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+Project Gutenberg's The Prince of Graustark, by George Barr McCutcheon
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Prince of Graustark
+
+Author: George Barr McCutcheon
+
+Illustrator: A. I. Keller
+
+Posting Date: April 12, 2013 [EBook #6353]
+Release Date: August, 2004
+First Posted: November 29, 2002
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Duncan Harrod, Juliet Sutherland, Charles
+Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK
+
+BY
+
+GEORGE BARR McCUTCHEON
+
+Author of "Graustark", "Beverly of Graustark," etc.
+
+
+With Illustrations by
+
+A.I. KELLER
+
+
+
+1914
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER
+
+    I MR. AND MRS. BLITHERS DISCUSS MATRIMONY
+
+   II TWO COUNTRIES DISCUSS MARRIAGE
+
+  III MR. BLITHERS GOES VISITING
+
+   IV PROTECTING THE BLOOD
+
+    V PRINCE ROBIN is ASKED TO STAND UP
+
+   VI THE PRINCE AND MR. BLITHERS
+
+  VII A LETTER FROM MAUD
+
+ VIII ON BOARD THE JUPITER
+
+   IX THE PRINCE MEETS MISS GUILE
+
+    X AN HOUR ON DECK
+
+   XI THE LIEUTENANT RECEIVES ORDERS
+
+  XII THE LIEUTENANT REPORTS
+
+ XIII THE RED LETTER B
+
+  XIV THE CAT IS AWAY
+
+   XV THE MICE IN A TRAP
+
+  XVI THREE MESSAGES
+
+ XVII THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER
+
+XVIII A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
+
+  XIX "WHAT WILL MY PEOPLE DO"
+
+   XX LOVE IN ABEYANCE
+
+  XXI MR. BLITHERS ARRIVES IN GRAUSTARK
+
+ XXII A VISIT TO THE CASTLE
+
+XXIII PINGARI'S
+
+  XIV JUST WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+Her eyes were starry bright, her red lips were parted. _Frontispiece_
+
+"You will be her choice," said the other, without the quiver of an
+eye-lash.
+
+"I shall pray for continuous rough weather."
+
+The dignified Ministry of Graustark sat agape.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+MR. AND MRS. BLITHERS DISCUSS MATRIMONY
+
+
+"My dear," said Mr. Blithers, with decision, "you can't tell me."
+
+"I know I can't," said his wife, quite as positively. She knew when she
+could tell him a thing and when she couldn't.
+
+It was quite impossible to impart information to Mr. Blithers when he
+had the tips of two resolute fingers embedded in his ears. That
+happened to be his customary and rather unfair method of conquering her
+when an argument was going against him, not for want of logic on his
+part, but because it was easier to express himself with his ears closed
+than with them open. By this means he effectually shut out the voice of
+opposition and had the discussion all to himself. Of course, it would
+have been more convincing if he had been permitted to hear the sound of
+his own eloquence; still, it was effective.
+
+She was sure to go on talking for two or three minutes and then subside
+in despair. A woman will not talk to a stone wall. Nor will she
+wantonly allow an argument to die while there remains the slightest
+chance of its survival. Given the same situation, a man would get up
+and leave his wife sitting there with her fingers in her ears; and, as
+he bolted from the room in high dudgeon, he would be mean enough to
+call attention to her pig-headedness. In most cases, a woman is content
+to listen to a silly argument rather than to leave the room just
+because her husband elects to be childish about a perfectly simple
+elucidation of the truth.
+
+Mrs. Blithers had lived with Mr. Blithers, more or less, for
+twenty-five years and she knew him like a book. He was a forceful
+person who would have his own way, even though he had to put his
+fingers in his ears to get it. At one period of their joint connubial
+agreement, when he had succeeded in accumulating a pitiful hoard
+amounting to but little more than ten millions of dollars, she
+concluded to live abroad for the purpose of educating their daughter,
+allowing him in the meantime to increase his fortune to something like
+fifty millions without having to worry about household affairs. But she
+had sojourned with him long enough, at odd times, to realise that, so
+long as he lived, he would never run away from an argument--unless, by
+some dreadful hook or crook, he should be so unfortunate as to be
+deprived of the use of both hands. She found room to gloat, of course,
+in the fact that he was obliged to stop up his ears in order to shut
+out the incontrovertible.
+
+Moreover, when he called her "my dear" instead of the customary Lou, it
+was a sign of supreme obstinacy on his part and could not, by any
+stretch of the imagination, be regarded as an indication of placid
+affection. He always said "my dear" at the top of his voice and with a
+great deal of irascibility.
+
+Mr. William W. Blithers was a self-made man who had begun his career by
+shouting lustily at a team of mules in a railway construction camp.
+Other drivers had tried to improve on his vocabulary but even the mules
+were able to appreciate the futility of such an ambition, and later on,
+when he came to own two or three railroads, to say nothing of a few
+mines and a steam yacht, his ability to drive men was even more
+noteworthy than his power over the jackasses had been. But driving
+mules and men was one thing, driving a wife another. What incentive has
+a man, said he, when after he gets through bullying a creature that
+very creature turns in and caresses him? No self-respecting mule ever
+did such a thing as that, and no man would think of it except with
+horror. There is absolutely no defence against a creature who will rub
+your head with loving, gentle fingers after she has worked you up to
+the point where you could kill her with pleasure--or at least so said
+Mr. Blithers with rueful frequency.
+
+Mr. and Mrs. Blithers had been discussing royalty. Up to the previous
+week they had restricted themselves to the nobility, but as an event of
+unexampled importance had transpired in the interim, they now felt that
+it would be the rankest stupidity to consider any one short of a Prince
+Royal in picking out a suitable husband--or, more properly speaking,
+consort--for their only daughter, Maud Applegate Blithers, aged twenty.
+
+Mrs. Blithers long ago had convinced her husband that no ordinary human
+being of the male persuasion was worthy of their daughter's hand, and
+had set her heart on having nothing meaner than a Duke on the family
+roll,--(Blithers alluded to it for a while as the pay-roll)--, with the
+choice lying between England and Italy. At first, Blithers, being an
+honest soul, insisted that a good American gentleman was all that
+anybody could ask for in the way of a son-in-law, and that when it came
+to a grandchild it would be perfectly proper to christen him Duke--lots
+of people did!--and that was about all that a title amounted to anyway.
+She met this with the retort that Maud might marry a man named Jones,
+and how would Duke Jones sound? He weakly suggested that they could
+christen him Marmaduke and--but she reminded him of his oft-repeated
+boast that there was nothing in the world too good for Maud and
+instituted a pictorial campaign against his prejudices by painting in
+the most alluring colours the picture of a ducal palace in which the
+name of Jones would never be uttered except when employed in directing
+the fifth footman or the third stable-boy--or perhaps a scullery
+maid--to do this, that or the other thing at the behest of her Grace,
+the daughter of William W. Blithers. This eventually worked on his
+imagination to such an extent that he forgot his natural pride and
+admitted that perhaps she was right.
+
+But now, just as they were on the point of accepting, in lieu of a
+Duke, an exceptionally promising Count, the aforesaid event conspired
+to completely upset all of their plans--or notions, so to speak. It was
+nothing less than the arrival in America of an eligible Prince of the
+royal blood, a ruling Prince at that. As a matter of fact he had not
+only arrived in America but upon the vast estate adjoining their own in
+the Catskills.
+
+Fortunately nothing definite had been arranged with the Count. Mrs.
+Blithers now advised waiting a while before giving a definite answer to
+his somewhat eager proposal, especially as he was reputed to have
+sufficient means of his own to defend the chateau against any immediate
+peril of profligacy. She counselled Mr. Blithers to notify him that he
+deemed it wise to take the matter under advisement for a couple of
+weeks at least, but not to commit himself to anything positively
+negative.
+
+Mr. Blithers said that he had never heard anything so beautifully
+adroit as "positively negative," and directed his secretary to submit
+to him without delay the draft of a tactful letter to the anxious
+nobleman. They were agreed that a Prince was more to be desired than a
+Count and, as long as they were actually about it, they might as well
+aim high. Somewhat hazily Mr. Blithers had Inquired if it wouldn't be
+worth while to consider a King, but his wife set him straight in short
+order.
+
+Peculiarly promising their hopes was the indisputable fact that the
+Prince's mother had married an American, thereby establishing a
+precedent behind which no constitutional obstacle could thrive, and had
+lived very happily with the gentleman in spite of the critics.
+Moreover, she had met him while sojourning on American soil, and that
+was certainly an excellent augury for the success of the present
+enterprise. What could be more fitting than that the son should follow
+in the footsteps of an illustrious mother? If an American gentleman was
+worthy of a princess, why not the other way about? Certainly Maud
+Blithers was as full of attributes as any man in America.
+
+It appears that the Prince, after leisurely crossing the continent on
+his way around the world, had come to the Truxton Kings for a
+long-promised and much-desired visit, the duration of which depended to
+some extent on his own inclinations, and not a little on the outcome of
+the war-talk that affected two great European nations--Russia and
+Austria. Ever since the historic war between the Balkan allies and the
+Turks, in 1912 and 1913, there had been mutterings, and now the
+situation had come to be admittedly precarious. Mr. Blithers was in a
+position to know that the little principality over which the young man
+reigned was bound to be drawn into the cataclysm, not as a belligerent
+or an ally, but in the matter of a loan that inconveniently expired
+within the year and which would hardly be renewed by Russia with the
+prospect of vast expenditures of war threatening her treasury. The loan
+undoubtedly would be called and Graustark was not in a position to pay
+out of her own slender resources, two years of famine having fallen
+upon the people at a time when prosperity was most to be desired.
+
+He was in touch with the great financial movements in all the world's
+capitals, and he knew that retrenchment was the watchword. It would be
+no easy matter for the little principality to negotiate a loan at this
+particular time, nor was there even a slender chance that Russia would
+be benevolently disposed toward her debtors, no matter how small their
+obligations. They who owed would be called upon to pay, they who
+petitioned would be turned away with scant courtesy. It was the private
+opinion of Mr. Blithers that the young Prince and the trusted agents
+who accompanied him on his journey, were in the United States solely
+for the purpose of arranging a loan through sources that could only be
+reached by personal appeal. But, naturally, Mr. Blithers couldn't
+breathe this to a soul. Under the circumstances he couldn't even
+breathe it to his wife who, he firmly believed, was soulless.
+
+But all this is beside the question. The young Prince of Graustark was
+enjoying American hospitality, and no matter what he owed to Russia,
+America owed to him its most punctillious consideration. If Mr.
+Blithers was to have anything to say about the matter, it would be for
+the ear of the Prince alone and not for the busybodies.
+
+The main point is that the Prince was now rusticating within what you
+might call a stone's throw of the capacious and lordly country
+residence of Mr. Blithers; moreover, he was an uncommonly attractive
+chap, with a laugh that was so charged with heartiness that it didn't
+seem possible that he could have a drop of royal blood in his vigorous
+young body. And the perfectly ridiculous part of the whole situation
+was that Mr. and Mrs. King lived in a modest, vine-covered little house
+that could have been lost in the servants' quarters at Blitherwood.
+Especially aggravating, too, was the attitude of the Kings. They were
+really nobodies, so to speak, and yet they blithely called their royal
+guest "Bobby" and allowed him to fetch and carry for their women-folk
+quite as if he were an ordinary whipper-snapper up from the city to
+spend the week-end.
+
+The remark with which Mr. Blithers introduces this chapter was in
+response to an oft-repeated declaration made by his wife in the shade
+of the red, white and blue awning of the terrace overlooking, from its
+despotic heights, the modest red roof of the King villa in the valley
+below. Mrs. Blithers merely had stated--but over and over again--that
+money couldn't buy everything in the world, referring directly to
+social eminence and indirectly to their secret ambition to capture a
+Prince of the royal blood for their daughter Maud. She had prefaced
+this opinion, however, with the exceedingly irritating insinuation that
+Mr. Blithers was not in his right mind when he proposed inviting the
+Prince to spend a few weeks at Blitherwood, provided the young man
+could cut short his visit in the home of Mr. and Mrs. King, who, he had
+asseverated, were not in a position to entertain royalty as royalty was
+in the habit of being entertained.
+
+Long experience had taught Mr. Blithers to read the lip and eye
+language with some degree of certainty, so by watching his wife's
+indignant face closely he was able to tell when she was succumbing to
+reason. He was a burly, domineering person who reasoned for every one
+within range of his voice, and it was only when his wife became coldly
+sarcastic that he closed his ears and boomed his opinions into her very
+teeth, so to say, joyfully overwhelming her with facts which it were
+futile for her to attempt to deny. He was aware, quite as much so as if
+he had heard the words, that she was now saying:
+
+"Well, there is absolutely no use arguing with you, Will. Have it your
+way if it pleases you."
+
+Eying her with some uneasiness, he cautiously inserted his thumbs in
+the armholes of his brocaded waistcoat, and proclaimed:
+
+"As I said before, Lou, there isn't a foreign nobleman, from the
+Emperor down, who is above grabbing a few million dollars. They're all
+hard up, and what do they gain by marrying ladies of noble birth if
+said ladies are the daughters of noblemen who are as hard up as all the
+rest of 'em? Besides, hasn't Maud been presented at Court? Didn't you
+see to that? How about that pearl necklace I gave her when she was
+presented? Wasn't it the talk of the season? There wasn't a Duke in
+England who didn't figure the cost of that necklace to within a guinea
+or two. No girl ever had better advertising than--"
+
+"We were speaking of Prince Robin," remarked his wife, with a slight
+shudder. Mrs. Blithers came of better stock than her husband. His
+gaucheries frequently set her teeth on edge. She was born in Providence
+and sometimes mentioned the occurrence when particularly desirous of
+squelching him, not unkindly perhaps but by way of making him realise
+that their daughter had good blood in her veins. Mr. Blithers had
+heard, in a round-about way, that he first saw the light of day in
+Jersey City, although after he became famous Newark claimed him. He did
+not bother about the matter.
+
+"Well, he's like all the rest of them," said he, after a moment of
+indecision. Something told him that he really ought to refrain from
+talking about the cost of things, even in the bosom of his family. He
+had heard that only vulgarians speak of their possessions. "Now,
+there's no reason in the world why we shouldn't consider his offer.
+He--"
+
+"Offer?" she cried, aghast. "He has made no offer, Will. He doesn't
+even know that Maud is in existence. How can you say such a thing?"
+
+"I was merely looking ahead, that's all. My motto is 'Look Ahead.' You
+know it as well as I do. Where would I be to-day if I hadn't looked
+ahead and seen what was going to happen before the other fellow had his
+eyes open? Will you tell me that? Where, I say? What's more, where
+would I be now if I hadn't looked ahead and seen what a marriage with
+the daughter of Judge Morton would mean to me in the long run?" He felt
+that he had uttered a very pretty and convincing compliment. "I never
+made a bad bargain in my life, Lou, and it wasn't guess-work when I
+married you. You, my dear old girl, you were the solid foundation on
+which I--"
+
+"I know," she said wearily; "you've said it a thousand times: 'The
+foundation on which I built my temple of posterity'--yes, I know, Will.
+But I am still unalterably opposed to making ourselves ridiculous in
+the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. King."
+
+"Ridiculous? I don't understand you."
+
+"Well, you will after you think it over," she said quietly, and he
+scowled in positive perplexity.
+
+"Don't you think he'd be a good match for Maud?" he asked, after many
+minutes. He felt that he had thought it over.
+
+"Are you thinking of kidnapping him, Will?" she demanded.
+
+"Certainly not! But all you've got to do is to say that he's the man
+for Maud and I'll--I'll do the rest. That's the kind of a man I am,
+Lou. You say you don't want Count What's-His-Name,--that is, you don't
+want him as much as you did,--and you do say that it would be the
+grandest thing in the world if Maud could be the Princess of
+Grosstick--"
+
+"Graustark, Will."
+
+"That's what I said. Well, if you want her to be the Princess of
+_THAT_, I'll see that she is, providing this fellow is a gentleman and
+worthy of _her_. The only Prince I ever knew was a damned rascal, and
+I'm going to be careful about this one. You remember that measly--"
+
+"There is no question about Prince Robin," said she sharply.
+
+"I suppose the only question is, how much will he want?"
+
+"You mean--settlement?"
+
+"Sure."
+
+"Have you no romance in your soul, William Blithers?"
+
+"I never believed in fairy stories," said he grimly. "And what's more,
+I don't take any stock in cheap novels in which American heroes go
+about marrying into royal families and all that sort of rot. It isn't
+done, Lou. If you want to marry into a royal family you've got to put
+up the coin."
+
+"Prince Robin's mother, the poor Princess Yetive, married an American
+for love, let me remind you."
+
+"Umph! Where is this Groostock anyway?"
+
+"'Somewhere east of the setting sun,'" she quoted. "You _must_ learn
+how to pronounce it."
+
+"I never was good at foreign languages. By the way, where is Maud this
+afternoon?"
+
+"Motoring."
+
+He waited for additional information. It was not vouchsafed, so he
+demanded somewhat fearfully:
+
+"Who with?"
+
+"Young Scoville."
+
+He scowled. "He's a loafer, Lou. No good in the world. I don't like the
+way you let--"
+
+"He is of a very good family, my dear. I--"
+
+"Is he--er--in love with her?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"Good Lord!"
+
+"And why not? Isn't every one she meets in love with her?"
+
+"I--I suppose so," he admitted sheepishly. His face brightened. "And
+there's no reason why this Prince shouldn't fall heels over head, is
+there? Well, there you are! That will make a difference in the
+settlement, believe me--a difference of a couple of millions at least,
+if--"
+
+She arose abruptly. "You are positively disgusting, Will. Can't you
+think of anything but--"
+
+"Say, ain't that Maudie coming up the drive now? Sure it is! By
+gracious, did you ever see anything to beat her? She's got 'em all beat
+a mile when it comes to looks and style and--Oh, by the way," lowering
+his voice to a hoarse, confidential whisper, "--I wouldn't say anything
+to her about the marriage just yet if I were you. I want to look him
+over first."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+TWO COUNTRIES DISCUSS MARRIAGE
+
+
+Prince Robin of Graustark was as good-looking a chap as one would see
+in a week's journey. Little would one suspect him of being the
+descendant of a long and distinguished line of princes, save for the
+unmistakeable though indefinable something in his eye that exacted
+rather than invited the homage of his fellow man. His laugh was a free
+and merry one, his spirits as effervescent as wine, his manner blithe
+and boyish; yet beneath all this fair and guileless exposition of
+carelessness lay the sober integrity of caste. It looked out through
+the steady, unswerving eyes, even when they twinkled with mirth; it met
+the gaze of the world with a serene imperiousness that gave way before
+no mortal influence; it told without boastfulness a story of centuries.
+For he was the son of a princess royal, and the blood of ten score
+rulers of men had come down to him as a heritage of strength.
+
+His mother, the beautiful, gracious and lamented Yetive, set all royal
+circles by the ears when she married the American, Lorry, back in the
+nineties. A special act of the ministry had legalised this union and
+the son of the American was not deprived of his right to succeed to the
+throne which his forebears had occupied for centuries. From his mother
+he had inherited the right of kings, from his father the spirit of
+freedom; from his mother the power of majesty, from his father the
+power to see beyond that majesty. When little more than a babe in arms
+he was orphaned and the affairs of state fell upon the shoulders of
+three loyal and devoted men who served as regents until he became of
+age.
+
+Wisely they served both him and the people through the years that
+intervened between the death of the Princess and her consort and the
+day when he reached his majority. That day was a glorious one in
+Graustark. The people worshipped the little Prince when he was in
+knickerbockers and played with toys; they saw him grow to manhood with
+hearts that were full of hope and contentment; they made him their real
+ruler with the same joyous spirit that had attended him in the days
+when he sat in the great throne and "made believe" that he was one of
+the mighty, despite the fact that his little legs barely reached to the
+edge of the gold and silver seat,--and slept soundly through all the
+befuddling sessions of the cabinet. He was seven when the great revolt
+headed by Count Marlanx came so near to overthrowing the government,
+and he behaved like the Prince that he was. It was during those
+perilous times that he came to know the gallant Truxton King in whose
+home he was now a happy guest. But before Truxton King he knew the
+lovely girl who became the wife of that devoted adventurer, and who, to
+him, was always to be "Aunt Loraine."
+
+As a very small boy he had paid two visits to the homeland of his
+father, but after the death of his parents his valuable little person
+was guarded so jealously by his subjects that not once had he set foot
+beyond the borders of Graustark, except on two widely separated
+occasions of great pomp and ceremony at the courts of Vienna and St.
+Petersburgh, and a secret journey to London when he was seventeen. (It
+appears that he was determined to see a great football match.) On each
+of these occasions he was attended by watchful members of the cabinet
+and certain military units in the now far from insignificant standing
+army. As a matter of fact, he witnessed the football match from the
+ordinary stands, surrounded by thousands of unsuspecting Britons, but
+carefully wedged in between two generals of his own army and flanked by
+a minister of police, a minister of the treasury and a minister of war,
+all of whom were excessively bored by the contest and more or less
+appalled by his unregal enthusiasm. He had insisted on going to the
+match incog, to enjoy it for all it was worth to the real
+spectators--those who sit or stand where the compression is not unlike
+that applied to a box of sardines.
+
+The regency expired when he was twenty years of age, and he became
+ruler in fact, of himself as well as of the half-million subjects who
+had waited patiently for the great day that was to see him crowned and
+glorified. Not one was there in that goodly half million who stood out
+against him on that triumphant day; not one who possessed a sullen or
+resentful heart. He was their Prince, and they loved him well. After
+that wonderful coronation day he would never forget that he was a
+Prince or that the hearts of a half million were to throb with love for
+him so long as he was man as well as Prince.
+
+Mr. Blithers was very close to the truth when he said (to himself, if
+you remember) that the financial situation in the far-off principality
+was not all that could be desired. It is true that Graustark was in
+Russia's debt to the extent of some twenty million gavvos,--about
+thirty millions of dollars, in other words,--and that the day of
+reckoning was very near at hand. The loan was for a period of twelve
+years, and had been arranged contrary to the advice of John Tullis, an
+American financier who long had been interested in the welfare of the
+principality through friendship for the lamented Prince Consort, Lorry.
+He had been farsighted enough to realise that Russia would prove a hard
+creditor, even though she may have been sincere in her protestations of
+friendship for the modest borrower.
+
+A stubborn element in the cabinet overcame his opposition, however, and
+the debt was contracted, taxation increased by popular vote and a
+period of governmental thriftiness inaugurated. Railroads, highways,
+bridges and aqueducts were built, owned and controlled by the state,
+and the city of Edelweiss rebuilt after the devastation created during
+the revolt of Count Marlanx and his minions. There seemed to be some
+prospect of vindication for the ministry and Tullis, who lived in
+Edelweiss, was fair-minded enough to admit that their action appeared
+to have been for the best. The people had prospered and taxes were paid
+in full and without complaint. The reserve fund grew steadily and
+surely and there was every prospect that when the huge debt came due it
+would be paid in cash. But on the very crest of their prosperity came
+adversity. For two years the crops failed and a pestilence swept
+through the herds. The flood of gavvos that had been pouring into the
+treasury dwindled into a pitiful rivulet; the little that came in was
+applied, of necessity, to administration purposes and the maintenance
+of the army, and there was not so much as a penny left over for the
+so-called sinking fund.
+
+A year of grace remained. The minister of finance had long since
+recovered from the delusion that it would be easy to borrow from
+England or France to pay the Russians, there being small prospect of a
+renewal by the Czar even for a short period at a higher rate of
+interest. The great nations of Europe made it plain to the little
+principality that they would not put a finger in Russia's pie at this
+stage of the game. Russia was ready to go to war with her great
+neighbour, Austria. Diplomacy--caution, if you will,--made it
+imperative that other nations should sit tight and look to their own
+knitting, so to say. Not one could afford to be charged with
+befriending, even in a round-about way, either of the angry grumblers.
+
+It was only too well known in diplomatic circles that Russia coveted
+the railroads of Graustark, as a means of throwing troops into a remote
+and almost impregnable portion of Austria. If the debt were paid
+promptly, it would be impossible, according to international law, for
+the great White Bear to take over these roads and at least a portion of
+the western border of the principality. Obviously, Austria would be
+benefitted by the prompt lifting of the debt, but her own relations
+with Russia were so strained that an offer to come to the rescue of
+Graustark would be taken at once as an open affront and vigorously
+resented. Her hands were tied.
+
+The northern and western parts of Graustark were rich with productive
+mines. The government had built railroads throughout these sections so
+that the yield of coal and copper might be given an outlet to the world
+at large. In making the loan, Russia had demanded these prosperous
+sections as security for the vast sum advanced, and Graustark in an
+evil hour had submitted, little suspecting the trick that Dame Nature
+was to play in the end.
+
+Private banking institutions in Europe refused to make loans under the
+rather exasperating circumstances, preferring to take no chances. Money
+was not cheap in these bitter days, neither in Europe nor America.
+Caution was the watchword. A vast European war was not improbable,
+despite the sincere efforts on the part of the various nations to keep
+out of the controversy.
+
+Nor was Mr. Blithers far from right in his shrewd surmise that Prince
+Robin and his agents were not without hope in coming to America at this
+particular time. Graustark had laid by barely half the amount required
+to lift the debt to Russia. It was not beyond the bounds of reason to
+expect her Prince to secure the remaining fifteen millions through
+private sources in New York City.
+
+Six weeks prior to his arrival in New York, the young Prince landed in
+San Francisco. He had come by way of the Orient, accompanied by the
+Chief of Staff of the Graustark Army, Count Quinnox,--hereditary
+watch-dog to the royal family!--and a young lieutenant of the guard,
+Boske Dank. Two men were they who would have given a thousand lives in
+the service of their Prince. No less loyal was the body-servant who
+looked after the personal wants of the eager young traveller, an
+Englishman of the name of Hobbs. A very poor valet was he, but an
+exceptionally capable person when it came to the checking of luggage
+and the divining of railway time-tables. He had been an agent for
+Cook's. It was quite impossible to miss a train that Hobbs suspected of
+being the right one.
+
+Prince Robin came unheralded and traversed the breadth of the continent
+without attracting more than the attention that is bestowed upon
+good-looking young men. Like his mother, nearly a quarter of a century
+before, he travelled incognito. But where she had used the somewhat
+emphatic name of Guggenslocker, he was known to the hotel registers as
+"Mr. R. Schmidt and servant."
+
+There was romance in the eager young soul of Prince Robin. He revelled
+in the love story of his parents. The beautiful Princess Yetive first
+saw Grenfell Lorry in an express train going eastward from Denver.
+Their wonderful romance was born, so to speak, in a Pullman compartment
+car, and it thrived so splendidly that it almost upset a dynasty, for
+never--in all of nine centuries--had a ruler of Graustark stooped to
+marriage with a commoner.
+
+And so when the far-sighted ministry and House of Nobles in Graustark
+set about to select a wife for their young ruler, they made overtures
+to the Prince of Dawsbergen whose domain adjoined Graustark on the
+south. The Crown Princess of Dawsbergen, then but fifteen, was the
+unanimous choice of the amiable match-makers in secret conclave. This
+was when Robin was seventeen and just over being fatuously in love with
+his middle-aged instructress in French.
+
+The Prince of Dawsbergen despatched an embassy of noblemen to assure
+his neighbour that the match would be highly acceptable to him and that
+in proper season the betrothal might be announced. But alack! both
+courts overlooked the fact that there was independent American blood in
+the two young people. Neither the Prince of Graustark nor the Crown
+Princess of Dawsbergen,--whose mother was a Miss Beverly Calhoun of
+Virginia,--was disposed to listen to the voice of expediency; in fact,
+at a safe distance of three or four hundred miles, the youngsters
+figuratively turned up their noses at each other and frankly confessed
+that they hated each other and wouldn't be bullied into getting
+married, no matter what _anybody_ said, or something of the sort.
+
+"S'pose I'm going to say I'll marry a girl I've never seen?" demanded
+seventeen-year-old Robin, full of wrath. "Not I, my lords. I'm going to
+look about a bit, if you don't mind. The world is full of girls. I'll
+marry the one I happen to want or I'll not marry at all."
+
+"But, highness," they protested, "you must listen to reason. There must
+be a successor to the throne of Graustark. You would not have the name
+die with you. The young Princess is--"
+
+"Is fifteen you say," he interrupted loftily. "Come around in ten years
+and we'll talk it over again. But I'm not going to pledge myself to
+marry a child in short frocks, name or no name. Is she pretty?"
+
+The lords did not know. They had not seen the young lady.
+
+"If she is pretty you'd be sure to know it, my lords, so we'll assume
+she isn't. I saw her when she was three years old, and she certainly
+was a fright when she cried, and, my lords, she cried all the time. No,
+I'll not marry her. Be good enough to say to the Prince of Dawsbergen
+that I'm very much obliged to him, but it's quite out of the question."
+
+And the fifteen-year-old Crown Princess, four hundred miles away,
+coolly informed her doting parents that she was tired of being a
+Princess anyway and very much preferred marrying some one who lived in
+a cottage. In fine, she stamped her little foot and said she'd jump
+into the river before she'd marry the Prince of Graustark.
+
+"But he's a very handsome, adorable boy," began her mother.
+
+"And half-American just as you are, my child," put in her father
+encouragingly. "Nothing could be more suitable than--"
+
+"I don't intend to marry anybody until I'm thirty at least, so that
+ends it, daddy,--I mean, your poor old highness."
+
+"Naturally we do not expect you to be married before you are out of
+short frocks, my dear," said Prince Dantan stiffly. "But a betrothal is
+quite another thing. It is customary to arrange these marriages years
+before--"
+
+"Is Prince Robin in love with me?"
+
+"I--ahem!--that's a very silly question. He hasn't seen you since you
+were a baby. But he _will_ be in love with you, never fear."
+
+"He may be in love with some one else, for all we know, so where do I
+come in?"
+
+"Come in?" gasped her father.
+
+"She's part American, dear," explained the mother, with her prettiest
+smile.
+
+"Besides," said the Crown Princess, with finality, "I'm not even going
+to be engaged to a man I've never seen. And if you insist, I'll run
+away as sure as anything."
+
+And so the matter rested. Five years have passed since the initial
+overtures were made by the two courts, and although several sly
+attempts were made to bring the young people to a proper understanding
+of their case, they aroused nothing more than scornful laughter on the
+part of the belligerents, as the venerable Baron Dangloss was wont to
+call them, not without pride in his sharp old voice.
+
+"It all comes from mixing the blood," said the Prime Minister gloomily.
+
+"Or improving it," said the Baron, and was frowned upon.
+
+And no one saw the portentous shadow cast by the slim daughter of
+William W. Blithers, for the simple reason that neither Graustark nor
+Dawsbergen knew that it existed. They lived in serene ignorance of the
+fact that God, while he was about it, put Maud Applegate Blithers into
+the world on precisely the same day that the Crown Princess of
+Dawsbergen first saw the light of day.
+
+On the twenty-second anniversary of his birth, Prince Robin fared forth
+in quest of love and romance, not without hope of adventure, for he was
+a valorous chap with the heritage of warriors in his veins. Said he to
+himself in dreamy contemplation of the long journey ahead of him: "I
+will traverse the great highways that my mother trod and I will look
+for the Golden Girl sitting by the wayside. She must be there, and
+though it is a wide world, I am young and my eyes are sharp. I will
+find her sitting at the roadside eager for me to come, not housed in a
+gloomy; castle surrounded by the spooks of a hundred ancestors. They
+who live in castles wed to hate and they who wed at the roadside live
+to love. Fortune attend me! If love lies at the roadside waiting, do
+not let me pass it by. All the princesses are not inside the castles.
+Some sit outside the gates and laugh with glee, for love is their
+companion. So away I go, la, la! looking for the princess with the
+happy heart and the smiling lips! It is a wide world but my eyes are
+sharp. I shall find my princess."
+
+But, alas, for his fine young dream, he found no Golden Girl at the
+roadside nor anything that suggested romance. There were happy hearts
+and smiling lips--and all for him, it would appear--but he passed them
+by, for his eyes were _sharp_ and his wits awake. And so, at last, he
+came to Gotham, his heart as free as the air he breathed, confessing
+that his quest had been in vain. History failed to repeat itself. His
+mother's romance would stand alone and shine without a flicker to the
+end of time. There could be no counterpart.
+
+"Well, I had the fun of looking," he philosophised (to himself, for no
+man knew of his secret project) and grinned with a sort of amused
+tolerance for the sentimental side of his nature. "I'm a silly ass to
+have even dreamed of finding her as I passed along, and if I had found
+her what the deuce could I have done about it anyway? This isn't the
+day for mediaeval lady-snatching. I dare say I'm just as well off for
+not having found her. I still have the zest for hunting farther, and
+there's a lot in that." Then aloud: "Hobbs, are we on time?"
+
+"We are, sir," said Hobbs, without even glancing at his watch. The
+train was passing 125th Street. "To the minute, sir. We will be in in
+ten minutes, if nothing happens. Mr. King will be at the station to
+meet you, sir. Any orders, sir?"
+
+"Yes, pinch me, Hobbs."
+
+"Pinch your Highness?" in amazement. "My word, sir, wot--"
+
+"I just want to be sure that the dream is over, Hobbs. Never mind. You
+needn't pinch me. I'm awake," and to prove it he stretched his fine
+young body in the ecstasy of realisation.
+
+That night he slept soundly in the Catskills.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+MR. BLITHERS GOES VISITING
+
+
+I repeat: Prince Robin was as handsome a chap as you'll see in a week's
+journey. He was just under six feet, slender, erect and strong in the
+way that a fine blade is strong. His hair was dark and straight, his
+eyes blue-black, his cheek brown and ruddy with the health of a life
+well-ordered. Nose, mouth and chin were clean-cut and indicative of
+power, while his brow was broad and smooth, with a surface so serene
+that it might have belonged to a woman. At first glance you would have
+taken him for a healthy, eager American athlete, just out of college,
+but that aforementioned seriousness in his deep-set, thoughtful eyes
+would have caused you to think twice before pronouncing him a
+fledgling. He had enjoyed life, he had made the most of his play-days,
+but always there had hung over his young head the shadow of the cross
+that would have to be supported to the end of his reign, through thick
+and thin, through joy and sorrow, through peace and strife.
+
+He saw the shadow when he was little more than a baby; it was like a
+figure striding beside him always; it never left him. He could not be
+like other boys, for he was a prince, and it was a serious business
+being a prince! A thousand times, as a lad, he had wished that he could
+have a few "weeks off" from being what he was and be just a common,
+ordinary, harum scarum boy, like the "kids" of Petrove, the head
+stableman. He would even have put up with the thrashings they got from
+their father, just for the sake of enjoying the mischief that purchased
+the punishment. But alas! no one would ever dream of giving him the
+lovely "tannings" that other boys got when they were naughty. Such joys
+were not for him; he was mildly reproved and that was all. But his
+valiant spirit found release in many a glorious though secret encounter
+with boys both large and small, and not infrequently he sustained
+severe pummelings at the hands of plebeians who never were quite sure
+that they wouldn't be beheaded for obliging him in the matter of a
+"scrap," but who fought like little wild-cats while they were about it.
+They were always fair fights, for he fought as a boy and not as a
+prince. He took his lickings like a prince, however, and his victories
+like a boy. The one thing he wanted to do above all others was to play
+foot-ball. But they taught him fencing, riding, shooting and tennis
+instead, for, said they, foot-ball is only to be looked-at, not
+played,--fine argument, said Robin!
+
+Be that as it may, he was physically intact and bodily perfect. He had
+no broken nose, smashed ribs, stiff shoulder joints or weak ankles, nor
+was he toothless. In all his ambitious young life he had never achieved
+anything more enduring than a bloody nose, a cracked lip or a purple
+eye, and he had been compelled to struggle pretty hard for even those
+blessings. And to him the pity of it all was that he was as hard as
+nails and as strong as a bullock--a sad waste, if one were to believe
+him in his bitter lamentations.
+
+Toward the end of his first week at Red Roof, the summer home of the
+Truxton Kings, he might have been found on the broad lawn late one
+afternoon, playing tennis with his hostess, the lovely and vivacious
+"Aunt Loraine." To him, Mrs. King would always be "Aunt Loraine," even
+as he would never be anything but Bobby to her.
+
+She was several years under forty and as light and active as a young
+girl. Her smooth cheek glowed with the happiness and thrill of the
+sport, and he was hard put to hold his own against her, even though she
+insisted that he play his level best.
+
+Truxton King, stalwart and lazy, lounged on the turf, umpiring the
+game, attended by two pretty young girls, a lieutenant in flannels and
+the ceremonious Count Quinnox, iron grey and gaunt-faced battleman with
+the sabre scars on his cheek and the bullet wound in his side.
+
+"Good work, Rainie," shouted the umpire as his wife safely placed the
+ball far out of her opponent's reach.
+
+"Hi!" shouted Robin, turning on him with a scowl. "You're not supposed
+to cheer anybody, d' you understand? You're only an umpire."
+
+"Outburst of excitement, Kid," apologised the umpire complacently.
+"Couldn't help it. Forty thirty. Get busy."
+
+"He called him 'kid,'" whispered one of the young girls to the other.
+
+"Well I heard the Prince call Mr. King 'Truck' a little while ago,"
+whispered the other.
+
+"Isn't he good-looking?" sighed the first one.
+
+They were sisters, very young, and lived in the cottage across the road
+with their widowed mother. Their existence was quite unknown to Mr. and
+Mrs. Blithers, although the amiable Maud was rather nice to them. She
+had once picked them up in her automobile when she encountered them
+walking to the station. After that she called them by their Christian
+names and generously asked them to call her Maud. It might appear from
+this that Maud suffered somewhat from loneliness in the great house on
+the hill. The Felton girls had known Robin a scant three-quarters of an
+hour and were deeply in love with him. Fannie was eighteen and Nellie
+but little more than sixteen. He was their first Prince.
+
+"Whee-ee!" shrilled Mrs. King, going madly after a return that her
+opponent had lobbed over the net. She missed.
+
+"Deuce," said her husband laconically. A servant was crossing the lawn
+with a tray of iced drinks. As he neared the recumbent group he paused
+irresolutely and allowed his gaze to shift toward the road below. Then
+he came on and as he drew alongside the interested umpire he leaned
+over and spoke in a low tone of voice.
+
+"What?" demanded King, squinting.
+
+"Just coming in the gate, sir," said the footman.
+
+King shot a glance over his shoulder and then sat up in astonishment.
+
+"Good Lord! Blithers! What the deuce can he be doing here? I say,
+Loraine! Hi!"
+
+"Vantage in," cried his pretty wife, dashing a stray lock from her eyes.
+
+Mr. King's astonishment was genuine. It might better have been
+pronounced bewilderment. Mr. Blithers was paying his first visit to Red
+Roof. Up to this minute it is doubtful if he ever had accorded it so
+much as a glance of interest in passing. He bowed to King occasionally
+at the station, but that was all.
+
+But now his manner was exceedingly friendly as he advanced upon the
+group. One might have been pardoned for believing him to be a most
+intimate friend of the family and given to constantly dropping in at
+any and all hours of the day.
+
+The game was promptly interrupted. It would not be far from wrong to
+say that Mrs. King's pretty mouth was open not entirely as an aid to
+breathing. She couldn't believe her eyes as she slowly abandoned her
+court and came forward to meet their advancing visitor.
+
+"Take my racket, dear," she said to one of the Peltons, It happened to
+be Fannie and the poor child almost fainted with joy.
+
+The Prince remained in the far court, idly twirling his racket.
+
+"Afternoon, King," said Mr. Blithers, doffing his panama--to fan a
+heated brow. "Been watching the game from the road for a spell. Out for
+a stroll. Couldn't resist running in for a minute. You play a beautiful
+game, Mrs. King. How do you do! Pretty hot work though, isn't it?"
+
+He was shaking hands with King and smiling genially upon the trim,
+panting figure of the Prince's adversary.
+
+"Good afternoon, Mr. Blithers," said King, still staring. "You--you
+know my wife?"
+
+Mr. Blithers ignored what might have been regarded as an introduction,
+and blandly announced that tennis wasn't a game for fat people, patting
+his somewhat aggressive extension in mock dolefulness as he spoke.
+
+"You should see my daughter play," he went on, scarcely heeding Mrs.
+King's tactless remark that she affected the game because she had a
+horror of getting fat. "Corking, she is, and as quick as a cat. Got a
+medal at Lakewood last spring. I'll fix up a match soon, Mrs. King,
+between you and Maud. Ought to be worth going miles to see, eh, King?"
+
+"Oh, I am afraid, Mr. Blithers, that I am not in your daughter's
+class," said Loraine King, much too innocently.
+
+"We've got a pretty fair tennis court up at Blitherwood," said Mr.
+Blithers calmly. "I have a professional instructor up every week to
+play with Maud. She can trim most of the amateurs so--"
+
+"May I offer you a drink of some kind, Mr. Blithers?" asked King,
+recovering his poise to some extent. "We are having lemonades, but
+perhaps you'd prefer something--"
+
+"Lemonade will do for me, thanks," said the visitor affably. "We ought
+to run in on each other a little more often than--thanks! By jove, it
+looks refreshing. Your health, Mrs. King. Too bad to drink a lady's
+health in lemonade but--the sentiment's the same."
+
+He was looking over her shoulder at the bounding Prince in the far
+court as he spoke, and it seemed that he held his glass a trifle too
+high in proposing the toast.
+
+"I beg your pardon, Mr. Blithers," mumbled King. "Permit me to
+introduce Count Quinnox and Lieutenant Dank." Both of the foreigners
+had arisen and were standing very erect and soldierly a few yards away.
+"You know Miss Felton, of course."
+
+"Delighted to meet you, Count," said Mr. Blithers, advancing with
+outstretched hand. He shook the hand of the lieutenant with a shade
+less energy. "Enjoying the game?"
+
+"Immensely," said the Count. "It is rarely played so well."
+
+Mr. Blithers affected a most degage manner, squinting carelessly at the
+Prince.
+
+"That young chap plays a nice game. Who is he?"
+
+The two Graustarkians stiffened perceptibly, and waited for King to
+make the revelation to his visitor.
+
+"That's Prince Robin of--" he began but Mr. Blithers cut him short with
+a genial wave of the hand.
+
+"Of course," he exclaimed, as if annoyed by his own stupidity. "I did
+hear that you were entertaining a Prince. Slipped my mind, however.
+Well, well, we're coming up in the world, eh?--having a real nabob
+among us." He hesitated for a moment. "But don't let me interrupt the
+game," he went on, as if expecting King to end the contest in order to
+present the Prince to him.
+
+"Won't you sit down, Mr. Blithers?" said Mrs. King. "Or would you
+prefer a more comfortable chair on the porch? We--"
+
+"No, thanks, I'll stay here if you don't mind," said he hastily, and
+dragged up the camp chair that Lieutenant Dank had been occupying.
+
+"Fetch another chair, Lucas," said King to the servant. "And another
+glass of lemonade for Miss Felton."
+
+"Felton?" queried Mr. Blithers, sitting down very carefully on the
+rather fragile chair, and hitching up his white flannel trousers at the
+knees to reveal a pair of purple socks, somewhat elementary in tone.
+
+"We know your daughter, Mr. Blithers," said little Miss Nellie eagerly.
+
+"I was just trying to remember--"
+
+"We live across the road--over there in the little white house with the
+ivy--"
+
+"--where I'd heard the name," proceeded Mr. Blithers, still looking at
+the Prince. "By jove, I should think my daughter and the Prince would
+make a rattling good match. I mean," he added, with a boisterous laugh,
+"a good match at tennis. We'll have to get 'em together some day, eh,
+up at Blitherwood. How long is the Prince to be with you, Mrs. King?"
+
+"It's rather uncertain, Mr. Blithers," said she, and no more.
+
+Mr. Blithers fanned himself in patience for a moment or two. Then he
+looked at his watch.
+
+"Getting along toward dinner-time up our way," he ventured. Everybody
+seemed rather intent on the game, which was extremely one-sided.
+
+"Good work!" shouted King as Fannie Felton managed to return an easy
+service.
+
+Lieutenant Dank applauded vigorously. "Splendid!" he cried out.
+"Capitally placed!"
+
+"They speak remarkably good English, don't they?" said Mr. Blithers in
+an audible aside to Mrs. King. "Beats the deuce how quickly they pick
+it up."
+
+She smiled. "Officers in the Graustark army are required to speak
+English, French and German, Mr. Blithers."
+
+"It's a good idea," said he. "Maud speaks French and Italian like a
+native. She was educated in Paris and Rome, you know. Fact is, she's
+lived abroad a great deal."
+
+"Is she at home now, Mr. Blithers?"
+
+"Depends on what you'd call home, Mrs. King. We've got so many I don't
+know just which is the real one. If you mean Blitherwood, yes, she's
+there. Course, there's our town house in Madison Avenue, the place at
+Newport, one at Nice and one at Pasadena--California, you know--and a
+little shack in London. By the way, my wife says you live quite near
+our place in New York."
+
+"We live in Madison Avenue, but it's a rather long street, Mr.
+Blithers. Just where is your house?" she inquired, rather spitefully.
+
+He looked astonished. "You surely must know where the Blithers house is
+at--"
+
+"Game!" shrieked Fannie Felton, tossing her racket in the air, a victor.
+
+"They're through," said Mr. Blithers in a tone of relief. He shifted
+his legs and put his hands on his knees, suggesting a readiness to
+arise on an instant's notice.
+
+"Shall we try another set?" called out the Prince.
+
+"Make it doubles," put in Lieutenant Dank, and turned to Nellie. "Shall
+we take them on?"
+
+And doubles it was, much to the disgust of Mr. Blithers. He sat through
+the nine games, manifesting an interest he was far from feeling, and
+then--as dusk fell across the valley--arose expectantly with the cry of
+"game and set." He had discoursed freely on the relative merits of
+various motor cars, stoutly maintaining that the one he drove was
+without question the best in the market (in fact, there wasn't another
+"make" that he would have as a gift); the clubs he belonged to in New
+York were the only ones that were worth belonging to (he wouldn't be
+caught dead in any of the others); his tailor was the only tailor in
+the country who knew how to make a decent looking suit of clothes (the
+rest of them were "the limit"); the Pomeranian that he had given his
+daughter was the best dog of its breed in the world (he was looking at
+Mrs. King's Pomeranian as he made the remark); the tennis court at
+Blitherwood was pronounced by experts to be the finest they'd, ever
+seen--and so on and so on, until the long-drawn-out set was ended.
+
+To his utter amazement, at the conclusion of the game, the four players
+made a dash for the house without even so much as a glance in his
+direction. It was the Prince who shouted something that sounded like
+"now for a shower!" as he raced up the terrace, followed by the other
+participants.
+
+Mr. Blithers said something violent under his breath, but resolutely
+retained his seat. It was King who glanced slyly at his watch this
+time, and subsequently shot a questioning look at his wife. She was
+frowning in considerable perplexity, and biting her firm red lips.
+Count Quinnox coolly arose and excused himself with the remark that he
+was off to dress for dinner. He also looked at his watch, which
+certainly was an act that one would hardly have expected of a diplomat.
+
+"Well, well," said Mr. Blithers profoundly. Then he looked at his own
+watch--and settled back in his chair, a somewhat dogged compression
+about his jaws. He was not the man to be thwarted. "You certainly have
+a cosy little place here. King," he remarked after a moment or two.
+
+"We like it," said King, twiddling his fingers behind his back. "Humble
+but homelike."
+
+"Mrs. Blithers has been planning to come over for some time, Mrs. King.
+I told her she oughtn't to put it off--be neighbourly, don't you know.
+That's me. I'm for being neighbourly with my neighbours. But women,
+they--well, you know how it is, Mrs. King. Always something turning up
+to keep 'em from doing the things they want to do most. And Mrs.
+Blithers has so many sociable obli--I beg pardon?"
+
+"I was just wondering if you would stay and have dinner with us, Mr.
+Blithers," said she, utterly helpless. She wouldn't look her husband in
+the eye--and it was quite fortunate that she was unable to do so, for
+it would have resulted in a laughing duet that could never have been
+explained.
+
+"Why," said Mr. Blithers, arising and looking at his watch again,
+"bless my soul, it is _past_ dinner time, isn't it? I had no idea it
+was so late. 'Pon my soul, it's good of you, Mrs. King. You see, we
+have dinner at seven up at Blitherwood and--I declare it's half-past
+now. I don't see where the time has gone. Thanks, I _will_ stay if you
+really mean to be kind to a poor old beggar. Don't do anything extra on
+my account, though, just your regular dinner, you know. No frills, if
+you please." He looked himself over in some uncertainty. "Will this rag
+of mine do?"
+
+"We shan't notice it, Mr. Blithers," said she, and he turned the remark
+over in his mind several times as he walked beside her toward the
+house. Somehow it didn't sound just right to him, but for the life of
+him he couldn't tell why. "We are quite simple folk, you see," she went
+on desperately, making note of the fact that her husband lagged behind
+like the coward he was. "Red Roof is as nothing compared to
+Blitherwood, with its army of servants and--"
+
+Mr. Blithers magnanimously said "Pooh!" and, continuing, remarked that
+he wouldn't say exactly how many they employed but he was sure there
+were not more than forty, including the gardeners. "Besides," he added
+gallantly, "what is an army of servants compared to the army of
+Grasstock? You've got the real article, Mrs. King, so don't you worry.
+But, I say, if necessary, I can telephone up to the house and have a
+dress suit sent down. It won't take fifteen minutes, Lou--er--Mrs.
+Blithers always has 'em laid out for me, in case of an emergency, and--"
+
+"Pray do not think of it," she cried. "The men change, of course, after
+they've been playing tennis, but we--we--well, you see, you haven't
+been playing," she concluded, quite breathlessly.
+
+At that instant the sprightly Feltons dashed pell mell down the steps
+and across the lawn homeward, shrieking something unintelligible to
+Mrs. King as they passed.
+
+"Rather skittish," observed Mr. Blithers, glaring after them
+disapprovingly.
+
+"They are dears," said Mrs. King.
+
+"The--er--Prince attracted by either one of 'em?" he queried.
+
+"He barely knows them, Mr. Blithers."
+
+"I see. Shouldn't think they'd appeal to him. Rather light, I should
+say--I mean up here," and he tapped his forehead so that she wouldn't
+think that he referred to pounds and ounces. "I don't believe Maud
+knows 'em, as the little one said. Maud is rather--"
+
+"It is possible they have mistaken some one else for your daughter,"
+said she very gently.
+
+"Impossible," said he with force.
+
+"They are coming back here to dinner," she said, and her eyes sparkled
+with mischief. "I shall put you between them, Mr. Blithers. You will
+find that they are very bright, attractive girls."
+
+"We'll see," said he succinctly.
+
+King caught them up at the top of the steps. He seemed to be slightly
+out of breath.
+
+"Make yourself at home, Mr. Blithers. I must get into something besides
+these duds I'm wearing," he said. "Would you like to--er--wash up while
+we're--"
+
+"No, thanks," interposed Mr. Blithers. "I'm as clean as a whistle.
+Don't mind me, please. Run along and dress, both of you. I'll sit out
+here and--count the minutes," the last with a very elaborate bow to
+Mrs. King.
+
+"Dinner's at half-past eight," said she, and disappeared. Mr. Blithers
+recalled his last glance at his watch, and calculated that he would
+have at least fifty minutes to count, provided dinner was served
+promptly on the dot.
+
+"You will excuse me if I leave you--"
+
+"Don't mention it, old man," said the new guest, rather more curtly
+than he intended. "I'll take it easy."
+
+"Shall I have the butler telephone to Blitherwood to say that you won't
+be home to dinner?"
+
+"It would be better if he were to say that I wasn't home to dinner,"
+said Mr. Blithers. "It's over by this time."
+
+"Something to drink while you're--"
+
+"No, thanks. I can wait," and he sat down.
+
+"You don't mind my--"
+
+"Not at all."
+
+Mr. Blithers settled himself in the big porch chair and glowered at the
+shadowy hills on the opposite side of the valley. The little cottage of
+the Feltons came directly in his line of vision. He scowled more deeply
+than before. At the end of fifteen minutes he started up suddenly and,
+after a quick uneasy glance about him, started off across the lawn,
+walking more rapidly than was his wont.
+
+He had remembered that his chauffeur was waiting for him with the car
+just around a bend in the road--and had been waiting for two hours or
+more.
+
+"Go home," he said to the man. "Come back at twelve. And don't use the
+cut-out going up that hill, either."
+
+Later on, he met the Prince. Very warmly he shook the tall young man's
+hand,--he even gave it a prophetic second squeeze,--and said:
+
+"I am happy to welcome you to the Catskills, Prince."
+
+"Thank you," said Prince Robin.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+PROTECTING THE BLOOD
+
+
+"A most extraordinary person," said Count Quinnox to King, after Mr.
+Blithers had taken his departure, close upon the heels of the Feltons
+who were being escorted home by the Prince and Dank. The venerable
+Graustarkian's heroic face was a study. He had just concluded a
+confidential hour in a remote corner of the library with the
+millionaire while the younger people were engaged in a noisy though
+temperate encounter with the roulette wheel at the opposite end of the
+room. "I've never met any one like him, Mr. King." He mopped his brow,
+and still looked a trifle dazed.
+
+King laughed. "There isn't any one like him, Count. He is the one and
+only Blithers."
+
+"He is very rich?"
+
+"Millions and millions," said Mrs. King. "Didn't he tell you how many?"
+
+"I am not quite sure. This daughter of his--is she attractive?"
+
+"Rather. Why?"
+
+"He informed me that her dot would be twenty millions if she married
+the right man. Moreover, she is his only heir. 'Pon my soul, Mrs. King,
+he quite took my breath away when he announced that he knew all about
+our predicament in relation to the Russian loan. It really sounded
+quite--you might say significant. Does--does he imagine that--good
+heaven, it's almost stupefying!"
+
+King smoked in silence for many seconds. There was a pucker of
+annoyance on his wife's fair brow as she stared reflectively through
+the window at the distant lights of Blitherwood, far up the mountain
+side.
+
+"Sounds ominous to me," said King drily. "Is Bobby for sale?"
+
+The Count favoured him with a look of horror. "My dear Mr. King!" Then
+as comprehension came, he smiled. "I see. No, he isn't for sale. He is
+a Prince, not a pawn. Mr. Blithers may be willing to buy but--" he
+proudly shook his head.
+
+"He was feeling you out, however," said King, ruminating. "Planting the
+seed, so to speak."
+
+"There is a rumour that she is to marry Count Lannet," said his wife.
+"A horrid creature. There was talk in the newspapers last winter of an
+Italian duke. Poor girl! From what I hear of her, she is rather a good
+sort, sensible and more genuinely American in her tastes than might be,
+expected after her bringing-up. And she _is_ pretty."
+
+"How about this young Scoville, Rainie?"
+
+"He's a nice boy but--he'll never get her. She is marked up too high
+for him. He doesn't possess so much as the title to an acre of land."
+
+"Extraordinary, the way you Americans go after our titles," said the
+Count good-naturedly.
+
+"No more extraordinary than the way you Europeans go after our money,"
+was her retort.
+
+"I don't know which is the cheaper, titles or money in these days,"
+said King. "I understand one can get a most acceptable duke for three
+or four millions, a nice marquis or count for half as much, and a Sir
+on tick." He eyed the Count speculatively. "Of course a prince of the
+royal blood comes pretty high."
+
+"Pretty high," said the Count grimly. He seemed to be turning something
+over in his mind. "Your amazing Mr. Blithers further confided to me
+that he might be willing to take care of the Russian obligation for us
+if no one else turns up in time. As a matter of fact, without waiting
+for my reply, he said that he would have his lawyers look into the
+matter of security at once. I was somewhat dazed, but I think he said
+that it would be no trouble at all for him to provide the money himself
+and he would be glad to accommodate us if we had no other plan in mind.
+Amazing, amazing!"
+
+"Of course, you told him it was not to be considered," said King
+sharply.
+
+"I endeavoured to do so, but I fear he did not grasp what I was saying.
+Moreover, I tried to tell him that it was a matter I was not at liberty
+to discuss. He didn't hear that, either."
+
+"He is not in the habit of hearing any one but himself, I fear," said
+King.
+
+"I am afraid poor Robin is in jeopardy," said his wife, ruefully. "The
+Bogieman is after him."
+
+"Does the incomprehensible creature imagine--" began the Count loudly,
+and then found it necessary to pull his collar away from his throat as
+if to save himself from immediate strangulation.
+
+"Mr. Blithers is not blessed with an imagination, Count," said she. "He
+doesn't imagine anything."
+
+"If he should presume to insult our Prince by--" grated the old
+soldier, very red in the face and erect--"if he should presume to--"
+Words failed him and an instant later he was laughing, but somewhat
+uncertainly, with his amused host and hostess.
+
+Mr. Blithers reached home in high spirits. His wife was asleep, but he
+awoke her without ceremony.
+
+"I say, Lou, wake up. Got some news for you. We'll have a prince in the
+family before you can say Jack Robinson."
+
+She sat up in bed, blinking with dismay. "In heaven's name, Will, what
+have you been doing? What--_have_ you been--"
+
+"Cutting bait," said he jovially. "In a day or two I'll throw the hook
+in, and you'll see what I land. He's as good as caught right now, but
+we'll let him nibble a while before we jerk. And say, he's a corker,
+Lou. Finest young fellow I've seen in many a day. He--"
+
+"You don't mean to say that you--you actually said anything to him
+about--about--Oh, my God, Will, don't tell me that you were crazy
+enough to--" cried the poor woman, almost in tears.
+
+"Now cool down, cool down," he broke in soothingly. "I'm no fool, Lou.
+Trust me to do the fine work in a case like this. Sow the right kind of
+seeds and you'll get results every time. I merely dropped a few hints,
+that's all,--and in the right direction, believe me. Count Equinox will
+do the rest. I'll bet my head we'll have this prince running after Maud
+so--"
+
+"What _did_ you say?" she demanded. There was a fine moisture on her
+upper lip. He sat down on the edge of the bed and talked for half an
+hour without interruption. When he came to the end of his oration, she
+turned over with her face to the wall and fairly sobbed: "What will the
+Kings think of us? What will they think?"
+
+"Who the dickens cares what the Kings think?" he roared, perfectly
+aghast at the way she took it. "Who are the Kings? Tell me that! who
+are they?"
+
+"I--I can't bear to talk about it. Go to bed."
+
+He wiped his brow helplessly. "You beat anything I've ever seen. What's
+the matter with you? Don't you want this prince for Maud? Well, then,
+what the deuce are you crying about? You said you wanted him, didn't
+you? Well, I'm going to get him. If I say I'll do a thing, you can bet
+your last dollar I'll do it. That's the kind of a man William W.
+Blithers is. You leave it to me. There's only one way to land these
+foreign noblemen, and I'm--"
+
+She faced him once more, and angrily. "Listen to me," she said. "I've
+had a talk with Maud. She has gone to bed with a splitting headache and
+I'm not surprised. Don't you suppose the poor child has a particle of
+pride? She guessed at once just what you had gone over there for and
+she cried her eyes out. Now she declares she will never be able to look
+the Prince in the face, and as for the Kings--Oh, it's sickening. Why
+can't you leave these things to me? You go about like a bull in a china
+shop. You might at least have waited until the poor child had an
+opportunity to see the man before rushing in with your talk about
+money. She--"
+
+"Confound it, Lou, don't blame me for everything. We all three agreed
+at lunch that he was a better bargain than this measly count we've been
+considering. Maud says she won't marry the count, anyhow, and she _did_
+say that if this prince was all that he's cracked up to be, she
+wouldn't mind being the Princess of Groostock. You can't deny that,
+Lou. You heard her say it. You--"
+
+"She didn't say Groostock," said his wife shortly. "And you forget that
+she said she wouldn't promise anything until she'd met him and decided
+whether she liked him."
+
+"She'll like him all right," said he confidently.
+
+"She will refuse to even meet him, if she hears of your silly blunder
+to-night."
+
+"Refuse to meet him?" gasped Mr. Blithers.
+
+"I may be able to reason with her, Will, but--but she's stubborn, as
+well you know. I'm afraid you've spoiled everything."
+
+His face brightened. Lowering his voice to a half-whisper, he said: "We
+needn't tell her what I said to that old chap, Lou. Just let her think
+I sat around like a gump and never said a word to anybody. We can--"
+
+"But she'll pin you down, Will, and you know you can't lie with a
+straight face."
+
+"Maybe--maybe I'd better run down to New York for a few days," he
+muttered unhappily. "You can square it better than I can."
+
+"In other words, I can lie with a straight face," she said ironically.
+
+"I never thought she'd balk like this," said he, ignoring the remark.
+
+"I fancy you'd better go to New York," she said mercilessly.
+
+"I've got business there anyhow," muttered he. "I--I think I'll go
+before she's up in the morning."
+
+"You can save yourself a bad hour or two if you leave before
+breakfast," said she levelly.
+
+"Get around her some way, Lou," he pleaded. "Tell her I'm sorry I had
+to leave so early, and--and that I love her better than anything on
+earth, and that I'll be back the end of the week. If--if she wants
+anything in New York, just have her wire me. You say she cried?"
+
+"She did, and I don't blame her."
+
+Mr. Blithers scowled. "Well--well, you see if you can do any better
+than I did. Arrange it somehow for them to meet. She'll--she'll like
+him and then--by George, she'll thank us both for the interest we take
+in her future. It wouldn't surprise me if she fell in love with him
+right off the reel. And you may be sure he'll fall in love with her. He
+can't help it. The knowledge that she'll have fifty millions some day
+won't have anything to do with his feeling for her, once he--"
+
+"Don't mention the word millions again. Will Blithers."
+
+"All right," said he, more humbly than he knew, "But listen to this,
+old girl; I'm going to get this prince for her if it's the last act of
+my life. I never failed in anything and I won't fail in this."
+
+"Well, go to bed, dear, and don't worry. I may be able to undo the
+mischief. It--it isn't hopeless, of course."
+
+"I'll trust you, Lou, to do your part. Count on me to do mine when the
+time comes. And I still insist that I have sowed the right sort of seed
+to-night. You'll see. Just wait."
+
+Sure enough, Mr. Blithers was off for New York soon after daybreak the
+next morning, and with him went a mighty determination to justify
+himself before the week was over. His wily brain was working as it had
+never worked before.
+
+Two days later, Count Quinnox received a message from New York bearing
+the distressing information that the two private banking institutions
+on which he had been depending for aid in the hour of trouble had
+decided that it would be impossible for them to make the loan under
+consideration. The financial agents who had been operating in behalf of
+the Graustark government confessed that they were unable to explain the
+sudden change of heart on the part of the bankers, inasmuch as the
+negotiations practically had been closed with them. The decision of the
+directors was utterly incomprehensible under the circumstances.
+
+Vastly disturbed, Count Quinnox took the first train to New York,
+accompanied by Truxton King, who was confident that outside influences
+had been brought to bear upon the situation, influences inimical to
+Graustark. Both were of the opinion that Russia had something to do
+with it, although the negotiations had been conducted with all the
+secrecy permissible in such cases.
+
+"We may be able to get to the banks through Blithers," said King.
+
+"How could he possibly be of assistance to us?" the Count inquired.
+
+"He happens to be a director in both concerns, besides being such a
+power in the financial world that his word is almost law when it comes
+to the big deals."
+
+All the way down to the city Count Quinnox was thoughtful, even
+pre-occupied. They were nearing the Terminal when he leaned over and,
+laying his hand on King's knee, said, after a long interval of silence
+between them:
+
+"I suppose you know that Graustark has not given up hope that Prince
+Robin may soon espouse the daughter of our neighbour, Dawsbergen."
+
+King gave him a queer look. "By jove, that's odd. I was thinking of
+that very thing when you spoke."
+
+"The union would be of no profit to us in a pecuniary way, my friend,"
+explained the Count. "Still it is most desirable for other reasons.
+Dawsbergen is not a rich country, nor are its people progressive. The
+reigning house, however, is an old one and rich in traditions. Money,
+my dear King, is not everything in this world. There are some things it
+cannot buy. It is singularly ineffective when opposed to an honest
+sentiment. Even though the young Princess were to come to Graustark
+without a farthing, she would still be hailed with the wildest acclaim.
+We are a race of blood worshippers, if I may put it in that way. She
+represents a force that has dominated our instincts for a great many
+centuries, and we are bound hand and foot, heart and soul, by the
+so-called fetters of imperialism. We are fierce men, but we bend the
+knee and we wear the yoke because the sword of destiny is in the hand
+that drives us. To-day we are ruled by a prince whose sire was not of
+the royal blood. I do not say that we deplore this infusion, but it
+behooves us to protect the original strain. We must conserve our royal
+blood. Our prince assumes an attitude of independence that we find
+difficult to overcome. He is prepared to defy an old precedent in
+support of a new one. In other words, he points out the unmistakably
+happy union of his own mother, the late Princess Yetive, and the
+American Lorry, and it is something we cannot go behind. He declares
+that his mother set an example that he may emulate without prejudice to
+his country if he is allowed a free hand in choosing his mate.
+
+"But we people of Graustark cannot look with complaisance on the
+possible result of his search for a sharer of the throne. Traditions
+must be upheld--or we die. True, the Crown Princess of Dawsbergen has
+American blood in her veins but her sire is a prince royal. Her mother,
+as you know, was an American girl. She who sits on the throne with
+Robin must be a princess by birth or the grip on the sword of destiny
+is weakened and the dynasty falters. I know what is in your mind. You
+are wondering why our Prince should not wed one of your fabulously rich
+American girls--"
+
+"My dear Count," said King warmly, "I am not thinking anything of the
+sort. Naturally I am opposed to your pre-arranged marriages and all
+that sort of thing, but still I appreciate what it means as a
+safe-guard to the crown you support. I sincerely hope that Robin may
+find his love-mate in the small circle you draw for him, but I fear it
+isn't likely. He is young, romantic, impressionable, and he abhors the
+thought of marriage without love. He refuses to even consider the
+princess you have picked out for him. Time may prove to him that his
+ideals are false and he may resign himself to the--I was about to say
+the inevitable."
+
+"Inevitable is the word, Mr. King," said Count Quinnox grimly. "'Pon my
+word, sir, I don't know what our princes and princesses are coming to
+in these days. There seems to be a perfect epidemic of independence
+among them. They marry whom they please in spite of royal command, and
+the courts of Europe are being shorn of half their glory. It wouldn't
+surprise me to see an American woman on the throne of England one of
+these days. 'Gad, sir, you know what happened in Axphain two years ago.
+Her crown prince renounced the throne and married a French singer."
+
+"And they say he is a very happy young beggar," said King drily.
+
+"It is the prerogative of fools to be happy," said Count Quinnox.
+
+"Not so with princes, eh?"
+
+"It is a duty with princes, Mr. King."
+
+They had not been in New York City an hour before they discovered that
+William W. Blithers was the man to whom they would have to appeal if
+they expected to gain a fresh hearing with the banks. The agents were
+in a dismal state of mind. The deal had been blocked no later than the
+afternoon of the day before and at a time when everything appeared to
+be going along most swimmingly. Blithers was the man to see; he and he
+alone could bring pressure to bear on the directorates that might
+result in a reconsideration of the surprising verdict. Something had
+happened during the day to alter the friendly attitude of the banks;
+they were now politely reluctant, as one of the agents expressed it,
+which really meant that opposition to the loan had appeared from some
+unexpected source, as a sort of eleventh hour obstacle. The heads of
+the two banks had as much as said that negotiations were at an end,
+that was the long and short of it; it really didn't matter what was
+back of their sudden change of front, the fact still remained that the
+transaction was as "dead as a door nail" unless it could be revived by
+the magnetic touch of a man like Blithers.
+
+"What can have happened to cause them to change their minds so
+abruptly?" cried the perplexed Count. "Surely our prime minister and
+the cabinet have left nothing undone to convince them of Graustark's
+integrity and--"
+
+"Pardon me. Count," interrupted one of the brokers, "shall I try to
+make an appointment for you with Mr. Blithers? I hear he is in town for
+a few days."
+
+Count Quinnox looked to Truxton King for inspiration and that gentleman
+favoured him with a singularly dis-spiriting nod of the head. The old
+Graustarkian cleared his throat and rather stiffly announced that he
+would receive Mr. Blithers if he would call on him at the Ritz that
+afternoon.
+
+"What!" exclaimed both agents, half-starting from their chairs in
+amazement.
+
+The Count stared hard at them. "You may say to him that I will be in at
+four."
+
+"He'll tell you to go to--ahem!" The speaker coughed just in time.
+"Blithers isn't in the habit of going out of his way to--to oblige
+anybody. He wouldn't do it for the Emperor of Germany."
+
+"But," said the Count with a frosty smile, "I am not the Emperor of
+Germany."
+
+"Better let me make an appointment for you to see him at his office.
+It's just around the corner." There was a pleading note in the
+speaker's voice.
+
+"You might save your face, Calvert, by saying that the Count will be
+pleased to have him take tea with him at the Ritz," suggested King.
+
+"Tea!" exclaimed Calvert scornfully. "Blithers, doesn't drink the
+stuff."
+
+"It's a figure of speech," said King patiently.
+
+"All right, I'll telephone," said the other dubiously.
+
+He came back a few minutes later with a triumphant look in his eye.
+
+"Blithers says to tell Count Quinnox he'll see him to-morrow morning at
+half-past eight at his office. Sorry he's engaged this afternoon."
+
+"But did you say I wanted him to have tea with us!" demanded the Count,
+an angry flush leaping to his cheek.
+
+"I did. I'm merely repeating what he said in reply. Half-past eight, at
+his office, Count. Those were his words."
+
+"It is the most brazen exhibition of insolence I've ever--" began the
+Count furiously, but checked himself with an effort. "I--I hope you did
+not say that I would come, sir!"
+
+"Yes. It's the only way--"
+
+"Well, be good enough to call him up again and say to him that
+I'll--I'll see him damned before I'll come to his office to-morrow at
+eight-thirty or at any other hour." And with that the Count got up and
+stalked out of the office, putting on his hat as he did so.
+
+"Count," said King, as they descended in the elevator, "I've got an
+idea in my head that Blithers will be at the Ritz at four."
+
+"Do you imagine, sir, that I will receive him?"
+
+"Certainly. Are you not a diplomat?"
+
+"I am a Minister of War," said the Count, and his scowl was an
+indication of absolute proficiency in the science.
+
+"And what's more," went on King, reflectively, "it wouldn't in the
+least surprise me if Blithers is the man behind the directors in this
+sudden move of the banks."
+
+"My dear King, he displayed the keenest interest and sympathy the other
+night at your house. He--"
+
+"Of course I may be wrong," admitted King, but his brow was clouded.
+
+Shortly after luncheon that day, Mrs. Blithers received a telegram from
+her husband. It merely stated that he was going up to have tea with the
+Count at four o'clock, and not to worry as "things were shaping
+themselves nicely."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+PRINCE ROBIN IS ASKED TO STAND UP
+
+
+Late the same evening. Prince Robin, at Red Roof, received a long
+distance telephone communication from New York City. The Count was on
+the wire. He imparted the rather startling news that William W.
+Blithers had volunteered to take care of the loan out of his own
+private means! Quinnox was cabling the Prime Minister for advice and
+would remain in New York for further conference with the capitalist,
+who, it was to be assumed, would want time to satisfy himself as to the
+stability of Graustark's resources.
+
+Robin was jubilant. The thought had not entered his mind that there
+could be anything sinister in this amazing proposition of the great
+financier.
+
+If Count Quinnox himself suspected Mr. Blithers of an ulterior motive,
+the suspicion was rendered doubtful by the evidence of sincerity on the
+part of the capitalist who professed no sentiment in the matter but
+insisted on the most complete indemnification by the Graustark
+government. Even King was impressed by the absolute fairness of the
+proposition. Mr. Blithers demanded no more than the banks were asking
+for in the shape of indemnity; a first lien mortgage for 12 years on
+all properties owned and controlled by the government and the deposit
+of all bonds held by the people with the understanding that the
+interest would be paid to them regularly, less a small per cent as
+commission. His protection would be complete,--for the people of
+Graustark owned fully four-fifths of the bonds issued by the government
+for the construction of public service institutions; these by consent
+of Mr. Blithers were to be limited to three utilities: railroads,
+telegraph and canals. These properties, as Mr. Blithers was by way of
+knowing, were absolutely sound and self-supporting. According to his
+investigators in London and Berlin, they were as solid as Gibraltar and
+not in need of one-tenth the protection required by the famous rock.
+
+Robin inquired whether he was to come to New York at once in relation
+to the matter, and was informed that it would not be necessary at
+present. In fact, Mr. Blithers preferred to let the situation remain in
+statu quo (as he expressed it to the Count), until it was determined
+whether the people were willing to deposit their bonds, a condition
+which was hardly worth while worrying about in view of the fact that
+they had already signified their readiness to present them for security
+in the original proposition to the banks. Mr. Blithers, however, would
+give himself the pleasure of calling upon the Prince at Red Roof later
+in the week, when the situation could be discussed over a dish of tea
+or a cup of lemonade. That is precisely the way Mr. Blithers put it.
+
+The next afternoon Mrs. Blithers left cards at Red Roof--or rather, the
+foot-man left them--and on the day following the Kings and their guests
+received invitations to a ball at Blitherwood on the ensuing Friday,
+but four days off. While Mrs. King and the two young men were
+discussing the invitation the former was called to the telephone. Mrs.
+Blithers herself was speaking.
+
+"I hope you will pardon me for calling you up, Mrs. King, but I wanted
+to be sure that you can come on the seventeenth. We want so much to
+have the Prince and his friends with us. Mr. Blithers has taken a great
+fancy to Prince Robin and Count Quinnox, and he declares the whole
+affair will be a fiasco if they are not to be here."
+
+"It is good of you to ask us, Mrs. Blithers. The Prince is planning to
+leave for Washington within the next few days and I fear--"
+
+"Oh, you must prevail upon him to remain over, my Dear Mrs. King. We
+are to have a lot of people up from Newport and Tuxedo--you know the
+crowd--it's the _real_ crowd--and I'm sure he will enjoy meeting them.
+Mr. Blithers has arranged for a special train to bring them up--a train
+de luxe, you may be sure, both as to equipment and occupant. Zabo's
+orchestra, too. A notion seized us last night to give the ball, which
+accounts for the short notice. It's the way we do everything--on a
+minute's notice. I think they're jollier if one doesn't go through the
+agony of a month's preparation, don't you? Nearly every one has wired
+acceptance, so we're sure to have a lot of nice people. Loads of
+girls,--you know the ones I mean,--and Mr. Blithers is trying to
+arrange a sparring match between those two great prizefighters,--you
+know the ones, Mrs. King,--just to give us poor women a chance to see
+what a real man looks like in--I mean to say, what marvellous specimens
+they are, don't you know. Now please tell the Prince that he positively
+cannot afford to miss a real sparring match. Every one is terribly
+excited over it, and naturally we are keeping it very quiet. Won't it
+be a lark? My daughter thinks it's terrible, but she is finicky. One of
+them is a negro, isn't he?"
+
+"I'm sure I don't know."
+
+"You can imagine how splendid they must be when I tell you that Mr.
+Blithers is afraid they won't come up for less than fifteen thousand
+dollars. Isn't it ridiculous?"
+
+"Perfectly," said Mrs. King.
+
+"Of course, we shall insist on the Prince receiving with us. He is our
+_piece de resistance_. You--"
+
+"I'm sure it will be awfully jolly, Mrs. Blithers. What did you say?"
+
+"I beg pardon?"
+
+"I'm sorry. I was speaking to the Prince. He just called up stairs to
+me."
+
+"What does he say?"
+
+"It was really nothing. He was asking about Hobbs."
+
+"Hobbs? Tell him, please, that if he has any friends he would like to
+have invited we shall be only too proud to--"
+
+"Oh, thank you! I'll tell him."
+
+"You must not let him go away before--"
+
+"I shall try my best, Mrs. Blithers. It is awfully kind of you to ask
+us to--"
+
+"You must all come up to dinner either to-morrow night or the night
+after. I shall be so glad if you will suggest anything that can help us
+to make the ball a success. You see, I know how terribly clever you
+are, Mrs. King."
+
+"I am dreadfully stupid."
+
+"Nonsense!"
+
+"I'm sorry to say we're dining out to-morrow night and on Thursday we
+are having some people here for--"
+
+"Can't you bring them all up to Blitherwood? We'd be delighted to have
+them, I'm sure."
+
+"I'm afraid I couldn't manage it. They--well, you see, they are in
+mourning."
+
+"Oh, I see. Well, perhaps Maud and I could run in and see you for a few
+minutes to-morrow or next day, just to talk things over a
+little--what's that, Maud? I beg your pardon, Mrs. King. Ahem! Well,
+I'll call you up to-morrow, if you don't mind being bothered about a
+silly old ball. Good-bye. Thank you so much."
+
+Mrs. King confronted Robin in the lower hall a few seconds later and
+roundly berated him for shouting up the steps that Hobbs ought to be
+invited to the ball. Prince Robin rolled on a couch and roared with
+delight. Lieutenant Dank, as became an officer of the Royal Guard,
+stood at attention--in the bow window with his back to the room, very
+red about the ears and rigid to the bursting point.
+
+"I suppose, however, we'll have to keep on the good side of the
+Blithers syndicate," said Robin soberly, after his mirth and subsided
+before her wrath. "Good Lord, Aunt Loraine, I simply cannot go up there
+and stand in line like a freak in a side show for all the ladies and
+girls to gape at I'll get sick the day of the party, that's what I'll
+do, and you can tell 'em how desolated I am over my misfortune."
+
+"They've got their eyes on you, Bobby," she said flatly. "You can't
+escape so easily as all that. If you're not very, very careful they'll
+have you married to the charming Miss Maud before you can say Jack
+Rabbit."
+
+"Think that's their idea?"
+
+"Unquestionably."
+
+He stretched himself lazily. "Well, it may be that she's the very one
+I'm looking for, Auntie. Who knows?"
+
+"You silly boy!"
+
+"She may be the Golden Girl in every sense of the term," said he
+lightly. "You say she's pretty?"
+
+"My notion of beauty and yours may not agree at all."
+
+"That's not an answer."
+
+"Well, I consider her to be a very good-looking girl."
+
+"Blonde?"
+
+"Mixed. Light brown hair and very dark eyes and lashes. A little taller
+than I, more graceful and a splendid horse-woman. I've seen her riding."
+
+"Astride?"
+
+"No. I've seen her in a ball gown, too. Most men think she's stunning."
+
+"Well, let's have a game of billiards," said he, dismissing Maud in a
+way that would have caused the proud Mr. Blithers to reel with
+indignation.
+
+A little later on, at the billiard table, Mrs. King remarked, apropos
+of nothing and quite out of a clear sky, so to speak:
+
+"And she'll do anything her parents command her to do, that's the worst
+of it."
+
+"What are you talking about? It's your shot."
+
+"If they order her to marry a title, she'll do it. That's the way she's
+been brought up, I'm afraid."
+
+"Meaning Maud?"
+
+"Certainly. Who else? Poor thing, she hasn't a chance in the world,
+with that mother of hers."
+
+"Shoot, please. Mark up six for me, Dank."
+
+"Wait till you see her, Bobby."
+
+"All right. I'll wait," said he cheerfully.
+
+The next day Count Quinnox and King returned from the city, coming up
+in a private car with Mr. Blithers himself.
+
+"I'll have Maud drive me over this afternoon," said Mr. Blithers, as
+they parted at the station.
+
+But Maud did not drive him over that afternoon. The pride, joy and hope
+of the Blithers family flatly refused to be a party of any such
+arrangement, and set out for a horse-back ride in a direction that took
+her as far away from Red Roof as possible.
+
+"What's come over the girl?" demanded Mr. Blithers, completely
+non-plused. "She's never acted like this before, Lou."
+
+"Some silly notion about being made a laughingstock, I gather," said
+his wife. "Heaven knows I've talked to her till I'm utterly worn out.
+She says she won't be bullied into even meeting the Prince, much less
+marrying him. I've never known her to be so pig-headed. Usually I can
+make her see things in a sensible way. She would have married the duke,
+I'm sure, if--if you hadn't put a stop to it on account of his
+so-called habits. She--"
+
+"Well, it's turned out for the best, hasn't it? Isn't a prince better
+than a duke?"
+
+"You've said all that before, Will. I wanted her to run down with me
+this morning to talk the ball over with Mrs. King, and what do you
+think happened?"
+
+"She wouldn't go?"
+
+"Worse than that. She wouldn't let _me_ go. Now, things are coming to a
+pretty pass when--"
+
+"Never mind. I'll talk to her," said Mr. Blithers, somewhat bleakly
+despite his confident front. "She loves her old dad. I can do
+_anything_ with her."
+
+"She's on a frightfully high horse lately," sighed Mrs. Blithers
+fretfully. "It--it can't be that young Scoville, can it?"
+
+"If I thought it was, I'd--I'd--" There is no telling what Mr. Blithers
+would have done to young Scoville, at the moment, for he couldn't think
+of anything dire enough to inflict upon the suspected meddler.
+
+"In any event, it's dreadfully upsetting to me, Will. She--she won't
+listen to anything. And here's something else: She declares she won't
+stay here for the ball on Friday night."
+
+Mr. Blithers had her repeat it, and then almost missed the chair in
+sitting down, he was so precipitous about it.
+
+"Won't stay for her own ball?" he bellowed.
+
+"She says it isn't her ball," lamented his wife.
+
+"If it isn't hers, in the name of God whose is it?"
+
+"Ask her, not me," flared Mrs. Blithers. "And don't glare at me like
+that. I've had nothing but glares since you went away. I thought I was
+doing the very nicest thing in the world when I suggested the ball. It
+would bring them together--"
+
+"The only two it will actually bring together, it seems, are those
+damned prize-fighters. They'll get together all right, but what good is
+it going to do us, if Maud's going to act like this? See here, Lou,
+I've got things fixed so that the Prince of Groostuck can't very well
+do anything but ask Maud to--"
+
+"That's just it!" she exclaimed. "Maud sees through the whole
+arrangement, Will. She said last night that she wouldn't be at all
+surprised if you offered to assume Graustark's debt to Russia in order
+to--"
+
+"That's just what I've done, old girl," said he in triumph. "I'll have
+'em sewed up so tight by next week that they can't move without asking
+me to loosen the strings. And you can tell Maud once more for me that
+I'll get this Prince for her if--"
+
+"But she doesn't want him!"
+
+"She doesn't know what she wants!" he roared. "Where is she going?"
+
+"You saw her start off on Katydid, so why--"
+
+"I mean on the day of the ball."
+
+"To New York."
+
+"By gad, I'll--I'll see about _that_," he grated. "I'll see that she
+doesn't leave the grounds if I have to put guards at every gate. She's
+got to be reasonable. What does she think I'm putting sixteen millions
+into the Grasstork treasury for? She's got to stay here for the ball.
+Why, it would be a crime for her to--but what's the use talking about
+it? She'll be here and she'll lead the grand march with the Prince.
+I've got it all--"
+
+"Well, you'll have to talk to her. I've done all that I can do. She
+swears she won't marry a man she's never seen."
+
+"Ain't we trying to show him to her?" he snorted. "She won't have to
+marry him till she's seen him, and when she does see him she'll
+apologise to me for all the nasty things she's been saying about me."
+For a moment it looked as though Mr. Blithers would dissolve into
+tears, so suddenly was he afflicted by self-pity. "By the way, didn't
+she like the necklace I sent up to her from Tiffany's?"
+
+"I suppose so. She said you were a dear old foozler."
+
+"Foozler? What's that mean?" He wasn't quite sure, but somehow it
+sounded like a term of opprobrium.
+
+"I haven't the faintest idea," she said shortly.
+
+"Well, why didn't you ask her? You've had charge of her bringing up. If
+she uses a word that you don't know the meaning of, you ought to--"
+
+"Are you actually going to lend all that money to Graustark?" she cut
+in.
+
+He glared at her uncertainly for a moment and then nodded his head. The
+words wouldn't come.
+
+"Are you not a trifle premature about it?" she demanded with deep
+significance in her manner.
+
+This time he did not nod his head, nor did he shake it. He simply got
+up and walked out of the room. Half way across the terrace he stopped
+short and said it with a great fervour and instantly felt very much
+relieved. In fact, the sensation of relief was so pleasant that he
+repeated it two or three times and then had to explain to a near by
+gardener that he didn't mean him at all. Then he went down to the
+stables. All the grooms and stableboys came tumbling into the stable
+yard in response to his thunderous shout.
+
+"Saddle Red Rover, and be quick about it," he commanded.
+
+"Going out, sir?" asked the head groom, touching his fore-lock.
+
+"I am," said Mr. Blithers succinctly and with a withering glare. Red
+Rover must have been surprised by the unusual celerity with which he
+was saddled and bridled. If there could be such a thing as a horse
+looking shocked, that beast certainly betrayed himself as he was yanked
+away from his full manger and hustled out to the mounting block.
+
+"Which way did Miss Blithers go?" demanded Mr. Blithers, in the saddle.
+Two grooms were clumsily trying to insert his toes into the stirrups,
+at the same time pulling down his trousers legs, which had a tendency
+to hitch up in what seemed to them a most exasperating disregard for
+form. To their certain knowledge, Mr. Blithers had never started out
+before without boot and spur; therefore, the suddenness of his present
+sortie sank into their intellects with overwhelming impressiveness.
+
+"Down the Cutler road, sir, three quarters of an hour ago. She refused
+to have a groom go along, sir."
+
+"Get ap!" said Mr. Blithers, and almost ran down a groom in his rush
+for the gate. For the information of the curious, it may be added that
+he did not overtake his daughter until she had been at home for half an
+hour, but he was gracious enough to admit to himself that he had been a
+fool to pursue a stern chase rather than to intercept her on the back
+road home, which _any_ fool might have known she would take.
+
+His wife came upon him a few minutes later while he was feverishly
+engaged in getting into his white flannels.
+
+"Tell Maud I'm going over to have tea with the Prince," he grunted,
+without looking up from the shoe lace he was tying in a hard knot. "I
+want her to go with me in fifteen minutes. Told 'em I would bring her
+over to play tennis. Tell her to put on tennis clothes. Hurry up, Lou.
+Where's my watch? What time is it? For God's sake, look at the watch,
+not at me! I'm not a clock! What?"
+
+"Mrs. King called up half an hour ago to say that they were all
+motoring over to the Grandby Tavern for tea and wouldn't be back till
+half-past seven--"
+
+He managed to look up at that. For a moment he was speechless. No one
+had ever treated him like this before.
+
+"Well, I'll be--hanged! Positive engagement. But's it's all right," he
+concluded resolutely. "I can motor to Grandby Tavern, too, can't I?
+Tell Maud not to mind tennis clothes, but to hurry. Want to go along?"
+
+"No, I don't," she said emphatically. "And Maud isn't going, either."
+
+"She isn't, eh?"
+
+"No, she isn't. Can't you leave this affair to me?"
+
+"I'm pretty hot under the collar," he warned her, and it was easy to
+believe that he was.
+
+"Don't rush in where angels fear to tread, Will dear," she pleaded. It
+was so unusual for her to adopt a pleading tone that he overlooked the
+implication. Besides he had just got through calling himself a fool, so
+perhaps she was more or less justified. Moreover, at that particular
+moment she undertook to assist him with his necktie. Her soft, cool
+fingers touched his double chin and seemed to caress it lovingly. He
+lifted his head very much as a dog does when he is being tickled on
+that velvety spot under the lower jaw.
+
+"Stuff and nonsense," he murmured throatily.
+
+"I thought you would see it that way," she said so calmly that he
+blinked a couple of times in sheer perplexity and then diminished his
+double chin perceptibly by a very helpful screwing up of his lower lip.
+He said nothing, preferring to let her think that the most important
+thing in the world just then was the proper adjustment of the wings of
+his necktie. "There!" she said, and patted him on the cheek, to show
+that the task had been successfully accomplished.
+
+"Better come along for a little spin," he said, readjusting the tie
+with man-like ingenuousness. "Do you good, Lou."
+
+"Very well," she said. "Can you wait a few minutes?"
+
+"Long as you like," said he graciously. "Ask Maud if she wants to come,
+too."
+
+"I am sure she will enjoy it," said his wife, and then Mr. Blithers
+descended to the verandah to think. Somehow he felt if he did a little
+more thinking perhaps matters wouldn't be so bad. Among other things,
+he thought it would be a good idea not to motor in the direction of
+Grandby Tavern. And he also thought it was not worth while resenting
+the fact that his wife and daughter took something over an hour to
+prepare for the little spin.
+
+In the meantime, Prince Robin was racing over the mountain roads in a
+high-power car, attended by a merry company of conspirators whose sole
+object was to keep him out of the clutches of that far-reaching
+octopus, William W. Blithers.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE PRINCE AND MR. BLITHERS
+
+
+In order to get on with the narrative, I shall be as brief as possible
+in the matter of the Blitherwood ball. In the first place, mere words
+would prove to be not only feeble but actually out of place. Any
+attempt to define the sensation of awe by recourse to a dictionary
+would put one in the ridiculous position of seeking the unattainable.
+The word has its meaning, of course, but the sensation itself is quite
+another thing. As every one who attended the ball was filled with awe,
+which he tried to put forward as admiration, the attitude of the guest
+was no more limp than that of the chronicler. In the second place, I am
+not qualified by experience or imagination to describe a ball that
+stood its promoter not a penny short of one hundred thousand dollars. I
+believe I could go as high as a fifteen or even twenty thousand dollar
+affair with some sort of intelligence, but anything beyond those
+figures renders me void and useless.
+
+Mr. Blithers not only ran a special train de luxe from New York City,
+but another from Washington and still another from Newport, for it
+appears that the Newporters at the last minute couldn't bear the idea
+of going to the Metropolis out of season. He actually had to take them
+around the city in such a way that they were not even obliged to submit
+to a glimpse of the remotest outskirts of the Bronx.
+
+From Washington came an amazing company of foreign ladies and
+gentlemen, ranging from the most exalted Europeans to the lowliest of
+the yellow races. They came with gold all over them; they tinkled with
+the clash of a million cymbals. The President of the United States
+almost came. Having no spangles of his own, he delegated a
+Major-General and a Rear-Admiral to represent Old Glory, and no doubt
+sulked in the White House because a parsimonious nation refuses to buy
+braid and buttons for its chief executive.
+
+Any one who has seen a gentleman in braid, buttons and spangles will
+understand how impossible it is to describe him. One might enumerate
+the buttons and the spangles and even locate them precisely upon his
+person, but no mortal intellect can expand sufficiently to cope with an
+undertaking that would try even the powers of Him who created the
+contents of those wellstuffed uniforms.
+
+A car load of orchids and gardenias came up, fairly depleting the
+florists' shops on Manhattan Island, and with them came a small army of
+skilled decorators. In order to deliver his guests at the doors of
+Blitherwood, so to speak, the incomprehensible Mr. Blithers had a
+temporary spur of track laid from the station two miles away, employing
+no fewer than a thousand men to do the work in forty-eight hours. (Work
+on a terminal extension in New York was delayed for a week or more in
+order that he might borrow the rails, ties and worktrains!)
+
+Two hundred and fifty precious and skillfully selected guests ate two
+hundred and fifty gargantuan dinners and twice as many suppers; drank
+barrels of the rarest of wines; smoked countless two dollar Perfectos
+and stuffed their pockets with enough to last them for days to come;
+burnt up five thousand cigarettes and ate at least two dozen eggs for
+breakfast, and then flitted away with a thousand complaints in two
+hundred and fifty Pullman drawing-rooms, Nothing could have been more
+accurately pulled-off than the wonderful Blitherwood ball. (The
+sparring match on the lawn, under the glare of a stupendous cluster of
+lights, resulted in favour of Mr. Bullhead Brown, who successfully--if
+accidentally--landed with considerably energy on the left lower corner
+of Mr. Sledge-hammer Smith's diaphragm, completely dividing the purse
+with him in four scientifically satisfactory rounds, although they came
+to blows over it afterwards when Mr. Smith told Mr. Brown what he
+thought of him for hitting with such fervour just after they had eaten
+a hearty meal.)
+
+A great many mothers inspected Prince Robin with interest and confessed
+to a really genuine enthusiasm: something they had not experienced
+since one of the German princes got close enough to Newport to see it
+quite clearly through his marine glasses from the bridge of a
+battleship. The ruler of Graustark--(four-fifths of the guests asked
+where in the world it was!)--was the lion of the day. Mr. Blithers was
+annoyed because he did not wear his crown, but was somewhat mollified
+by the information that he had neglected to bring it along with him in
+his travels. He was also considerably put out by the discovery that the
+Prince had left his white and gold uniform at home and had to appear in
+an ordinary dress-suit, which, to be sure, fitted him perfectly but did
+not achieve distinction. He did wear a black and silver ribbon across
+his shirt front, however, and a tiny gold button in the lapel of his
+coat; otherwise he might have been mistaken for a "regular guest," to
+borrow an expression from Mr. Blithers. The Prince's host manoeuvred
+until nearly one o'clock in the morning before he succeeded in getting
+a close look at the little gold button, and then found that the
+inscription thereon was in some sort of hieroglyphics that afforded no
+enlightenment whatsoever.
+
+Exercising a potentate's prerogative, Prince Robin left the scene of
+festivity somewhat earlier than was expected. As a matter of fact, he
+departed shortly after one. Moreover, being a prince, it did not occur
+to him to offer any excuse for leaving so early, but gracefully thanked
+his host and hostess and took himself off without the customary
+assertion that he had had a splendid time. Strange to say, he did not
+offer a single comment on the sumptuousness of the affair that had been
+given in his honor. Mr. Blithers couldn't get over that. He couldn't
+help thinking that the fellow had not been properly brought-up, or was
+it possible that he was not in the habit of going out in good society?
+
+Except for one heart-rending incident, the Blitherwood ball was the
+most satisfying event in the lives of Mr. and Mrs. William W. Blithers.
+That incident, however, happened to be the hasty and well-managed
+flight of Maud Applegate Blithers at an hour indefinitely placed
+somewhere between four and seven o'clock on the morning of the great
+day.
+
+Miss Blithers was not at the ball. She was in New York City serenely
+enjoying one of the big summer shows, accompanied by young Scoville and
+her onetime governess, a middle-aged gentlewoman who had seen even
+better days than those spent in the employ of William W. Blithers. The
+resolute young lady had done precisely what she said she would do, and
+for the first time in his life Mr. Blithers realised that his daughter
+was a creation and not a mere condition. He wilted like a famished
+water-lily and went about the place in a state of bewilderment so bleak
+that even his wife felt sorry for him and refrained from the "I told
+you so" that might have been expected under the circumstances.
+
+Maud's telegram, which came at three o'clock in the afternoon, was
+meant to be reassuring but it failed of its purpose. It said: "Have a
+good time and don't lose any sleep over me. I shall sleep very soundly
+myself at the Ritz to-night and hope you will be doing the same when I
+return home to-morrow afternoon, for I know you will be dreadfully
+tired after all the excitement. Convey my congratulations to the guest
+of honor and believe me to be your devoted and obedient daughter."
+
+The co-incidental absence of young Mr. Scoville from the ball was a
+cause of considerable uneasiness on the part of the agitated Mr.
+Blithers, who commented upon it quite expansively in the seclusion of
+his own bed-chamber after the last guest had sought repose. Some of the
+things that Mr. Blithers said about Mr. Scoville will never be
+forgotten by the four walls of that room, if, as commonly reported,
+they possess auricular attachments.
+
+Any one who imagines that Mr. Blithers accepted Maud's defection as a
+final disposition of the cause he had set his heart upon is very much
+mistaken in his man. Far from receding so much as an inch from his
+position, he at once set about to strengthen it in such a way that Maud
+would have to come to the conclusion that it was useless to combat the
+inevitable, and ultimately would heap praises upon his devoted head for
+the great blessing he was determined to bestow upon her in spite of
+herself.
+
+The last of the special coaches was barely moving on its jiggly way to
+the main line, carrying the tag end of the revellers, when he set forth
+in his car for a mid-day visit to Red Roof. Already the huge camp of
+Slavs and Italians was beginning to jerk up the borrowed rails and
+ties; the work trains were rumbling and snorting in the meadows above
+Blitherwood, tottering about on the uncertain road-bed. He gave a few
+concise and imperative orders to obsequious superintendents and
+foremen, who subsequently repeated them with even greater freedom to
+the perspiring foreigners, and left the scene of confusion without so
+much as a glance behind. Wagons, carts, motortrucks and all manner of
+wheeled things were scuttling about Blitherwood as he shot down the
+long, winding avenue toward the lodge gates, but he paid no attention
+to them. They were removing the remnants of a glory that had passed at
+five in the morning. He was not interested in the well-plucked
+skeleton. It was a nuisance getting rid of it, that was all, and he
+wanted it to be completely out of sight when he returned from Red Roof.
+If a vestige of the ruins remained, some one would hear from him! That
+was understood. And when Maud came home on the five-fourteen she would
+not find him asleep--not by a long shot!
+
+Half-way to Red Roof, he espied a man walking briskly along the road
+ahead of him. To be perfectly accurate, he was walking in the middle of
+the road and his back was toward the swift-moving, almost noiseless
+Packard.
+
+"Blow the horn for the dam' fool," said Mr. Blithers to the chauffeur.
+A moment later the pedestrian leaped nimbly aside and the car shot
+past, the dying wail of the siren dwindling away in the whirr of the
+wheels. "Look where you're going!" shouted Mr. Blithers from the
+tonneau, as if the walker had come near to running him down instead of
+the other way around. "Whoa! Stop 'er, Jackson!" he called to the
+driver. He had recognised the pedestrian.
+
+The car came to a stop with grinding brakes, and at the same time the
+pedestrian halted a hundred yards away.
+
+"Back up," commanded Mr. Blithers in some haste, for the Prince seemed
+to be on the point of deserting the highway for the wood that lined it.
+"Morning, Prince!" he shouted, waving his hat vigorously. "Want a lift?"
+
+The car shot backward with almost the same speed that it had gone
+forward, and the Prince exercised prudence when he stepped quickly up
+the sloping bank at the roadside.
+
+"Were you addressing me," he demanded curtly, as the car came to a stop.
+
+"Yes, your highness. Get in. I'm going your way," said Mr. Blithers
+beamingly.
+
+"I mean a moment ago, when you shouted 'Look where you are going,'"
+said Robin, an angry gleam in his eye.
+
+Mr. Blithers looked positively dumbfounded. "Good Heavens, no!" he
+cried. "I was speaking to the chauffeur." (Jackson's back seemed to
+stiffen a little.) "I've told him a thousand times to be careful about
+running up on people like that. Now this is the last time I'll warn
+you, Jackson. The next time you go. Understand? Just because you happen
+to be driving for me doesn't signify that you can run over people who--"
+
+"It's all right, Mr. Blithers," interrupted Robin, with his fine smile.
+"No harm done. I'll walk if you don't mind. Out for a bit of exercise,
+you know. Thank you just the same."
+
+"Where are you bound for?" asked Mr. Blithers.
+
+"I don't know. I ramble where my fancy leads me."
+
+"I guess I'll get out and stroll along with you. God knows I need more
+exercise than I get. Is it agreeable?" He was on the ground by this
+time. Without waiting for an answer, he directed Jackson to run on to
+Red Roof and wait for him.
+
+"I shall be charmed," said Robin, a twinkle in the tail of his eye. "An
+eight or ten mile jaunt will do you a world of good, I'm sure. Shall we
+explore this little road up the mountain and then drop down to Red
+Roof? I don't believe it can be more than five or six miles."
+
+"Capital," said Mr. Blithers with enthusiasm. He happened to know that
+it was a "short cut" to Red Roof and less than a mile as the crow
+flies. True, there was something of an ascent ahead of them, but there
+was also a corresponding descent at the other end. Besides, he was
+confident he could keep up with the long-legged youngster by the
+paradoxical process of holding back. The Prince, having suggested the
+route, couldn't very well be arbitrary in traversing it. Mr. Blithers
+regarded the suggestion as an invitation.
+
+They struck off into the narrow woodland road, not precisely side by
+side, but somewhat after the fashion of a horseback rider and his
+groom, or, more strictly speaking, as a Knight and his vassal. Robin
+started off so briskly that Mr. Blithers fell behind a few paces and
+had to exert himself considerably to keep from losing more ground as
+they took the first steep rise. The road was full of ruts and cross
+ruts and littered with boulders that had ambled down the mountain-side
+in the spring moving. To save his life, Mr. Blithers couldn't keep to a
+straight course. He went from rut to rut and from rock to rock with the
+fidelity of a magnetised atom, seldom putting his foot where he meant
+to put it, and never by any chance achieving a steady stride. He would
+take one long, purposeful step and then a couple of short "feelers,"
+progressing very much as a man tramps over a newly ploughed field.
+
+At the top of the rise, Robin considerately slackened his pace and the
+chubby gentleman drew alongside, somewhat out of breath but as cheerful
+as a cricket.
+
+"Going too fast for you, Mr. Blithers?" inquired Robin.
+
+"Not at all," said Mr. Blithers. "By the way, Prince," he went on,
+cunningly seizing the young man's arm and thereby putting a check on
+his speed for the time being at least, "I want to explain my daughter's
+unfortunate absence last night. You must have thought it very strange.
+Naturally it was unavoidable. The poor girl is really quite
+heart-broken. I beg pardon!" He stepped into a rut and came perilously
+near to going over on his nose. "Beastly road! Thanks. Good thing I
+took hold of you. Yes, as I was saying, it was really a most
+unfortunate thing; missed the train, don't you see. Went down for the
+day--just like a girl, you know--and missed the train."
+
+"Ah, I see. She missed it twice."
+
+"Eh? Oh! Ha ha! Very good! She might just as well have missed it a
+dozen times as once, eh? Well, she could have arranged for a special to
+bring her up, but she's got a confounded streak of thriftiness in her.
+Couldn't think of spending the money. Silly idea of--I beg your pardon,
+did I hurt you? I'm pretty heavy, you know, no light weight when I come
+down on a fellow's toe like that. What say to sitting down on this log
+for a while? Give your foot a chance to rest a bit. Deucedly awkward of
+me. Ought to look out where I'm stepping, eh?"
+
+"It really doesn't matter, Mr. Blithers," said Robin hastily. "We'll
+keep right on if it's all the same to you. I'm due at home in--in half
+an hour. We lunch very punctually."
+
+"I was particularly anxious for you and Maud to meet under the
+conditions that obtained last night," went on Mr. Blithers, with a
+regretful look at the log they were passing. "Nothing could have been
+more--er--ripping."
+
+"I hear from every one that your daughter is most attractive," said
+Robin. "Sorry not to have met her, Mr. Blithers."
+
+"Oh, you'll meet her all right. Prince. She's coming home to-day. I
+believe Mrs. Blithers is expecting you to dinner to-night. She--"
+
+"I'm sure there must be some mistake," began Robin, but was cut short.
+
+"I was on my way to Red Roof to ask you and Count Quiddux to give us
+this evening in connection with that little affair we are arranging. It
+is most imperative that it should be to-night, as my attorney is coming
+up for the conference."
+
+"I fear that Mrs. King has planned something--"
+
+Mr. Blithers waved his hand deprecatingly. "I am sure Mrs. King will
+let you off when she knows how important it is. As a matter of fact, it
+has to be tonight or not at all."
+
+There was a note in his voice that Robin did not like. It savoured of
+arrogance.
+
+"I daresay Count Quinnox can attend to all the details, Mr. Blithers. I
+have the power of veto, of course, but I shall be guided by the counsel
+of my ministers. You need have no hesitancy in dealing with--"
+
+"That's not the point, Prince. I am a business man,--as perhaps you
+know. I make it a point never to deal with any one except the head of a
+concern, if you'll pardon my way of putting it. It isn't right to speak
+of Growstock as a concern, but you'll understand, of course. Figure of
+speech."
+
+"I can only assure you, sir, that Graustark is in a position to
+indemnify you against any possible chance of loss. You will be amply
+secured. I take it that you are not coming to our assistance through
+any desire to be philanthropic, but as a business proposition, pure and
+simple. At least, that is how we regard the matter. Am I not right?"
+
+"Perfectly," said Mr. Blithers. "I haven't got sixteen millions to
+throw away. Still I don't see that that has anything to do with my
+request that you be present at the conference to-night. To be perfectly
+frank with you, I don't like working in the dark. You have the power of
+veto, as you say. Well, if I am to lend Groostork a good many millions
+of hard-earned dollars, I certainly don't relish the idea that you may
+take it into your head to upset the whole transaction merely because
+you have not had the matter presented to you by me instead of by your
+cabinet, competent as its members may be. First hand information on any
+subject is my notion of simplicity."
+
+"The integrity of the cabinet is not to be questioned, Mr. Blithers.
+Its members have never failed Graustark in any--"
+
+"I beg your pardon, Prince," said Mr. Blithers firmly, "but I certainly
+suspect that they failed her when they contracted this debt to Russia.
+You will forgive me for saying it, but it was the most asinine bit of
+short-sightedness I've ever heard of. My office boys could have seen
+farther than your honourable ministers."
+
+To his utter amazement, Robin turned a pair of beaming, excited eyes
+upon him.
+
+"Do you really mean that, Mr. Blithers?" he cried eagerly.
+
+"I certainly do!"
+
+"By jove, I--I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say it. You
+see it is exactly what John Tullis said from the first. He was bitterly
+opposed to the loan. He tried his best to convince the prime minister
+that it was inadvisable. I granted him the special privilege of
+addressing the full House of Nobles on the question, an honour that no
+alien had known up to that time. Of course I was a boy when all this
+happened, Mr. Blithers, or I might have put a stop to the--but I'll not
+go into that. The House of Nobles went against his judgment and voted
+in favour of accepting Russia's loan. Now they realise that dear old
+John Tullis was right. Somehow it gratifies me to hear you say that
+they were--ahem!--shortsighted."
+
+"What you need in Groostock is a little more good American blood,"
+announced Mr. Blithers, pointedly. "If you are going to cope with the
+world, you've got to tackle the job with brains and not with that
+idiotic thing called faith. There's no such thing in these days as
+charity among men, good will, and all that nonsense. Now, you've got a
+splendid start in the right direction, Prince. You've got American
+blood in your veins and that means a good deal. Take my advice and
+increase the proportion. In a couple of generations you'll have
+something to brag about. Take Tullis as your example. Beget sons that
+will think and act as he is capable of doing. Weed out the thin blood
+and give the crown of Grasstick something that is thick and red. It
+will be the making of your--"
+
+"I suppose you are advising me to marry an American woman, Mr.
+Blithers," said Robin drily.
+
+Mr. Blithers directed a calculating squint into the tree-tops. "I am
+simply looking ahead for my own protection, Prince," said he.
+
+"In what respect?"
+
+"Well I am putting a lot of money into the hands of your people. Isn't
+it natural that I should look ahead to some extent?"
+
+"But my people are honest. They will pay."
+
+"I understand all that, but at the same time I do not relish the idea
+of some day being obliged to squeeze blood from a turnip. Now is the
+time for you to think for the future. Your people are honest, I'll
+grant. But they also are poor. And why? Because no one has been able to
+act for them as your friend Tullis is capable of acting. The day will
+come when they will have to settle with me, and will it be any easier
+to pay William W. Blithers than it is to pay Russia? Not a bit of it.
+As you have said, I am not a philanthropist. I shall exact full and
+prompt payment. I prefer to collect from the prosperous, however, and
+not from the poor. It goes against the grain. That's why I want to see
+you rich and powerful--as well as honest."
+
+"I grant you it is splendid philosophy," said Robin. "But are you not
+forgetting that even the best of Americans are sometimes failures when
+it comes to laying up treasure?"
+
+"As individuals, yes; but not as a class. You will not deny that we are
+the richest people in the world. On the other hand I do not pretend to
+say that we are a people of one strain of blood. We represent a mixture
+of many strains, but underneath them all runs the full stream that
+makes us what we are: Americans. You can't get away from that. Yes, I
+_do_ advise you to marry an American girl."
+
+"In other words, I am to make a business of it," said Robin, tolerantly.
+
+"It isn't beyond the range of possibility that you should fall in love
+with an American girl, is it? You wouldn't call that making a business
+of it, would you?"
+
+"You may rest assured, Mr. Blithers, that I shall marry to please
+myself and no one else," said Robin, regarding him with a coldness that
+for an instant affected the millionaire uncomfortably.
+
+"Well," said Mr. Blithers, after a moment of hard thinking, "it may
+interest you to know that I married for love."
+
+"It _does_ interest me," said Robin. "I am glad that you did."
+
+"I was a comparatively poor man when I married. The girl I married was
+well-off in her own right. She had brains as well. We worked together
+to lay the foundation for a--well, for the fortune we now possess. A
+fortune, I may add, that is to go, every dollar of it, to my daughter.
+It represents nearly five hundred million dollars. The greatest king in
+the world to-day is poor in comparison to that vast estate. My daughter
+will one day be the richest woman in the world."
+
+"Why are you taking the pains to enlighten me as to your daughter's
+future, Mr. Blithers?"
+
+"Because I regard you as a sensible young man, Prince."
+
+"Thank you. And I suppose you regard your daughter as a sensible young
+woman?"
+
+"Certainly!" exploded Mr. Blithers.
+
+"Well, it seems to me, she will be capable of taking care of her
+fortune a great deal more successfully than you imagine, Mr. Blithers.
+She will doubtless marry an excellent chap who has the capacity to
+increase her fortune, rather than to let it stand at a figure that some
+day may be surpassed by the possessions of an ambitious king."
+
+There was fine irony in the Prince's tone but no trace of
+offensiveness. Nevertheless, Mr. Blithers turned a shade more purple
+than before, and not from the violence of exercise. He was having some
+difficulty in controlling his temper. What manner of fool was this
+fellow who could sneer at five hundred million dollars? He managed to
+choke back something that rose to his lips and very politely remarked:
+
+"I am sure you will like her, Prince. If I do say it myself, she is as
+handsome as they grow."
+
+"So I have been told."
+
+"You will see her to-night."
+
+"Really, Mr. Blithers, I cannot--"
+
+"I'll fix it with Mrs. King. Don't you worry."
+
+"May I be pardoned for observing that Mrs. King, greatly as I love her,
+is not invested with the power to govern my actions?" said Robin
+haughtily.
+
+"And may I be pardoned for suggesting that it is your duty to your
+people to completely understand this loan of mine before you agree to
+accept it?" said Mr. Blithers, compressing his lips.
+
+"Forgive me, Mr. Blithers, but it is not altogether improbable that
+Graustark may secure the money elsewhere."
+
+"It is not only improbable but impossible," said Mr. Blithers flatly.
+
+"Impossible?"
+
+"Absolutely," said the millionaire so significantly that Robin would
+have been a dolt not to grasp the situation. Nothing could have been
+clearer than the fact that Mr. Blithers believed it to be in his power
+to block any effort Graustark might make in other directions to secure
+the much-needed money.
+
+"Will you come to the point, Mr. Blithers?" said the young Prince,
+stopping abruptly in the middle of the road and facing his companion.
+"What are you trying to get at?"
+
+Mr. Blithers was not long in getting to the point. In the first place,
+he was hot and tired and his shoes were hurting; in the second place,
+he felt that he knew precisely how to handle these money-seeking scions
+of nobility. He planted himself squarely in front of the Prince and
+jammed his hands deep into his coat pockets.
+
+"The day my daughter is married to the man of my choice, I will hand
+over to that man exactly twenty million dollars," he said slowly,
+impressively.
+
+"Yes, go on."
+
+"The sole object I have in life is to see my girl happy and at the same
+time at the top of the heap. She is worthy of any man's love. She is as
+good as gold. She--"
+
+"The point is this, then: You would like to have me for a son-in-law."
+
+"Yes," said Mr. Blithers.
+
+Robin grinned. He was amused in spite of himself. "You take it for
+granted that I can be bought?"
+
+"I have not made any such statement."
+
+"And how much will you hand over to the man of _her_ choice when she
+marries him?" enquired the young man.
+
+"You will be her choice," said the other, without the quiver of an
+eye-lash.
+
+"How can you be sure of that? Has she no mind of her own?"
+
+"It isn't incomprehensible that she should fall in love with you, is
+it?"
+
+"It might be possible, of course, provided she is not already in love
+with some one else."
+
+Mr. Blithers started. "Have you heard any one say that--but, that's
+nonsense! She's not in love with any one, take it from me. And just to
+show you how fair I am to her--and to you--I'll stake my head you fall
+in love with each other before you've been together a week."
+
+"But we're not going to be together for a week."
+
+"I should have said before you've known each other a week. You will
+find--"
+
+"Just a moment, please. We can cut all this very short, and go about
+our business. I've never seen your daughter, nor, to my knowledge, has
+she ever laid eyes on me. From what I've heard of her, she _has_ a mind
+of her own. You will not be able to force her into a marriage that
+doesn't appeal to her, and you may be quite sure, Mr. Blithers, that
+you can't force me into one. I do not want you to feel that I have a
+single disparaging thought concerning Miss Blithers. It is possible
+that I could fall in love with her inside of a week, or even sooner.
+But I don't intend to, Mr. Blithers, any more than she intends to fall
+in love with me. You say that twenty millions will go to the man she
+marries, if he is your choice. Well, I don't give a hang, sir, if you
+make it fifty millions. The chap who gets it will not be me, so what's
+the odds? You--"
+
+"Wait a minute, young man," said Mr. Blithers coolly. (He was never
+anything but cool when under fire.) "Why not wait until you have met my
+daughter before making a statement like that? After all, am I not the
+one who is taking chances? Well, I'm willing to risk my girl's
+happiness with you and that's saying everything when you come right
+down to it. She will make you happy in--"
+
+[Illustration: "You will be her choice," said the other, without the
+quiver of an eye-lash ]
+
+"I am not for sale. Mr. Blithers," said Robin abruptly. "Good morning."
+He turned into the wood and was sauntering away with his chin high in
+the air when Mr. Blithers called out to him from behind.
+
+"I shall expect you to-night, just the same."
+
+Robin halted, amazed by the man's assurance. He retraced his steps to
+the roadside.
+
+"Will you pardon a slight feeling of curiosity on my part, Mr.
+Blithers, if I ask whether your daughter consents to the arrangement
+you propose. Does she approve of the scheme?"
+
+Mr. Blithers was honest. "No, she doesn't," he said succinctly. "At
+least, not at present. I'll be honest with you. She stayed away from
+the ball last night simply because she did not want to meet you. That's
+the kind of a girl _she_ is."
+
+"By jove, I take off my hat to her," cried Robin. "She is a brick,
+after all. Take it from me, Mr. Blithers, you will not be able to hand
+over twenty millions without her consent. I believe that I should enjoy
+meeting her, now that I come to think of it. It would be a pleasure to
+exchange confidences with a girl of that sort."
+
+Mr. Blithers betrayed agitation. "See here, Prince, I don't want her to
+know that I've said anything to you about this matter," he said,
+unconsciously lowering his voice as if fearing that Maud might be
+somewhere within hearing distance. "This is between you and me. Don't
+breathe a word of it to her. 'Gad, she'd--she'd skin me alive!" At the
+very thought of it, he wiped his forehead with unusual vigour.
+
+Robin laughed heartily. "Rest easy, Mr. Blithers. I shall not even
+think of your proposition again, much less speak of it."
+
+"Come now, Prince; wait until you've seen her. I know you'll get on
+famously--"
+
+"I should like her to know that I consider her a brick, Mr. Blithers.
+Is it too much to ask of you? Just tell her that I think she's a brick."
+
+"Tell her yourself," growled Mr. Blithers, looking very black. "You
+will see her this evening," he added levelly.
+
+"Shall I instruct your chauffeur to come for you up here or will you
+walk back to--"
+
+"I'll walk to Red Roof," said Mr. Blithers doggedly. "I'm going to ask
+Mrs. King to let you off for to-night."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+A LETTER FROM MAUD
+
+
+Mr. Blithers, triumphant, left Red Roof shortly after luncheon; Mr.
+Blithers, dismayed, arrived at Blitherwood a quarter of an hour later.
+He had had his way with Robin, who, after all, was coming to dinner
+that evening with Count Quinnox. The Prince, after a few words in
+private with the Count, changed his mind and accepted Mr. Blithers'
+invitation with a liveliness that was mistaken for eagerness by that
+gentleman, who had made very short work of subduing Mrs. King when she
+tried to tell him that her own dinner-party would be ruined if the
+principal guest defaulted. He was gloating over his victory up to the
+instant he reached his own lodge gates. There dismay sat patiently
+waiting for him in the shape of a messenger from the local telegraph
+office in the village below. He had seen Mr. Blithers approaching in
+the distance, and, with an astuteness that argued well for his future
+success in life, calmly sat down to wait instead of pedaling his
+decrepit bicycle up the long slope to the villa.
+
+He delivered a telegram and kindly vouchsafed the information that it
+was from New York.
+
+Mr. Blithers experienced a queer sinking of the heart as he gazed at
+the envelope. Something warned him that if he opened it in the presence
+of the messenger he would say something that a young boy ought not to
+hear.
+
+"It's from Maud," said the obliging boy, beaming good-nature. It cost
+him a quarter, that bit of gentility, for Mr. Blithers at once said
+something that a messenger boy ought to hear, and ordered Jackson to go
+ahead.
+
+It was from Maud and it said: "I shall stay in town a few days longer.
+It is delightfully cool here. Dear old Miranda is at the Ritz with me
+and we are having a fine spree. Don't worry about money. I find I have
+a staggering balance in the bank. The cashier showed me where I had
+made a mistake in subtraction of an even ten thousand. I was amazed to
+find what a big difference a little figure makes. Have made no definite
+plans but will write Mother to-night. Please give my love to the
+Prince. Have you seen to-day's _Town Truth_? Or worse, has he seen it?
+Your loving daughter, Maud."
+
+The butler was sure it was apoplexy, but the chauffeur, out of a wide
+experience, announced, behind his hand, that he would be all right the
+instant the words ceased to stick in his throat. And he was right. Mr.
+Blithers _was_ all right. Not even the chauffeur had seen him when he
+was more so.
+
+A little later on, after he had cooled off to a quite considerable
+extent, Mr. Blithers lighted a cigar and sat down in the hall outside
+his wife's bed-chamber door. She was having her beauty nap. Not even he
+possessed the temerity to break in upon that. He sat and listened for
+the first sound that would indicate the appeasement of beauty,
+occasionally hitching his chair a trifle nearer to the door in the
+agony of impatience. By the time Jackson returned from the village with
+word that a copy of _Town Truth_ was not to be had until the next day,
+he was so close to the door that if any one had happened to stick a hat
+pin through the keyhole at precisely the right instant it would have
+punctured his left ear with appalling results.
+
+"What are we going to do about it?" he demanded three minutes after
+entering the chamber. His wife was prostrate on the luxurious couch
+from which she had failed to arise when he burst in upon her with the
+telegram in his hand.
+
+"Oh, the foolish child," she moaned. "If she only knew how adorable he
+is she wouldn't be acting in this perfectly absurd manner. Every girl
+who was here last night is madly in love with him. Why must Maud be so
+obstinate?"
+
+Mr. Blithers was very careful not to mention his roadside experience
+with the Prince, and you may be sure that he said nothing about his
+proposition to the young man. He merely declared, with a vast
+bitterness in his soul, that the Prince was coming to dinner, but what
+the deuce was the use?
+
+"She ought to be soundly--spoken to," said he, breaking the sentence
+with a hasty gulp. "Now, Lou, there's just one thing to do. I must go
+to New York on the midnight train and get her. That woman was all right
+as a tutor, but hanged if I like to see a daughter of mine traipsing
+around New York with a school teacher. She--"
+
+"You forget that she has retired on a competence. She is not in active
+employment. Will. You forget that she is one of the Van Valkens."
+
+"There you go, talking about good old families again. Why is it that so
+blamed many of your fine old blue stockings are hunting jobs--"
+
+"Now don't be vulgar, Will," she cut in. "Maud is quite safe with
+Miranda, and you know it perfectly well, so don't talk like that. I
+think it would be a fearful mistake for you to go to New York. She
+would never forgive you and, what is more to the point, she wouldn't
+budge a step if you tried to bully her into coming home with you. You
+know it quite as well as I do."
+
+He groaned. "Give me a chance to think, Lou. Just half a chance, that's
+all I ask. I'll work out some--"
+
+"Wait until her letter comes. We'll see what she has to say. Perhaps
+she intends coming home tomorrow, who can tell? This may be a pose on
+her part. Give her free rein and she will not pull against the bit. It
+may surprise her into doing the sensible thing if we calmly ignore her
+altogether. I've been thinking it over, and I've come to the conclusion
+that we'll be doing the wisest thing in the world if we pay absolutely
+no attention to her."
+
+"By George, I believe you've hit it, Lou! She'll be looking for a
+letter or telegram from me and she'll not receive a word, eh? She'll be
+expecting us to beg her to come back and all the while we just sit
+tight and say not a word. We'll fool her, by thunder. By to-morrow
+afternoon she'll be so curious to know what's got into us that she'll
+come home on a run. You're right. It takes a thief to catch a
+thief,--which is another way of saying that it takes a woman to
+understand a woman. We'll sit tight and let Maud worry for a day or
+two. It will do her good."
+
+Maud's continued absence was explained to Prince Robin that evening,
+not by the volcanic Mr. Blithers but by his practised and adroit
+better-half who had no compunction in ascribing it to the alarming
+condition of a very dear friend in New York,--one of the Van Valkens,
+you know.
+
+"Maud is so tender-hearted, so loyal, so really sweet about her
+friends, that nothing in the world could have induced her to leave this
+dear friend, don't you know."
+
+"I am extremely sorry not to have met your daughter," said Robin very
+politely.
+
+"Oh, but she will be here in a day or two, Prince."
+
+"Unfortunately, we are leaving to-morrow, Mrs. Blithers."
+
+"To-morrow?" murmured Mrs. Blithers, aghast.
+
+"I received a cablegram to-day advising me to return to Edelweiss at
+once. We are obliged to cut short a very charming visit with Mr. and
+Mrs. King and to give up the trip to Washington. Lieutenant Dank left
+for New York this afternoon to exchange our reservations for the first
+ship that we can--"
+
+"What's this?" demanded Mr. Blithers, abruptly withdrawing his
+attention from Count Quinnox who was in the middle of a sentence when
+the interruption came. They were on the point of going out to dinner.
+"What's this?"
+
+"The Prince says that he is leaving to-morrow--"
+
+"Nonsense!" exploded Mr. Blithers, with no effort toward geniality. "He
+doesn't mean it. Why,--why, we haven't signed a single agreement--"
+
+"Fortunately it isn't necessary for me to sign anything, Mr. Blithers,"
+broke in Robin hastily. "The papers are to be signed by the Minister of
+Finance, and afterwards my signature is attached in approval. Isn't
+that true, Count Quinnox?"
+
+"I daresay Mr. Blithers understands the situation perfectly," said the
+Count.
+
+Mr. Blithers looked blank. He _did_ understand the situation, that was
+the worst of it. He knew that although the cabinet had sanctioned the
+loan by cable, completing the transaction so far as it could be
+completed at this time, it was still necessary for the Minister of
+Finance to sign the agreement under the royal seal of Graustark.
+
+"Of course I understand it," he said bluntly. "Still I had it in mind
+to ask the Prince to put his signature to a sort of preliminary
+document which would at least assure me that he would sign the final
+agreement when the time comes. That's only fair, isn't it?"
+
+"Quite fair, Mr. Blithers. The Prince will sign such an article
+to-morrow or the next day at your office in the city. Pray have no
+uneasiness, sir. It shall be as you wish. By the way, I understood that
+your solicitor--your lawyer, I should say,--was to be here this
+evening. It had occurred to me that he might draw up the statement,--if
+Mrs. Blithers will forgive us in our haste--"
+
+"He couldn't get here," said Mr. Blithers, and no more. He was thinking
+too intently of something more important. "What's turned up?"
+
+"Turned up, Mr. Blithers?"
+
+"Yes--in Groostock. What's taking you off in such a hurry?"
+
+"The Prince has been away for nearly six months," said the Count, as if
+that explained everything.
+
+"Was it necessary to cable for him to come home?" persisted the
+financier.
+
+"Graustark and Dawsbergen are endeavouring to form an alliance, Mr.
+Blithers, and Prince Robin's presence at the capitol is very much to be
+desired in connection with the project."
+
+"What kind of an alliance?"
+
+The Count looked bored. "An alliance prescribed for the general
+improvement of the two races, I should say, Mr. Blithers." He smiled.
+"It would in no way impair the credit of Graustark, however. It is what
+you might really describe as a family secret, if you will pardon my
+flippancy."
+
+The butler announced dinner.
+
+"Wait for a couple of days. Prince, and I'll send you down to New York
+by special train," said Mr. Blithers.
+
+"Thank you. It is splendid of you. I daresay everything will depend on
+Dank's success in--"
+
+"Crawford," said Mr. Blithers to the butler, "ask Mr. Davis to look up
+the sailings for next week and let me know at once, will you?" Turning
+to the Prince, he went on: "We can wire down to-night and engage
+passage for next week. Davis is my secretary. I'll have him attend to
+everything. And now let's forget our troubles."
+
+A great deal was said by her parents about Maud's unfortunate detention
+in the city. Both of them were decidedly upset by the sudden change in
+the Prince's plans. Once under pretext of whispering to Crawford about
+the wine, Mr. Blithers succeeded in transmitting a question to his
+wife. She shook her head in reply, and he sighed audibly. He had asked
+if she thought he'd better take the midnight train.
+
+Mr. Davis found that there were a dozen ships sailing the next week,
+but nothing came of it, for the Prince resolutely declared he would be
+obliged to take the first available steamer.
+
+"We shall go down to-morrow," he said, and even Mr. Blithers subsided.
+He looked to his wife in desperation. She failed him for the first time
+in her life. Her eyes were absolutely messageless.
+
+"I'll go down with you," he said, and then gave his wife a look of
+defiance.
+
+The next morning brought Maud's letter to her mother. It said: "Dearest
+Mother: I enclose the cutting from _Town Truth_. You may see for
+yourself what a sickening thing it is. The whole world knows by this
+time that the ball was a joke--a horrible joke. Everybody knows that
+you are trying to hand me over to Prince Robin neatly wrapped up in
+bank notes. And everybody knows that he is laughing at us, and he isn't
+alone in his mirth either. What must the Truxton Kings think of us? I
+can't bear the thought of meeting that pretty, clever woman face to
+face. I know I should die of mortification, for, of course, she must
+believe that I am dying to marry anything on earth that has a title and
+a pair of legs. Somehow I don't blame you and dad. You really love me,
+I know, and you want to give me the best that the world affords. But
+why, oh why, can't you let me choose for myself? I don't object to
+having a title, but I do object to having a husband that I don't want
+and who certainly could not, by any chance, want me. You think that I
+am in love with Channie Scoville. Well, I'm not. I am very fond of him,
+that's all, and if it came to a pinch I would marry him in preference
+to any prince on the globe. To-day I met a couple of girls who were at
+the ball. They told me that the Prince is adorable. They are really
+quite mad about him, and one of them had the nerve to ask what it was
+going to cost dad to land him. _Town Truth_ says he is to cost ten
+millions! Well, you may just tell dad that I'll help him to practice
+economy. He needn't pay a nickle for my husband--when I get him. The
+world is small. It may be that I shall come upon this same Prince
+Charming some place before it is too late, and fall in love with him
+all of a heap. Loads of silly girls do fall in love with fairy princes,
+and I'm just as silly as the rest of them. Ever since I was a little
+kiddie I've dreamed of marrying a real, lace-and-gold Prince, the kind
+Miranda used to read about in the story books. But I also dreamed that
+he loved me. There's the rub, you see. How could any prince love a girl
+who set out to buy him with a lot of silly millions? It's not to be
+expected. I know it is done in the best society, but I should want my
+prince to be happy instead of merely comfortable. I should want both of
+us to live happy ever afterwards.
+
+"So, dearest mother, I am going abroad to forget. Miranda is going with
+me and we sail next Saturday on the _Jupiter_ I think. We haven't got
+our suite, but Mr. Bliss says he is sure he can arrange it for me. If
+we can't get one on the _Jupiter_, we'll take some other boat that is
+just as inconspicuous. You see, I want to go on a ship that isn't
+likely to be packed with people I know, for it is my intention to
+travel incog, as they say in the books. No one shall stare at me and
+say: 'There is that Maud Blithers we were reading about in _Town
+Truth_--and all the other papers this week. Her father is going to buy
+a prince for her.'
+
+"I know dad will be perfectly furious, but I'm going or die, one or the
+other. Now it won't do a bit of good to try to stop me, dearest. The
+best thing for you and dad to do is to come down at once and say
+goodbye to me--but you are not to go to the steamer! Never! Please,
+please come, for I love you both and I do so want you to love me. Come
+to-morrow and kiss your horrid, horrid, disappointing, loathsome
+daughter--and forgive her, too."
+
+Mr. Blithers was equal to the occasion. His varying emotions manifested
+themselves with peculiar vividness during the reading of the letter by
+his tearful wife. At the outset he was frankly humble and contrite; he
+felt bitterly aggrieved over the unhappy position in which they
+innocently had placed their cherished idol. Then came the deep breath
+of relief over the apparent casting away of young Scoville, followed by
+an angry snort when Maud repeated the remark of her girl friend. His
+dismay was pathetic while Mrs. Blithers was fairly gasping out Maud's
+determination to go abroad, but before she reached the concluding
+sentences of the extraordinary missive, he was himself again. As a
+matter of fact, he was almost jubilant. He slapped his knee with
+resounding force and uttered an ejaculation that caused his wife to
+stare at him as if the very worst had happened: he was a chuckling
+lunatic!
+
+"Immense!" he exclaimed. "Immense!"
+
+"Oh, Will!" she sobbed.
+
+"Nothing could be better! Luck is with me, Lou. It always is."
+
+"In heaven's name, what are you saying, Will?"
+
+"Great Scott, can't you see? He goes abroad, she goes abroad. See? Same
+ship. See what I mean? Nothing could be finer. They--"
+
+"But I do not want my child to go abroad," wailed the unhappy mother.
+"I cannot bear--"
+
+"Stuff and nonsense! Brace up! Grasp the romance. Both of 'em sailing
+under assumed names. They see each other on deck. Mutual attraction.
+Love at first sight. Both of 'em. Money no object. There you are. Leave
+it to me."
+
+"Maud is not the kind of girl to take up with a stranger on board--"
+
+"Don't glare at me like that! Love finds the way, it doesn't matter
+what kind of a girl she is. But listen to me, Lou; we've got to be
+mighty careful that Maud doesn't suspect that we're putting up a job on
+her. She'd balk at the gang-plank and that would be the end of it. She
+must not know that he is on board. Now, here's the idea," and he talked
+on in a strangely subdued voice for fifteen minutes, his enthusiasm
+mounting to such heights that she was fairly lifted to the seventh
+heaven he produced, and, for once in her life, she actually submitted
+to his bumptious argument without so much as a single protesting word.
+
+The down train at two-seventeen had on board a most distinguished group
+of passengers, according to the Pullman conductor whose skilful
+conniving resulted in the banishment of a few unimportant creatures who
+had paid for chairs in the observation coach but who had to get out,
+whether or no, when Mr. Blithers loudly said it was a nuisance having
+everything on the shady side of the car taken "on a hot day like this."
+He surreptitiously informed the conductor that there was a prince in
+his party, and that highly impressed official at once informed ten
+other passengers that they had no business in a private car and would
+have to move up to the car ahead--and rather quickly at that.
+
+The Prince announced that Lieutenant Dank had secured comfortable
+cabins on a steamer sailing Saturday, but he did not feel at liberty to
+mention the name of the boat owing to his determination to avoid
+newspaper men, who no doubt would move heaven and earth for an
+interview, now that he had become a person of so much importance in the
+social world. Indeed, his indentity was to be more completely obscured
+than at any time since he landed on American soil. He thanked Mr.
+Blithers for his offer to command the "royal suite" on the _Jupiter_,
+but declined, volunteering the somewhat curt remark that it was his
+earnest desire to keep as far away from royalty as possible on the
+voyage over. (A remark that Mr. Blithers couldn't quite fathom, then or
+afterward.)
+
+Mrs. Blithers' retort to her husband's shocked comment on the
+un-princely appearance of the young man and the wofully ordinary suit
+of clothes worn by the Count, was sufficiently caustic, and he was
+silenced--and convinced. Neither of the distinguished foreigners looked
+the part of a nobleman.
+
+"I wouldn't talk about clothes if I were you," Mrs. Blithers had said
+on the station platform. "Who would suspect you of being one of the
+richest men in America?" She sent a disdainful glance at his baggy
+knees and bulging coat pockets, and for the moment he shrank into the
+state of being one of the poorest men in America.
+
+They were surprised and not a little perplexed by the fact that the
+Prince and his companion arrived at the station quite alone. Neither of
+the Kings accompanied them. There was, Mrs. Blithers admitted, food for
+thought in this peculiar omission on the part of the Prince's late host
+and hostess, and she would have given a great deal to know what was
+back of it. The "luggage" was attended to by the admirable Hobbs, there
+being no sign of a Red Roof servant about the place. Moreover, there
+seemed to be considerable uneasiness noticeable in the manner of the
+two foreigners. They appeared to be unnecessarily impatient for the
+train to arrive, looking at their watches now and again, and frequently
+sending sharp glances down the village street in the direction of Red
+Roof. Blithers afterwards remarked that they made him think of a couple
+of absconding cashiers. The mystery, however, was never explained.
+
+Arriving at the Grand Central Terminal, Prince Robin and the Count made
+off in a taxi-cab, smilingly declining to reveal their hotel
+destination.
+
+"But where am I to send my attorney with the agreement you are to sign,
+Prince?" asked Mr. Blithers, plainly irritated by the young man's
+obstinacy in declining to be "dropped" at his hotel by the Blithers
+motor.
+
+"I shall come to your office at eleven to-morrow morning, Mr.
+Blithers," said Robin, his hat in his hand. He had bowed very deeply to
+Mrs. Blithers.
+
+"But that's not right," blustered the financier. "A prince of royal
+blood hadn't ought to visit a money-grubber's office. It's not--"
+
+"_Noblesse oblige_," said Robin, with his hand on his heart. "It has
+been a pleasure to know you, Mrs. Blithers. I trust we may meet again.
+If you should ever come to Graustark, please consider that the castle
+is yours--as you hospitable Americans would say."
+
+"We surely will," said Mrs. Blithers. Both the Prince and Count Quinnox
+bowed very profoundly, and did not smile.
+
+"And it will be ours," added Mr. Blithers, more to himself than to his
+wife as the two tall figures moved off with the throng. Then to his
+wife: "Now to find out what ship they're sailing on. I'll fix it so
+they'll _have_ to take the _Jupiter_, whether they want to or not."
+
+"Wouldn't it be wisdom to find out what ship Maud is sailing on, Will?
+It seems to me that she is the real problem."
+
+"Right you are!" said he instantly. "I must be getting dotty in my old
+age, Lou."
+
+They were nearing the Ritz when she broke a prolonged period of
+abstraction by suddenly inquiring: "What did you mean when you said to
+him on the train: 'Better think it over, Prince,' and what did he mean
+by the insolent grin he gave you in reply?"
+
+Mr. Blithers looked straight ahead.
+
+"Business," said he, answering the first question but not the last.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+ON BOARD THE "JUPITER"
+
+
+A grey day at sea. The _Jupiter_ seemed to be slinking through the mist
+and drizzle, so still was the world of waters. The ocean was as smooth
+as a mill pond; the reflected sky came down bleak and drab and no wind
+was stirring. The rush of the ship through the glassy, sullen sea
+produced a fictitious gale across the decks; aside from that there was
+dead calm ahead and behind.
+
+A threat seemed to lurk in the smooth, oily face of the Atlantic. Far
+ahead stretched the grey barricade that seemed to mark the spot where
+the voyage was to end. There was no going beyond that clear-cut line.
+When the ship came up to it, there would be no more water beyond;
+naught but a vast space into which the vessel must topple and go on
+falling to the end of time. The great sirens were silent, for the fog
+of the night before had lifted, laying bare a desolate plain. The ship
+was sliding into oblivion, magnificently indifferent to the catastrophe
+that awaited its arrival at the edge of the universe. And she was
+sailing the sea alone. All other ships had passed over that sinister
+line and were plunging toward a bottom that would never be reached, so
+long is eternity.
+
+The decks of the _Jupiter_ were wet with the almost invisible drizzle
+that filled the air, yet they were swarming with the busy pedestrians
+who never lose an opportunity to let every one know that they are on
+board. No ship's company is complete without its leg-stretchers. They
+who never walk a block on dry land without complaining, right manfully
+lop off miles when walking on the water, and get to be known--at least
+visually--to the entire first cabin before they have paraded half way
+across the Atlantic. (There was once a man who had the strutting
+disease so badly that he literally walked from Sandy Hook to Gaunt's
+Rock, but, who, on getting to London, refused to walk from the Savoy to
+the Cecil because of a weak heart.) The worst feature about these
+inveterate water-walkers is that they tread quite as proudly upon other
+people's feet as they do upon their own, and as often as not they
+appear to do it from choice. Still, that is another story. It has
+nothing to do with the one we are trying to tell.
+
+To resume, the decks of the _Jupiter_ were wet and the sky was drab.
+New York was twenty-four hours astern and the brief Sunday service had
+come to a peaceful end. It died just in time to escape the horrors of a
+popular programme by the band amidships. The echo of the last amen was
+a resounding thump on the big bass drum.
+
+Three tall, interesting looking men stood leaning against the starboard
+rail of the promenade deck, unmindful of the mist, watching the
+scurrying throng of exercise fiends. Two were young, the third was old,
+and of the three there was one who merited the second glance that
+invariably was bestowed upon him by the circling passers-by. Each
+succeeding revolution increased the interest and admiration and people
+soon began to favour him with frankly unabashed stares and smiles that
+could not have been mistaken for anything but tribute to his extreme
+good looks.
+
+He stood between the gaunt, soldierly old man with the fierce
+moustache, and the trim, military young man with one that was close
+cropped and smart. Each wore a blue serge suit and affected a short
+visored cap of the same material, and each lazily puffed at a very
+commonplace briar pipe. They in turn were watching the sprightly parade
+with an interest that was calmly impersonal. They saw no one person who
+deserved more than a casual glance, and yet the motley crowd passed
+before them, apparently without end, as if expecting a responsive smile
+of recognition from the tall young fellow to whom it paid the honest
+tribute of curiosity.
+
+The customary he-gossip and perennial snooper who is always making the
+voyage no matter what ship one takes or the direction one goes, nosed
+out the purser and discovered that the young man was R. Schmidt of
+Vienna. He was busy thereafter mixing with the throng, volunteering
+information that had not been solicited but which appeared to be
+welcome. Especially were the young women on board grateful to the
+he-gossip, when he accosted them as a perfect stranger to tell them the
+name of another and even more perfect stranger.
+
+"Evidently an Austrian army officer," he always proclaimed, and that
+seemed to settle it.
+
+Luckily he did not overhear R. Schmidt's impassive estimate of the
+first cabin parade, or he might have had something to repeat that would
+not have pleased those who took part in it.
+
+"Queer looking lot of people," said R. Schmidt, and his two companions
+moodily nodded their heads.
+
+"I am sorry we lost those rooms on the _Salammbo_," said the younger of
+his two companions. "I had them positively engaged, money paid down."
+
+"Some one else came along with more money, Dank," observed R. Schmidt.
+"We ought to be thankful that we received anything at all. Has it
+occurred to you that this boat isn't crowded?"
+
+"Not more than half full," said the older man. "All of the others
+appeared to be packed from hold to funnel. This must be an unpopular
+boat."
+
+"I don't know where we'd be, however, if Mr. Blithers hadn't thought of
+the _Jupiter_ almost at the last minute," said R. Schmidt.
+
+"Nine day boat, though," growled the old man.
+
+"I don't mind that in the least. She's a steady old tub and that's
+something."
+
+"Hobbs tells me that it is most extraordinary to find the east bound
+steamers crowded at this season of the year," said Dank. "He can't
+understand it at all. The crowds go over in June and July and by this
+time they should be starting for home. I thought we'd have no
+difficulty in getting on any one of the big boats, but, by jove,
+everywhere I went they said they were full up."
+
+"It was uncommonly decent of Blithers not coming down to see us off,"
+said the elderly man, who was down on the passenger list as Totten. "I
+was apprehensive, 'pon my soul. He stuck like a leech up to the last
+minute."
+
+R. Schmidt was reflecting. "It struck me as queer that he had not heard
+of the transfer of our securities in London."
+
+"I cannot understand Bernstein & Sons selling out at a time when the
+price of our bonds is considerably below their actual value," said
+Totten, frowning. "A million pounds sterling is what their holdings
+really represented; according to the despatches they must have sold at
+a loss of nearly fifty thousand pounds. It is unbelievable that the
+house can be hard-pressed for money. There isn't a sounder concern in
+Europe than Bernstein's."
+
+"We should have a Marconi-gram to-night or tomorrow in regard to the
+bid made in Paris for the bonds held by the French syndicate," said
+Dank, pulling at his short moustache. "Mr. Blithers is investigating."
+
+"There is something sinister in all this," said R. Schmidt. "Who is
+buying up all of the out-standing bonds and what is behind the
+movement? London has sold all that were held there and Paris is
+approached on the same day. If Paris and Berlin should sell, nearly
+four million pounds in Graustark bonds will be in the hands of people
+whose identity and motives appear to be shrouded in the deepest
+mystery."
+
+"And four million pounds represents the entire amount of our bonds held
+by outside parties," said Totten, with a significant shake of his
+grizzled head. "The remainder are in the possession of our own
+institutions and the people themselves. We should hear from Edelweiss,
+too, in response to my cablegram. Perhaps Romano may be able to throw
+light on the situation. I confess that I am troubled."
+
+"Russia would have no object in buying up our general bonds, would
+she?" inquired R. Schmidt.
+
+"None whatever. She would have nothing to gain. Mr. Blithers assured me
+that he was not in the least apprehensive. In fact, he declared that
+Russia would not be buying bonds that do not mature for twelve years to
+come. There must be some private--eh?"
+
+A steward was politely accosting the trio.
+
+"I beg pardon, is this Mr. Totten?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Message for you, sir, at the purser's."
+
+"Bring it to my stateroom, Totten," said R. Schmidt briefly, and the
+old man hurried away on the heels of the messenger.
+
+The two young men sauntered carelessly in an opposite direction and
+soon disappeared from the deck. A few minutes later, Totten entered the
+luxurious parlour of R. Schmidt and laid an unopened wireless message
+on the table at the young man's elbow.
+
+"Open it, Totten."
+
+The old man slit the envelope and glanced at the contents. He nodded
+his head in answer to an unspoken question.
+
+"Sold?" asked R. Schmidt.
+
+"Paris and Berlin, both of them, Prince. Every bond has been gobbled
+up."
+
+"Does he mention the name of the buyer?"
+
+"Only by the use of the personal pronoun. He says--'I have taken over
+the Paris and Berlin holdings. All is well.' It is signed 'B.' So! Now
+we know."
+
+"By jove!" fell from the lips of both men, and then the three
+Graustarkians stared in speechless amazement at each other for the
+space of a minute before another word was spoken.
+
+"Blithers!" exclaimed Dank, sinking back into his chair.
+
+"Blithers," repeated Totten, but with an entirely different inflection.
+The word was conviction itself as he pronounced it.
+
+R. Schmidt indulged in a wry little smile. "It amounts to nearly twenty
+million dollars, Count. That's a great deal of money to spend in the
+pursuit of an idle whim."
+
+"Humph!" grunted the old Count, and then favoured the sunny-faced
+Prince with a singularly sharp glance. "Of course, you understand his
+game?"
+
+"Perfectly. It's as clear as day. He intends to be the crown
+father-in-law. I suppose he will expect Graustark to establish an Order
+of Royal Grandfathers."
+
+"It may prove to be no jest, Robin," said the Count seriously.
+
+"My dear Quinnox, don't look so sad," cried the Prince. "He may have
+money enough to buy Graustark but he hasn't enough to buy grandchildren
+that won't grow, you know. He is counting chickens before they're
+hatched, which isn't a good business principle, I'd have you to know."
+
+"What was it he said to you at Red Roof?"
+
+"That was nothing. Pure bluster."
+
+"He said he had never set his heart on anything that he didn't get in
+the end, wasn't that it?"
+
+"I think so. Something of the sort. I took it as a joke."
+
+"Well, I took it as a threat."
+
+"A threat?"
+
+"A pleasant, agreeable threat, of course. He has set his heart on
+having the crown of Graustark worn by a Blithers. That is the long and
+short of it."
+
+"I believe he did say to me in the woods that day that he could put his
+daughter on any throne in Europe if he set his mind to the job," said
+the Prince carelessly. "But you see, the old gentleman is not counting
+on two very serious sources of opposition when it comes to this
+particular case. There is Maud, you see,--and me."
+
+"I am not so sure of the young lady," said the Count sententiously.
+"The opposition may falter a bit there, and half of his battle is won."
+
+"You seem to forget, Quinnox, that such a marriage is utterly
+impossible," said the Prince coldly, "Do you imagine that I would
+marry--"
+
+"Pardon me, highness, I said _half_ the battle would be won. I do
+contemplate a surrender on your part. You are a very pig-headed young
+man. The most pig-headed I've ever known, if you will forgive me for
+expressing myself so--"
+
+"You've said it a hundred times," laughed the Prince, good-naturedly.
+"Don't apologise. Not only you but the entire House of Nobles have
+characterised me as pig-headed and I have never even thought of
+resenting it, so it must be that I believe it to be true."
+
+"We have never voiced the opinion, highness, except in reference to our
+own great desire to bring about the union between our beloved ruler and
+the Crown Princess of--"
+
+"So," interrupted R. Schmidt, "it ought to be very clear to you that if
+I will not marry to please my loyal, devoted cabinet I certainly shall
+not marry to please William W. Blithers. No doubt the excellent Maud is
+a most desirable person. In any event, she has a mind of her own. I
+confess that I am sorry to have missed seeing her. We might have got on
+famously together, seeing that our point of view is apparently unique
+in this day and age of the world, No, my good friends, Mr. Blithers is
+making a poor investment. He will not get the return for his money that
+he is expecting. If it pleases him to buy our securities, all well and
+good. He shall lose nothing in the end. But he will find that Graustark
+is not a toy, nor the people puppets. More than all that, I am not a
+bargain sale prince with Christmas tree aspirations, but a very
+unamiable devil who cultivates an ambition to throw stones at the
+conventions. Not only do I intend to choose my wife but also the court
+grandfather. And now let us forget the folly of Mr. Blithers and
+discuss his methods of business. What does he expect to gain by this
+extraordinary investment?"
+
+Count Quinnox looked at him rather pityingly. "It appears to be his way
+of pulling the strings, my boy. He has loaned us something like sixteen
+millions of dollars. We have agreed to deposit our public service bonds
+as security against the loan, so that practically equalises the
+situation. It becomes a purely business transaction. But he sees far
+ahead. This loan of his matures at practically the same time that our
+first series of government bonds are due for payment. It will be
+extremely difficult for a small country, such as Graustark, to raise
+nearly forty millions of dollars in, say ten years. The European
+syndicates undoubtedly would be willing to renew the loan under a new
+issue--I think it is called refunding, or something of the sort. But
+Mr. Blithers will be in a position to say no to any such arrangement.
+He holds the whip hand and--"
+
+"But, my dear Count," interrupted the Prince, "what if he does hold it?
+Does he expect to wait ten years before exercising his power? You
+forget that marriage is his ambition. Isn't he taking a desperate risk
+in assuming that I will not marry before the ten years are up? And, for
+that matter, his daughter may decide to wed some other chap who--"
+
+"That's just the point," said Quinnox. "He is arranging it so that you
+_can't_ marry without his consent."
+
+"The deuce you say!"
+
+"I am not saying that he can carry out his design, my dear boy, but it
+is his secret hope, just the same. So far as Graustark is concerned,
+she will stand by you no matter what betides. As you know, there is
+nothing so dear to our hearts as the proposed union of Dawsbergen's
+Crown Princess and--"
+
+"That's utterly out of the question, Count," said the Prince, setting
+his jaws.
+
+The count sighed patiently. "So you say, my boy, so you say. But you
+are not reasonable. How can you know that the Crown Princess of
+Dawsbergen is not the very mate your soul has been craving--"
+
+"That's not the point. I am opposed to this miserable custom of giving
+in marriage without the consent of the people most vitally concerned,
+and I shall never recede from my position."
+
+"You are very young, my dear Prince."
+
+"And I intend to remain young, my dear Count. Loveless marriages make
+old men and women of youths and maidens. I remember thinking that
+remark out for myself after a great deal of effort, and you may
+remember that I sprung it with considerable effect on the cabinet when
+the matter was formally discussed a year or two ago. You heard about
+it, didn't you, Dank?"
+
+"I did, highness."
+
+"And every newspaper in the world printed it as coming from me, didn't
+they? Well, there you are. I can't go behind my publicly avowed
+principles."
+
+The young fellow stretched his long body in a sort of luxurious
+defiance, and eyed his companions somewhat combatively.
+
+"Sounds very well," growled the Count, with scant reverence for
+royalty, being a privileged person.
+
+"Now, Dank here can marry any one he likes--if she'll have him--and he
+is only a lieutenant of the guard. Why should I,--prince royal and
+master of all he surveys, so to speak,--why should I be denied a
+privilege enjoyed by every good-looking soldier who carries a sword in
+my army--_my_ army, do you understand? I leave it to you, Dank, is it
+fair? Who are you that you should presume to think of a happy marriage
+while I, your Prince, am obliged to twiddle my thumbs and say 'all
+right, bring any old thing along and I'll marry her'? Who are you,
+Dank, that's what I'd like to know."
+
+His humour was so high-handed that the two soldiers laughed and Dank
+ruefully admitted that he was a lucky dog.
+
+"You shall not marry into the Blithers family, my lad, if we can help
+it," said the Count, pulling at his moustaches.
+
+"I should say not!" said Dank, feeling for his.
+
+"I should as soon marry a daughter of Hobbs," said R. Schmidt, getting
+up from his chair with restored sprightliness. "If he had one, I mean."
+
+"The bonds of matrimony and the bonds of government are by no means
+synonymous," said Dank, and felt rather proud of himself when his
+companions favoured him with a stare of amazement. The excellent
+lieutenant was not given to persiflage. He felt that for a moment he
+had scintillated.
+
+"Shall we send a wireless to Blithers congratulating him on his coup?"
+enquired the Prince gaily.
+
+"No," said the Count. "Congratulating ourselves on his coup is better."
+
+"Good! And you might add that we also are trusting to luck. It may give
+him something to think about. And now where is Hobbs?" said royalty.
+
+"Here, sir," said Hobbs, appearing in the bed-room door, but not
+unexpectedly. "I heard wot you said about my daughter, sir. It may set
+your mind at rest, sir, to hear that I am childless."
+
+"Thank you, Hobbs. You are always thinking of my comfort. You may order
+luncheon for us in the Ritz restaurant. The head steward has been
+instructed to reserve the corner table for the whole voyage."
+
+"The 'ead waiter, sir," corrected Hobbs politely, and was gone.
+
+In three minutes he was back with the information that two ladies had
+taken the table and refused to be dislodged, although the head waiter
+had vainly tried to convince them that it was reserved for the passage
+by R. Schmidt and party.
+
+"I am quite sure, sir, he put it to them very hagreeably and politely,
+but the young lady gave 'im the 'aughtiest look I've ever seen on
+mortal fice, sir, and he came back to me so 'umble that I could 'ardly
+believe he was an 'ead waiter."
+
+"I hope he was not unnecessarily persistent," said the Prince, annoyed.
+"It really is of no consequence where we sit."
+
+"Ladies first, world without end," said Dank. "Especially at sea."
+
+"He was not persistent, sir. In fact he was hextraordinary subdued all
+the time he was hexplaining the situation to them. I could tell by the
+way his back looked, sir."
+
+"Never mind, Hobbs. You ordered luncheon?"
+
+"Yes, your 'ighness. Chops and sweet potatoes and--"
+
+"But that's what we had yesterday, Hobbs."
+
+A vivid red overspread the suddenly dismayed face of Hobbs. "'Pon my
+soul, sir, I--I clean forgot that it was yesterday I was thinking of.
+The young lady gave me such a sharp look, sir, when the 'ead waiter
+pointed at me that I clean forgot wot I was there for. I will 'urry
+back and--"
+
+"Do, Hobbs, that's a good fellow. I'm as hungry as a bear. But no
+chops!"
+
+"Thank you, sir. No chops. Absolutely, sir." He stopped in the doorway.
+"I daresay it was 'er beauty, sir, that did it. No chops. Quite so,
+sir."
+
+"If Blithers were only here," sighed Dank. "He would make short work of
+the female invasion. He would have them chucked overboard."
+
+"I beg pardon, sir," further adventured Hobbs, "but I fancy not even
+Mr. Blithers could move that young woman, sir, if she didn't 'appen to
+want to be moved. Never in my life, sir, have I seen--"
+
+"Run along, Hobbs," said the Prince. "Boiled guinea hen."
+
+"And cantaloupe, sir. Yes, sir, I quite remember everything now, sir."
+
+Twenty minutes later, R. Schmidt, seated in the Ritz restaurant,
+happened to look fairly into the eyes of the loveliest girl he had ever
+seen, and on the instant forgave the extraordinary delinquency of the
+hitherto infallible Hobbs.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE PRINCE MEETS MISS GUILE
+
+
+Later on R. Schmidt sat alone in a sheltered corner of the promenade
+deck, where chairs had been secured by the forehanded Hobbs. The thin
+drizzle now aspired to something more definite in the shape of a steady
+downpour, and the decks were almost deserted, save for the few who
+huddled in the unexposed nooks where the sweep and swish of the rain
+failed to penetrate. There was a faraway look in the young man's eyes,
+as of one who dreams pleasantly, with little effort but excellent
+effect. His pipe had gone out, so his dream must have been long and
+uninterrupted. Eight bells sounded, but what is time to a dreamer? Then
+came one bell and two, and now his eyes were closed.
+
+Two women came and stood over him, but little did they suspect that his
+dream was of one of them: the one with the lovely eyes and the soft
+brown hair. They surveyed him, whispering, the one with a little
+perplexed frown on her brow, the other with distinct signs of annoyance
+in her face. The girl was not more than twenty, her companion quite old
+enough to be her mother: a considerate if not complimentary estimate,
+for a girl's mother may be either forty, fifty or even fifty-five, when
+you come to think of it.
+
+They were looking for something. That was quite clear. And it was
+deplorably clear that whatever it was, R. Schmidt was sitting upon it.
+They saw that he was asleep, which made the search if not the actual
+recovery quite out of the question. The older woman was on the point of
+poking the sleeper with the toe of her shoe, being a matter-of-fact
+sort of person, when the girl imperatively shook her head and frowned
+upon the lady in a way to prove that even though she was old enough to
+be the mother of a girl of twenty she was by no means the mother of
+this one.
+
+At that very instant, R. Schmidt opened his eyes. It must have been a
+kindly poke by the god of sleep that aroused him so opportunely, but
+even so, the toe of a shoe could not have created a graver catastrophe
+than that which immediately befell him. He completely lost his head. If
+one had suddenly asked what had become of it, he couldn't have told,
+not for the life of him. For that matter, he couldn't have put his
+finger, so to speak, on any part of his person and proclaimed with
+confidence that it belonged to R. Schmidt of Vienna. He was looking
+directly up into a pair of dark, startled eyes, in which there was a
+very pretty confusion and a far from impervious blink.
+
+"I beg your pardon," said the older woman, without the faintest trace
+of embarrassment,--indeed, with some asperity,--"I think you are
+occupying one of our chairs."
+
+He scrambled out of the steamer rug and came to his feet, blushing to
+the roots of his hair.
+
+"I beg your pardon," he stammered, and found his awkwardness rewarded
+by an extremely sweet smile--in the eyes of the one he addressed.
+
+"We were looking for a letter that I am quite sure was left in my
+chair," said she.
+
+"A letter?" he murmured vaguely, and at once began to search with his
+eyes.
+
+"From her father," volunteered the elderly one, as if it were a
+necessary bit of information. Then she jerked the rug away and three
+pairs of eyes examined the place where R. Schmidt had been reclining.
+"That's odd. Did you happen to see it when you sat down, sir?"
+
+"I am confident that there was no letter--" began he, and then allowed
+his gaze to rest on the name-card at the top of the chair. "This
+happens to be _my_ chair, madam," he went on, pointing to the card.
+"'R. Schmidt.' I am very sorry."
+
+"The steward must have put that card there while you were at luncheon,
+dear. What right has he to sell our chairs over again? I shall report
+this to the Captain--"
+
+"I am quite positive that this is my chair, sir," said the girl, a spot
+of red in each cheek. "It was engaged two days ago. I have been
+occupying it since--but it really doesn't matter. It has your name on
+it now, so I suppose I shall have to--"
+
+"Not at all," he made haste to say. "It's yours. There has been some
+miserable mistake. These deck stewards are always messing things up.
+Still, it is rather a mystery about the letter. I assure you I saw no--"
+
+"No doubt the steward who changed the cards had sufficient intelligence
+to remove all incriminating evidence," said she coolly. "We shall find
+it among the lost, strayed and stolen articles, no doubt. Pray retain
+the chair, Mr.--" She peered at the name-card--"Mr. Schmidt."
+
+Her cool insolence succeeded in nettling a nature that was usually most
+gentle. He spoke with characteristic directness.
+
+"Thank you, I shall do so. We thereby manage to strike a fair average.
+I seize your deck chair, you seize my table. We are quits."
+
+She smiled faintly. "R. Schmidt did not sound young and gentle, but old
+and hateful. That is why I seized the table. I expected to find R.
+Schmidt a fat, old German with very bad manners. Instead, you are
+neither fat, old, nor disagreeable. You took it very nicely, Mr.
+Schmidt, and I am undone. Won't you permit me to restore your table to
+you?"
+
+The elderly lady was tapping the deck with a most impatient foot.
+"Really my dear, we were quite within our rights in approaching the
+head waiter. He--"
+
+"He said it was engaged," interrupted the young lady. "R. Schmidt was
+the name he gave and I informed him it meant nothing to me. I am very
+sorry, Mr. Schmidt. I suppose it was all because I am so accustomed to
+having my own way."
+
+"In that case, it is all very easy to understand," said he, "for I have
+always longed to be in a position where I could have my own way. I am
+sure that if I could have it, I would be a most overbearing, selfish
+person."
+
+"We must enquire at the office for the letter, my dear, before--"
+
+"It may have dropped behind the chair," said the girl.
+
+"Right!" cried R. Schmidt, dragging the chair away and pointing in
+triumph at the missing letter. He stooped to recover the missive, but
+she was quick to forestall him. With a little gasp she pounced upon it
+and, like a child proceeded to hold it behind her back. He stiffened.
+"I remember that you said it was from your father."
+
+She hesitated an instant and then held it forth for his inspection,
+rather adroitly concealing the postmark with her thumb. It was
+addressed to "Miss B. Guile, S. S. _Jupiter_, New York City, N. Y.,"
+and type-written.
+
+"It is only fair that we should be quits in every particular," she
+said, with a frank smile.
+
+He bowed. "A letter of introduction," he said, "in the strictest sense
+of the word. You have already had my card thrust upon you, so
+everything is quite regular. And now it is only right and proper that I
+should see what has become of your chairs. Permit me--"
+
+"Really, Miss Guile," interposed her companion, "this is quite
+irregular. I may say it is unusual. Pray allow me to suggest--"
+
+"I think it is only right that Mr. Schmidt should return good for
+evil," interrupted the girl gaily. "Please enquire, Mr. Schmidt. No
+doubt the deck steward will know."
+
+Again the Prince bowed, but this time there was amusement instead of
+uncertainty in his eyes. It was the first time that any one had ever
+urged him, even by inference, to "fetch and carry." Moreover, she was
+extremely cool about it, as one who exacts much of young men in serge
+suits and outing-caps. He found himself wondering what she would say if
+he were to suddenly announce that he was the Prince of Graustark. The
+thought tickled his fancy, accounting, no doubt, for the even deeper
+bow that he gave her.
+
+"They can't be very far away," he observed quite meekly. "Oh, I say,
+steward! One moment, here." A deck steward approached with alacrity.
+"What has become of Miss Guile's chair?"
+
+The man touched his cap and beamed joyously upon the fair young lady.
+
+"Ach! See how I have forgot! It is here! The best place on the deck--on
+any deck. See! Two--side by side,--above the door, away from the
+draft--see, in the corner, ha, ha! Yes! Two by side. The very best.
+Miss Guile complains of the draft from the door. I exchanged the
+chairs. See! But I forgot to speak. Yes! See!"
+
+And, sure enough, there were the chairs of Miss Guile and her companion
+snugly stowed away in the corner, standing at right angles to the long
+row that lined the deck, the foot rests pointed directly at the chair
+R. Schmidt had just vacated, not more than a yard and a half away.
+
+"How stupid!" exclaimed Miss Guile. "Thank you, steward. This is much
+better. So sorry, Mr. Schmidt, to have disturbed you. I abhor drafts,
+don't you?"
+
+"Not to the extent that I shall move out of this one," he replied
+gallantly, "now that I've got an undisputed claim to it. I intend to
+stand up for my rights, Miss Guile, even though you find me at your
+feet."
+
+"How perfectly love--" began Miss Guile, a gleam of real enthusiasm in
+her eyes. A sharp, horrified look from her companion served as a check,
+and she became at once the coolly indifferent creature who exacts
+everything. "Thank you, Mr. Schmidt, for being so nice when we were
+trying so hard to be horrid."
+
+"But you don't know how nice you are when you are trying to be horrid,"
+he remarked. "Are you not going to sit down, now that we've captured
+the disappearing chair?"
+
+"No," she said, and he fancied he saw regret in her eyes. "I am going
+to my room,--if I can find it. No doubt it also is lost. This seems to
+be a day for misplacing things."
+
+"At any rate, permit me to thank you for discovering me, Miss Guile."
+
+"Oh, I daresay I shall misplace you, too, Mr. Schmidt." She said it so
+insolently that he flushed as he drew himself up and stepped aside to
+allow her to pass. For an instant their eyes met, and the sign of the
+humble was not to be found in the expression of either.
+
+"Even _that_ will be something for me to look forward to, Miss Guile,"
+said he. Far from being vexed, she favoured him with a faint smile
+of--was it wonder or admiration?
+
+Then she moved away, followed by the uneasy lady--who was old enough to
+be her mother and wasn't.
+
+Robin remained standing for a moment, looking after her, and somehow he
+felt that his dream was not yet ended. She turned the corner of the
+deck building and was lost to sight. He sat down, only to arise almost
+instantly, moved by a livelier curiosity than he ever had felt before.
+Conscious of a certain feeling of stealth, he scrutinised the cards in
+the backs of the two chairs. The steward was collecting the discarded
+steamer-rugs farther down the deck, and the few passengers who occupied
+chairs, appeared to be snoozing,--all of which he took in with his
+first appraising glance. "Miss Guile" and "Mrs. Gaston" were the names
+he read.
+
+"Americans," he mused. "Young lady and chaperone, that's it. A real
+American beauty! And Blithers loudly boasts that his daughter is the
+prettiest girl in America! Shades of Venus! Can there be such a thing
+on earth as a prettier girl than this one? Can nature have performed
+the impossible? Is America so full of lovely girls that this one must
+take second place to a daughter of Blithers? I wonder if she knows the
+imperial Maud. I'll make it a point to inquire."
+
+Moved by a sudden restlessness, he decided that he was in need of
+exercise. A walk would do him good. The same spirit of restlessness, no
+doubt, urged him to walk rather rapidly in the direction opposite to
+that taken by the lovely Miss Guile. After completely circling the deck
+once he decided that he did not need the exercise after all. His walk
+had not benefitted him in the least. She _had_ gone to her room. He
+returned to his chair, conscious of having been defeated but without
+really knowing why or how. As he turned into the dry, snug corner, he
+came to an abrupt stop and stared. Miss Guile was sitting in her chair,
+neatly encased in a mummy-like sheath of grey that covered her slim
+body to the waist.
+
+She was quite alone in her nook, and reading. Evidently the book
+interested her, for she failed to look up when he clumsily slid into
+his chair and threw the rug over his legs--dreadfully long,
+uninteresting legs, he thought, as he stretched them out and found that
+his feet protruded like a pair of white obelisks.
+
+Naturally he looked seaward, but in his mind's eye he saw her as he had
+seen her not more than ten minutes before: a slim, tall girl in a smart
+buff coat, with a limp white hat drawn down over her hair by means of a
+bright green veil; he had had a glimpse of staunch tan walking-shoes.
+He found himself wondering how he had missed her in the turn about the
+deck, and how she could have ensconced herself so snugly during his
+brief evacuation of the spot. Suddenly it occurred to him that she had
+returned to the chair only after discovering that his was vacant. It
+wasn't a very gratifying conclusion.
+
+An astonishing intrepidity induced him to speak to her after a lapse of
+five or six minutes, and so surprising was the impulse that he blurted
+out his question without preamble.
+
+"How did you manage to get back so quickly?" he inquired.
+
+She looked up, and for an instant there was something like alarm in her
+lovely eyes, as of one caught in the perpetration of a guilty act.
+
+"I beg your pardon," she said, rather indistinctly.
+
+"I was away less than eight minutes," he declared, and she was
+confronted by the wonderfully frank smile that never failed to work its
+charm. To his surprise, a shy smile grew in her eyes, and her warm red
+lips twitched uncertainly. He had expected a cold rebuff. "You must
+have dropped through the awning."
+
+"Your imagination is superior to that employed by the author of this
+book," she said, "and that is saying a good deal, Mr.--Mr.--"
+
+"Schmidt," he supplied cheerfully. "May I inquire what book you are
+reading?"
+
+"You would not be interested. It is by an American."
+
+"I have read a great many American novels," said he stiffly. "My father
+was an American. Awfully jolly books, most of them."
+
+"I looked you up in the passenger list a moment ago," she said coolly.
+"Your home is in Vienna. I like Vienna."
+
+He was looking rather intently at the book, now partly lowered. "Isn't
+that the passenger list you have concealed in that book?" he demanded.
+
+"It is," she replied promptly. "You will pardon a natural curiosity? I
+wanted to see whether you were from New York."
+
+"May I look at it, please?"
+
+She closed the book. "It isn't necessary. I _am_ from New York."
+
+"By the way, do you happen to know a Miss Blithers,--Maud Blithers?"
+
+Miss Guile frowned reflectively. "Blithers? The name is a familiar one.
+Maud Blithers? What is she like?"
+
+"She's supposed to be very good-looking. I've never seen her."
+
+"How queer to be asking me if I know her, then. Why _do_ you ask?"
+
+"I've heard so much about her lately. She is the daughter of William
+Blithers, the great capitalist."
+
+"Oh, I know who he is," she exclaimed. "Perfect roodles of money,
+hasn't he?"
+
+"Roodles?"
+
+"Loads, if it means more to you. I forgot that you are a foreigner. He
+gave that wonderful ball last week for the Prince of--of--Oh, some
+insignificant little place over in Europe. There are such a lot of
+queer little duchies and principalities, don't you know; it is quite
+impossible to tell one from the other. They don't even appear on the
+maps."
+
+He took it with a perfectly straight face, though secretly annoyed. "It
+was the talk of the town, that ball. It must have cost roodles of
+money. Is that right?"
+
+"Yes, but it doesn't sound right when you say it. Naturally one doesn't
+say roodles in Vienna."
+
+"We say noodles," said he. "I am very fond of them. But to resume; I
+supposed every one in New York knew Miss Blithers. She's quite the
+rage, I'm told."
+
+"Indeed? I should think she might be, Mr. Schmidt, with all those
+lovely millions behind her."
+
+He smiled introspectively. "Yes; and I am told that, in spite of them,
+she is the prettiest girl in New York."
+
+She appeared to lose interest in the topic. "Oh, indeed?"
+
+"But," he supplemented gracefully, "it isn't true."
+
+"What isn't true?"
+
+"The statement that she is the prettiest girl in New York."
+
+"How can you say that, when you admit you've never seen her?"
+
+"I can say it with a perfectly clear conscience, Miss Guile," said he,
+and was filled with delight when she bit her lip as a sign of
+acknowledgment.
+
+"Oh, here comes the tea," she cried, with a strange eagerness in her
+voice. "I am so glad." She scrambled gracefully out of her rug and
+arose to her feet.
+
+"Aren't you going to have some?" he cried.
+
+"Yes," she said, quite pointedly. "In my room, Mr. Schmidt," and before
+he could get to his feet she was moving away without so much as a nod
+or smile for him. Indeed, she appeared to have dismissed him from her
+thoughts quite as completely as from her vision. He experienced a queer
+sensation of shrivelling.
+
+At dinner that night, she failed to look in his direction, a
+circumstance that may not appear extraordinary when it is stated that
+she purposely or inadvertently exchanged seats with Mrs. Gaston and sat
+with her back to the table occupied by R. Schmidt and his friends. He
+had to be content with a view of the most exquisite back and shoulders
+that good fortune had ever allowed him to gaze upon. And then there was
+the way that her soft brown hair grew above the slender neck, to say
+nothing of--but Mrs. Gaston was watching him with most unfriendly eyes,
+so the feast was spoiled.
+
+The following day was as unlike its predecessor as black is like white.
+During the night the smooth grey pond had been transformed into a
+turbulent, storm-threshed ocean; the once gentle wind was now a howling
+gale that swept the decks with a merciless lash in its grip and whipped
+into submission all who vaingloriously sought to defy its chill
+dominion. Not rain, but spray from huge, swashing billows, clouded the
+decks, biting and cutting like countless needles, each drop with the
+sting of a hornet behind it. Now the end of the world seemed far away,
+and the jumping off place was a rickety wall of white and black,
+leaning against a cold, drear sky.
+
+Only the hardiest of the passengers ventured on deck; the exhilaration
+they professed was but another name for bravado. They shivered and
+gasped for breath as they forged their bitter way into the gale, and
+few were they who took more than a single turn of the deck. Like beaten
+cowards they soon slunk into the sheltered spots, or sought even less
+heroic means of surrender by tumbling into bed with the considerate
+help of unsmiling stewards. The great ship went up and the great ship
+came down: when up so high that the sky seemed to be startlingly near
+and down so horribly low that the bottom of the ocean was even nearer.
+And it creaked and groaned and sighed even above the wild monody of the
+wind, like a thing in misery, yet all the while holding its sides to
+keep from bursting with laughter over the plight of the little creature
+whom God made after His own image but not until after all of the big
+things of the universe had been designed.
+
+R. Schmidt, being a good sailor and a hardy young chap, albeit a prince
+of royal blood, was abroad early, after a breakfast that staggered the
+few who remained unstaggered up to that particular crisis. A genial
+sailor-man and an equally ungenial deck swabber advised him, in totally
+different styles of address, to stay below if he knew what was good for
+him, only to be thanked with all the blitheness of a man who jolly well
+knows what is good for him, or who doesn't care whether it is good for
+him or not so long as he is doing the thing that he wants to do.
+
+He took two turns about the deck, and each time as he passed the spot
+he sent a covert glance into the corner where Miss Guile's chair was
+standing. Of course he did not expect to find her there in weather like
+this, but--well, he looked and that is the end to the argument. The
+going was extremely treacherous and unpleasant he was free to confess
+to the genial sailor-man after the second breathless turn, and gave
+that worthy a bright silver dollar upon receiving a further bit of
+advice: to sit down somewhere out of the wind, sir.
+
+Quinnox and Dank were hopelessly bed-ridden, so to speak. They were
+very disagreeable, cross and unpleasant, and somehow he felt that they
+hated their cheerful, happy-faced Prince. Never before had Count
+Quinnox scowled at him, no matter how mad his pranks as a child or how
+silly his actions as a youth. Never before had any one told him to go
+to the devil. He rather liked it. And he rather admired poor Dank for
+ordering him out of his cabin, with a perfectly astounding oath as a
+climax to the command. Moreover, he thought considerably better of the
+faithful Hobbs for an amazing exposition of human equality in the
+matter of a pair of boots that he desired to wear that morning but
+which happened to be stowed away in a cabin trunk. He told Hobbs to go
+to the devil and Hobbs repeated the injunction, with especial heat, to
+the boots, when he bumped his head in hauling them out of the trunk.
+Whereupon R. Schmidt said to Hobbs: "Good for you. Hobbs. Go on,
+please. Don't mind me. It was quite a thump, wasn't it?" And Hobbs
+managed, between other words, to say that it was a whacking thump, and
+one he would not forget to his dying day--(if he lived through this
+one!).
+
+"And you'd do well to sit in the smoke-room, sir," further advised the
+sailor-man, clinging to the rail with one hand and pocketing the coin
+with the other.
+
+"No," said R. Schmidt resolutely. "I don't like the air in the
+smoke-room."
+
+"There's quite a bit of air out 'ere, sir."
+
+"I need quite a bit."
+
+"I should think you might, sir, being a 'ealthy, strappin' sort of a
+chap, sir. 'Elp yourself. All the chairs is yours if you'll unpile 'em."
+
+The young man battled his way down the deck and soon found himself in
+the well-protected corner. A half-dozen unoccupied chairs were
+cluttered about, having been abandoned by persons who over-estimated
+their hardiness. One of the stewards was engaged in stacking them up
+and making them fast.
+
+Miss Guile's chair and that of Mrs. Gaston were staunchly fastened down
+and their rugs were in place. R. Schmidt experienced an exquisite
+sensation of pleasure. Here was a perfect exemplification of that
+much-abused thing known as circumstantial evidence. She contemplated
+coming on deck. So he had his chair put in place, called for his rug,
+shrugged his chin down into the collar of his thick ulster, and sat
+down to wait.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+AN HOUR ON DECK
+
+
+She literally was blown into his presence. He sprang to his feet to
+check her swift approach before she could be dashed against the wall or
+upon the heap of chairs in the corner. The deep roll of the vessel had
+ended so suddenly that she was thrown off her balance, at best
+precariously maintained in the hurricane that swept her along the deck.
+She was projected with considerable violence against the waiting figure
+of R. Schmidt, who had hastily braced himself for the impact of the
+slender body in the thick sea-ulster. She uttered an excited little
+shriek as she came bang up against him and found his ready arms closing
+about her shoulders.
+
+"Oh, goodness!" she gasped, with what little breath she had left, and
+then began to laugh as she freed herself in confusion--a very pretty
+confusion he recalled later on, after he had recovered to some extent
+from the effects of an exceedingly severe bump on the back of his head.
+"How awkward!"
+
+"Not at all," he proclaimed, retaining a grip on one of her arms until
+the ship showed some signs of resuming its way eastward instead of
+downward.
+
+"I am sure it must have hurt dreadfully," she cried. "Nothing hurts
+worse than a bump. It seemed as though you must have splintered the
+wall."
+
+"I have a singularly hard head," said he, and forthwith felt of the
+back of it.
+
+"Will you please stand ready to receive boarders? My maid is following
+me, poor thing, and I can't afford to have her smashed to pieces. Here
+she is!"
+
+Quite a pretty maid, with wide, horrified eyes and a pale green
+complexion came hustling around the corner. R. Schmidt, albeit a
+prince, received her with open arms.
+
+"Merci, M'sieur!" she squealed and added something in muffled French
+that strangely reminded him of what Hobbs had said in English. Then she
+deposited an armful of rugs and magazines at Robin's feet, and clutched
+wildly at a post actually some ten feet away but which appeared to be
+coming toward her with obliging swiftness, so nicely was the deck
+rotating for her. "Mon dieu! Mon dieu!"
+
+"You may go back to bed, Marie," cried her mistress in some haste.
+
+"But ze rug, I feex it--" groaned the unhappy maid, and then once more:
+"Merci, M'sieur!" She clung to the arm he extended, and tried bravely
+to smile her thanks.
+
+"Here! Go in through this door," he said, bracing the door open with
+his elbow. "You'll be all right in a little while. Keep your nerve." He
+closed the door after her and turned to the amused Miss Guile. "Well,
+it's an ill wind that blows no good," he said enigmatically, and she
+flushed under the steady smile in his eyes. "Allow me to arrange your
+rug for you. Miss Guile."
+
+"Thank you, no. I think I would better go inside. It is really too
+windy--"
+
+"The wind can't get at you back here in this cubbyhole," he protested.
+"Do sit down. I'll have you as snug as a bug in a rug before you can
+say Jack Robinson. See! Now stick 'em out and I'll wrap it around them.
+There! You're as neatly done up as a mummy and a good deal better off,
+because you are a long way short of being two thousand years old."
+
+"How is your head, Mr. Schmidt?" she inquired with grave concern. "You
+seem to be quite crazy. I hope--"
+
+"Every one is a little bit mad, don't you think? Especially in moments
+of great excitement. I daresay my head _has_ been turned quite
+appreciably, and I'm glad that you've been kind enough to notice it.
+Where is Mrs. Gaston?" He was vastly exhilarated.
+
+She regarded him with eyes that sparkled and belied the unamiable
+nature of her reply.
+
+"The poor lady is where she is not at all likely to be annoyed, Mr.
+Schmidt."
+
+Then she took up a magazine and coolly began to run through the pages.
+He waited for a moment, considerably dashed, and then said "Oh," in a
+very unfriendly manner. She found her place in the magazine, assumed a
+more comfortable position, and, with noteworthy resolution, set about
+reading as if her life depended upon it.
+
+He sat down, pulled the rug up to his chin, and stared out at the
+great, heaving billows. Suddenly remembering another injury, he felt
+once more of the back of his head.
+
+"By jove!" he exclaimed. "There _is_ a lump there."
+
+"I can't hear you," she said, allowing the magazine to drop into her
+lap, but keeping her place carefully marked with one of her fingers.
+
+"I can hear you perfectly," he said.
+
+"It's the way the wind blows," she explained.
+
+"Easily remedied," said he. "I'll move into Mrs. Gaston's chair if you
+think it will help any."
+
+"Do!" she said promptly. "You will not disturb me in the least,--unless
+you talk." She resumed her reading, half a page above the finger tip.
+
+He moved over and arranged himself comfortably, snugly in Mrs. Gaston's
+chair. Their elbows almost met. He was prepared to be very patient. For
+a long time she continued to read, her warm, rosy cheek half-averted,
+her eyes applied to their task with irritating constancy. He did not
+despair. Some wise person once had told him that it was only necessary
+to give a woman sufficient time and she would be the one to despair.
+
+A few passengers possessed of proud sea-legs, staggered past the snug
+couple on their ridiculous rounds of the ship. If they thought of Miss
+Guile and R. Schmidt at all it was with the scorn that is usually
+devoted to youth at its very best. There could be no doubt in the
+passing mind that these two were sweethearts who managed to thrive on
+the smallest of comforts.
+
+At last his patience was rewarded. She lowered the magazine and stifled
+a yawn--but not a real one.
+
+"Have you read it?" she inquired composedly.
+
+"A part of it," he said. "Over your shoulder."
+
+"Is that considered polite in Vienna?"
+
+"If you only knew what a bump I've got on the back of my head you
+wouldn't be so ungracious." he said.
+
+"I couldn't possibly know, could I?"
+
+He leaned forward and indicated the spot on the back of his head, first
+removing his cap. She laughed nervously, and then gently rubbed her
+fingers over the thick hair.
+
+"There is a dreadful lump!" she exclaimed. "Oh, how sorry I am. Do--do
+you feel faint or--or--I mean, is it very painful?"
+
+"Not now," he replied, replacing his cap and favouring her with his
+most engaging smile.
+
+She smiled in response, betraying not the slightest sign of
+embarrassment. As a matter of fact, she was, if anything, somewhat too
+self-possessed.
+
+"I remember falling down stairs once," she said, "and getting a
+stupendous bump on my forehead. But that was a great many years ago and
+I cried. How was I to know that it hurt you, Mr. Schmidt, when you
+neglected to cry?"
+
+"Heroes never cry," said he. "It isn't considered first-class fiction,
+you know."
+
+"Am I to regard you as a hero?"
+
+"If you will be so kind, please."
+
+She laughed outright at this. "I think I rather like you, Mr. Schmidt,"
+she said, with unexpected candour.
+
+"Oh, I fancy I'm not at all bad," said he, after a momentary stare of
+astonishment. "I am especially good in rough weather," he went on,
+trying to forget that he was a prince of the royal blood, a rather
+difficult matter when one stops to consider he was not in the habit of
+hearing people say that they rather liked him.
+
+"Do your friends come from Vienna?" she inquired abruptly.
+
+"Yes," he said, and then saved his face as usual by adding under his
+breath: "but they don't live there." It was not in him to lie outright,
+hence the handy way of appeasing his conscience.
+
+"They are very interesting looking men, especially the younger. I
+cannot remember when I have seen a more attractive man."
+
+"He is a splendid chap," exclaimed Robin, with genuine enthusiasm. "I
+am very fond of Dank."
+
+She was silent for a moment. Something had failed, and she was rather
+glad of it.
+
+"Do you like New York?" she asked.
+
+"Immensely. I met a great many delightful people there. Miss Guile. You
+say you do not know the Blithers family? Mr. Blithers is a rare old
+bird."
+
+"Isn't there some talk of his daughter being engaged to the Prince of
+Graustark?"
+
+He felt that his ears were red. "The newspapers hinted at something of
+the sort, I believe." He was suddenly possessed by the curious notion
+that he was being "pumped" by his fair companion. Indeed, a certain
+insistent note had crept into her voice and her eyes were searching his
+with an intentness that had not appeared in them until now.
+
+"Have you seen him?"
+
+"The Prince?"
+
+"Yes. What is he like?"
+
+"I've seen pictures of him," he equivocated. "Rather nice looking, I
+should say."
+
+"Of course he is like all foreign noblemen and will leap at the
+Blithers millions if he gets the chance. I sometimes feel sorry for the
+poor wretches." There was more scorn than pity in the way she said it,
+however, and her velvety eyes were suddenly hard and uncompromising.
+
+He longed to defend himself, in the third person, but could not do so
+for very strong and obvious reasons. He allowed himself the privilege,
+however, of declaring that foreign noblemen are not always as black as
+they are painted. And then, for a very excellent reason, he contrived
+to change the subject by asking where she was going on the continent.
+
+"I may go to Vienna," she said, with a smile that served to puzzle
+rather than to delight him. He was more than ever convinced that she
+was playing with him. "But pray do not look so gloomy, Mr. Schmidt, I
+shall not make any demands upon your time while I am there. You may--"
+
+"I am quite sure of that," he interrupted, with his ready smile. "You
+see, I am a person of no consequence in Vienna, while you--Ah, well, as
+an American girl you will be hobnobbing with the nobility while the
+humble Schmidt sits afar off and marvels at the kindness of a fate that
+befell him in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and yet curses the fate
+that makes him unworthy of the slightest notice from the aforesaid
+American girl. For, I daresay, Miss Guile, you, like all American
+girls, are ready to leap at titles."
+
+"That really isn't fair, Mr. Schmidt," she protested, flushing. "Why
+should you and I quarrel over a condition that cannot apply to either
+of us? You are not a nobleman, and I am not a title-seeking American
+girl. So, why all this beautiful irony?"
+
+"It only remains for me to humbly beg your pardon and to add that if
+you come to Vienna my every waking hour shall be devoted to the
+pleasure of--"
+
+"I am sorry I mentioned it, Mr. Schmidt," she interrupted coldly. "You
+may rest easy, for I shall not keep you awake for a single hour.
+Besides, I may not go to Vienna at all."
+
+"I am sure you would like Vienna," he said, somewhat chilled by her
+manner.
+
+"I have been there, with my parents, but it was a long time ago. I once
+saw the Emperor and often have I seen the wonderful Prince
+Liechtenstein."
+
+"Have you travelled extensively in Europe?"
+
+She was smiling once more. "I don't know what you would consider
+extensively," she said. "I was educated in Paris, I have spent
+innumerable winters in Rome and quite as many summers in Scotland,
+England, Switzerland, Germ--"
+
+"I know who you are!" he cried out enthusiastically. To his amazement,
+a startled expression leaped into her eyes. "You are travelling under
+an assumed name." She remained perfectly still, watching him with an
+anxious smile on her lips. "You are no other than Miss Baedeker, the
+well-known authoress."
+
+It seemed to him that she breathed deeply. At any rate, her brow
+cleared and her smile was positively enchanting. Never, in all his
+life, had he gazed upon a lovelier face. His heart began to beat with a
+rapidity that startled him, and a queer little sensation, as of
+smothering, made it difficult for him to speak naturally in his next
+attempt.
+
+"In that case, my pseudonym should be Guide, not Guile," she cried
+merrily. The dimples played in her cheeks and her eyes were dancing.
+
+"B. stands for Baedeker, I'm sure. Baedeker Guide. If the B. isn't for
+Baedeker, what is it for?"
+
+"Are you asking what the B. really stands for, Mr. Schmidt?"
+
+"In a round-about way, Miss Guile," he admitted.
+
+"My name is Bedelia," she said, with absolute sincerity. "Me mither is
+Irish, d'ye see?"
+
+"By jove, it's worth a lot of trouble to get you to smile like that,"
+he cried admiringly. "It is the first really honest smile you've
+displayed. If you knew how it improves you, you'd be doing it all of
+the time."
+
+"Smiles are sometimes expensive."
+
+"It depends on the market."
+
+"I never take them to a cheap market. They are not classed as
+necessities."
+
+"You couldn't offer them to any one who loves luxuries more than I do."
+
+"You pay for them only with compliments, I see, and there is nothing so
+cheap."
+
+"Am I to take that as a rebuke?"
+
+"If possible," she said sweetly.
+
+At this juncture, the miserable Hobbs hove into sight, not figuratively
+but literally. He came surging across the deck in a mad dash from one
+haven to another, or, more accurately, from post to post.
+
+"I beg pardon, sir," he gasped, finally steadying himself on
+wide-spread legs within easy reach of Robin's sustaining person. "There
+is a wireless for Mr. Totten, sir, but when I took it to 'im he said to
+fetch it to you, being unable to hold up 'is head, wot with the
+wretched meal he had yesterday and the--"
+
+"I see, Hobbs. Well, where is it?"
+
+Hobbs looked embarrassed. "Well, you see, sir, I 'esitated about giving
+it to you when you appear to be so--"
+
+"Never mind. You may give it to me. Miss Guile will surely pardon me if
+I devote a second or two to an occupation she followed so earnestly up
+to a very short time ago."
+
+"Pray forget that I am present, Mr. Schmidt," she said, and smiled upon
+the bewildered Hobbs, who after an instant delivered the message to his
+master.
+
+Robin read it through and at the end whistled softly.
+
+"Take it to Mr. Totten, Hobbs, and see if it will not serve to make him
+hold up his head a little."
+
+"Very good, sir. I hope it will. Wouldn't it be wise for me to
+hannounce who it is from, sir, to sort of prepare him for--"
+
+"He knows who it is from, Hobbs, so you needn't worry. It is from home,
+if it will interest you, Hobbs."
+
+"Thank you, sir, it does interest me. I thought it might be from Mr.
+Blithers."
+
+Robin's scowl sent him scuttling away a great deal more rigidly than
+when he came.
+
+"Idiot!" muttered the young man, still scowling.
+
+There was silence between the two for a few seconds. Then she spoke
+disinterestedly:
+
+"Is it from the Mr. Blithers who has the millions and the daughter who
+wants to marry a prince?"
+
+"Merely a business transaction, Miss Guile," he said absently. He was
+thinking of Romano's message.
+
+"So it would appear."
+
+"I beg pardon? I was--er--thinking--"
+
+"It was of no consequence, Mr. Schmidt," she said airily.
+
+He picked up the thread once more. "As a matter of fact, I've heard it
+said that Miss Blithers refused to marry the Prince."
+
+"Is it possible?" with fine irony. "Is he such a dreadful person as all
+that?"
+
+"I'm sure I don't know," murmured Robin uncomfortably. "He may be no
+more dreadful than she."
+
+"I cannot hear you, Mr. Schmidt," she persisted, with unmistakeable
+malice in her lovely eyes.
+
+"I'm rather glad that you didn't," he confessed. "Silly remark, you
+know."
+
+"Well, I hope she doesn't marry him," said Miss Guile.
+
+"So do I," said R. Schmidt, and their eyes met. After a moment, she
+looked away, her first surrender to the mysterious something that lay
+deep in his.
+
+"It would prove that all American girls are not so black as they're
+painted, wouldn't it?" she said, striving to regain the ground she had
+lost by that momentary lapse.
+
+"Pray do not overlook the fact that I am half American," he said. "You
+must not expect me to say that they paint at all."
+
+"Schmidt is a fine old American name," she mused, the mischief back in
+her eyes.
+
+"And so is Bedelia," said he.
+
+"Will you pardon me, Mr. Schmidt, if I express surprise that you speak
+English without the tiniest suggestion of an accent?"
+
+"I will pardon you for everything and anything, Miss Guile," said he,
+quite too distinctly. She drew back in her chair and the light of
+raillery died in her eyes.
+
+"What an imperial sound it has!"
+
+"And why not? The R stands for Rex."
+
+"Ah, that accounts for the King's English!"
+
+"Certainly," he grinned. "The king can do no wrong, don't you see?"
+
+"Your servant who was here speaks nothing but the King's English, I
+perceive. Perhaps that accounts for a great deal."
+
+"Hobbs? I mean to say,'Obbs? I confess that he has taught me many
+tricks of the tongue. He is one of the crown jewels."
+
+Suddenly, and without reason, she appeared to be bored. As a matter of
+fact, she hid an incipient yawn behind her small gloved hand.
+
+"I think I shall go to my room. Will you kindly unwrap me, Mr. Schmidt?"
+
+He promptly obeyed, and then assisted her to her feet, steadying her
+against the roll of the vessel.
+
+"I shall pray for continuous rough weather," he announced, with as
+gallant a bow as could be made under the circumstances.
+
+"Thank you," she said, and he was pleased to take it that she was not
+thanking him for a physical service.
+
+A few minutes later he was in his own room, and she was in hers, and
+the promenade deck was as barren as the desert of Sahara.
+
+He found Count Quinnox stretched out upon his bed, attended not only by
+Hobbs but also the reanimated Dank. The crumpled message lay on the
+floor.
+
+"I'm glad you waited awhile," said the young lieutenant, getting up
+from the trunk on which he had been sitting. "If you had come any
+sooner you would have heard words fit only for a soldier to hear. It
+really was quite appalling."
+
+"He's better now," said Hobbs, more respectfully than was his wont. It
+was evident that he had sustained quite a shock.
+
+"Well, what do you think of it?" demanded the Prince, pointing to the
+message.
+
+"Of all the confounded impudence--" began the Count healthily, and then
+uttered a mighty groan of impotence. It was clear that he could not do
+justice to the occasion a second time.
+
+Robin picked up the Marconigram, and calmly smoothed out the crinkles.
+Then he read it aloud, very slowly and with extreme disgust in his fine
+young face. It was a lengthy communication from Baron Romano, the Prime
+Minister in Edelweiss.
+
+"'Preliminary agreement signed before hearing Blithers had bought
+London, Paris, Berlin. He cables his immediate visit to G. Object now
+appears clear. All newspapers in Europe print despatches from America
+that marriage is practically arranged between R. and M. Interviews with
+Blithers corroborate reported engagement. Europe is amused. Editorials
+sarcastic. Price on our securities advance two points on confirmation
+of report. We are bewildered. Also vague rumour they have eloped, but
+denied by B. Dawsbergen silent. What does it all mean? Wire truth to
+me. People are uneasy. Gourou will meet you in Paris.'"
+
+[Illustration: "I shall pray for continuous rough weather"]
+
+In the adjoining suite, Miss Guile was shaking Mrs. Gaston out of a
+long-courted and much needed sleep. The poor lady sat up and blinked
+feebly at the excited, starry-eyed girl.
+
+"Wake up!" cried Bedelia impatiently. "What do you think? I have a
+perfectly wonderful suspicion--perfectly wonderful."
+
+"How can you be so unfeeling?" moaned the limp lady.
+
+"This R. Schmidt is Prince Robin of Graustark!" cried the girl
+excitedly. "I am sure of it--just as sure as can be."
+
+Mrs. Gaston's eyes were popping, not with amazement but alarm.
+
+"Do lie down, child," she whimpered. "Marie! The sleeping powders at
+once! Do--"
+
+"Oh, I'm not mad," cried the girl. "Now listen to me and I'll tell you
+why I believe--yes, actually believe him to be the--"
+
+"Marie, do you hear me?"
+
+Miss Guile shook her vigorously. "Wake up! It isn't a nightmare. Now
+listen!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE LIEUTENANT RECEIVES ORDERS
+
+
+The next day brought not only an agreeable change in the weather but a
+most surprising alteration in the manner of Mrs. Gaston, whose attitude
+toward R. Schmidt and his friends had been anything but amicable up to
+the hour of Miss Guile's discovery. The excellent lady, recovering very
+quickly from her indisposition became positively polite to the hitherto
+repugnant Mr. Schmidt. She melted so abruptly and so completely that
+the young man was vaguely troubled. He began to wonder if his incognito
+had been pierced, so to speak.
+
+It was not reasonable to suppose that Miss Guile was personally
+responsible for this startling transition from the inimical to the
+gracious on the part of her companion; the indifference of Miss Guile
+herself was sufficient proof to the contrary. Therefore, when Mrs.
+Gaston nosed him out shortly after breakfast and began to talk about
+the beautiful day in a manner so thoroughly respectful that it savoured
+of servility, he was taken-aback, flabbergasted. She seemed to be on
+the point of dropping her knee every time she spoke to him, and there
+was an unmistakable tremor of excitement in her voice even when she
+confided to him that she adored the ocean when it was calm. He forbore
+asking when Miss Guile might be expected to appear on deck for her
+constitutional but she volunteered the information, which was neither
+vague nor yet definite. In fact, she said that Miss Guile would be up
+soon, and soon is a word that has a double meaning when applied to the
+movements of capricious womanhood. It may mean ten minutes and it may
+mean an hour and a half.
+
+Mrs. Gaston's severely critical eyes were no longer severe, albeit they
+were critical. She took him in from head to foot with the eye of an
+appraiser, and the more she took him in the more she melted, until at
+last in order to keep from completely dissolving, she said good-bye to
+him and hurried off to find Miss Guile.
+
+Now it is necessary to relate that Miss Guile had been particularly
+firm in her commands to Mrs. Gaston. She literally had stood the
+excellent lady up in a corner and lectured her for an hour on the
+wisdom of silence. In the first place, Mrs. Gaston was given to
+understand that she was not to breathe it to a soul that R. Schmidt was
+not R. Schmidt, and she was not to betray to him by word or sign that
+he was suspected of being the Prince of Graustark. Moreover, the
+exacting Miss Guile laid great stress upon another command: R. Schmidt
+was never to know that she was _not_ Miss Guile, but some one else
+altogether.
+
+"You're right, my dear," exclaimed Mrs. Gaston in an excited whisper as
+she burst in upon her fair companion, who was having coffee and toast
+in her parlour. The more or less resuscitated Marie was waiting to do
+up her mistress's hair, and the young lady herself was alluringly
+charming in spite of the fact that it was not already "done up." "He is
+the--er--he is just what you think."
+
+"Good heavens, you haven't gone and done it, have you," cried the girl,
+a slim hand halting with a piece of toast half way to her lips.
+
+"Gone and done it?"
+
+"You haven't been blabbing, have you?"
+
+"How can you say that to me? Am I not to be trusted? Am I so weak and--"
+
+"Don't cry, you old dear! Forgive me. But now tell me--absolutely--just
+what you've been up to. Don't mind Marie. She is French. She can always
+hold her tongue."
+
+"Well, I've been talking with him, that's all. I'm sure he is the
+Prince. No ordinary male could be as sweet and agreeable and sunny as--"
+
+"Stop!" cried Miss Guile, with a pretty moue, putting the tips of her
+fingers to her ears after putting the piece of toast into her mouth.
+"One would think you were a sentimental old maid instead of a
+cold-blooded, experienced, man-hating married woman."
+
+"You forget that I am a widow, my dear. Besides, it is disgusting for
+one to speak with one's mouth full of buttered toast. It--"
+
+"Oh, how I used to loathe you when you kept forever ding-donging at me
+about the way I ate when I was almost starving. Were you never a hungry
+little kid? Did you never lick jam and honey off your fingers and--"
+
+"Many and many a time," confessed Mrs. Gaston, beaming once more and
+laying a gentle, loving hand on the girl's shoulder. Miss Guile dropped
+her head over until her cheek rested on the caressing hand, and munched
+toast with blissful abandon.
+
+"Now tell me what you've been up to," she said, and Mrs. Gaston
+repeated every word of the conversation she had had with R. Schmidt,
+proving absolutely nothing but stoutly maintaining that her intuition
+was completely to be depended upon.
+
+"And, oh," she whispered in conclusion, "wouldn't it be perfectly
+wonderful if you two should fall in love with each other--"
+
+"Don't be silly!"
+
+"But you have said that if he should fall in love with you for yourself
+and not because--"
+
+"I have also said that I will not marry any man, prince, duke, king,
+count or anything else unless I am in love with him. Don't overlook
+that, please."
+
+"But he is really very nice. I should think you _could_ fall in love
+with him. Just think how it would please your father and mother. Just
+think--"
+
+"I won't be bullied!"
+
+"Am I bullying you?" in amazement.
+
+"No; but father tries to bully me, and you know it."
+
+"You must admit that the--this Mr. Schmidt is handsome, charming,
+bright--"
+
+"I admit nothing," said Miss Guile resolutely, and ordered Marie to
+dress her hair as carefully as possible. "Take as long as you like,
+Marie. I shall not go on deck for hours."
+
+"I--I told him you would be up soon," stammered the poor, man-hating
+ex-governess.
+
+"You did?" said Miss Guile, with what was supposed to be a deadly look
+in her eyes.
+
+"Well, he enquired," said the other.
+
+"Anything else?" domineered the beauty.
+
+"I forgot to mention one thing. He _did_ ask me if your name was really
+Bedelia."
+
+"And what did you tell him?" cried the girl, in sudden agitation.
+
+"I managed to tell him that it was," said Mrs. Gaston stiffly.
+
+"Good!" cried Miss Guile, vastly relieved, and not at all troubled over
+the blight that had been put upon a very worthy lady's conscience.
+
+When she appeared on deck long afterward, she found every chair
+occupied. A warm sun, a far from turbulent sea, and a refreshing breeze
+had brought about a marvellous transformation. Every one was happy,
+every one had come back from the grave to gloat over the grim reaper's
+failure to do his worst, although in certain cases he had been
+importuned to do it without hesitation.
+
+She made several brisk rounds of the deck; then, feeling that people
+were following her with their eyes,--admiringly, to be sure, but what
+of that?--she abandoned the pleasant exercise and sought the seclusion
+of the sunless corner where her chair was stationed. The ship's daily
+newspaper was just off the press and many of the loungers were reading
+the brief telegraphic news from the capitals of the world.
+
+During her stroll she passed several groups of men and women who were
+lightly, even scornfully employed in discussing an article of news
+which had to do with Mr. Blithers and the Prince of Graustark. Filled
+with an acute curiosity, she procured a copy of the paper from a
+steward, and was glancing at the head lines as she made her way into
+her corner. Double-leaded type appeared over the rumoured engagment of
+Miss Maud Applegate Blithers, the beautiful and accomplished daughter
+of the great capitalist, and Robin, Prince of Graustark. A queer little
+smile played about her lips as she folded the paper for future perusal.
+Turning the earner of the deck-building she almost collided with R.
+Schmidt, who stood leaning against the wall, scanning the little
+newspaper with eyes that were blind to everything else.
+
+"Oh!" she gasped.
+
+"I'm sorry," he exclaimed, crumpling the paper in his hand as he backed
+away, flushing. "Stupid of me. Good morning."
+
+"Good morning, Mr. Schmidt. It wasn't your fault. I should have looked
+where I was going. 'Stop, look and listen,' as they say at the railway
+crossing."
+
+"'Danger' is one of the commonest signs, Miss Guile. It lurks
+everywhere, especially around corners. I see you have a paper. It
+appears that Miss Blithers and the Prince are to be married after all."
+
+"Yes; it is quite apparent that the Blithers family intends to have a
+title at any cost," she said, and her eyes flashed.
+
+"Would you like to take a few turns, Miss Guile?" he inquired, a trace
+of nervousness in his manner. "I think I can take you safely over the
+hurdles and around the bunkers." He indicated the outstretched legs
+along the promenade deck and the immovable groups of chatterers along
+the rail.
+
+Before deciding, she shot an investigating glance into the corner. Mrs.
+Gaston was not only there but was engaged in conversation with the
+grey-moustached gentleman in a near-by chair. It required but half a
+glance to show that Mr. Totten was unmistakably interested in something
+the voluble lady had just said to him.
+
+"No, thank you, Mr. Schmidt," said Miss Guile hastily, and then hurried
+over to her chair, a distinct cloud on her smooth brow. Robin,
+considering himself dismissed, whirled and went his way, a dark flush
+spreading over his face. Never, in all his life, had he been quite so
+out of patience with the world as on this bright, sunny morning.
+
+Miss Guile's frown deepened when her abrupt appearance at Mrs. Gaston's
+side caused that lady to look up with a guilty start and to break off
+in the middle of a sentence that had begun with: "International
+marriages, as a rule, are--Oh!"
+
+Mr. Totten arose and bowed with courtly grace to the new arrival on the
+scene. He appeared to be immensely relieved.
+
+"A lovely morning, Miss Guile," he said as he stooped to arrange her
+rug. "I hear that you were not at all disturbed by yesterday's blow."
+
+"I was just telling Mr. Totten that you are a wonderful sailor," said
+Mrs. Gaston, a note of appeal in her voice. "He says his friend, Mr.
+Schmidt, is also a good sailor. Isn't it perfectly wonderful?"
+
+"I can't see anything wonderful about it," said Miss Guile, fixing the
+ex-governess with a look that seared.
+
+"We were speaking of this rumoured engagement of the Prince of
+Graustark and--er--what's the name?" He glanced at his newspaper. "Miss
+Blithers, of course. I enquired of Mrs.--er--Gaston if she happens to
+know the young lady. She remembers seeing her frequently as a very
+small child."
+
+"In Paris," said Mrs. Gaston. "One couldn't very well help seeing her,
+you know. She was the only child of the great Mr. Blithers, whose name
+was on every one's lips at the--"
+
+Miss Guile interrupted. "It would be like the great Mr. Blithers to buy
+this toy prince for his daughter--as a family plaything or human
+lap-dog, or something of the sort, wouldn't it?"
+
+Mr. Totten betrayed no emotion save amusement. Miss Guile was watching
+through half-closed eyes. There was a noticeable stiffening of the prim
+figure of Mrs. Gaston.
+
+"I've no doubt Mr. Blithers can afford to buy the most expensive of
+toys for his only child. You Americans go in for the luxuries of life.
+What could be more extravagant than the purchase of a royal lap-dog?
+The only drawback I can suggest is that the Prince might turn out to be
+a cur, and then where would Mr. Blithers be?"
+
+"It is more to the point to ask where Miss Blithers would be, Mr.
+Totten," said Miss Guile, with a smile that caused the fierce old
+warrior to afterwards declare to Dank that he never had seen a lovelier
+girl in all his life.
+
+"Ah, but we spoke of the Prince as a lap-dog or a cur, Miss Guile, not
+as a watch-dog," said he.
+
+"I see," said Miss Guile, after a moment. "He wouldn't sleep with one
+eye open. I see."
+
+"The lap of luxury is an enviable resting-place. I know of no prince
+who would despise it."
+
+"But a wife is sometimes a thing to be despised," said she.
+
+"Quite true," said Mr. Totten. "I've no doubt that the Prince of
+Graustark will despise his wife, and for that reason will be quite
+content to close both eyes and let her go on searching for her heart's
+desire."
+
+"She would be his Princess. Could he afford to allow his love of luxury
+to go as far as that?"
+
+"Quite as justifiably, I should say, as Mr. Blithers when he delivers
+his only child into--into bondage."
+
+"You were about to use another term."
+
+"I was, but I thought in time, Miss Guile."
+
+R. Schmidt sauntered briskly past at this juncture, looking neither to
+the right nor left. They watched him until he disappeared down the deck.
+
+"I think Mr. Schmidt is a perfectly delightful young man," said Mrs.
+Gaston, simply because she couldn't help it.
+
+"You really think he will marry Miss Blithers, Mr. Totten?" ventured
+Miss Guile.
+
+"He? Oh, I see--the Prince?" Mr. Totten came near to being no diplomat.
+"How should I know, Miss Guile?"
+
+"Of course! How _should_ you know?" she cried.
+
+Mr. Totten found something to interest him in the printed sheet and
+proceeded to read it with considerable avidity. Miss Guile smiled to
+herself and purposely avoided the shocked look in Mrs. Gaston's eyes.
+
+"Bouillon at last," cried the agitated duenna, and peremptorily
+summoned one of the tray-bearing stewards. "I am famished."
+
+Evidently Mr. Totten did not care for his mid-morning refreshment, for,
+with the most courtly of smiles, he arose and left them to their
+bouillon.
+
+"Here comes Mr. Schmidt," whispered Mrs. Gaston excitedly, a few
+moments later, and at once made a movement indicative of hasty
+departure.
+
+"Sit still," said Miss Guile peremptorily.
+
+R. Schmidt again passed them by without so much as a glance in their
+direction. There was a very sweet smile on Miss Guile's lips as she
+closed her eyes and lay back in her chair. Once, twice, thrice, even as
+many as six times R. Schmidt strode rapidly by their corner, his head
+high and his face aglow.
+
+At last a queer little pucker appeared on the serene brow of the far
+from drowsy young lady whose eyes peeped through half closed lids.
+Suddenly she threw off her rug and with a brief remark to her companion
+arose and went to her cabin. Mrs. Gaston followed, not from choice but
+because the brief remark was in the form of a command.
+
+Soon afterward, R. Schmidt who had been joined by Dank, threw himself
+into his chair with a great sigh of fatigue and said:
+
+"'Gad, I've walked a hundred miles since breakfast. Have you a match?"
+
+"Hobbs has made a very curious discovery," said the young lieutenant,
+producing his match-box. There was a perturbed look in his eyes.
+
+"If Hobbs isn't careful he'll discover a new continent one of these
+days. He is always discovering something," said Robin, puffing away at
+his pipe.
+
+"But this is really interesting. It seems that he was in the hold when
+Miss Guile's maid came down to get into one of her mistress's trunks.
+Now, the first letter in Guile is G, isn't it? Well, Hobbs says there
+are at least half-a-dozen trunks there belonging to the young lady and
+that all of them are marked with a large red B. What do you make of it?"
+
+The Prince had stopped puffing at his pipe.
+
+"Hobbs may be mistaken in the maid. Dank. It is likely that they are
+not Miss Guile's trunks, at all."
+
+"He appears to be absolutely sure of his ground. He heard the maid
+mention Miss Guile's name when she directed the men to get one of the
+trunks out of the pile. That's what attracted his attention. He
+confided to me that you are interested in the young lady, and therefore
+it was quite natural for him to be similarly affected. 'Like master,
+like man,' d'ye see?"
+
+"Really, you know, Dank, I ought to dismiss Hobbs," said Robin
+irritably. "He is getting to be a dreadful nuisance. Always nosing
+around, trying to--"
+
+"But after all, sir, you'll have to admit that he has made a puzzling
+discovery. Why should her luggage be marked with a B?"
+
+"I should say because her name begins with a B," said Robin shortly.
+
+"In that case, it isn't Guile."
+
+"Obviously." The young man was thinking very hard.
+
+"And if it isn't Guile, there must be an excellent reason for her
+sailing under a false name. She doesn't look like an adventuress."
+
+R. Schmidt rewarded this remark with a cold stare. "Would you mind
+telling me what she does look like, Dank?" he enquired severely.
+
+The lieutenant flushed. "I have not had the same opportunity for
+observation that you've enjoyed, sir, but I should say, off-hand, that
+she looks like a very dangerous young person."
+
+"Do you mean to imply that she is--er--not altogether what one would
+call right?"
+
+Dank grinned. "Don't you regard her as rather perilously beautiful?"
+
+"Oh, I see. That's what you mean. I suppose you got _that_ from Hobbs,
+too."
+
+"Not at all. I have an excellent pair of eyes."
+
+"What are you trying to get at, Dank?" demanded Robin abruptly.
+
+"I'm trying to get to the bottom of Miss Guile's guile, if it please
+your royal highness," said the lieutenant coolly. "It is hard to
+connect the B and the G, you know."
+
+"But why should we deny her a privilege that we are enjoying, all three
+of us? Are we not in the same boat?"
+
+"Literally and figuratively. That explains nothing, however."
+
+"Have you a theory?"
+
+"There are many that we could advance, but, of course, only one of them
+could be the right one, even if we were acute enough to include it in
+our list of guesses. She may have an imperative reason for not
+disclosing her identity. For instance, she may be running away to get
+married."
+
+"That's possible," agreed Robin.
+
+"But not probable. She may be a popular music-hall favourite, or one of
+those peculiarly clever creatures known as the American newspaper
+woman, against whom we have been warned. Don't you regard it as rather
+significant that of all the people on this ship she should be one to
+attach herself to the unrecognised Prince of Graustark? Put two and two
+together, sir, and--"
+
+"I find it singularly difficult to put one and one together, Dank,"
+said the Prince ruefully. "No; you are wrong in both of your guesses.
+I've encountered music-hall favourites and I can assure you she isn't
+one of them. And as for your statement that she attached herself to me,
+you were never so mistaken in your life. I give you my word, she
+doesn't care a hang whether I'm on the ship or clinging to a life
+preserver out there in the middle of the Atlantic. I have reason to
+know, Dank."
+
+"So be it," said Dank, but with doubt in his eyes. "You ought to know.
+I've never spoken to her, so--"
+
+"She thinks you are a dreadfully attractive chap, Dank," said Robin
+mischievously. "She said so only yesterday."
+
+Dank gave his prince a disgusted look, and smoked on in silence. His
+dignity was ruffled.
+
+"Her Christian name is Bedelia," ventured Robin, after a pause.
+
+"That doesn't get us anywhere," said Dank sourly.
+
+"And her mother is Irish."
+
+"Which accounts for those wonderful Irish blue eyes that--"
+
+"So you've noticed them, eh?"
+
+"Naturally."
+
+"I consider them a very dark grey."
+
+"I think we'd better get back to the luggage," said Dank hastily.
+"Hobbs thinks that she--"
+
+"Oh, Lord, Dank, don't tell me what Hobbs thinks," growled Robin. "Let
+her make use of all the letters in the alphabet if it pleases her. What
+is it to us? Moreover, she may be utilising a lot of borrowed trunks,
+who knows? Or B may have been her initial before she was divorced and--"
+
+"Divorced?"
+
+"--her maiden name restored," concluded Robin airily. "Simple
+deduction, Dank. Don't bother your head about her any longer. What we
+know isn't going to hurt us, and what we don't know isn't--"
+
+"Has it occurred to you that Russia may have set spies upon you--"
+
+"Nonsense!"
+
+"It isn't as preposterous as you--"
+
+"Come, old fellow, let's forget Miss Guile," cried Robin, slapping the
+lieutenant on the shoulder. "Let's think of the real peril,--Maud
+Applegate Blithers." He held up the ship's paper for Dank to see and
+then sat back to enjoy his companion's rage.
+
+An hour later Dank and Count Quinnox might have been seen seated side
+by side on the edge of a skylight at the tip-top of the ship's
+structure, engaged in the closest conversation. There was a troubled
+look in the old man's eyes and the light of adventure in those of his
+junior. The sum and substance of their discussion may be given in a
+brief sentence: Something would have to be done to prevent Robin from
+falling in love with the fascinating Miss Guile.
+
+"He is young enough and stubborn enough to make a fool of himself over
+her," the Count had said. "I wouldn't blame him, 'pon my soul I
+wouldn't. She is very attractive--ahem! You must be his safeguard,
+Dank. Go in and do as I suggest. You are a good looking chap and you've
+nothing to lose. So far as she is concerned, you are quite as well
+worth while as the fellow known as R. Schmidt. There's no reason why
+you shouldn't make the remainder of the passage pleasant for her, and
+at the same time enjoy yourself at nobody's expense."
+
+"They know by instinct, confound 'em," lamented Dank; "they know the
+real article, and you can't fool 'em. She knows that he is the high
+muck-a-muck in this party and she won't even look at me, you take my
+word for it."
+
+"At any rate, you can try, can't you?" said the Count impatiently.
+
+"Is it a command, sir?"
+
+"It is."
+
+"Very well, sir. I shall do my best."
+
+"We can't afford to have him losing his head over a pretty--er--a
+nobody, perhaps an adventuress,--at this stage of the game. I much
+prefer the impossible Miss Blithers, Dank, to this captivating unknown.
+At least we know who and what she is, and what she represents. But we
+owe it to our country and to Dawsbergen to see that he doesn't do
+anything--er--foolish. We have five days left of this voyage, Dank.
+They may be fatal days for him, if you do not come to the rescue."
+
+"They may be fatal days for me," said Dank, looking out over the ocean.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE LIEUTENANT REPORTS
+
+
+Five days later as the _Jupiter_ was discharging passengers at
+Plymouth, Count Quinnox and Lieutenant Dank stood well forward on the
+promenade deck watching the operations. The younger man was moody and
+distrait, an unusual condition for him but one that had been noticeably
+recurrent during the past two or three days. He pulled at his smart
+little moustache and looked out upon the world through singularly
+lack-lustre eyes. Something had gone wrong with him, and it was
+something that he felt in duty bound to lay before his superior, the
+grim old Minister of War and hereditary chief of the Castle Guard.
+Occasionally his sombre gaze shifted to a spot farther down the deck,
+where a young man and woman leaned upon the rail and surveyed the scene
+of activity below.
+
+"What is on your mind, Dank?" asked the Count abruptly. "Out with it."
+
+Dank started. "It's true, then? I _do_ look as much of a fool as I
+feel, eh?" There was bitterness in his usually cheery voice.
+
+"Feel like a fool, eh?" growled the old soldier.
+
+"Pretty mess I've made of the business," lamented Dank surlily.
+"Putting myself up as a contender against a fellow like Robin, and
+dreaming that I could win out, even for a minute! Good Lord, what an
+ass I am! Why we've only made it worse, Count. We've touched him with
+the spur of rivalry, and what could be more calamitous than that? From
+being a rather matter-of-fact, indifferent observer, he becomes a
+bewildering cavalier bent on conquest at any cost. I am swept aside as
+if I were a parcel of rags. For two days I stood between him and the
+incomparable Miss Guile. Then he suddenly arouses himself. My cake is
+dough. I am nobody. My feet get cold, as they say in America,--although
+I don't know why they say it. What has the temperature of one's feet to
+do with it? See! There they are. They are constantly together, walking,
+sitting, standing, eating, drinking, reading--_Eh bien!_ You have seen
+with your own eyes. The beautiful Miss Guile has bewitched our Prince,
+and my labour is not only lost but I myself am lost. _Mon dieu!_"
+
+The Count stared at him in perplexity for a moment. Then a look of
+surprise came into his eyes,--surprise not unmingled with scorn.
+
+"You don't mean to say, Dank, that you've fallen in love with her? Oh,
+you absurd fledgelings. Will you--"
+
+"Forgive my insolence, Count, but it is forty years since you were a
+fledgeling. You don't see things as you saw them forty years ago.
+Permit me to remind you that you are a grandfather."
+
+"Your point is well taken, my lad," said the Count, with a twinkle in
+his eye. "You can't help being young any more than I can help being
+old. Youth is perennial, old age a winding-sheet. I am to take it,
+then, that you've lost your heart to the fair--"
+
+"Why not?" broke in Dank fiercely. "Why should it appear incredible to
+you? Is she not the most entrancing creature in all the world? Is she
+not the most appealing, the most adorable, the most feminine of all her
+sex? Is it possible that one can be so old that it is impossible for
+him to feel the charm, the loveliness, the--"
+
+"For heaven's sake, Dank," said the old man in alarm, "don't
+gesticulate so wildly. People will think we are quarrelling. Calm
+yourself, my boy."
+
+"You set a task for me and I obey. You urge me to do my duty by
+Graustark. You tell me I am a handsome dog and irresistible. She will
+be overwhelmed by my manly beauty, my valour, my soldierly bearing,--so
+say you! And what is the outcome? I--I, the vain-glorious,--I am
+wrapped around her little finger so tightly that all the king's horses
+and all the king's men--"
+
+"Halt!" commanded his general softly. "You are turning tail like the
+veriest coward. Right about, face! Would you surrender to a slip of a
+girl whose only weapons are a pair of innocent blue eyes and a roguish
+smile? Be a man! Stand by your guns. Outwardly you are the equal of R.
+Schmidt, whose sole--"
+
+"That sounds very well, sir, but how can I take up arms against my
+Prince? He stands by _his_ guns--as you may see, sir,--and, dammit all,
+I'm no traitor. I've just got to stand by 'em with him. That rot about
+all being fair in love and war is the silliest--Oh, well, there's no
+use whining about it. I'm mad about her, and so is he. You can't--"
+
+The Count stopped him with a sharp gesture. A look of real concern
+appeared in his eyes.
+
+"Do you believe that he is actually in love with this girl?"
+
+"Heels over head," barked the unhappy lieutenant. "I've never seen a
+worse case."
+
+"This is serious--more serious than I thought."
+
+"It's horrible," declared Dank, but not thinking of the situation from
+the Count's point of view.
+
+"We do not know who or what she is. She may be--"
+
+"I beg your pardon, sir, but we do know what she is," said the other
+firmly. "You will not pretend to say that she is not a gentlewoman. She
+is cultured, refined--"
+
+"I grant all of that," said the Count. "I am not blind, Dank, But it
+seems fairly certain that her name is not Guile. We--"
+
+"Nor is his name Schmidt. That's no argument, sir."
+
+"Still we cannot take the chance, my lad. We must put an end to this
+fond adventure. Robin is our most precious possession. We must not--Why
+do you shake your head?"
+
+"We are powerless, sir. If he makes up his mind to marry Miss Guile,
+he'll do it in spite of anything we can do. That is, provided she is of
+the same mind."
+
+"God defend us, I fear you are right," groaned the old Count. "He has
+declared himself a hundred times, and he is a wilful lad. I recall the
+uselessness of the opposition that was set up against his lamented
+mother when she decided to marry Grenfell Lorry. 'Gad, sir, it was like
+butting into a stone wall. She said she _would_ and she did. I fear me
+that Robin has much of his mother in him."
+
+"Behold in me the first sacrifice," declaimed Dank, lifting his eyes
+heavenward.
+
+"Oh, you will recover," was the unsympathetic rejoinder. "It is for him
+that I fear, not for you."
+
+"Recover, sir?" in despair. "I fear you misjudge my humble heart--"
+
+"Bosh! Your heart has been through a dozen accidents of this character,
+Dank, and it is good for a hundred more. I'll rejoice when this voyage
+is ended and we have him safe on his way to Edelweiss."
+
+"That will not make the slightest difference, sir. If he sets his head
+to marry her he'll do it if we take him to the North Pole. All
+Graustark can't stop him,--nor old man Blithers either. Besides, he
+says he isn't going to Edelweiss immediately."
+
+"That is news to me."
+
+"I thought it would be. He came to the decision not more than two hours
+ago. He is determined to spend a couple of weeks at Interlaken."
+
+"Interlaken?"
+
+"Yes. Miss Guile expects to stop there for a fortnight after leaving
+Paris."
+
+"I must remonstrate with Robin--at once," declared the old man. "He is
+needed in Graustark. He must be made to realise the importance of--"
+
+"And what are you going to do if he declines to realise anything but
+the importance of a fortnight in the shadow of the Jungfrau?"
+
+"God help me, I don't know, Dank." The Count's brow was moist, and he
+looked anything but an unconquerable soldier.
+
+"I told him we were expected to reach home by the end of next week, and
+he said that a quiet fortnight in the Alps would make new men of all of
+us."
+
+"Do you mean to say he expects me to dawdle--"
+
+"More than that, sir. He also expects me to dawdle too. I shall
+probably shoot myself before the two weeks are over."
+
+"I have it! I shall take Mrs. Gaston into my confidence. It is the only
+hope, I fear. I shall tell her that he is--"
+
+"No hope there," said Dank mournfully.
+
+"Haven't you noticed how keen she is to have them together all the
+time? She's as wily as a fox. Never misses a chance. Hasn't it occurred
+to you to wonder why she drags you off on the slightest pretext when
+you happen to be in the way? She's done it a hundred times. Always
+leaving them alone together. My God, how I despise that woman! Not once
+but twenty times a day she finds an excuse to interfere when I am
+trying to get in a few words with Miss Guile. She's forever wanting me
+to show her the engine-room or the Captain's bridge or the wireless
+office or--why, by Jove, sir, it was only yesterday that she asked me
+to come and look at the waves. Said she'd found a splendid place to see
+them from, just as if the whole damned Atlantic wasn't full of 'em. And
+isn't she always looking for porpoises on the opposite side of the
+ship? And how many whales and ice-bergs do you think she's been trying
+to find in the last five days? No, sir! There's no hope there!"
+
+"'Pon my soul!" was all that the poor Minister of War, an adept in
+strategy, was able to exclaim.
+
+The _Jupiter_ disgorged most of her passengers at Cherbourg and the
+descent upon Paris had scarcely begun when the good ship steamed away
+for Antwerp, Bremen and Hamburg. She was one of the older vessels in
+the vast fleet of ships controlled by the American All-Seas and
+All-Ports Company, and she called wherever there was a port open to
+trans-Atlantic navigation. She was a single factor in the great
+monopoly described as the "Billion Dollar Boast." The United States had
+been slow to recognise the profits of seas that were free, but when she
+did wake up she proceeded to act as if she owned them and all that
+therein lay. Her people spoke of the Gulf Stream as "ours"; of the
+Banks of Newfoundland as "ours"--or in some instances as "ourn"; of
+Liverpool, Hamburg, London, Bremen and other such places as "our
+European terminals"; and of the various oceans, seas and navigable
+waters as "a part of the system." Where once the Stars and Stripes were
+as rare as hummingbirds in Baffin's Bay, the flags were now so thick
+that they resembled Fourth of July decorations on Fifth avenue, and it
+was almost impossible to cross the Atlantic without dodging a hundred
+vessels on which Dixie was being played, coming and going. A man from
+New Hampshire declared, after one of his trips over and back, that he
+cheered the good old tune so incessantly that his voice failed on the
+third day out, both ways, and he had to voice his patriotism with a tin
+horn.
+
+Ships of the All-Seas and All-Ports Company fairly stuffed the harbours
+of the world. America was awake at last--wide awake!--and the necessity
+for prodding her was now limited to the task of putting her to sleep
+long enough to allow other nations a chance to scrape together enough
+able bodied seamen to man the ships.
+
+William W. Blithers was one of the directors of the All-Seas and
+All-Ports Company. He was the first American to awake.
+
+For some unaccountable reason Miss Guile and her companion preferred to
+travel alone to Paris. They had a private compartment, over which a
+respectful but adamantine conductor exercised an authority that
+irritated R. Schmidt beyond expression. The rest of the train was
+crowded to its capacity, and here was desirable space going to waste in
+the section occupied by the selfish Miss Guile. He couldn't understand
+it in her. Was it, after all, to be put down as a simple steamer
+encounter? Was she deliberately snubbing him, now that they were on
+land? Was he, a prince of the royal blood, to be tossed aside by this
+purse-proud American as if he were the simplest of simpletons? And what
+did she mean by stationing an officious hireling before her door to
+order him away when he undertook to pay her a friendly visit?--to offer
+his own and Hobbs' services in case they were needed in Paris. Why
+should she lock her confounded door anyway,--and draw the curtains?
+There were other whys too numerous to mention, and there wasn't an
+answer to a single one of them. The whole proceeding was
+incomprehensible.
+
+To begin with, she certainly made no effort to conceal the fact that
+she was trying to avoid him from the instant the tender drew alongside
+to take off the passengers. As a matter of fact, she seemed to be
+making a point of it. And yet, the evening before, she had appeared
+rather enchanted with the prospect of seeing him at Interlaken.
+
+It was not until the boat-train was nearing the environs of Paris that
+Hobbs threw some light over the situation, with the result that it
+instantly became darker than ever before. It appears that Miss Guile
+was met at the landing by a very good-looking young man who not only
+escorted her to the train but actually entered it with her, and was
+even now enjoying the luxury of a private compartment as well as the
+contents of a large luncheon hamper, to say nothing of an uninterrupted
+view of something far more inspiring than the scenery.
+
+"Frenchman?" inquired Dank listlessly.
+
+"American, I should say, sir," said Hobbs, balancing himself in the
+corridor outside the door and sticking his head inside with more
+confidence than a traveller usually feels when travelling from
+Cherbourg to Paris. "But I wouldn't swear to it, sir. I didn't 'ear a
+word he said, being quite some distance away at the time. Happearances
+are deceptive, as I've said a great many times. A man may look like an
+American and still be almost anything else, see wot I mean? On the
+other hand, a man may look like almost nothing and still be American to
+his toes. I remember once saying to--"
+
+"That's all right, Hobbs," broke in R. Schmidt sternly. "We also
+remember what you said, so don't repeat it. How soon do we get in?"
+
+Hobbs cheerfully looked at his watch. "I couldn't say positive, sir,
+but I should think in about fourteen and a 'alf minutes, or maybe a
+shade under--between fourteen and fourteen and a 'alf, sir. As I was
+saying, he was a most intelligent looking chap, sir, and very 'andsome
+of face and figger. Between twenty-four and twenty-five, I dare say.
+Light haired, smooth-faced, quite tall and dressed in dark blue with a
+cravat, sir, that looked like cerise but may have been--"
+
+"For heaven's sake, Hobbs, let up!" cried Robin, throwing up his hands.
+
+"Yes, sir; certainly, sir. Did I mention that he wears a straw 'at with
+a crimson band on it? Well, if I didn't, he does. Hincidentally, they
+seemed greatly pleased to see each other. He kissed her hand, and
+looked as though he might have gone even farther than that if it 'adn't
+been for the crowd--"
+
+"That will do!" said Robin sharply, a sudden flush mounting to his
+cheek.
+
+"Very good, sir. Shall I get the bags down for the porters, sir? I beg
+pardon, sir,--" to one of the three surly gentlemen who sat facing the
+travellers from Graustark,--"my fault entirely. I don't believe it is
+damaged, sir. Allow me to--"
+
+"Thank you," growled the stranger. "I can put it on myself," and he
+jerked his hat out of Hobbs' hand and set it at a rather forbidding
+angle above a lowering brow. "Look what you're doing after this, will
+you?"
+
+"Certainly, sir," said Hobbs agreeably. "It's almost impossible to see
+without eyes in the back of one's head, don't you know. I 'ope--"
+
+"All right, _all_ right!" snapped the man, glaring balefully. "And let
+me tell you something else, my man. Don't go about knocking Americans
+without first taking a look. Just bear that in mind, will you?"
+
+"The surest way is to listen," began Hobbs loftily, but, catching a
+look from his royal master, desisted. He proceeded to get down the hand
+luggage.
+
+At the Gare St. Lazare, Robin had a brief glimpse of Miss Guile as she
+hurried with the crowd down to the cab enclosure, where her escort, the
+alert young stranger, put her into a waiting limousine, bundled Mrs.
+Gaston and Marie in after her, and then dashed away, obviously to see
+their luggage through the _douane_.
+
+She espied the tall figure of her fellow voyager near the steps and
+leaned forward to wave a perfunctory farewell to him. The car was
+creeping out toward the packed thoroughfare. It is possible that she
+expected him to dash among the chortling machines, at risk of life or
+limb, for a word or two at parting. If so, she was disappointed. He
+remained perfectly still, with uplifted hat, a faint smile on his lips
+and not the slightest sign of annoyance in his face. She smiled
+securely to herself as she leaned back in the seat, and was satisfied!
+Curiosity set its demand upon her an instant later, however, and she
+peered slyly through the little window in the back. He lifted his hat
+once more and she flushed to her throat as she quickly drew back into
+the corner. How in the world could he have seen her through that
+abominable slit in the limousine? And why was he now grinning so
+broadly?
+
+Count Quinnox found him standing there a few minutes later, twirling
+his stick and smiling with his eyes. Accompanying the old soldier was a
+slight, sharp-featured man with keen black eyes and a thin, pointed
+moustache of grey.
+
+This man was Gourou, Chief of Police and Commander of the Tower in
+Edelweiss, successor to the celebrated Baron Dangloss. After he had
+greeted his prince, the quiet little man announced that he had reserved
+for him an apartment at the Bristol.
+
+"I am instructed by the Prime Minister, your highness, to urge your
+immediate return to Edelweiss," he went on, lowering his voice. "The
+people are disturbed by the reports that have reached us during the
+past week or two, and Baron Romano is convinced that nothing will serve
+to subdue the feeling of uneasiness that prevails except your own
+declaration--in person--that these reports arc untrue."
+
+"I shall telegraph at once to Baron Romano that it is all poppy-cock,"
+said Robin easily. "I refer, of course, to the reported engagement. I
+am not going to marry Miss Blithers and that's all there is to be said.
+You may see to it, baron, that a statement is issued to all of the
+Paris newspapers to-day, and to the correspondents for all the great
+papers in Europe and America. I have prepared this statement, under my
+own signature, and it is to be the last word in the matter. It is in my
+pocket at this instant. You shall have it when we reach the hotel--And
+that reminds me of another thing. I'm sorry that I shall have to ask
+you to countermand the reservation for rooms at the hotel you mention.
+I have already reserved rooms at the Ritz,--by wireless. We shall stop
+there. Where is Dank?"
+
+"The Ritz is hardly the place for--"
+
+But Robin clapped him on the back and favoured him with the
+good-natured, boyish smile that mastered even the fiercest of his
+counsellors, and the Minister of Police, being an astute man, heaved a
+deep sigh of resignation.
+
+"Dank is looking after the trunks, highness, and Hobbs is coming along
+with the hand luggage," he said. "The Ritz, you say? Then I shall have
+to instruct Lieutenant Dank to send the luggage there instead of to the
+Bristol. Pardon, your highness." He was off like a flash.
+
+Count Quinnox was gnawing his moustache. "See here, Robin," he said,
+laying his hand on the young man's shoulder, "you are in Paris now and
+not on board a ship at sea. Miss Guile is a beautiful, charming, highly
+estimable young woman, and, I might as well say it straight out to your
+face, you ought not to subject her to the notoriety that is bound to
+follow if the newspapers learn that she is playing around Paris, no
+matter how innocently, with a prince whom--"
+
+"Just a moment, Count," interrupted Robin, a cold light in his now
+unsmiling eyes. "You are getting a little ahead of the game. Miss Guile
+is not going to the Ritz, nor do I expect her to play around Paris with
+me. As a matter of fact, she refused to tell me where she is to stop
+while here, and I am uncomfortably certain that I shall not see her
+unless by chance. On the other hand, I may as well be perfectly frank
+with you and say it straight out to _your_ face that I am going to try
+to find her if possible, but I am not mean enough to employ the methods
+common to such enterprises. I could have followed her car in another
+when she left here a few minutes ago; I could manage in a dozen ways to
+run her to earth, as the detectives do in the books, but I'd be ashamed
+to look her in the face if I did any of these things. I shall take a
+gentleman's chance, my dear Count, and trust to luck and the generosity
+of fate. You may be sure that I shall not annoy Miss Guile, and you may
+be equally sure that she--"
+
+"I beg your pardon, Robin, but I did not employ the word annoy,"
+protested the Count.
+
+"--that she takes me for a gentleman if not for a prince," went on
+Robin, deliberately completing the sentence before he smiled his
+forgiveness upon the old man. "I selected the Ritz because all rich
+Americans go there, I'm told. I'm taking a chance."
+
+Quinnox had an obstinate strain in his make-up. He continued: "There is
+another side to the case, my boy. As a gentleman, you cannot allow this
+lovely girl to--er--well, to fall in love with you. That would be
+cruel, wantonly cruel. And it is just the thing that is bound to happen
+if you go on with--"
+
+"My dear Count, you forget that I am only R. Schmidt to her and but one
+of perhaps a hundred young men who have placed her in the same perilous
+position. Moreover, it's the other way 'round, sir. It is I who take
+the risk, not Miss Guile. I regret to say, sir, that if there is to be
+any falling in love, I am the one who is most likely to fall, and to
+fall hard. You assume that Miss Guile is heart-whole and fancy free.
+'Gad, I wish that I could be sure of it!" He spoke with such fervour
+that the Count was indeed dismayed.
+
+"Robin, my lad, I beg of you to consider the consequences that--"
+
+"There's no use discussing it, old friend. Trust to luck. There is a
+bully good chance that she will send me about my business when the time
+comes and then the salvation of Graustark will be assured." He said it
+lightly but there was a dark look in his eyes that belied the jaunty
+words.
+
+"Am I to understand that you intend to--to ask her to marry you?"
+demanded the Count, profoundly troubled. "Remember, boy, that you are
+the Prince of Graustark, that you--"
+
+"But I'm not going to ask her to marry the Prince of Graustark. I'm
+going to ask her to marry R. Schmidt," said Robin composedly.
+
+"God defend us, Robin, I--I--"
+
+"God has all he can do to defend us from William W. Blithers, Count.
+Don't ask too much of him. What kind of a nation are we if we can't get
+along without asking God to defend us every time we see trouble ahead?
+And do you suppose he is going to defend us against a slip of a girl--"
+
+"Enough! Enough!" cried the Count, compressing his lips and glaring
+straight ahead.
+
+"That's the way to talk," cried Robin enthusiastically. "By the way, I
+hope Dank is clever enough to find out who that young fellow is while
+they are clearing the luggage in there. I had a good look at him just
+now. He is all that Hobbs describes and a little more. He is a hustler."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE RED LETTER B
+
+
+In the Baron's room at the Ritz late that night there was held a secret
+conference. Two shadowy figures stole down the corridor at midnight and
+were admitted to the room, while Prince Robin slept soundly in his
+remote four-poster and dreamed of something that brought a gentle smile
+to his lips.
+
+The three conspirators were of the same mind: it was clear that
+something must be done. But what? That was the question. Gourou
+declared that the people were very much disturbed over the trick the
+great capitalist had played upon the cabinet; there were sullen threats
+of a revolt if the government insisted on the deposit of bonds as
+required by the agreement. More than that, there were open declarations
+that the daughter of Mr. Blithers would never be permitted to occupy
+the throne of Graustark. Deeply as his subjects loved the young Prince,
+they would force him to abdicate rather than submit to the desecration
+of a throne that had never been dishonoured. They would accept William
+W. Blithers' money, but they would have none of William W. Blithers'
+daughter. That was more than could be expected of any self-respecting
+people! According to the Minister of Police, the name of Blithers was
+already a common synonym for affliction--and frequently employed in
+supposing a malediction. It signified all that was mean, treacherous,
+scurrilous. He was spoken of through clenched teeth as "the blood
+sucker." Children were ominously reproved by the threatening use of the
+word Blithers. "Blithers will get you if you don't wash your face," and
+all that sort of thing.
+
+There was talk in some circles of demanding the resignation of the
+cabinet, but even the pessimistic Gourou admitted that it was idle talk
+and would come to nothing if the menacing shadow of Maud Applegate
+Blithers could be banished from the vicinity of the throne.
+Graustarkians would abide by the compact made by their leading men and
+would be content to regard Mr. Blithers as a bona fide creditor. They
+would pay him in full when the loan matured, even though they were
+compelled to sacrifice their houses in order to accomplish that end.
+But, like all the rest of the world, they saw through the rich
+American's scheme.
+
+The world knew, and Graustark knew, just what Mr. Blithers was after,
+and the worst of it all was that Mr. Blithers also knew, which was more
+to the point. But, said Baron Gourou, Graustark knew something that
+neither the world nor Mr. Blithers knew, and that was its own mind.
+Never, said he, would Maud Applegate be recognised as the Princess of
+Graustark, not if she lived for a thousand years and married Robin as
+many times as she had hairs on her head. At least, he amended, that was
+the way every one felt about it at present.
+
+The afternoon papers had published the brief statement prepared by
+Robin in the seclusion of his stateroom on board the _Jupiter_
+immediately after a most enjoyable hour with Miss Guile. It was a curt
+and extremely positive denial of the rumoured engagement, with the
+additional information that he never had seen Miss Blithers and was
+more or less certain that she never had set eyes on him.
+
+A rather staggering co-incidence appeared with the published report
+that Miss Blithers herself was supposed to be somewhere in Europe, word
+having been received that day from sources in London that she had
+sailed from New York under an assumed name. The imaginative French
+journals put two and two together and dwelt upon the possibility that
+the two young people who had never seen each other might have crossed
+the Atlantic on the same steamer, seeing each other frequently and yet
+remaining entirely in the dark, so to speak. Inspired writers began to
+weave a romance out of the probabilities.
+
+On one point Robin was adamantine. He refused positively to have his
+identity disclosed at this time, and Gourou had to say to the
+newspapers that the Prince was even then on his way to Vienna, hurrying
+homeward as fast as steel cars could carry him. He admitted that the
+young man had arrived on the _Jupiter_ that morning, having remained in
+the closest seclusion all the way across the Atlantic.
+
+This equivocation necessitated the most cautious rearrangement of plans
+on the part of the Baron. He was required to act as though he had no
+acquaintance with either of the three travellers stopping at the Ritz,
+although for obvious reasons he took up a temporary abode there
+himself. Moreover, he had to telegraph the Prime Minister in Edelweiss
+that the Prince was not to be budged, and would in all likelihood
+postpone his return to the capitol. All of which stamped the honest
+Baron as a most prodigious liar, if one stops to think of what he said
+to the reporters.
+
+The newspapers also printed a definite bit of news in the shape of a
+despatch from New York to the effect that Mr. and Mrs. William W.
+Blithers were sailing for Europe on the ensuing day, bound for
+Graustark!
+
+However, the chief and present concern of the three loyal gentlemen in
+midnight conclave was not centred in the trouble that Mr. Blithers had
+started, but in the more desperate situation created by Miss Guile. She
+was the peril that now confronted them, and she was indeed a peril.
+Quinnox and Dank explained the situation to the Minister of Police, and
+the Minister of Police admitted that the deuce was to pay.
+
+"There is but one way out of it," said he, speaking officially, "and
+that is the simplest one I know of."
+
+"Assassination, I suppose," said Dank scornfully.
+
+"It rests with me, gentlemen," said the Baron, ignoring the
+lieutenant's remark, "to find Miss Guile and take her into my
+confidence in respect--"
+
+"No use," said Dank, and, to his surprise, the Count repeated the words
+after him.
+
+"Miss Guile is a lady. Baron," said the latter gloomily. "You cannot go
+to her with a command to clear out, keep her hands off, or any such
+thing. She would be justified in having you kicked out of the house. We
+must not annoy Miss Guile. That is quite out of the question."
+
+"By jove!" exclaimed Dank, so loudly that his companions actually
+jumped in their seats. They looked at him in amazement,--the Count with
+something akin to apprehension in his eyes. Had the fellow lost his
+mind over the girl? Before they could ask what he meant by shouting at
+the top of his voice, he repeated the ejaculation, but less
+explosively. His eyes were bulging and his mouth remained agape.
+
+"What ails you, Dank?" demanded the Baron, removing his eyes from the
+young man's face long enough to glance fearfully at the transom.
+
+"I've--I've got it!" cried the soldier, and then sank back in his
+chair, quite out of breath. The Baron got up and took a peep into the
+hallway, and then carefully locked the door. "What are you locking the
+door for?" demanded Dank, sitting up suddenly. "It's only a theory that
+I've got--but it is wonderful. Absolutely staggering."
+
+"Oh!" said Gourou, but he did not unlock the door. "A theory, eh?" He
+came back and stood facing the young man.
+
+"Count," began Dank excitedly, "you remember the big red letter B on
+all of her trunks, don't you? Hobbs is positive he--"
+
+Count Quinnox sprang to his feet and banged the table with his fist.
+
+"By jove!" he shouted, suddenly comprehending.
+
+"The letter B?" queried Gourou, perplexed.
+
+"The newspapers say that she sailed from New York under an assumed
+name," went on Dank, thrilled by his own amazing cleverness. "There you
+are! Plain as day. The letter B explains everything. Now we know who
+Miss Guile really is. She's--"
+
+"Maud" exclaimed Quinnox, sinking back into his chair.
+
+"Miss Blithers!" cried Gourou, divining at last. "By jove!" And thus
+was the jovian circle completed.
+
+It was two o'clock before the three gentlemen separated and retired to
+rest, each fully convinced that the situation was even more complicated
+than before, for in view of this new and most convincing revelation
+there now could be no adequate defence against the alluring Miss Guile.
+
+Robin was informed bright and early the next morning. In fact, he was
+still in his pajamas when the news was carried to him by the exhausted
+Dank, who had spent five hours in bed but none in slumber. Never in all
+his ardent career had the smart lieutenant been so bitterly afflicted
+with love-sickness as now.
+
+"I don't believe a word of it," said the Prince, promptly. "You've been
+dreaming, old chap."
+
+"That letter B isn't a dream, is it?"
+
+"No, it isn't," said Robin, and instantly sat up in bed, his face very
+serious. "If she should turn out to be Miss Blithers, I've cooked my
+goose to a crisp. Good Lord, when I think of some of the things I said
+to her about the Blithers family! But wait! If she is Miss Blithers do
+you suppose she'd sit calmly by and hear the family ridiculed? No, sir!
+She would have taken my head off like a flash. She--"
+
+"I've no doubt she regarded the situation as extremely humorous," said
+Dank, "and laughed herself almost sick over the way she was fooling
+you."
+
+"That might sound reasonable enough, Dank, if she had known who I was.
+But where was the fun in fooling an utter outsider like R. Schmidt? It
+doesn't hold together."
+
+"Americans have an amazing notion of humour, I am reliably informed.
+They appear to be able to see a joke under the most distressing
+circumstances. I'll stake my head that she is Miss Blithers."
+
+"I can't imagine anything more terrible," groaned Robin, lying down
+flat again and staring at the ceiling.
+
+"I shouldn't call her terrible," protested Dank, rather stiffly.
+
+"I refer to the situation, Dank,--the mess, in other words. It _is_ a
+mess, isn't it?"
+
+"I suppose you'll see nothing more of her, your highness," remarked
+Dank, a sly hope struggling in his breast.
+
+"You'd better put it the other way. She'll see nothing more of me,"
+lugubriously.
+
+"I mean to say, sir, you can't go on with it, can you?"
+
+"Go on with what?"
+
+"The--er--you know," floundered Dank.
+
+"If there is really anything to go on with, Dank, I'll go on with it,
+believe me."
+
+The lieutenant stared. "But if she _should_ be Miss Blithers, what
+then?"
+
+"It might simplify matters tremendously," said Robin, but not at all
+confidently. "I think I'll get up, Dank, if you don't mind. Call Hobbs,
+will you? And, I say, won't you have breakfast up here with me?"
+
+"I had quite overlooked breakfast, 'pon my soul, I had," said Dank, a
+look of pain in his face. "No wonder I have a headache, going without
+my coffee so long."
+
+Later on, while they were breakfasting in Robin's sitting room, Hobbs
+brought in the morning newspapers. He laid one of them before the
+Prince, and jabbed his forefinger upon a glaring headline.
+
+"I beg pardon, sir; I didn't mean to get it into the butter. Very
+awkward, I'm sure. Hi, _garcon!_ Fresh butter 'ere, and lively about
+it, too. _Buerre!_ That's the word--buttah."
+
+Robin and Dank were staring at the headline as if fascinated. Having
+successfully managed the butter, Hobbs at once restored his attention
+to the headline, reading it aloud, albeit both of the young men were
+capable of reading French at sight. He translated with great profundity.
+
+"'Miss Blithers Denies Report. Signed Statement Mysteriously Received.
+American Heiress not to wed Prince of Graustark.' Shall I read the
+harticle, sir?"
+
+Robin snatched up the paper and read aloud for himself. Hobbs merely
+wiped a bit of butter from his finger and listened attentively.
+
+The following card appeared at the head of the column, and was
+supplemented by a complete resume of the Blithers-Graustark muddle:
+
+"Miss Blithers desires to correct an erroneous report that has appeared
+in the newspapers. She is not engaged to be married to the Prince of
+Graustark, nor is there even the remotest probability that such will
+ever be the case. Miss Blithers regrets that she has not the honour of
+Prince Robin's acquaintance, and the Prince has specifically stated in
+the public prints that he does not know her by sight. The statements of
+the two persons most vitally affected by this disturbing rumour should
+be taken as final. Sufficient pain and annoyance already has been
+caused by the malicious and utterly groundless report." The name of
+Maud Applegate Blithers was appended to the statement, and it was dated
+Paris, August 29.
+
+Thereafter followed a lengthy description of the futile search for the
+young lady in Paris, and an interview with the local representatives of
+Mr. Blithers, all of whom declared that the signature was genuine, but
+refused to commit themselves further without consulting their employer.
+They could throw no light upon the situation, even going so far as to
+declare that they were unaware of the presence of Miss Blithers in
+Paris.
+
+It appears that the signed statement was left in the counting-rooms of
+the various newspapers by a heavily veiled lady at an hour agreed upon
+as "about ten o'clock." There was absolutely no clue to the identity of
+this woman.
+
+Instead of following the suggestion of Miss Blithers that "sufficient
+pain and annoyance already had been caused," the journalists proceeded
+to increase the agony by venturing the hope that fresh developments
+would materialise before the day was done.
+
+"Well, she appears to be here," said Robin, as he laid down the last of
+the three journals and stared at Dank as if expecting hope from that
+most unreliable source.
+
+"I suppose you will now admit that I am right about the letter B," said
+Dank sullenly.
+
+"When I see Miss Guile I shall ask point blank if she is Maud
+Applegate, Dank, and if she says she isn't, I'll take her word for it,"
+said Robin.
+
+"And if she says she is?"
+
+"Well," said the Prince, ruefully, "I'll still take her word for it."
+
+"And then?"
+
+"Then I shall be equally frank and tell her that I am Robin of
+Graustark. That will put us all square again, and we'll see what comes
+of it in the end."
+
+"You don't mean to say you'll--you'll continue as you were?" gasped
+Dank.
+
+"That depends entirely on Miss Guile, Boske."
+
+"But you wouldn't dare to marry Maud Applegate Blithers, sir. You would
+be driven out of Graustark and--"
+
+"I think that would depend a good deal on Miss Guile, too, old chap,"
+said Robin coolly.
+
+Dank swallowed very hard. "I want to be loyal to you, your highness,"
+he said as if he did not think it would be possible to remain so.
+
+"I shall count on you, Dank," said Robin earnestly.
+
+"But--" began the lieutenant, and then stopped short.
+
+"Let me finish it for you. You don't feel as though you could be loyal
+to Miss Blithers, is that it?"
+
+"I think that would depend on Miss Blithers," said Dank, and then
+begged to be excused. He went out of the room rather hurriedly.
+
+"Well, Hobbs," said Robin, after his astonishment had abated, "what do
+_you_ think of it?"
+
+"I think he's in love with her, sir," said Hobbs promptly.
+
+"Good Lord! with--with Miss Guile?"
+
+"Precisely so, sir."
+
+"Well, I'll be _darned!_" said the American half of Prince Robin with
+great fervour.
+
+"Tut, tut, sir," reproved Hobbs, who, as has been said before, was a
+privileged character by virtue of long service and his previous calling
+as a Cook's interpreter. "Are you going out, sir?"
+
+"Yes. I'm going out to search the highways and by-ways for Bedelia,"
+said Robin, a gay light in his eyes. "By the way, did you, by any
+chance, learn the name of the 'andsome young gent as went away with
+'er, 'Obbs?"
+
+"I did not, sir. I stood at his helbow for quite some time at the Gare
+St. Lazare and the only words he spoke that I could hear distinctly was
+'wot the devil do you mean, me man? Ain't there room enough for you
+here without standing on my toes like that? Move hover.' Only, of
+course, sir, he used the haspirates after a fashion of his own. The
+haitches are mine, sir."
+
+"Is he an American?"
+
+"It's difficult to say, sir. He may be from Boston, but you never can
+tell, sir."
+
+"Do you know Boston, Hobbs?" inquired the Prince, adjusting his tie
+before the mirror.
+
+"Not to speak it, sir," said Hobbs.
+
+The day was warm and clear, and Paris was gleaming. Robin stretched his
+long legs in a brisk walk across the Place Vendome and up the Rue de la
+Paix to the Boulevard. Here he hesitated and then retraced his steps
+slowly down the street of diamonds, for he suspected Miss Guile of
+being interested in things that were costly. Suddenly inspired, he made
+his way to the Place de la Concorde and settled himself on one of the
+seats near the entrance to the Champs Elysees. It was his shrewd
+argument that if she planned a ride on that exquisite morning it
+naturally would be along the great avenue, and in that event he might
+reasonably hope to catch her coming or going. A man came up and took a
+seat beside him.
+
+"Good morning, Mr. Schmidt," said the newcomer, and Robin somewhat
+gruffly demanded what the deuce he meant by following him. "I have some
+interesting news," said Baron Gourou quietly, removing his hat to wipe
+a damp brow. He also took the time to recover his breath after some
+rather sharp dodging of automobiles in order to attain his present
+position of security. Even a Minister of Police has to step lively in
+Paris.
+
+"From home?" asked Robin carelessly.
+
+"Indirectly. It comes through Berlin. Our special agent there wires me
+that the offices of Mr. Blithers in that city have received
+instructions from him to send engineers to Edelweiss for the purpose of
+estimating the cost of remodelling and rebuilding the castle,--in other
+words to restore it to its condition prior to the Marlanx rebellion
+fifteen years ago."
+
+There was a tantalising smile on the Baron's face as he watched the
+changing expressions in that of his Prince.
+
+"Are you in earnest?" demanded Robin, a bright red spot appearing in
+each cheek. The Baron nodded his head. "Well, he's got a lot of nerve!"
+
+"I shudder when I think of what is likely to happen to those architects
+when they begin snooping around the castle," said Gourou drily. "By the
+way, have you seen Miss Guile this morning?"
+
+Robin's cheeks were now completely suffused. "Certainly not."
+
+"She was in the Rue de la Paix half an hour ago. I thought you might--"
+
+"You saw her, Baron?"
+
+"Yes, highness, and it may interest you to know that she saw you."
+
+"The deuce you say! But how do you know that it was Miss Guile. You've
+no means of knowing."
+
+"It is a part of my profession to recognise people from given
+descriptions. In this case, however, the identification was rendered
+quite simple by the actions of the young lady herself. She happened to
+emerge from a shop just as you were passing and I've never seen any
+one, criminal or otherwise, seek cover as quickly as she did. She
+darted back into the shop like one pursued by the devil. Naturally I
+hung around for a few minutes to see the rest of the play. Presently
+she peered forth, looked stealthily up and down the street, and then
+dashed across the pavement to a waiting taxi-metre. It affords me
+pleasure to inform your highness that I took the number of the
+machine." He glanced at his cuff-band.
+
+"Where did she go from the Rue de la Paix?" asked Robin impatiently.
+
+"To the Ritz. I was there almost as soon as she. She handed an
+envelope--containing a letter, I fancy--to the carriage man and drove
+away in the direction of the Place de l'Opera. I have a sly notion, my
+Prince, that you will find a note awaiting you on your return to the
+hotel. Ah, you appear to be in haste, my young hunter."
+
+"I am in haste. If you expect to keep alongside, Baron, you'll have to
+run I'm afraid," cried the Prince, and was instantly in his
+seven-league boots.
+
+There was a note in Robin's rooms when he reached the hotel. It was not
+the delicately perfumed article that usually is despatched by fictional
+heroines but a rather business-like envelope bearing the well-known
+words "The New York Herald" in one corner and the name "R. Schmidt,
+Hotel Ritz," in firm but angular scrawl across its face. As Robin
+ripped it open with his finger, Baron Gourou entered the room, but not
+without giving vent to a slight cough in the way of an announcement.
+
+"You forget, highness, that I am a short man and not possessed of legs
+that travel by yards instead of feet," he panted. "Forgive me for
+lagging behind. I did my best to keep up with you."
+
+Robin stared at his visitor haughtily for a moment and then broke into
+a good-humoured laugh.
+
+"Won't you sit down, Baron? I'll be at liberty in a minute or two," he
+said, and coolly proceeded to scan the brief message from Miss Guile.
+
+"Well," said Gourou, as the young man replaced the letter in the
+envelope and stuck it into his pocket.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE CAT IS AWAY
+
+
+Robins's face was glowing with excitement. He put his hands in his
+trousers pockets and nervously jingled the coins therein, all the while
+regarding his Minister of Police with speculative eyes. Then he turned
+to the window and continued to stare down into the Place Vendome for
+several minutes, obviously turning something over in his mind before
+coming to a decision. The Baron waited. None knew better than he how to
+wait. He realised that a great deal hung upon the next few sentences to
+be uttered in that room, and yet he could be patient.
+
+At last Robin faced him, but without speaking. An instant later he
+impulsively withdrew the letter from his pocket and held it out to the
+Baron, who strode across the room and took it from his hand. Without a
+word, he extracted the single sheet of paper and read what was written
+thereon.
+
+"I gather from the nature of the invitation that you are expected to
+enjoy stolen fruit, if I may be so bold as to put it in just that way,"
+said he grimly. "Apparently Miss Guile finds the presence of a duenna
+unnecessarily wise."
+
+"There's no harm in a quiet little excursion such as she suggests,
+Baron," said Robin, defensively.
+
+"You forget that I have seen the beautiful Miss Guile," said Gourou
+drily. "I take it, then, that you approve of the young lady's scheme."
+
+"Scheme sounds rather sinister, doesn't it?"
+
+"Trick, if it please you more than the other. Moreover, I cannot say
+that she _suggests_ the quiet little excursion. It occurs to me that
+she commands, your highness." He held the missive to the light and
+read, a tender irony in his voice: "'My motor will call for you at
+three this afternoon, and we will run out to St. Cloud for tea; at the
+Pavilion Bleu. Mrs. Gaston is spending the day with relatives at
+Champigny, and we may as well be mice under the circumstances. If you
+have another engagement, pray do not let it interfere with the pleasure
+I am seeking.' Nothing could be more exacting, my dear Prince. She
+signs herself 'B. Guile,' and I am sure she is magnificently beguiling,
+if you will pardon the play on words."
+
+"You wouldn't adopt that tone of suspicion if you knew Miss Guile,"
+said Robin stiffly. "I am sure nothing could be more frank and
+above-board than her manner of treating the--"
+
+"And nothing so cock-sure and confident," put in the Baron. "It would
+serve her right if you ignored the letter altogether."
+
+"If I were as old as you, Baron, I haven't the least doubt that I
+should do so," said Robin coolly. "And by the same token, if you were
+as young as I, you'd do precisely the thing that I intend to do. I'm
+going to St. Cloud with her."
+
+"Oh, I haven't been in doubt about that for an instant," said Gourou.
+"At your age I greatly favoured the clandestine. You will not pretend
+to assume that this is not a clandestine excursion."
+
+"It's a jolly little adventure," was all that Robin could say, in his
+youthfulness.
+
+The Baron was thoughtful. "There is something behind this extraordinary
+behaviour on the part of a lady generally accredited with sense and
+refinement," said he after a moment. "I think I have it, too. She is
+deliberately putting you to a rather severe test."
+
+"Test? What do you mean?"
+
+"She is trying you out, sir. Miss Guile,--or possibly Miss Blithers,--is
+taking a genuine risk in order to determine whether you are a real
+gentleman or only a make-believe. She is taking a chance with you. You
+may call it a jolly little adventure, but I call it the acid test.
+Young women of good breeding and refinement do not plan such adventures
+with casual, ship-board acquaintances. She intends to find out _what_,
+not _who_, you are. I must say she's exceedingly clever and courageous."
+
+Robin laughed. "Thank you, Baron. Forewarned is forearmed. I shall
+remain a gentleman at any cost."
+
+"She is so shrewd and resourceful that I am almost convinced she can be
+no other than the daughter of the amazing Mr. Blithers. I believe he
+achieved most of his success through sheer impudence, though it is
+commonly described as daring."
+
+"In any case. Baron, I shall make it a point to find out whether she is
+the lady who defies the amazing Mr. Blithers, and goes into print about
+it."
+
+"She has merely denied that she is engaged to the Prince of Graustark.
+Pray do not come back to us with the news that she is engaged to R.
+Schmidt," said Gourou significantly.
+
+Robin smiled reflectively. "That _would_ make a jolly adventure of it,
+wouldn't it?"
+
+At three o'clock, a big limousine swung under the porte cochere at the
+Ritz and a nimble footman hopped down and entered the hotel. Robin was
+waiting just inside the doors. He recognised the car as the one that
+had taken Miss Guile away from the Gare St. Lazare, and stepped forward
+instantly to intercept the man.
+
+"For Mr. Schmidt?" he inquired.
+
+"Oui, M'sieur."
+
+Thrilled by a pleasurable sense of excitement, the Prince of Graustark
+entered the car. He was quick to observe that the curtains in the side
+windows were partially drawn across the glass. The fact that she
+elected to journey to the country in a limousine on this hot day did
+not strike him as odd, for he knew that the comfort loving French
+people prefer the closed vehicle to the wind-inviting, dust-gathering
+touring body of the Americans and British. He observed the single
+letter L in gold in the panel of the door, and made mental note of the
+smart livery of the two men on the front seat.
+
+A delicate perfume lingered in the car, convincing proof that Miss
+Guile had left it but a few minutes before its arrival at the Ritz. As
+a matter of fact, she was nearer than he thought, for the car whirled
+into the Rue de la Paix and stopped at the curb not more than a hundred
+yards from the Place Vendome.
+
+Once more the nimble footman hopped down and threw open the door. A
+slender, swift-moving figure in a blue linen gown and a wide hat from
+which sprung two gorgeous blue plumes, emerged from the door of a
+diamond merchant's shop, and, before Robin could move from his corner,
+popped into the car and sat down beside him with a nervous little laugh
+on her lips--red lips that showed rose-like and tempting behind a thick
+chiffon veil, obviously donned for an excellent reason. The exquisite
+features of Miss Guile were barely distinguishable beneath the surface
+of this filmy barrier. The door closed sharply and, almost before the
+Prince had recovered from his surprise, the car glided off in the
+direction of the Place de l'Opera.
+
+"Isn't it just like an elopement?" cried Miss Guile, and it was quite
+plain to him that she was vastly pleased with the sprightly
+introduction to the adventure. Her voice trembled slightly and she sat
+up very straight in the wide, comfortable seat.
+
+"Is it really you?" cried Robin, and he was surprised to find that his
+own voice trembled.
+
+"Oh," she said, with a sudden diffidence, "how do you do? What must you
+think of me, bouncing in like that and never once speaking to you?"
+
+"If I were to tell you what I think of you, you'd bounce right out
+again without speaking to me," said he, smiling. "How do you do?" He
+extended his hand, but it was ignored. She sank back into the corner
+and looked at him for a moment as if uncertain what to say or do next.
+The shadowy red lips were smiling and the big dark eyes were eloquent,
+even through the screen.
+
+"I may as well tell you at the outset, Mr. Schmidt, that I've
+never--_never_--done a thing like this before," she said, an uneasy
+note in her voice.
+
+"I am quite sure of that," said he, "and therefore confess to a vast
+wealth of satisfaction."
+
+"What _do_ you think of me?"
+
+"I think that you are frightened almost out of your boots," said he
+boldly.
+
+"No, I'm not," said she resolutely. "I am only conscious of feeling
+extremely foolish."
+
+"I shouldn't feel that way about stealing off for a cup of tea," said
+he. "It's all quite regular, you know, and is frequently done in the
+very best circles when the cat's away."
+
+"You see, I couldn't quite scrape up the courage to go directly to the
+hotel for you," she said. "I know several people who are stopping there
+and I--I--well, you won't think I'm a dreadful person, will you?"
+
+"Not at all," he declared promptly. Then he resolved to put one of the
+questions he had made up his mind to ask at the first opportunity. "Do
+you mind telling me why you abandoned me so completely, so heartlessly
+on the day we landed?"
+
+"Because there was no reason why I should act otherwise, Mr. Schmidt,"
+she said, the tremor gone from her voice.
+
+"And yet you take me to St. Cloud for tea," he said pointedly.
+
+"Ah, but no one is to know of this," she cried warmly. "This is a
+secret, a very secret adventure."
+
+He could not help staring. "And that is just why I am mystified. Why is
+to-day so different from yesterday?"
+
+"It isn't," she said. "Doesn't all this prove it?"
+
+His face fell. "Don't you want to be seen with me, Miss Guile? Am I
+not--"
+
+"Wait! Will you not be satisfied with things as they are and refrain
+from asking unnecessary questions?"
+
+"I shall have to be satisfied," said he ruefully.
+
+"I am sorry I said that, Mr. Schmidt," she cried, contrite at once.
+"There is absolutely no reason why I should not be seen with you. But
+won't you be appeased when I say that I wanted to be with you alone
+to-day?"
+
+He suddenly remembered the Baron's shrewd conjecture and let the
+opportunity to say something banal go by without a word. Perhaps it was
+a test, after all. He merely replied that she was paying him a greater
+compliment than he deserved.
+
+"There are many things I want to speak about, Mr. Schmidt, and--and you
+know how impossible it is to--to get a moment to one's self when one is
+being watched like a child, as I am being watched over by dear Mrs.
+Gaston. She is my shield and armour, my lovely one-headed dragon. I
+placed myself in her care and--well, she is a very dependable person.
+You _will_ understand, won't you?"
+
+"Pray do not distress yourself, Miss Guile," he protested. "The last
+word is spoken. I am too happy to spoil the day by doubting its
+integrity. Besides, I believe I know you better than you think I do."
+
+He expected her to reveal some sign of dismay, but she was suddenly on
+guard.
+
+"Then you will not mind my eccentricities," she said calmly, "and we
+shall have a very nice drive, some tea and a--lark in place of the more
+delectable birds prescribed by the chef at the Pavilion Bleu."
+
+As the car turned into the Boulevard des Capucines Robin suppressed an
+exclamation of annoyance on beholding Baron Gourou and Dank standing on
+the curb almost within arm's length of the car as it passed. The former
+was peering rather intently at the two men on the front seat, and
+evinced little or no interest in the occupants of the tonneau.
+
+"Wasn't that your friend Mr. Dank?" inquired Miss Guile with interest.
+He felt that she was chiding him.
+
+"Yes," said he, and then turned for another look at his compatriots.
+Gourou was jotting something down on his cuff-band. The Prince mentally
+promised him something for his pains. "But let us leave dull care
+behind," he went on gaily.
+
+"He isn't at all dull," said she.
+
+"But he _is_ a care," said he. "He is always losing his heart, Miss
+Guile."
+
+"And picking up some one else's, I fancy," said she.
+
+"By the way, who was the good-looking chap that came to Cherbourg to
+meet you?"
+
+"A very old friend, Mr. Schmidt. I've known him since I was that high."
+(That high was on a line with her knee.)
+
+"Attractive fellow," was his comment.
+
+"Do you think so?" she inquired innocently, and he thought she
+over-played it a little. He was conscious of an odd sense of
+disappointment in her. "Have you never been out to St. Cloud? No? I
+never go there without feeling a terrible pity for those poor prodigals
+who stood beside its funeral pyre and saw their folly stripped down to
+the starkest of skeletons while they waited. The day of glory is short,
+Mr. Schmidt, and the night that follows is bitterly long. They say
+possession is nine points of the law, but what do nine points mean to
+the lawless? The rich man of to-day may be the beggar of to-morrow, and
+the rich man's sons and daughters may be serving the beggars of
+yesterday. I have been told that in the lower east side of New York
+City there are men and women who were once princes and princesses,
+counts and countesses, dukes and duchesses. Why doesn't some one write
+a novel about the royalty that hides its beggary in the slums of that
+great city?"
+
+"What's this? Epigrams and philosophy, Miss Guile?" he exclaimed
+wonderingly. "You amaze me. What are you trying to convey? That some
+day you may be serving yesterday's beggar?"
+
+"Who knows!" she said cryptically. "I am not a philosopher, and I'm
+sorry about the epigrams. I loathe people who make use of them. They
+are a cheap substitution for wisdom. Do you take sugar in your tea?" It
+was her way of abandoning the topic, but he looked his perplexity. "I
+thought I'd ask now, just for the sake of testing my memory later on."
+She was laughing.
+
+"Two lumps and cream," he said. "Won't you be good enough to take off
+that veil? It seriously obstructs the view."
+
+She complacently shook her head. "It doesn't obstruct mine," she said.
+"Have you been reading what the papers are saying about your friend Mr.
+Blithers and his obstreperous Maud?"
+
+Robin caught his breath. In a flash he suspected an excellent reason
+for keeping the veil in place. It gave her a distinct advantage over
+him.
+
+"Yes. I see that she positively denies the whole business."
+
+"Likewise the prospective spouse," she added. "Isn't it sickening?"
+
+"I wonder what Mr. Blithers is saying to-day," said he audaciously.
+"Poor old cock, he must be as sore as a crab. By the way, it is
+reported that she crossed on the steamer with us."
+
+"I am quite certain that she did, Mr. Schmidt," said she.
+
+"You really think so?" he cried, regarding her keenly.
+
+"The man who came to meet me knows her quite well. He is confident that
+he saw her at Cherbourg."
+
+"I see," said he, and was thoroughly convinced. "I may as well confess
+to you. Miss Guile, that I also know her when I see her."
+
+"But you told me positively that you had never seen her, Mr. Schmidt,"
+she said quickly.
+
+"I had not seen her up to the second day out on the _Jupiter_," he
+explained, enjoying himself immensely.
+
+"It was after that that you--"
+
+"I know," he said, as she hesitated; "but you see I didn't know she was
+Miss Blithers until sometime after I had met you." There was a
+challenge in his manner amounting almost to a declaration.
+
+She leaned forward to regard him more intently.
+
+"Is it possible, Mr. Schmidt, that you suspect _me_ of being that
+horrid, vulgar creature?"
+
+Robin was not to be trapped. There was something in the shadowy eyes
+that warned him.
+
+"At least, I may say that I do not suspect you of being a horrid,
+vulgar creature," he said evasively.
+
+"What else can this Miss Blithers be if not that?"
+
+"Would you say that she is vulgar because she refuses to acknowledge a
+condition that doesn't exist? I think she did perfectly right in
+denying the engagement."
+
+"You haven't answered my question, Mr. Schmidt."
+
+"Well," he began slowly, "I don't suspect you of being Miss Blithers."
+
+"But you did suspect it."
+
+"I was pleasantly engaged in speculation, that's all. It is generally
+believed that Miss Blithers sailed under an assumed name--literally,
+not figuratively."
+
+"Is there any reason why you should imagine that my name is not Guile?"
+
+"Yes. Your luggage is resplendently marked with the second letter in
+the alphabet--a gory, crimson B."
+
+"I see," she said reflectively. "You examined my luggage, as they say
+in the customs office. And you couldn't put B and G together, is that
+it?"
+
+"Obviously."
+
+"If you had taken the trouble to look, you would have found an equally
+resplendent G on the opposite end of each and every trunk, Mr.
+Schmidt," she said quietly.
+
+"I did not examine your luggage, Miss Guile," said he stiffly. She
+hadn't left much for him to stand upon. "Rather unique way to put one's
+initials on a trunk, isn't it?"
+
+"It possesses the virtue of originality," she admitted, "and it never
+fails to excite curiosity. I am sorry you were misled. Nothing could be
+more distressing than to be mistaken for the heroine of a story and
+then turn out to be a mere nobody in the end. I've no doubt that if the
+amiable Miss Blithers were to hear of it, she'd rush into print and
+belabour me with the largest type that money could buy."
+
+"Oh, come now, Miss Guile," he protested, "it really isn't fair to Miss
+Blithers. She was justified in following an illustrious example. You
+forget that the Prince of Graustark was the first to rush into print
+with a flat denial. What else could the poor girl do?"
+
+"Oh, I am not defending the Prince of Graustark. He behaved abominably,
+rushing into print as you say. Extremely bad taste, I should call it."
+
+Robin's ears burned. He could not defend himself. There was nothing
+left for him to do but to say that it "served him jolly well right, the
+way Miss Blithers came back at him."
+
+"Still," she said, "I would be willing to make a small wager that the
+well-advertised match comes off in spite of all the denials. Given a
+determined father, an ambitious mother, a purse-filled daughter and an
+empty-pursed nobleman, and I don't see how the inevitable can be
+avoided."
+
+His face was flaming. It was with difficulty that he restrained the
+impulse to put her right in the matter without further ado.
+
+"Are you sure that the Prince is so empty of purse as all that?" he
+managed to say, without betraying himself irretrievably.
+
+"There doesn't seem to be any doubt that he borrowed extensively of Mr.
+Blithers," she said scornfully. "He is under some obligations to his
+would-be-father-in-law, I submit, now isn't he?"
+
+"I suppose so, Miss Guile," he admitted uncomfortably.
+
+"And therefore owes him something more than a card in the newspapers,
+don't you think?"
+
+"Really, Miss Guile, I--I--"
+
+"I beg your pardon. The Prince's affairs are of no importance to you,
+so why should I expect you to stand up for him?"
+
+"I confess that I am a great deal more interested in Miss Blithers than
+I am in the Prince. By the way, what would you have done had you been
+placed in her position?"
+
+"I think I should have acted quite as independently as she."
+
+"If your father were to pick out a husband for you, whether or no, you
+would refuse to obey the paternal command?"
+
+"Most assuredly. As a matter of fact, Mr. Schmidt, my father has
+expressed a wish that I should marry a man who doesn't appeal to me at
+all."
+
+"And you refuse?"
+
+"Absolutely."
+
+"More or less as Miss Blithers has done," he said pointedly.
+
+"Miss Blithers, I understand, has the advantage of me in one respect. I
+am told that she wants to marry another man and is very much in love
+with him."
+
+"A chap named Scoville," said Robin, unguardedly.
+
+"You know him, Mr. Schmidt?"
+
+"No. I've merely heard of him. I take it from your remark that you
+don't want to marry anybody--at present."
+
+"Quite right. Not at present. Now let us talk of something else. _A
+bas_ Blithers! Down with the plutocrats! Stamp out the vulgarians! Is
+there anything else you can suggest?" she cried gaily.
+
+"Long live the Princess Maud!" said he, and doffed his hat. The
+satirical note in his voice was not lost on her. She started
+perceptibly, and caught her breath. Then she sank back into the corner
+with a nervous, strained little laugh.
+
+"You think she will marry him?"
+
+"I think as you do about it, Miss Guile," said he, and she was silenced.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE MICE IN A TRAP
+
+
+They had a table in a cool, shady corner of the broad porch overlooking
+the Place d'Armes and the Seine and its vociferous ferries. To the
+right runs the gleaming roadway that leads to the hills and glades
+through which pomp and pride once strode with such fatal arrogance.
+Blue coated servitors attended them on their arrival, and watched over
+them during their stay. It was as if Miss Guile were the fairy princess
+who had but to wish and her slightest desire was gratified. Her guest,
+a real prince, marvelled not a little at the complete sway she
+exercised over this somewhat autocratic army of menials. They bowed and
+scraped, and fetched, and carried, and were not Swiss but slaves in
+Bagdad during the reign of its most illustrious Caliph, Al-haroun
+Raschid the great. The magic of Araby could have been no more potent
+than the spell this beautiful girl cast over the house of Mammon. She
+laid her finger upon a purse of gold and wished, and lo! the wonders of
+the magic carpet were repeated.
+
+Robin remembered that Maud Applegate Blithers had spent the greater
+part of her life in Paris, and it was therefore not unreasonable to
+suppose that she had spent something else as well. At any rate, the
+Pavilion Bleu was a place where it _had_ to be spent if one wanted the
+attention accorded the few.
+
+She had removed her veil, but he was not slow to perceive that she sat
+with her back to the long stretch of porch.
+
+"Do you prefer this place to Armenonville or the Paillard at Pre
+Catelan, Miss Guile?" he inquired, quite casually, but with a secret
+purpose.
+
+"No, it is stupid here, as a rule, and common. Still every one goes to
+the other places in the afternoon and I particularly wanted to be as
+naughty as possible, so I came here to-day."
+
+"It doesn't strike me as especially naughty," he remarked.
+
+"But it was very, very naughty before you and I were born, Mr. Schmidt.
+The atmosphere still remains, if one possesses a comprehensive
+imagination."
+
+"I daresay," said he, "but the imagination doesn't thrive on tea. Those
+were the days of burgundy and a lot of other red things."
+
+"One doesn't need to be in shackles, to expatiate on the terrors of the
+Bridge of Sighs," she said.
+
+"Are you going to take me up to the park?"
+
+"Yes. Into the Shadows."
+
+"Oh, that's good! I'm sure my imagination will work beautifully when it
+isn't subdued by all these blue devils. I--_Que voulez vous?_" The
+question was directed rather sharply to a particularly deferential
+"blue devil" who stood at his elbow.
+
+"Monsieur Schmidt?"
+
+"Yes. What's this? A letter! 'Pon my soul, how the deuce could any
+one--" He got no farther, for Miss Guile's action in pulling down her
+veil and the subsequent spasmodic glance over her shoulder betrayed
+such an agitated state of mind on her part that his own sensations were
+checked at the outset.
+
+"There must be some one here who knows you, Mr. Schmidt," she said
+nervously. "See what it says, please,--at once. I--perhaps we should be
+starting home immediately."
+
+Robin tore open the envelope. A glance showed him that the brief note
+was from Gourou. A characteristic G served as a signature. As he read,
+a hard line appeared between his eyes and his expression grew serious.
+
+"It is really nothing, Miss Guile," he said and prepared to tear the
+sheet into many pieces. "A stupid, alleged joke of a fellow who happens
+to know me, that's all."
+
+"Don't tear it up!" she cried sharply. "What does it say? I have a
+right to know, Mr. Schmidt, even though it is only a joke. What has
+this friend of yours to say about me? What coarse, uncalled-for comment
+has he to make about--"
+
+"Let me think for a moment, Miss Guile," he interrupted, suddenly
+realising that it was time for reflection. After a moment he said
+soberly: "I think it would be wise if we were to leave instantly. There
+is nothing to be alarmed about, I assure you, but--well, we'd better
+go."
+
+"Will you allow me to see that letter?" she asked, extending her hand.
+
+"I'd rather not, if you don't mind."
+
+"But I insist, sir! I'll not go a step from this place until I know
+what all this is about."
+
+"As it happens to concern you even more than it does me, I suppose
+you'd better see what it says." He passed the letter over to her and
+watched her narrowly as she read. Again the veil served as a competent
+mask.
+
+"Who wrote this letter, Mr. Schmidt?" she demanded. Even through the
+veil he could see that her eyes were wide with--was it alarm or anger?
+
+"A man named Gourou. He is a detective engaged on a piece of work for
+Mr. Totten."
+
+"Is it a part of his duty to watch your movements?" she asked, leaning
+forward.
+
+"No. He is my friend, however," said Robin steadily. "According to this
+epistle, it would appear that it is a part of his duty to keep track of
+you, not me. May I ask why you should be shadowed by two of his kind?"
+
+She did not answer at once. When she spoke, it was with a determined
+effort to maintain her composure.
+
+"I am sorry to have subjected you to all this, Mr. Schmidt. We will
+depart at once. I find that the cat is never away, so we can't be mice.
+What a fool I've been." There was something suspiciously suggestive of
+tears in her soft voice.
+
+He laid a hand upon the small fingers that clutched the crumpled sheet
+of paper. To have saved his life, he could not keep the choked, husky
+tremor out of his voice.
+
+"The day is spoiled for you. That is my only regret. As for me, Miss
+Guile, I am not without sin, so I may cast no stones. Pray regard me as
+a fellow culprit, and rest assured that I have no bone to pick with
+you. I too am watched and yet I am no more of a criminal than you. Will
+you allow me to say that I am a friend whose devotion cannot be shaken
+by all the tempests in the world?"
+
+"Thank you," she said, and turned her hand under his to give it a
+quick, convulsive clasp. Her spirits seemed to revive under the
+responsive grip. "You might have said all the tempests in a tea pot,
+for that is really what it amounts to. My father is a very foolish man.
+Will you send for the car?"
+
+He called an attendant and ordered him to find Miss Guile's footman at
+once. When he returned to the table, she was reading the note once more.
+
+"It is really quite thrilling, isn't it?" she said, and there was still
+a quaver of indignation in her voice. "Are you not mystified?"
+
+"Not in the least," said he promptly, and drew a chair up close beside
+hers. "It's as plain as day. Your father has found you out, that's all.
+Let's read it again," and they read it together.
+
+"A word to the wise," it began. "Two men from a private detective
+concern have been employed since yesterday in watching the movements of
+your companion, for the purpose of safe-guarding her against
+good-looking young men, I suspect. I have it from the most reliable of
+sources that her father engaged the services of these men almost
+simultaneously with the date of our sailing from New York. It may
+interest you to know that they followed you to St. Cloud in a
+high-power car and no doubt are watching you as you read this message
+from your faithful friend, who likewise is not far away."
+
+"I should have anticipated this, Mr. Schmidt," she said ruefully. "It
+is just the sort of thing my father would do."
+
+"You seem to take it calmly enough."
+
+"I am quite used to it. I would be worth a great deal to any
+enterprising person who made it his business to steal me. There is no
+limit to the ransom he could demand."
+
+"You alarm me," he declared. "No doubt these worthy guardians look upon
+me as a kidnapper. I am inclined to shiver."
+
+"'All's well that ends well,'" quoth she, pulling on her gloves, "I
+shall restore you safely to the bosom of the Ritz and that will be the
+end of it."
+
+"I almost wish that some one would kidnap you, Miss Guile. It would
+afford me the greatest pleasure in the world to snatch you from their
+clutches. Your father would be saved paying the ransom but I should
+have to be adequately rewarded. I fancy, however, that he wouldn't mind
+paying the reward I should hold out for."
+
+"I am quite sure he would give you anything you were to ask for, Mr.
+Schmidt," said she gaily. "You would be reasonable, of course."
+
+"I might ask for the most precious of his possessions," said he,
+leaning forward to look directly into eyes that wavered and refused to
+meet his.
+
+"Curiosity almost makes me wish that I might be kidnapped. I should
+then find out what you consider to be his most precious possession,"
+she said, and her voice was perilously low.
+
+"I think I could tell you in advance," said he, his eyes shining.
+
+"I--I prefer to find out in my own way, Mr. Schmidt," she stammered
+hurriedly. Her confusion was immensely gratifying to him. There is no
+telling what might have happened to the Prince of Graustark at that
+moment if an obsequious attendant had not intervened with the earthly
+information that the car was waiting.
+
+"Good Lord," Robin was saying to himself as he followed her to the
+steps, "was I about to go directly against the sage advice of old
+Gourou? Was I so near to it as that? In another minute--Gee, but it was
+a close shave. She is adorable, she is the most adorable creature in
+the world, even though she is the daughter of old man Blithers, and
+I--'gad I wonder what will come of it in the end? Keep a tight grip on
+yourself, Bobby, or you're a goner, sure as fate."
+
+They were painfully aware of the fact that their progress down the long
+verandah was made under the surveillance of two, perhaps three pairs of
+unwavering eyes, and because of it they looked neither to right nor
+left but as those who walk tight-ropes over dangerous places. There was
+something positively uncanny in the feeling that their every movement
+was being watched by secret observers. Once inside the car, Miss Guile
+sank back with a long sigh of relief.
+
+"Did you feel it, too?" she asked, with a nervous little catch in her
+voice.
+
+"I did," said he, passing his hand over his brow. "It was like being
+alone in the dark with eyes staring at one from all sides of the room."
+
+The car shot across the bridge and was speeding on its way toward the
+Bois when Robin ventured a glance behind. Through the little window in
+the back of the car he saw a big, swift-moving automobile not more than
+a quarter of a mile in their rear.
+
+"Would you like to verify the report of my friend Gourou?" he asked,
+his voice quick with exhilaration. She knelt with one knee upon the
+seat and peered back along the road.
+
+"There they are!" she cried. She threw the veil back over her hat as
+she resumed her seat in the corner. Her eyes were fairly dancing with
+excitement. The warm red lips were parted and she was breathing
+quickly. Suddenly she laid her hand over her heart as if to check its
+lively thumping. "Isn't it splendid? We are being pursued--actually
+chased by the man-hunters of Paris! Oh, I was never so happy in my
+life. Isn't it great?"
+
+"It is glorious!" he cried exultantly. "Shall I tell the chauffeur to
+hit it up a bit? Let's make it a real chase."
+
+"Yes, do! We'll see if we can foil them, as they say in the books. Oh,
+wouldn't it be wonderful if we were to--to--what do you call it? Give
+them the slip, isn't that it?"
+
+"I'm game," said he, with enthusiasm. For a second or two they looked
+straight into each other's eyes and a message was exchanged that never
+could have been put into words. No doubt it was the flush of eager
+excitement that darkened their cheeks. In any case, it came swiftly and
+went as quickly, leaving them paler than before and vastly
+self-conscious. And after that brief, searching look they knew that
+they could never be as they were before the exchange. They were no
+longer strangers to each other, but shy comrades and filled with a
+delicious sense of wonder.
+
+Robin gave hurried directions through the speaking tube to the
+attentive footman, and so explicit were these directions that the
+greatest excitement prevailed upon the decorous front seat of the
+car--first the footman looked back along the road, then the chauffeur,
+after which a thrill of excitement seemed to fairly race up and down
+their liveried backs. The car itself took a notion to quiver with the
+promise of joy unrestrained. In less than a minute they were going more
+than a mile a minute over a short stretch of the Avenue de Longchamp.
+At the Porte de Hippodrome they slowed down and ran into the Bois,
+taking the first road to the left. In a few minutes they were scudding
+past Longchamp at a "fair clip" to quote R. Schmidt. Instead of
+diverging into the Allee de Longchamp, the car took a sharp turn into
+the Avenue de l'Hippodrome and, at the intersection, doubled back over
+the Allee de la Heine Marguerite, going almost to the Boulogne gate,
+where again it was sent Parisward over the Avenue de St. Cloud.
+
+Miss Guile was in command of the flight. She called out the
+instructions to the driver and her knowledge of the intricate routes
+through the park stood them well in hand. Purposely she evaded the
+Cascades, circling the little pools by narrow, unfrequented roads,
+coming out at last to the Porte de la Muette, where they left the park
+and took to the Avenue Henri Martin. It was her design to avoid the
+customary routes to the heart of the city, and all would have gone well
+with them had not fate in the shape of two burly _sergents de ville_
+intervened at a time when success seemed most certain. It was quite
+clear to the pursued that the car containing their followers had been
+successfully eluded and was no doubt in the Champs Elysees by this
+time. For some time there had been a worried look in the Prince's eyes.
+Once he undertook to remonstrate with his fair companion.
+
+"My dear Miss Guile, we'll land in jail if we keep up this hair-raising
+speed. There wouldn't be any fun in that, you know."
+
+She gave him a scornful look. "Are you afraid, Mr. Schmidt?"
+
+"Not on my own account," said he, "but yours. I've heard that the new
+regulations are extremely rigid."
+
+"Pooh! I'm not afraid of the police. They--why, what's the matter? Oh,
+goodness!"
+
+The car had come to a somewhat abrupt stop. Two policemen, dismounted
+from their bicycles, formed an insurmountable obstruction. They were
+almost in the shade of the Trocadero.
+
+"Do not be alarmed," whispered Robin to the fast paling girl, into
+whose eyes the most abject misery had leaped at the sight of the two
+officers. "Leave it to me. I can fix them all right. There's nothing to
+be worried about--well, _sergent_, what is it?"
+
+The polite officers came up to the window with their little note-books.
+
+"I regret, m'sieur, that we shall be obliged to conduct yourself and
+mademoiselle to the office of a magistrate. Under the new regulations
+set forth in the order of last May, motorists may be given a hearing at
+once. I regret to add that m'sieur has been exceeding the speed limit.
+A complaint came in but a few minutes ago from the Porte de la Muette
+and we have been ordered to intercept the car. You may follow us to the
+office of the magistrate, m'sieur. It will soon be over, mademoiselle."
+
+"But we can explain--" she began nervously.
+
+The _sergent_ held up his hand. "It is not necessary to explain,
+mademoiselle. Too many motorists have explained in the past but that
+does not restore to life the people they have killed in the pursuit of
+pleasure. Paris is enforcing her laws."
+
+"But, _sergent_, I alone am to blame for any violation of the law,"
+said Robin suavely. "Surely it is only necessary that I should
+accompany you to the magistrate. The young lady is in no way
+responsible--"
+
+"Alas, m'sieur," said the man firmly but as if he were quite
+broken-hearted, "it is not for me to disobey the law, even though you
+may do so. It is necessary for the lady to appear before the Judge, and
+it is our duty to convey her there. The new law explicitly says that
+all occupants of said car shall be subject to penalty under the law
+without reprieve or pardon!"
+
+"Where are your witnesses?" demanded Robin.
+
+The two men produced their watches and their notebooks, tapping them
+significantly.
+
+"M'sieur will not think of denying that he has been running more
+rapidly than the law allows," said the second officer. "It will go
+harder with him if he should do so."
+
+"I shall insist upon having an advocate to represent me before--"
+
+"As you like, m'sieur," said the first officer curtly. "Proceed!" he
+uttered as a command to the chauffeur, and forthwith mounted his wheel.
+A score of people had gathered round them by this time, and Miss Guile
+was crouching back in her corner. Her veil was down. In single file, so
+to speak, they started off for the office of the nearest magistrate
+appointed under the new law governing automobiles. A policeman pedaled
+ahead of the car and another followed.
+
+"Isn't it dreadful?" whispered Miss Guile. "What do you think they will
+do to us? Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Schmidt, to have dragged you into this
+horrid--"
+
+"I wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world," said he so
+earnestly that she sat up a little straighter and caught her breath.
+"After all, they will do no more than assess a fine against us. A
+hundred francs, perhaps. That is nothing."
+
+"I am not so sure of that," said she gloomily. "My friends were saying
+only yesterday that the new law provides for imprisonment as well.
+Paris has constructed special prisons for motorists, and people are
+compelled to remain in them for days and weeks at a time. Oh, I hope--"
+
+"I'll inquire of the footman," said Robin. "He will know." The footman,
+whose face was very long and serious, replied through the tube that
+very few violators escaped confinement in the "little prisons." He also
+said "Mon dieu" a half dozen times, and there was a movement of the
+driver's pallid lips that seemed to indicate a fervent echo.
+
+"I shall telephone at once--to my friends," said Miss Guile, a note of
+anger in her voice. "They are very powerful in Paris. We shall put
+those miserable wretches in their proper places. They--"
+
+"We must not forget. Miss Guile, that we _were_ breaking the law," said
+Robin, who was beginning to enjoy the discomfiture of this spoiled
+beauty, this girl whose word was a sort of law unto itself.
+
+"It is perfect nonsense," she declared. "We did no harm. Goodness! What
+is this?"
+
+Four or five policemen on wheels passed by the car, each with a
+forbidding glance through the windows.
+
+"They are the boys we left behind us," paraphrased Robin soberly. "The
+park policemen. They've just caught us up, and, believe me, they look
+serious, too. I dare say we are in for it."
+
+In a very few minutes the procession arrived at a low, formidable
+looking building on a narrow side street. The cavalcade of policemen
+dismounted and stood at attention while Mademoiselle and Monsieur got
+down from the car and followed a polite person in uniform through the
+doors. Whereupon the group of _sergents de ville_ trooped in behind,
+bringing with them the neatly liveried servants with the golden letter
+L on their cuffs.
+
+"I believe there is a jail back there," whispered the slim culprit, a
+quaver in her voice. She pointed down the long, narrow corridor at the
+end of which loomed a rather sinister looking door with thick
+bolt-heads studding its surface.
+
+An instant later they were ushered into a fair-sized room on the left
+of the hall, where they were commanded to sit down. A lot of chairs
+stood about the room, filling it to the farthest corners, while at the
+extreme end was the Judge's bench.
+
+"I insist on being permitted to telephone to friends--to my legal
+advisors,--" began Miss Guile, with praiseworthy firmness, only to be
+silenced by the attendant, who whispered shrilly that a trial was in
+progress, couldn't she see?
+
+Two dejected young men were standing before the Judge, flanked by three
+_sergents de ville_. Robin and Miss Guile stared wide-eyed at their
+fellow criminals and tried to catch the low words spoken by the fat
+Magistrate. Once more they were ordered to sit down, this time not
+quite so politely, and they took seats in the darkest corner of the
+room, as far removed from justice as possible under the circumstances.
+
+Presently a young man approached them. He was very nice looking and
+astonishingly cheerful. The hopes of the twain went up with a bound.
+His expression was so benign, so bland that they at once jumped to the
+conclusion that he was coming to tell them that they were free to go,
+that it had all been a stupid mistake. But they were wrong. He
+smilingly introduced himself as an advocate connected with the court by
+appointment and that he would be eternally grateful to them if they
+would tell him what he could do for them.
+
+"I'd like to have a word in private with the Magistrate," said the
+Prince of Graustark eagerly.
+
+"Impossible!" said the advocate, lifting his eyebrows and his smart
+little mustachios in an expression of extreme amazement. "It is
+imposs--" A sharp rapping on the Judge's desk reduced the remainder of
+the sentence to a delicate whisper--"ible. M'sieur."
+
+"Will you conduct me to a telephone booth?" whispered Miss Guile,
+tearfully.
+
+"Pray do not weep, Mademoiselle," implored the advocate, profoundly
+moved, but at the same time casting a calculating eye over the luckless
+pair.
+
+"Well, what's to be done?" demanded Robin. "We insist on having our own
+legal advisors here."
+
+"The court will not delay the hearing, M'sieur," explained the young
+man. "Besides, the best legal advisor in Paris could do no more than to
+advise you to plead guilty. I at least can do that quite as ably as the
+best of them. No one ever pretends to defend a case in the automobile
+courts, M'sieur. It is a waste of time, and the court does not approve
+of wasting time. Perhaps you will feel more content if I introduce the
+assistant public prosecutor, who will explain the law. That is his only
+duty. He does not prosecute. There is no need. The _sergents_ testify
+and that is all there is to the case."
+
+"May I inquire what service you can be to us if the whole business is
+cut and dried like that?" asked Robin.
+
+"Not so loud, M'sieur. As I said before, I can advise you in respect to
+your plea, and I can tell you how to present your statement to the
+court. I can caution you in many ways. Sometimes a prisoner, who is
+well-rehearsed, succeeds in affecting the honourable Magistrate nicely,
+and the punishment is not so severe."
+
+"So you advise us to plead guilty as delicately as possible?"
+
+"I shall not advise you, M'sieur, unless it pleases you to retain me as
+your counsellor. The fee is small. Ten francs. Inasmuch as the amount
+is charged against you in the supplemental costs, it seems foolish not
+to take advantage of what you are obliged to pay for in any event. You
+will have to pay my fee, so you may as well permit me to be of service
+to you."
+
+"My only concern is over Mademoiselle," said the Prince. "You may send
+me to jail if you like, if you'll only--"
+
+"Mon dieu! I am not the one who enjoys the distinguished honour of
+being permitted to send people to jail, but the Judge, M'sieur."
+
+"It is ridiculous to submit this innocent young lady to the humiliation
+of--"
+
+"It is not only ridiculous but criminal," said the advocate, with a
+magnificent bow. "But what is one to do when it is the law? Of late,
+the law is peculiarly sexless. And now here is where I come in. It is I
+who shall instruct you--both of you, Mademoiselle--how to conduct
+yourselves before the Magistrate. Above all things, do not attempt to
+contradict a single statement of the police. Admit that all they say is
+true, even though they say that you have run over a child or an old
+woman with mortal results. It will go much easier with you. Exercise
+the gravest politeness and deference toward the honourable Magistrate
+and to every officer of the court. You are Americans, no doubt. The
+courts are prone to be severe with the Americans because they sometimes
+undertake to tell them how easy it is to get the right kind of justice
+in your wonderfully progressive United States. Be humble, contrite,
+submissive, for that is only justice to the court. If you have killed
+some one in your diversions, pray do not try to tell the magistrate
+that the idiot ought to have kept his eyes open. Another thing: do not
+inform the court that you require a lawyer. That is evidence of extreme
+culpability and he will consider you to be inexcusably guilty. Are you
+attending? Pray do not feel sorry for the two young men who are now
+being led away. See! They are weeping. It is as I thought. They are
+going to prison for--But that is their affair, not ours. I advised them
+as I am advising you, but they insisted on making a statement of their
+case. That was fatal, for it failed in many respects to corroborate the
+information supplied by the police. It-"
+
+"What was the charge against them?" whispered Miss Guile, quaking. She
+had watched the exit of the tearful young men, one of whom was sobbing
+bitterly, and a great fear possessed her.
+
+"Of that, Mademoiselle, I am entirely ignorant, but they were
+unmistakably guilty of denying it, whatever it was."
+
+"Are they going to prison?" she gasped.
+
+"It is not that which causes them to weep so bitterly, but the
+knowledge that their names are to be posted on the bulletin boards in
+the Place de l'Opera, the Place de l'Concorde, the--"
+
+"Good Lord!" gasped Robin. "Is _that_ being done?"
+
+"It is M'sieur, and the effect is marvellous. Three months ago the
+boards were filled with illustrious names; to-day there are but few to
+be found upon them. The people have discovered that the courts are in
+earnest. The law is obeyed as it never was before. The prisons were
+crowded to suffocation at one time; now they are almost empty. It is a
+good law. To-day a mother can wheel her baby carriage in the thickest
+of the traffic and run no risk of--Ah, but here is the assistant
+prosecutor coming. Permit me to further warn you that you will be
+placed under oath to tell the absolute truth. The prosecutor will ask
+but three questions of you: your age, your name and your place of
+residence. All of them you must answer truthfully, especially as to
+your names. If it is discovered that you have falsely given a name not
+your own, the lowest penalty is sixty days in prison, imposed
+afterwards in addition to the sentence you will receive for violating
+the traffic laws. I have performed my duty as required by the
+commissioner. My fee is a fixed one, so you need not put your hand into
+your pocket, M'sieur. Good day. Mademoiselle--good day, M'sieur." He
+bowed profoundly and gave way to the impatient prosecutor, who had
+considerately held himself aloof while the final words were being
+uttered, albeit he glanced at his watch a couple of times.
+
+"Come," he said, and he did not whisper; "let us be as expeditious as
+possible. Approach the court. It is--"
+
+"See here," said Robin savagely, "this is too damned high-handed. Are
+we to have no chance to defend ourselves? We--"
+
+"Just as you please, M'sieur," interrupted the prosecutor patiently.
+"It is nothing to me. I receive my fee in any event. If you care to
+defy the law in addition to what you have already done, it is not for
+me to object."
+
+"Well, I insist on having--"
+
+A thunderous pounding on the bench interrupted his hot-headed speech.
+
+"Attend!" came in a sharp, uncompromising voice from the bench. "What
+is the delay? This is no time to think. All that should have been done
+before. Step forward! _Sergent_, see that the prisoners step forward."
+
+Robin slipped his arm through Miss Guile's, expecting her to droop
+heavily upon it for support. To his surprise she drew herself up,
+dis-engaged herself, and walked straight up to the bench, without fear
+or hesitation. It was Robin who needed an example of courage and
+fortitude, not she. The chauffeur and footman, shivering in their
+elegance, already stood before the bench.
+
+"Will you be so kind as to raise your veil, Madam?" spake the court.
+
+She promptly obeyed. He leaned forward with sudden interest. The
+prosecutor blinked and abruptly overcame the habitual inclination to
+appear bored. Such ravishing beauty had never before found its way into
+that little court-room. Adjacent moustaches were fingered somewhat
+convulsively by several _sergents de ville._
+
+"Ahem!" said the court, managing with some difficulty to regain his
+judicial form. "I am compelled by law, Mademoiselle, to warn you before
+you are placed under oath that the lowest penalty for giving a false
+name in answer to the charge to be brought against you is imprisonment
+for not less than sixty days. I repeat this warning to you, young man.
+Be sworn, if you please."
+
+Robin experienced a queer sense of exultation, not at all lessened by
+the knowledge that he would be forced to reveal his own identity. "Would
+she call herself Bedelia Guile or would she--"
+
+"State your name, Mademoiselle," said the prosecutor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THREE MESSAGES
+
+
+Miss Guile lowered her head for an instant. Robin could see that her
+lip was quivering. A vast pity for her took possession of him and he
+was ashamed of what he now regarded as unexampled meanness of spirit on
+his own part. She lifted her shamed, pleading eyes to search his, as if
+expecting to find succour in their fearless depths. She found them
+gleaming with indignation, suddenly aroused, and was instantly
+apprehensive. There was a look in those eyes of his that seemed
+prophetic of dire results unless she checked the words that were rising
+to his lips. She shook her head quickly and, laying a hand upon his
+arm, turned to the waiting magistrate.
+
+"My name is--Oh, is there no way to avoid the publicity--" she sighed
+miserably--"the publicity that--"
+
+"I regret, Mademoiselle, that there is no alternative--" began the
+Judge, to be interrupted by the banging of the court-room door. He
+looked up, glaring at the offender with ominous eyes. The polite
+attendant from the outer corridor was advancing in great haste. He was
+not only in haste but vastly perturbed.
+
+Despite the profound whack of the magistrate's paper weight on the
+hollow top of the desk and the withering scowl that went with it, the
+attendant rushed forward, forgetting his manners, his habits and his
+power of speech in one complete surrender to nature. He thrust into the
+hand of the Judge a slip of paper, at the same time gasping something
+that might have been mistaken for an appeal for pardon but which more
+than likely was nothing of the sort.
+
+"What is this?" demanded the Judge ferociously.
+
+"Mon dieu!" replied the attendant, rolling his eyes heavenward.
+
+The magistrate was impressed. He took up the slip of paper and read
+what was written thereon. Then he was guilty of a start. The next
+instant he had the prosecutor up beside him and then the advocate.
+Together they read the message from the outside and together they
+lifted three pairs of incredulous eyes to stare at the culprits below.
+There was a hurried consultation in excited whisperings, intermittent
+stares and far from magisterial blinkings.
+
+Robin bent close to Bedelia's ear and whispered: "We must have killed
+some one, the way they are acting."
+
+Her face was glowing with triumph. "No. Luck is with us, Mr. Schmidt.
+You'll see!"
+
+The magistrate cleared his throat and beamed upon them in a most
+friendly fashion.
+
+Robin grasped the situation in a flash. His own identity had been
+revealed to the Judge. It was not likely that the daughter of William
+Blithers could create such lively interest in a French court of
+justice, so it _must_ be that Gourou or Quinnox had come to the rescue.
+The court would not think of fining a prince of the royal blood, law or
+no law!
+
+"M'sieur, Mademoiselle, will you be so good as to resume your seats? An
+extraordinary condition has arisen. I shall be obliged to investigate.
+The trial must be interrupted for a few minutes. Pardon the delay. I
+shall return as quickly as possible. _Sergent!_ See that Mademoiselle
+and M'sieur are made comfortable."
+
+He descended from the bench and hurried into the corridor, followed
+closely by the prosecutor and the advocate, both of whom almost trod on
+his heels. This may have been due to the fact that they were slighter
+men and more sprightly, but more than likely it was because they were
+unable to see where they were going for the excellent reason that they
+were not looking in that direction at all.
+
+Policemen and attendants, mystified but impressed, set about to make
+the culprits comfortable. They hustled at least a half dozen roomy
+chairs out of an adjoining chamber; they procured palm-leaf fans and
+even proffered the improbable--ice-water!--after which they betook
+themselves to a remote corner and whispered excitedly at each other,
+all the while regarding the two prisoners with intense interest. Even
+the despairing footman and chauffeur exhibited unmistakable signs of
+life.
+
+"I fancy my friends have heard of our plight, Mr. Schmidt," she said,
+quite composedly. "We will be released in a very few minutes."
+
+He smiled complacently. He could afford to let her believe that her
+friends and not his were performing a miracle.
+
+"Your friends must be very powerful," he said.
+
+"They are," said she, with considerable directness.
+
+"Still, we are not out of the scrape yet, Miss Guile," he remarked,
+shaking his head. "It may be a flash in the pan."
+
+"Oh, please don't say that," she cried in quick alarm. "I--I should die
+if--if we were to be sent to--"
+
+"Listen to me," he broke in eagerly, for an inspiration had come to
+him. "There's no reason why you should suffer, in any event. Apparently
+I am a suspected person. I may just as well be a kidnapper as not. You
+must allow me to inform the Judge that I was abducting you, so that
+he--"
+
+"How absurd!"
+
+"I don't in the least mind. Besides, I too have powerful friends who
+will see that I am released in a day or two. You--"
+
+"You cannot hope to convince the Judge that you were abducting me in my
+own automobile--or at least in one belonging to my friends, who are
+irreproachable. I am very much obliged to you for thinking of it, Mr.
+Schmidt, but it is out of the question. I couldn't allow you to do it
+in the first place, and in the second I'm sure the court wouldn't
+believe you."
+
+"It was I who suggested running away from those detectives," he
+protested.
+
+"But I jumped at the chance, didn't I?" she whispered triumphantly. "I
+am even guiltier than thou. Can you ever forgive me for--"
+
+"Hush!" he said, in a very low voice. His hand fell upon hers as it
+rested on the arm of the chair. They were in the shadows. She looked up
+quickly and their eyes met. After a moment hers fell, and she gently
+withdrew her hand from its place of bondage. "We are pals, Bedelia," he
+went on softly. "Pals never go back on each other. They sink or swim
+together, and they never stop to inquire the reason why. When it comes
+to a pinch, one or the other will sacrifice himself that his pal may be
+saved. I--"
+
+"Please do not say anything more," she said, her eyes strangely serious
+and her voice vibrant with emotion. "Please!"
+
+"I have a confession to make to you," he began, leaning still closer.
+"You have taken me on faith. You do not know who or what I am. I--"
+
+She held up her hand, an engaging frown in her eyes. "Stop! This is no
+place for confessions. I will not listen to you. Save your confessions
+for the magistrate. Tell him the truth, Mr. Schmidt. I am content to
+wait."
+
+He stared for an instant, perplexed. "See here, Miss
+Guile,--Bedelia,--I've just got to tell you something that--"
+
+"You may tell me at Interlaken," she interrupted, and she was now quite
+visibly agitated.
+
+"At Interlaken? Then you mean to carry out your plan to spend--"
+
+"Sh! Here they come. Now we shall see."
+
+The magistrate and his companions re-entered the room at that instant,
+more noticeably excited than when they left it. The former, rubbing his
+hands together and smiling as he had never smiled before, approached
+the pair. It did not occur to him to resent the fact that they remained
+seated in his august presence.
+
+"A lamentable mistake has been made," he said. "I regret that M'sieur
+and Mademoiselle have been subjected to so grave an indignity. Permit
+me to apologise for the misguided energy of our excellent _sergents_.
+They--"
+
+"But we were exceeding the speed limit," said Robin comfortably, now
+that the danger was past. "The officers were acting within their
+rights."
+
+"I know, I know," exclaimed the magistrate. "They are splendid fellows,
+all of them, and I beg of you to overlook their
+unfortunate--er--zealousness. Permit me to add that you are not
+guilty--I should say, that you are honourably discharged by this humble
+court. But wait! The _sergents_ shall also apologise. Here! Attend. It
+devolves upon you--"
+
+"Oh, I beg of you--" began Robin, but already the policemen, who had
+been listening open-mouthed to the agitated prosecutor, were bowing and
+scraping and muttering their apologies for enforcing a cruel and unjust
+law.
+
+"And we are not obliged to give our names, _M'sieur le judge?_" cried
+Miss Guile gladly.
+
+"Mademoiselle," said he, with a profound bow, "it is not necessary to
+acquaint me with something I already know. Permit me to again express
+the most unbounded regret that--"
+
+"Oh, thank you," she cried. "We have had a really delightful
+experience. You owe us no apology, M'sieur. And now, may we depart?"
+
+"Instantly! LaChance, conduct M'sieur and Mademoiselle into the fresh,
+sweet, open air and discover their car for them without delay.
+_Sergents_, remain behind. Let there be nothing to indicate that there
+has been detention. Mademoiselle, you have been merely making a
+philanthropic visit to our prison. There has been no arrest."
+
+Robin and Miss Guile emerged from the low, forbidding door and stood
+side by side on the pavement looking up and down the street in search
+of the car. It was nowhere in sight. The chauffeur gasped with
+amazement--and alarm. He had left it standing directly in front of the
+door, and now it was gone.
+
+"It is suggested, M'sieur," said the polite LaChance, "that you walk to
+the corner beyond, turn to the left and there you will find the car in
+plain view. It was removed by two gentlemen soon after you condescended
+to honour us with a visit of inspection, and thereby you have escaped
+much unnecessary attention from the curious who always infest the
+vicinity of police offices." He saluted them gravely and returned at
+once to the corridor.
+
+Following leisurely in the wake of the hurrying servants, Robin and
+Bedelia proceeded down the narrow street to the corner indicated. They
+were silent and preoccupied. After all, _who_ was to be thanked for the
+timely escape, his god or hers?
+
+And here it may be said that neither of them was ever to know who sent
+that brief effective message to the magistrate, nor were they ever to
+know the nature of its contents.
+
+The men were examining the car when they came up. No one was near.
+There was no one to tell how it came to be there nor whither its
+unknown driver had gone. It stood close to the curb and the engine was
+throbbing, proof in itself that some one had but recently deserted his
+post as guardian.
+
+"The obliging man-hunters," suggested Robin in reply to a low-voiced
+question.
+
+"Or your guardian angel, the great Gourou!" she said, frowning
+slightly. "By the way, Mr. Schmidt, do you expect to be under
+surveillance during your stay at Interlaken?"
+
+There was irony in her voice. "Not if I can help it," he said. "And
+you, Miss Guile? Is it possible that two of the best detectives in
+Paris are to continue treading on your heels all the time you are in
+Europe? Must we go about with the uncomfortable feeling that some one
+is staring at us from behind, no matter where we are? Are we to be
+perpetually attended by the invisible? If so, I am afraid we will find
+it very embarrassing."
+
+They were in the car now and proceeding at a snail's pace toward the
+Arc de Triomphe. Her eyes narrowed. He was sure that she clutched her
+slim fingers tightly although, for an excellent reason, he was not by
+way of knowing. He was rapturously watching those expressive eyes.
+
+"I shall put a stop to this ridiculous espionage at once, Mr. Schmidt.
+These men shall be sent kiting--I mean, about their business before
+this day is over. I do not intend to be spied upon an instant longer."
+
+"Still they may have been instruments of providence to-day," he
+reminded her. "Without them, we might now be languishing in jail and
+our spotless names posted in the Place de l'Opera. Bedelia Guile and
+Rex Schmidt, malefactors. What would your father say to that?"
+
+She smiled--a ravishing smile, it was. His heart gave a stupendous
+jump. "He would say that it served me right," said she, and then: "But
+what difference can it possibly make to you, Mr. Schmidt, if the
+detectives continue to watch over me?"
+
+"None," said he promptly. "I suppose they are used to almost anything
+in the way of human nature, so if they don't mind, I'm sure I sha'n't.
+I haven't the slightest objection to being watched by detectives, if we
+can only keep other people from seeing us."
+
+"Don't be silly," she cried. "And let me remind you while I think of
+it: You are not to call me Bedelia."
+
+"Bedelia," he said deliberately.
+
+She sighed. "I am afraid I have been mistaken in you," she said. He
+recalled Gourou's advice. Had he failed in the test? "But don't do it
+again."
+
+"Now that I think of it," he said soberly, "you are not to call me Mr.
+Schmidt. Please bear that in mind, Bedelia."
+
+"Thank you. I don't like the name. I'll call you--"
+
+Just then the footman turned on the seat and excitedly pointed to a car
+that had swung into the boulevard from a side street.
+
+"The man-hunters!" exclaimed Robin. "By jove, we didn't lose them after
+all."
+
+"To the Ritz, Pierre," she cried out sharply. Once more she seemed
+perturbed and anxious.
+
+"What are you going to call me?" he demanded, insistently.
+
+"I haven't quite decided," she replied, and lapsed into moody silence.
+
+Her nervousness increased as they sped down the Champs Elysees and
+across the Place de la Concorde. He thought that he understood the
+cause and presently sought to relieve her anxiety by suggesting that
+she set him down somewhere along the Rue de Rivoli. She flushed
+painfully.
+
+"Thank you, Mr. Schmidt, I--are you sure you will not mind?"
+
+"May I ask what it is that you are afraid of, Miss Guile?" he inquired
+seriously.
+
+She was lowering her veil. "I am not afraid, Mr. Schmidt," she said. "I
+am a very, very guilty person, that's all. I've done something I ought
+not to have done, and I'm--I'm ashamed. You don't consider me a bold,
+silly--"
+
+"Good Lord, no!" he cried fervently.
+
+"Then why do you call me Bedelia?" she asked, shaking her head.
+
+"If you feel that way about it, I--I humbly implore you to overlook my
+freshness," he cried in despair.
+
+"Will you get out here, Mr. Schmidt?" She pressed a button and the car
+swung alongside the curb.
+
+"When am I to see you again?" he asked, holding out his hand. She gave
+it a firm, friendly grip and said:
+
+"I am going to Switzerland the day after tomorrow. Good-bye."
+
+In a sort of daze, he walked up the Rue Castiliogne to the Place
+Vendome. His heart was light and his eyes were shining with a flame
+that could have but one origin. He was no longer in doubt. He was in
+love. He had found the Golden Girl almost at the end of his journey,
+and what cared he if she did turn out to be the daughter of old man
+Blithers? What cared he for _anything_ but Bedelia? There would be a
+pretty howdy-do when he announced to his people that their Princess had
+been selected for them, whether or no, and there might be such a thing
+as banishment for himself. Even at that, he would be content, for
+Bedelia was proof against titles. If she loved him, it would be for
+himself. She would scorn the crown and mock the throne, and they would
+go away together and live happily ever afterward, as provided by the
+most exacting form of romance. And Blithers? What a joke it would be on
+Blithers if he gave up the throne!
+
+As he approached the Ritz, a tall young man emerged from the entrance,
+stared at him for an instant, and then swung off at a rapid pace in the
+direction of the Rue de la Paix. The look he gave Robin was one of
+combined amazement and concern, and the tail end of it betrayed
+unmistakable annoyance,--or it might have been hatred. He looked over
+his shoulder once and found Robin staring after him. This time there
+could be no mistake. He was furious, but whether with Robin or himself
+there was no means of deciding from the standpoint of an observer. At
+any rate, he quickened his pace and soon disappeared.
+
+He was the good-looking young fellow who had met her at the steamship
+landing, and it was quite obvious that he had been making
+investigations on his own account.
+
+Robin permitted himself a sly grin as he sauntered into the hotel. He
+had given _that_ fellow something to worry about, if he had
+accomplished nothing else. Then he found himself wondering if, by any
+chance, it could be the Scoville fellow. That would be a facer!
+
+He found Quinnox and Dank awaiting him in the lobby. They were visibly
+excited.
+
+"Did you observe the fellow who just went out?" inquired Robin,
+assuming a most casual manner.
+
+"Yes," said both men in unison.
+
+"I think we've got some interesting news concerning that very chap,"
+added the Count, glancing around uneasily.
+
+"Perhaps I may be able to anticipate it, Count," ventured Robin. "I've
+an idea he is young Scoville, the chap who is supposed to be in love
+with Miss Blithers--and _vice versa_," he concluded, with a chuckle.
+
+"What have you heard?" demanded the Count in astonishment.
+
+"Let's sit down," said Robin, at once convinced that he had stumbled
+upon an unwelcome truth.
+
+They repaired to the garden and were lucky enough to find a table
+somewhat removed from the crowd of tea-drinkers. Robin began fanning
+himself with his broad straw-hat. He felt uncomfortably warm. Quinnox
+gravely extracted two or three bits of paper from his pocket, and
+spread them out in order before his sovereign.
+
+"Read this one first," said he grimly.
+
+It was a cablegram from their financial agents in New York City, and it
+said: "Mr. B. making a hurried trip to Paris. Just learned Scoville
+preceded Miss B. to Europe by fast steamer and has been seen with her
+in Paris. B. fears an elopement. Make sure papers are signed at once as
+such contingency might cause B. to change mind and withdraw if
+possible."
+
+Robin looked up. "I think this may account for the two man-hunters,"
+said he. His companions stared. "You will hear all about them from
+Gourou. We were followed this afternoon."
+
+"Followed?" gasped Quinnox.
+
+"Beautifully," said the Prince, with his brightest smile. "Detectives,
+you know. It was ripping."
+
+"My God!" groaned the Count.
+
+"I fancy you'll now agree with me that she is Miss Blithers," said Dank
+forlornly.
+
+"Cheer up, Boske," cried Robin, slapping him on the shoulder. "You'll
+meet another fate before you're a month older. The world is absolutely
+crowded with girls."
+
+"You can't crowd the world with one girl," said Dank, and it was quite
+evident from his expression that he believed the world contained no
+more than one.
+
+"I had the feeling that evil would be the result of this foolish trip
+to-day," groaned Quinnox. "I should not have permitted you to--"
+
+"The result is still in doubt," said Robin enigmatically. "And now,
+what comes next?"
+
+"Read this one. It is from Mr. Blithers. I'll guarantee that you do not
+take this one so complacently."
+
+He was right in his surmise. Robin ran his eye swiftly over the
+cablegram and then started up from his chair with a muttered
+imprecation.
+
+"Sh!" cautioned the Count,--and just in time, for the young man was on
+the point of enlarging upon his original effort. "Calm yourself, Bobby,
+my lad. Try taking six or seven full, deep inhalations, and you'll find
+that it helps wonderfully as a preventive. It saves many a harsh word.
+I've--"
+
+"You needn't caution me," murmured the Prince. "If I had the tongue of
+a pirate I couldn't begin to do justice to _this_," and he slapped his
+hand resoundingly upon the crumpled message from William W. Blithers.
+
+The message had been sent by Mr. Blithers that morning, evidently just
+before the sailing of the fast French steamer on which he and his wife
+were crossing to Havre. It was directed to August Totten and read as
+follows:
+
+"Tell our young friend to qualify statement to press at once. Announce
+reconsideration of hasty denial and admit engagement. This is
+imperative. I am not in mood for trifling. Have wired Paris papers that
+engagement is settled. Have also wired daughter. The sooner we get
+together on this the better. Wait for my arrival in Paris." It was
+signed "W. B."
+
+"There's Blitherskite methods for you," said Dank. "Speaking of
+pirates, he's the king of them all. Did you ever hear of such
+confounded insolence? The damned--"
+
+"Wait a second, Dank," interrupted the Count. "There is still another
+delectable communication for you, Robin. It was directed to R. Schmidt
+and I took the liberty of opening it, as authorised. Read it."
+
+This was one of the ordinary "_petits bleu_," dropped into the
+pneumatic tube letter-box at half-past two that afternoon, shortly
+before Robin ventured forth on his interesting expedition in quest of
+tea, and its contents were very crisp and to the point:
+
+"Pay no attention to any word you may have received from my father. He
+cables a ridiculous command to me which I shall ignore. If you have
+received a similar message I implore you to disregard it altogether.
+Let's give each other a fighting chance."
+
+It was signed "Maud Blithers."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER
+
+
+Mr. Blithers received a marconigram from the _Jupiter_ when the ship
+was three days out from New York. It was terse but sufficient.
+
+"Have just had a glimpse of Prince Charming. He is very good-looking.
+Love to mother. Maud."
+
+He had barely settled into a state of complete satisfaction with
+himself over the successful inauguration of a shrewd campaign to get
+the better of the recalcitrant Maud and the incomprehensible Robin,
+when he was thrown into a panic by the discovery that young Chandler
+Scoville had sailed for Europe two days ahead of Maud and her elderly
+companion. The gratification of knowing that the two young people had
+sailed away on the same vessel was not in the least minimised by Maud's
+declaration that she intended to remain in her cabin all the way across
+in order to avoid recognition, for he knew her too well to believe it
+possible that she could stay out of sight for any length of time, fair
+weather or foul. He even made a definite wager with his wife that the
+two would become acquainted before they were half-way across the
+Atlantic, and he made a bet with himself that nature would do the rest.
+And now here came the staggering suspicion that Scoville's hasty
+departure was the result of a pre-arranged plan between him and Maud,
+and that, after all, the silly girl might spoil everything by marrying
+the confounded rascal before he could do anything to prevent the
+catastrophe.
+
+He even tried to engineer a scheme whereby young Scoville might be
+arrested on landing and detained on one pretext or another until he
+could reach Europe and put an end to the fellow's vain-glorious
+conniving.
+
+But after consulting with his lawyers he abandoned the plan because
+they succeeded in proving to him that Maud certainly would marry the
+fellow if she had the least ground for believing that he was being
+oppressed on her account. The cables were kept very busy, however, for
+the next twenty-four hours, and it is certain that Scoville was a
+marked man from the moment he landed.
+
+Newspaper reporters camped on the trail of Mr. Blithers. He very
+obligingly admitted that there was something in the report that his
+daughter was to marry the Prince of Graustark, although he couldn't say
+anything definite at the time. It wouldn't be fair to the parties
+concerned, he explained. He gave away a great many boxes of cigars, and
+not a few of the more sagacious reporters succeeded in getting at least
+three boxes by interviewing him on as many separate occasions without
+being detected in the act of repeating. Then came the disgusting
+denials in Paris by his daughter and the ungrateful Prince. This was
+too much. He couldn't understand such unfilial behaviour on the part of
+one, and he certainly couldn't forgive the ingratitude of the other.
+
+Instead of waiting until Saturday to sail, he changed ships and left
+New York on Friday, thereby gaining nothing by the move except relief
+from the newspapers, for it appears that he gave up a five day boat for
+one that could not do it under six. Still he was in active pursuit,
+which was a great deal better than sitting in New York twiddling his
+thumbs or looking at his watch and berating the pernicious hours that
+stood between him and Saturday noon.
+
+"There will be something doing in Europe the day I land there, Lou," he
+said to his wife as they stood on deck and watched the Statue of
+Liberty glide swiftly back toward Manhattan Island. "I've got all the
+strings working smoothly. We've got Groostock where it can't peep any
+louder than a freshly hatched chicken, and we'll soon bring Maud to her
+senses. I tell you, Lou, there is nothing that makes a girl forget her
+lofty ideals so quickly as the chance to go shopping for princess
+gowns. She's seen the prince and I'll bet she won't be so stubborn as
+she was before. And if he has had a good, square look at her,--if he's
+had a chance to gaze into those eyes of hers,--why, I--well, I leave
+it to you. He can't help getting off his high horse, can he?"
+
+Mrs. Blithers favoured him with a smile. It was acknowledged that Maud
+was the living image of what her mother had been at the age of twenty.
+
+"I hope the child hasn't made any silly promise to Channie Scoville,"
+she sighed.
+
+"I've been thinking of that, Lou," said he, wiping his brow, "and I've
+come to one conclusion: Scoville can be bought off. He's as poor as Job
+and half a million will look like the Bank of England to him. I'll--"
+
+"You are not to attempt anything of the kind, Will," she cried
+emphatically. "He would laugh in your face, poor as he is. He comes
+from one of the best families in New York and--"
+
+"And I don't know where the best families need money any more than they
+do in New York," he interrupted irritably. "'Gad, if the worst families
+need it as badly as they do, what must be the needs of the best? You
+leave it to me. It may be possible to insult him with a half million,
+so if he feels that way about it I'll apologise to him again with
+another half million. You'll see that he won't be capable of resenting
+two insults in succession. He'll--"
+
+"He isn't a fool," said she significantly.
+
+"He'd be a fool if he refused to take--"
+
+"Are you losing your senses, Will?" she cried impatiently. "Why should
+he accept a million to give up Maud, when he can be sure of fifty times
+that much if he marries her?"
+
+"But I'll cut Maud off with a dollar if she marries him, so help me
+Moses!" exclaimed Mr. Blithers, but he went a little pale just the
+same. "That will fix him!"
+
+"You are talking nonsense," said she sharply. He put his fingers to his
+ears somewhat earlier than usual, and she turned away with a
+tantalising laugh. "I'm going inside," and inside she went. When he
+followed a few minutes later he was uncommonly meek.
+
+"At any rate," he said, seating himself on the edge of a chair in her
+parlour, "I guess those cablegrams this morning will make 'em think
+twice before they go on denying things in the newspapers."
+
+"Maud will pay no attention to your cablegram, and, if I am any judge
+of human nature, the Prince will laugh himself sick over the one you
+sent to Count Quinnox. I told you not to send them. You are not dealing
+with Wall Street. You are dealing with a girl and a boy who appear to
+have minds of their own."
+
+He ventured a superior sniff. "I guess you don't know as much about
+Wall Street as you think you do."
+
+"I only know that it puts its tail between its legs and howls every
+time some one points a finger at it," she observed scornfully.
+
+"Now let's be sensible, Lou," he said, sitting back a little further in
+the chair, relieved to find that she was at least willing to tolerate
+his presence,--a matter on which he was in some doubt when he entered
+the room. There were times when he was not quite certain whether he or
+she was the brains of the family. "We'll probably have a wireless from
+Maud before long. Then we'll have something tangible to discuss. By the
+way, did I tell you that I've ordered some Dutch architects from Berlin
+to go--"
+
+"The Dutch are from Holland," she said wearily.
+
+"--to go over to Growstock and give me a complete estimate on repairing
+and remodelling the royal castle? I dare say we'll have to do a good
+deal to the place. It's several hundred years old and must require a
+lot of conveniences. Such as bath-rooms, electric lights, steam heating
+appar--"
+
+"Better make haste slowly, Will," she said, and he ought to have been
+warned by the light in her eye. "You are taking a great deal for
+granted, aren't you?"
+
+"It's got to be fixed up some time, so we might just as well do it in
+the beginning," said he, failing utterly to grasp her meaning.
+"Probably needs refurnishing from top to bottom, too, and a new roof. I
+never saw a ruin yet that didn't leak. Remember those castles on the
+Rhine? Will you ever forget how wet we got the day we went through the
+one at--"
+
+"They were abandoned, tumble-down castles," she reminded him.
+
+"There isn't a castle in Europe that's any good in a rain-storm," he
+proclaimed. "A mortgage can't keep out the rain and that's what every
+one of 'em is covered with. Why old man Quiddox himself told me that
+their castle had been shot to pieces in one of the revolutions and--"
+
+"It is time you informed yourself about the country you are trying to
+annex to the Blithers estate," she said sarcastically. "I can assist
+you to some extent if you will be good enough to listen. In the first
+place, the royal castle at Edelweiss is one of the most substantial in
+the world. It has not been allowed to fall into decay. In fact, it is
+inhabitated from top to bottom by members of the royal household and
+the court, and I fancy they are not the sort of people who take kindly
+to a wetting. It is not a ruin, Will, such as you have been permitted
+to visit, but a magnificent building with all of the modern
+improvements. The only wettings that the inmates sustain are of a daily
+character and due entirely to voluntary association with porcelain
+bath-tubs and nickle-plated showers, and they never get anything wet
+but their skins. As for the furnishings, I can assure you that the
+entire Blithers fortune could not replace them if they were to be
+destroyed by fire or pillage. They are priceless and they are unique. I
+have read that the hangings in the bed-chamber of the late Princess
+Yetive are the most wonderful in the whole world. The throne chair in
+the great audience chamber is of solid gold and weighs nearly three
+thousand pounds. It is studded with diamonds, rubies--"
+
+"Great Scott, Lou, where did you learn all this?" he gasped, his eyes
+bulging.
+
+"--emeralds and other precious stones. There is one huge carpet in the
+royal drawing-room that the Czar of Russia is said to have offered one
+hundred thousand pounds for and the offer was scorned. The park
+surrounding the castle is said to be beautiful beyond the power of
+description. The--"
+
+"I asked you where you got all this information. Can't you answer me?"
+
+"I obtained all this and a great deal more from a lady who spent a year
+or two inside the castle walls. I refer to Mrs. Truxton King, who might
+have told you as much if you had possessed the intelligence to inquire."
+
+"Gee whiz!" exclaimed Mr. Blithers, going back to his buoyant boyhood
+days for an adequate expression. "What a wonder you are, Lou. But
+that's the woman of it, always getting at the inside of a thing while a
+man is standing around looking at the outside. Say, but won't it make a
+wonderful home for you and me to spend a peaceful old age in when we
+get ready to lay aside the--"
+
+He stopped short, for she had arisen and was standing over him with a
+quivering forefinger levelled at his nose,--and not more than six
+inches away from it,--her handsome eyes flashing with fury.
+
+"You may walk in where angels fear to tread, but you will walk alone,
+Will Blithers. I shall not be with you, and you may as well understand
+it now. I've told you a hundred times that money isn't everything, and
+it is as cheap as dirt when you put it alongside of tradition, honour,
+pride and loyalty. Those Graustarkians would take you by the nape of
+the neck and march you out of their castle so quick that your head
+would swim. You may be able to buy their prince for Maudie to exhibit
+around the country, but you can't buy the intelligence of the people.
+They won't have you at any price and they won't have me, so there is
+the situation in a nutshell. They will hate Maudie, of course, but they
+will endure her for obvious reasons. They may even come to love and
+respect her in the end, for she is worthy. But as for you and me,
+William,--with all our money,--we will find every hand against us--even
+the hand of our daughter, I prophesy. I am not saying that I would
+regret seeing Maud the Princess of Graustark--far from it. But I do say
+that you and I will be expected to know our places. If you attempt to
+spend your declining years in the castle at Edelweiss you will find
+them reduced to days, and short ones at that. The people of Graustark
+will see to it that you die before your time."
+
+"Bosh!" said Mr. Blithers. "Mind if I smoke?" He took out a cigar and
+began searching for matches.
+
+"No," she said, "I don't mind. It is a sign that you need something to
+steady your nerves. I know you, Will Blithers. You don't want to smoke.
+You want to gain a few minutes of time, that's all."
+
+He lit a cigar. "Right you are," was his unexpected admission. "I
+wonder if you really have the right idea about this business. What
+objection could any one have to a poor, tired old man sitting in front
+of his daughter's fireside and--and playing with her kiddies? It seems
+to me that--"
+
+"You will never be a tired old man, that's the trouble," she said,
+instantly touched.
+
+"Oh, yes, I will," said he slowly. "I'm rather looking forward to it,
+too."
+
+"It will be much nicer to have the kiddies come to your own fireside,
+Will. I used to enjoy nothing better than going to spend a few days
+with my grandfather."
+
+"But what's the use of going to all this trouble and expense if we are
+not to enjoy some of the fruits?" he protested, making a determined
+stand. "If these people can't be grateful to the man who helps 'em out
+in their time of trouble,--and who goes out of his way to present 'em
+with a bright, capable posterity,--I'd like to know what in thunder
+gratitude really means."
+
+"Oh, there isn't such a thing as gratitude," she said. "Obligation,
+yes,--and ingratitude most certainly, but gratitude,--no. You are in a
+position to know that gratitude doesn't exist. Are you forgetting the
+private advices we already have had from Graustark? Does it indicate
+that the people are grateful? There are moments when I fear that we are
+actually placing Maud's life in peril, and I have had some wretched
+dreams. They do not want her. They speak of exile for the Prince if he
+marries her. And now I repeat what I have said before:--the people of
+Graustark must have an opportunity to see and become acquainted with
+Maud before the marriage is definitely arranged. I will not have my
+daughter cast into a den of lions. Will,--for that is what it may
+amount to. The people will adore her, they will welcome her with open
+arms if they are given the chance. But they will have none of her if
+she is forced upon them in the way you propose."
+
+"I'll--I'll think it over," said Mr. Blithers, and then discovered that
+his cigar had gone out. "I think I'll go on deck and smoke, Lou. Makes
+it stuffy in here. We'll lunch in the restaurant at half-past one, eh?"
+
+"Think hard, Will," she recommended, with a smile.
+
+"I'll do that," he said, "but there's nothing on earth that can alter
+my determination to make Maud the Princess of Groostork. _That's_
+settled."
+
+"Graustark, Will."
+
+"Well, whatever it is," said he, and departed.
+
+He did think hard, but not so much about a regal home for aged people
+as about Channie Scoville who had now become a positive menace to all
+of his well-ordered and costly plans. The principal subject for thought
+just now was not Graustark but this conniving young gentleman who stood
+ready to make a terrible mess of posterity. Mr. Blithers was
+sufficiently fair-minded to concede that the fellow was good-looking,
+well-bred and clever, just the sort of chap that any girl might fall in
+love with like a shot. As a matter of fact, he once had admired
+Scoville, but that was before he came to look upon him as a menace. He
+would make a capital husband for any girl in the world, except Maud. He
+could say that much for him, without reserve.
+
+He thought hard until half-past one and then went to the wireless
+office, where he wrote out a message in cipher and directed the
+operator to waste no time in relaying it to his offices in Paris. His
+wife was right. It would be the height of folly to offer Scoville money
+and it would be even worse to inspire the temporary imprisonment of the
+young man.
+
+But there was a splendid alternative. He could manage to have his own
+daughter abducted,--chaperon included,--and held for ransom!
+
+The more he thought of it the better it seemed to him, and so he sent a
+cipher message that was destined to throw his Paris managers into a
+state of agitation that cannot possibly be measured by words. In brief,
+he instructed them to engage a few peaceable, trustworthy and
+positively respectable gentlemen,--he was particularly exacting on the
+score of gentility,--with orders to abduct the young lady and hold her
+in restraint until he arrived and arranged for her liberation! They
+were to do the deed without making any fuss about it, but at the same
+time they were to do it effectually.
+
+He had the foresight to suggest that the job should be undertaken by
+the very detective agency he had employed to shadow young Scoville and
+also to keep an eye on Maud. Naturally, she was never to know the truth
+about the matter. She was to believe that her father came up with a
+huge sum in the shape of ransom, no questions asked. He also remembered
+in time and added the imperative command that she was to be confined in
+clean, comfortable quarters and given the best of nourishment. But,
+above all else, it was to be managed in a decidedly realistic way, for
+Maud was a keen-witted creature who would see through the smallest
+crack in the conspiracy if there was a single false movement on the
+part of the plotters. It is also worthy of mention that Mrs. Blithers
+was never--_decidedly never_--to know the truth about the matter.
+
+He went in to luncheon in a very amiable, even docile frame of mind.
+
+"I've thought the matter over, Lou," he said, "and I guess you are
+right, after all. We will make all the repairs necessary, but we won't
+consider living in it ourselves. We'll return good for evil and live in
+a hotel when we go to visit the royal family. As for--"
+
+"I meant that you were to think hard before attempting to force Maud
+upon Prince Robin's subjects without preparing them for the--"
+
+"I thought of that, too," he interrupted cheerfully. "I'm not going to
+cast my only child into the den of lions, so that's the end of it. Have
+you given the order, my dear?"
+
+"No," she said; "for I knew you would change it when you came in."
+
+Late that evening he had a reply from his Paris managers. They inquired
+if he was responsible for the message they had received. It was a
+ticklish job and they wanted to be sure that the message was genuine.
+He wired back that he was the sender and to go ahead. The next morning
+they notified him that his instructions would be carried out as
+expeditiously as possible.
+
+He displayed such a beaming countenance all that day that his wife
+finally demanded an explanation. It wasn't like him to beam when he was
+worried about anything, and she wanted to know what had come over him.
+
+"It's the sea-air, Lou," he exclaimed glibly. "It always makes me feel
+like a fighting-cock. I--"
+
+"Rubbish! You detest the sea-air. It makes you feel like fighting, I
+grant, but not like a fighting-cock."
+
+"There you go, trying to tell me how I feel. I've never known any one
+like you, Lou. I can't say a word that--"
+
+"Have you had any news from Maud?" she broke in suspiciously.
+
+"Not a word," said he.
+
+"What have you done to Channie Scoville?" she questioned, fixing him
+with an accusing eye.
+
+"Not a thing," said he.
+
+"Then, what is it?"
+
+"You won't believe me if I tell you," said he warily.
+
+"Yes, I will."
+
+"No, you won't."
+
+"Tell me this instant why you've been grinning like a Cheshire cat all
+day."
+
+"It's the sea-air," said he, and then: "I said you wouldn't believe me,
+didn't I?"
+
+"Do you think I'm a fool, Will Blithers?" she flashed, and did not wait
+for an answer. He chuckled to himself as she swept imperiously out of
+sight around a corner of the deck-building.
+
+He was up bright and early the next morning, tingling with
+anticipation. There ought to be word from Paris before noon, and it
+might come earlier. He kept pretty close to the wireless operator's
+office, and was particularly attentive to the spitting crackle of the
+instrument.
+
+About eleven o'clock an incomprehensibly long message began to rattle
+out of the air. He contained himself in patience for the matter of half
+an hour or longer, and then, as the clatter continued without
+cessation, he got up and made his way to the door of the operator's
+office.
+
+"What is it? The history of England?" he demanded sarcastically.
+
+"Message for you, Mr. Blithers. It's a long one and I'm having a hard
+time picking it up. Everybody seems to be talking at once. Do you want
+the baseball scores, Mr. Blithers?"
+
+"Not unless they come in cipher," said Mr. Blithers acidly.
+
+"Some of 'em do. Six to nothing in favor of the Giants, two to
+nothing--Here we are at last. I've picked up the _Mauretania_ again.
+She's relaying."
+
+Mr. Blithers sat down on the steps and looked at his watch. It would be
+five o'clock in Paris. He wondered if they were giving Maud her
+afternoon tea, and then choked up with a sudden pity for the terrified
+captive. It was all he could do to keep from jumping up and ordering
+the operator to drop everything and take a message countermanding his
+inhuman instructions to those asses in Paris. Tears gushed from his
+eyes. He brushed them away angrily and tried to convince himself that
+it served Maud right for being so obstinate. Still the tears came. The
+corners of his mouth drooped and his chin began to quiver. It was too
+much! The poor child was--
+
+But just then the operator sat back with a sigh of relief, mopped his
+brow, and said:
+
+"Good thing you're a rich man, Mr. Blithers. It came collect and--"
+
+"Never mind," blurted Mr. Blithers. "Hand it over."
+
+There were four sheets of writing at some outlandish price per word,
+but what cared he? He wanted to get back to his stateroom and his
+cipher code as quickly--but his eyes almost started from his head as he
+took in the name at the bottom of the message. It was "Maud."
+
+He did not require the cipher book. A fourth reader child could have
+read the message without a halt. Maud had taken his request literally.
+He had asked her to send him a nice long message, but he did not expect
+her to make a four-page letter of it. She was paying him out with a
+vengeance!
+
+He took the precaution to read it before handing it over to his wife,
+to whom it was addressed in conjunction with himself:
+
+"Dear father and mother," it began--(and he looked at the date line
+again to make sure it was from Paris)--"in reply to your esteemed
+favour of the nineteenth, or possibly the twentieth, I beg to inform
+you that I arrived safely in Paris as per schedule. Regarding the
+voyage, it was delightful. We had one or two rough days. The rest of
+the time it was perfectly heavenly. I met two or three interesting and
+amusing people on board and they made the time pass most agreeably. I
+think I wired you that I had a glimpse of a certain person. On my
+arrival in Paris I was met at the station by friends and taken at once
+to the small, exclusive hotel where they are stopping for the summer.
+It is so small and exclusive that I'm sure you have never heard of it.
+I may as well tell you that I have seen Channie,--you know who I
+mean,--Chandler Scoville, and he has been very nice to me. Concerning
+your suggestion that I reconsider the statement issued to the press, I
+beg to state that I don't see any sense in taking the world into my
+confidence any farther than it has been taken already, if that is
+grammatically correct. I have also sent word to a certain person that
+he is not to pay any attention to the report that we are likely to
+change our minds in order to help out the greedy newspapers who don't
+appear to know when they have had enough. I hope that the voyage will
+benefit both of you as much as it did me. If I felt any better than I
+do now I'd call for the police as a precaution. Let me suggest that you
+try the chicken a la Bombardier in the Ritz restaurant. I found it
+delicious. I daresay they serve it as nicely on your ship as they do on
+the _Jupiter_. as the management is the same. Of course one never can
+tell about chefs. My plans are a trifle indefinite. I may leave here at
+any moment. It is very hot and muggy and nearly every one is skipping
+off to the mountains or seashore. If I should happen to be away from
+Paris when you arrive don't worry about me. I shall be all right and in
+safe hands. I will let you know where I am just as soon as I get
+settled somewhere. I must go where it is quiet and peaceful. I am so
+distressed over what has occurred that I don't feel as though I could
+ever be seen in public again without a thick veil and a pair of
+goggles. I have plenty of money for immediate use, but you might
+deposit something to my credit at the Credit Lyonnais as I haven't the
+least idea how long I shall stay over here. Miranda is well and is
+taking good care of me. She seldom lets me out of her sight if that is
+any comfort to you. I hope you will forgive the brevity of this
+communication and believe me when I say that it is not lack of love for
+you both that curtails its length but the abominably hot weather. With
+endless love from your devoted daughter--Maud."
+
+The tears had dried in Mr. Blithers' eyes but he wiped them time and
+again as he read this amazing letter,--this staggering exhibition of
+prodigality. He swore a little at first, but toward the end even that
+prerogative failed him. He set out in quest of his wife. Not that he
+expected her to say any more than he had said, but that he wanted her
+to see at a glance what kind of a child she had brought into the world
+and to forever hold her peace in future when he undertook to speak his
+mind.
+
+He could not understand why his wife laughed softly to herself as she
+read, and he looked on in simple amazement when she deliberately
+undertook to count the words. She counted them in a whisper and he
+couldn't stand it. He went down where the children were shrieking over
+a game of quoits and felt singularly peaceful and undisturbed.
+
+It was nearly bed-time before word came from his managers in Paris.
+Bed-time had no meaning for him after he had worked out the message by
+the code. It is true that he observed a life-long custom and went to
+bed, but he did not do it for the purpose of going to sleep.
+
+"Your daughter has disappeared from Paris. All efforts to locate her
+have failed. Friends say she left ostensibly for the Pyrenees but
+inquiries at stations and along line fail to reveal trace of her.
+Scoville still here and apparently in the dark. He is being watched.
+Her companion and maid left with her last night. Prince of Graustark
+and party left for Edelweiss to-day."
+
+So read the message from Paris.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
+
+
+One usually has breakfast on the porch of the Hotel Schweizerhof at
+Interlaken. It is not the most fashionable hostelry in the quaint
+little town at the head of the Lake of Thun, but it is of an excellent
+character, and the rolls and honey to be had with one's breakfast can
+not be surpassed in the Bernese Oberland. Straight ahead lies one of
+the most magnificent prospects in all the world: an unobstructed view
+of the snow-thatched Jungfrau, miles away, gleaming white and jagged
+against an azure sky, suggesting warmth instead of chill, grandeur
+instead of terror. Looking up the valley one might be led to say that
+an hour's ramble would take him to the crest of that shining peak, and
+yet some men have made a life's journey of it. Others have turned back
+in time.
+
+One has a whiff of fragrant woodlands and serene hay-cocks, a breath of
+cool air from the Jungfrau's snows, a sniff of delectable bacon and
+toast--and a zest for breakfast. And one sets about it with interest,
+with the breakfast of the next day as a thing to look forward to.
+
+R. Schmidt sat facing the dejected Boske Dank. His eyes were dancing
+with the joy of living, and nothing better can be said of a man's
+character than that he is gay and happy at breakfast-time. He who wakes
+up, refreshed and buoyant, and eager for the day's adventure, is indeed
+a child of nature. He will never grow old and crabbed; he will grip the
+hand of death when the time comes with the unconquered zeal that makes
+the grim reaper despise himself for the advantage he takes of youth.
+
+"Well, here we are and in spite of that, where are we?" said Dank, who
+saw nothing beautiful in the smile of any early morn. "I mean to say,
+what have we to show for our pains? We sneak into this Godforsaken
+hamlet, surrounded on all sides by abominations in the shape of
+tourists, and at the end of twenty-four hours we discover that the fair
+Miss Guile has played us a shabby trick. I daresay she is laughing
+herself sick over the whole business."
+
+"Which is more than you can say for yourself, Boske," said Robin
+blithely. "Brace up! All is not lost. We'll wait here a day or two
+longer and then--well, I don't know what we'll do then."
+
+"She never intended to come here at all," said Dank, filled with
+resentment. "It was a trick to get rid of us. She--"
+
+"Be honest, old chap and say that it was a trick to get rid of _me_. Us
+is entirely too plural. But I haven't lost heart. She'll turn up yet."
+
+"Count Quinnox is in despair over this extraordinary whim of yours,
+highness. He is really ill in bed this morning. I--"
+
+"I'll run up and see him after breakfast," cried the Prince, genuinely
+concerned. "I'm sorry he is taking it so seriously."
+
+"He feels that we should be at home instead of dawdling about the--"
+
+"That reminds me. Dank," broke in the Prince, fresh happiness in his
+smile; "I've decided that home is the place for you and the Count--and
+Gourou too. I'm perfectly able to take care of myself,--with some
+assistance from Hobbs,--and I don't see any necessity for you three to
+remain with me any longer. I'll tell the Count that you all may start
+for Vienna tonight. You connect with the Orient express at--"
+
+"Are you mad, highness?" cried Dank, startled out of his dejection.
+"What you speak of is impossible--utterly impossible. We cannot leave
+you. We were delegated to escort you--"
+
+"I understand all of that perfectly, Dank," interrupted Robin, suddenly
+embarrassed, "but don't you see how infernally awkward it will be for
+me if Miss Guile does appear, according to plan? She will find me
+body-guarded, so to speak, by three surly, scowling individuals whose
+presence I cannot explain to save my soul, unless I tell the truth, and
+I'm not yet ready to do that. Can't you see what I mean? How am I to
+explain the three of you? A hawk-eyed triumvirate that camps on my
+trail from morn till night and refuses to budge! She'll suspect
+something, old fellow, and--well, I certainly will feel more
+comfortable if I'm not watched for the next few days."
+
+"That's the point, highness. You've just got to be watched for the next
+few days. We would never dare to show our faces in Graustark again if
+we allowed anything to happen to you while you are under our care. You
+are a sacred charge. We must return you to Graustark as--er--inviolate
+as when you departed. We--we couldn't think of subjecting you to the
+peril of a--that is to say, it might prove fatal. Graustark, in that
+event, would be justified in hanging two of her foremost citizens and
+yours truly from gibbets designed especially for the blackest of
+traitors."
+
+"I see, Dank. If I find happiness, you are almost sure to find disgrace
+and death, eh? It doesn't seem a fair division, does it? I suppose you
+all feel that the worst thing that can possibly happen is for me to
+find happiness."
+
+"If I were the Prince of Graustark I should first think of the
+happiness of my subjects. I would not offend."
+
+"Well put, Boske, but fortunately you are not the Prince. I sometimes
+wish that you were. It would relieve me of a tremendous responsibility.
+I am not mean enough, however, to wish a crown upon you, old fellow.
+You are lucky to be who and what you are. No one cares what you do, so
+long as you are honourable about it. With me it is different. I have to
+be watched day and night in order to be kept from doing what all the
+rest of the world looks upon as honourable."
+
+"I implore you, highness, to give up this mad enterprise and return to
+your people as--"
+
+"There is only one person in the world who can stop me now, Dank."
+
+"And she isn't likely to do so, worse luck," was the other's complaint.
+
+"When she tells me to go about my business, I'll go, but not until
+then. Don't you like honey, Dank?"
+
+"No," said Dank savagely. "I hate it." He leaned back in his chair and
+glowered upon the innocent, placid Jungfrau. The Prince ate in silence.
+"May I be permitted a question, highness?"
+
+"All you like, Boske. You are my best friend. Go ahead."
+
+"Did you see Miss Guile after that visit to St. Cloud--and to the
+police station?"
+
+"No. Evidently she was frightened out of her boots by the Hawkshaws. I
+don't blame her, do you?"
+
+"And you've had no word from her?"
+
+"None. Now you are going to ask what reason I have for believing that
+she will come to Interlaken. Well, I can't answer that question. I
+think she'll come, that's all."
+
+"Do you think she is in love with you?"
+
+"Ah, my dear fellow, you are asking me to answer my own prayer," said
+Robin, without a sign of resentment in his manner. "I'm praying that
+she isn't altogether indifferent. By the way, it is my turn to ask
+questions. Are you still in love with her?"
+
+"I am proud to say that you are more in my prayers that she," said
+Dank, with a profound sigh. "Nothing could please me more than to be
+the one to save my prince from disaster, even if it meant the sacrifice
+of self. My only prayer is that you may be spared, sir, and I taken in
+your place."
+
+"That was a neat answer, 'pon my soul," cried the Prince admiringly.
+"You--Hello, who is this approaching? It is no other than the great
+Gourou himself, the king of sleuths, as they say in the books I used to
+read. Good morning, Baron."
+
+The sharp-visaged little Minister of Police came up to the table and
+fixed an accusing eye upon his sovereign,--the literal truth, for he
+had the other eye closed in a protracted wink.
+
+"I regret to inform your majesty that the enemy is upon us," he said.
+"I fear that our retreat is cut off. Nothing remains save--"
+
+"She has arrived?" cried the Prince eagerly.
+
+"She has," said the Baron. "Bag and baggage, and armed to the eyes.
+Each eye is a gatling-gun, each lip a lunette behind which lies an
+unconquerable legion of smiles and rows of ivory bayonets, each ear a
+hardy spy, and every nut-brown strand a covetous dastard on the warpath
+not for a scalp but for a crown. Napoleon was never so well prepared
+for battle as she, nor Troy so firmly fortified. Yes, highness, the foe
+is at our gates. We must to arms!"
+
+"Where is she?" demanded Robin, unimpressed by this glowing panegyric.
+
+"At this instant, sir, I fancy she is rallying her forces in the very
+face of a helpless mirror. In other words, she is preparing for the
+fray. She is dressing."
+
+"The devil! How dare you pry into the secret--"
+
+"Abhorrent thought! I deduce, nothing more. Her maid loses herself in
+the halls while attempting to respond to the call for re-inforcements.
+She accosts a gentleman of whom she inquires the way. The gentleman
+informs her she is on the third, not the second _etage_, and she
+scurries away simpering, but not before confiding to me--the aforesaid
+gentleman--that her mistress will give her fits for being late with her
+hair, whatever that may signify. So, you see, I do not stoop to
+keyholes but put my wits to work instead."
+
+"When did she arrive?"
+
+"She came last night via Milan."
+
+"From Milan?" cried Robin, astonished.
+
+"A roundabout way, I'll admit," said the Baron, drily, "and tortuous in
+these hot days, but admirably suited to a purpose. I should say that
+she was bent on throwing some one off the track."
+
+"And yet she came!" cried the Prince, in exultation. "She wanted to
+come, after all, now didn't she, Dank?" He gave the lieutenant a look
+of triumph.
+
+"She is more dangerous than I thought," said the guardsman mournfully.
+
+"Sit down, Baron," commanded the Prince. "I want to lay down the law to
+all of you. You three will have to move on to Graustark and leave me to
+look out for myself. I will not have Miss Guile--"
+
+"No!" exclaimed the Baron, with unusual vehemence. "I expected you to
+propose something of the kind, and I am obliged to confess to you that
+we have discussed the contingency in advance. We will not leave you.
+That is final. You may depose us, exile us, curse us or anything you
+like, but still we shall remain true to the duty we owe to our country.
+We stay here, Prince Robin, just so long as you are content to remain."
+
+Robin's face was very red. "You shame me, Baron," he said simply. "I am
+sorry that I spoke as I did. You are my friends, my loyal friends, and
+I would have humbled you in the eyes of my people. I beg your pardon,
+and yours, Boske. After all, I am only a prince and a prince is
+dependent on the loyalty of such as you. I take back all that I said."
+
+The Baron laid a kindly hand on the young man's shoulder. "I was rough,
+highness, in my speech just now, but you will understand that I was
+moved to--"
+
+"I know, Baron. It was the only way to fetch me up sharp. No apology is
+required. God bless you."
+
+"Now I have a suggestion of my own to offer," said the Baron, taking a
+seat at the end of the table. "I confess that Miss Guile may not be
+favourably impressed by the constant attendance of three able-bodied
+nurses, and, as she happens to be no fool, it is reasonably certain
+that she will grasp the significance of our assiduity. Now I propose
+that the Count, Dank and myself efface ourselves as completely as
+possible during the rest of our enforced stay in Interlaken. I propose
+that we take quarters in another hotel and leave you and Hobbs to the
+tender mercies of the enemy. It seems to me that--"
+
+"Good!" cried Robin. "That's the ticket! I quite agree to that, Baron."
+
+Dank was prepared to object but a dark look from Gourou silenced him.
+"I've talked it over with the Count and he acquiesces," went on the
+Baron. "We recognise the futility of trying to induce you to leave at
+once for Graustark, and we are now content to trust Providence to watch
+over and protect you against a foe whose motives may in time become
+transparent, even to the blind."
+
+The irony in the remark was not lost on Robin. He flushed angrily but
+held his tongue.
+
+Ten o'clock found the three gentlemen,--so classified by Hobbs,--out of
+the Schweizerhof and arranging for accommodations at the Regina Hotel
+Jungfraublick, perched on an eminence overlooking the valley and some
+distance removed from the temporary abode of the Prince. Their
+departure from the hotel in the Hoheweg was accomplished without
+detection by Miss Guile or her friends, and, to all intents and
+purposes, Robin was alone and unattended when he sat down on the porch
+near the telescope to await the first appearance of the enchanting foe.
+He was somewhat puzzled by the strange submissiveness of his
+companions. Deep down in his mind lurked the disquieting suspicion that
+they were conniving to get the better of the lovely temptress by some
+sly and secret bit of strategy. What was back of the wily Baron's
+motive? Why were they now content to let him take the bit in his teeth
+and run wherever he would? What had become of their anxiety, their
+eagerness to drag him off to Graustark by the first train? There was
+food for reflection in the tranquil capitulation of the defenders. Were
+they acting under fresh instructions from Edelweiss? Had the Prime
+Minister directed them to put no further obstacle in front of the great
+Blithers invasion? Or--and he scowled darkly at the thought--was there
+a plan afoot to overcome the dangerous Miss Guile by means more
+sinister than subtle?
+
+Enlightenment came unexpectedly and with a shock to his composure. He
+had observed the three spirited saddlehorses near the entrance of the
+hotel, in charge of two stable-boys, but had regarded them only as
+splendid specimens of equine aristocracy. It had not entered his mind
+to look upon them as agents of despair.
+
+Two people emerged from the door and, passing by without so much as a
+glance in his direction, made their way to the mounting block. Robin's
+heart went down to his boots. Bedelia, a graceful figure in a smart
+riding habit, was laughing blithely over a soft-spoken remark that her
+companion had made as they were crossing the porch. And that companion
+was no other than the tall, good-looking fellow who had met her at
+Cherbourg! The Prince, stunned and incredulous, watched them mount
+their horses and canter away, followed by a groom who seemed to have
+sprung up from nowhere.
+
+"Good morning, Mr. Schmidt," spoke a voice, and, still bewildered, he
+whirled, hat in hand, to confront Mrs. Gaston. "Did I startle you?"
+
+He bowed stiffly over the hand she held out for him to clasp, and
+murmured something about being proof against any surprise. The colour
+was slowly returning to his face, and his smile was as engaging as ever
+despite the bitterness that filled his soul. Here was a pretty trick to
+play on a fellow! Here was a slap in the face!
+
+"Isn't it a glorious morning? And how wonderful she is in this gorgeous
+sunlight," went on Mrs. Gaston, in what may be described as a hurried,
+nervous manner.
+
+"I had the briefest glimpse of her," mumbled Robin. "When did she come?"
+
+"Centuries and centuries ago, Mr. Schmidt," said she, with a smile. "I
+was speaking of the Jungfrau."
+
+"Oh!" he exclaimed, flushing. "I thought you--er--yes, of course!
+Really quite wonderful. I have heard it said that she never removes her
+night-cap, but always greets the dawn in spotless--ahem! Of course you
+understand that I am speaking of the Jungfrau," he floundered.
+
+"Naturally, Mr. Schmidt. And so you came, after all. We were afraid you
+might have concluded to alter your plans. Miss Guile will be delighted."
+
+He appeared grateful for the promise. "I have been here for three days,
+Mrs. Gaston. You were delayed in leaving Paris?"
+
+"Yes," she said, and changed the subject. "The riding is quite good, I
+understand. They are off for Lauterbrunnen."
+
+"I see," said he. "There is a splendid inn there, I am told."
+
+"They will return here for luncheon, of course," she said, raising her
+eyebrows slightly. His heart became a trifle lighter at this. "Mr.
+White is a lifelong friend and acquaintance of the family," she
+volunteered, apropos of nothing.
+
+"Oh, his name is White?" with a quiet laugh.
+
+"If you have nothing better to do, Mr. Schmidt, why not come with me to
+the Kursaal? The morning concert will begin shortly, and I--"
+
+"I think you will find that the band plays in the square across the
+way, Mrs. Gaston, and not in the Casino. At least, that has been the
+programme for the last two mornings."
+
+"Nevertheless, there is a concert at the Casino today," she informed
+him. "Will you come?"
+
+"Gladly," he replied, and they set off for the Kursaal. He found seats
+in the half-empty pavillion and prepared to listen to the music,
+although his real interest was following the narrow highway to
+Lauterbrunnen--and the Staubbach.
+
+"This is to be a special concert given at the request of the Grand Duke
+who, I hear, is leaving this afternoon for Berne."
+
+"The Grand Duke? I was not aware of the presence of royalty," said he
+in surprise.
+
+"No? He has been here for three days, but at another hotel. The Grand
+Duke Paulus and his family, you know."
+
+Robin shot a swift, apprehensive glance about the big enclosure,
+sweeping the raised circle from end to end. On the opposite side of the
+pavillion he discovered the space reserved for the distinguished party.
+Although he was far removed from that section he sank deeper into his
+chair and found one pretext after another to screen his face from view.
+He did know the Grand Duke Paulus and the Grand Duke knew him, which
+was even more to the point.
+
+The Prince of Graustark had been a prime favourite of the great man
+since his knickerbocker days. Twice as a boy he had visited in the
+ducal palace, far distant from Graustark, and at the time of his own
+coronation the Grand Duke and his sons had come to the castle in
+Edelweiss for a full month's stay. They knew him well and they would
+recognise him at a glance. At this particular time the last thing on
+earth that he desired was to be hailed as a royal prince.
+
+Never, in all his life, had he known the sun to penetrate so brightly
+into shadows as it did to-day. He felt that he was sitting in a perfect
+glare of light and that every feature of his face was clear to the most
+distant observer.
+
+He was on the point of making an excuse to leave the place when the
+ducal party came sauntering down the aisle on their way to the reserved
+section. Every one stood up, the band played, the Grand Duke bowed to
+the right and to the left, and escape was cut off. Robin could only
+stand with averted face and direct mild execrations at the sunlight
+that had seemed so glorious at breakfast-time.
+
+"He is a splendid-looking man, isn't he?" Mrs. Gaston was saying. She
+was gazing in rapt admiration upon the royal group.
+
+"He is, indeed," said Robin, resolutely scanning a programme, which he
+continued to hold before his face. When he sat down again, it was with
+his back to the band. "I don't like to watch the conductors," he
+explained. "They do such foolish things, you know."
+
+Mrs. Gaston was eyeing him curiously. He was bitterly conscious of a
+crimson cheek. In silence they listened to the first number. While the
+applause was at its height, Mrs. Gaston leaned forward and said to him:
+
+"I am afraid you are not enjoying the music, Mr. Schmidt. What is on
+your mind?"
+
+He started. "I--I--really, Mrs. Gaston, I am enjoying it. I--"
+
+"Your mind has gone horse-back riding, I fear. At present it is between
+here and Lauterbrunnen, jogging beside that roaring little torrent
+that--"
+
+"I don't mind confessing that you are quite right," said he frankly.
+"And I may add that the music makes me so blue that I'd like to jump
+into that roaring torrent and--and swim out again, I suppose," he
+concluded, with a sheepish grin.
+
+"You are in love."
+
+"I am," he confessed.
+
+She laid her hand upon his. Her eyes were wide with eagerness. "Would
+it drive away the blues if I were to tell you that you have a chance to
+win her?"
+
+He felt his head spinning. "If--if I could believe that--that-" he
+began, and choked up with the rush of emotion that swept through him.
+
+"She is a strange girl. She will marry for love alone. Her father is
+determined that she shall marry a royal prince. That much I may confess
+to you. She has defied her father, Mr. Schmidt. She will marry for
+love, and I believe it is in your power to awaken love in that adorable
+heart of hers. You--"
+
+"For God's sake, Mrs. Gaston, tell me--tell me, has she breathed a word
+to you that--"
+
+"Not a single word. But I know her well. I have known her since she was
+a baby, and I can read the soul that looks out through those lovely
+eyes. Knowing her so well, I may say to you--oh, it must be in the
+strictest confidence!--that you have a chance. And if you win her love,
+you will _have_ the greatest treasure in all the world. She--but, look!
+The Grand Duke is leaving. He--"
+
+"I don't care what becomes of the Grand Duke," he burst out. "Tell me
+more. Tell me how you look into her soul, and tell me what you see--"
+
+"Not now, sir. I have said enough. I have given you the sign of hope.
+It remains with you to make the most of it."
+
+"But you--you don't know anything about me. I may be the veriest
+adventurer, the most unworthy of all--"
+
+"I think, Mr. Schmidt, that I know you pretty well. I do not require
+the aid of Diogenes' lantern to see an honest man. I am responsible for
+her welfare. She has been placed under my protection. For twenty years
+I have adored her. I am not likely to encourage an adventurer."
+
+"I must be honest with you, Mrs. Gaston," he said suddenly. "I am not--"
+
+She held up her hand. "Mr. Totten has informed me that you are a
+life-long friend of Mrs. Truxton King. I cabled to her from Paris.
+There is no more to be said."
+
+His face fell. "Did she tell you--everything?"
+
+"She said no more than that R. Schmidt is the finest boy in all the
+world." Suddenly her face paled. "You are never--_never_ to breathe a
+word of this to--to Bedelia," she whispered.
+
+"But her father? What will he say to--"
+
+"Her father has said all that can be said," she broke in quietly. "He
+cannot force her to marry the man he has selected. She will marry the
+man she loves. Come now! Let us go. I am tired of the music."
+
+"Thank you, thank you, Mrs. Gaston," he cried, with shining eyes. "God
+bless you!"
+
+She gave him a queer look. "You must not think that your task is an
+easy one," she said meaningly. "There are other men in the world, you
+know."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+"WHAT WILL MY PEOPLE DO!"
+
+
+The Grand Duke and his party left Interlaken by special train early in
+the afternoon, and great was Robin's relief when Hobbs returned with
+the word that they were safely on their way to the capital of
+Switzerland. He emerged from the seclusion of his room, where he had
+been in hiding since noon, and set out for a walk through the town. His
+head was high and his stride jaunty, for his heart was like a cork.
+People stared after him with smiles of admiration, and never a
+_cocher'_ passed him by without a genial, inviting tilt of the eyebrow
+and a tentative pull at the reins, only to meet with a pleasant shake
+of the head or the negative flourish of a bamboo cane.
+
+Night came and with it the silvery glow of moonlight across the hoary
+headed queen of the Oberland. When Robin came out from dinner he seated
+himself on the porch, expectant, eager--and vastly lonesome. An
+unaccountable shyness afflicted him, rendering him quite incapable of
+sending his card up to the one who could have dispelled the gathering
+gloom with a single glance of the eye. Would she come stealing out
+ostensibly to look at the night-capped peak, but with furtive glances
+into the shadows of the porch in quest of--But no! She would not do
+that! She would come attended by the exasperating Mr. White and the
+friendly duenna. Her starry eyes, directed elsewhere, would only serve
+to increase the depth of the shadows in which he lurked impatient.
+
+She came at last--and alone. Stopping at the rail not more than an
+arm's length from where he sat, she gazed pensively up at the solemn
+mistress of the valley, one slim hand at her bosom, the other hanging
+limp at her side. He could have touched that slender hand by merely
+stretching forth his own. Breathless, enthralled, he sat as one
+deprived of the power or even the wish to move. The spell was upon him;
+he was in thralldom.
+
+She wore a rose-coloured gown, soft, slinky, seductive. A light
+Egyptian scarf lay across her bare shoulders. The slim, white neck and
+the soft dark hair--but she sighed! He heard that faint, quick-drawn
+sigh and started to his feet.
+
+"Bedelia!" he whispered softly.
+
+She turned quickly, to find him standing beside her, his face aglow
+with rapture. A quick catch of the breath, a sudden movement of the
+hand that lay upon her breast, and then she smiled,--a wavering,
+uncertain smile that went straight to his heart and shamed him for
+startling her. "I beg your pardon," he began lamely. "I--I startled
+you."
+
+She held out her hand to him, still smiling. "I fear I shall never
+become accustomed to being pursued," she said, striving for command of
+her voice.
+
+"It is dreadful to feel that some one is forever watching you from
+behind. I am glad it is you, however. You at least are not 'the secret
+eye that never sleeps'!" She gently withdrew her hand from his ardent
+clasp. "Mrs. Gaston told me that she had seen you. I feared that you
+might have gone on your way rejoicing."
+
+"Rejoicing?" he cried. "Why do you say that?"
+
+"After our experience in Paris, I should think that you had had enough
+of me and my faithful watchdogs."
+
+"Rubbish!" he exclaimed. "I shall never have enough of you," he went
+on, with sudden boldness. "As for the watch-dogs, they are not likely
+to bite us, so what is there to be afraid of?"
+
+"Have you succeeded in evading the watchful eye of Mr. Totten's
+friend?" she enquired, sending an apprehensive glance along the porch.
+
+"Completely," he declared. "I am quite alone in this hotel and, I
+believe, unsuspected. And you? Are you still being--"
+
+"Sh! Who knows? I think we have thrown them off the track, but one
+cannot be sure. I raised a dreadful rumpus about it in Paris,
+and--well, they said they were sorry and advised me not to be worried,
+for the surveillance would cease at once. Still, I am quite sure that
+they lied to me."
+
+"Then you _are_ being followed."
+
+She smiled again, and there was mischief in her eyes. "If so, I have
+led them a merry chase. We have been travelling for two days and
+nights, Mr. Schmidt, by train and motor, getting off at stations
+unexpectedly, hopping into trains going in any direction but the right
+one, sleeping in strange beds and doing all manner of queer things. And
+here we are at last. I am sure you must look upon me as a very silly,
+flibberty-gibbet creature."
+
+"I see that your retinue has been substantially augmented," he
+remarked, a trace of jealousy in his voice. "The good-looking Mr. White
+has not been eluded."
+
+"Mr. White? Oh, yes, I see. But he is to be trusted, Mr. Schmidt," she
+said mysteriously--and tantalisingly. "He will not betray me to my
+cruel monster of a father. I have his solemn promise not to reveal my
+whereabouts to any one. My father is the last person in the world to
+whom he would go with reports of my misdoings."
+
+"I saw you this morning, riding with him," said he glumly.
+
+"Through the telescope?" she inquired softly, laying a hand upon the
+stationary instrument.
+
+He flushed hotly. "It was when you were starting out, Miss Guile. I am
+not one of the spies, you should remember."
+
+"You are my partner in guilt," she said lightly. "By the way, have you
+forgiven me for leading you into temptation?"
+
+"Certainly. I am still in the Garden of Eden, you see, and as I don't
+take any stock in the book of Genesis, I hope to prove to myself at
+least, that the conduct of an illustrious forebear of mine was not due
+to the frailties of Eve but to his own tremendous anxiety to get out of
+a place that was filled with snakes. I hope and pray that you will
+continue to put temptation in my path so that I may have the frequent
+pleasure of falling."
+
+She turned her face away and for a moment was silent. "Shall we take
+those chairs over there, Mr. Schmidt? They appear to be as abandoned as
+we." She indicated two chairs near the broad portals.
+
+He shook his head. "If we are looking for the most utterly abandoned,
+allow me to call your attention to the two in yonder corner."
+
+"It is quite dark over there," she said with a frown.
+
+"Quite," he agreed. "Which accounts, no doubt, for your failure to see
+them."
+
+"Mrs. Gaston will be looking for me before--" she began hesitatingly.
+
+"Or Mr. White, perhaps. Let me remind you that they have exceedingly
+sharp eyes."
+
+"Mr. White is no longer here," she announced.
+
+His heart leaped. "Then I, at least, have nothing to fear," he said
+quickly.
+
+She ignored the banality. "He left this afternoon. Very well, let us
+take the seats over there. I rather like the--shall I say shadows?"
+
+"I too object to the limelight,--Bedelia," he said, offering her his
+arm.
+
+"You are not to call me Bedelia," she said, holding back.
+
+"Then 'forgive us our transgressions' is to be applied in the usual
+order, I presume."
+
+"Are you sorry you called me Bedelia?" she insisted, frowning ominously.
+
+"No. I'm sorry you object, that's all."
+
+They made their way through a maze of chairs and seated themselves in
+the dim corner. Their view of the Jungfrau from this vine-screened
+corner was not as perfect as it might have been, but the Jungfrau had
+no present power of allurement for them.
+
+"I cannot stay very long," she said as she sank back in the comfortable
+chair.
+
+He turned his back not only upon the occupants of the porch but the
+lustrous Jungfrau, drawing his chair up quite close to hers. As he
+leaned forward, with his elbows on the arms of the chair, she seemed to
+slink farther back in the depths of hers, as if suddenly afraid of him.
+
+"Now, tell me everything," he said. "From beginning to end. What became
+of you after that day at St. Cloud, whither have you journeyed, and
+wherefore were you so bent on coming to this now blessed Interlaken?"
+
+"Easily answered. Nothing at all became of me. I journeyed thither, and
+I came because I had set my heart on seeing the Jungfrau."
+
+"But you had seen it many times."
+
+"And I hoped that I might find peace and quiet here," she added quite
+distinctly.
+
+"You expected to find me here, didn't you?"
+
+"Yes, but I did not regard you as a disturber of the peace."
+
+"You knew I would come, but you didn't know why, did you, Bedelia?" He
+leaned a little closer.
+
+"Yes, I knew why," she said calmly, emotionlessly. He drew back
+instantly, chilled by her directness. "You came because there was
+promise of an interesting adventure, which you now are on the point of
+making impossible by a rather rash exhibition of haste."
+
+He stared at her shadowy face in utter confusion. For a moment he was
+speechless. Then a rush of protesting sincerity surged up within him
+and he cried out in low, intense tones: "I cannot allow you to think
+that of me, Miss Guile. If I have done or said anything to lead you to
+believe that I am--"
+
+"Oh, I beg of you, Mr. Schmidt, do not enlarge upon the matter by
+trying to apologise," she cried.
+
+"I am not trying to apologise," he protested. "I am trying to justify
+what you are pleased to call an exhibition of haste. You see, it's just
+this way: I am obliged to make hay while the sun shines, for soon I may
+be cast into utter darkness. My days are numbered. In a fortnight I
+shall be where I cannot call my soul my own. I--"
+
+"You alarm me. Are you to be sent to prison?"
+
+"You wouldn't look upon it as a prison, but it seems like one to me. Do
+not laugh. I cannot explain to you now. Another day I shall tell you
+everything, so pray take me for what I am to-day, and ask no questions.
+I have asked no more of you, so do you be equally generous with me."
+
+"True," she said, "you have asked no questions of me. You take me for
+what I am to-day, and yet you know nothing of my yesterdays or my
+to-morrows. It is only fair that I should be equally confiding. Let
+there be no more questions. Are we, however, to take each other
+seriously?"
+
+"By all means," he cried. "There will come a day when you may
+appreciate the full extent of my seriousness."
+
+"You speak in riddles."
+
+"Is the time ripe for me to speak in sober earnest?" he questioned
+softly. She drew back again in swift alarm.
+
+"No, no! Not now--not yet. Do not say anything now, Mr. Schmidt, that
+may put an end to our--to our adventure."
+
+She was so serious, so plaintive, and yet so shyly prophetic of comfort
+yet to be attained, that his heart warmed with a mighty glow of
+exaltation. A sweet feeling of tenderness swept over him.
+
+"If God is good, there can be but one end to our adventure," he said,
+and then, for some mysterious reason, silence fell between them. Long
+afterward--it seemed hours to him!--she spoke, and her voice was low
+and troubled.
+
+"Can you guess why I am being watched so carefully, why I am being
+followed so doggedly by men who serve not me but another?"
+
+"Yes. It is because you are the greatest jewel in the possession of a
+great man, and he would preserve you against all varlets,--such as I."
+
+She did not reveal surprise at his shrewd conjecture. She nodded her
+head and sighed.
+
+"You are right. I am his greatest jewel, and yet he would give me into
+the keeping of an utter stranger. I am being protected against that
+conscienceless varlet--Love! If love lays hands upon me--ah, my friend,
+you cannot possibly guess what a calamity that would be!"
+
+"And love _will_ lay hands upon you, Bedelia,--"
+
+"I am sure of that," she said, once more serene mistress of herself
+after a peculiarly dangerous lapse. "That is why I shudder. What could
+be more dreadful than to fall into the clutches of that merciless foe
+to peace? He rends one's heart into shreds; he stabs in the dark; he
+thrusts, cuts and slashes and the wounds never heal; he blinds without
+pity; he is overbearing, domineering, ruthless and his victims are
+powerless to retaliate. Love is the greatest tyrant in all the world,
+Mr. Schmidt, and we poor wretches can never hope to conquer him. We are
+his prey, and he is rapacious. Do you not shudder also?"
+
+"Bless you, no! I'd rather enjoy meeting him in mortal combat. My
+notion of bliss would be a fight to the death with love, for then the
+conflict would not be one-sided. What could be more glorious than to
+stand face to face with love, hand to hand, breast to breast, lip to
+lip until the end of time? Let him cut and slash and stab if you will,
+there would still be recompense for the vanquished. Even those who have
+suffered most in the conflict with love must admit that they have had a
+share in the spoils. One can't ignore the sweet hours when counting up
+the bitter ones, after love has withdrawn from the tender encounter.
+The cuts and slashes are cherished and memory is a store-house for the
+spoils that must be shared with vanity."
+
+"It sounds like a book. Who is your favourite author?" she inquired
+lightly.
+
+"Baedeker," he replied, with promptness. "Without my Baedeker, I should
+never have chanced upon the route travelled by love, nor the hotel
+where I now lodge in close proximity to--"
+
+"Will you please be sensible?"
+
+"You invite something to the contrary, Bedelia," he ventured.
+
+"Haven't I requested you to--"
+
+"I think of you only as Bedelia," he made haste to explain. "Bedelia
+will stick to you forever, you see, while Miss Guile is almost
+ephemeral. It cannot live long, you know, with so many other names
+eager to take its place. But Bedelia--ah, Bedelia is everlasting."
+
+She laughed joyously, naturally. "You really are quite wonderful, Mr.
+Schmidt. Still I must change the subject. I trust the change will not
+affect your glibness, for it is quite exhilarating. How long do you
+purpose remaining in Interlaken?"
+
+"That isn't changing the subject," said he. "I shall be here for a week
+or ten days--or perhaps longer." He put it in the form of a question,
+after all.
+
+"Indeed? How I envy you. I am sorry to say I shall have to leave in a
+day or two."
+
+His face fell. "Why?" he demanded, almost indignantly.
+
+"Because I am enjoying myself," she replied.
+
+"I don't quite get your meaning."
+
+"I am having such a good time disobeying my father, Mr. Schmidt, and
+eluding pursuers. It is only a matter of a day or two before I am
+discovered here, so I mean to keep on dodging. It is splendid fun."
+
+"Do you think it is quite fair to me?"
+
+"Did I induce you to come here, good sir?"
+
+"You did," said he, with conviction. "Heaven is my witness. I would not
+have come but for you. I am due at home by this time."
+
+"Are you under any obligations to remain in Interlaken for a week or
+ten days?"
+
+"Not now," he replied. "Do you mind telling me where you are going to,
+Miss Guile?"
+
+"First to Vienna, then--well, you cannot guess where. I have decided to
+go to Edelweiss."
+
+"Edelweiss!" he exclaimed in astonishment. He could hardly believe his
+ears.
+
+"It is the very last place in the world that my father would think of
+looking for me. Besides I am curious to see the place. I understand
+that the great Mr. Blithers is to be there soon, and the stupid Prince
+who will not be tempted by millions, and it is even possible that the
+extraordinary Miss Blithers may take it into her head to look the place
+over before definitely refusing to be its Princess. I may find some
+amusement--or entertainment as an on-looker when the riots begin."
+
+He was staring at her wide-eyed and incredulous. "Do you really mean to
+say you are going to Graustark?"
+
+"I have thought of doing so. Don't you think it will be amusing to be
+on the scene when the grand climax occurs? Of course, the Prince will
+come off his high horse, and the girl will see the folly of her ways,
+and old Mr. Blithers will run 'rough shod over everybody, and--but,
+goodness, I can't even speculate on the possibilities."
+
+He was silent. So this was the way the wind blew, eh? There was but one
+construction to be put upon her decision to visit the Capital of
+Graustark. She _had_ taken it into her head "to look the place over
+before definitely refusing to be its Princess!" His first thrill of
+exultation gave way to a sickening sense of disappointment.
+
+All this time she was regarding him through amused, half-closed eyes.
+She had a distinct advantage over him. She knew that he was the Prince
+of Graustark; she had known it for many days. Perhaps if she had known
+all the things that were in his cunning brain, she would not have
+ventured so far into the comedy she was constructing. She would have
+hesitated--aye, she might have changed her methods completely. But she
+was in the mood to do and say daring things. She considered her
+position absolutely secure, and so she could afford to enjoy herself
+for the time being. There would be an hour of reckoning, no doubt, but
+she was not troubled by its promise of castigation.
+
+"Poor Prince!" she sighed pityingly. He started. The remark was so
+unexpected that he almost betrayed himself. It seemed profoundly
+personal. "He will be in very hot water, I fear."
+
+He regarded her coldly. "And you want to be on hand to see him squirm,
+I suppose."
+
+She took instant alarm. Was she going too far? His query was somewhat
+disconcerting.
+
+"To be perfectly frank with you, Mr. Schmidt, I am going to Graustark
+because no one will ever think of looking for me in such an
+out-of-the-way place. I am serious now, so you must not laugh at me.
+Circumstances are such that I prefer to seek happiness after a fashion
+of my own. My parents love me, but they will not understand me. They
+wish me to marry a man they have picked out for me. I intend to pick
+out my own man, Mr. Schmidt. You may suspect, from all that you have
+seen, that I am running away from home, from those who are dearest in
+all the world to me. You knew that I was carefully watched in Paris.
+You know that my father fears that I may marry a man distasteful to
+him, and I suppose to my mother, although she is not so--"
+
+"Are his fears well-founded?" he asked, rudely interrupting her. "Is
+there a man that he has cause to fear? Are--are you in love with some
+one, Bedelia?"
+
+"Do not interrupt me. I want you to know that I am not running away
+from home, that I shall return to it when I see fit, and that I am not
+in love with the man they suspect. I want you to be just with me. You
+are not to blame my father for anything, no matter how absurd his
+actions may appear to you in the light of the past few days. It is
+right that he should try to safeguard me. I am wayward but I am not
+foolish. I shall commit no silly blunder, you may be sure of that. Now
+do you understand me better?"
+
+She was very serious, very intense. He laid his hand on hers, and she
+did not withdraw it. Emboldened, his hand closed upon the dainty
+fingers and an instant later they were borne to his hot lips.
+
+"You have said that I came here in search of a light adventure," he
+whispered, holding her hand close to his cheek as he bent nearer to
+her. "You imply that I am a trifler, a light-o'-love. I want you to
+understand me better. I came here because I--"
+
+"Stop!" she pleaded. "You must not say it. I am serious--yes, I know
+that you are serious too. But you must wait. If you were to say it to
+me now I should have to send you away and--oh, believe me, I do not
+want to do that. I--I--"
+
+"You love no one else?" he cried, rapturously.
+
+She swayed slightly, as if incapable of resisting the appeal that
+called her to his heart. Her lips were parted, her eyes glowed
+luminously even in the shadows, and she scarcely breathed the words:
+
+"I love no one else."
+
+A less noble nature than his would have seized upon the advantage
+offered by her sudden weakness. Instead, he drew a long, deep breath,
+straightened his figure and as he gently released the imprisoned hand,
+the prince in him spoke.
+
+"You have asked me to wait. I am sure that you know what is in my
+heart. It will always be there. It will not cut and slash and stab, for
+it is the most tender thing that has ever come into my life--or yours.
+It must never be accused of giving pain to you, so I shall obey
+you--and wait. You are right to avoid the risk of entrusting a single
+word of hope to me. I am a passer-by. My sincerity, my honesty of
+purpose remain to be proved. Time will serve my cause. I can only ask
+you to believe in me--to trust me a little more each day--and to let
+your heart be my judge."
+
+She spoke softly. "I believe in you, I trust you even now, or I would
+not be here. You are kind to me. Few would have been so generous. We
+both are passers-by. It is too soon for us to judge each other in the
+full. I must be sure--oh, I must be sure of myself. Can you understand?
+I must be sure of myself, and I am not sure now. You do not know how
+much there is at stake, you can not possibly know what it would mean to
+me if I were to discover that our adventure had no real significance in
+the end. I know it sounds strange and mysterious, or you would not look
+so puzzled. But unless I can be sure of one thing--one vital thing--our
+adventure has failed in every respect. Now, I must go in. No; do not
+ask me to stay--and let me go alone. I prefer it so. Good night, my
+comrade."
+
+He stood up and let her pass. "Good night, my princess," he said,
+clearly and distinctly. She shot a swift glance into his eyes, smiled
+faintly, and moved away. His rapt gaze followed her. She entered the
+door without so much as a glance over her shoulder.
+
+"My princess," he repeated wonderingly, to himself. "Have I kissed the
+hand of my princess? God in heaven, is there on earth a princess more
+perfect than she? Can there be in all this world another so deserving
+of worship as she?"
+
+Late at night she sat in her window looking up at the peaceful
+Jungfrau. A dreamy, ineffably sweet smile lay in her dark eyes. The
+hand he kissed had lain long against her lips. To herself she had
+repeated, over and over again, the inward whisper:
+
+"What will my dear, simple old dad say if I marry this man after all?"
+
+In a window not ten feet away, he was staring out into the night, with
+lowering eyes and troubled heart, and in his mind he was saying:
+
+"What will my people do if I marry this woman after all?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+LOVE IN ABEYANCE
+
+
+Two days went by. They were fraught with an ever-increasing joy for the
+two who were learning to understand each other through the mute, though
+irresistible teachings of a common tutor. Each succeeding hour had its
+exquisite compensation; each presented the cup of knowledge to lips
+that were parched with the fever of impotence, and each time it was
+returned empty by the seekers after wisdom. There were days in which
+Love went harvesting and prospered amazingly in the fields, for each
+moment that he stored away against the future was ripe with promise. He
+was laying by the store on which he was to subsist to the end of his
+days; he allowed no moment to go to waste, for he is a miser and full
+of greed. Not one word of love passed between these two who waited for
+the fruit to ripen. They were never alone together. Always they were
+attended by the calm, keen-eyed Mrs. Gaston, who, though she may have
+been in sympathy with their secret enterprise, was nevertheless a
+dependable barrier to its hasty consummation.
+
+She had received her instructions from the one now most likely to be in
+need of a deterring influence; the girl herself. After that evening on
+the porch, Bedelia had gone straight to her duenna with the truth. Then
+she made it clear to the good lady that she was not to be left alone
+for an instant to confront the welcome besieger. And so it was that
+when Robin and Bedelia walked or rode together, they were attended by
+prevention. In the Casino, at the gaming tables, at the concert, or
+even in the street he was never free to express a thought or emotion
+that, under less guarded conditions, might have exposed her to the risk
+she was so carefully avoiding.
+
+He understood the situation perfectly and was not resentful. He
+appreciated the caution with which she was carrying on her own
+campaign, and he was not unmindful of the benefits that might also
+accrue to him through this proscribed period of reflection. While he
+was sure of himself by this time, and fully determined to risk even his
+crown for the girl who so calmly held him at bay, he was also sensible
+of the wisdom of her course. She was not willing to subject herself or
+him to the dangers of temptation. As she had said, there was a great
+deal at stake; the rest of their lives, in truth.
+
+There was one little excursion to Grindelwald and its glacier, and
+later an ascent of the Schynige Platte. Even a desperate horror of the
+rack and pinion railway up and down the steep mountain did not daunt
+the incomparable chaperone. (True, she closed her eyes and shrank as
+far away from the edge of eternity as possible, but she stuck manfully
+to her post.) He dined with them on the two evenings, and with them
+heard the concerts.
+
+There were times when he was perplexed, and uncertain of her. At no
+time did she relax into what might have been considered a receptive or
+even an encouraging mood. He watched eagerly for the love-light that he
+hoped to surprise in her eyes, but it never appeared. She was serene,
+self-contained, natural. That momentary dissolving on her part when she
+sat with him in the shadows was the only circumstance he had to base
+his hopes upon. She had betrayed herself then by word and manner, but
+now she had her emotions well in hand.
+
+Her lovely eyes met his frankly and without the faintest sign of
+diffidence or self-consciousness. Her soft laugh was free and
+unconstrained, her smile gay and remotely suggestive of mischief. At
+times he thought she was playing the game too well for one who
+professed to be concerned about the future.
+
+On the third day he was convicted of duplicity. She went off for a walk
+alone, leaving him safely anchored in what he afterwards came to look
+upon as a pre-arranged game of auction-bridge. When she came in after
+an absence of at least two hours, the game was just breaking up. He
+noted the questioning look that Mrs. Gaston bestowed upon her fair
+charge, and also remarked that it contained no sign of reproof. The
+girl went up to her room without so much as a word with him. Her face
+was flushed and she carried her head disdainfully. He was greatly
+puzzled.
+
+The puzzle was soon explained. He waited for her on the stairway as she
+came down alone to dinner.
+
+"You told me that your friends were not in Interlaken, Mr. Schmidt,"
+she said coldly. "Why did you feel called upon to deceive me?"
+
+He bit his lip. For an instant he reflected, and then gave an evasive
+answer. "I think I told you that I was alone in this hotel. Miss Guile.
+My friends are at another hotel. I am not aware that--"
+
+"I have seen and talked with that charming old man, Mr. Totten," she
+interrupted. "He has been here for days, and Mr. Dank as well. Do you
+think that you have been quite fair with me?"
+
+He lowered his eyes. "I think I have been most fair to both of us," he
+replied. "Will you believe me when I say that in a way I personally
+requested them to leave this hotel and seek another? And will it
+decrease your respect for me if I add that I wanted to have you all to
+myself, so to speak, and not to feel that these good friends of mine
+were--"
+
+"Why don't you look me in the face, Mr. Schmidt?" she broke in. He
+looked up at once prepared to meet a look of disdain. To his surprise,
+she was smiling. "I have talked it all over with Mrs. Gaston, and she
+advised me to forgive you if you were in the least penitent
+and--honest. Well, you have made an honest confession, I am satisfied.
+Now, I have a confession to make. I have suspected all along that Mr.
+Totten and Mr. Dank and the shadowy Mr. Gourou were in the town."
+
+"You suspected?" he cried in amazement and chagrin.
+
+"I was morally certain that they were here. Today my suspicions were
+justified. I encountered Mr. Totten in the park beyond the
+Jungfraublick. He was very much upset, I can assure you, but he
+recovered with amazing swiftness. We sat on one of the benches in a
+nice little nook and had a long, long talk. He is a charming man. I
+have asked him to come to luncheon with us to-morrow, and to bring Mr.
+Dank."
+
+"Good Lord, will wonders never--"
+
+"But I did not include the still invisible Mr. Gourou. I was afraid
+that you would be too uncomfortable under the hawk-like eye of the
+gentleman who so kindly warned us at the Pavilion Bleu." There was
+gentle raillery in her manner. "I shall expect you to join us, Mr.
+Schmidt. You have no other engagement?"
+
+"I--I shall be delighted," he stammered.
+
+She laid her hand gently upon his arm and a serious sweetness came into
+her eyes.
+
+"Come," she said; "let us go in ahead of Mrs. Gaston. Let us have just
+one little minute to ourselves, Mr. Schmidt."
+
+It was true that she came upon the Count in one of the paths of the
+Kleine Rugen. He was walking slowly toward her, his eyes fixed
+thoughtfully upon the ground. When she accosted him, he was plainly
+confused, as she had said. After the first few passages in polite
+though stilted conversation, his keen, grey eyes resumed their
+thoughtful--it was even a calculating look.
+
+"Will you sit here with me for a while, Miss Guile?" he asked gently.
+"I have something of the gravest importance to say to you."
+
+She sat beside him on the sequestered bench, and when she arose to
+leave him an hour later, her cheek was warm with colour and her eyes
+were filled with tenderness toward this grim, staunch old man who was
+the friend of _her_ friend. She laid her hand in his and suffered him
+to raise it to his lips.
+
+"I hope, my dear young lady," said he with simple directness, "that you
+will not regard me as a stupid, interfering old meddler. God is my
+witness, I have your best interests at heart. You are too good and
+beautiful to--"
+
+"I shall always look upon you as the kindest of men!" she cried
+impulsively, and left him.
+
+He stood watching her slender, graceful figure as she moved down the
+sloping path and turned into the broad avenue. A smallish man with a
+lean face came up from the opposite direction and stopped beside him.
+
+"Could you resist her, Quinnox, if you were twenty-two?" asked this man
+in his quiet voice.
+
+Quinnox did not look around, but shook his head slowly. "I cannot
+resist her at sixty-two, my friend. She is adorable."
+
+"I do not blame him. It is fate. _She_ is fate. Our work is done, my
+friend. We have served our country well, but fate has taken the matter
+out of our hands. There is nothing left for us to do but to fold our
+arms and wait." Gourou revealed his inscrutable smile as he pulled at
+his thin, scraggly moustache. He was shaking his head, as one who
+resigns himself to the inevitable.
+
+After a long silence Quinnox spoke.
+
+"Our people will come to love their princess, Gourou."
+
+"Even as you and I, my friend," said the Baron.
+
+And then they held their heads erect and walked confidently down the
+road their future sovereign had traversed before them.
+
+When Mrs. Gaston joined Robin and Bedelia at the table which had been
+set for them in the _salle a manger_, she laid several letters before
+the girl who picked them up instantly and glanced at the superscription
+on each.
+
+"I think that all of them are important," said Mrs. Gaston
+significantly. The smile on the girl's face had given way to a clouded
+brow. She was visibly perturbed.
+
+"You will forgive me, Mr. Schmidt," she said nervously. "I must look at
+them at once."
+
+He tried not to watch her face as she read what appeared to be a brief
+and yet evidently important letter, but his rapt gaze was not to be so
+easily managed. An exclamation of annoyance fell from her lips.
+
+"This is from a friend in Paris, Mr. Schmidt," she said, hesitatingly.
+Then, as if coming to a quick decision: "My father has heard that I am
+carrying on atrociously with a strange young man. It seems that it is a
+_new_ young man. He is beside himself with rage. My friends have
+already come in for severe criticism. He blames them for permitting his
+daughter to run at large and to pick up with every Tom, Dick and Harry.
+Dear me, I shudder when I think of what he will do to you, Mrs. Gaston.
+He will take off your head completely. But never fear, you old dear, I
+will see that it is put on again as neatly as ever. So, you see, Mr.
+Schmidt, you now belong to that frightful order of nobodies, the Toms
+and the Dicks and the Harrys."
+
+"I see that there is a newspaper clipping attached," he remarked.
+"Perhaps your father has been saying something to the newspapers." It
+was a mean speech and he regretted it instantly.
+
+She was not offended, however. Indeed, she may not have heard what he
+said, for she was reading the little slip of printed matter. Suddenly
+she tore it into tiny bits and scattered them under the table. Her
+cheeks were red and her eyes glistened unmistakably with mortification.
+He was never to know what was in that newspaper cutting, but he was
+conscious of a sharp sensation of anger and pity combined. Whatever it
+was, it was offensive to her, and his blood boiled. He noted the
+expression of alarm and apprehension deepen in Mrs. Gaston's face.
+
+Bedelia slashed open another envelope and glanced at its contents. Her
+eyes flew open with surprise. For an instant she stared, a frown of
+perplexity on her brow.
+
+"We are discovered!" she cried a moment later, clapping her hands
+together in an ecstasy of delight. "The pursuers are upon our heels.
+Even now they may be watching me from behind some convenient post or
+through some handy window pane. Isn't it fine? Don't look so horrified,
+you old dear. They can't eat us, you know, even though we are in a
+dining-room. I love it all! Followed by man-hunters! What could be more
+thrilling? The chase is on again. Quick! We must prepare for flight!"
+
+"Flight?" gasped Robin. Her eyes were dancing. His were filled with
+dismay.
+
+"It is as I feared," she cried. "They have found me out. Hurry! Let us
+finish this wretched dinner. I must leave here to-night."
+
+"Impossible!" cried Mrs. Gaston. "Don't be silly. To-morrow will be
+time enough. Calm yourself, my dear."
+
+"To-morrow at sunrise," cried Bedelia enthusiastically. "It is already
+planned, Mr. Schmidt. I have engaged an automobile in anticipation of
+this very emergency. The trains are not safe. To-morrow I fly again.
+This letter is from the little stenographer in Paris. I bribed
+her--yes, I bribed her with many francs. She is in the offices of the
+great detective agency-'the Eye that never Sleeps!' I shall give her a
+great many more of those excellent francs, my friends. She is an honest
+girl. She did not fail me."
+
+"I don't see how you can say she is honest if she accepted a bribe,"
+said Mrs. Gaston severely.
+
+"Pooh!" was Miss Guile's sufficient answer to this. "We cross the
+Brunig Pass by motor. That really is like flying, isn't it?"
+
+"To Lucerne?" demanded Robin, still hazily.
+
+"No, no! That would be madness. We shall avoid Lucerne. Miles and miles
+to the north we will find a safe retreat for a day or two. Then there
+will be a journey by rail to--to your own city of Vienna, Mr. Schmidt.
+You--"
+
+"See here," said Robin flatly, "I don't understand the necessity for
+all this rushing about by motor and--"
+
+"Of course you don't," she cried. "You are not being sought by a cruel,
+inhuman monster of a father who would consign you to a most shudderable
+fate! You don't have to marry a man whose very name you have hated. You
+can pick and choose for yourself. And so shall I, for that matter.
+You--"
+
+"You _adore_ your father," cut in Mrs. Gaston sharply. "I don't think
+you should speak of him in that--"
+
+"Of course I adore him! He is a dear old bear. But he is a monster, an
+ogre, a tyrant, a--oh, well, he is everything that's dreadful! You look
+dreadfully serious, Mr. Schmidt. Do you think that I should submit to
+my father's demands and marry the man he has chosen for me?"
+
+"I do," said Robin, abruptly and so emphatically that both of his
+hearers jumped in their seats. He made haste to dissemble. "Of course,
+I'd much rather have you do that than to break your neck rolling over a
+precipice or something of the sort in a crazy automobile dash."
+
+Miss Guile recovered her poise with admirable promptness. Her smile was
+a trifle uncertain, but she had a dependable wit. "If that is all that
+you are afraid of, I'll promise to save my neck at all costs," she
+said. "I could have many husbands but only one poor little neck."
+
+"You can have only one husband," said he, almost savagely. "By the way,
+why don't you read the other letter?" He was regarding it with jealous
+eyes, for she had slipped it, face downward, under the edge of her
+plate.
+
+"It isn't important," she said, with a quick look into his eyes. She
+convicted herself in that glance, and knew it on the instant.
+
+Angry with herself, she snatched up the letter and tore it open. Her
+cheeks were flushed. She read however without betraying any additional
+evidence of uneasiness or embarrassment. When she had finished, she
+deliberately folded the sheets and stuck them back into the envelope
+without comment. One looking over her shoulder as she read, however,
+might have caught snatches of sentences here and there on the heavily
+scrawled page. They were such as these: "You had led me to
+hope," ... "for years I have been your faithful admirer," ... "Nor have I
+wavered for an instant despite your whimsical attitude," ... "therefore
+I felt justified in believing that you were sincere in your
+determination to defy your father." And others of an even more caustic
+nature: "You are going to marry this prince after all," ... "not that
+you have ever by word or deed bound yourself to me, yet I had every
+reason to hope," ... "Your father will be pleased to find that you are
+obedient," ... "I am not mean enough to wish you anything but happiness,
+although I know you will never achieve it through this sickening
+surrender to vanity," ... "if I were a prince with a crown and a debt
+that I couldn't pay," ... "admit that I have had no real chance to win
+out against such odds," etc.
+
+She faced Robin coolly. "It will be necessary to abandon our little
+luncheon for to-morrow. I am sorry. Still Mr. Totten informs me that he
+will be in Vienna shortly. The pleasure is merely postponed."
+
+"Are you in earnest about this trip by motor to-morrow morning?"
+demanded Robin darkly. "You surely cannot be--"
+
+"I am very much in earnest," she said decisively. He looked to Mrs.
+Gaston for help. That lady placidly shook her head. In fact, she
+appeared to be rather in favour of the preposterous plan, if one were
+to judge by the rapt expression on her countenance. "I had the
+supposedly honest word of these crafty gentlemen that I was not to be
+interfered with again. They gave me their promise. I shall now give
+them all the trouble possible."
+
+"But it will be a simple matter for them to find out how and when you
+left this hotel and to trace you perfectly."
+
+"Don't be too sure of that," she said, exultantly. "I have a trick or
+two up my sleeve that will baffle them properly, Mr. Schmidt."
+
+"My dear," interposed Mrs. Gaston severely, "do not forget yourself. It
+isn't necessary to resort to slang in order--"
+
+"Slang is always necessary," avowed Bedelia, undisturbed. "Goodness, I
+know I shall not sleep a wink to-night."
+
+"Nor I," said Robin gloomily. Suddenly his face lightened. A wild,
+reckless gleam shot into his eyes and, to their amazement, he banged
+the table with his fist. "By Jove, I know what I shall do. I'll go with
+you!"
+
+"No!" cried Bedelia, aghast. "I--I cannot permit it, Mr. Schmidt. Can't
+you understand? You--_you_ are the man with whom I am supposed to be
+carrying on atrociously. What could be more convicting than to be
+discovered racing over a mountain-pass--Oh, it is not to be
+considered--not for an instant."
+
+"Well, I can tell you flatly just what I intend to do," said he,
+setting his jaws. "I shall hire another car and keep you in sight every
+foot of the way. You may be able to elude the greatest detective agency
+in Europe, but you can't get away from me. I intend to keep you now
+that I've got you, Bedelia. You can't shake me off. Where you go, I go."
+
+"Do you mean it?" she cried, a new thrill in her voice. He looked deep
+into her eyes and read there a message that invited him to perform vast
+though fool-hardy deeds. Her eyes were suddenly sweet with the love she
+had never expected to know; her lips trembled with the longing for
+kisses. "I shall travel far," she murmured. "You may find the task an
+arduous one--keeping up with me, I mean."
+
+"I am young and strong," he said, "and, if God is good to me, I shall
+live for fifty years to come, or even longer. I tingle with joy,
+Bedelia, when I think of being near you for fifty years or more.
+Have--have you thought of it in that light? Have you looked ahead and
+said to yourself: fifty years have I to live and all of them with--"
+
+"Hush! I was speaking of a week's journey, not of a life's voyage, Mr.
+Schmidt," she said, her face suffused.
+
+"I was speaking of a honeymoon," said he, and then remembered Mrs.
+Gaston. She was leaning back in her chair, smiling benignly. He had an
+uncomfortable thought: was he walking into a trap set for him by this
+clever woman? Had she an ulterior motive in advancing his cause?
+
+"But it would be perfectly silly of you to follow me in a car," said
+Bedelia, trying to regain her lost composure. "Perfectly silly,
+wouldn't it, Mrs. Gas-ton?"
+
+"Perfectly," said Mrs. Gaston.
+
+"I will promise to see you in Vienna--"
+
+"I intend to see you every day," he declared, "from now till the end of
+time."
+
+"Really, Mr. Schmidt, you--"
+
+"If there is one thing I despise beyond all reason, Bedelia, it is the
+name of 'Schmidt'! I wish you wouldn't call me by that name."
+
+"I can't just call you 'Mister,'" she demurred.
+
+"Call me Rex for the present," said he. "I will supply you with a
+better one later on."
+
+"May I call him Rex?" she inquired of her companion.
+
+"In moderation," said Mrs. Gaston.
+
+"Very well, then, Rex, I have changed my mind. I shall not cross the
+Brunig by motor since you insist upon risking your neck in pursuit of
+me. I shall go by train in the morning,--calmly, complacently, stupidly
+by train. Instead of a thrilling dash for liberty over rocky heights
+and through perilous gorges, I shall travel like any bourgeoise in a
+second--or third class carriage, and the only thrill I shall have will
+be when we stop for Baker's chocolate at the top of the Pass. By that
+time I expect to be sufficiently hungry to be thrilled even by the
+sight of a cake of chocolate. Will you travel in the carriage behind
+me? I fancy it will be safe and convenient and you can't possibly be
+far from my heels."
+
+"That's a sensible idea," he cried. "And we may be able to accommodate
+your other pursuers on the same train. What's the sense of leaving them
+behind? They'd only catch us up in the end, so we might just as well
+take them along with us."
+
+"No. We will keep well ahead of them. I insist on that. They can't get
+here before to-morrow afternoon, so we will be far in the lead. We will
+be in Vienna in two days. There I shall say good-bye to you, for I am
+going on beyond. I am going to Graustark, the new Blithers estate.
+Surely you will not follow me there."
+
+"You are very much mistaken. I shall be there as soon as you and I
+shall stay just as long, provided Mr. Blithers has no objections," said
+Robin, with more calmness than he had hoped to display in the face of
+her sudden thrust.
+
+"We are forgetting our dinner," said Mrs. Gaston quietly. "I think the
+waiter is annoyed."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+MR. BLITHERS ARRIVES IN GRAUSTARK
+
+
+Mr. William W. Blithers arrived in Edelweiss, the Capital of Graustark,
+on the same day that the Prince returned from his tour of the world. As
+a matter of fact, he travelled by special train and beat the Prince
+home by the matter of three hours. The procession of troops, headed by
+the Royal Castle Guard, it was announced would pass the historic Hotel
+Regengetz at five in the afternoon, so Mr. Blithers had front seats on
+the extension porch facing the Platz.
+
+He did not know it, but if he had waited for the regular train in
+Vienna, he would have had the honour of travelling in the same railway
+carriage with the royal young man. ("Would" is used advisedly in the
+place of "might," for he _would_ have travelled in it, you may be sure.)
+
+Moreover, he erred in another particular, for arriving at the same
+instant and virtually arm-in-arm with the country's sovereign, he could
+hardly have been kept out of the procession itself. When you stop to
+think that next to the Prince he was the most important personage in
+the realm on this day of celebration, it ought not to be considered at
+all unreasonable for him to have expected some notable attention, such
+as being placed in the first carriage immediately behind the country's
+sovereign, or possibly on the seat facing him. Missing an opportunity
+like this, wasn't at all Mr. Blithers' idea of success. He was very
+sorry about the special train. If it hadn't been for that train he
+might now be preparing to ride castlewards behind a royal band instead
+of sitting with his wife in the front row of seats on a hotel porch,
+just like a regular guest, waiting for the parade to come along. It
+certainly was a wasted opportunity.
+
+He had lost no time in his dash across the continent. In the first
+place, his agents in Paris made it quite clear to him that there was
+likely to be "ructions" in Graustark over the loan and the prospect of
+a plebeian princess being seated on the throne whether the people liked
+it or not; and in the second place, Maud Applegate had left a note on
+his desk in the Paris offices, coolly informing him that she was likely
+to turn up in Edelweiss almost as soon as he. She added an annoying
+postscript. She said she was curious to see what sort of a place it was
+that he had been wasting his money on!
+
+To say that he was put out by Maud's aggravating behaviour would be
+stating the case with excessive gentleness. He was furious. He sent for
+the head of the detective agency and gave him a blowing up that he was
+never to forget. It appears that the detectives had followed a false
+lead and had been fooled by the wary Maud in a most humiliating manner.
+They hadn't the remotest notion where she was, and evinced great
+surprise when informed in a voice loud enough to be heard a half-block
+away that she was on her way to Graustark. They said it couldn't be
+possible, and he said they didn't know what they were talking about. He
+was done with them. They could step out and ask the cashier to give
+them a check for their services, and so on and so forth. He did not
+forget to notify them that they were a gang of loafers.
+
+Then he dragged Mrs. Blithers off to the Gare de l'Este and took the
+Express to Vienna. He would see to the loan first and to Maud afterward.
+
+He had no means of knowing that a certain Miss Guile was doing more to
+shape the destiny of the principality of Graustark than all the
+millions he had poured into its treasury. Nor had he the faintest
+suspicion that she was even then on Graustark soil and waiting as
+eagerly as he for the procession to pass a given point.
+
+Going back a day or two, it becomes necessary to report that while in
+Vienna the perverse Bedelia played a shabby trick on the infatuated
+Robin. She stole away from the Bristol in the middle of the night and
+was half-way to the Graustark frontier before he was aware of her
+flight. She left a note for him, the contents of which sufficed to ease
+his mind in the presence of what otherwise might have been looked upon
+as a calamity. Instead of relapsing into despondency over her
+defection, he became astonishingly exuberant. It was relief and not
+despair that followed the receipt of the brief letter. She had played
+directly into his hand, after all. In other words, she had removed a
+difficulty that had been troubling him for days: the impossibility of
+entering his own domain without betraying his identity to her.
+Naturally his entrance to the Capital would be attended by the most
+incriminating manifestation on the part of the populace. The character
+of R. Schmidt would be effaced in an instant, and, according to his own
+notion, quite a bit too soon to suit his plans. He preferred to remain
+Schmidt until she placed her hand in his and signified a readiness to
+become plain Mrs. R. Schmidt of Vienna. That would be his hour of
+triumph.
+
+In her note she said: "Forgive me for running away like this. It is for
+the best. I must have a few days to myself, dear friend,--days for
+sober reflection uninfluenced by the presence of a natural enemy to
+composure. And so I am leaving you in this cowardly, graceless fashion.
+Do not think ill of me. I give you my solemn promise that in a few days
+I shall let you know where I may be found if you choose to come to me.
+Even then I may not be fully convinced in my own mind that our
+adventure has reached its climax. You have said that you would
+accompany me to Graustark. I am leaving to-night for that country,
+where I shall remain in seclusion for a few days before acquainting you
+with my future plans. It is not my intention to stop in Edelweiss at
+present. The newspapers proclaim a state of unrest there over the
+coming visit of Mr. Blithers and the return of the Prince, both of whom
+are very much in the public eye just now. I prefer the quiet of the
+country to the excitement of the city, so I shall seek some remote
+village and give myself up to--shall I say prayerful meditation?
+Believe me, dear Rex, to be your most devoted, though whimsical,
+Bedelia."
+
+He was content with this. Deep down in his heart he thanked her for
+running away at such an opportune time! The situation was immeasurably
+simplified. He had laid awake nights wondering how he could steal into
+his own domain with her as a companion and still put off the revelation
+that he was not yet ready to make. Now the way was comparatively easy.
+Once the demonstration was safely over, he could carry on his adventure
+with something of the same security that made the prowlings of the
+Bagdad Caliphs such happy enterprises, for he could with impunity
+traverse the night in the mantle of R. Schmidt.
+
+Immediately upon receiving her letter, he sent for Quinnox and Gourou,
+who were stopping at a hotel nearby.
+
+"I am ready to proceed to Edelweiss, my friends," said he. "Miss Guile
+has departed. Will you book accommodations on the earliest train
+leaving for home?"
+
+"I have already seen to that, highness," said Gourou calmly. "We leave
+at six this evening. Count Quinnox has wired the Prime Minister that
+you will arrive in Edelweiss at three to-morrow afternoon, God willing."
+
+"You knew that she had gone?"
+
+"I happened to be in the Nordbahnhof when she boarded the train at
+midnight," replied the Baron, unmoved.
+
+"Do you never sleep?" demanded Robin hotly.
+
+"Not while I am on duty," said Gourou.
+
+The Prince was thoughtful, his brow clouding with a troubled frown. "I
+suppose I shall now have to face my people with the confession that
+will confirm their worst fears. I may as well say to you, my friends,
+that I mean to make her my wife even though it costs me my kingdom. Am
+I asking too much of you, gentlemen, when I solicit your support in my
+fight against the prejudice that is certain to--"
+
+Quinnox stopped him with a profound gesture of resignation and a single
+word: "Kismet!" and Gourou, with his most ironic smile, added: "You may
+count on us to support the crown, highness, even though we lose our
+heads."
+
+"Thank you," said Robin, flushing. "Just because I appear to have lost
+my head is no reason for your doing the same, Baron Gourou."
+
+The Baron's smile was unfaltering. "True," he said. "But we may be able
+to avoid all that by inducing the people of Graustark to lose their
+hearts."
+
+"Do you think they will accept her as--as their princess?" cried Robin,
+hopefully.
+
+"I submit that it will first be necessary for you to induce Miss Guile
+to accept you as her prince," said Gourou mildly. "That doesn't appear
+to be settled at present."
+
+He took alarm. "What do you mean? Your remark has a sinister sound. Has
+anything transpired to--"
+
+"She has disappeared, highness, quite effectually. That is all that I
+can say," said Gourou, and Robin was conscious of a sudden chill and
+the rush of cold moisture to his brow. "But let us prepare to confront
+an even more substantial condition. A prospective father-in-law is
+descending upon our land. He is groping in the dark and he is angry. He
+has lost a daughter somewhere in the wilds of Europe, and he realises
+that he cannot hope to become the grandfather of princes unless he can
+produce a mother for them. At present he seems to be desperate. He
+doesn't know where to find her, as Little Bo-peep might have said. We
+may expect to catch him in a very ugly and obstreperous mood. Have I
+told you that he was in this city last night? He arrived at the Bristol
+a few hours prior to the significant departure of Miss Guile. Moreover,
+he has chartered a special train and is leaving to-day for Edelweiss.
+Count Quinnox has taken the precaution to advise the Prime Minister of
+his approach and has impressed upon him the importance of decrying any
+sort of popular demonstration against him on his arrival. Romano
+reports that the people are in an angry mood. I would suggest that you
+prepare, in a way, to placate them, now that Miss Guile has more or
+less dropped out of sight. It behooves you to--"
+
+"See here," broke in Robin harshly, "have you had the effrontery to
+make a personal appeal to Miss Guile in your confounded efforts to
+prevent the--"
+
+"Just a moment, Robin," exclaimed Count Quinnox, his face hardening. "I
+am sorry to hear words of anger on your lips, and directed toward your
+most loyal friends. You ask us to support you and in the next breath
+imply that we are unworthy. It is beneath the dignity of either Baron
+Gourou or myself to reply to your ungenerous charge."
+
+"I beg your pardon," said Robin, but without lowering his head. He was
+not convinced. The barb of suspicion had entered his brain. Were they,
+after all, responsible for Bedelia's flight? Had they revealed his
+identity to the girl and afterward created such alarm in her breast
+that she preferred to slink away in the night rather than to court the
+humiliation that might follow if she presumed to wed Graustark's prince
+in opposition to his country's wish? "You must admit that the
+circumstance of her secret flight last night is calculated to--But, no
+matter. We will drop the subject. I warn you, however, that my mind is
+fixed. I shall not rest until I have found her."
+
+"I fancy that the state of unrest will be general," said Gourou, with
+perfect good-nature. "It will go very hard with Graustark if we fail to
+find her. And now, to return to our original sin: What are we to do
+about the ambitious Mr. Blithers? He is on my conscience and I tremble."
+
+It must not be supposed for an instant that the City of Edelweiss and
+the court of Graustark was unimpressed by the swift approach and abrupt
+arrival of Mr. Blithers. His coming had been heralded for days in
+advance. The city was rudely expectant, the court uneasy. The man who
+had announced his determination to manage the public and private
+affairs of the principality was coming to town. He was coming in state,
+there could be no doubt about that. More than that, he was coming to
+propitiate the people whether they chose to be mollified or not. He was
+bringing with him a vast store of business acumen, an unexampled
+confidence and the self-assurance of one who has never encountered
+failure. Shylock's mantle rested on his hated shoulders, and Judas
+Iscariot was spoken of with less abhorrence than William W. Blithers by
+the Christian country of Graustark. He was coming to get better
+acquainted with his daughter's future subjects.
+
+Earlier in the week certain polite and competent gentlemen from Berlin
+had appeared at the Castle gates, carrying authority from the dauntless
+millionaire. They calmly announced that they had come to see what
+repairs were needed in and about the Castle and to put the place in
+shape. A most regrettable incident followed. They were chased out of
+town by an angry mob and serious complications with the German Empire
+were likely to be the result of the outrage.
+
+Moreover, the citizens of Graustark were openly reluctant to deposit
+their state bonds as security for the unpopular loan, and there was a
+lively sentiment in favour of renouncing the agreement entered into by
+the cabinet.
+
+The Prime Minister, in the absence of the Prince, called mass meetings
+in all the towns and villages and emissaries of the crown addressed the
+sullen crowds. They sought to clarify the atmosphere. So eloquent were
+their pleadings and so sincere their promises that no evil would befall
+the state, that the more enlightened of the people began to deposit
+their bonds in the crown treasury. Others, impressed by the confidence
+of their more prosperous neighbours, showed signs of weakening. The
+situation was made clear to them. There could be no possible chance of
+loss from a financial point of view. Their bonds were safe, for the
+loan itself was a perfectly legitimate transaction, a conclusion which
+could not be gainsaid by the most pessimistic of the objectors. Mr.
+Blithers would be paid in full when the time came for settlement, the
+bonds would be restored to their owners, and all would be well with
+Graustark.
+
+As for the huge transactions Mr. Blithers had made in London, Paris and
+Berlin, there could be but one conclusion: he had the right to invest
+his money as he pleased. That was his look-out. The bonds of Graustark
+were open to purchase in any market. Any investor in the world was
+entitled to buy all that he could obtain if he felt inclined to put his
+money to that use. The earnest agents of the government succeeded in
+convincing the people that Mr. Blithers had made a good investment
+because he was a good business man. What did it matter to Graustark who
+owned the outstanding bonds? It might as well be Blithers as Bernstein
+or any one else.
+
+As for Miss Blithers becoming the Princess of Graustark, that was
+simple poppy-cock, declared the speakers. The crown could take oath
+that Prince Robin would not allow _that_ to happen. Had he not declared
+in so many words that he would never wed the daughter of William
+Blithers, and, for that matter, hadn't the young woman also announced
+that she would have none of him? There was one thing that Mr. Blithers
+couldn't do, and that was to marry his daughter to the Prince of
+Graustark.
+
+And so, by the time that Mr. Blithers arrived in Edelweiss, the people
+were in a less antagonistic frame of mind,--though sullenly
+suspicious,--and were even prepared to grin in their sleeves, for,
+after all, it was quite clear that the joke was not on them but on Mr.
+Blithers.
+
+When the special train pulled into the station Mr. Blithers turned to
+his wife and said:
+
+"Cheer up, Lou. This isn't a funeral."
+
+"But there is quite a mob out there," she said, peering through the car
+window. "How can we be sure that they are friendly?"
+
+"Don't you worry," said Mr. Blithers confidently. "They are not likely
+to throw rocks at the goose that lays the golden egg." If he had paused
+to think, he would not have uttered such a careless indictment. The
+time would come when she was to remind him of his thoughtless
+admission, omitting, however, any reference to the golden egg.
+
+The crowd was big, immobile, surly. It lined the sidewalks in the
+vicinity of the station and stared with curious, half-closed eyes at
+the portly capitalist and his party, which, by the way, was rendered
+somewhat imposing in size by augmentation in the shape of lawyers from
+Paris and London, clerks and stenographers from the Paris office, and
+four plain clothes men who were to see to it that Midas wasn't blown to
+smithereens by envious anarchists; to say nothing of a lady's maid, a
+valet, a private secretary and a doctor. (Mr. Blithers always went
+prepared for the worst.)
+
+He was somewhat amazed and disgruntled by the absence of silk-hat
+ambassadors from the Castle, with words of welcome for him on his
+arrival. There was a plentiful supply of policemen but no cabinet
+ministers. He was on the point of censuring his secretary for not
+making it clear to the government that he was due to arrive at such and
+such an hour and minute, when a dapper young man in uniform--he
+couldn't tell whether he was a patrolman or a captain--came up and
+saluted.
+
+"I am William W. Blithers," said he sharply.
+
+"I am an official guide and interpreter, sir," announced the young man
+suavely. "May I have the honour--"
+
+"Not necessary--not necessary at all," exploded Mr. Blithers. "I can
+get about without a guide."
+
+"You will require an interpreter, sir," began the other, only to be
+waved aside.
+
+"Any one desiring to speak to me will have to do it in English," said
+Mr. Blithers, and marched out to the carriages.
+
+He was in some doubt at first, but as his carriage passed swiftly
+between the staring ranks on the sidewalks, he began to doff his hat
+and bow to the right and the left. His smiles were returned by the
+multitude, and so his progress was more or less of a triumph after all.
+
+At the Regengetz he found additional cause for irritation. The lords
+and nobles who should have met him at the railway station were as
+conspicuously absent in the rotunda of the hotel. No one was there to
+receive him except the ingratiating manager of the establishment, who
+hoped that he had had a pleasant trip and who assured him that it would
+not be more than a couple of hours before his rooms would be vacated by
+the people who now had them but were going away as soon as the
+procession had passed.
+
+"Get 'em out at once," stormed Mr. Blithers. "Do you think I want to
+hang around this infernal lobby until--"
+
+"Pardon me," said the manager blandly, "but your rooms will not be
+ready for you before four or five o'clock. They are occupied. We can
+put you temporarily in rooms at the rear if your lady desires to rest
+and refresh herself after the journey."
+
+"Well, I'll be--" began Mr. Blithers, purple in the face, and then
+leaned suddenly against the counter, incapable of finishing the
+sentence.
+
+The manager rubbed his hands and smiled. "This is one of our gala days,
+Mr. Blithers. You could not have arrived at a time more opportune. I
+have taken the precaution to reserve chairs for you on the verandah.
+The procession will pass directly in front of the hotel on its way to
+Castle avenue."
+
+"What procession?" demanded Mr. Blithers. He was beginning to recall
+the presence of uniformed bands and mounted troops in the side streets
+near the station.
+
+"The Prince is returning to-day from his trip around the world," said
+the manager.
+
+"He ought to have been back long ago," said Mr. Blithers wrathfully,
+and mopped his brow with a hand rendered unsteady by a mental
+convulsion. He was thinking of his hat-lifting experience.
+
+True to schedule, the procession passed the hotel at five. Bands were
+playing, people were shouting, banners were waving, and legions of
+mounted and foot soldiers in brilliant array clogged the thoroughfare.
+The royal equipage rolled slowly by, followed by less gorgeous
+carriages in which were seated the men who failed to make the advent of
+Mr. Blithers a conspicuous success.
+
+Prince Robin sat in the royal coach, faced by two unbending officers of
+the Royal Guard. He was alone on the rear seat, and his brown, handsome
+face was aglow with smiles. Instead of a hat of silk, he lifted a gay
+and far from immaculate conception in straw; instead of a glittering
+uniform, he wore a suit of blue serge and a peculiarly American tie of
+crimson hue. He looked more like a popular athlete returning from
+conquests abroad than a prince of ancient lineage. But the crowd
+cheered itself hoarse over this bright-faced youngster who rode by in a
+coach of gold and brandished a singularly unregal chapeau.
+
+His alert eyes were searching the crowd along the street, in the
+balconies and windows with an eager intensity. He was looking for the
+sweet familiar face of the loveliest girl on earth, and knew that he
+looked in vain, for even though she were one among the many her
+features would be obscured by an impenetrable veil. If she were there,
+he wondered what her thoughts might be on beholding the humble R.
+Schmidt in the role of a royal prince receiving the laudations of the
+loving multitude!
+
+Passing the Regengetz, his eyes swept the rows of cheering people
+banked upon its wide terrace and verandahs. He saw Mr. and Mrs.
+Blithers well down in front, and for a second his heart seemed to stand
+still. Would she be with them? It was with a distinct sensation of
+relief that he realised that she was not with the smiling Americans.
+
+Mr. Blithers waved his hat and, instead of shouting the
+incomprehensible greeting of the native spectators, called out in
+vociferous tones:
+
+"Welcome home! Welcome! Hurrah!"
+
+As the coach swerved into the circle and entered the great, tree-lined
+avenue, followed by the clattering chorus of four thousand horse-shoes,
+Mrs. Blithers after a final glimpse of the disappearing coach, sighed
+profoundly, shook out her handkerchief from the crumpled ball she had
+made of it with her nervously clenched fingers, touched her lips with
+it and said:
+
+"Oh, what a remarkably handsome, manly boy he is, Will."
+
+Mr. Blithers nodded his head proudly. "He certainly is. I'll bet my
+head that Maud is crazy about him already. She can't help it, Lou. That
+trip on the _Jupiter_ was a God-send."
+
+"I wish we could hear something from her," said Mrs. Blithers,
+anxiously.
+
+"Don't you worry," said he. "She'll turn up safe and sound and
+enthusiastic before she's a week older. We'll have plain sailing from
+now on, Lou."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+A VISIT TO THE CASTLE
+
+
+Mr. Blithers indeed experienced plain sailing for the ensuing twenty
+hours. It was not until just before he set forth at two the next
+afternoon to attend, by special appointment, a meeting of the cabinet
+in the council chamber at the Castle that he encountered the first
+symptom of squalls ahead.
+
+He had sent his secretary to the Castle with a brief note suggesting an
+early conference. It naturally would be of an informal character, as
+there was no present business before them. The contracts had already
+been signed by the government and by his authorised agents. So far as
+the loan was concerned there was nothing more to be said. Everything
+was settled. True, it was still necessary to conform to a certain
+custom by having the Prince affix his signature to the contract over
+the Great Seal of State, but as he previously had signed an agreement
+in New York this brief act was of a more or less perfunctory nature.
+
+The deposit of bonds by the state and its people would follow in course
+of time, as prescribed by contract, and Mr. Blithers was required to
+place in the Bank of Graustark, on such and such a date, the sum of
+three million pounds sterling. Everybody was satisfied with the terms
+of the contract. Mr. Blithers was to get what really amounted to nearly
+nine percent on a gilt-edged investment, and Graustark was to preserve
+its integrity and retain its possessions.
+
+There was a distant cloud on the financial horizon, however, a vague
+shadow at present,--but prophetic of storm. It was perfectly clear to
+the nobles that when these bonds matured, Mr. Blithers would be in a
+position to exact payment, and as they matured in twelve years from
+date he was likely to be pretty much alive and kicking when the hour of
+reckoning arrived.
+
+Mr. Blithers was in the mood to be amiable. He anticipated considerable
+pleasure in visiting the ancient halls of his prospective
+grandchildren. During the forenoon he had taken a motor ride about the
+city with Mrs. Blithers, accompanied by a guide who created history for
+them with commendable glibness and some veracity, and pointed out the
+homes of great personages as well as the churches, monuments and
+museums. He also told them in a confidential undertone that the Prince
+was expected to marry a beautiful American girl and that the people
+were enchanted with the prospect! That sly bit of information realised
+ten dollars for him at the end of the trip, aside from his customary
+fee.
+
+The first shock to the placidity of Mr. Blithers came with the brief
+note in reply to his request for an informal conference. The Lord
+Chamberlain curtly informed him that the Cabinet would be in session at
+two and would be pleased to grant him an audience of half an hour,
+depending on his promptness in appearing.
+
+Mr. Blithers was not accustomed to being granted audiences. He had got
+into the habit of having them thrust upon him. It irritated him
+tremendously to have any one measure time for him. Why, even the
+President of the United States, the Senate, or the District Attorney in
+New York couldn't do _that_ for him. And here was a whipper-snapper
+Lord Chamberlain telling him that the Cabinet would grant him
+half-an-hour! He managed to console himself, however, with the thought
+that matters would not always be as they were at present. There would
+be a decided change of tune later on.
+
+It would be folly to undertake the depiction of Mr. Blithers' first
+impressions of the Castle and its glories, both inside out. To begin
+with, he lost no small amount of his assurance when he discovered that
+the great gates in the wall surrounding the park were guarded by
+resplendent dragoons who politely demanded his "pass." After the
+officer in charge had inspected the Lord Chamberlain's card as if he
+had never seen one before, he ceremoniously indicated to a warden that
+the gates were to be opened. There was a great clanking of chains, the
+drawing of iron bolts, the whirl of a windlass, and the ponderous gates
+swung slowly ajar.
+
+Mr. Blithers caught his breath--and from that instant until he found
+himself crossing the great hall in the wake of an attendant delegated
+to conduct him to the council chamber his sensations are not to be
+described. It is only necessary to say that he was in a reverential
+condition, and that is saying a great deal for Mr. Blithers. A certain
+bombastic confidence in himself gave way to mellow timidity. He was in
+a new world. He was cognisant of a distinct sensation of awe. His
+ruthless Wall Street tread became a mincing, uncertain shuffle; he
+could not conquer the absurd notion that he ought to tip-toe his way
+about these ancient halls with their thick, velvety rugs and whispering
+shadows.
+
+Everywhere about him was pomp, visible and invisible. It was in the
+great stairway, the vaulted ceilings, the haughty pillars, over all of
+which was the sheen of an age that surpassed his comprehension. Rigid
+servitors watched his progress through the vast spaces--men with grim,
+unsmiling faces. He knew, without seeing, that this huge pile was alive
+with noble lords and ladies: The court! Gallantry and beauty to mock
+him with their serene indifference!
+
+Somewhere in this great house beautiful women were idling, or feasting,
+or dreaming. He was conscious of their presence all about him, and
+shrank slightly as he wondered if they were scrutinising his ungainly
+person. He was suddenly ashamed of his tight-fitting cut-a-way coat and
+striped trousers. Really he ought to get a new suit! These garments
+were much too small for him.
+
+Were ironic eyes taking in the fresh creases in those New York
+trousers? Were they regarding his shimmering patent leather shoes with
+an intelligence that told them that he was in pain? Were they wondering
+how much he weighed and why he didn't unbutton his coat when he must
+have known that it would look better if it didn't pinch him so tightly
+across the chest? Above all things, were they smiling at the corpulent
+part of him that preceded the rest of his body, clad in an immaculate
+waistcoat? He never had felt so conspicuous in his life, nor so certain
+that he was out of place.
+
+Coming in due time--and with a grateful heart--to a small ante-chamber,
+he was told to sit down and wait. He sat down very promptly. In any
+other house he would have sauntered around, looking at the emblems,
+crests and shields that hung upon the walls. But now he sat and
+wondered. He wondered whether this could be William W. Blithers. Was
+this one of the richest men in the world--this fellow sitting here with
+his hands folded tightly across his waistcoat? He was forced to admit
+that it was and at the same time it wasn't.
+
+The attendant returned and he was ushered into a second chamber, at the
+opposite end of which was a large, imposing door--closed. Beside this
+door stood a slim, erect figure in the red, blue and gold uniform of an
+officer of the Castle guard. As Mr. Blithers approached this rigid
+figure, he recognised a friend and a warm glow pervaded his heart.
+There could be no mistaking the smart moustache and supercilious
+eye-brows. It was Lieutenant Dank.
+
+"How do you do?" said Mr. Blithers. "Glad to see you again." His voice
+sounded unnatural. He extended his hand.
+
+Dank gave him a ceremonious salute, bowed slightly but without a smile,
+and then threw open the door.
+
+"Mr. Blithers, my lords," he announced, and stood aside to let the
+stranger in a strange land pass within.
+
+A number of men were seated about a long table in the centre of this
+imposing chamber. No one arose as Mr. Blithers entered the room and
+stopped just inside the door. He heard it close gently behind him. He
+was at a loss for the first time in his life. He didn't know whether he
+was to stop just inside the door fingering his hat like a messenger
+boy, or go forward and join the group. His gaze fell upon a huge oaken
+chair at the far end of the table. It was the only unoccupied seat that
+came within the scope of his rather limited vision. He could not see
+anything beyond the table and the impassive group that surrounded it.
+Was it possible that the big chair was intended for him? If so, how
+small and insignificant he would look upon it. He had a ghastly notion
+that his feet would not touch the floor, and he went so far as to
+venture the hope that there would be a substantial round somewhere
+about midway from the bottom.
+
+He had appeared before the inquisitorial committees in the United
+States Senate, and had not been oppressed by the ponderous gravity of
+the investigation. He had faced the Senators without a tremor of awe.
+He had even regarded them with a confidence, equal if not superior to
+their own. But now he faced a calm, impassive group of men who seemed
+to strip him down to the flesh with a cool, piercing interest, and who
+were in no sense impressed by what they saw.
+
+Despite his nervousness he responded to the life long habit of
+calculation. He counted the units in the group in a single, rapid
+glance, and found that there were eleven. Eleven lords of the realm!
+Eleven stern, dignified, unsmiling strangers to the arrogance of
+William W. Blithers! Something told him at once that he could not spend
+an informal half-hour with them. Grim, striking, serious visages, all
+of them! The last hope for his well-fed American humour flickered and
+died. He knew that it would never do to regale them in an informal
+off-hand way--as he had planned--with examples of native wit.
+
+Reverting to the precise moment of his entrance to the Castle, we find
+Mr. Blithers saying to himself that there wasn't the slightest use in
+even hoping that he might be invited to transfer his lodgings from the
+Regengetz to the Royal bed-chambers. The chance of being invited to
+dine there seemed to dwindle as well. While he sat and waited in the
+first antechamber he even experienced strange misgivings in respect to
+parental privileges later on.
+
+After what appeared to him to be an interminable length of time, but in
+reality no more than a few seconds, a tall man arose from his seat and
+advanced with outstretched hand. Mr. Blithers recognised Count Quinnox,
+the Minister of War. He shook that friendly hand with a fervour that
+must have surprised the Count. Never in all his life had he been so
+glad to see any one.
+
+"How are you, my lord," said the king of finance, fairly meek with
+gratefulness.
+
+"Excellently well, Mr. Blithers," returned the Count. "And you?"
+
+"Never better, never better," said Mr. Blithers, again pumping the
+Count's hand up and down--with even greater heartiness than before.
+"Glad to see you. Isn't it a pleasant day? I was telling Mrs. Blithers
+this morning that I'd never seen a pleasanter day. We--"
+
+"Let me introduce you to my colleagues, Mr. Blithers," interrupted the
+Count.
+
+"Happy, I'm sure," mumbled Mr. Blithers. To save his life, he couldn't
+tell what had got into him. He had never acted like this before.
+
+The Count was mentioning the names of dukes, counts and barons, and Mr.
+Blithers was bowing profoundly to each in turn. No one offered to shake
+hands with him, although each rose politely, even graciously. They even
+smiled. He remembered that very well afterwards. They smiled kindly,
+almost benignly. He suddenly realised what had got into him. It was
+respect.
+
+"A chair, Franz," said the white haired, gaunt man who was called Baron
+Romano. "Will you sit here, Mr. Blithers? Pray forgive our delay in
+admitting you. We were engaged in a rather serious discussion over--"
+
+"Oh, that's all right," said Mr. Blithers, magnanimously. "Am I
+interfering with any important business, gent--my lords? If so, just--"
+
+"Not at all, Mr. Blithers. Pray be seated."
+
+"Sure I'm not taking any one's seat?"
+
+"A secretary's, sir. He can readily find another."
+
+Mr. Blithers sat down. He was rather pleased to find that the big chair
+was not meant for him. A swift intuition told him that it was reserved
+for the country's ruler.
+
+"The Prince signed the contracts just before you arrived, Mr.
+Blithers," said Baron Romano. "The seal has been affixed to each of the
+documents, and your copy is ready for delivery at any time."
+
+Mr. Blithers recovered himself slightly. "You may send it to the hotel,
+Baron, at any time to-morrow. My lawyers will have a look at it." Then
+he made haste to explain: "Not that it is really necessary, but just as
+a matter of form. Besides, it gives the lawyers something to do." He
+sent an investigating glance around the room.
+
+"The Prince has retired," said the Baron, divining the thought. "He
+does not remain for the discussions." Glancing at the huge old clock
+above the door, the Prime Minister assumed a most business-like air.
+"It will doubtless gratify you to know that three-fourths of the bonds
+have been deposited, Mr. Blithers, and the remainder will be gathered
+in during the week. Holders living in remote corners of our country
+have not as yet been able to reach us with their securities. A week
+will give them sufficient time, will it not, Count Lazzar?"
+
+"I may safely say that all the bonds will be in our hands by next
+Tuesday at the latest," said the Minister of the Treasury. He was a
+thin, ascetic man; his keen eyes were fixed rather steadily upon Mr.
+Blithers. After a moment's pause, he went on: "We are naturally
+interested in your extensive purchases of our outstanding bonds, Mr.
+Blithers. I refer to the big blocks you have acquired in London, Paris
+and Berlin."
+
+"Want to know what I bought them for?" inquired Mr. Blithers amiably.
+
+"We have wondered not a little at your readiness to invest such a
+fortune in our securities."
+
+"Well, there you have it. Investment, that's all. Your credit is sound,
+and your resources unquestioned, your bonds gilt-edge. I am glad of the
+opportunity to take a few dollars out of Wall Street uncertainties and
+put 'em into something absolutely certain. Groo--Gras--er--Groostock
+bonds are pretty safe things to have lying in a safety vault in these
+times of financial unrest. They create a pretty solid fortune for my
+family,--that is to say, for my daughter and her children. A sensible
+business man,--and I claim to be one,--looks ahead, my lords. Railroads
+are all right as long as you are alive and can run them yourself. It's
+after you are dead that they fail to do what is expected of them. New
+fingers get into the pie, and you never can tell what they'll pull out
+in their greediness. I cannot imagine anything safer in the shape of an
+investment than the bonds of a nation that has a debt of less than
+fifty million dollars. As a citizen of a republic whose national debt
+is nearly a billion, I confess that I can't see how you've managed so
+well."
+
+"We are so infinitesimal, Mr. Blithers, that I daresay we could be lost
+in the smallest of your states," said Baron Romano, with a smile.
+
+"Rhode Island is pretty small," Mr. Blithers informed him, without a
+smile.
+
+"It is most gratifying to Graustark to know that you value our
+securities so highly as a legacy," said Count Lazzar, suavely. "May I
+venture the hope, however, that your life may be prolonged beyond the
+term of their existence? They expire in a very few years--a dozen, in
+fact."
+
+"Oh, I think I can hang on that long," said Mr. Blithers, a little more
+at ease. He was saying to himself that these fellows were not so bad,
+after all. "Still one never knows. I may be dead in a year. My
+daughter--but, of course, you will pardon me if I don't go into my
+private affairs. I fear I have already said too much."
+
+"On the contrary, sir, we are all only too willing to be edified. The
+workings of an intelligence such as jours cannot fail to be of interest
+to us who are so lacking in the power to cope with great undertakings.
+I confess to a selfish motive in asking you about your methods
+of--er--investment," said the Minister of Finance. Mr. Blithers failed
+to see that he was shrewdly being led up to a matter that was of more
+importance to Graustark just then than anything along financial lines.
+
+"I am only too willing, my lords, to give you the benefit of my
+experience. Any questions that you may care to ask, I'll be glad to
+answer to the best of my ability. It is only natural that I should take
+a great personal interest in Graustock from now on. I want to see the
+country on the boom. I want to see it taking advantage of all the
+opportunities that--er--come its way. There may be a few pointers that
+William W. Blithers can give you in respect to your railways and
+mines--and your general policy, perhaps. I hope you won't hesitate
+about asking."
+
+The Prime Minister tapped reflectively upon the table-top with his
+fingers for a moment or two.
+
+"Thank you," he said. "We are at this very moment in something of a
+quandary in respect to the renewal of a treaty with one of our
+neighbours. For the past twenty years we have been in alliance with our
+next door neighbours, Axphain on the north and Dawsbergen on the south
+and east. The triple alliance will end this year unless renewed. Up to
+the present our relations have been most amiable. Axphain stands ready
+to extend our mutual protective agreement for another term of years,
+but Dawsbergen is lukewarm and inclined to withdraw. When you become
+better acquainted with the politics of our country you will understand
+how regrettable such an action on the part of a hitherto friendly
+government will be."
+
+"What's the grievance?" inquired Mr. Blithers, bluntly. He was edging
+into familiar waters now. "What's the matter with Dawsbergen? Money
+controversy?"
+
+"Not at all," said Lazzar hastily.
+
+"Why not let 'em withdraw?" said Mr. Blithers. "We can get along
+without them."
+
+There was a general uplifting of heads at the use of the pronoun, and a
+more fixed concentration of gaze.
+
+"I daresay you are already acquainted with the desire on the part of
+Dawsbergen to form an alliance in which Axphain can have no part," said
+Baron Romano. "In other words, it has been the desire of both
+Dawsbergen and Graustark to perfect a matrimonial alliance that may
+cement the fortunes of the two countries--"
+
+"Count Quinnox mentioned something of the sort," interrupted Mr.
+Blithers. "But suppose this matrimonial alliance doesn't come off, who
+would be the sufferer, you or Dawsbergen? Who will it benefit the most?"
+
+There was a moment's silence. Doubtless it had never occurred to the
+Ministry to speculate on the point.
+
+"Dawsbergen is a rich, powerful country," said Romano. "We will be the
+gainers by such an alliance. Mr. Blithers."
+
+"I don't go much on alliances," said the capitalist. "I believe in
+keeping out of them if possible."
+
+"I see," said the Baron reflectively. There was another silence. Then:
+"It has come to our notice in a most direct manner that the Prince of
+Dawsbergen feels that his friendly consideration of a proposal made by
+our government some years ago is being disregarded in a manner that can
+hardly be anything but humiliating to him, not only as a sovereign but
+as a father."
+
+"He's the one who has the marriageable daughter, eh? I had really
+forgotten the name."
+
+The Baron leaned forward, still tapping the table-top with his long,
+slim fingers.
+
+"The report that Prince Robin is to marry your daughter, Mr. Blithers,
+has reached his ears. It is only natural that he should feel resentful.
+For fifteen years there has been an understanding that the Crown
+Princess of Dawsbergen and the Prince of Graustark were one day to be
+wedded to each other. You will admit that the present reports are
+somewhat distressing to him and unquestionably so to the Crown
+Princess."
+
+Mr. Blithers settled back in his chair. "It seems to me that he is
+making a mountain out of a molehill."
+
+Baron Romano shrank perceptibly. "It devolves upon me, sir, as
+spokesman for the Ministry, the court and the people of Graustark, to
+inform you that marriage between our Prince and any other than the
+Crown Princess of Dawsbergen is not to be considered as possible."
+
+Mr. Blithers stared. "Hasn't the Prince any voice in the matter?" he
+demanded.
+
+"Yes. He has already denied, somewhat publicly, that he is not
+contemplating marriage with your daughter. He has had a voice in that
+matter at least."
+
+A fine moisture started out on the purplish brow of Mr. Blithers.
+Twenty-two eyes were upon him. He realised that he was not attending an
+informal conference. He had been brought here for a deliberate purpose.
+
+"I may be permitted the privilege of reminding you, my lords, that his
+denial was no more emphatic than that expressed by my daughter," he
+said, with real dignity.
+
+"We have accepted her statement as final, but it is our earnest desire
+that the minds of the people be set at rest," said the Baron gravely.
+"I sincerely trust that you will appreciate our position, Mr. Blithers.
+It is not our desire or intention to offend in this matter, but we
+believe it to be only fair and just that we should understand each
+other at the outset. The impression is afoot that--"
+
+"My lords," said Mr. Blithers, rising, his face suddenly pale, "I beg
+leave to assure you that my daughter's happiness is of far more
+importance to me than all the damned principalities in the world. Just
+a moment, please. I apologise for the oath--but I mean it, just the
+same. I do not resent your attitude, nor do I resent your haste in
+conveying to me your views on the subject. It may be diplomacy to go
+straight to a question and get it over with, but it isn't always
+diplomatic to go off half-cocked. I will say, with perfect candour,
+that I should like to see my daughter the Princess of Graustark,
+but--by God! I want you to understand that her own wishes in the matter
+are to govern mine in the end. I have had this marriage in mind,
+there's no use denying it. I have schemed to bring these two young
+people together with a single object in view. I knew that if they saw
+enough of each other they would fall in love, and they would want the
+happiness that love brings to all people. Just a moment, Baron! I want
+to say to you now, all of you, that if my girl should love your prince
+and he should love her in return, there isn't a power below heaven that
+can keep them apart. If she doesn't love him, and he should be unlucky
+enough to love her, I'd see him hanged before he could have her. I'll
+admit that I have counted on seeing all of this come to pass, and that
+I have bungled the thing pretty badly because I'm a loving, selfish
+father,--but, my lords, since you have brought me here to tell me that
+it is impossible for my girl to marry your prince, I will say to you,
+here and now, that if they ever love each other and want to get
+married, I'll see to it that it isn't impossible. You issue an
+ultimatum to me, in plain words, so I'll submit one to you, in equally
+plain words. I intend to leave this matter entirely to my daughter and
+Prince Robin. They are to do the deciding, so far as I am concerned.
+And if they decide that they love each other and want to get married,
+_they will get married_. Do I make myself perfectly plain, my lords?"
+
+The dignified Ministry of Graustark sat agape. With his concluding
+words, Mr. Blithers deposited his clenched fist upon the table with a
+heavy thud, and, as if fascinated, every eye shifted from his face to
+the white knuckles of that resolute hand.
+
+Baron Romano also arose. "You place us in the extremely distressing
+position of being obliged to oppose the hand of a benefactor, Mr.
+Blithers. You have come to our assistance in a time of need. You have--"
+
+"If it is the loan you are talking about, Baron, that is quite beside
+the question," interrupted Mr. Blithers. "I do not speculate. I may
+have had a personal motive in lending you this money, but I don't
+believe you will find that it enters into the contract we have signed.
+I don't lend money for charity's sake. I sometimes give it to charity,
+but when it comes to business, I am not charitable. I have made a
+satisfactory loan and I am not complaining. You may leave out the word
+benefactor, Baron. It doesn't belong in the game."
+
+"As you please, sir," said Romano coldly. "We were only intent upon
+conveying to you our desire to maintain friendly relations with you,
+Mr. Blithers, despite the unpleasant conditions that have arisen. I may
+at least question your right to assume that we are powerless to prevent
+a marriage that is manifestly unpopular with the subjects of Prince
+Robin."
+
+"I had it on excellent authority to-day that the people are not opposed
+to the union of my daughter and the prince," said Mr. Blithers.
+
+"I am compelled to say that you have been misinformed," said the Baron,
+flatly.
+
+"I think I have not been misinformed, however, concerning the personal
+views of Prince Robin. If I am not mistaken, he openly declares that he
+will marry to suit himself and not the people of Graustark. Isn't it
+barely possible, my lords, that he may have something to say about who
+he is to marry?"
+
+"I confess that his attitude is all that you describe," said the Baron.
+"He has announced his views quite plainly. We admit that he may have
+something to say about it."
+
+"Then I submit that it isn't altogether an improbability that he may
+decide to marry according to the dictates of his heart and not for the
+sake of appearances," said Mr. Blithers scathingly. "I have an idea
+that he will marry the girl he loves, no matter who she may be."
+
+[Illustration: The dignified Ministry of Graustark sat agape]
+
+Count Quinnox and Baron Gourou exchanged glances. These two men were
+guilty of having kept from their colleagues all information concerning
+a certain Miss Guile. They, as well as Dank, were bound by a promise
+exacted by their sovereign prince. They alone knew that Mr. Blithers
+was supported by an incontrovertible truth. For the present, their lips
+were sealed, and yet they faced that anxious group with a complete
+understanding of the situation. They knew that Mr. Blithers was right.
+Prince Robin would marry the girl that he loved, and no other. They
+knew that their prince expected to marry the daughter of the man who
+now faced these proud noblemen and virtually defied them!
+
+"Am I not right, Count Quinnox?" demanded Mr. Blithers, turning
+suddenly upon the Minister of War. "You are in a position to know
+something about him. Am I not right?"
+
+Every eye was on the Count. "Prince Robin will marry for love, my
+lords," he said quietly, "I am forced to agree with Mr. Blithers."
+
+Baron Romano sank into his chair. There was silence in the room for
+many seconds.
+
+"May I enquire, Count Quinnox, if you know anything of the present
+state of Prince Robin's--er--heart?" inquired the Prime Minister
+finally.
+
+A tinge of red appeared in each of Count Quinnox's swarthy cheeks.
+
+"I can only surmise," said he briefly.
+
+"Has--has he met some one in whom he feels a--er--an interest?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"May we have the benefit of your conclusions?" said Baron Romano, icily.
+
+"I am not at liberty to supply information at present," said the Count,
+visibly distressed.
+
+Mr. Blithers leaned forward, his hands upon the table. "Some one he met
+after leaving New York?" he inquired eagerly.
+
+"Time will reveal everything, Mr. Blithers," said the Count, and closed
+his jaws resolutely. His colleagues looked at him in consternation. The
+worst, then, had happened!
+
+A gleam of triumph shot into the eyes of Mr. Blithers. His heart
+swelled. He felt himself stepping out upon safe, solid ground after a
+period of floundering. The very best, then, had happened!
+
+"My lords, I find that my half-hour is almost up," he said, pulling out
+his gold watch and comparing its time with that of the clock on the
+wall. "Permit me to take my departure. I am content to let matters
+shape themselves as they may. Shakespeare says 'there is a destiny that
+shapes our ends, rough hew them'--er--and so forth. Allow me, however,
+before leaving, to assure you of my most kindly interest in the welfare
+of your State. You may be pleased to know that it is not from me that
+Graustark--did I get it right that time?--will redeem her bonds when
+they mature, but from my only daughter. She is nearly twenty-one years
+of age. On her twenty-fifth birthday I shall present to her--as a
+gift--all of my holdings in Graustark. She may do as she sees fit with
+them. Permit me to wish you all good day, my lords. You may send the
+contract to my hotel, Baron. I expect to remain in the city for some
+time."
+
+As he traversed the vast halls on his way to the outer world, he was
+again overcome by the uneasy conviction that ironic eyes were looking
+out upon him from luxurious retreats. Again he felt that his coat
+fitted him too tightly and that his waistcoat was painfully in
+evidence. He hurried a bit. If he could have had his way about it, he
+would have run. Once outside the castle doors, he lighted a big cigar,
+and threw the burnt-out match upon the polished flagstones of the
+terrace. He regretted the act on the instant. He wished he had not
+thrown it there. If the solemn grooms had not been watching, he would
+have picked it up and stuck it into his pocket for disposal on the less
+hallowed stones of a city thoroughfare.
+
+Outside the gates he felt more at ease, more at home, in fact. He
+smoked in great contentment. In the broad, shady avenue he took out his
+watch and pried open the case. A great pride filled his eyes as he
+looked upon the dainty miniature portrait of his daughter Maud. She
+_was_ lovely--she was even lovelier than he had ever thought before.
+
+At the Regengetz a telegram awaited him. It was from Maud.
+
+"I shall be in Edelweiss this week without fail. I have something very
+important to tell you." So it read.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+PINGARI'S
+
+
+Nine o'clock of a rainy night, on the steep, winding road that climbed
+the mountain-side from the walled-in city to the crest on which stood
+the famed monastery of St. Valentine,--nine o'clock of a night fraught
+with pleasurable anticipation on the part of one R. Schmidt, whose
+eager progress up the slope was all too slow notwithstanding the
+encouragement offered by the conscienceless Jehu who frequently beat
+his poor steeds into a gallop over level stretches and never allowed
+them to pause on the cruel grades.
+
+Late in the afternoon there had come to the general post-office a
+letter for Mr. R. Schmidt. He had told her that any message intended
+for him would reach his hands if directed to the post-office. Since his
+arrival in the city, three days before, he had purposely avoided the
+main streets and avenues of Edelweiss, venturing forth but seldom from
+the Castle grounds, and all because he knew that he could not go abroad
+during the day-time without forfeiting the privileges to be enjoyed in
+emulation of the good Caliphs of Baghdad. His people would betray their
+prince because they loved him: his passage through the streets could
+only be attended by respectful homage on the part of every man, woman
+and child in the place. If Bedelia were there, she could not help
+knowing who and what he was, with every one stupidly lifting his hat
+and bowing to him as he passed, and he did not want Bedelia to know the
+truth about him until she had answered an all-important question, as
+has been mentioned before on more than one occasion in the course of
+this simple tale.
+
+Her letter was brief. She merely acquainted him with the fact that she
+had arrived in Edelweiss that day from Ganlook, twenty miles away, and
+was stopping at the Inn of the Stars outside the city gates and half
+way up the mountain-side, preferring the quiet, ancient tavern to the
+stately Regengetz for reasons of her own.
+
+In closing she said that she would be delighted to see him when it was
+convenient for him to come to her. On receipt of this singularly
+matter-of-fact letter, he promptly despatched a message to Miss Guile,
+Inn of the Stars, saying that she might expect him at nine that night.
+
+Fortunately for him, the night was wet and blustering. He donned a
+rain-coat, whose cape and collar served to cover the lower part of his
+face fairly well, and completed his disguise by pulling far down over
+his eyes the villainous broad-brimmed hat affected by the shepherds in
+the hills. He had a pair of dark eye-glasses in reserve for the crucial
+test that would come with his entrance to the Inn.
+
+Stealing away from the Castle at night, he entered the ram-shackle cab
+that Hobbs had engaged for the expedition, and which awaited him not
+far from the private entrance to the Park. Warders at the gate looked
+askance as he passed them by, but not one presumed to question him.
+They winked slyly at each other, however, after he had disappeared in
+the shadows beyond the rays of the feeble lanterns that they carried.
+It was good to be young!
+
+The driver of that rattling old vehicle was no other than the versatile
+Hobbs, who, it appears, had rented the outfit for a fixed sum,
+guaranteeing the owner against loss by theft, fire or dissolution. It
+is not even remotely probable that the owner would have covered the
+ground so quickly as Hobbs, and it is certain that the horses never
+suspected that they had it in them.
+
+The mud-covered vehicle was nearing the Inn of the Stars when Robin
+stuck his head out of the window and directed Hobbs to drive slower.
+
+"Very good, sir," said Hobbs. "I thought as how we might be late after
+losing time at the city gates, sir, wot with that silly guard and the--"
+
+"We are in good time, Hobbs. Take it easy."
+
+The lights of the Inn were gleaming through the drizzle not more than a
+block away. Robin's heart was thumping furiously. Little chills ran
+over him, delicious chills of excitement. His blood was hot and cold,
+his nerves were tingling. The adventure!
+
+"Whoa!" said Hobbs suddenly. "'Ello, wot the 'ell is--"
+
+A dark figure had sprung into the road-way near the horses' heads, and
+was holding up a warning hand.
+
+"Is this Mr. Schmidt's carriage?" demanded a hoarse, suppressed voice.
+
+"It is," said Hobbs, "for the time being. Wot of it?"
+
+Robin's head came through the window.
+
+"What do you want?"
+
+"Some one is coming out here to meet you, sir. Do not drive up to the
+doors. Those are the orders. You are to wait here, if you please."
+
+Then the man shot away into the darkness, leaving the wayfarers
+mystified by his words and action.
+
+"Wot am I to do, sir?" inquired Hobbs. "Most hextraordinary orders, and
+who the deuce is behind them, that's wot I'd like to know."
+
+"We'll wait here, Hobbs," said Robin, and then put his hand suddenly to
+his heart. It was acting very queerly. For a moment he thought it was
+in danger of pounding its way out of his body!
+
+Below him lay the lighted city, a great yellow cloud almost at his
+feet. Nearer, on the mountain-side were the misty lights in the windows
+of dwellers on the slope, and at points far apart the street lamps, dim
+splashes of light in the gloom. Far above were the almost obscured
+lights of St. Valentine, hanging in the sky. He thought of the monks up
+there. What a life! He would not be a monk, not he.
+
+"My word!" exclaimed Hobbs, but instantly resumed his character as
+cabby.
+
+A woman came swiftly out of the blackness and stopped beside the cab.
+She was swathed in a long gossamer, and hooded. The carriage lamps
+gleamed strong against the dripping coat.
+
+"Is it you?" cried Robin, throwing open the door and leaping to the
+ground.
+
+"It is I, M'sieur," said the voice of Marie, Miss Guile's French maid.
+
+Bleak disappointment filled his soul. He had hoped for--but no! He
+might have known. She would not meet him in this manner.
+
+"What has happened?" he cried, grasping the girl's arm. "Has she--"
+
+"Sh! May we not speak in French?" said Marie, lowering her voice after
+a significant look at the motionless cabman. "He may understand
+English, M'sieur. My mistress has sent me to say to M'sieur that she
+has changed her mind."
+
+"Changed her mind," gasped Robin.
+
+"Yes, M'sieur. She will not receive you at the Inn of the Stars. She
+bids you drive to the end of this street, where there is a garden with
+a Magyar band, and the most delicious of refreshments to be had under
+vine-covered--"
+
+"A public garden?" exclaimed Robin in utter dismay.
+
+"Pingari's, sir," said Hobbs, without thinking. "I know the place well.
+It is a very quiet, orderly place--I beg pardon!"
+
+"So he understands French, eh?" cried Marie sharply.
+
+"It doesn't matter," cried Robin impatiently. "Why, in heaven's name,
+did she select a public eating-house in which to receive me?"
+
+"If M'sieur chooses to disregard the wishes of--" began the maid, but
+he interrupted her.
+
+"I am not accustomed to meeting people in public gardens. I--"
+
+"Nor is my mistress, M'sieur. I assure you it is the first time she has
+committed an indiscretion of this kind. May I put a flea in M'sieur's
+ear? The place is quite empty to-night, and besides there is the drive
+back to the Inn with Mademoiselle. Is not that something, M'sieur?'
+
+"By jove!" exclaimed Robin. "Drive on,--you! But wait! Let me take you
+to the Inn, Marie. It--"
+
+"No! I may not accept M'sieur's thoughtful invitation. Bon soir,
+M'sieur."
+
+She was off like a flash. Robin leaped nimbly into the cab.
+
+"Pingari's, driver!" he said, his heart thumping once more.
+
+"Very good, sir," and they were off at a lively rate, rattling quite
+gaily over the cobble-stones.
+
+Pingari's is the jumping-off place. It stands at the sharp corner of an
+elbow in the mountain, with an almost sheer drop of a thousand feet
+into the quarries below. A low-roofed, rambling building, once used as
+a troop-house for nomadic fighting-men who came from all parts of the
+principality on draft by feudal barons in the days before real law
+obtained, it was something of a historic place. Parts of the structure
+are said to be no less than five hundred years old, but time and
+avarice have relegated history to a rather uncertain background, and
+unless one is pretty well up in the traditions of the town, he may be
+taken in nicely by shameless attendants who make no distinction between
+the old and the new so long as it pays them to procrastinate.
+
+As a matter of fact, the walls of the ancient troop-house surround what
+is now considered the kitchen, and one never steps inside of them
+unless he happens to be connected in a somewhat menial way with the
+green grocer, the fish-monger, the butcher or the poultry-man. The
+wonderful vine-covered porches, reeking with signs of decay and
+tottering with age, are in truth very substantial affairs constructed
+by an ancestor of the present Signor Pingari no longer ago than the
+Napoleonic era--which is quite recent as things go in Graustark.
+
+Hobbs drove bravely into the court yard, shouted orders to a couple of
+hostlers and descended from the box. The Magyar band was playing
+blithely to the scattered occupants of the porches overlooking the
+precipice.
+
+"'Ere we are, sir," said he to the Prince, as he jerked open the door
+of the cab. "Shall I wait, sir?"
+
+"Certainly," said Robin, climbing out. "I am a long way from home, my
+good man."
+
+He hurried up the steps and cast an eye about the place. There were no
+ladies unattached. As he was about to start on a tour of investigation,
+a polite person in brass buttons came up to him.
+
+"Alone, sir?" he inquired pityingly.
+
+"Quite," said Robin, still peering into the recesses.
+
+"Then come with me, if you please. I am directed to escort you to one
+who is also alone. This way, sir."
+
+Robin followed him through a door, down a narrow hallway, up a flight
+of stairs and out another door upon a small portico, sheltered by a
+heavy canvas awning. Two men were standing at the railing, looking down
+upon the impressionistic lights of the sunken city. The Prince drew
+back, his face hardening.
+
+"What does this mean, sirrah? You said--"
+
+At the sound of his voice the two men turned, stared at him intently
+for an instant and then deliberately strode past him, entered the door
+and disappeared. The person in brass buttons followed them.
+
+A soft, gurgling laugh fell upon his ears--a laugh of pure delight. He
+whirled about and faced--one who was no longer alone.
+
+She was seated at the solitary little table in the corner; until now it
+had escaped his notice for the excellent reason that it was outside the
+path of light from the open doorway, and the faint glow from the
+adjacent porches did not penetrate the quiet retreat.
+
+He sprang toward her with a glad cry, expecting her to rise. She
+remained seated, her hand extended. This indifference on her part may
+have been the result of cool premeditation. In any event, it served to
+check the impulsive ardour of the Prince, who, it is to be feared, had
+lost something in the way of self-restraint. It is certain--absolutely
+certain--that had she come forward to meet him, she would have found
+herself imprisoned in a pair of strong, eager arms,--and a crisis
+precipitated. He had to be content with a warm hand-clasp and a smile
+of welcome that even the gloom could not hide from his devouring eyes.
+
+"My dear, dear Bedelia," he murmured. "I had almost given you up. Three
+long days have I waited for you. You--"
+
+"I have never broken a promise, Rex," she said coolly. "It is you who
+are to be commended, not I, for you see I was coming to Graustark
+anyway. I should not have been surprised if you had failed me, sir. It
+is a long way from Vienna to this out-of-the-way--"
+
+"The most distant spot in the world would not have been too far away to
+cause an instant's hesitation on my part," said he, dropping into the
+chair opposite her. "I would go to the end of the world, Bedelia."
+
+"But your personal affairs--your business," she protested. "Can you
+neglect it so--"
+
+"My business is to find happiness," said he. "I should be neglecting it
+indeed if I failed to pursue the only means of attaining it. You are
+happiness, Bedelia."
+
+"What would you sacrifice for happiness?" she asked softly.
+
+"All else in the world," he replied steadily. "If I were a king, my
+realm should go if it stood between me and--you, Bedelia."
+
+She drew back with a queer little gasp, as if suddenly breathless.
+
+"Wait--wait just for a moment," she said, with difficulty steadying her
+voice. "This night may see the end of our adventure, Rex. Let us think
+well before we say that it is over. I know, if you do not, that a great
+deal depends upon what we are to say to each other to-night. You will
+ask me to be your wife. Are you sure that you appreciate all that it
+means to you and to your future if I should say yes to that dear
+question?"
+
+He looked at her intently. "What do you know, Bedelia?"
+
+"I know that you are the Prince of Graustark and that it is ordained
+that you shall wed one whose station is the equal of your own. You must
+think well, dear Rex, before you ask Bedelia Guile to be your wife."
+
+"You know that I am--" he began, dully, and then burst into a mirthless
+laugh. "And knowing who I am, why do you not leap at the chance to
+become the Princess of Graustark? Why not realise an ambition that--"
+
+"Hush! You see how well I considered when I advised you to think before
+speaking? You are now saying things that are unworthy of you. You are
+forgetting that it is my privilege to say no to the am in search of
+happiness. I too--"
+
+He stood up, leaning far over the table, a penetrating look in his eyes.
+
+"How long have you known, Bedelia?"
+
+"Since the second day out on the _Jupiter_," she replied serenely.
+
+He slowly resumed his seat, overwhelmed by the sickening realisation
+that his bubble had burst. She had known from the beginning. She had
+played with him. She had defied him!
+
+"I know what you are thinking, Rex," she said, almost pleadingly. "You
+are thinking ill of me, and you are unjust. It was as fair for me as it
+was for you. We played a cautious game. You set about to win my love as
+you saw fit, my friend, and am I to be condemned if I exercised the
+same privilege? I was no more deliberate, no more reprehensible than
+you. Am I more guilty of deceit than you?"
+
+He gave a great sigh of relief. "You are right," he said. "It is my
+turn to confess. I have known for many days that you are not Bedelia
+Guile. We are quits."
+
+She laughed softly. "I rather like Bedelia. I think I shall keep it as
+a good-luck name. We have now arrived at the time for a profound
+contemplation of the results of our experiments. In the meantime, I
+have had no dinner. I trust that the Prince of Graustark has dined so
+lightly that he will not decline to share my repast with me. It has
+already been ordered--for two."
+
+"By jove, you--you amaze me!" he exclaimed.
+
+"Please remove that dreadful mackintosh and touch the bell for me. You
+see, I am a very prosaic person, after all. Even in the face of
+disaster I can have a craving for food and drink. That's better."
+
+In a sort of daze, he tapped the little table bell. A waiter appeared
+on the instant.
+
+"Give us more light, waiter," was her command, "and serve dinner at
+once."
+
+The lights went up, and Robin looked into her soft, smiling eyes.
+
+"It doesn't matter," he whispered hoarsely. "I don't care what happens
+to me, Bedelia, I--I shall never give you up. You are worth all the
+kingdoms in the world. You are the loveliest, most adorable--"
+
+"Hush! The eyes of your people are upon you. See! Even the waiter
+recognises his prince. He is overcome. Ah! He falters with the
+consomme. It is a perilous moment. There! I knew something would
+happen, poor fellow. He has spilled--but, all is well; he has his wits
+again. See! He replenishes from the steaming tureen. We are saved."
+
+Her mood was so gaily satiric, so inconsequential, that he allowed a
+wondering, uncertain smile to banish the trouble from his eyes as he
+leaned back in the chair and studied the vivid, excited face of the
+girl who had created havoc with his senses. She was dressed as he had
+seen her on board the _Jupiter_ during those delightful days on deck:
+the same trim figure in a blue serge suit and a limp white hat, drawn
+well down over her soft brown hair, with the smart red tie and the
+never-to-be-forgotten scent of a perfume that would linger in his
+nostrils forever and forever.
+
+"Do you think it strange that I should have asked you to meet me here
+in this unconventional way instead of at the Inn?" she inquired,
+suddenly serious. Again the shy, pleading expression stole into her
+eyes.
+
+"I did think so, but no longer. I am glad that we are here."
+
+"Mrs. Gaston is inside," she informed him quickly. "I do not come
+alone. An hour ago the Inn became quite impossible as a trysting place.
+A small party from the Regengetz arrived for dinner. Can you guess who
+is giving the dinner? The great and only William W. Blithers, sir, who
+comes to put an obstinate daughter upon the throne of Graustark,
+whether she will or no."
+
+"Did he see you?" cried Robin.
+
+"No," she answered, with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "I stole out
+through the back door, and sent Marie out with one of the porters to
+head you off. Then I came on here. I didn't even stop to change my
+gown."
+
+"Hide and seek is a bully game," said he. "It can't last much longer,
+Bedelia. I think it is only right that we should go to your father and
+tell him that--everything is all right. It is his due. You've solved
+your own problem and are satisfied, so why not reveal yourself. There
+is nothing to be gained by further secrecy."
+
+She was watching him closely. "Are you, after all is said and done,
+sure that you want to marry the daughter of William Blithers, in the
+face of all the bitter consequences that may follow such an act? Think
+hard, my dear. She is being forced upon you, in a way. Mr. Blithers'
+money is behind her. Your people are opposed to the bargain, for that
+is the way in which they will look upon it. They may act very harshly
+toward you. The name of Blithers is detested in your land. His daughter
+is reviled. Are you sure that you want to marry her, Re--Robin?"
+
+"Are you through?" he asked, transfixing her with a determined look.
+"Well, then, I'll answer you. I do want to marry you, and, more than
+that, I mean to marry you. I love--"
+
+"You may tell me, Robin, as we are driving back to the Inn
+together--not here, not now," she said softly, the lovelight in her
+eyes.
+
+Happiness blurred his vision. He was thrilled by an enchantment so
+stupefying that the power of speech, almost of thought, was denied him
+for the time being. He could only sit and stare at her with prophetic
+love in his eyes, love that bided its time and trembled with
+anticipation.
+
+Long afterward, as they were preparing to leave Pingari's she said to
+him:
+
+"My father is at the Inn, Robin. I ran away from him to-night because I
+wanted to be sure that our adventure was closed before I revealed
+myself to him. I wanted to be able to say to him that love will find
+its way, no matter how blind it is, nor how vast the world it has to
+traverse in search of its own. My father is at the Inn. Take me to him
+now, Robin, and make the miracle complete."
+
+His fingers caressed her warm cheek as he adjusted the collar of the
+long seacoat about her throat and chin. Her eyes were starry bright,
+her red lips were parted.
+
+"My Princess!" he whispered tenderly. "My Princess!"
+
+"My Prince," she said so softly that the words barely reached his ears.
+"We have proved that Love is the king. He rules us all. He laughs at
+locksmiths--and fathers--but he does not laugh at sweethearts. Come, I
+am ready."
+
+He handed her into the cab a moment later, and drew the long deep
+breath of one who goes down into deep water. Then he followed after
+her. The attendant closed the door.
+
+"Where to, sir?" called Hobbs from the driver's seat.
+
+He received no answer, yet cracked his whip gaily over the horses'
+backs and drove out into the slanting rain.
+
+Hobbs was a dependable fellow. He drove the full length of the street
+twice, passing the Inn of the Stars both times at a lively clip, and
+might have gone on forever in his shuttlecock enterprise, had not the
+excited voice of a woman hailed him from the sidewalk.
+
+"Stop! _Attendez_! You! Man!"
+
+He pulled up with a jerk. The dripping figure of Marie ran up from
+behind.
+
+"My mistress? Where is she?" panted the girl.
+
+"In heaven," said Hobbs promptly, whereupon Marie pounded on the glass
+window of the cab.
+
+Robin quickly opened the door.
+
+"Wha--what is it?"
+
+"Yes, Marie," came in muffled tones from the depths of the cab.
+
+"Madame Gaston returns long ago. She is beside herself. She is like a
+maniac. She has lost you; she cannot explain to--to Mademoiselle's
+father. Mon dieu, when he met her unexpectedly in the hall, he shouts,
+'where is my daughter?' And poor Madame she has but to shiver and
+stammer and--run away! _Oui_! She dash out into the rain! It is
+terrible. She--"
+
+Bedelia broke in upon this jumbled recitation. "Where have we been,
+Robin? Where are we now?"
+
+"Where are we, Hobbs?"
+
+"We are just getting back to the Inn of the Stars, sir,--descending,
+you might say, sir," said Hobbs.
+
+"Drive on, confound you."
+
+"To the Inn, sir?"
+
+"Certainly!"
+
+The door slammed and the final block was covered in so short a time
+that Robin's final kiss was still warm on Bedelia's lips when the
+gallant cab rolled up to the portals of the Inn of the Stars.
+
+"Did you ever know such a night, sir?" inquired Hobbs, as the Prince
+handed his lady out. He was referring to the weather.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+JUST WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED
+
+
+Even the most flamboyant of natures may suffer depression at times, and
+by the same token arrogance may give way to humility,--or, at the very
+least, conviction.
+
+Mr. Blithers had had a trying day of it. To begin with, his wife raked
+him over the coals for what she was pleased to call his senseless
+persistence in the face of what she regarded as unalterable opposition
+on the part of the Cabinet and House of Nobles. It appears that he had
+experienced a second encounter with the Ministry only the day before.
+After sleeping over the results of his first visit to the Council
+Chamber, he awoke to the fact that matters were in such a condition
+that it behooved him to strike while the iron was hot. So he obtained a
+second hearing, principally because he had not slept as well over it as
+he would have liked, and secondarily because he wanted to convince
+himself that he could parade their ancient halls without feeling as
+self-conscious as a whipped spaniel.
+
+He came off even worse in his second assault upon the ministry, for
+this time the members openly sneered at his declarations. As for his
+progress through the enchanted halls he was no end worse off than
+before. It so happened that he arrived at the castle at the very hour
+when the ladies and gentlemen of the royal household were preparing to
+fare forth to the tennis courts. He came upon them, first on the
+terrace, then in the entrance, and later on was stared at with evident
+curiosity by white flanneled and duck-skirted persons in the lofty
+halls. He wished that he was back at Blitherwood where simplicity was
+not so infernally common.
+
+He made the mistake of his life when he gave to his wife the details of
+this second conference with the Cabinet. He did it in the hope that a
+sympathetic response would be forthcoming. To his surprise, she merely
+pitied him, but in such a disgustingly personal way that he wondered if
+he could ever forgive her.
+
+"Can't you appreciate what I am doing for Maud?" he argued, almost
+tearfully.
+
+"I can appreciate what you are doing _to_ her," said she, and swept out
+of the room.
+
+"It's bad enough to have one stubborn woman in the family," said he to
+himself, glaring at the closed door--which had been slammed, by the
+way,--"but two of 'em--Good Lord!"
+
+And so it was that Mr. Blithers, feeling in need of cheer, arranged a
+little dinner for that evening, at the Inn of the Stars. He first
+invited his principal London lawyer and his wife--who happened to be
+_his_ principal--and then sent a more or less peremptory invitation to
+the President of the Bank of Graustark, urging him to join the party at
+the Regengetz and motor to the Inn. He was to bring his wife and any
+friends that might be stopping with them at the time. The banker
+declined. His wife had been dead for twenty years; the only friends he
+possessed were directors in the bank, and they happened to be having a
+meeting that night. So Mr. Blithers invited his secondary London
+lawyer, his French lawyer and two attractive young women who it appears
+were related to the latter, although at quite a distance, and then
+concluded that it was best to speak to his own wife about the little
+affair. She said she couldn't even think of going. Maud might arrive
+that very night and she certainly was not going out of the hotel with
+such an event as that in prospect.
+
+"But Simpson's wife is coming," protested Mr. Blithers, "and
+Pericault's cousins. Certainly you must come. Jolly little affair to
+liven us up a bit. Now Lou,--"
+
+"I am quite positive that Lady Simpson will change her mind when she
+hears that Pericault's cousins are going," said Mrs. Blithers acidly.
+
+"Anything the matter with Pericault's cousins?" he demanded, inclined
+to the bellicose.
+
+"Ask Pericault," she replied briefly.
+
+He thought for a moment. "If that's the case, Lou, you'll have to come,
+if only to save my reputation," he said. "I didn't think it of
+Pericault. He seems less like a Frenchman than any man I've ever known."
+
+Mrs. Blithers relented. She went to the dinner and so did Lady Simpson,
+despite Pericault's cousins, and the only ones in the party who
+appeared to be uneasy were the cousins themselves. It is safe to say
+that it was not the rain that put a dampener on what otherwise might
+have been an excessively jovial party.
+
+Stupendous was the commotion at the Inn of the Stars when it became
+known that one of the richest men in the world--and a possible
+father-in-law apparent to the crown,--was to honour the place with his
+presence that night. Every one, from the manager down to the boy who
+pared potatoes, laid himself out to make the occasion a memorable one.
+
+The millionaire's table was placed in the very centre of the
+dining-room, and plates were laid for eight. At the last minute, Mr.
+Blithers ordered the number increased to nine.
+
+"My daughter may put in an appearance," he explained to Lady Simpson.
+"I have left word at the hotel for her to come up if by any chance she
+happens to arrive on the evening train."
+
+"Haven't you heard from her, Mr. Blithers?" inquired the austere lady,
+regarding the top of his head with an illy-directed lorgnon.
+
+They were entering the long, low dining-room. Mr. Blithers resented the
+scrutiny: It was lofty and yet stooping. She seemed to be looking down
+upon him at right angles, due no doubt to her superior height and to
+the fact that she had taken his arm.
+
+"We have," said he, "but not definitely. She is likely to pop in on us
+at any moment, and then again she's likely not to. My daughter is a
+very uncertain person, Lady Simpson. I never seem to be able to put my
+finger upon her."
+
+"Have you ever tried putting the whole hand upon her?" inquired her
+ladyship, and Mr. Blithers stared straight ahead, incapable of replying.
+
+He waited until they were seated at the table and then remarked: "I am
+sorry you got splashed, Lady Simpson. You'd think they might keep the
+approach to a place like this free of mud and water."
+
+"Oh, I daresay the gown can be cleaned, Mr. Blithers," she said. "I am
+quite ready to discard it, in any event, so it really doesn't matter."
+
+"My dear," said he to his wife, raising his voice so that diners at
+nearby tables could not help hearing what he said, "I forgot to tell
+you that we are expected to dine with the Prince at the Castle." Then
+he wondered if any one in the room understood English.
+
+"When?" she inquired.
+
+"Very shortly," said he, and she was puzzled for a moment by the stony
+glare he gave her.
+
+Lord Simpson took this opportunity to mention that he had taken
+reservations for the return of himself and wife to Vienna on the next
+day but one.
+
+"We shall catch the Orient Express on Friday and be in London by
+Monday," he said. "Our work here is completed. Everything is in
+ship-shape. Jenkins will remain, of course, to attend to the minor
+details, such as going over the securities and--"
+
+"Don't you like that caviare?" asked Mr. Blithers with some asperity.
+
+"It has a peculiar taste," said Lord Simpson.
+
+"Best I've ever tasted," said Mr. Blithers, spreading a bun thickly.
+Pericault's cousins were fingering the champagne glasses. "We've got
+sherry coming first," said he.
+
+"Everything satisfactory, M'sieur Blithers?" inquired the _maitre
+d'hotel_ softly, ingratiatingly, into his left ear.
+
+"Absolutely," said Mr. Blithers with precision. "You needn't hurry
+things. We've got the whole evening ahead of us."
+
+Lady Simpson shivered slightly. The Pericault cousins brightened up.
+There was still a chance that the "dowagers" would retire early from
+the scene of festivity.
+
+"By the way," said Simpson, "how long do you purpose remaining in
+Edelweiss, Blithers?"
+
+For the first time, the capitalist faltered. He was almost ready to
+admit that his enterprise had failed in one vital respect. The
+morning's experience in the Council Chamber had shaken his confidence
+considerably.
+
+"I don't know, Simpson," said he. "It is possible that we may leave
+soon."
+
+"Before the Prince's dinner?" inquired Lady Simpson, again regarding
+his bald spot through the lorg-non.
+
+"Depends on what my daughter has to say when she gets here," said he
+almost gruffly. "If she wants to stay for a while, we will remain. I
+don't mind saying that I have a curious longing for Wall Street. I am
+at home there and--well, by George, I'm like a fish out of water here."
+
+His wife looked up quickly, but did not speak.
+
+"I am a business man, Lady Simpson, not a philanderer. I'd like to take
+this town by the neck and shake some real enterprise into it, but what
+can you do when everybody is willing to sit down and let tradition look
+after 'em? I've put a lot of money into Grosstock and I'd like to see
+the country prosper. Still I'm not worried over my investment. It is as
+good as gold."
+
+"Perfectly safe," said Lord Simpson.
+
+"Absolutely," said the secondary London lawyer.
+
+Pericault's comment was in French and not intended to be brief, but as
+Mr. Blithers was no longer interested, the privilege of completing his
+remarks was not accorded him. He did say _Mon dieu_ under his breath,
+however, in the middle of his employer's next sentence.
+
+"As I said before, everything depends on whether my daughter wants to
+remain. If she says she wants to stay, that settles the point so far as
+I am concerned. If she says she doesn't want to stay, we'll--well, that
+will settle it also. I say, waiter, can't you hurry the fish along?"
+
+"Certainly, sir. I understood M'sieur to say that there was no hurry--"
+
+"Well, pour the champagne anyway. I think we need it."
+
+Two hours later, Mr. Blithers looked at his watch again. The party was
+quite gay: at least fifty percent disorderly.
+
+"That train has been in for an hour," said the host. "I guess Maud
+didn't come. I left word for the hotel to call me up if she arrived--I
+say, waiter, has there been a telephone message for me?"
+
+"No, M'sieur. We have kept a boy near the telephone all evening,
+M'sieur. No message."
+
+"I also told 'em to send up any telegram that might come," he informed
+his wife, who merely lifted her eyebrows. They had been lowered
+perceptibly in consequence of the ebullience of Pericault's cousins.
+
+The vivacious young women were attracting a great deal of attention to
+their table. Smart diners in the immediate neighbourhood appeared to be
+a trifle shocked. Three dignified looking gentlemen, seated near the
+door, got up and left the room.
+
+"We really must be going," said Mrs. Blithers nervously, who had been
+watching the three men for some time with something akin to dismay in
+her soul. She had the sickening notion that they were members of the
+Cabinet--lords of the realm.
+
+"All right," said Mr. Blithers, "Call the cars up, waiter. Still
+raining?"
+
+"Yes, M'sieur. At this season of the year--"
+
+"Call the cars. Let's have your bill."
+
+Pericault's cousins were reluctant to go. In fact, they protested
+shrilly that it was silly to break up such a successful party at such
+an unseemly hour.
+
+"Never mind," whispered Pericault softly, and winked.
+
+"I'll leave 'em in your care, Pericault," said Mr. Blithers grimly.
+"They are _your_ cousins, you know."
+
+"Trust me implicitly. Monsieur," said Pericault, bowing very deeply.
+Then he said good-night to Mrs. Blithers and Lady Simpson. The
+secondary London lawyer did the same.
+
+Out in the wide, brilliantly lighted foyer, a few late-stayers were
+waiting for their conveyances to be announced. As the four departing
+members of the Blithers party grouped themselves near the big doors,
+impatient to be off, a brass-buttoned boy came up and delivered a
+telegram to the host.
+
+He was on the point of tearing open the envelope when his eyes fell
+upon two people who had just entered the hall from without, a man and
+woman clad in raincoats. At the same instant the former saw Mr.
+Blithers. Clutching his companion's arm he directed her attention to
+the millionaire.
+
+"Now for it, Bedelia," he whispered excitedly.
+
+Bedelia gazed calmly at Mr. Blithers and Mr. Blithers gazed blankly at
+the Prince of Graustark. Then the great financier bowed very deeply and
+called out:
+
+"Good evening, Prince!"
+
+He received no response to his polite greeting, for the Prince was
+staring at Bedelia as if stupefied. The millionaire's face was very red
+with mortification as he turned it away.
+
+"He--he doesn't recognise you," gasped Robin in amazement.
+
+"Who?" she asked, her eyes searching the room with an eager, inquiring
+look.
+
+"Your father," he said.
+
+She gave him a ravishing, delighted smile.
+
+"Oh, it is so wonderful, Robin. I have fooled you completely. That man
+isn't my father."
+
+"That's Mr. Blithers or I am as blind as a bat," he exclaimed.
+
+"Is it, indeed? The one reading the telegram, with his eyes sticking
+out of his head?"
+
+Robin's head was swimming. "Good heaven, Bedelia, what are you--"
+
+"Ah!" she cried, with a little shriek of joy. "See! There he is!"
+
+One of the three distinguished men who had been remarked by Mrs.
+Blithers now separated himself from his companions and approached the
+couple. He was a tall, handsome man of fifty. Although his approach was
+swift and eager, there was in his face the signs of wrath that still
+struggled against joy.
+
+She turned quickly, laid her hand upon the Prince's rigid arm, and said
+softly:
+
+"My father is the Prince of Dawsbergen, dear."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+A crumpled telegram dropped from Mr. Blithers' palsied hand to the
+floor as he turned a white, despairing face upon his wife. The
+brass-buttoned boy picked it up and handed it to Mrs. Blithers. It was
+from Maud.
+
+"We were married in Vienna today. After all I think I shall not care to
+see Graustark. Channie is a dear. I have promised him that you will
+take him into the business as a partner. We are at the Bristol.
+
+                                          "Maud."
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Prince of Graustark, by George Barr McCutcheon
+
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