - -<p>She wore a perfectly fitting gown of white with -rich lace, and a large hat of pale blue with a -circling ostrich plume of the same delicate tint. -Her tall and shapely figure was quite unavoidably -a little conspicuous, and a target for admiring -glances.</p> - -<p>“Leaves in five minutes?” she repeated, dolorously. -“But I can’t let you go in five minutes. -I have so much to say to you. It has been five -months since I spoke to you. You must wait and -take the next train—wait until tomorrow.”</p> - -<p>“If only I might!” Grey replied, his eyes in -hers. “If it could only be we should never part<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184">184</a></span> -again, never! Ah, my own, how my arms ache -for you!”</p> - -<p>“But you can stay,” she urged. He was still -holding her hand, and now she placed her other -hand over his as she pleaded. “There is no reason -why you shouldn’t. What difference will -twenty-four hours make? Are you going for the -King’s funeral? It is set for Friday, you know. -We are thinking of going ourselves. Wait until -tomorrow, and you and papa and I can go together.”</p> - -<p>“But, my darling,” Grey protested, arguing -against his inclination, “don’t you see that that -would be quite impossible? Your father could -not afford to be seen with me. I am a supposed -fugitive from justice. He would be guilty of aiding -and abetting a criminal,” and he smiled grimly -again.</p> - -<p>“What would he care?” the young woman demanded, -airily. “He doesn’t believe you guilty. -He knows you are not. He has said as much. I -can’t let you go, dear; I can’t—I won’t.”</p> - -<p>“Please, please don’t make it more difficult for -me to part from you than it is already,” he begged.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185">185</a></span> -“You know how much I long to have you with -me, and yet another day’s delay might ruin everything. -I should be in Kürschdorf at this very -minute.”</p> - -<p>Her eyes glistened and tears hung on her lashes.</p> - -<p>“Why?” she asked, simply.</p> - -<p>“All my hopes of undoing the wrong that has -been done me lie in that direction,” he answered, -gravely. “It was a conspiracy, dear, involving -men high in the Budavian government. The work -of unmasking them will grow more difficult with -each hour it is put off.”</p> - -<p>She gazed at him in sudden alarm.</p> - -<p>“You are going into danger,” she murmured. -Her voice trembled. Anxiety was in her tone. -She pressed his hands nervously, convulsively. -“Tell me the truth. You are, aren’t you?”</p> - -<p>Grey laughed to reassure her.</p> - -<p>“Not a bit, my darling,” he answered, with an -assumption of nonchalance; “the whole affair can, -I think, be adjusted most peacefully.”</p> - -<p>For a moment she was silent, her eyes reading -his thoughts.</p> - -<p>“I’m going with you,” she exclaimed, suddenly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186">186</a></span> -Grey stared at her in surprise.</p> - -<p>“I only wish you could,” he said, refusing to -take her seriously, “but I don’t see just how——”</p> - -<p>“I’m going,” she interrupted, determinedly. -“I shan’t be in the least in your way, that I -promise. But I’m going. I refuse to be left behind.”</p> - -<p>“<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">En voiture, messieurs et mesdames!</i>”</p> - -<p>The guard’s command had grown imperative. -The second bell had rung.</p> - -<p>Grey pulled out his watch. It showed thirty -seconds of starting time. O’Hara was standing -at the car’s step looking anxiously towards him. -Johann was at his side, his hat deferentially raised.</p> - -<p>“The train is now to start, Herr Arndt,” he -said.</p> - -<p>The man turned to the woman he loved.</p> - -<p>“I am going with you,” she reiterated before -he could speak; and she beckoned to Marcelle.</p> - -<p>“<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">En voiture!</i>” shouted the guards.</p> - -<p>There was no time for further protest or parley. -The four crossed the platform hurriedly. Hope -entered the car, her maid following; and then -Grey, with O’Hara at his heels and Johann bringing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187">187</a></span> -up the rear, stepped from the platform of -the station to the platform of the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">wagon-lit</i>.</p> - -<p>The third bell rang; the locomotive whistled its -piping treble, gates clashed, doors slammed, and -the Orient Express drew slowly and solemnly out -of the hot, dingy station into the red glare of the -torrid June sunset.</p> - -<p>After the presentation of Miss von Altdorf and -Lieutenant O’Hara had been accomplished Grey -left Hope in their company and went in search of -the conductor. As it happened, there were several -berths to spare in the sleeping-car, and he arranged -for the accommodation of Miss Van Tuyl -and her maid. There would be no stop, however, -he learned, until they reached Château-Thierry, -at 8.15. From there, the conductor told him, a -telegram might be sent.</p> - -<p>Before returning to the compartment Grey lit -a cigarette and stood for a few minutes in the refreshing -draft that swept through the narrow -passage. To have Hope with him was a joy undreamt, -and yet he could not repress a little uneasiness -over her action. He feared that in a -calmer mood she might regret her impulsiveness<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188">188</a></span> -as savouring too strongly of a sensational elopement. -He wondered how Nicholas Van Tuyl -would regard it. He was, Grey knew, the most -indulgent of fathers, but his anxiety over her -absence would necessarily be poignant, and there -was no possible means of getting word to him -of her safety until hours after he had missed her. -But in spite of these reflections Carey Grey was -experiencing a gratified pride in the fact that the -girl had acted as she had. She was proving her -love for him and her faith in him by a disregard -of convention that was undeniably very flattering, -particularly grateful after his recent trying experiences, -and his affection for her, if possible, -waxed warmer under the stimulus of appreciation.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the trio Grey had left to their own -devices, with scarcely a word of explanation, were -getting into a wellnigh inextricable tangle.</p> - -<p>“Fancy my deciding to run off this way on the -spur of the moment, without even a handful of -luggage,” Miss Van Tuyl had exclaimed, “but -Mr. Grey and I have so much to talk about I just -couldn’t think of waiting another twenty-four<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189">189</a></span> -hours, and he said he couldn’t possibly stop over -another day in Paris.”</p> - -<p>Minna had recognised her minutes before on the -platform, as the beautiful lady she had noticed -the previous afternoon at Versailles, and she had -been and was still wondering how it came about -that her Uncle Max had not seen her and spoken -to her there. And now this mention of a Mr. -Grey perplexed her. Was he in another car or -another compartment? And if she had so much -to say to him why had she stood talking to another -man until the train was on the point of leaving? -and why was she sitting here now instead of -being with him?</p> - -<p>“American women are such fun,” O’Hara was -saying, his cheery, ruddy face one broad smile. -“I admire them awfully. They’re so superbly -self-reliant.”</p> - -<p>“You’re an American, Miss Van Tuyl?” the -Fräulein ventured. “Oh, of course. It was in -America, I suppose, you met Uncle Max?”</p> - -<p>Hope stared questioningly.</p> - -<p>“Uncle Max?” she questioned. “I don’t understand -you. Who is——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190">190</a></span> -“Didn’t you know he was my uncle?” the girl -asked, a little embarrassed.</p> - -<p>“Really, I—” she began again. And then -O’Hara came to the rescue:</p> - -<p>“Our mutual friend, Miss Van Tuyl. After -all, what’s in a name? Miss von Altdorf calls -him ‘Uncle Max’ and you—what is your favourite -pet name for him? Or is it rude of me to -ask?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, I beg your pardon,” Hope implored, addressing -the fair-haired girl beside her; “how -stupid of me! Yes, of course; I met him in -America when we were both very young. You -were with him yesterday at Versailles, weren’t -you? I remember you distinctly. Mr. Grey wrote -me something very nice about you.”</p> - -<p>“About me? Mr. Grey?” It was the Fräulein’s -turn to be audibly perplexed.</p> - -<p>“Yes, certainly, Mr. Grey wrote me about you.”</p> - -<p>“But I don’t know any Mr. Grey.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara laughed aloud. Should he or should -he not, he asked himself, set them right and thus -end this game of cross-purposes? It was very -amusing, it appealed to his native love of fun and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191">191</a></span> -he enjoyed it, so he concluded to let the play -go on.</p> - -<p>“Why, my dear Miss von Altdorf,” Hope insisted, -“do you mean to tell me that you don’t -know your Uncle Max’s name is Grey?”</p> - -<p>Minna’s eyes were wide with amazement. -Could it be possible that her uncle was known in -the United States by another name? The supposition -was preposterous.</p> - -<p>“My Uncle Max’s name is Arndt,” she said, -very decidedly. “He is my mother’s brother, and -my mother’s name was Arndt before she married.”</p> - -<p>Hope leaned back in the hot, stuffy cushions of -the railway carriage, nonplussed. This was altogether -beyond her understanding. And the Fräulein, -a little nettled, but triumphant, sat looking -at her with something of pity in her great long-lashed -blue eyes, while O’Hara on the seat opposite -was bent double in a convulsion of merriment.</p> - -<p>“I don’t really see, Mr. O’Hara,” Minna observed, -rebukingly, a moment later, “what there -is to laugh over. Would you mind telling me?”</p> - -<p>The Irishman, who had more than a passing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192">192</a></span> -fondness for the girl, pulled a straight face on the -instant.</p> - -<p>“I’m sorry, Miss von Altdorf,” he apologised. -“It’s too bad of me, isn’t it? And I beg Miss -Van Tuyl’s pardon, too. I’d like to explain the -whole blessed thing to you both, but to tell the -truth, I fancy the gentleman of the mixed nomenclature -had better be after doing it himself.”</p> - -<p>But when Grey arrived and the situation was -laid before him, the explanation was not at the -moment forthcoming. He evaded it as deftly as -he knew how, which, if the truth be told, was not -by any means to the taste of either of the ladies. -It would have been an easy matter to clear the -mystery for Hope, but he hesitated to confess to -Minna, in the presence of the others, that he had -been sailing under false colours. She was a sensitive -child, and serious, and he had no relish for -inflicting the pain that his unmasking would, he -knew, entail. So he simply said:</p> - -<p>“Ah, that’s a long story and we’ll have it at another -time. Just now I want to know what Miss -Van Tuyl is going to wire to her doting father.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara excused himself and went out, and Miss<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193">193</a></span> -von Altdorf extracted a novel from her satchel -and buried herself in its pages.</p> - -<p>“Wire him,” Hope directed, “that I’ve gone -on with you unexpectedly to Kürschdorf to secure -rooms for the royal obsequies, and that he is to -follow tomorrow night with the luggage.”</p> - -<p>“But he won’t get it until late tonight, you -know; possibly not until tomorrow morning,” -Grey told her.</p> - -<p>“No, he won’t get it until after two o’clock tomorrow, -at the earliest,” she replied, smiling.</p> - -<p>“How do you know that?” he asked, surprised.</p> - -<p>“Because he went to Trouville last night to see -a man,” she laughed. “He does not leave there -until nine-one tomorrow morning, and it takes -these crawling French railway trains five hours -to make the journey.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194">194</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XIII"></a>XIII</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">“Kürschdorf,” the</span> guide-books -will tell you, “is the Capital of -the Kingdom of Budavia; 118 -miles from Munich and forty-nine -miles from Nuremberg. It stands on both -banks of the Weisswasser, united by the -Charlemagne and Wartberg bridges, 400 yards -long. Surrounded by towering mountains its -King’s Residenz Schloss, erected 1607–1642, rises -like the Acropolis above the dwellings and other -buildings of the city. The steep sides of the Wartberg -(1,834 feet) rise directly from amid the -houses of the town, and it is on one extremity of -the elevation that the imposing royal palace is -located, with its 365 rooms, frescoes and statues, -a ‘Diana’ of Canova, a ‘Perseus’ of Schwanhaler, -a ‘Sleeping Ariadne’ of Thorwaldsen,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195">195</a></span> -and casts. The palace gardens are two miles long, -and consist of a series of terraces overlooking the -Wartberg valley on one side and a fertile plain on -the other.”</p> - -<p>The guide-books, too, will tell you of the Königsbau, -a quarter-mile long, containing a coffee -house, the Bourse, and the Concert Hall; and of -the Museum, where the chief treasures of Kürschdorf -are on view daily (10 <span class="smcap smaller">A. M.</span> TO 4 <span class="smcap smaller">P. M.</span>); and -of the Hof Theatre, and of the beer gardens. And -they will give you a long and detailed description -of the cathedral, completed in 1317, with its spire -452 feet high, ascended by 575 steps, its wonderful -astronomical clock, and its great west window. -They will even tell you that the best shops are in -the Schloss Strasse, and that the Grand Hotel -Königin Anna is a first-class and well-situated -hostelry. But in no one of them will you find any -mention of the most ancient dwelling house in -all Kürschdorf, a quaint, dark stone building, on -the Graf Strasse, only a stone’s throw from the -Friedrich Platz and two blocks away from the -Wartburg Brücke.</p> - -<p>At the moment Carey Grey was sending his telegram<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196">196</a></span> -from the railway station at Château-Thierry -to Nicholas Van Tuyl, in Paris, Count -Hermann von Ritter, Chancellor of Budavia, was -standing at a rear window of this venerable -Kürschdorf mansion, gazing out upon a spacious -and orderly rose garden. He was very tall and -very angular. From a fringe of silver-white hair -rose a shining pink crown; from beneath bushy -brows of only slightly darker grey appeared small, -keen black eyes; and a moustache of the same -colour, heavy but close-cropped, accentuated rather -than hid a straight, thin-lipped, nervous mouth. -His head was bent thoughtfully forward and his -hands, long and sinewy, with sharply defined -knuckles, were clasped behind his back.</p> - -<p>The drawing-room in which he stood was large -and square, with high walls hung with many -splendid pictures in heavy gilded frames. The -furniture was massive and richly carved. Rococo -cabinets held a wealth of curios—odd vases and -drinking cups of repoussé work in gold and silver; -idols from the Orient, peculiar antique knives—bodkins -and poniards, and carvings of jade and -ivory and ebony. The polished floor was strewn<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197">197</a></span> -with Eastern rugs of silken texture, and at the -doors and windows were hangings of still softer -fabric and less florid colour and ornamentation.</p> - -<p>After a little the Count crossed to a table on -which stood lighted candelabra, and taking out his -watch glanced at it with some show of impatience. -Almost at the same moment a bell jangled, and -very soon after a portière was raised by a servant -wearing the Court mourning livery.</p> - -<p>“Herr Captain Lindenwald, your Excellency!” -he announced. And the Captain entered, saluting.</p> - -<p>He was flushed and somewhat ill at ease, and -the Chancellor’s icy manner as he bade him be -seated was not altogether reassuring.</p> - -<p>“I am very much distressed over the news conveyed -by your telegram,” began the older man, -when he had taken a chair at a little distance from -his visitor. “Any delay at this juncture, you must -understand, is only calculated to result in complications. -Was His Royal Highness so violent that -to bring him with you was impracticable?”</p> - -<p>Lindenwald hesitated for just the shade of a -second, his fingers playing nervously with the arm -of his chair.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198">198</a></span> -“I regarded the risk as too great,” he ventured.</p> - -<p>“That is no answer,” the Count returned, irritably. -“I asked you if he was violent.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Count, he was,” replied the Captain, -with sudden assurance. “He was very violent at -intervals. It would have been impossible to get -him here without his causing a scene at some stage -of the journey and probably revealing his identity. -Besides, it was most dangerous. He was liable to -evade his watchers and throw himself from the -train.”</p> - -<p>The annoyance of the Chancellor increased.</p> - -<p>“You have never heard, Captain,” he said with -a sneer, “that there are such things as handcuffs -and strait-jackets.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, but Count,” pleaded the other, in a tone -of conciliation. “His Royal Highness! Could -I put the Crown Prince to such humiliation? You -know yourself that I would not be justified. It -was better, it seemed to me, to have him safely -confined in a private hospital in Paris for the -present. In a little while, perhaps, his mind will -clear.”</p> - -<p>“What is the form of his mania?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199">199</a></span> -“It is most peculiar,” explained the Herr Captain. -“You understand, of course, that until five -months ago he had no idea whatever that he was -who he is. He was, as you have been told, a -valet, but a very superior man of his class. It is -most certainly true that blood counts. He had all -the inherent dignity of birth. His mind was far -above his assumed station. All this you know. -You may not have heard, though, that he was employed -by an American stock broker named Grey -who one day embezzled four hundred thousand -marks and ran away.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” put in the Count, “I was informed of -that as well.”</p> - -<p>“Just so. Well,” continued the Captain, “His -Royal Highness now, strangely enough, imagines -that he is Grey.”</p> - -<p>“Imagines that he is an embezzler?” queried -Ritter.</p> - -<p>“Precisely. He even cabled to New York giving -his Paris address, and the United States Embassy -there was for arresting him and having him -extradited.”</p> - -<p>“And when did this mania develop?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200">200</a></span> -“After the death of the Herr Doctor Schlippenbach.”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor sat thoughtfully rubbing together -his long, virile hands.</p> - -<p>“But I thought that this man Grey, this embezzler, -committed suicide—was drowned or -something.”</p> - -<p>“He was,” Lindenwald assented, “at least he -is supposed to be dead.”</p> - -<p>“It will be possible, I presume,” the Count pursued, -after another moment of meditation, “to -have the present temporary regency continued by -simply proving that Prince Maximilian, the heir -apparent, is alive and mentally incapacitated, -though to have had him here in the flesh would -have been far better. And now as to these proofs—I -am in possession of copies of the papers, but -where are the originals?”</p> - -<p>The Captain shifted uneasily in his chair, and -his eyes refused to meet those of his interlocutor.</p> - -<p>“That is a question, Count,” he replied.</p> - -<p>“A question!” cried the other, surprised and -annoyed. “Why a question? Surely you are in -possession of them!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201">201</a></span> -“Alas, I am not!”</p> - -<p>His Excellency, his face crimson, sprang to his -feet.</p> - -<p>“My God, Captain!” he exclaimed in a rage, -“you exasperate me beyond all bearing.”</p> - -<p>“I am deeply sorry, Count von Ritter,” returned -Lindenwald, “but if you will hear me for -one moment you will know that I am not to -blame.”</p> - -<p>“Excuses will not avail,” he retorted, glowering. -“You are a bungler, sir, a bungler. You -have been either criminally careless in this matter -or intentionally—yes, Captain, intentionally criminal.”</p> - -<p>“Your Excellency!” The Captain arose with -a fine assumption of anger. “I permit no man, -your Excellency——”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor’s lips were close pressed. His -beady eyes were two points of fire.</p> - -<p>“Tut, tut,” he said, “this is neither the time -nor place for that sort of thing. I am pained, distressed, -mortified. From first to last your mission -has been a series of blunders. Delay has followed -delay; excuse has followed excuse; and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202">202</a></span> -now, at the crucial moment, comes the climax of -your incapacity. A child could have done better. -Knowing the importance of getting the Prince of -Kronfeld here while His Majesty still lived you, -on one pretext and another, dawdled away week -after week in London and Paris; you permitted -knowledge of the existence of the Prince to leak -out; you could not even hide your stopping -place from Hugo’s emissaries—ah, you see -I am well posted—and finally you come here not -only without the heir but without the documents -that are absolutely essential to the continuance of -the direct succession.”</p> - -<p>Lindenwald listened, cowed and speechless. -After a little, however, he spoke falteringly, while -the Count, his hands behind him, strode excitedly -up and down the large, square drawing-room.</p> - -<p>“If you will but hear me,” he protested, sullenly, -“I think—I am indeed almost certain, your -Excellency, that I can show you I am at least not -altogether to blame. The Herr Doctor was ill when -he landed in England. He was, moreover, most -eccentric and most self-willed. And His Royal -Highness was of the Herr Doctor’s mind, always.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203">203</a></span> -For me to make a more expeditious journey was, -under the circumstances, impossible. It appeared -to me that it was the Herr Doctor’s object to delay -our arrival until after the death of His Majesty. -Then, as you know, Herr Doctor Schlippenbach -died, somewhat suddenly, and the madness of the -Prince ensued.”</p> - -<p>“But the papers, the papers?” cried von Ritter, -irritably, halting in his walk. “What of them?”</p> - -<p>“The Herr Doctor never so much as showed -them to me, Count. They were, I understand, in -a strong-box, of which he and Prince Maximilian -had duplicate keys. But the strong-box when we -reached Paris was not brought to our hotel. -Schlippenbach seemed to think it would be safer -at the railway station. I argued with him, but to -no avail. There was a fire, you remember, at our -hotel in London, and that it and its contents were -not destroyed was simply miraculous. It was that -which frightened the Herr Doctor, and he refused -to risk it in another hotel. Well, your Excellency, -after his death we could find no trace of the box. -The receipt for it had disappeared. I did my utmost -to locate and secure it, but as yet I have been<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204">204</a></span> -unsuccessful. I have tracers out, however, and it -may be discovered any day.”</p> - -<p>“Bah!” almost shrieked the Chancellor, irascibly, -“and a throne hangs on the slender thread -of that ‘may be.’ Unless the box is found, Captain, -it will be well for you to—but it is needless -for me to suggest. You yourself know that your -life, henceforth, would be not only useless, but a -burden.”</p> - -<p>Lindenwald’s chin dropped and his eyes sought -the floor.</p> - -<p>“The box shall be found,” he said; but the assurance -in his tone was meagre.</p> - -<p>“And His Royal Highness,” continued von Ritter, -“is in a sanitarium in Paris?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Count; the sanitarium of——”</p> - -<p>But a rap on the door cut short his answer, and -the name either was not pronounced or was -drowned in the Chancellor’s stentorian:</p> - -<p>“<em>Herein!</em>”</p> - -<p>A footman handed His Excellency a telegram, -and with a “Pardon me, Captain!” he opened it.</p> - -<p>Years of diplomatic training had given the -Count von Ritter a command of his facial muscles<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205">205</a></span> -that was perfect. Not by so much even as the -quiver of an eyelash did he signify the character -of the tidings thus conveyed to him. Having read -the message at a glance he refolded the paper with -some deliberation, and then turning to Lindenwald -again, asked:</p> - -<p>“In whose sanitarium did you say?”</p> - -<p>“Dr. De Cerveau’s.”</p> - -<p>“You saw him there yourself?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Count.”</p> - -<p>“And there is no possible chance of his escaping?”</p> - -<p>“None whatever, Count.”</p> - -<p>His Excellency took another turn to the window -overlooking the rose garden, his head bowed meditatively. -Lindenwald was still standing, his arm -resting on the high back of the chair from which -he had risen.</p> - -<p>“You are quite sure,” His Excellency pursued, -when he was again opposite the Captain, “that we -need have no apprehension on that score?”</p> - -<p>“Quite sure, Count von Ritter.”</p> - -<p>Very slowly, and with a care and precision that -emphasised the action, the Chancellor again unfolded<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206">206</a></span> -the telegram he held and extended it towards -Lindenwald.</p> - -<p>“Then you will, perhaps, explain to me what -that means?” he said, with a calmness that was -portentous.</p> - -<p>The face of the Herr Captain went ashen white. -He caught his breath sharply, and his left hand -gripped the chair back where a second before his -arm had rested.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“<i>Am leaving this evening, Orient Express</i>,” he -read. “<i>Have me met on arrival.</i> <span class="smcap">Arndt.</span>”</p></blockquote> - -<p>He made as if to speak, but his lips emitted no -sound.</p> - -<p>“Well? Well?” queried the Count, impatiently. -“What is it? Explain it. That is from -His Royal Highness, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p>“I—I—you see, I—” stammered the Captain, -dazed and affrighted, “I—I am not so sure. It -may be a hoax—a trap.”</p> - -<p>Von Ritter’s eyes poured out upon him their -contempt.</p> - -<p>“A hoax, a trap,” he sneered. “No, no, unless<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207">207</a></span> -it be a trap in which to catch a certain officer of the -Army who is not so very far away. I think, Captain, -that it is useless to prolong this interview,” -and he pressed an electric button in the table under -his thumb.</p> - -<p>Captain Lindenwald bowed, but said nothing.</p> - -<p>At the same moment the footman reappeared -and at a signal from the Chancellor lifted the -portière, and the Captain went rather shamefacedly -from the room.</p> - -<p>When the Count heard the street door close he -pressed the button in the table again, and to the -footman who entered he said:</p> - -<p>“Otto, I wish to speak to the Chief of Police. -Call him up, and when you have him on the telephone -let me know.”</p> - -<p>He walked to the window again. The moon -had risen, and the rose garden was clad in luminous -white with trimmings of purplish grey and -black shadows.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208">208</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XIV"></a>XIV</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">Passengers</span> for Kürschdorf by the -Orient Express change cars at -Munich, which, if the train is on -time, is reached at 12.24 on the day -following the departure from Paris. On this -particular Monday the express was nearly -forty minutes late, and, as the connecting train -was timed to start at 1.02, the transfer was of -necessity accomplished with somewhat undignified -expedition. That it was accomplished at all, however, -and that the quartet, of which Carey Grey -was one, was so fortunate as to secure a compartment -to itself, were subjects for mutual congratulation.</p> - -<p>The journey from the French to the Bavarian -capital had been rife with explanations. To Hope -Van Tuyl, Grey had made the entire situation most -clear, though he considerately refrained from revealing -any feature or incident that would tend to -alarm her. In his interview with Minna von Altdorf -he had brought to bear all the tact of which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209">209</a></span> -he was possessed. It was no easy matter for him, -in view of his duplicity that day at Versailles, to -make her a completely veracious statement of the -facts; and it was especially difficult because of her -veneration for her great-uncle, the late Herr -Schlippenbach, whom Grey could not but regard -as an egregious knave.</p> - -<p>She had been startled, surprised, pained, and -bewildered by turns as he told her the story, but -she never once questioned the truth nor doubted -the honesty of the narrator.</p> - -<p>“I simply can’t understand it,” she said, with -distress in her pathetic eyes. “Why should Great-uncle -Schlippenbach do such a thing? Why -should he? How could he?”</p> - -<p>“And I am just as much in the dark as you are,” -Grey answered, soothingly. “I have thought it -over continually, and I can’t arrive at any satisfactory -conclusion. I don’t remember ever having -seen him, and why he should have selected me for -this great honour—for, after all, it is an honour -to be elevated to the throne, isn’t it?” he laughed—“I -can’t imagine.”</p> - -<p>“We always knew he was eccentric,” the Fraü<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210">210</a></span>lein -went on. “He had most marvellous ideas on -certain subjects, but I won’t believe he was criminal. -He must have been just a little bit insane.”</p> - -<p>And then Grey asked her how it came that she -joined the little party in London.</p> - -<p>“You see, Great-uncle Schlippenbach wrote me -that he was going to Budavia and asked me if I -would like to go with him and see my sister in -Kürschdorf,” she explained. “That was reasonable -enough—there was nothing insane about that, -was there? My school term had just ended, and it -was a question whether I should make my home -with my sister over here or return to America -with him.”</p> - -<p>“And he told you I was your uncle?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes. You know I have an uncle in New -York. His name is Max Arndt. That is true. -And he told me that you were he.”</p> - -<p>Grey shook his head in token of his perplexity.</p> - -<p>“What became of your Great-uncle Schlippenbach’s -luggage?” he asked, suddenly, after a -pause.</p> - -<p>“I have it with me,” the girl answered, frankly. -“I shall take it to my sister’s.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211">211</a></span> -“Have you opened it?”</p> - -<p>“No. I thought that she and I would open it -together.”</p> - -<p>“It is possible, you know, that it may contain -something that will give us a hint as to his motive -in this matter,” Grey said, in explanation of his -interest.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I do hope so,” the Fräulein returned. “I -am so anxious about it.”</p> - -<p>Grey was on the point of leaving the compartment, -when he felt a hand holding the hem of his -coat.</p> - -<p>“I have just one question to ask,” said the -girl as he turned. She was not looking at him, -but she still retained her hold.</p> - -<p>“Well?” he queried, laconically; and his voice -was kindly inviting.</p> - -<p>“Would you mind very much if I—that is to -say, may I, still, although you are not really, but—may -I go on calling you Uncle Max?” The -hesitating embarrassment of the first part of her -utterance was followed by a nervous blurting of -the question in conclusion.</p> - -<p>“I shall feel very much hurt, Minna,” Grey<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212">212</a></span> -answered, “if you call me anything else.” And -he took the little hand from his coat and pressed -it affectionately.</p> - -<div class="tb">* <span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">* </span><span class="in2">*</span></div> - -<p>When the train for Kürschdorf arrived at Anslingen, -on the Budavian border, there was more -than the ordinary delay. There was, moreover, -evidence of something unusual in the throng upon -the platform and the suppressed excitement of -those composing it. Johann, who had sprung out -instantly from the third-class carriage in which he -and Marcelle were travelling—his object being -to secure the passage of the party’s luggage -through the Custom House—was at once recognised -and besieged by a horde of questioners.</p> - -<p>“The Prince!” they cried with one accord. -“You are with him, are you not? Where is he? -In which carriage? What is he like?” And he -had no little difficulty in shaking them off and attending -to the business in hand.</p> - -<p>By some mysterious means the report had -spread, and what was at first mere rumour had -later found substantial confirmation in the discovered -presence at the station of two distinguished<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213">213</a></span> -personages: General Roederer, Commander -of the Budavian army, and Prince von -Eisenthal, conservative leader of the Budavian -Assembly; each accompanied by a more or less -gorgeously uniformed retinue.</p> - -<p>Grey, looking from the carriage window, noted -the crowd with some little apprehension. He -glanced at O’Hara and saw that he too suspected -the cause. To the two ladies of the party nothing -had been said of the telegram addressed to the -name appended to the Lindenwald despatch, and -they consequently saw less of significance in the -demonstration, though they noted the gathering as -extraordinary.</p> - -<p>As Grey peered at the constantly increasing -throng he wondered whether his message had -been ill-considered. He had, in a way, sent it -blindly, not knowing whether Ritter was an ally -or a dupe of the conspirators, and he had sent it -knowing that, in either event, Lindenwald was on -the spot to take whatever ground he chose and to -use whatever argument he deemed most fitting. -If the Captain so fancied he could have him arrested -on the charge of being a pretender to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214">214</a></span> -throne, and would, armed with that strong-box -left by old Schlippenbach, have small difficulty in -proving his allegation. For exoneration he himself -might appeal to his Government, but as an absconding -defaulter he could look for meagre assistance -from that quarter. O’Hara had told him it was -dangerous business, but he had spurned advice, and -now he was face to face with the consequences, -whatever they might be. He was a trifle nervous, -his heart was beating faster than its wont, and -there was a red spot in each cheek; but even while -looking on the darkest side of the picture he regretted -nothing. This crisis had to be faced in -one form or another, and he was glad the moment -for facing it had arrived.</p> - -<p>There was a movement in the crowd a few -yards down the platform. The police were ordering -the people back and clearing a lane beside -the railway carriages. Grey thrust his head from -the window and saw coming down this lane, in -company with the train conductor, an army officer -in olive green uniform and black helmet. Upon -his breast was pinned a rosette of crepe, the insignia -of mourning for the dead monarch.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215">215</a></span> -At the door of each first-class compartment the -two men halted for a second, asked a question and -came on. But before they reached the carriage -in which Grey was waiting, Johann, who had discerned -their object, overtook them and led the -way. Meanwhile, though Grey had not spoken, -his companions had, intuitively, or by some other -occult means, become aware of what was impending, -and sat in breathless expectation.</p> - -<p>And then, suddenly, before anticipation had -been quite dethroned by realization, the officer was -saluting, was being joined by his superiors and the -rest of their retinues, and Grey was standing erect -and dignified, listening to a little formal speech -of welcome from the bearded lips of Prince von -Eisenthal.</p> - -<p>The crowd cheered lustily, of course, and cried: -“God save Prince Max!” And a band played -the Budavian national anthem. After which, or -rather in the midst of which, the Prince and General -Roederer entered the compartment with Grey -and his friends, their suites finding places as best -they could elsewhere, and the train, with much -ringing of bells and blowing of whistles, moved<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216">216</a></span> -off into the valley of the Weisswasser, its locomotive -now gay with many Budavian flags and -streamers of red and white bunting—colours of -the royal house of Kronfeld.</p> - -<p>Grey’s relief from the tension of uncertainty -found expression in an interested animation that -impressed Prince von Eisenthal most favourably. -He asked many questions concerning the affairs -of the little kingdom, both political and commercial, -and exhibited a concern over the conservative -policy of the late King that was especially -pleasing to the leader of the conservative forces. -General Roederer, meanwhile, addressed himself -to the ladies and Lieutenant O’Hara. He was a -bluff but gallant old fellow, with ruddy complexion -and iron-grey hair, and he possessed a quaint -humour that kept the little company in gay spirits -throughout the hour of the trip from the frontier -to the capital.</p> - -<p>“I am deeply regretful, your Royal Highness,” -he said to Grey, as the towers and spires of -Kürschdorf came into view, “that we are not at -liberty to offer you such a demonstration on your -arrival as I should have liked. But His Majesty,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217">217</a></span> -the late King, you understand, is still above sod, -the Court is in mourning, and the Prince Regent -deemed it unfitting to give you more than the most -informal of welcomes.”</p> - -<p>Grey bowed his acknowledgment.</p> - -<p>“I am glad,” he said, tactfully, “though I do -not fail to appreciate the expression of good will -in your desire. The Prince Regent’s views and -mine, in this matter, are in perfect accord.”</p> - -<p>But, however well the ideas of the supposed -heir and the Prince Regent may have coincided, -the populace was by no means of the same mind. -It is not every day that a Prince of Kronfeld arrives -in Kürschdorf—not every day that a new -King comes from across the sea to take his place -as ruler of his people—and the loyal townsfolk, -despite the brevity of time between announcement -and arrival, and the expressed opposition of their -temporary ruler to anything in the nature of an -ovation, hung gay banners amid the mourning -drapery of their house fronts, closed their offices -and shops and turned out in gala dress and -mood to crowd the streets, the squares and the -cafés.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218">218</a></span> -As the train drew slowly into the railway station -Grey leaned over and took Hope’s hand.</p> - -<p>“I’ll probably have to leave you for a little,” -he said, regretfully, “but O’Hara will see that -you get to the hotel, and I’ll try to look in this -evening.”</p> - -<p>Outside the station a landau, its panels decorated -with the royal arms and drawn by six cream-white -Arabian horses in glittering, gold-mounted -harness, stood in waiting, with coachman, footman -and postillions in the purple and scarlet livery -of the Court; while thirty yards away, in line -along the opposite side of the Bahnhof Platz, was -a troop of the King’s Cuirassiers, their breastplates -and helmets of silver and gold glinting fiery -red in the glow of the sunset.</p> - -<p>Cheer after cheer rang out as Grey, with the -Prince on his right and the General on his left, -passed through the station, followed by the welcoming -company that had escorted him from Anslingen, -and took his place in the waiting carriage. -And, as the little procession of which he was the -dominating feature wound through the boulevards -and streets of the new town and across the beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219">219</a></span> -Charlemagne bridge over the turbulent Weisswasser -into the more ancient and picturesque -quarter of the city, the cheering, it seemed to him, -grew louder and more continuous. At one point -a group of young girls in white frocks and red -ribbons ran out into the roadway to spread flowers -in the path of his equipage, and at another a -chorus of a hundred students, crowded on the balconies -of a <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Brauerei</i>, greeted his coming with a -patriotic glee, sung as only male voices of Teutonic -breeding and training can sing choruses.</p> - -<p>Grey’s emotions during this drive were novel -and complex. There were moments when he almost -felt that he was indeed the Prince—not that -any marvellous transubstantiation had taken place, -but that he had always been so—and that all this -homage, this enthusiastic applause and adulation -were his by right; and there were moments when -his heart grew sick at the fraud, the imposition, -the error, and he knit his brows and reproached -himself for letting the deception go so far.</p> - -<p>The magnitude the affair had suddenly assumed -appalled him. Heretofore he had regarded it as -a mere personal matter. He had been outraged,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220">220</a></span> -his honour sullied, his life threatened, and he was -justified, he had told himself, in using every means -within his power to bring his enemies to book. -But he had not perceived the possibilities of permitting -this line of investigation to run on unchecked. -In a single moment the adventure had -become a matter of national import. He was -guilty now of masquerading as heir to the throne -of a European monarchy. Hitherto the crime lay -at the doors of a few conspirators, who, to serve -certain nefarious ends of which he knew nothing, -had striven to secure for him the crown. In that -plot he had personally had no part. Everything -had been done without his cognisance or consent; -but now it was not they alone who were forcing -the scheme to a consummation. He had, practically, -for the time being at least, joined hands -with them and was passively allowing their plans -to be carried out, though fully aware of the impious -character of the whole proceeding.</p> - -<p>And the enormity of his thoughtless offence was -at each foot of the way made more and more apparent -by these cheering masses of people. When -they should learn that they had been tricked, what<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221">221</a></span> -explanation would serve to assuage their resentment? -Love and homage would be turned to -hatred and vengeance, and no excuse that he could -offer would have any weight against their sense -of outraged loyalty.</p> - -<p>Then his thoughts took a new trend, and he -asked himself how it was possible that old Schlippenbach -and his fellow-plotters had been able thus -to fool the conservative leaders of a great nation -regarding a matter so vital to the very existence -of their most cherished institutions as the legitimate -succession to the regal sceptre. What incontrovertible -proofs had it been possible to offer in -order to bring about this ready acceptance of a -man whom the Budavian people had never seen to -rule over their nation’s destinies? After all, there -was where the blame must lie. The preposterousness -of the proposition, it seemed to him, should -have been apparent to the most simple-minded.</p> - -<p>And, as he thought, the landau, with the flashing -cuirassiers galloping ahead and behind and -on either side, began the tortuous ascent of the -Wartburg by the wide, wooded avenues that wind -from the palace gates through the sumptuous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222">222</a></span> -royal gardens up to the imposing Residenz Schloss -on the mountain’s apex. Now and then, through -rifts in the foliage, Grey got glimpses of the vast, -formidable, castle-like pile of sombre stone perched -far above him, the outline of its battlemented -towers showing sharp and clear against the pink -of the sunset-tinted sky; and it seemed to frown -forbiddingly, resembling more a great fortress at -this distance than the magnificent palace it is.</p> - -<p>Twenty minutes later, to a musical fanfare of -bugles, a clinking of bit chains and a rattle of -steel-shod hoofs on stone paving, the carriage -swept in under the great grey <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">porte-cochère</i>; the -massive oaken doors of the Schloss swung impressively -inward, and Chancellor von Ritter, in -his robes of office, with a dozen attendants at his -back, stood in token of formal welcome on the -threshold.</p> - -<p>To Grey’s immense relief, however, the ensuing -formalities were of the briefest description, and -almost immediately he found himself proceeding -under the Chancellor’s guidance and direction toward -a suite of rooms in the Flag Tower that had -been prepared against his coming.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223">223</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XV"></a>XV</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> Grand Hotel Königin Anna at -Kürschdorf is much like the Schweitzerhof -at Lucerne. It stretches its -long, yellow front, bordered by a -stone terrace, along the wide Schloss Strasse, -on the other side of which, shaded by four -rows of leafy linden trees, is the Königin Quai, -skirting the fast-flowing Weisswasser. At one -end of the Quai is the Wartburg Brücke, and at -the other the Kursaal.</p> - -<p>At about ten o’clock on the morning following -his arrival in Kürschdorf, O’Hara appeared on the -terrace with a troubled expression on his usually -care-free face and a newspaper in his hand. The -events of the previous evening had filled him with -an apprehension greater even than that which had -beset his friend. Being himself a subject of monarchical -rule, and appreciating by reason of his -breeding and environment the very serious nature<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224">224</a></span> -of the affair, he viewed these late developments -with less leniency than would naturally temper -the consideration of a citizen of a republic, whose -knowledge of the ethics of dynasties had been -gleaned chiefly from books.</p> - -<p>Grey, in allowing himself to be invested with -royal honours, had cut loose from O’Hara’s counsel. -The Crown Prince was no longer travelling -<i xml:lang="la" lang="la">incognito</i>. He was now within the very shadow -of the throne that awaited him, and was consequently -hedged in by all the formalities of the -Court. Yesterday they were able to consult as -man to man on an equal footing. Today a gulf -divided them. It would be possible, of course, for -O’Hara to present himself at the Palace and crave -an audience, but it was doubtful whether anything -approaching a private consultation could be managed. -The American now, oddly enough, was not -his own master. Otherwise he would have come -to the hotel the evening before, as he had planned. -He belonged to the state, and, if rumour spoke -truly, he was, and had been since his arrival at the -Residenz Schloss, under the strictest surveillance.</p> - -<p>There was a hint of this in the paper that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225">225</a></span> -O’Hara carried, and the very air was pregnant -with more or less detailed gossip, sensational in -the extreme. At breakfast the Irishman had overheard -a conversation at the next table to the effect -that the Crown Prince was quite mad and had -been locked in a dungeon under the Palace in the -care of a half-dozen burly wardens. Everyone -was talking on the same subject. An officer in -uniform, connected with the Royal Horse Guards, -was reported to have said that Prince Max had -attempted suicide on his way from Paris, and -O’Hara, knowing this to be untrue, discounted -most of the other tales as equally baseless. Nevertheless, -he was very considerably disturbed. He -longed to act, but realised that his hands were tied. -All that was left for him to do was to wait with -what patience he could command until something -further developed. And so he lighted a cigar and -strolled forth across the Schlosse Strasse to the -Quai, where, presently, he was joined by Miss -Van Tuyl and the Fräulein von Altdorf.</p> - -<p>They, too, had heard the rumours with which -the very atmosphere was vibrant, and they came -to him with long faces seeking reassurance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226">226</a></span> -“Isn’t it possible to find out something definite?” -Hope asked, plaintively. “Surely there -must be some authority somewhere. You are his -friend and you have a right to know. Why not -go to see General Roederer? Let us get a carriage -and we will all three go.”</p> - -<p>“I should be only too glad, Miss Van Tuyl,” -O’Hara replied, “if I thought anything was to -be gained by it; but the truth of the matter is, you -are unnecessarily alarmed. Carey is all right. -Don’t you pay any attention to these cock-and-bull -stories. He has done this thing with his eyes -open, and if we go interfering we may upset all -his plans. We shall hear from him some time -during the day, I feel certain. But if we don’t I’ll -see that you have the facts before you sleep tonight. -By the way, have you heard from your -father?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes. I had a telegram late last night. -He is on his way. He will be here this evening.”</p> - -<p>“Good. Two heads are better than one, and -when he arrives we’ll find out what we want to -know if we have to blow up the palace to do it. -But I really feel that we shall have tidings from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227">227</a></span> -His Royal Highness before many hours.” And -he laughed in his characteristic rollicking fashion.</p> - -<p>“It all seems just like a dream to me,” said -Minna, soberly. “I’m completely dazed. So -much has happened in the last week that I hardly -know what I’m doing. And now I shouldn’t stop -here another minute, for I’m sure my sister will -be at the hotel and those stupid people will not -know where to tell her to find me.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll all go over and sit on the terrace,” suggested -O’Hara. “The band will be playing before -long, and they tell me it is a very good one.”</p> - -<p>On the journey from Paris the Irishman and -the Fräulein had been much in each other’s company, -and the growth of their mutual interest had -been more than once remarked by both Grey and -Miss Van Tuyl. Now, as he gazed at her fresh -young beauty, there was a tenderness in his eyes, -the meaning of which there was no mistaking. -Hope saw it, and when the terrace was reached -she excused herself and went inside, leaving them -together.</p> - -<p>“You will be going to your sister’s today, then, -I suppose,” said the soldier, when they had found<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228">228</a></span> -places under the shade of an awning not too close -to the band stand and well away from the other -loungers; in his tone was regret.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Minna answered, and her accent, too, -was regretful. “Her house is to be my home -after this, you know.”</p> - -<p>“And there’ll be somebody that will miss you -very much,” O’Hara ventured. His eyes had -grown worshipful, and the girl’s colour deepened -as she looked into them.</p> - -<p>“And I shall miss somebody very much,” she -returned, with a tincture of coquetry; adding, -after a briefest moment, “Miss Van Tuyl is -lovely. I feel as if I had known her always.”</p> - -<p>“But I wasn’t speaking of her,” he protested, -softly. “She’ll miss you, I dare say; but there’s -a man who’ll miss you a whole lot more—miss -you as he never thought it would be possible for -him to miss anyone.”</p> - -<p>The girl’s eyes drooped under the ardour of his -gaze, and her cheeks flushed pinker still at his -words. Her heart fluttered with an emotion that -was new to it, and that she did not quite understand. -She had experienced it once or twice before,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229">229</a></span> -in lesser degree, on the train when this big, hearty, -boyish fellow had—not altogether by chance—touched -her hand. It made her mute then, and -now her tongue was again for the moment tied.</p> - -<p>“But I am not going far,” she replied, when -utterance returned; “my sister’s place is only a -mile or two out of town, and the man has told me -that he is very fond of walking.”</p> - -<p>“And may he come?” he pleaded, eagerly, his -face suddenly alight with the smile she had grown -to regard as not the least of his attractions. -“May he?”</p> - -<p>“Why not?” she asked, laughing lightly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, why not?” he repeated, joyously. -“Since he will want to see her very much, and -since she has not denied him.”</p> - -<p>Frau Fahler, Minna’s sister, was much older -than she; a woman of thirty-four at least, short, -stout and fair-haired, but with eyes of that deep -pansy blue which was a family characteristic. She -arrived about eleven o’clock in a rather quaint-looking -country wagon, and she carried off the -Fräulein almost immediately, in spite of the urging -of Hope and O’Hara that she would<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230">230</a></span> -stop for luncheon and delay the parting until afternoon.</p> - -<p>Minna was naturally loth to leave until some -tidings had been received from the Palace, but -her sister had a dozen reasons for her haste, and -so it was arranged that when towards evening her -luggage was sent for, the messenger should be -given whatever news had arrived.</p> - -<p>Hope’s anxiety meanwhile had grown with -every passing minute. O’Hara’s assurances were -well intentioned, but, backed only by surmise, they -were by no means satisfying.</p> - -<p>“I don’t suppose he can come himself, or he -would be here,” she said, in reply to his oft-repeated -explanation that a Crown Prince is not -wholly his own master, “but he certainly could -send Johann or some one with a note.”</p> - -<p>But the afternoon wore away without any message. -On the other hand, the rumours of the -morning grew more ominous. A special session -of the Budavian Assembly had been called for that -very evening. A question, it was said, had arisen -as to the legitimacy of the alleged heir apparent. -Certain members of the Royal household were reported<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_231">231</a></span> -under arrest, charged with no less a crime -than treason. The adherents of Prince Hugo -were in the highest feather. Already the more -optimistic were speaking of him as His Majesty. -In the crowded cafés, the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">Brauerei</i> and the beer -gardens but the one subject was discussed; and -the newspapers got out special extras, which hinted -guardedly at the mystery, but gave absolutely no -facts.</p> - -<p>At seven o’clock Hope Van Tuyl drove to the -railway station and met her father. She was -nervously excited to the verge of hysteria, and -Nicholas Van Tuyl had some difficulty in piecing -together her somewhat disconnected and, it -seemed to him at times, irrational statements. -Eventually, however, by dint of careful questioning -he became acquainted with the salient points -of the situation; and later, at dinner, the Irishman -supplied what was lacking in important detail.</p> - -<p>“I agree with Lieutenant O’Hara,” said Mr. -Van Tuyl, in a tone that smacked of the judicial; -“it is a very delicate problem, and one that must -be handled with the utmost care. At the same -time, my dear child, your anxiety is natural, and,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_232">232</a></span> -though I think you have exaggerated the seriousness -of the affair, I can well understand your impatience -for facts. And facts we are going to -have.”</p> - -<p>He smiled confidently, and his daughter’s face -brightened on the instant.</p> - -<p>“All the time you have been telling me your -story,” he went on, “I have been trying to think -of the name of a man I met in Munich a few years -ago. He holds some high position here, and -would be just the chap to help us now. We were -excellent friends, and when we parted he begged -me to come to Kürschdorf and visit him. Strange -I can’t think of his name.”</p> - -<p>“What about the American Minister?” O’Hara -suggested.</p> - -<p>“I doubt that he would know. Besides, under -the circumstances, there’s no use taking chances. -If we told him the truth it would be a case of out -of the frying-pan into the fire. Grey is extraditable, -you know. I wonder if we could learn anything -by attending this Parliament meeting?”</p> - -<p>“We couldn’t get in. I thought of that at once -and made inquiries. It’s an executive session.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_233">233</a></span> -Van Tuyl was silent for a minute or more, evidently -deep in thought.</p> - -<p>“I don’t suppose you know the names of the -high monkey-monks here, do you?” he asked, -presently.</p> - -<p>“I know a few,” O’Hara answered. “There’s -Prince von Eisenthal, and Herr Marscheim, and -Count von Ritter, and——”</p> - -<p>“Aha!” cried the New York man, gleefully, -“now you’ve hit it. Von Ritter—Count von Ritter. -He is my Munich friend. What is he? -What position does he hold?”</p> - -<p>“He is what they call Chancellor, I believe; but -in reality he’s a sort of Prime Minister.”</p> - -<p>“That’s our man, by all that’s good!” Van -Tuyl exclaimed. “We’ll find where he hangs -out and call on him. And, girlie,” he added, turning -to his daughter, “you’ll know all about it in a -few hours.”</p> - -<p>“He’ll be at the Assembly session, of course,” -said O’Hara.</p> - -<p>“Certainly. We’ll go there and send him in a -message, and I’ll bet ten dollars to a cent he’ll -come a-running. He owes me a debt of gratitude;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_234">234</a></span> -I put him in the way of placing a government loan -at very good figures when the Budavian credit -wasn’t the best in all Europe by any means.”</p> - -<p>Hope smiled her gratitude. She had great faith -in her father. He was of the type of successful -Americans that do things.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_235">235</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XVI"></a>XVI</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> apartment in the Flag Tower to -which Carey Grey was conducted by -Chancellor von Ritter was at the top -of two flights of winding stone stairs, -and the barred windows of its four rooms -commanded a view of varied and picturesque -loveliness. In the foreground were the Palace -gardens, with their series of descending terraces, -their fountains and statuary, their parterres -of gay flowers, their gracefully curving driveways -and gravelled walks, and their wonderful old trees -of every shade of green leafage. Beyond the -gardens were the red and grey roofs, the spires -and steeples and domes and turrets of the city, -divided by the sparkling silver-white waters of -the rushing river, and beyond these stretched the -fertile valley checkered with fields of ripening -grain—yellow and orange and russet—and olive -patches of woodland, and dotted with farm houses -and cottages and barns and hayricks.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_236">236</a></span> -The rooms, themselves, were somewhat sombre. -There was a small library, panelled and finished -in black oak; a <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">salon</i>, long and high, with much -tarnished gilt ornamentation and red upholstery; -a tiny bare dressing-room, and a bedchamber -with a great canopied bedstead, beside which stood -a quaintly carved <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">prie-dieu</i>.</p> - -<p>“Your Royal Highness will, I trust, be comfortable -here,” said the Chancellor, when he had -walked with Grey from one room to another and -the two were standing together in the long <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">salon</i>.</p> - -<p>The American hesitated a moment before replying. -He was revolving mentally several alternatives -of action. It was his duty, he knew, not to -let this farce proceed further; and yet he had thus -far learned absolutely nothing.</p> - -<p>“I shall,” he said, at length, “be quite comfortable.”</p> - -<p>“If there is anything your Royal Highness -desires,” continued the Chancellor, “you have but -to make it known.”</p> - -<p>The invitation arrested the whirl of indecision -and settled the course of procedure.</p> - -<p>“If you will be so good as to answer me a few<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_237">237</a></span> -questions, Count,” Grey began, “I shall be indebted. -Won’t you sit down?”</p> - -<p>Count von Ritter found a place for his angular -length upon a settee beside a pedestalled bust of -King Oswald the First, and Grey sank into a -chair near by.</p> - -<p>“I am entirely at your Royal Highness’s disposal,” -the Chancellor avowed, amiably; and the -American, not without some trepidation, it must -be confessed, began:</p> - -<p>“You understand, of course, that events in my -career have followed one another in the most rapid -succession during the past few months; and regarding -some of the most important details I am -entirely uninformed. You will be surprised, perhaps, -to learn, for instance, that I do not know -with any degree of definiteness how my identity -was established. Herr Schlippenbach was my discoverer, -of course, but with whom did he consult -here and by what means was it made clear that I -am really the abducted heir of the Budavian -crown?”</p> - -<p>Count von Ritter listened to the question with -growing suspicion. Here were, perhaps, the first<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_238">238</a></span> -indications of that insanity of which Lindenwald -had spoken.</p> - -<p>“It does seem hardly possible, your Royal -Highness,” he replied, “that on such a vital matter -you should have been left in ignorance. It -was, I think, nearly a year ago that the first communication -from the Herr Doctor Schlippenbach -was brought to me by Herr Professor Trent.”</p> - -<p>“And who is Herr Professor Trent?” Grey -asked, quickly.</p> - -<p>“The Herr Professor,” answered the Chancellor, -“is the head of the University of Kürschdorf.”</p> - -<p>“And his reputation is, of course, beyond reproach, -eh?”</p> - -<p>“Quite beyond reproach, your Royal Highness.”</p> - -<p>“And what steps followed?” Grey pursued, -inquisitorially, crossing his legs and leaning back -in his chair.</p> - -<p>“I took up the matter personally,” the Count -responded, with frankness. “I entered into correspondence -with Schlippenbach at once, and after -some months of writing back and forth he placed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_239">239</a></span> -before me a very circumstantial story, which he -afterward confirmed with documentary evidence—old -letters, photographs, affidavits.”</p> - -<p>“And then?”</p> - -<p>“When I had thoroughly assured myself of -the authenticity of all he claimed, I brought the -subject to the attention of the Privy Council, and -eventually it was laid before His Majesty. In the -meantime the Budavian Minister at Washington -had been investigating, and the Budavian Consul -at New York as well. But all that, of course, you -know.”</p> - -<p>Grey nodded, dissembling. He was studying -Count von Ritter as he spoke; noting every accent, -every inflection, every expression, in an endeavour -to decide whether he were innocent or guilty. Thus -far he had been inclined to regard him as honest. -It hardly seemed possible that one occupying his -position could stoop to such chicanery. And the -head of the university appeared likewise as too -impregnably placed to be open to suspicion. The -Budavian Minister and the Budavian Consul, -however, he concluded could not be guiltless.</p> - -<p>“And how did Captain Lindenwald chance to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_240">240</a></span> -be chosen to meet me on my arrival in England?” -he asked.</p> - -<p>“Captain Lindenwald,” answered the Chancellor, -“is an officer of the Royal household—he was -the late King’s equerry—and he is, moreover, the -brother of our Minister to the United States.”</p> - -<p>Grey smiled in spite of himself. Of Lindenwald’s -complicity he had had no doubt from the -first. The fact that the Budavian Minister at -Washington was his brother made it all the more -probable that that dignitary was also criminally -involved.</p> - -<p>“Now, just one more matter, Count,” the -American continued. “Can you tell me anything -of this Baron von Einhard?”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor shrugged his square shoulders.</p> - -<p>“The Baron is a supporter of Prince Hugo,” -he answered.</p> - -<p>“That much I know,” Grey returned. “And -in his loyalty to his leader he is apt to be unscrupulous -to the Prince’s opponents?”</p> - -<p>Count von Ritter smiled a trifle cynically.</p> - -<p>“I have been led to understand so,” he answered.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_241">241</a></span> -“He would pay well, I suppose, to get Prince -Max out of the way just at this juncture? Is it -not so?”</p> - -<p>“The price asked would probably not deter him.”</p> - -<p>“And Captain Lindenwald—But no, of course -not. It is silly of me to suggest such a possibility. -You are satisfied of that officer’s fealty, I am -sure?”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor straightened in his seat and -leaned forward with an exhibition of concern that -had hitherto been lacking.</p> - -<p>“You do not make yourself altogether clear, -your Royal Highness,” he ventured. “Am I to -understand that you have reason to suspect that -Captain Lindenwald and the Baron von Einhard -are——”</p> - -<p>“Pardon me,” interrupted Grey, pleased nevertheless -at the awakened interest of the Chancellor, -“I did not say so. I merely asked a question. -You are satisfied of Captain Lindenwald’s entire -honesty and loyalty, are you not?”</p> - -<p>“The Captain,” von Ritter replied, guardedly, -“has not been as eager as I could have wished at -times, but I have never regarded him as venal.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_242">242</a></span> -“Then his explanation of why he left me in -Paris, without so much as a word as to his going, -and why that night an attempt was made to abduct -me by persons in the employ of Baron von -Einhard—I suppose he has made such an explanation—was -entirely satisfactory to you?”</p> - -<p>Grey sprung the question suddenly and noted -scrutinisingly the effect.</p> - -<p>The Chancellor’s usually immobile features -gave perceptible token of his surprise. His bushy -brows raised the merest trifle, and his keen black -eyes widened.</p> - -<p>“His story was, I must confess, not altogether -satisfactory, your Royal Highness,” he answered, -quietly; “it was, I may say, lacking in detail.”</p> - -<p>“I would suggest,” continued Grey, in a tone -equally repressed, “that you question him in the -line I have indicated.”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor bowed.</p> - -<p>“I have to thank you,” he said, gravely. “I -shall do so. That is very certain.”</p> - -<p>Grey arose and Count von Ritter got to his feet -instantly. The American stood for a moment in -indecision, very tall, very erect. There was no<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_243">243</a></span> -denying that he looked every inch the Prince. -Whether to declare that he was not he hurriedly -debated. Meanwhile the Chancellor was still -striving to detect the madness of which Lindenwald -had spoken. To each question he had given -the most searching mental scrutiny; to each gesture, -to each intonation he had paid the closest -heed, but he had discovered practically no indication -of the malady charged. With Grey’s next -utterance, however, all the fabric of his assurance -fell crumbling.</p> - -<p>“Count von Ritter,” he said—he had been for -a moment gazing out through the window at the -varied landscape now dimming with the dusk, but -as he spoke he turned and faced the Chancellor—“Count -von Ritter, I can delay no longer in confiding -to you a matter so grave that I scarcely -know how to frame it in words. May I ask you -to again be seated?” And he waved his hand -towards the settee from which the Count had -risen.</p> - -<p>The Chancellor seated himself without speaking, -and Grey resumed his place in the chair near -him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_244">244</a></span> -“The reason I have asked you what I have,” -continued he, speaking slowly and with more -than his usual deliberation, “is that I have been—I -was about to say astounded, but that is too -weak a word—I have been stunned and dumfounded -by the proved credulity of a nation which -has the reputation, next to Russia, of possessing -the most astute diplomats in all Europe. That a -government so fortified could be tricked into placing -its sceptre in the hands of an American citizen, -whose ancestry shows no trace of Budavian -blood and whose antecedents are an open book, -seems out of all reason; and yet it is precisely -what you and your confrères, Count, have, as is -now conclusively evidenced, been led into.”</p> - -<p>Upon the Chancellor’s face was an expression -which Grey could not fathom. He was neither -startled nor incensed. There was, indeed, just -the faintest suspicion of amusement in his keen -black eyes, mingled with a spirit of kindly indulgence.</p> - -<p>“You mean,” he said, quietly, “that you are -not the heir?”</p> - -<p>“Most assuredly,” Grey answered, in amazement<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_245">245</a></span> -at his companion’s inscrutable manner, “I -am no more the Prince of Kronfeld than I am the -Prince of Wales. I am Carey Grey, of New York, -an American born and bred, who was drugged, -hypnotised, mesmerised or what you please; made -unknowingly to commit a theft, made unknowingly -to cross the Atlantic, to travel under a false -name, to attempt to usurp a title and a throne.”</p> - -<p>Count von Ritter’s foot tapped the floor nervously. -He laced his long, knotted fingers and unlaced -them again.</p> - -<p>“This is a very grave matter,” he said, his -voice low and steady, “and I shall lose no time -in looking into it. As you say, such a thing would -appear beyond the bounds of reason. Your Royal -High—I beg your pardon! Mr. Grey, did I understand?” -And there was a humouring leniency, -not to say pity, in his tone—“you can -imagine how much this statement of yours at this -late hour will involve in the way of complications.”</p> - -<p>“That you were not enlightened earlier, -Count,” Grey continued, “was due to my desire -to learn just how far the conspiracy had been carried.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_246">246</a></span> -As a matter of fact, until I reached Anslingen -this afternoon I had no positive assurance -that the affair had gone further than Herr Schlippenbach -and Captain Lindenwald. Of their intentions -I was well satisfied, but concerning the -chances for the ultimate success of their plans I -was in the dark.”</p> - -<p>Again the two men stood up.</p> - -<p>“And now,” said the Chancellor, “as to dinner. -A state banquet has been prepared at which your—pardon -me!—at which <em>His</em> Royal Highness -was to have presided. Under the circumstances, -however, I presume you would prefer not to attend. -If I may be permitted,” he added, tactfully, -“I will explain that His Royal Highness is indisposed.”</p> - -<p>“Thank you,” Grey acquiesced, cheerily; -“that’s the better course—the only course, in fact. -Unless you can yourself join me—and I suppose -that is impossible—I’ll dine alone here. And afterward -I should like a conveyance to the Hotel -Königin Anna. I have some friends there that I -must see this evening.”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor bowed. The next moment he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_247">247</a></span> -was gone, and Grey crossed to the open window -and stood for a long while lost in thought. Meanwhile -the gloom deepened over the valley and the -room behind him grew dark.</p> - -<p>He was awakened from his reverie by a rapping -on the door, and in response to his permission to -enter Johann came in, followed by porters with -his luggage. Then the candles were lighted, and -a little later his dinner was served.</p> - -<p>Afterward he got into his evening clothes, and -when he was quite ready he sent Johann to see if -the carriage he had ordered was in waiting. But -the boy returned with dismay mantling his usually -placid features.</p> - -<p>“The carriage is not coming, your Royal -Highness,” he said, with an accent of apology, as -though the fault was his.</p> - -<p>“Not coming?” Grey repeated in astonishment. -“Why is it not coming?”</p> - -<p>“None has been ordered, your Royal Highness.”</p> - -<p>“Then order one at once.”</p> - -<p>“I tried to, your Royal Highness; but I was -not permitted.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_248">248</a></span> -Grey’s customary calmness gave way to palpable -irritation.</p> - -<p>“What the devil do you mean?” he asked. -“Am I a prisoner here?”</p> - -<p>Johann’s distress increased.</p> - -<p>“It is not I, your Royal Highness, on whom -the blame lies. Outside this door is a guard. He -will not let me pass. He will not let your Royal -Highness pass. He has orders.”</p> - -<p>The American strode angrily towards the door.</p> - -<p>“We will see,” he said, determinedly.</p> - -<p>Outside a soldier was standing.</p> - -<p>“What does this mean?” he asked, in as repressed -a tone as he could muster. “Why will -you not let my man do as I bid him?”</p> - -<p>The sentry saluted respectfully.</p> - -<p>“I have been ordered by my commanding officer, -your Royal Highness,” he answered.</p> - -<p>“Ordered to what?” cried Grey.</p> - -<p>“Ordered, your Royal Highness, to permit no -one to leave the Flag Tower.”</p> - -<p>And he saluted again.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_249">249</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XVII"></a>XVII</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> realisation that he was a prisoner -aroused in Carey Grey a spirit of revolt. -He thought that he had calculated -the cost. He had foreseen that -his confession would bring about complications, -and had counted on perhaps a long and -trying investigation, but he had not imagined -that he would be deprived of his liberty pending -the question’s settlement. The fact that he had -been honest should of itself, he argued, have entitled -him to consideration; but his frankness had -been misjudged and his candour rewarded with -punishment.</p> - -<p>Smarting under the indignity, he wrote a witheringly -sarcastic note to Count von Ritter, and -demanded that the guard should see to its expeditious -delivery. At the end of an hour he received -a brief reply:</p> - -<p>“The Chancellor,” it read, “regrets deeply that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_250">250</a></span> -he is unable to aid Mr. Grey. The Chancellor repeated -his interview of the early evening to His -Highness, the Prince Regent, and it is by His -Highness’s command that the present temporary -restraint exists.”</p> - -<p>Thereupon Grey set about devising some means -of escape; but the barred windows and the armed -guard, which, he learned from Johann, was not -alone at his door but on the landings above and below -and surrounding the Tower as well, were seemingly -insurmountable obstacles. He thought of -bribery, and as an entering wedge endeavoured to -have a note taken to Miss Van Tuyl, offering a -sum of money out of all proportion to the service, -but the offer was phlegmatically declined.</p> - -<p>It was very late before he threw himself upon -the great high bed in the dingy bedchamber and -tried to snatch a few hours’ sleep; and he was up -again at dawn. But if his slumber had been brief, -Johann’s had even been briefer. He had spent -hours in conversation with the soldier in the passage, -and he had gathered at least one fact of interest, -if not of importance—there were other -prisoners on the floor above. How many, he was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_251">251</a></span> -unable to learn, and of the strength of the guard -he was also uninformed. There would be a -change, though, at seven o’clock, and then it -would be possible to ascertain.</p> - -<p>From the window of the library which was over -the Tower door the approach of the relief and the -departure of the night watch could be seen. The -bars were too close to permit of a head being -thrust between them, but the barracks were at -some distance from the Palace, and the route, -Johann said, lay diagonally across the uppermost -terrace in full view of this particular window. -There Grey watched, and promptly at seven, as -the bell in the Bell Tower on another corner of -the quadrangle clanged the hour, a cornet sounded -and seven armed infantry men came marching -over the stone pavement. That, he concluded, -meant one man on each of the three landings and -four men on guard below. Not counting the -guard on the floor above, there were six against -two, and escape under these conditions appeared -hopeless. If, however, the prisoners on the floor -above could be communicated with and a plan of -concerted action agreed upon there might be a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_252">252</a></span> -fighting chance of success. But the question was, -how to reach them. The ceilings were high and -the floors thick, and to invent and execute a code -of signals by rapping would be a tedious and not -at all promising undertaking. Nevertheless Grey -was more than half inclined to try it. By piling -one piece of furniture on another the ceiling could -be reached readily enough, and by giving each -letter of the alphabet its number it would be possible -to hammer out words. Those above might -not be able to hear or, hearing, might not be clever -enough to understand, but the American was desperate, -and, notwithstanding the odds against -him, he determined after some little consideration -to make the effort.</p> - -<p>Upon a large table in the centre of the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">salon</i> he -and Johann lifted a smaller one which they -brought from the library, and upon this in turn -they placed a chair. To the top of this edifice -Grey climbed, armed with a heavy walking-stick, -with which he began a series of regular and irregular -blows upon the heavy oaken panelling which -ceiled the room. Having continued this for something -like three minutes without intermission, he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_253">253</a></span> -paused in the hope of some response. But none -was forthcoming, and he repeated the signalling -with increased vigour. When he halted again -there was a distinct reply—an exact reproduction, -in fact, of his rhythm—and the serious, anxious -expression he had worn gave way to one of relief, -if not indeed of triumph.</p> - -<p>His next move was to repeat in strokes the entire -alphabet, beginning with one for A, two for -B, and so on. This was a long and rather laborious -operation, but when he had finished he was -given the prompt gratification of an alert understanding -from those above, for immediately taking -the cue, the answering thuds spelled out the word -“window,” and turning his glance in the direction -of the barred casement he saw hanging there, -at the end of an improvised string made of torn -and tied strips of linen, a fluttering piece of paper.</p> - -<p>With a single bound he reached the floor, and -the next instant he was reading with eager interest -the pencilled words:</p> - -<p>“Write what you wish to say, attach it, pull -gently twice, and we will raise it.”</p> - -<p>“Johann,” he cried, enthusiastically, “see this!<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_254">254</a></span> -If those fellows have as much nerve as they have -wit we’ll soon be out of here, all right.”</p> - -<p>And while Johann read and smiled his approval -Grey sat down and wrote.</p> - -<p>For an hour or more questions and answers, -propositions and suggestions, went back and forth -from floor to floor by means of this novel line of -communication, and by the end of that time a -complete scheme of escape with all its details had -been arranged and was mutually understood.</p> - -<p>There were two prisoners above—a gentleman -and his man; just as there were two prisoners -below—a gentleman and his man. Who the two -gentlemen were was not asked by either. That -they were guarded in the Flag Tower was proof -that their offences were political merely. Nevertheless, -the two gentlemen resented the indignity -put upon them, and both were anxious to escape. -The two men were loyal to their masters and could -be depended upon to act with valour. The gentleman -above was unarmed, but the gentleman below -had a revolver. The time agreed upon for the -delivery was two o’clock in the morning. As that -hour sounded from the Bell Tower the guards on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_255">255</a></span> -their respective floors were to be called in on some -pretext, overpowered and stripped of their uniforms, -which would be donned by the two gentlemen. -Their weapons would be appropriated, likewise, -and thus disguised and armed it would be -comparatively easy to make captive the guard on -the first landing. There would then remain but -the four soldiers outside the Tower, and the -chances of their subduing were largely in favour -of the prisoners, three of whom would by this -time be as well equipped as the watch, while the -fourth would have Grey’s revolver. The advantage -is invariably with the surprising party, and -the plan was to take the guardsmen unawares and -effect their capture before they were even conscious -of attack.</p> - -<p>All this having been definitely decided on there -was nothing to do but wait, and the hours, for -Grey at least, dragged interminably. Again and -again at intervals he rehearsed the plan with Johann, -so that there could be no possible chance of -error, but this after a while grew monotonous and -he looked about for something interesting to read. -The books he found in the library, however, were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_256">256</a></span> -not diverting. They were for the most part historical -and written in the heaviest of German; -nevertheless their very ponderousness was in a -way an advantage. They provoked somnolence, -and late in the afternoon the uninterested reader -fell asleep and was so snugly wrapped in slumber -when his dinner was brought in that Johann found -it a rather difficult task to rouse him. He had -slept but little the night before, and his rest on the -train the night previous to that had been broken -and fitful. His nerves needed just this repose, -and when he finally awakened it was with a clearer -eye and a steadier hand. He ate heartily of the -distinctively Teutonic dishes that were provided, -and when he finished he remarked to Johann on -his general fitness, indulging in an Americanism -which the valet vainly tried to interpret.</p> - -<p>“I feel tonight, Johann,” he said, stretching -himself with arms extended and fists doubled, -“that I could lick my weight in wildcats and -paint whole townships red.”</p> - -<p>As the hours wore away he sat with one leg -thrown over the arm of his chair, smoking placidly -and with evident enjoyment. It was not until<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_257">257</a></span> -some time after the Bell Tower had bellowed its -single note that Grey alluded to the business of -the night.</p> - -<p>“Everything is ready, is it, Johann?” he asked; -“where are the thongs you made from the -sheet?”</p> - -<p>“Safe in my coat pockets, your Highness,” the -youth answered.</p> - -<p>“Now you may bring me my revolver,” the -American continued; “it is on the cheffonier in -my dressing-room.”</p> - -<p>The revolver was brought, and Grey examined -its chambers once again to make sure that it was -fully loaded. Then, throwing the end of his cigar -through an open window, he lighted a cigarette -and continued in desultory talk with his valet.</p> - -<p>A few minutes before two he rose and went into -his dressing-room, which separated the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">salon</i> from -the bedchamber. In the latter candles were alight, -but the dressing-room was in darkness. He -stepped behind the curtains, close to the wall, and -stood there, silent, hidden, and shortly from the -Bell Tower solemnly sounded the hour. Simultaneously -Johann tried the door which gave from<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_258">258</a></span> -the little library on to the landing. But it was -locked and bolted from without. Then he hammered -loudly, a little excitedly; and very promptly -the bolt was drawn and the key turned.</p> - -<p>“Quick!” he cried to the guard, who swung -open the heavy oaken planking. “Quick! His -Royal Highness is ill! I fear that he is dying! -Come!” And he started off hurriedly, the soldier -following unsuspectingly.</p> - -<p>In a second the little comedy was played. At -the entrance to the dressing-room Johann stepped -back and the guardsman went in ahead, to find his -arms caught in a flash from behind by Grey and -held hard and fast in spite of his struggles, while -Johann slung about his wrists the heavy linen -thongs and knotted them with deft and muscular -hands. Meanwhile the fellow was kicking and -stamping viciously, but, barring a barked shin for -Johann and a bruised toe for Grey, the effects -were not material. And, once his arms were -bound and the glittering barrel of the revolver -brought to his attention, his rebellion ceased. -Then Johann bound his feet as well, having first -marched him into the bedchamber and compelled<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_259">259</a></span> -him, protesting, to stretch himself upon the high, -old-fashioned bed.</p> - -<p>Grey was in the act of unbuckling the captive’s -belt when a pistol shot, muffled but unmistakable, -echoed from overhead, and he stopped, breathless, -just as a hoarse shriek split the silence which for -an instant followed the report. The door from -the library to the landing had been left open, and -from that direction now came a scuffle of feet on -stone, mingled with a succession of crashing, -thumping, jolting noises, alarmed shouts and -angry imprecations.</p> - -<p>Through the three connecting rooms Grey -dashed, revolver in hand and with Johann close -at his heels. The lantern the guard had left on -the landing had been knocked over and was out, -but by the light from the open doorway they at -once discovered the huddled, distorted body of a -man, whose groans added to the bedlam of hurrying -feet and excited voices from below and oaths, -cries, and sounds of struggle from above.</p> - -<p>And as they looked there came bounding down -the stairs, by jumps of a half-dozen or more steps -at a time, another figure, followed by futile shot<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_260">260</a></span> -after shot from rapidly belching revolver and rifle. -The fugitive’s feet landed on the groaning, -doubled heap on the landing, and that he did not -stumble to his death was a miracle. But he kept -his balance, flashed by down the next winding -flight, and, striking the first of the ascending -guards, toppled him backwards against his followers.</p> - -<p>For the space of a heart-beat Grey and Johann -paused, staring at each other. In that instant of -his passing both had recognised the fleeing prisoner. -It was Captain Lindenwald.</p> - -<p>And then, as they stood inert, the guard from -above, his rifle still smoking, reached the landing, -tripped over the crumpled body and went staggering, -lurching, clutching at the air, towards the -confusion below.</p> - -<p>The moment for action had now come; and -Grey, calm and collected in spite of the flurry of -events, motioning to Johann to follow, ran swiftly -down the stone stairs, which, once they were out -of the meagre glow from the library, grew dark -as Erebus. The struggling, swearing, wriggling -mass blocked the way at the next landing, but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_261">261</a></span> -Grey and the lad, guided by the sounds, were not -taken unawares. They were, moreover, for the -moment on their feet, which no one of the others -was; and though they were caught by desperate -hands and more than once dragged to their knees, -their clothing torn and ripped, their hands -scratched, and their arms and legs wellnigh disjointed, -they kept their wits and gained the last -flight of steps without serious injury.</p> - -<p>Down this they veritably hurled themselves, -and with no further impediment to delay them -reached the open door of the Tower and dashed -out onto the stone flagging of the upper terrace, -into the brilliant starlight of the early morning.</p> - -<p>“So far, so good,” said Grey, inhaling deeply -of the cool, clear air; and catching Johann’s sleeve -he pulled him back into the shadow of the buttress. -“But,” he added, “we are not free yet, are we? -The gates of the Palace Gardens are locked at -night, I suppose.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, your Royal Highness,” the youth answered.</p> - -<p>“Never mind that Royal Highness business -now, Johann,” he directed; “Herr Arndt will do<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_262">262</a></span> -for the present. I’m no more a Royal Highness -than you are.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Herr Arndt,” acquiesced Johann, imperturbably, -without change of tone, “and the -walls are very high.”</p> - -<p>“Nevertheless, we had better move on in the -direction of some exit,” Grey advised, in a whisper; -“it won’t do to stop here. They may come -rushing down on us at any minute. You know -the way; you lead.”</p> - -<p>Johann started off to the right, hugging the -Tower walls, and Grey followed. At a distance -of fifty yards they came to a clump of shrubbery, -into which the younger man plunged with Grey -still close behind. Through this a gravelled path -led into a wood, under the trees of which they -walked in silence for at least a quarter of an hour, -their course one of gradual descent.</p> - -<p>“Without our hats we’ll be suspicious figures -in the streets of Kürschdorf,” Grey observed, despondently, -as they came out upon a driveway, -“and our recapture is certain. After all, I don’t -see that we have gained a very great deal. The -gates won’t be open till morning, and by that time,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_263">263</a></span> -if we are not captured inside, every exit will be -guarded against us. Are the walls too high to -scale?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Herr Arndt,” answered Johann, respectfully, -but he did not slacken his pace.</p> - -<p>“What do you propose, then? Come, now, -this is serious. You know every inch of ground -here, don’t you? Is there no way we can get -out?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Herr Arndt,” came the stereotyped -answer.</p> - -<p>“There is? Then why didn’t you say so? -How? In God’s name, Johann, how?”</p> - -<p>The youth halted and turned.</p> - -<p>“At the head gardener’s is a long ladder,” he -answered; “we are going to the head gardener’s, -Herr Arndt.”</p> - -<p>At the head gardener’s they very shortly arrived. -Johann’s familiarity with the place was -now more than ever evident. Without hesitation -he entered one of the larger greenhouses, the door -of which stood invitingly ajar, and, though it was -quite dark within, he very promptly laid his hand -upon a ladder which lay stretched against the wall<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_264">264</a></span> -to the right of the entrance. Having thus assured -himself that it was in its usual place, he groped -to the left and from a row of pegs there secured -two hats; one of green felt and the other of dark -straw, soiled and dilapidated, it is true, but in -the present strait of the fugitives of inestimable -value.</p> - -<p>The high wall of the garden was, it subsequently -developed, but a stone’s throw distant, -and the work of carrying and placing the ladder, -climbing to the coping and springing over onto -the border of soft turf without was a matter of a -very few minutes.</p> - -<p>“And now,” said Grey, as with the faded and -stained green hat upon his head he stood looking -up and down the dark, silent street, “where are -we to go? Our presence at a hotel would simply -invite detection. It is too early for me to call on -the American Minister. All of your usual haunts -will be searched before sunrise.”</p> - -<p>“The sister of the Fräulein von Altdorf,” suggested -Johann, “to whom the Fräulein herself -was going, lives in the country, about two miles -away.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_265">265</a></span> -“You know where?” cried Grey, delightedly; -“you can find it?”</p> - -<p>“I know it well,” answered the youth; “at the -next farm I was born, Herr Arndt.”</p> - -<p>“Then we will go there, by all means.”</p> - -<p>And they set off walking rapidly through the -narrow side streets of the old town to the bridge -of Charlemagne, and thence across the river, and -on through the wider avenue of the new city out -into the silent lanes of the sweet-scented suburbs.</p> - -<p>Both were busy with their thoughts and neither -was inclined to conversation. After twenty minutes’ -trudging, however, Grey asked:</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose that fellow on the landing -will die, Johann?”</p> - -<p>“That fellow?” repeated the valet, “which, -Herr Arndt? Do you mean Lutz?”</p> - -<p>“Lutz!” exclaimed Grey, surprisedly, “was -Lutz there?”</p> - -<p>“Of a certainty, Herr Arndt. Did you not see -his face? It was Lutz who lay outside our door.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_266">266</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XVIII"></a>XVIII</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> rumoured meeting of the Budavian -Assembly proved, like many other -rumoured events, to be a canard, the -only foundation for which was a -hastily called session of the Privy Council. Before -this august body, over which the Prince -Regent presided, Chancellor von Ritter laid all -the facts that had come into his possession; -and very startling facts they were, including a -confiscated letter from Baron von Einhard addressed -to Captain Lindenwald, telling of the -failure of the abduction plot and of the securing -of that precious heirloom, the signet ring of the -Prince of Kronfeld.</p> - -<p>This communication gave indubitable proof -that Lindenwald had been false to his trust, and it -fully justified the Chancellor in having him placed -under arrest. It did not tend, however, to throw -any light on the mystifying main question. Was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_267">267</a></span> -the man who had been welcomed with such acclaim -on the previous evening really the Crown -Prince, as every bit of evidence up to the time of -his arrival tended to prove, or was he, as he -claimed, simply the cat’s-paw of a company of -conscienceless conspirators?</p> - -<p>The von Einhard letter would in a way indicate -that his title was clear and genuine, as, had it been -otherwise, there would have been no necessity to -conspire with Lindenwald to bring about his abduction. -Yet, if Lindenwald knew him to be the -Crown Prince, why should he run the risk of dickering -with the Baron, seeing that greater good -fortune than he could possibly hope to earn by -such a course lay in the direction of his faithful -carrying out of his mission?</p> - -<p>Upon these points the Privy Council debated -long and eagerly, if not altogether wisely. Men -are slow to confess even to themselves that they -have been imposed upon, and the State Council -had months before by an overwhelming majority -declared its faith in the integrity of the claimant. -It was, therefore, no more than to be expected -that the majority should still favour the theory<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_268">268</a></span> -that Prince Max, in his assertion that he was -simply a plain American citizen, was labouring -under an hallucination. There had been a strain -of dementia in the ruling line for seven generations, -and this exhibition of mental malady was to -those who now recalled the fact but another evidence -of legitimacy.</p> - -<p>On the minority who were known to be partial -to Prince Hugo the proof of von Einhard’s treachery -served as an effective gag. They could not -afford to imply sympathy for such conduct by opposition -to the ruling notion; and so it happened -that, while every phase of the question was discussed -with much earnestness, there was ever an -underlying sentiment that promised but one conclusion—the -unqualified endorsement of the fancied -unfortunately demented young Prince in the -Flag Tower.</p> - -<p>As the session was approaching its close, a card -was brought to Count von Ritter. The Chancellor, -however, deeply interested in the speech of -the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, which was then -in progress, laid it on the table before him without -adjusting his glasses to read it, and had it not been<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_269">269</a></span> -for the dullness of the speech of the Secretary of -War which followed, the session would probably -have come to a vote and adjourned before he gave -it heed. But as it chanced, bored by the prosiness -of the speaker, he took up the piece of pasteboard, -placed his <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">pince-nez</i> on the bridge of his nose, and -read the name: “Mr. Nicholas Van Tuyl,” with -a pencil scrawl beneath: “Your friend of Munich -and the Monterossan War Loan.” Whereupon -he arose instantly and tip-toed from the -Council Hall into the ante-room adjoining, where -Van Tuyl and O’Hara were with some impatience -waiting.</p> - -<p>Their reception by Count von Ritter was cordial -in the extreme. The sentiment of the Council had -served to lift a load from his shoulders, and he -was in fine good humour.</p> - -<p>“Remember you!” he cried, wringing Van -Tuyl’s hand, his small eyes alight, “of course I -remember you; and my debt to you, too—Budavia’s -debt to you. Why, my dear sir, you should -have had a decoration. The late King was very -remiss in not sending you one. But we will do -what we can to make up for it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_270">270</a></span> -“Ah,” returned the New York banker, “you are -very good indeed, Count, and I am going to hold -you to your word. Lieutenant O’Hara and I have -come for something this evening—something we -want very much, and something I feel sure you -can give us.”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor bowed and stretched forth his -hands with palms upturned and open, in signal of -his willingness to give.</p> - -<p>“What we desire,” continued Nicholas Van -Tuyl, smiling his recognition, “is information. -There are many sensational reports abroad, as -you probably know; but we men of finance are in -the habit of discounting unverified rumours. We -are not credulous. We want facts with an authority -to back them up. We want confirmation or -denial.”</p> - -<p>Von Ritter’s geniality was still fervent.</p> - -<p>“You wish to know, for instance—” he invited.</p> - -<p>“We wish to know, Count, whether there is -any basis for the story that His Royal Highness, -Prince Maximilian, is being restrained of his liberty.”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor smiled a little patronisingly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_271">271</a></span> -“Do they say that?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“That is the least they say,” Van Tuyl returned.</p> - -<p>For a moment Count von Ritter hesitated.</p> - -<p>“May I, without discourtesy, inquire why you -are interested?” he questioned.</p> - -<p>“We are interested,” answered the New -Yorker, promptly, “because he is our personal -friend. I have known him for years, and Lieutenant -O’Hara here has been with him, he tells me, -continually from the day he left America.”</p> - -<p>The three were still standing; but now the -Chancellor motioned his visitors to be seated.</p> - -<p>“You in turn interest me,” he said, as he took -a chair and sat down facing them. “How long, -Mr. Van Tuyl, have you known him? For how -many years?”</p> - -<p>“Ten at least,” was the answer. “He came -down to the Street when he was twenty. He was -with Dunscomb & Fiske in 1893, I remember.”</p> - -<p>“The Street?” repeated the Count, questioningly.</p> - -<p>“Yes, Wall Street. You knew he was a Wall -Street stock broker, didn’t you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_272">272</a></span> -The Chancellor paled perceptibly, his eyes widened -a trifle and the straight line of his lips narrowed -under his close-cropped moustache.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he returned, diplomatically, after an -instant’s pause. “Yes. His name, I think, was -Grey, was it not?”</p> - -<p>“Grey. Yes, Carey Grey.”</p> - -<p>Count von Ritter cleared his throat and then for -a moment he sat in silence, his lids half-closed, -his mouth tight-drawn. When he spoke it was -very seriously, with a changed demeanour.</p> - -<p>“Budavia has still more for which to thank -you, Mr. Van Tuyl,” he said, rising.</p> - -<p>The New York banker and the Irish lieutenant -also stood up. It was evident to both that a blunder -had been made.</p> - -<p>“I don’t just see for what,” said the older man, -a little nervously. “I haven’t told you anything -you didn’t know. I didn’t come here to tell you -anything. I came to have you tell me something.”</p> - -<p>“I think,” replied the Count, with an urbanity -that was the acme of trained diplomacy, “that you -said just now you came here to confirm a rumour, -or words to that effect. You have, my dear sir,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_273">273</a></span> -confirmed it. And now I must ask you to excuse -me. You are at the Königin Anna, I suppose? -I shall have the pleasure of calling upon you tomorrow.”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor bowed, smiling, and before Van -Tuyl could remonstrate had disappeared into the -Hall of Council. And then it was that O’Hara -for the first time found words.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’m damned!” he said. And he said it -with emphasis.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the Colonial Secretary had finished -his wearying oration and the Prince Regent had -suggested the advisability of adjournment. But -the return of the Chancellor, craving the privilege -of the floor, awakened a new interest. His usually -immobile face was portentous in its marked -gravity, and when he spoke every ear was alert.</p> - -<p>“Your Highness,” he began, addressing the -Prince Regent, “I am come to cry ‘Pause!’ I -have listened to and taken part in a debate this -evening the sole purpose of which, as I regard it -now, has been to accomplish our own convincing. -We constructed a theory upon a basis as unstable -as the sands of the sea, and then marshalled arguments<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_274">274</a></span> -of straw to effect its establishment. In the -whole history of Budavia I know of no incident -of parallel puerility. We call ourselves statesmen, -and we have acted with the confiding innocence -of children. We gambolled like foolhardy -lads blindfold upon the brink of a precipice, -over which, had not a miracle intervened, we -must have fallen into the slough of ignominious -dishonour. Even as it is the smirch of its miasma -is upon us, and we cannot escape the ridicule that -is entailed.</p> - -<p>“Our supposed mad Prince Maximilian of -Kronfeld, now so carefully guarded in the Flag -Tower, your Highness, is, I make bold to announce, -a perfectly sane American gentleman and -nothing more.”</p> - -<p>The Prince Regent leaned suddenly forward, -his hands clutching the arms of his chair. The -other members of the Council stirred, changed -their positions; two of them got onto their feet. -But the Chancellor still standing, the Prince -Regent motioned them back to their places, and -the speaker continued:</p> - -<p>“In the chain of evidence I have, within the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_275">275</a></span> -past five minutes, found a broken link. The statements -made to me by the supposed heir have, in -one important particular, been verified to my entire -satisfaction, and these statements were, as -you know, at utter variance with what we had -been led to believe was the truth—in direct contradiction -to the alleged proofs of royal birth.”</p> - -<p>“But, your Excellency,” protested the Secretary -for Foreign Affairs, rising again, “is not -this simply jumping from one conclusion to another?”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor frowned grimly.</p> - -<p>“At first glance,” he replied, resting the tips of -his long, knotted fingers on the table between -them, “it may appear so. But a chain is only as -strong as its weakest link, and this link, as I have -stated, has been shattered into infinitesimal -atoms.”</p> - -<p>Count von Ritter spoke for fully an hour. He -reviewed the affair from the beginning, detailing -every step in the building up of the fabric and -demonstrating with marked effect how a single -pin-prick had brought about its total collapse. -The pretender—if he could be so called in view<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_276">276</a></span> -of the fact that he personally had laid no claim -to the throne, but, on the other hand, had of his -own free will protested against the honour they -would have forced upon him—should be quietly -deported, and as expeditiously as possible arrangements -effected for the coronation of Prince Hugo. -The detection and punishment of those involved -in the plot to steal the crown must be brought -about with all the secrecy possible. Already two -of the conspirators, he announced, were under -arrest, and the apprehension of others would -speedily follow.</p> - -<p>It was long after midnight when the Council -adjourned, and the Chancellor returned to his -ancient mansion on the Graf Strasse. Rest for -him, however, was not yet to come. Upon the -writing table in his library were many State -papers demanding his attention, and, aided by his -secretary, who had been awaiting his home-coming, -he went systematically to work to clear away -the more important before retiring.</p> - -<p>At a quarter past two he threw down his quill -and leaned back in his chair with a yawn.</p> - -<p>“That will do for tonight, Heinrich,” he said,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_277">277</a></span> -kindly, “I’m sorry to have had to keep you up so -long.”</p> - -<p>And as he spoke the telephone rang long, loud -and viciously. The secretary put the receiver to -his ear, and answered into the mouthpiece. The -Count rose and stretched himself. It was unusual -for the telephone to ring at that hour, and he wondered, -watching Heinrich’s face. He saw the -young man’s chin drop and his eyes suddenly -grow round.</p> - -<p>“Your Excellency!” he exclaimed, excitement -in his voice. “Your Excellency! Listen! The -Crown Prince has escaped from the Flag Tower, -together with his servant and Captain Lindenwald. -And the Captain’s man has been shot, -seriously—they think fatally. One of the guards -was found bound in His Royal Highness’s apartment. -Another guard has a broken leg, and three -others are slightly injured.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_278">278</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XIX"></a>XIX</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> following day was rife with revelations. -Grey and Johann had arrived -at the farmhouse of Herr Fahler before -cock-crow and had been greeted -first with a yelping of dogs and then by a -cheery, if somewhat sleepy, welcome from the -master of the house, to whom Minna had told the -whole wonderful story. Johann he had recognised -at once, and he had suspected the identity -of his companion at sight. From a great cask in -the corner of the big living-room he had drawn -them foaming beakers of beer, and from a cupboard -had produced for their further refreshment -some cold meat and dark bread. And as they ate -and drank, Frau Fahler had appeared to add her -welcome to her husband’s, and a little later the -Fraülein, with rosy cheeks fresh from slumber -and wearing the most becoming of negligées, had -enthusiastically thrown her arms about Grey’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_279">279</a></span> -neck and mingled tears of joy with her smiles -over “Uncle Max’s” deliverance.</p> - -<p>At daybreak the fugitive Crown Prince wrote -a note to Hope, telling her of his flight and his -place of refuge, and one of the farm hands was -despatched with it to the town. Then Minna suggested -that the two refugees needed rest, and was -for sending them to bed for a few hours’ sleep, -but Grey protested and Johann blankly refused.</p> - -<p>In the American’s mind one desire was now -dominant—to see the contents of the late Herr -Schlippenbach’s luggage, among which, he was -impressed, he would find some clue to the mystery—some -evidence, perhaps, that would make clear -what was still the most perplexing of enigmas. -Whether this impression was born of hope, -merely, or whether it was inspired by some -psychic manifestation cannot be demonstrated and -is not material; but, as the discoveries of the day -proved, it was well founded.</p> - -<p>After the family breakfast, which was served -early, Minna took Grey to an upper room where -were the three boxes of her great-uncle, and producing -the keys a thorough search was made of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_280">280</a></span> -the dead man’s effects. In one box were his -clothes, in another relics of his family, and in the -third a small library of books and manuscripts, -with many bottles and jars and boxes, wrapped in -straw and packed with consummate care to guard -against breakage.</p> - -<p>The books for the most part bore on one subject—phrenology. -Nearly every known work treating -of it was included in the collection. There were -the early writings of Dr. Franz Joseph Gall and -his pupil, Dr. Spurzheim; there were the discoveries -of George and Andrew Coombs and of Dr. -Elliotson, and the lectures of that earliest and -ablest of American phrenologists, Dr. Charles -Caldwell, and of the later disciple, Fowler. All of -these bore many annotations, marked paragraphs, -underlined sentences and marginal comments. -Here and there were inserted pages of closely -written manuscript, recording the results of -Schlippenbach’s personal observation—cases that -had come under his notice and to which he had -given infinite study. From these it was very soon -made apparent to Grey that the late Herr Doctor -had ideas distinctively his own. While he accepted<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_281">281</a></span> -many of the conclusions of the earlier apostles -of the creed he went a step further, and believed -that character could be formed and developed -by the systematic physical building up of -certain portions of the mental structure and the -depression of other portions. This, he claimed, -was best accomplished by magnetic stimulation -and absorption. Positive magnetic currents stimulated -and nourished, while negative currents degenerated -and destroyed.</p> - -<p>He had conceived this theory, his writings -made clear, while tutor at the Budavian Court, -and had presumed to experiment on the infant -Crown Prince. At that time he had kept a journal -in which he made entry, briefly and roughly, -not only of his scientific accomplishments, but of -incidents bearing in any way on his career. This -journal was secured by a lock, but Minna and her -sister not merely consented to its breaking, but -insisted upon it. And here was found the long -and well-kept secret of the writer’s quarrel with -Queen Anna and the abduction of the young heir -apparent. Her Majesty having been informed of -the tutor’s novel methods of mental development<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_282">282</a></span> -had commanded their cessation so far as her infant -son was concerned; and the tutor’s departure -from the Court was only a part of the outcome. -The journal revealed the fact—though it was not -stated in so many words, and to those unfamiliar -with Budavian history the entries might have -meant nothing—that the tutor was, if not personally -the abductor of the young sprig of royalty, -certainly an important factor in the abduction, his -object being not so much to avenge himself on -Queen Anna as to gather the results of the experiments -he had been engaged in from the child’s -earliest infancy. There was no direct mention, -either, of the little fellow’s death, but the absence -after a few months of entries concerning him was -good ground for the belief that he did not long -survive his arrival in America.</p> - -<p>Package after package of letters from Professor -Trent showed that from the time of Schlippenbach’s -emigration up to almost the immediate -present he had been in correspondence with the -head of the University of Kürschdorf. In view of -what Count von Ritter had told him, the more -recent of these letters were to Grey of paramount<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_283">283</a></span> -interest, and he read them with careful attention, -and especially one in which appeared the following -paragraph:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>You can fancy the surprise, not unmixed with joy, with -which I read your letter of the twenty-fifth of August. -The fact that the heir to our throne is still alive and -where you can lay your hands upon him seems a wonderful -dispensation of an all-wise Providence; for in the -event of His Majesty’s death—and he has been for two -years a terrible sufferer from an incurable ailment—the -crown must otherwise go, as you know, to that prince of -scapegraces, Hugo. I have given your communication to -the Chancellor, and you will doubtless hear from him in -the near future. Fancy our future King, all unmindful, -serving in the capacity of a valet! Truth is indeed -stranger than fiction.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Subsequent letters gave hints here and there of -the progress of the investigation, which, it seemed, -was conducted with no little secrecy. From these -it appeared that Schlippenbach had had many interviews -with the Budavian Minister at Washington -and the Budavian Consul at New York, but -that the person of the pretended Crown Prince was -not revealed to them until some time in March, by -which date, or, in fact, as early as January, he had -become a member of Schlippenbach’s household -in Avenue A. Of his removal from where he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_284">284</a></span> -was supposed to have been in service to the home -of the old Herr Doctor, Professor Trent wrote:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>And you have not told him yet, you say, of the honours -that are his. All through this I can see the Divine Hand. -The embezzlement and disappearance of his employer offered -just the opportunity you desired to have him with -you. You can now, by degrees, fit him—gradually prepare -him, I mean—for the high estate which is his inheritance; -whereas had he continued in his employment such a -procedure would have been hedged around with difficulties. -I am glad you set me right in the matter of names. -I knew that he had gone by the name of Lutz; and I could -not understand who this other Lutz was. You say he is -his foster-brother, the son of the woman who reared him. -I think it wise to have him take another name for the -journey over here; and your idea of having him pose as -your nephew, Arndt, is capital, provided, of course, there -is none of your nephews’ friends or acquaintances coming -on the same steamer.</p></blockquote> - -<p>The insight which these letters gave to Grey -only served to whet his appetite for additional detail. -Many of the revelations were startling, some -of them in a way amusing, yet the general impression -they made was not of the cleverness of -the schemers but rather of their want of skill, their -rash indiscretion, their apparently laboured complication -of things, which by very reason of the -resultant network offered unnecessary loopholes -for discovery and frustration. In this he found<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_285">285</a></span> -proof of Schlippenbach’s lack of balance, which -he was charitable enough to consider the result -of mental derangement. He was not so much -a knave, he told himself, as he was a maniac.</p> - -<p>From Kürschdorf the news had come to him -that the King was going to die. He remembered -then, possibly with a stricken conscience, that he -was partly if not wholly responsible for the fact -that His Majesty would leave no son to succeed -him. If at this juncture he were able to produce -the heir, what might he not expect in the way of -honours? But the Crown Prince was dead and -therefore not producible.</p> - -<p>Grey could read very clearly between the lines -of the story as it was opened up to him, and he -perceived the birth just here of the temptation to -produce the heir to the throne by constructing a -replica of the deceased Maximilian. Had he been -going about such a business himself, he would -probably have chosen some conscienceless fellow -to personify the departed one. But with Schlippenbach -his science was always pre-eminent. As, -years before, he had endeavoured by means of this -to build up from the real infant heir a prince that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_286">286</a></span> -should meet his views of what a prince should be, -so now he chose to make, from a young man possessed -of certain fitting physical and mental attributes, -a prince to order.</p> - -<p>The raw material must be tall, erect and of dignified -bearing, of intelligence and education. The -Crown Prince had been dark-eyed, but flaxen-haired. -To secure this latter natural combination -was not easy. But while his knowledge of chemicals -left him powerless to change blue eyes to -brown, his familiarity with the potency of peroxide -of hydrogen made it quite possible for -him to change black hair to blond. And so -he set about finding a gentleman of the desired -type. Daily he must have passed hundreds -on the street, but seeing them and getting -them within the radius of his ministration -were two different things. In his circle -of acquaintances he knew of no one that -would answer. But from one of his acquaintances, -Lutz, the valet, he had heard much of the -valet’s employer, and the valet’s employer evidently -seemed to him to be very nearly what he -required.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_287">287</a></span> -All this Grey gathered by the very simple process -of logical reasoning from what he found in -Herr Schlippenbach’s books and papers. But -there was much still which by no method of inference -could he satisfactorily explain.</p> - -<p>In the examination of the contents of the boxes -Minna was deeply interested, and with her Grey -discussed each and every significant paragraph -and passage. They were still busy exchanging -views when, towards five o’clock in the afternoon, -the sound of carriage wheels on the driveway below -drew the Fraülein to the open window.</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear,” she cried, joyously, “it’s Miss Van -Tuyl and Mr. O’Hara and another gentleman. -Come, we’ll go down and meet them.”</p> - -<p>But Grey was not altogether pleased. In his -note to Hope he had warned her that it would not -be safe for her or anyone to visit or communicate -with him until events shaped themselves one way -or another. It being known that she and O’Hara -had come to Kürschdorf with him they would -probably be watched with a view to discovering -his whereabouts. Seeing that he had sent this -caution it was, he thought, most inconsiderate of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_288">288</a></span> -them to disregard it. But he got up from his seat -on the floor and went downstairs with Minna, -nevertheless; and in spite of his momentary annoyance -there was only gladness in his eyes when -they fell upon the brown-eyed, white-clad girl in -the victoria, whose face was radiant with the joy -of seeing him again and the good news that she -was bringing. For she had not disobeyed, after -all. Events had already shaped themselves, as -her father’s little speech—once introductions were -over and they were all seated in the big square -living-room—very definitely proved.</p> - -<p>“I’m more than glad to see you, Carey, my -boy,” Nicholas Van Tuyl had exclaimed, gripping -Grey’s hand with a cordiality that was stimulating, -“I’m delighted; and I’m happy to be the one -to bring you the best news you have had in a long -while.” This had been said outside, and it had -filled Grey with delicious expectancy. What followed, -however, was even better than he imagined.</p> - -<p>“Not an hour ago,” began the New York -banker, “I had a call from your friend, Chancellor -von Ritter. I know him, met him in Munich -years ago, and went to him last night to get the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_289">289</a></span> -truth about your imprisonment. He wouldn’t tell -me anything then, but I told him enough, it seems, -to upset the whole Privy Council and put a scapegrace -on the throne of Budavia. However, that’s -only by way of introduction. This afternoon he -called on me at the hotel, and told me a good many -things that the great and glorious Budavian public -will never know. He told me, for instance, -how the Government had been fooled and how -now it was going to get out of its predicament -with as good a grace as possible. He told me all -about your escape last night, and how you had -done the very thing that he could have most -wished. One of the problems that confronted him -was how to get rid of you without revealing the -Government’s error. Now that you have taken -the matter in your own hands, that question is -answered. All he hopes is that they’ll never be -able to find you; and they won’t—because they -are going to shut their eyes and not look.”</p> - -<p>Grey laughed, and the rest of the party -joined in.</p> - -<p>“This diplomacy reminds me of a French -farce,” remarked O’Hara. “The actors who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_290">290</a></span> -really know it all better than anyone else are apparently -the only ones who cannot see what is -perfectly palpable to the audience.”</p> - -<p>“If I were you,” Van Tuyl continued, “I’d -shave off that beard and moustache at once; that -will make their dissembling appear a little bit real. -And then I’d get out of town just as soon as I -could make it convenient. Not that there would -be any danger from the Government as it now -stands, but with Hugo and his followers in command -you can’t tell what might happen overnight.”</p> - -<p>Grey nodded.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he agreed, smiling, “I think you’re -right. I won’t stop for the royal obsequies. It -may seem disrespectful to my late sire, but now -that I have my wings back I feel like using them.”</p> - -<p>“I never did care much for funerals,” added -Nicholas Van Tuyl, “and so Hope and I will go -with you.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara’s eyes were fixed on Minna, who was -gazing pensively at the white-scrubbed floor.</p> - -<p>“I think I’ll stop,” he said, a little seriously. -“You won’t need me, Grey, and I’d like to look<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_291">291</a></span> -over the Budavian military, which will be out in -force.”</p> - -<p>The Fraülein’s gaze was lifted and her eyes -for an instant met those of the Irish lieutenant. -In them he read the answer he craved to the question -his heart was asking.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_292">292</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XX"></a>XX</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap b"><span class="smcap1">Grey</span> had set apart the books and -papers that had to do either directly -or indirectly with his case, because -he saw in them a circumstantial defence -to the charges which were still hanging -over him at home. To his use of them -for this purpose Minna and her sister gladly consented, -and so when that evening, after having -been cropped and clean-shaven by Johann, he bade -the little household good-bye and was driven into -town to the Grand Hotel Königin Anna, he -carried this evidence with him.</p> - -<p>It was, as has been observed, a day rife with -revelations. The discoveries of its daylight hours -were of incalculable value, but the disclosures reserved -for the night were of even more consequence. -The train that afternoon had brought -from Paris a large company of visitors intent -upon viewing the pomp and panoply of a royal<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_293">293</a></span> -funeral, and among them were the remaining -members of that gay little dinner party at Armenonville -the week before.</p> - -<p>The Van Tuyls ran into them at the hotel on -their return from the Fahler farm, and Hope immediately -had an inspiration.</p> - -<p>“I’m going to give a dinner tonight,” she said, -“just the most informal sort of a dinner in our -<i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">salon</i>. And I want you all to come. It doesn’t -make any difference whether you have your trunks -or not. You are not expected to dress. I’m going -to treat you to a surprise.”</p> - -<p>The women were all curiosity on the instant -and showed it. The men accepted politely, but declared -that the hostess was attraction sufficient.</p> - -<p>Hope had made the proposition on impulse, and -it was too late to draw back when she caught her -father’s disapproving eye.</p> - -<p>“I’m not at all sure,” he commented, once they -were alone, “that this thing is wise. Carey isn’t -yet out of the woods, and the story of his alleged -embezzlement and all that is too fresh to have -been forgotten. Explanations at a dinner party -aren’t pleasant things. We know he is innocent,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_294">294</a></span> -but you don’t want to put him on trial before a -jury of your guests.”</p> - -<p>But Hope was staunch in her loyalty.</p> - -<p>“Our verdict will be sufficient,” she answered, -bravely. “If I had stopped to think of all you -say I probably shouldn’t have asked them, but as -it is I’m glad I did it. It clears the situation at -once. They must know from my having promised -to be his wife and your having given your consent, -that he is innocent.”</p> - -<p>Nicholas Van Tuyl shrugged his shoulders.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps,” he replied, a little doubtfully, “perhaps; -but, my dear girl, don’t hint at the Prince -business. The Fahlers will keep their mouths -closed for the sake of their dead relative, but no -injunction of secrecy would still the tongues of -Mrs. Dickie and Lady Constance.”</p> - -<p>Hope demurred.</p> - -<p>“It’s such an interesting story,” she protested, -“and I am a woman!”</p> - -<p>“But the Government here does not want it to -get out.”</p> - -<p>“And I’d like to know what we owe to the -Government,” the girl inquired. “I don’t want<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_295">295</a></span> -to be disobedient, father dear, but I can’t promise -to control myself under provocation.”</p> - -<p>Again Mr. Van Tuyl shrugged his shoulders. -His daughter was his idol and he was as yarn in -her hands.</p> - -<p>When Grey arrived and was told of the plan, -he received the tidings somewhat ruefully. He -complained that his trunks were still at the Residenz -Schloss, and that, in the torn and bedraggled -raiment he was wearing, to pose as the object of -interest at a dinner party, no matter how informal, -was apt to be a little trying, to say the -least. But O’Hara, who had driven into town -with him, came to the rescue. He and Grey were -very nearly of a size, and as he was the fortunate -possessor of two evening suits he promptly placed -one of them at Grey’s disposal.</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, in spite of this satisfactory overcoming -of a grave difficulty, Grey was not present -when the party sat down to dinner; for, as he was -about to join the company, Nicholas Van Tuyl -broke in upon him, carrying in his hand a note -which had just been delivered by an orderly from -the Royal Hospital.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_296">296</a></span> -“You’ll have to go, won’t you?” he asked, as -Grey ran his eye over the page.</p> - -<p>It was from Chancellor von Ritter and was addressed -to the banker.</p> - -<p>“If you are in communication with Mr. Grey,” -it read, “send him here with all speed. The man -Lutz can last only a few hours. He is anxious to -make an ante-mortem statement, but insists -that Mr. Grey shall be present when he makes -it.”</p> - -<p>And so Grey rushed off in a cab, and as the -dinner party took their places at table in the Van -Tuyl <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">salon</i>, he was climbing the Royal Hospital -stairs to the little white room in which lay dying -the young man who had served him faithfully for -over two years as valet, only to fall by reason of -avarice into the rôle of villain in his life’s melodrama.</p> - -<p>The eyes that looked up at him from dark, -cavernous depths in a face pale as chalk had in -them an appeal that touched a chord of his sympathy, -and for the moment he forgot the injuries -he had suffered and remembered only the services -he had experienced at those hands, which lay limp<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_297">297</a></span> -and waxen-yellow against the spotless white of -the coverlet.</p> - -<p>The small room was somewhat crowded. Chancellor -von Ritter was there with a notary and a -stenographer; near the window stood a soldier, -whose very presence seemed an irony, which he -appeared to recognise in retiring as far as the -limits of the tiny chamber would permit; and -there, too, of course, was the inevitable nun-like -nurse in significantly immaculate muslin and the -great flaring headdress of her sisterhood.</p> - -<p>“He seems a little stronger at the moment,” -whispered the Chancellor; “you came at an opportune -time. He has been asking for you all the -afternoon.”</p> - -<p>The nurse was moistening the sufferer’s lips. -When she finished, Grey spoke to him.</p> - -<p>“I am sorry to see you here, Lutz,” he said, -simply.</p> - -<p>His breathing, he noticed, was very short and -laboured.</p> - -<p>“I’m obliged to you for coming, sir,” he replied, -and his voice was stronger than one would -have expected. “I’ve got a lot to tell you; but it’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_298">298</a></span> -so late now I don’t know whether I’ll be able.” -He paused between his sentences in an effort to -husband his waning strength. “I was a good -enough fellow once, Mr. Grey, wasn’t I?”</p> - -<p>Grey nodded.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he agreed, with sincerity, “you were -all right, Lutz.”</p> - -<p>“I never really meant you any harm, sir,” he -went on. “It seemed to me that it would be a -good thing for you.”</p> - -<p>The Chancellor motioned to the stenographer, -who drew his chair closer to the bedside and took -a note-book and pencil from his pocket.</p> - -<p>“Afterwards,” Lutz continued, “after Dr. -Schlippenbach died and I knew we couldn’t keep -you under the spell any more, I got frightened; -and then I drank a good deal, and I—yes, I was -crazy at times. Absinthe, Mr. Grey. I wasn’t -used to it, and it turned my head. I thought to -save myself I must get rid of you. I tried to -smother you with gas that night last week in -Paris. Captain Lindenwald knew of it. He was -afraid of you, too. He said suspicion would fall -on Baron von Einhard; that we would never be<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_299">299</a></span> -suspected. And when I failed he went to Baron -von Einhard and—how much he got I don’t -know; but the Baron paid him to go away and -leave you, agreeing that he would put you where -you would never be heard of again. Then we -came here, with a story about your being mad and -being locked up in a Paris sanitarium. It was -the only thing we could do. If the plan had -worked we should have been in trouble for a while, -maybe, but when Prince Hugo came to the throne -we should have been rewarded. I sold the Baron -the strong-box with all those manufactured proofs -of your right to the crown; and I told him you -had the Prince of Kronfeld ring. I’m sorry, sir, -I’m sorry. But I’m a coward, and I was in terror -and more than half insane with that green stuff.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, I know,” Grey interjected. “But -tell me, Lutz, how this whole thing started, back -in New York. Tell me about Schlippenbach and -how you and he managed it together.”</p> - -<p>The nurse, from her place by the pillow, leaned -over and wiped her patient’s brow. Then she -moistened his lips again, and his deep-sunken eyes -looked his appreciation. For some minutes he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_300">300</a></span> -was silent, endeavouring apparently by an effort -of will to gather fresh energy; and to Grey’s mind -recurred the picture of that darkened room in -Paris, just six days ago, with the dying Herr -Schlippenbach struggling to make himself understood.</p> - -<p>“He was more devil than man,” Lutz resumed. -“He was always working with strange drugs and -experimenting with batteries on cats and dogs, -and children, too. One day he asked me a great -many questions about you, Mr. Grey, and then he -asked me if I’d like to be rich—very rich, he said. -‘Everyone wants to be rich,’ I answered. ‘If -you’ll do just as I tell you,’ he said, ‘you’ll have -more money than you ever dreamed of.’ He told -me he wanted me to put just one tiny pellet in your -coffee each morning. It would not harm you, he -said, but you would doze off for just ten minutes -after you had taken it, and you would never know -you had been dozing. ‘And while he is asleep,’ -he said, ‘you can tell him to do anything you wish -at any time in that day and he will do it. Tell -him, for instance,’ he advised me, ‘to double your -wages when he returns from his office in the evening,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_301">301</a></span> -and he will do it.’ I laughed at the idea and -had no faith in it; but I consented to try it. And -it worked. You did double my wages, Mr. Grey, -just as I asked you to, and you never knew I -had asked you. Each day I gave you the pellet, -as he directed, and each day I suggested that you -do certain things at certain hours, and you always -did them.”</p> - -<p>“Hypnotic suggestion,” commented Grey, involuntarily.</p> - -<p>“Something like it,” Lutz replied, “but he said -it was not. At least, only in part. The pellet was -the principal thing. He made the pellets himself. -They were his secret. I gave you the last the day -before he died; and I knew then that I could control -you no more.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Grey urged, “but after the first, what -happened? After I raised your wages, what other -things did you suggest?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing of importance for a month or two. -Just trifles—that you come home early and tell -me you would not require me that night; or that -you would give me a coat I wanted very much, -and things of that sort. But one day Schlippenbach<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_302">302</a></span> -came to the rooms while you were down -town. ‘Tomorrow morning,’ he said,’I am coming -here early, before Mr. Grey is up. You must -hide me somewhere until you have given him the -pellet.’ He came and I hid him in your wardrobe; -but when you had had your coffee with his -drug in it he came out, and then I saw for the first -time the power of this thing. He directed you -very minutely and very exactly. Every minute in -the day you were under his commands. You were -to secure a hundred thousand dollars in cash and -you were to bring it to his house on Avenue A at -four o’clock in the afternoon. And at this house -you were to remain. That evening I went there, -and there you were. You did not know me. Your -name had been changed to Arndt. I called you -Mr. Grey to test the thing, and you appeared to -think I was crazy. Schlippenbach told me you had -brought the money. You never left his house until -we sailed for this country.”</p> - -<p>“What did I do there?”</p> - -<p>“You did very little, but Schlippenbach did a -great deal. Each day he had his batteries working -on your head. He told me he was building<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_303">303</a></span> -up your self-esteem and that he was depleting -your reverence. He was developing those cerebral -organs which he thought would fit you for a -throne and reducing those which he thought would -unfit you. He said that in this way he could -change you completely. After a few years of constant -treatment, three or four years at most, you -would, he told me, be no more Mr. Grey, the New -York broker, than I would. You would be the -King of Budavia and never know that you had not -been born to it. And then there would be no further -need of pellets or of galvanism. The transformation -would have been accomplished.”</p> - -<p>The dying man, becoming more and more interested -in his subject, was speaking in clearer -tones and with much less effort; and his auditors -listened, spellbound, to his exposition of the marvellous -methods of his mountebank master.</p> - -<p>“And as the days went on it was wonderful -how you did change, sir. You spoke differently -and you acted differently. He made you grow a -beard and moustache, which he bleached without -your knowledge, as he did your hair, and your -most intimate friend wouldn’t have recognised<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_304">304</a></span> -you, Mr. Grey. I don’t believe your mother -would have known you, sir.”</p> - -<p>“And the money?” Grey queried, fearing that -in his enthusiasm Lutz would overtax his strength -and leave this most important point uncovered. -“What did Schlippenbach do with the hundred -thousand dollars?”</p> - -<p>“A good deal of it was spent,” the valet answered, -“but some of it is still in the East River -National Bank, and some with Graeff & Welbrock, -the German bankers. When we came away we -brought with us two letters of credit, one in his -name and one in yours, for twenty thousand dollars -each.”</p> - -<p>Of these facts Grey made a mental note.</p> - -<p>“Some of it you will get back, sir,” Lutz -added, after a pause. “Perhaps most of it, for -the old man owns some property on the East Side, -and you can prove that he was responsible for the -theft. And now, Mr. Grey”—and something in -the nature of a smile flickered ghastly and distressful -about the corners of his livid mouth—“I -think I have told you all. But”—his yellow right -hand slid slowly a few inches over the coverlet<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_305">305</a></span> -towards its edge—“I have in return a favour to -ask. Maybe you’ll feel you can’t grant it. I’m -going pretty fast, I imagine. They say I won’t -last till daylight comes, and—I’d like, sir—if -you don’t mind too much”—his sentences were -very halt once more—“don’t mind too much——”</p> - -<p>Grey leaned over and took the sliding hand in -his own.</p> - -<p>“All right, Lutz,” he said, with a tremour in his -voice that he could not control, “all right, man. -I don’t believe you were half to blame. He had -you under a spell, too, I dare say. I forgive you -freely, and God bless you!”</p> - -<p>The flickering, vagrant smile merged into an -expression of peace. Into the sunken eyes came -resignation.</p> - -<p>“Thank you, sir!” the grey lips murmured, -“thank you! thank you!”</p> - -<p>The notary mumbled a form of oath to which -Lutz gave a voiceless assent. Then his lids fell, -and when Grey and Count von Ritter left the -room he was barely conscious.</p> - -<p>“I’ll have a certified copy of the statement sent -to you Mr. Grey,” the Chancellor volunteered.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_306">306</a></span> -“In it you will have evidence that is beyond all -dispute. I congratulate you on securing such a -complete refutation of so baseless and yet so dangerous -a slander.”</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_307">307</a></span></p> - -<h2><a id="XXI"></a>XXI</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap"><span class="smcap1">The</span> contrast between the tiny white -room in the hospital with the dire -shadow of the Grim Reaper hovering -over the narrow cot bed, and the -spacious, brilliant <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">salon</i> of the hotel, where life, -assertive, aggressive, almost obtrusive, was -dominant, had something of a dazzling effect -on Carey Grey, and he paused a moment on the -threshold, with blinking eyes, in an effort to adjust -his vision to the sudden change of scene.</p> - -<p>There was a momentary lull in the merriment -that smote him as the door swung open in answer -to his knock, and then the cannonade of voices—of -cries of surprise, of welcoming greetings, of -laughter—was resumed, and Nicholas Van Tuyl -rose from his place at the round table, which, with -its snowy damask dotted with pink-shaded candles -and dappled with silver and crystal, seemed -like the centre of some giant flower of which the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_308">308</a></span> -men and women about it were the variegated -petals.</p> - -<p>“My friends,” cried the host, raising his voice -and hand simultaneously for silence, “I have -pleasure in presenting to you my future son-in-law, -Mr. Carey Grey, of New York.”</p> - -<p>The next instant everybody was shouting at -once. The men were up and bearing down on -the newcomer in a solid phalanx, and Lady Constance -and Mrs. Dickie were waving their napkins -and fairly shrieking their congratulations. When -at length something like order reigned again, -Frothingham found his champagne glass and proposed -a toast:</p> - -<p>“To the bride-elect,” he cried. “‘She moves -a goddess and she looks a queen.’”</p> - -<p>Grey’s response was brief but enthusiastic, and -the significance of the quotation with which he -closed it evoked an outburst of applause that -must have been heard as far as the Kursaal, two -blocks away.</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="iq">“All yet seems well, and if it end so meet,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The king’s a beggar now the play is done:<br /></span> -<span class="i0">All is well ended, if <em>this</em> suit be won.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_309">309</a></span> -He did not know it at the time, but prior to his -coming the whole story of his adventure had been -related and discussed, much to the entertainment -of the party in general and to the intense edification -and delight of young Edson in particular, -who resolved to make to his chief, the Ambassador, -a full report of the extraordinary affair, with -a view to having it forwarded to Washington to be -filed among the State archives, as indicative of a -vulnerable point in Budavia’s boasted supremacy -in statecraft. The aptness of the quotation, therefore, -was more generally appreciated than Grey -had any notion it would be, and the hilarious approbation -of his auditors was consequently a good -deal of a surprise.</p> - -<p>Nicholas Van Tuyl, however, leaned over in -the midst of the cheering, to tell him that the plot -of his play and the part he had enacted were -known to the company. The news was not ungrateful, -for from the moment of his entrance he -had felt a natural restraint, which was now relieved. -Very soon the matter came up again, and -he related his experience at the hospital, which -was listened to with the deepest interest.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_310">310</a></span> -“Under the circumstances,” observed Sinclair -Edson when Grey had finished, “it is not surprising -that the extradition proceedings have been -withdrawn.”</p> - -<p>“Withdrawn?” exclaimed Grey, in amazement. -“If it be true I should say it were most -surprising.”</p> - -<p>“We had a cable to that effect yesterday before -I left Paris,” continued the secretary. “They -were withdrawn at the instance of your partner, -Mr. Mallory.”</p> - -<p>“That is inexplicable,” Grey commented. -“He doesn’t know anything more now than he -did a week ago.”</p> - -<p>Van Tuyl drained his wine-glass and wiped his -lips with his napkin.</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes he does, Carey,” he said, “he knows -pretty much about it. I took the liberty of cabling -to him all I knew. Besides, that whole business -was a mare’s nest. If you hadn’t disappeared -there would never have been any prosecution. -Any one knows that a partner can’t be held for -borrowing from his own firm, and unless I’m very -much mistaken you were in a position to turn over<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_311">311</a></span> -real estate worth several times the amount secured -on the bonds.”</p> - -<p>“That is very true,” Grey replied, smiling, -“but, strange as it may seem, that view of the situation -never occurred to me before.”</p> - -<p>“The newspapers were responsible for most of -the hue and cry, I fancy,” Van Tuyl continued, -“and as for the extradition part, I imagine Mallory -took that step more from an impulse to find -out whether the cable you sent him was really -from you, and with the hope of locating you—dragging -you back from the grave, so to speak—than -with an idea of punishment for a crime that -was never really committed.”</p> - -<p>A Dresden clock on the mantel-shelf had tinkled -midnight before the party broke up, agreeing to be -down for an early breakfast at a quarter of eight, -since the Van Tuyls and Grey were leaving -Kürschdorf at nine, to connect with the Orient -Express at Munich.</p> - -<p>When the rest had gone, Grey, who had lingered, -drew Hope out onto the balcony. The -music of the band which had floated up from -below throughout the evening had ceased, but the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_312">312</a></span> -rushing Weisswasser and the breeze stirring the -foliage of the trees on the Quai combined in a -melody to which their hearts beat a joyous refrain. -The stars twinkled in unison in the blue-black -canopy of the heavens, and from the distance a -nightingale’s song made chorus.</p> - -<p>“‘She moves a goddess and she looks a -queen,’” Grey repeated, his arm about the girl’s -supple waist. “That was an inspiration on Frothingham’s -part. The line was never more aptly -quoted. <em>My</em> goddess! <em>My</em> queen! Ah, my darling, -if I could only make you know the happiness -that is mine tonight!”</p> - -<p>Her head was resting against his shoulder, but -now she turned her face to him and in her eyes -was a world of passionate adoration.</p> - -<p>“I know,” she murmured, softly. “It is mine, -too, dear. It is a mutual happiness, and we both -know it. That is the reason it is so sweet.”</p> - -<p>He drew her still closer, until he could feel her -heart beating against his side.</p> - -<p>“God is good,” he said, reverently. “There -were moments in the past week when I saw only -the frowning face of an implacable fate; when I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_313">313</a></span> -felt that the net woven about me was too cruelly -strong ever to give way to my struggles; and then -I was more than half inclined to curse God and -die. But we are only blind children, as it has been -said, and when Providence is preparing for us the -most delectable morsels we grow rebellious because -we can’t see just how it is being done.”</p> - -<p>“‘More welcome is the sweet,’” she quoted, -returning the pressure of his hand. “You will -never know, my very dear, the agony I suffered -in those weeks after your disappearance. I would -have died gladly—oh, so gladly; but, as you say, -God is good, only we cannot always see. The sky -was very black, without a single star, and the sun -would never rise again, never, never. I knew it.”</p> - -<p>“But it has, love, hasn’t it?” Grey asked, cheerily. -“And we’ll pray now for a long, long, sunshiny -day to make up for so dark a night.”</p> - -<p>Then he bent his head and kissed her; and the -nightingale’s song was a pæan, and the music of -the trees and the river a serenade.</p> - -<p>After a little, Nicholas Van Tuyl joined them.</p> - -<p>“Well, lad,” he said to Grey, as he flicked the -ashes from his cigar, “what are your plans?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_314">314</a></span> -“I’m taking <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">La Savoie</i> from Havre on Saturday,” -the young man answered. “I’d rather lose -my right arm than leave Hope now, just as I have -found her, but there’s no getting out of it. I must -hurry back to New York and square things.”</p> - -<p>“You must go so soon, dear?” she questioned, -with just a suspicion of a pout.</p> - -<p>“I must,” he replied, reluctance in his voice. -“I’ll try to rejoin you later; but every duty demands -my presence in America now.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll have to stop, of course,” Van Tuyl observed; -and then he added, with a smile: “my -daughter, here, will be very busy, I fancy, for the -next few weeks with <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">couturières</i> and <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">marchandes -de modes</i> in the rue de la Paix and thereabouts. -So don’t exercise yourself unnecessarily, Carey. -She’ll hardly have time to miss you. There’s no -salve in the world to a woman so effective as that -to be found in ordering new finery.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you believe him, dear,” the girl protested, -her fingers tightening on Grey’s hand. “I -shall think of you every minute I’m awake, and -dream of you every minute I’m asleep.”</p> - -<p>The two men lounging against the iron railing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_315">315</a></span> -of the balcony smoked and chatted for a long time -after Hope went in. They had much in common, -and to each occurred a multiplicity of matters -of mutual interest.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the street below grew quiet, the terrace -was deserted, the wind in the trees died to a -whisper, and the incessant murmur of the hurrying -waters accentuated rather than disturbed the -silence. But the two great lamps on either side -of the hotel’s broad entrance still blazed, throwing -a half circle of illumination out across the roadway -and in under the lindens of the Quai.</p> - -<p>Grey, flinging away the end of his cigar, turned -and looked down, watching it fall and sputter red -sparks upon the macadam of the drive. And as -he looked a shadow glided swiftly across the arc -of light beneath the trees and was swallowed up -in the gloom beyond—a shadow, the contour of -which even in that brief moment struck Grey as -unmistakably familiar, recalling a figure that he -had seen twenty-four hours before, leaping wildly, -from dark to dark, down a winding stone stairway.</p> - -<p>“It’s bed time,” said Nicholas Van Tuyl, yawning. -“You must be tired. Suppose we——”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_316">316</a></span> -A pistol shot, startlingly loud and sharp against -the night silence, clipped off the end of the sentence.</p> - -<p>For a moment neither spoke, and the stillness -was the stillness of death. Then came the patter -of hurrying steps, and presently voices were heard -and men were darting across the street from all -directions, and all heading toward the Quai at a -point just opposite the balcony.</p> - -<p>“Murder?” suggested Van Tuyl.</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Grey, with conviction. -“Suicide.”</p> - -<p>Five minutes later, as they watched and listened, -the crowd came straggling back, two by -two and in groups, all chattering.</p> - -<p>“Poor devil!” said one. The words rose distinctly -audible.</p> - -<p>“He made very sure,” commented another.</p> - -<p>“Fancy blowing out his brains on the edge of -the Quai and burying himself in the river!” exclaimed -a third.</p> - -<p>“For love, I suppose,” a young man ventured.</p> - -<p>“Lost his last mark at the Kursaal tonight -probably,” an older man theorised.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_317">317</a></span> -Grey and Van Tuyl turned into the <i xml:lang="fr" lang="fr">salon</i> -through the open window.</p> - -<p>“That is what is called retribution,” said the -younger man, “but it is usually longer delayed.”</p> - -<p>Van Tuyl’s face asked for enlightenment.</p> - -<p>“I could hardly have been mistaken,” Grey answered, -with assurance. “I saw the fellow just a -moment before. It was Captain Lindenwald, of -the Royal Household and Equerry to the late -King Frederic of Budavia.”</p> - -<p class="p2 center">THE END</p> - -<div class="newpage transnote"> -<h2 class="nobreak p1"><a id="Transcribers_Notes"></a>Transcriber’s Notes</h2> - -<p>Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a predominant -preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed.</p> - -<p>Spelling and punctuation of non-English words was not changed.</p> - -<p>Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unbalanced -quotation marks retained.</p> - -<p>Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. -</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's A Prince to Order, by Charles Stokes Wayne - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A PRINCE TO ORDER *** - -***** This file should be named 54916-h.htm or 54916-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/9/1/54916/ - -Produced by Charlie Howard and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. 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