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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a769922 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66794 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66794) diff --git a/old/66794-0.txt b/old/66794-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 209eda0..0000000 --- a/old/66794-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11649 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Heritage, by Sydney C. Grier - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Heritage - -Author: Sydney C. Grier - -Release Date: November 22, 2021 [eBook #66794] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HERITAGE *** - - - - - The Heritage - - BY - SYDNEY C. GRIER - AUTHOR OF ‘THE HEIR,’ ‘AN UNCROWNED KING,’ - ‘THE WARDEN OF THE MARCHES,’ ETC. - - - (_Second in the Balkan Series II._) - - - FOURTH EDITION - - William Blackwood & Sons - Edinburg and London - 1908 - _ALL RIGHTS RESERVED_ - - - - - CONTENTS. - - PROLOGUE. - I. PRACTICAL POLITICS. - II. REVOLUTION AND ROSE-WATER. - III. THE RIVAL HEIR. - IV. THE STERN PARENT. - V. TWO DIPLOMATISTS. - VI. THE RED GODS CALL. - VII. THE ENEMY IN THE WAY. - VIII. A PORT OF REFUGE. - IX. ARTS OF PEACE. - X. THE INTERVENTION OF THE ADMIRAL. - XI. THE SYMPATHY OF EUROPE. - XII. A BAPTISM OF FIRE. - XIII. KNIGHTLY EMULATION. - XIV. _IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO._ - XV. THE TOWER OF SEGRETI. - XVI. THE CONSULS TO THE RESCUE. - XVII. THE HOPE THAT FAILED. - XVIII. A _RUSE DE GUERRE._ - XIX. THE BITTER END. - XX. FUGITIVES. - XXI. THE BRITISH FLAG. - XXII. CHANGES AND CHANCES. - XXIII. AN UNHOLY COMPACT. - XXIV. THE WAGES OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. - XXV. A CONTESTED ELECTION. - XXVI. PAYING THE BILL. - - - - - THE HERITAGE. - - PROLOGUE. - -Night was falling in the leafless beech forest which covered a spur -of the Balkans. There was a thin sprinkling of snow on the rocky -ground, but it was frozen hard, and showed no trace of the leather -moccasins of the two men who were climbing the slope. Both wore -unobtrusive uniforms of dull grey, almost concealed by huge brown -greatcoats with hoods, and carried rifles slung across their backs; -but while one was a stolid peasant, the other had a keen intellectual -face, not devoid of a certain tincture of what may without offence be -termed “slimness.” It was a face familiar to many Emathian -mountaineers, and to a few startled Roumis, as that of Lazar -Nilischeff, a prominent leader of revolt. As he and his follower -mounted the path, two men, somewhat similar to them in aspect, but -with a slight difference in their equipment, came out from among the -trees to meet them, and one of them greeted Nilischeff with the formal -politeness natural between those who are pursuing the same end with -distinct purposes in view. Both were Thracian by race, and had -received their university training at the city of Bellaviste; but -while Nilischeff was a Thracian subject, and had crossed the frontier -in the hope of adding a freed Emathia to his sovereign’s dominions, Dr -Afanasi Terminoff was Emathian-born, and scouted any prospect other -than that of actual independence for his unrestful country. - -“You sent an urgent message for me?” said Nilischeff, as the two -leaders went on together up the hill, leaving their subordinates to -guard the path. - -“The rich Englishman is dying,” said Terminoff gloomily, “and he -begged me to find him a lawyer.” - -“No doubt he wishes to make his will.” The only available lawyer tried -hard not to exhibit indecent exultation. “He will leave his money to -the Organisation, you think?” - -“He has not told me,” was the curt answer, and the two men continued -their climb in silence, the minds of both running riot over the -possibilities of unlimited action called forth by the suggestion. The -rich Englishman’s money had already provided a pleasurable earnest in -the shape of rifles, ammunition, dynamite, and other materials of the -revolutionary craft, but its owner had exercised a control over their -employment which the recipients found somewhat galling. - -“Why are you in these parts?” was the next question, for this -particular spur of the mountains was situated in the region sacred to -Nilischeff’s band. - -“We were betrayed to the Roumis--by a Greek,” replied Terminoff. “Our -scouts had only just time to warn us.” - -“Did the Greek get away?” - -“For the moment; but we fastened up his wife and daughters in their -house, and set light to it. Then we ambushed the Roumis in the -river-gorge, and scattered them and caught him. So there was an end of -the lot.” - -“If we are not to be left in peace in the winter, things are coming to -a pretty pass,” said Nilischeff sympathetically. “You are in the cave, -I suppose?” - -The question was asked with renewed sharpness, for it was not -etiquette for any other band to imperil one of Nilischeff’s villages -by seeking shelter in it, but Terminoff was able to give a -satisfactory answer. The cave was common property, and there were few -nights in the year when a sufficiently energetic force of Roumis might -not have made a valuable capture by visiting it, but the forests and -defiles through which it was approached were a country notoriously -ill-suited to Roumis who had any care for their health. Every now and -then a murmured greeting to Terminoff showed the presence of a scout -in ambush, and when the forest was left behind, the rest of the ascent -was commanded, every foot of it, by the rough breastwork at the cave’s -mouth. The two leaders climbed the almost invisible path, and wriggled -into the cave between the great stones heaped before it. A fire was -burning behind a sheltering rock, casting a fitful glimmer into the -dark recesses at the back, where the only other light came from a -candle flickering before a sacred picture fixed crookedly on the wall. -On a couch of rugs and greatcoats, spread upon a foundation of dead -beech leaves brought from the forest below, lay a very tall man with -strongly marked features and a pointed white beard. He held out his -hand feebly to Nilischeff. - -“They’ve got me at last, you see, though not by a bullet,” he said, -speaking with difficulty. “A lifetime spent in the West Indies is a -bad preparation for the Balkans in mid-winter, and it’s rough on a -sick man to have to turn out of bed and tramp all night through the -snow. But now about that little bit of business I want you to do for -me. You have brought writing materials, of course?” - -He lay back and gasped while Nilischeff brought out a fountain-pen and -a writing-pad, but there was a cynical smile on his drawn face. - -“It’s not my will,” he murmured, with obvious enjoyment of the two -men’s discomfiture. “That was made and left in safe keeping before I -started. This is merely a codicil that I wish to add.” - -The words came slowly and painfully from him in French, and as he -spoke his thumb moved rapidly backwards and forwards over his -forefinger, in the familiar Eastern gesture denoting the telling of -money. They watched him as if fascinated. - -“I have never concealed from you my object in taking part in your -operations,” he went on. “You, gentlemen, are solely actuated, as I -know, by the high and noble desire of freeing Emathia from the Roumi -yoke. I confess without shame that my aim is the grovelling one of -restoring my family to its ancient position. My fortune is left in -trust for my cousin Maurice Teffany, head of the house of Theophanis, -his wife Eirene, representative of the younger line of the Imperial -house, and their children, to be used in regaining for them the throne -of the Eastern Empire, and maintaining the dignity when they achieve -it.” He watched narrowly with his sunken eyes the gloomy looks of -Terminoff, and the protesting face of Nilischeff, and spoke with -hoarse passion,--“But in acting for the good of my family, I am doing -the best thing for you, and you know it. I am giving you a head, a -master, who will weld you into a nation with or without your consent. -Why, if the Roumis left Emathia to-morrow, you and the Greeks would be -at each other’s throats before night, with Thracia and Mœsia, and -perhaps Dardania and Dacia, mobilising in feverish haste to seize -whatever they could, until Scythia and Pannonia stepped in and divided -the country between them! This is your one chance.” - -“As well hand ourselves over to Panagiotis and his Greeks at once,” -muttered Nilischeff. “The old time-server will come over to your -cousin’s side again as soon as he hears of your legacy. They say that -Prince Christodoridi refuses to contribute one single drachma towards -the Greek propaganda, though it is to put himself on the throne.” - -“Then he is penny wise and pound foolish,” said the sick man; “and you -are worse, if you don’t welcome Panagiotis and the Greeks, whatever -brings them over to your side. Europe will never see Emathia annexed -to Thracia, but she will allow you to build up an autonomous state if -you can only keep your hands off your knives. And meanwhile, you shall -each have a thousand pounds, which will provide your bands with -cartridges and dynamite until Maurice Theophanis is ready to move. So -call two of your men as witnesses.” - -Two members of the band who were not on guard were summoned, and -Nilischeff prepared to write. The cynical smile was again on the -invalid’s face. - -“My cousin is too fond of waiting to be called upon,” he said. “I wish -to make him act of his own accord.” - -“A bomb, sir?” suggested one of the witnesses, an eager-faced student -who had run away from a theological seminary to join the band. “Only a -small one, of course--merely to frighten, not to hurt any one.” - -“You might blow up all England before you would frighten Maurice -Teffany back to Emathia. No, what I mean to use is a domestic -bombshell. Write down that while the principal of the trust-money can -only be touched by husband and wife acting together, the interest may -be used, for the purposes of the trust, by the Princess Eirene at her -own discretion. I think my friend Maurice will find himself in Emathia -sooner than he expects. You will write out the codicil twice, if you -please,” he added to Nilischeff, “and I will sign both copies, so that -you and our friend Terminoff may each keep one.” The smile expressed -what he did not add, that the mutual jealousy of the two men would -ensure the due production of the document. - -“Maurice Teffany?” said the second witness, when the matter had been -explained to him. “Why, that was one of the European travellers we -captured four years ago, when I was in Stoyan’s band. He called -himself Ismit (Smith), but we heard afterwards that he was a Greek -prince, and we ought to have killed him. ‘If I were your leader----!’ -he said one day, and we laughed, not knowing. And will the other man -come with him, the Capitan with the blue eyes? If he does, I tell you -there is no one left of Stoyan’s band that will not rather fight with -him than against him!” - -With some difficulty the garrulous ex-brigand was silenced, and -induced to affix his mark to the two papers. When this had been done, -and the sick man was resting, Dr Terminoff escorted Nilischeff down -the hill again and past his outposts. The lawyer’s brain was working -busily. - -“I see a way of turning this to account,” he said. “I am sending off -despatches to-morrow, and I will mention the sad death of the -noble-hearted British philanthropist, Teffany-Wise. It will appear in -all the English papers how he gave his declining years to the service -of freedom, visiting Emathia with relief for the oppressed, and was -pursued from place to place by the Roumis thirsting for his blood. -Imagine it--he dies in a cave, deprived of every comfort, but with his -last breath bequeathing to the cause all he has to leave. A fine moral -effect, is it not?” - - - - - CHAPTER I. - PRACTICAL POLITICS. - -“It is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it? I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve -made a mistake.” The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked -at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he -spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the -leaden complexion, reassured him. “It is you, Wylie, after all. But -what have you been doing to yourself?” - -“Spending five years in the Nile swamps. I don’t wonder you didn’t -know me. I came face to face with myself in a big mirror on the hotel -stairs at Cairo, and got a shock--wondered who the poor devil was with -the cadaverous countenance.” - -“Miss Teffany knew you at once.” - -“Now that’s what I call really flattering. I can’t be so absolutely -unrecognisable if she knew me.” - -“Did you guess she was on board?” - -“Saw her come on deck before you did.” - -“But you haven’t spoken to her.” There was wonder in the younger man’s -voice. - -“How was I to know that she would recognise me? And when you found her -out, I hadn’t the heart to disturb you.” - -“She sent me to fetch you to her now, though.” - -Wylie laughed at the faint sigh that accompanied the words. “Rough on -you,” he said. “Well, you’re not changed at any rate--not a day older. -Come, don’t let us keep her waiting.” - -They crossed the deck towards a lady in a noticeably well-cut tweed -travelling-coat and hat, who sat alone, protected by the presence at a -little distance of an elderly maid of the most rigid type of -respectability. She looked up eagerly, almost anxiously, as Wylie -approached, but the blue eyes met hers with curiosity rather than -interest. The seven years since their last meeting had worked no such -doleful change in Zoe Teffany as in the man who had once loved her; -she had worn well, as women say of one another. She was a woman not to -be passed over, alert, keenly interested in life, though an occasional -fugitive look of wistfulness betrayed that life had not brought her -all she had once confidently expected from it. She shook hands -heartily with Wylie. - -“Now I really believe in this adventure,” she said. “With you our old -party is complete.” - -“Your brother and his wife are here?” asked Wylie. - -“No, I am to meet them when I land. But have they told you nothing of -their plans?” - -“Nothing. I was lounging about on the Riviera, desperately dull, when -your brother’s letter reached me. He merely said that things were -moving in Emathia, and reminded me of my old promise to back him up. -It was only a joke at the time, but as I am forbidden the tropics, and -can’t face an English spring, it seemed good enough now, so here I -am.” - -His glance forbade her to pity him, and Zoe looked hastily away. “Then -you have a great deal to learn,” she said, making room for him beside -her. “Lord Armitage, if you will bring that deck-chair closer, we can -talk without being overheard.” - -“_Lord_ Armitage?” asked Wylie. - -“Oh, you didn’t know?” groaned the bearer of the title. “Second cousin -three times removed dies to bother me, and leaves me the family -honours--me, if you please. I have to chuck my work, and buy pictures -instead of making them, and if I go into a studio, there’s no hope of -getting the old chaff, for the fellows hang on my words with bated -breath, because I’m a patron of art! So that’s why I’m here.” - -“You will be the Byron of Emathian independence,” said Zoe -encouragingly. “Think of the halo of respectability that the presence -of an English nobleman and his yacht will throw over our proceedings!” - -Something in Armitage’s face warned Wylie that aspirations less -abstract than a yearning for Emathian independence had drawn him into -the adventure, and he smiled grimly to himself. Zoe looked a little -hurt. - -“You are laughing at our having to begin again from the very -beginning,” she said. “Seven years does seem a long time to waste, I -suppose--especially as when we saw you last we were full of golden -anticipations, thinking that in a few months Maurice and Eirene would -at any rate be on their way to a throne. The blow fell the very same -day, you know.” - -“You think your brother should have decided differently?” - -“Never for one moment. But I am not sure that Eirene -doesn’t--sometimes. It was really very galling to see Professor -Panagiotis fling himself heart and soul into the cause of the rival -claimant, the instant Maurice had refused his terms.” - -“It doesn’t seem to have done the rival claimant much good, so far.” - -“Ah, but that’s because they had a violent quarrel just two years ago. -Prince Christodoridi swore that the Professor was only working for his -own advantage all along, and the Professor declares that the Prince -has shown the blackest ingratitude.” - -“And the thieves having fallen out, the honest man comes by his own? -Or is it a case of everything coming to him who knows how to wait?” - -“Both, I think,” said Zoe, laughing. “Eirene would certainly tell you -that Maurice knows how to wait only too well. Of course, it was hard -on her--the way their marriage fell flat, I mean. The Scythian Court -simply ignored the whole thing, and all her other royal acquaintances -followed their example. She just dropped out, and it was as if she -didn’t exist. Well, you know, she had begun at Stone Acton by being -very much on her dignity--expecting royal honours, in fact. The people -round were tremendously interested at first, but they very soon began -to ask what sort of a Princess this could be, who was never noticed by -any of our own royalties. They bored her, too,--I don’t wonder at -that; they have often bored me,--and she snubbed them, and gave a -great deal of offence. And then there came the Romance of the -Long-Lost Uncle.” - -“This is thrilling,” said Wylie. “Princess Eirene’s uncle?” - -“No, ours--our cousin, at least; a very very distant cousin. His name -was Teffany-Wise, and he was descended from the daughter of Prosper -Teffany, a younger son who emigrated from Penteffan to the West Indies -about the end of the seventeenth century. I met him in Jamaica when I -went round the world, and I wrote home that he looked ineffably old, -and capable of any wickedness. He had a sort of inscrutable -parchment-like face, you know. I always thought he made his money by -slave-trading, but Maurice says its palmy days were over long before -his time, unless he was as old as the Wandering Jew, and that he was -probably only a speculator in Chicago slum tenements. At any rate, -there he was, immensely rich, without a relation nearer than -ourselves, and frightfully excited over the newspaper accounts of our -Emathian adventures. You see, if the royalties ignored Maurice, the -journalists didn’t, and he let himself be interviewed pretty often, -because he thought it was only due to Eirene to make her position -perfectly clear. It seemed that Mr Teffany-Wise had always had an -ambition to use his money in restoring the fortunes of the family, but -until he heard about us he didn’t know who there was left. So he -talked to me, and then suddenly sailed for home, and descended on -Stone Acton in a shower of gold, and supplied Eirene with the object -in life she wanted.” - -“And that was----?” - -“To hustle Maurice into putting himself forward publicly as a -candidate for the throne of Emathia. He was determined not to move -until he received an invitation, and she was determined he should. She -has made a sort of religion of the Theophanis claims since the -Long-Lost Uncle appeared. Why, she has turned the library at Stone -Acton into a regular throne-room, with crimson hangings--imperial -purple, you know--and two gilded chairs on a daïs under a canopy. Oh, -it mayn’t seem very dreadful to you, but you don’t know Stone Acton. -It was always such a _sensible_ house! And she has been having the -most extraordinary people there--refugees and conspirators and so -on--till the neighbourhood was scandalised. That was Mr Teffany-Wise’s -doing. He saw that there was no hope of Professor Panagiotis and the -Emathian Greeks for the present, so he turned boldly to the Slav -party--the Thracian Committees and their followers--and bid for their -support.” - -“Backing his offer with hard cash, I presume?” said Wylie. “That -explains the increased activity and boldness of the Emathian -insurgents this last year or two. But the Roumis mean business now. I -suppose your long-lost relative has no objection to being morally -guilty of a massacre or two?” - -“He thought they were unavoidable but disagreeable incidents--useful, -too, since they would stir the indignation of Europe.” - -“Well, so far as I can see, he is likely to be gratified. And has his -game been worth the candle?” - -“I believe he thought so. At any rate, the national sentiment is much -more strongly developed than when we were in Emathia. Then the -reformers talked of uniting with Thracia or Mœsia or Morea, according -to their tastes, but now they are all inclining to the thought of an -Emathian nation. Most of them would like a republic, of course, but -they know the Powers would never hear of that, and Maurice’s refusal -to bind himself body and soul to the Greeks pleased them. So before Mr -Teffany-Wise died, he had practically got things settled.” - -“Oh, he is dead, then?” - -“Yes; he insisted on interviewing the Committees and leaders of bands -for himself, and inspecting their work, and they passed him on from -one to another all through the disturbed districts. It was winter, and -he was chased by the Roumis, and the hardships were too much for him. -Of course you think I’m a brute to talk like this, but I can’t forgive -that man. He has spoilt Maurice’s life.” - -“If your brother is what I remember him, it would be difficult for any -one to do that,” said Wylie. - -“No one could, except through Eirene. But you must expect to see -Maurice a good deal changed. It isn’t either comfortable or dignified -for a man to have to go through life as a drag on his wife’s wheel.” - -“Then I gather that your sister-in-law has not changed?” - -“No, Eirene is Eirene still--only more so. She would not have been -quite so bad but for the Uncle. He left his property in trust, to be -used for restoring the family to the Imperial throne. That was natural -enough, but he gave Eirene power to use the interest as she thought -best, though she can’t touch the capital without Maurice’s consent.” - -“Injudicious,” said Wylie. - -“Injudicious? It was mad! And Eirene is so unfair. She has no sense of -what can be done and what can’t. Little Constantine--their boy--was -born just after the news of the will came, and she was very ill. Their -two first babies died--really and truly I believe it was because she -always worried and excited herself so much--and she knew how anxious -Maurice was. Well, she sent for him and made him promise that he would -open communications with the Slav leaders, instead of waiting for them -to approach him. She got better, and little Con is all right, and of -course Maurice had to keep his promise. So he wrote to say that if he -received a definite invitation from them, he would place himself at -their head, and negotiations have been going on ever since. Then -Professor Panagiotis threw himself into the fray, and now there is -really some prospect of Maurice’s being accepted as candidate both by -the Greek and Slav parties.” - -“Well, surely that was worth waiting for?” - -“Oh, I suppose so, but I hate its having come about in this way! The -massacres, you know--the Committees are really provoking them, so as -to force the hand of Europe, and things may be much worse yet.” - -“Probably; but I see their drift now--to get to work while Scythia and -Pannonia are both too busy with their own internal concerns to -interfere. But why are we starting from this side?” - -“Oh, we have to settle the preliminaries first,--‘a conference of the -powers,’ you know,--and it is to be done under cover of this great -Pan-Balkanic Athletic Festival that the Prince of Dardania is -holding.” - -“Armitage representing the athletic capabilities of the party, I -suppose?” said Wylie, with a humorous shrug. “I’m afraid you can’t -depend on me much.” - -“No, we go as spectators. The Princess of Dardania is a lady of -literary tastes, and was kind enough to want to see _me_,” said Zoe, -with a side glance at him as she rose. “It is getting a little cold -here, I think. I will write one or two letters in the cabin.” - -There was nothing to show whether Wylie had detected any special -meaning in her tone as he escorted her across the deck, and when he -returned to Armitage it was to smoke in silence, as if all his -interest was concentrated on the rocky coast they were passing. The -younger man lost patience. - -“Well?” he said, with repressed excitement. - -“Well?” returned Wylie. - -“Do you find her altered, or not?” - -“Much as she was, only more so,” cruelly adapting Zoe’s own -description of her sister-in-law. - -Armitage was obviously disappointed. “You have kept up with her -doings, perhaps? I suppose even your exile was lightened by a Society -paper now and then?” - -“Don’t know. Didn’t read them if it was.” - -“Then you have heard people talk of her? Of course she’s an awfully -well-known woman. When she is in town, one meets her everywhere. Her -travels, you see--and her personality--and her books----” - -“Ah, I thought I was intended to understand that she had succeeded in -perpetrating something in that line.” - -“Rather!” said Armitage vivaciously, encouraged by the faint hint of -interrogation in the tone. “She’s a success, you know. Not a popular -success--five hundred thousand copies and all that--but with the right -people. All the clever women swear by her. They say she voices the -unrest of the modern woman better than anybody else.” - -“Oh yes--misunderstood by her family, unappreciated by her husband, -too lofty to be happy, and too self-contained to be wicked--the usual -jargon,” muttered Wylie impatiently. - -“More head than heart,” pursued Armitage, then broke off quickly. “I -say, I believe you’ve been reading them. She calls herself Zeto.” - -“What, her books? No, thank you.” - -Again a dead stop. But Armitage was not to be baulked. - -“I don’t know why you shouldn’t. It would be only natural, surely? You -seemed pretty hard hit when you went.” - -“You seem to forget that when I went to the Soudan I put her out of my -head.” - -“But could you manage it?” - -“Generally, I’m thankful to say.” - -“Ah, but not always? Don’t think I’m trying to pry into your affairs,” -burst out Armitage in his boyish way, “but it means a lot to me. I’ll -stand aside without a word if you’re going to ask her again, but if -not---- Well, I might have some little chance.” - -“Oh, don’t mind me. I told her I should never ask her again, and I -haven’t the slightest wish to do it. If my swamps and slave-raiders -have done nothing else for me, they have cured me of all that sort of -thing. I’m not bragging--or whatever you might call it--but telling -you a simple fact. Women don’t interest me now, and other things do. I -used to imagine I could combine the two, but now I know better. If my -blessing is all you want to make you happy, go in and win. But if this -business comes to anything, she will be for neither of us. You see -that?” - -And while Armitage acquiesced, with a rueful face, Zoe was saying to -herself, as she adjusted her hat in the cabin mirror, “Of course I -never expected him to forgive me the moment he saw me again. It would -have been nice if he had, but it wouldn’t have been a bit like him.” - -During the remainder of the voyage down the coast the adventurers made -no further attempt to discuss their prospects. They excited -considerable interest on board the Ungaro-Croata steamer, where the -mutual relations of the handsome lady who had the history and -archæology of the region at her fingers’ ends, the sick officer, and -the “Milordo” with the artistic neckties, who from force of habit was -constantly pulling out a sketch-book and jotting down the bold -outlines of a headland or the handsome face of a fisher-lad, were -freely canvassed, but even the urbane and polyglot captain confessed -himself at a loss. The sick officer knew something of a good many -languages, and asked very telling questions, and both the lady and the -“Milordo” had visited these parts before; but they all talked so -freely that there was no chance of finding out anything more about -them, averred the worthy sailor. He and a few of his passengers -enjoyed a mild sensation when the steamer reached the little -red-roofed town, whose white houses seemed to rise sheer from the blue -water, where the three English were to land. Here an elderly man, -whose spectacled eyes gave the impression of an incongruous contrast -with his aquiline profile, came on board to meet them, and bowed over -Zoe’s hand with a respect that was almost reverential; but the -spectators could hear nothing of the colloquy that ensued while the -luggage was being got on shore. - -“I come as the messenger of your august brother, madame,” he said. “He -thought it well you should know that he enters on this campaign not as -Mr Teffany, but as Prince Maurice Theophanis.” - -“Which means that I am to call myself Princess Zoe, I suppose? This is -the Princess’s doing, of course?” - -“Her advice, and mine also, went farther, madame, but the Prince -declines to style himself Imperial Highness--far less Emperor--until -his claims are recognised. He has taken the present step almost -entirely with the view of preventing embarrassment to the Prince of -Dardania.” - -“Surely it will rather cause him embarrassment?” began Zoe -hesitatingly, and Wylie broke in. - -“Have you made sure of your ground, Professor? An ambiguous position -is awkward enough, but the Prince of Dardania may not relish finding -himself committed to support the Theophanis claims, and it would be -more awkward if he repudiated his invitation.” - -The Professor scarcely vouchsafed him a glance. “Madame,” he said to -Zoe, “your brother’s friends have not been idle in anticipation of his -arrival. The Prince of Dardania is already committed in private to our -cause, which will assure him, if it succeeds, the possession of -Illyria. In this his brother-in-law, the King of Magnagrecia, is -equally interested, so that we have already attached one of the great -Powers to our side. It is to the three Liberal Powers, England, -Neustria, and Magnagrecia, that we look for support in our effort to -rescue Emathia from the Roumi yoke, and in bringing forward as our -proposed High Commissioner--for we go no further as yet--a man not -only chosen by the Emathian leaders themselves, but distinguished by -European approval, we offer them a means of intervention such as they -have never yet enjoyed.” - -“Oh, Professor Panagiotis has thought it all out!” laughed Armitage. -“Wylie, you and I must take a back seat. You are aide-de-camp, I -suppose--or equerry, which is it?--and I am--what am I? Oh, -lord-in-waiting, of course.” - -“You are both Maurice’s good friends, who have come to help him, not -to be his servants,” said Zoe quickly. - -“Pardon me, Princess,” said Wylie, very distinctly. “We are your -brother’s servants. We have come here for nothing but to put ourselves -under his orders--to help him to his rights if we can, but not to -claim any share in his confidence.” - -He fell behind with Armitage, perhaps not caring to face the blankness -of Zoe’s look as she accepted mechanically the Professor’s assistance -across the rough stones of the jetty. The younger man seemed hardly -satisfied, and Wylie answered his unspoken question. - -“Must show at once that we see how the land lies. I know these -fellows’ jealousy of any influence but their own. If they are not to -bring Teffany’s future to smash by working against us, we must be -content to remain in the background. I suppose he’s not much better -fitted to cope with them than he used to be--not a full-blown -statesman yet, or even a diplomat?” - -“Thank goodness, no! Absolutely straight, good man of business, steady -as Old Time, happiest when he’s playing the country squire. But the -Princess--she’s a diplomatist, or anything you like. You’ll understand -what an imperial bearing means when you see her, if you don’t now.” - - - - - CHAPTER II. - REVOLUTION AND ROSE-WATER. - -Princess Eirene Theophanis sat alone in the garden at Bashi Konak, -her fingers busied with embroidery, her mind with the progress made by -her husband’s cause since their arrival at the little Dardanian -capital. The Prince of Dardania was a true friend, an ally to be -depended upon. Eirene had felt this from the moment she perceived that -he had sent his brother-in-law in command of the guard which was to -meet the travellers at the frontier and escort them to the city. True, -Colonel Roburoff was only a handsome Scythian officer with whom -Princess Ludmilla of Dardania had made a runaway match, but her -brother had taken the couple back into favour, and the successful -adventurer commanded his Guard. That he should be sent to receive -Prince and Princess Theophanis showed a just sense of their exact -position, as claimants _de jure_ of a right not yet recognised _de -facto_, paying a private visit from which important public events -might hereafter develop. The same consideration had been shown in -allotting them quarters. Colonel Roburoff had apologised for the fact -that they were accommodated, not at the Palace, but in a house hired -for the occasion, on the ground that the royal dwelling was already -inconveniently crowded, but had pointed out, with due mystery, the -superior opportunities thus afforded for conference with friends and -supporters. Moreover, on the occasion of the meeting at the frontier, -Zoe had received, from a confidential attendant of the Princess of -Dardania, a bouquet gathered, so she was assured, by the royal hands -themselves, and concealing a little scented note which read, “To the -profound, the accomplished Zeto, from the humblest of her admirers, -Emilia.” Even now Zoe was spending the morning at the Palace, -whither she had been summoned by a special messenger to cheer the -Princess, who was prevented by slight indisposition from accompanying -her husband to the arena to watch the games. Eirene reflected with -pleasure that not only was this romantic friendship beneficial in the -extreme to the Theophanis cause, but also that the Princess’s devotion -was likely to keep Zoe a good deal out of Wylie’s way. - -There was an old feud between Eirene and Wylie, which had only been -temporarily bridged over when Zoe’s rejection of him called forth her -sympathies. He had seldom shown the Princess sufficient deference to -satisfy her, though he was never otherwise than polite, and she had an -uneasy suspicion that he despised the various little assumptions by -which she sought to assert her dignity. Maurice gave her no support in -these matters, she thought bitterly, and she was sure she had caught -Armitage laughing when she hinted that it was more correct to say he -had gone out “in attendance on” the Prince than merely “with” him. -Why, even when they were about to enter the royal carriages sent to -convey them to Bashi Konak, Maurice had flatly refused to let Zoe sit -with her back to the horses. “But you are the Emperor, Maurice,” his -wife had pleaded. “I’m not Emperor yet,” he replied promptly; “and -when I am, if the imperial funds don’t run to a separate carriage for -Zoe, one or other of us will stay at home.” Trials like this made -Eirene almost despair of her husband. Other people might think such -things trifles, but to her, brought up in a Court, their real -importance was manifest. How was Maurice ever to assume his proper -place if he would not submit to the rules governing his caste? Even -his wife could not prevent him from taking his own line. When she had -succeeded in goading him to a certain course of action, as often as -not he would somehow contrive to carry it out in a wholly unexpected -way. It was he who had sent for Wylie, and disconcerted her grievously -by doing so, for she had relied on his English dislike for foreigners -to keep him isolated from his supporters and dependent on her for -counsel. It did not mollify her displeasure when, in answer to her -remonstrances, he remarked, “I want one honest man at my back that I -can trust, to look after you and Zoe and the little chap, if anything -happens to me.” “I could trust our people,” she had said -reproachfully; to which he replied, “Oh, could you? I couldn’t,” and -went out to post his letter. And here was Wylie established as -Maurice’s guide, philosopher, and friend, in no way inclined, -apparently, to presume upon the favour shown him, but still the one -man in whom Zoe had ever shown more than a contemptuous interest. -Almost unconsciously, Eirene had come to regard her sister-in-law, -during the last few years of planning and plotting, as an asset that -might be valuable, rejoicing when she refused various eligible offers. -But of what avail were those refusals if she turned again, after all, -to the man for whose sake they were made? If only Zoe could have been -safely engaged to some desirable person before Wylie reappeared on the -scene! As that was not the case, however, it was a moral duty to keep -her from throwing herself away on an obviously unsuitable man, who -could contribute nothing but his sword to further the great cause, and -whose loyalty was already certain. - -While these thoughts were passing through Eirene’s mind, some one came -into sight at the end of the garden path, some one who was cheerfully -contributing a good deal more than a sword to the cause. Princess -Theophanis knew, though her husband did not, the exact nature of the -cargo carried at the present moment by Armitage’s yacht, which was -cruising at large without its owner in the eastern Mediterranean, and -paying only rare and hurried visits to territorial waters. Armitage -was a valuable asset without any drawbacks such as attached to Wylie, -and Eirene felt that Maurice had shown even more than his usual -unwisdom in declining to accede to her suggestion, and dispense with -his old friend’s services, when she announced that Armitage would take -part in their venture. She met him with a friendly smile as he came -towards her down the path. - -“I have just had a letter from Waters--that’s my captain--which will -relieve your mind, ma’am,” he said. “It was all a false alarm about -that Pannonian man-of-war they thought was shadowing them. Waters took -a bold course and went on board her to ask if they could give him any -news of me, and they paid him a return visit quite in an unsuspicious -spirit.” - -“I wish we could get rid of the arms,” said Eirene anxiously. “The -slightest accident, or an incautious remark from one of your crew, -might----” - -“Give the whole show away,” supplied Armitage, as she paused. “I -suppose we could arrange to hand the things over to one of the bands -if we could fix on the right spot to land them; but I thought that -wasn’t what you wanted, ma’am?” - -“No, no; of course not! It is absolutely essential that we should keep -a supply in our own hands, that we may not be dependent upon any of -the Committees. And we must not land and conceal it on any of the -islands, in case it should be necessary to act suddenly. Even now I -fear we may not be able to communicate with your yacht quickly enough -in case of a crisis.” - -“I have thought of a way of doing that, ma’am. Waters is lying at -present in a little harbour called Pentikosti, just to the south of -the Dardanian frontier. He has made friends with the Roumi officials, -and applied a little palm-oil judiciously, giving them to understand -that I may come down over the mountains at any time, and the yacht is -to wait for me. They will give him every facility for hearing from us, -and he will stand on and off outside the harbour, and keep a good -look-out both ways.” - -“It is excellent!” said Eirene warmly. “Your ingenuity is as admirable -as your helpfulness, Lord Armitage. I trust that one day I shall be -able to reward both.” - -Such phrases were often on Eirene’s lips, as in the days when they had -been received with mingled scorn and resentment by her ignorant -fellow-travellers, but it was a novelty for them to be welcomed as -this was. - -“I don’t know about one day,” said Armitage, with desperate boldness. -“You could do something for me now, ma’am, that would leave me in your -debt for ever.” - -She looked at him with surprise plainly tinged with displeasure, but -her voice was no less gracious than before. “In our present -circumstances I had hardly hoped to be able to reward our friends -otherwise than by my thanks, so I am happier than I thought. What is -there that the Prince and I can do for you, Lord Armitage?” - -“It is Princess Zoe--I love her,” he broke out. “If I could make her -care for me, would you oppose it?” - -Eirene’s first impulse was to gain time for thought. “But you--I never -thought of you,” she said confusedly. “It was always--I mean, you are -not the person.” - -“I have cared for her ever since the night I first saw her by the -camp-fire under Hadgi-Antoniou,” he answered; “but of course I knew -how it was with Wylie, and I tried to put all thought of her out of my -head. And I was always so hard-up in those days, too; I had nothing to -offer her. Then when the title and all the rest of it came to me, -there was still Wylie to think of; I made sure he would come back some -day and ask her again, and she would have him. But now that he has -given up all thoughts of her----” - -“Given up all thoughts of her!” repeated Eirene. “How can you possibly -know?” - -“He told me,” said Armitage, unshaken. “Said that that sort of thing -didn’t interest him now.” - -“Oh, but that’s only because he is feeling ill and miserable,” said -Eirene quickly, but checked herself. After all, even if this change of -feeling on Wylie’s part was only temporary, why not take advantage of -it? A marriage between Armitage and Zoe might not be all that her -ambition had planned, but it offered certain solid benefits. Eirene -was not blind to the fact that the support of a British peer, with an -ancient title and a fair amount of wealth, had already proved useful -in investing the Theophanis cause with an atmosphere of -plausibility--even respectability, and it would be a wise stroke to -attach him permanently to the family. There could be no question of -putting pressure on Zoe, of course, and Maurice, in his -unreasonableness, would see to it that the final decision rested -freely with her; but pending the prospect of a more magnificent -alliance, there could be no harm in not destroying Armitage’s hopes. -Eirene spoke low and confidentially. “I can make no promises for Zoe,” -she said; “for what you have told me may surprise her as much as it -does me, but I see no reason--at any rate at present--why she should -refuse you. Certainly I can promise that I shall not set myself -against the idea.” - -“You are awfully good, ma’am. I don’t think I could be more interested -in Teffany’s--I mean the Prince’s--cause than I was before, but it -makes one frightfully keen to feel that one’s in it oneself in a sort -of way. I know I have nothing to offer Princess Zoe compared with what -she might expect, but----” - -“I have found my happiness in marrying an English gentleman, and I can -wish nothing better for my sister,” said Eirene, with something of -reproof in her voice, and Armitage wondered how he had erred. He could -not know that the mere suspicion of failure in the great scheme, the -hint at a possible future in which Lord Armitage would once more be a -bridegroom in no way to be despised by the sister of Maurice Teffany -of Stone Acton, had become intolerable to Eirene. Zoe had misjudged -her when she told Wylie that Mr Teffany-Wise’s legacy had led her to -make a religion of the Theophanis claims. It was the birth of her son, -in whose veins ran the blood of both the elder and younger lines of -the descendants of John Theophanis, that had roused afresh in Eirene -the ambition which had slumbered a little under her husband’s -influence during the first years of their marriage. Constantine -Theophanis must yet sit on the throne of Czarigrad, and be invested -with the imperial diadem in the cathedral of Hagion Pneuma, and to -this end his parents must submit, if necessary, to the humiliating -task of accepting office as the nominees of the Powers, to -masquerading as temporary tenants where they were the rightful -inheritors. This Eirene could do without a murmur, but she could not -contemplate returning unsuccessful to Stone Acton, to meet the -half-veiled contempt of the acquaintances whose friendly advances she -had rebuffed, and to hear them ask whether she and Mr Teffany thought -of sending their little boy to the Grammar-school in the neighbouring -town? “No? and the education is so thoroughly good! A public school? -Mr Teffany was at Harrow? Oh, of course, but in these days of reduced -rents---- And boys picked up such expensive ideas at public schools.” -Eirene drew in her breath sharply, and said, in the tone which -Armitage had learnt to interpret as a dismissal, “You may rely on me. -If you want my advice at any time I shall be delighted to give it. Do -I see Professor Panagiotis coming through the house? Bring him to me -at once, please.” - -Armitage obeyed, retiring when he had finished his errand. The -Professor waited until he was out of sight before he spoke. “You have -received further news from Scythia, madame?” he asked then, but rather -as though stating a fact than putting a question. Eirene, who had -guessed before this that he contrived to make acquaintance with at -least the outside of the letters intended for his nominal employers, -betrayed no resentment. - -“Yes, I have another letter from the Grand-Duchess Sonya,” she said; -“and I can hardly doubt that she writes with the knowledge of the -Empress. The tone is markedly friendly, and she speaks more than once -of the sympathy with which they are watching events here, and their -strong hope that the Prince will be able to prove his title.” - -The Professor’s face did not show the satisfaction that might have -been expected. “It is too good,” he said. “I distrust this excessive -amiability.” - -“I think they are surprised at our strength,” said Eirene quickly, -“and already bidding for our future support.” - -“Without an effort to realise the hopes of centuries, which our -success would frustrate?” asked the Professor. “No, madame. There is -something behind. It is this warm encouragement that perplexes me. -Tacit sympathy I should have expected, but coupled with warnings -against rashness, and with every other recommendation that might tend -to cause delay.” - -“But they cannot know how fast we are moving,” she urged eagerly. “You -yourself have said that the reasonableness of the delegates astonishes -you.” - -“True, madame; the impression produced by his Highness is most -gratifying, Greek and Slav both believing that they have found their -champion in him. The military proposals of Colonel Wylie have also -been well received. But as I said just now, it is too good. I should -wish to see more opposition. Knives have not been drawn once during -the sittings. One delegate’s hand went to his revolver during a -discussion which had become a little heated, but the Prince borrowed -the weapon at once to look at, and kept it on the table before him the -rest of the morning.” - -“Ah, you see, they know him already, and they do not care to oppose -him. Our task will be shorter than we expected. The delegates will -swear allegiance to him, and he will have Christian Emathia at his -feet. Then----” - -“Then, madame, we shall have to deal with the Powers--a very different -matter. The conscience of Europe has to be roused before they can be -induced to intervene.” - -“By massacres, I suppose?” Eirene shuddered. “The Prince will never -agree to that.” - -“The Prince will not be consulted, madame. The lamented philanthropist -to whom the Emathia of the future owes so much recognised that in -certain qualities your Royal Highness has the advantage over your -husband, while in other respects he is superior. It is this -combination that is of such promise for your future rule. You will not -shrink from the measures necessary to bring that rule about.” - -“No, it would be criminal to hold back now.” - -“Madame, you put into words my very thoughts. Assume--though I cannot -believe it possible--that this conference closes next week, having -arrived at a unanimous decision to support your husband. There will be -just time for the delegates to return to their districts before the -snow melts sufficiently to allow of the movement of troops. The Roumis -are already irritated by our successes of the autumn, and the attacks -that have been made even during the winter on their outposts. They -will be in a mood to act energetically, and repress all outbreaks with -severity. You know what that means. Outbreaks will occur. They will be -put down. The details will be spread far and wide. Christendom will be -roused, will send representatives to inquire into the state of -affairs. We shall continue to resist. The Roumis will continue to act -with vigour. The Powers inquire into our demands. We desire a -constitutional government under the suzerainty of Roum, but with a -Christian Governor appointed by the Powers and responsible to them, -and for the post we suggest the descendant of our ancient Emperors, to -whose banner all sections of Christians in Emathia are willing to -rally. We may not at first obtain all we ask, but Minoa has taught us -the value of perseverance.” - -“But if the Roumis should not act with severity?” broke in Eirene. -“This new Greek Vali of Therma, appointed in response to the protests -of the Powers in the autumn--he will not promote massacres.” - -“For Skopiadi Pasha’s influence I would give that!” cried the -Professor, snapping his fingers. “It is not he who rules,--he has -enough to do to look after his own safety,--but the Military Governor, -Jalal-ud-din Pasha. He commands the troops in the city and in the -field; he is one of the old school, and believes in prompt repression. -He would not hesitate to arrange for Skopiadi’s removal if he opposed -him--and truly we could ask for nothing better!” - -“At least,” urged Eirene, “let there be as little bloodshed as -possible. Could we not contrive to rescue and arm the threatened -Christians before they could be massacred? Lord Armitage’s yacht, with -plenty of rifles and cartridges on board, is lying at Pentikosti, -ready to sail night or day.” - -“And then where would be our moral effect on the minds of the Powers, -madame? You are like most ladies who indulge in revolutions--willing -to assent to any amount of bloodshed provided it takes place out of -your sight and hearing. A massacre is necessary, but you may well -salve your conscience by laying the blame on the Powers, who will be -moved by nothing else.” - -“I think you have an appointment to meet Dr Terminoff now that the -games are over for the morning?” Eirene rose with marked displeasure, -which the Professor chose to disregard. - -“I am honoured by your recollection, madame. You may rely on me to -keep you informed of any new points that may arise. May I also depend -on you for early information of any suspicious circumstances that -strike you? It is some underground action on the part of Pannonia that -I fear, for her silence, coupled with the benevolence of Scythia, -upsets all my calculations.” - - - - - CHAPTER III. - THE RIVAL HEIR. - -At the Palace, Zoe was enjoying a new experience, and enjoying not -least the humorous side of it, for she was not one of the people who -can never see anything funny in what concerns themselves. -Entertainments given in her honour, and lavish compliments, were no -novelty to her, but she had never hitherto met with the whole-hearted -devotion shown by her youthful hostess. A very young girl when the -Prince of Dardania carried her captive by the force of a masterful -personality and a touch of Eastern fascination, Princess Emilia had -felt it to be extremely romantic that after one sight of her he should -have broken off the engagement arranged for him by his mother, and -refused to marry any one but the little sister of the Magnagrecian -monarch. Her brother, the king, yielded to the demand of the two -lovers, and Princess Emilia left the greatest centre of culture in -Southern Europe to reign over a nation of half-barbarous mountaineers, -and incidentally to introduce a new issue and a new complication into -the Balkan question. Dardania was now no longer to be regarded as the -faithful henchman of Scythia, she looked westwards instead of east; -and her Prince had announced publicly that he desired no accession of -territory on the Emathian side, while not denying that the rocky coast -region of Illyria had attractions which would make him and his -Magnagrecian brother-in-law very willing to police and civilise it in -unison. Princess Emilia cared nothing for politics, save in their -romantic aspect. She thought her husband’s self-denying ordinance with -respect to Emathia was most noble, and the Theophanis claim to the -throne of the Eastern Empire filled her with enthusiasm, though this -was less by reason of its intrinsic merits than because Maurice was -Zoe’s brother. Brought up in a highly literary society, the Princess -suffered from a kind of mental starvation in her new sphere, for which -she tried to compensate herself in every way open to her. She was an -omnivorous reader and a born critic, and her favourite maid-of-honour, -Donna Olimpia Pazzi, shared her mistress’s tastes, though in a minor -degree, as was becoming. Together they plied Zoe with questions and -comments on every book ever written, made her read portions of her own -novels aloud to them, recited the great poems of their native land -with an accent that enhanced the beauty of the words, and called in -the Court bard, who held a hereditary place in the household of the -Alexeiévitch family, that they might translate to her his wild -ballads of border war and revenge. On this particular morning they -enjoyed themselves so thoroughly that when the Prince returned from -the games he scoffed openly at his wife’s plea of indisposition, and -wished he had thought of escaping some very dull gymnastic contests in -the same way. When he left them, Princess Emilia linked her arm in -Zoe’s, and walked down with her through the Palace garden to the gate -by which the house allotted to the Theophanis party was reached. - -“You must promise me again that nothing shall prevent you from coming -to the reception to-night,” she said. “It is our last chance of -welcoming our own friends in peace before my mother-in-law arrives.” - -“The Dowager Princess comes to-morrow, doesn’t she?” asked Zoe. -Princess Emilia assented with a little grimace. - -“Yes, and she says it is because she is yearning to see us again, -though she hates me, and can’t forgive Alexis for marrying me. She is -really coming to spy, I know. She wishes to see whether your brother -is likely to succeed, and endanger her dear Kazimir’s future. You know -she hopes to make him Prince of Emathia?” - -“I know, and I have often wondered--though perhaps I ought not to say -it--why the Prince of Dardania doesn’t support his brother rather than -a stranger.” - -“Oh, Kazimir is a thorough Scythian,--he is in the Imperial Guard, you -know,--and Alexis and he have never agreed. And perhaps it was a -little my doing, too. The Princess Dowager had made herself so very -disagreeable that I wasn’t sorry when I found out a way to punish her. -You think me very wicked? Wait till you see my mother-in-law!” - -“I have heard plenty about her,” said Zoe, with an involuntary smile, -“and I certainly don’t expect to like her. But she has had rather a -sad life lately, hasn’t she? All her plans seem to have gone wrong for -the last few years.” - -“Then she shouldn’t make such unpleasant plans. You can’t expect me to -be glad that her plan for marrying Alexis to that Scythian girl -failed?” She drew up her small figure with mock dignity, and Zoe -acknowledged that this would be too much to expect. “My mother-in-law -has no feeling for romance,” Princess Emilia went on, “though her own -marriage was so romantic. All the matches she promotes are cold, -calculating, political things. Now I--I palpitate with romance to the -tips of my fingers!” she flung them out airily. “That is the sole want -I find in you, my sweetest Zeto. You have plenty of romance somewhere -about you, but it is all shut up inside you and locked tight, when it -ought to overflow into your life. Dearest, indulge me; allow me the -chance of arranging a little romance for you!” - -“No, thanks,” said Zoe, with a little shiver. “Romances in real life -are uncomfortable things, and I’m not sure that people are not -happiest without them.” - -“Ah, there is your cold, cautious English spirit--afraid to take the -plunge for fear of the consequences! We Magnagrecians are not like -that. I waited--oh, so eagerly!--for my romance, and now I live in it. -And Olimpia, she is waiting for hers. You can see it in her eyes, -can’t you? But you--you hold back; you put out your hands to push -romance away; you cry out, ‘Leave me alone! I don’t wish to lose my -peace of mind for the sake of a possible overwhelming joy.’” - -The vivacious pantomime with which the Princess illustrated her idea -of her friend’s mental attitude was irresistible, and Zoe was moved, -for peace’ sake, to an imperfect confession. - -“You and Donna Olimpia are both very young,” she said. “I have had my -romance, and it is over.” - -Momentary dismay was succeeded by renewed satisfaction on Princess -Emilia’s face. “You shall tell me all about it some day,” she said. -“But it is over, is it not?--quite over?” Zoe’s unwilling affirmative -seemed to herself like the irrevocable stamping-down of earth upon a -grave, but the Princess did not realise the reason of her reluctance. -“Then all is well,” she continued enthusiastically. “That is past, -done with, but romance is still alive in your heart, and you shall -forget that old sadness in a happier present. You will not hold aloof; -you will yield yourself to me; is it not so? Do not make me unhappy by -refusing happiness if I can put it into your power.” - -For a moment Zoe really imagined that the Princess had in some way -learnt her story, had penetrated the secret of the gradual death of -her hopes as Wylie went serenely on his remorseless way, seeming to be -utterly oblivious of the old days when he had been the suppliant, and -Zoe had shown herself callous. The bitterness of hope deferred was in -her voice as she answered with a catch in her breath, “If I have -learnt nothing else since those days, I have, at any rate, learnt to -take happiness when it is offered--not to put it off to the future.” - -“Ah, I knew you would be reasonable!” cried the Princess, not -realising that she was about to destroy the hope so lightly raised. -“Then listen. Dear, dear Zeto, you have never met Apolis?” - -“The author of ‘Rêves d’Exil’?” Zoe forced herself to answer. “No--I -think not; I am sure I have not.” - -“He is coming to-night!” announced Princess Emilia, almost with awe. -“We met him in Paris; he is the incarnation of romance. You see my -plan, then? Here is this gifted poet, himself a disappointed -being,--his works show that, don’t they?--and you, cherishing the -memory of a dead romance. Why should you not console one another? -Think what books you might write in collaboration!” - -Zoe’s first impulse was to laugh at the thought of this unknown poet -and herself uniting the pageants of their respective bleeding hearts -for the edification of Europe, but Princess Emilia was gazing at her -with an affection and anxiety hard to resist. “Say you will be kind to -him. It is my dearest, most cherished scheme,” she was murmuring. - -“I won’t turn my back on him when he is introduced, Principessina,” -Zoe assured her. “But I must honestly tell you that your prospect -doesn’t appeal to me. I never do care for men of letters in daily -life--as witness the Professor. What I like is a man of action.” - -“But if Apolis is also a man of action?” said the Princess -mysteriously. “Ah, I must not say more, but you cannot imagine how -much it might mean to your brother if you could attach him to your -cause, and that can only be by attaching him to yourself.” - -“A sort of private Byron?” suggested Zoe scoffingly, but Princess -Emilia was evidently deeply in earnest. - -“You don’t know what hangs upon it,” she repeated as she let Zoe out -of the gate, and again Zoe wondered at the importance in her voice. - -At the Palace in the evening the reception was of an informal kind, -the Prince and Princess moving about among their guests and talking -freely. It was especially a literary party, so that instead of the -Balkanic athletes who had been prominent at these gatherings of late, -the winners in the poetic competitions and the European press -representatives formed the majority of those present. Very early in -the evening Princess Emilia brought a slender, handsome young man, of -an unmistakably Greek type of face, up to Zoe. - -“I now have the pleasure of fulfilling one of my life’s ambitions,” -she said prettily, “in presenting Apolis to Zeto.” - -“And in doing so, madame, you gratify my own chief desire,” was the -ready reply of the poet. - -Zoe sought in vain for any remark equally compatible with truth and -responsive to his politeness, but her failure passed unnoticed, for he -was quite capable of taking charge of the conversation without her -assistance. He had solved the difficulty of talking about himself -without appearing egotistical, by regarding his own history entirely -from a literary point of view, producing, as it were, a monograph from -it in response to any turn of the talk. Zoe found it quite interesting -to note the ingenuity with which he adapted the most hopeless -conditions to his purpose, though she was conscious of an uneasy doubt -as to the literal veracity of all the experiences he described. When -she came to analyse them afterwards, however, she discovered that he -had mentioned very few facts, since most of his descriptions concerned -feelings and impressions which he had experienced, or might have -experienced, in given circumstances. The principal landmarks which -emerged from the flood were a long sojourn in Paris, and the cause -which led to it, a quarrel with his father--recounted with exquisite -but not exactly filial humour--over a beautiful girl whom he had not -been allowed to marry. For her sake, therefore, he was an exile from -the rocky island, the beloved home of his forefathers, in the -unsympathetic West. - -“That is the lady to whom you have written as Meteora?” asked Zoe. -“Was it her real name?” - -“In my earlier poems--yes, mademoiselle. Let me see, what was her real -name--Xenocraté? Praxinoë? I cannot remember! How a man’s memory -betrays him!” - -“But some of the poems to Meteora were among the latest in the book!” -objected Zoe. - -“To her latest incarnation, mademoiselle. I see the ideal Meteora -under the form of many a very unideal woman, alas! Love is one, but -the lover perceives it in more places than one.” - -“You are frank, monsieur.” Zoe was reflecting how singularly agreeable -this theory must be for the poet, and how very inconvenient for the -ladies who enjoyed successively the honour of embodying his ideal. - -“I am, mademoiselle. I had flattered myself that frankness was the -personal note of my work, but it seems that this has not suggested -itself to you.” - -“Certainly I noticed that Meteora’s personal appearance seemed to -vary.” - -“Exactly, mademoiselle. Where beauty is, there is the loved one.” His -eyes strayed to the graceful figure of Donna Olimpia Pazzi, as she -passed them on an errand for the Princess. “Why should such details as -the colour of eyes and hair interfere with the course of love?” - -“Why, indeed?” said Zoe. “What a _poseur_ the man is!” she thought -impatiently. “Would Emilia consider it unkind if I passed him on to -some one else now?” Looking round for a way of escape, her eyes -encountered the fixed gaze of Professor Panagiotis, who had been -walking through the rooms with Maurice, but had stopped dead, and was -staring at her companion with something like stupefaction. Maurice -turned impatiently to see why he was waiting, but the Professor -grasped his arm and drew him towards Zoe, whom he addressed in tones -like distant thunder. - -“Will you have the goodness, madame, to present that gentleman to his -Highness your brother?” - -“It is rather difficult, since I only know his pseudonym,” said Zoe. -“This is Apolis, the poet, Maurice.” - -“Say, rather, this is Prince Romanos Christodoridi, the hereditary -enemy of your line,” the Professor corrected her savagely. “Pray, -monsieur, how did you come here?” - -“I do not acknowledge the right of this person to question me,” said -the poet, turning from the Professor and addressing himself to -Maurice. “You, sir, are my opponent, I presume. Have you anything to -ask?” - -“I should certainly be glad to know your object in coming to Bashi -Konak,” said Maurice. - -“Nothing is simpler, sir--to assert my cause. I learn that -negotiations are proceeding here which may gravely prejudice my -rights, and I determine to watch over them in person. The -Christodoridis are not entirely without friends, even though Professor -Panagiotis has chosen to transfer his valuable support to the opposite -party.” - -“It was time to transfer my support when your father refused to -contribute a drachma of his hoarded wealth to the cause on which my -whole fortune has been lavished!” burst forth the Professor. - -“I refused nothing,--but then I had no hoarded wealth,” said Prince -Romanos with dignity. “If money is to liberate Emathia, I acknowledge -that Mr Teffany--oh, pardon me; Prince Theophanis, I think?--has the -advantage over one who can offer only his pen and his sword; but -nothing shall withhold me from contributing my worthless life to the -cause of freedom, and requesting Emathia to judge between us.” - -“So be it!” said Maurice, holding out his hand. “We are enemies, but -friendly ones, I hope. Together we will do our best to free Emathia, -and then she shall judge.” - -“Sir, you are mad! Impossible!” protested Professor Panagiotis, but -Prince Romanos bowed like a duellist about to engage. - -“I accept your courtesy, Prince. My freedom of action I must preserve, -but there need be no personal enmity between us. That would indeed be -impossible in the presence of my accomplished _confrère_, the -Princess your sister.” - -The elaborate bow towards Zoe, with which he concluded, carried -comfort to the anxious heart of Princess Emilia, watching from a -distance. In her relief she seized upon Eirene as the nearest -available person to whom she could pour forth her feelings. - -“I was so frightened!” she said breathlessly. “It was so like a scene -in the theatre,--the meeting of the rival heirs,--and they might have -fought, or anything.” - -“But who is the man?” asked Eirene, in bewilderment. - -“Oh, Prince Christodoridi’s son Romanos, the other claimant, you know. -When he wrote to my husband that he understood we were promoting a -negotiation that gravely concerned his interests, we couldn’t wait to -ask how he had heard of it, we could only invite him here. My husband -wished to tell you at once, but I persuaded him to let the meeting be -a surprise. I wanted Prince Romanos to meet my dear Zeto and fall in -love with her without knowing who she was, so that there could be no -quarrelling when it became known that he was here.” - -“But what good could it do if he did fall in love with her?” asked -Eirene blankly, her mind running upon the various disastrous -consequences that were bound to ensue from this most inconvenient -intrusion. - -“Oh, but he could not fight against her brother then!” said Princess -Emilia with conviction. “And Zeto might say she would not marry him -unless he consented to acknowledge Prince Theophanis as the rightful -heir. Of course I hoped she would fall in love with him too, because -then she could make him do anything she wanted. That was why I did not -tell her who he was, lest she should steel her heart against him as -the enemy of her family.” - -“It would have done no good if we had known of his coming earlier,” -murmured Eirene, still intent upon her own thoughts. “We should not -have been able to do anything,--it is not time yet.” - -Princess Emilia listened with a puzzled face. “But you do think mine -was a good plan, don’t you?” she asked. “I can’t quite decide whether -it has succeeded or not yet, but you would be glad if it did?” - -“Glad? Oh, yes!” laughed Eirene drearily. “But you don’t realise that -Zoe is not the right girl to make a plan like that succeed. And he is -not the right man.” - -The worst forebodings of Eirene and the Professor were justified by -the effect produced on the Emathian delegates by the appearance of -Prince Romanos. All the animosities and differences of opinion which -had begun to show signs of slumbering broke out afresh, and purely -practical questions were shelved indefinitely in view of the primary -importance of a disputed title. Among the bewildering complexities of -race, religion, and political feeling that divided the delegates, it -became gradually clear that while the Slavs, with whom went those of -Scythian sympathies, were on Maurice’s side, the Greeks, and with them -the friends of Pannonian ascendency, took that of Prince Romanos. A -small group of Greeks--the personal adherents of Professor -Panagiotis--remained faithful to Maurice, and an irreconcilable party, -headed by Lazar Nilischeff, advocated the cutting of the Gordian knot -by a request to Thracia to take over the whole of Emathia, while there -were isolated supporters of similar action on the part of Mœsia and -Morea. Still, the salient fact was that the harmony, and therefore the -advantage, of the conference was destroyed. It was no use continuing -to thresh out the questions from the discussion of which the rough -draft of a constitution had gradually been emerging; and even Wylie’s -scheme of raising a body of Sikhs, time-expired soldiers of the Indian -army, as the nucleus of a central police, which had been warmly -welcomed on the one hand and as violently opposed on the other, had -lost its interest. As the less educated among the delegates demanded -with one voice, whenever any attempt was made to continue the -interrupted deliberations, what was the good of fiddling about details -when the essential question, Who was to rule Emathia as the nominee of -the Powers and the people? was still undecided. Passing _popas_ were -seized upon and catechised, and expeditions were made to interrogate -mountain hermits of special sanctity, with the result of a wonderfully -varied collection of answers. Was Maurice Theophanis, descendant in -the direct line of the elder son of the Emperor John, debarred from -succeeding by the fact that neither his immediate ancestors nor -himself were members of the Orthodox Church? Did her marriage with a -schismatic also invalidate the claim of his wife Eirene, descended -from the younger son of John Theophanis? And in view of this flaw, was -the otherwise inferior claim of the Christodoridi family, who sprang -only from a female descendant of the Emperor, that which ought to -prevail? - -The arguments were interminable and warm, and the arbitrators to whom -it was suggested to refer the matter ranged from the Hercynian Emperor -to the President of the United States. Prince Romanos himself adhered -firmly to the condition he had announced on his first appearance -before the delegates. He was prepared to submit his claim to the -arbitration of the Œcumenical Patriarch, and abide by his decision. -Could anything be fairer, as the question was one of religion? Since -it was practically a foregone conclusion that the Patriarch would -decide in favour of the Orthodox candidate of Orthodox descent, -Maurice and his supporters were unable to feel the same confidence in -his impartiality, but a rift began to make itself felt between the -Emathian Slavs and those with Scythian sympathies. The latter, though -usually much opposed to the claims of the Patriarch, supported the -reference of the matter to him, and in consequence of this defection -it became clear that, in case of a division, Maurice would be -outvoted. This point was not actually reached, but on the adjournment -of the debate Professor Panagiotis hurried to Eirene. - -“This is what I feared!” he cried. “It is an arrangement between -Scythia and Pannonia. In order to gain time, one of them will support -your husband, the other the Christodoridis, and they will both favour -a reference to the Œcumenical Patriarch, who will take from a year to -a year and a half to give his decision. We can do nothing until the -snow melts, and yet, unless we can checkmate this plan, we are -condemned to a delay that will be fatal to our hopes.” - -“We must try to work on Prince Romanos,” suggested Eirene, but not -cheerfully. “The Princess of Dardania is very anxious that he should -marry Princess Zoe.” - -“Ah, if that might be!” cried the Professor quickly. “But it is too -much to hope.” - -“But what good could it do?” asked Eirene, as she had asked of -Princess Emilia. “He would hardly withdraw his claim through affection -for her.” - -“No, but if he marries her, he marries a schismatic, and his claim -becomes infinitely weaker than your own,” was the fierce answer. Their -eyes met, and Eirene drew a long breath. If Zoe’s fate had depended -upon the deliberations of these two plotters, it would have been -settled there and then. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - THE STERN PARENT. - -“Dear Zeto, why are you so unkind to poor Apolis?” - -“I wish I could be, Principessina; it would do him good. But he sees -nothing that he doesn’t wish to see.” - -“Oh, but he feels it dreadfully. That poem which he addressed to -you--how could you have the heart to read it aloud? It brought the -tears to my eyes.” - -“But it wasn’t addressed to me personally, you know. It was to the -ideal love whom he sees in all women that are not actually old and -ugly.” - -“Ah, now you are unjust, and I can prove it to you. He has confessed -to me that he knew before he came who Zeto was, and that he consented -to conceal his identity because he hoped to win your favour before you -had been prejudiced against him.” - -“There is no prejudice whatever. The man doesn’t appeal to me. Can’t -you realise that he hasn’t a chance? Why, I must be much more romantic -than you really. You think one ought to be able to settle down -comfortably with the second-best when one has missed the best, but -that’s what I can’t do. The better the thing one has lost, the worse -is the punishment of wanting it when one can’t have it, but that’s -only fair, when the loss was one’s own fault.” There was a kind of -soothing finality in speaking as if the loss in question had been -irrevocably incurred a long time ago, not left hanging in doubt until -quite lately, but it led Princess Emilia astray, very naturally. - -“Yes, but the punishment need not last for ever,” she said eagerly. -“You can never be quite so happy as you might have been, of course, -but there is something in making another person happy. Apolis himself -does not pretend that he never loved before----” Zoe’s lip curled -involuntarily. “His first love married some one else. He can never -forget her, of course, but he does not steel his heart against -happiness. He quoted to me so pathetically-- - - - ‘I saw him stand - Before an Altar--with a gentle bride; - Her face was fair, but was not that which made - The Starlight of his Boyhood;’ - - -and he quite agreed with me what a beautiful idea it was for the two -wounded hearts to console one another. He was only afraid that the -opposition of your family would prevent your ever listening to him, -and I was so glad to be able to tell him how favourably Prince and -Princess Theophanis regarded the idea.” - -“Favourably?” cried Zoe. “Why, Maurice will have no more to do with -him than he can possibly help. He just tolerates him as an opponent, -but he could not stand him as a friend. But Eirene---- Ah, I see!” a -light breaking in upon her, “this is Eirene’s doing. She thinks it -would further her plans in some way if I married Prince Romanos. Very -well, I will talk to her.” - -“But you will be kind to the poor man?” pleaded Princess Emilia. - -Zoe could not trust herself to reply. She was eager to get back to -Eirene and reproach her with her duplicity, for it was evident that -she had, to say the least, allowed the Princess to believe that -Maurice favoured the pretensions of Prince Romanos. When she succeeded -in finding her sister-in-law alone, and poured forth her accusation, -Eirene quailed at first before the storm. - -“If you knew my difficulties, Zoe!” she said deprecatingly. “Our plans -are threatened on every side, and I am perfectly distracted--ready to -catch at a straw.” - -“But what possible good could it do if I did marry Prince Romanos?” -demanded Zoe. - -Eirene dissembled, for her true reason must at all costs be hidden -both from Zoe and from Maurice. To her uneasy conscience, it was -extraordinary that they did not divine it, and she lived in constant -dread of its suddenly occurring to them. “Of course it would be to -Maurice’s advantage,” she said. “Prince Romanos could not go to any -lengths in opposing him if you were his wife. You might even prevail -upon him to withdraw his claim altogether.” - -“And what if I prevailed upon him to push his claim strongly, and -helped him to win?” - -“Zoe, you couldn’t! No, you are English. You could never turn traitor -to your own family, and support the cause of a stranger against -Maurice!” - -“Turning traitor to my husband would not signify, of course.” - -“It is not as if you cared for him,” said Eirene inadvertently. - -“No, it is not. But I am to pretend to care for him, simply that I may -betray him better! And you suggest it, you who know that there is only -one man I would ever marry, and that therefore I shall not marry at -all!” - -“I thought you were old enough now to be willing to sacrifice your -feelings for the sake of your family,” said Eirene, with deliberation. -“_Noblesse oblige_, Zoe. It is part of a princess’s duty to make a -political marriage. It is not as if I was asking you to give up any -one on whom you had set your heart. As you say, that other episode is -over--one need only look at Colonel Wylie to be sure of it. Besides, -he told Lord Armitage that you had cured him, and he hadn’t the -slightest thought of asking you again. So there is merely a memory to -sacrifice,--a romantic idea of faithfulness,--and think what it may -mean to Maurice. He and I have made sacrifices, too----” - -“Maurice’s being entirely involuntary,” broke in Zoe, the impulse to -return blow for blow strong upon her. “You have sacrificed his home -and his domestic peace for him, which certainly ought to count in his -favour. But you are not going to sacrifice my conscience for me. At -any rate I am old enough to have learnt not to do evil that good may -come, and I prefer to remain faithful to what you call my romantic -ideas. For your own sake I would advise you not to make use of -Princess Emilia to put any more false notions into young -Christodoridi’s head, for if he speaks to me I shall certainly tell -him the truth--and Maurice will support me.” - -And with this Parthian shot--the sting of which to Eirene lay in the -fact that it was only too literally true--Zoe departed. The next few -days were marked, so far as politics went, by aimless rushings to and -fro, conferences between groups, abortive negotiations, and other -devices of the Professor for postponing that general meeting of the -delegates which would lead to the adverse vote he feared. Then a -stupendous fact precipitated itself like a landslip to dam up the -stream of talk. The annual spring disturbances in Emathia began -without showing Europe the courtesy of waiting for the melting of the -snows. From the balcony of a house in the Christian quarter of Therma -bombs were thrown at a passing body of Roumi troops, killing several -men and horses, and producing a momentary panic. But the stout old -Mohammedan military governor, Jalal-ud-din Pasha, was not a good -subject for panic. He drew a cordon round the neighbourhood, and -rumours crept about that the whole street in which the incident had -occurred was to be razed to the ground. Before there was time either -for this to be done, or for his soldiers to convert into facts, if -such was their intention, the tales of murder and outrage which ran -concurrently with the rumour, the bells of a church outside the -threatened area rang violently, and hell was let loose. Bands of -excited revolutionaries, armed with weapons hastily brought forth from -concealment, attacked the soldiers, and were themselves attacked by -the Mohammedan mob of the rest of the city, who had demanded arms from -Jalal-ud-din to protect their lives,--a plea the justice of which that -astute politician recognised instantly. Bomb explosions occurred in -innumerable places, all the shops closed as if automatically, the -churches and the foreign Consulates became a seething mass of -refugees, and the Consuls telegraphed wildly in all directions for -warships. That night a glow that lit up the sky for many miles -proclaimed to seafarers that something larger than the ordinary -nightly fires, which might be said to be epidemic in Therma, was in -progress. A great part of the city was in flames, and by the light of -the burning houses men fought like demons, or broke into buildings as -yet untouched in quest of plunder and victims. The ships in the -harbour put out to sea hurriedly, lest the conflagration should reach -them, and every road and path leading from the city had its stream of -fugitives, who had dropped from the walls, or bribed the guard with -such valuables as they had saved to let them pass the gates. In the -morning an indignant body of foreign representatives, shepherded -through the roaring streets by an escort furnished by Jalal-ud-din, -presented themselves at the residence of the Vali, who was a Greek by -race, and demanded an interview. To their stupefaction they were -received, not by Skopiadi Pasha, but by Jalal-ud-din himself, who -explained that the Vali had disappeared during the course of the -outbreak, whereupon he himself had taken up the duties of acting-Vali, -pending instructions from Czarigrad, which could not be expected -immediately, since all the telegraph-wires were destroyed. He promised -protection and a speedy restoration of order; and the Consuls, knowing -that Skopiadi Pasha could not have said more, and would probably have -done less, went home convinced that Jalal-ud-din, though almost -certainly responsible for his superior’s disappearance, was not -without his good points. Poor Skopiadi, always anxious to please, but -vacillating between the demands of the Powers and the directions of -his own government, nominally free to act, but in reality fettered by -a deadly fear of Jalal-ud-din and his troops, had worn out most -people’s patience. For the more frivolous officials of the various -Consulates it became an agreeable relief to the tedium of the day to -exchange bets as to whether his military governor had had him murdered -or only imprisoned. - -The latest news that reached Bashi Konak from Therma, before the -destruction of the telegraphs, was that the city was on fire and the -troops engaged in a general massacre, and the excitement among the -Emathian delegates and their sympathisers rose to fever-heat. Eirene -durst not meet the eye of Professor Panagiotis, lest she should read -there that all the horrors now occurring were a part of the plan she -had concerted with him, nor was her conscience quieted by his vigorous -denunciation of _agents provocateurs_ and unauthorised -revolutionaries. She knew that he was continually receiving and -sending messages, and that his protestations did not ring quite true, -and she had a horrible fear that in his eyes the untimeliness of the -outbreak was atoned for by the severity it had evoked from -Jalal-ud-din. With the inconsistency which Zoe was wont to call -Eirene-ish, she made no attempt to undo what she had done, and found -her comfort in refusing to let her boy out of her sight. Clasping him -in her arms, regardless of his unconcealed preference for the toys -from which she had snatched him, she could remind herself that it was -all for his sake. Out of the blood and fire of the present would rise -the imperial throne on which he should sit in the future. - -It was at first suggested that the games, now drawing towards their -close, should be discontinued in consequence of the news from Therma, -but the Prince of Dardania decided otherwise. His little capital was -filled with a motley crowd of competitors from all parts of the -Balkans and sightseers from many parts of Europe, and to leave these -without the occupation for which they had come to Bashi Konak would -inevitably tend to turn their thoughts to politics. Then would come -heated discussions and inflammatory speeches, and the correctness of -attitude on which Prince Alexis prided himself as characteristic of -his state would be imperilled. He had sacrificed much in order to give -no offence to any one, allowing Princess Emilia to feed daily a large -company of refugees from Emathia at great expense and in a highly -inefficient manner, and refusing to allow volunteers or warlike stores -to be conveyed across his frontier into the disturbed districts, and -he had no mind to lose his reward. When the general break-up came, who -would be so fit to receive an accession of territory as the ruler who -had resisted every temptation to take part in hostilities, who had -contrived, as far as mortal man could, to live peaceably with each of -his neighbours and yet alienate none of the others? Therefore the -Prince decreed that the aquatic sports, with which the festival was to -end, should take place as had been announced, and the Court and its -guests prepared to migrate from the capital to the port for the -purpose. - -The day before the move, Zoe went to the Palace as usual by way of the -garden, and was surprised to find Princess Emilia in a highly -disturbed state. Her flushed face and agitated manner suggested that -she had just gone through a trying scene, and Zoe ascribed the trouble -mentally to the Dowager Princess, whose visit was certainly not -proving an unmixed success. Princess Emilia looked up at her friend’s -entrance, and ran to her impulsively. - -“Zeto, dearest Zeto, tell me; you have learnt to care for him, haven’t -you? You are going to make me happy?” - -“Not in that way, Principessina. But you mustn’t let it make you -miserable. He is happy enough.” - -“Oh, _he_!” cried the Princess viciously, dismissing the absent -Romanos with an emphatic gesture. “I don’t care about him; it is you. -That he should have dared----! Oh, but I promised I would say nothing. -But assure me that you don’t care for him, Zeto. Comfort me in that -way, if not in the other. If you do care for him, he shall still---- -But you wouldn’t like that. Oh, I don’t know what I am saying!” - -“Most certainly I don’t care for him, if that will comfort you,” said -Zoe, bewildered. “But what has he done--or is it I? I always told you -I should never think of marrying him, so please don’t try to bring him -reluctantly to my feet. Of course I knew he didn’t really care, but -you wouldn’t believe me. How have you found out now that I was right?” - -“Oh, it was a revelation--a detestable revelation! It was my -mother-in-law who brought it about, of course; all the disagreeable -things happen through her. Pretending to gratify my dear romantic -heart, too! But, Zeto, he is to ask you formally to marry him, and -abide by your answer. I insisted on that.” - -“My dear child, what was the necessity?” cried Zoe impatiently, but -Princess Emilia drew herself up. - -“It was due to me. I will have it done, and he understands perfectly. -You will find him in the garden. I sent her--Olimpia--to tell him to -wait for you on the terrace. Don’t go near the orange walk, for my -mother-in-law is there. She retired there to weep over my ingratitude, -she said, so keep to the other end of the terrace.” - -Zoe was conscious of a strong wish that both Princess Emilia and her -mother-in-law would confine themselves to their own affairs, but as -nothing would satisfy the former but that she should immediately -receive and refuse the formal proposal of Prince Romanos, without -betraying any knowledge of his alleged perfidy, she went out into the -garden again. A graceful figure in white, with a large parasol, passed -her on the steps of the terrace, and Zoe thought with surprise that -she had never known before that Donna Olimpia disliked her. Perhaps -she was jealous of her Princess’s favour for the stranger. On the -terrace was Prince Romanos, leaning in an interesting attitude upon -the marble balustrade. He turned with a start as she appeared at the -top of the steps, and she wondered once more that this _poseur_, with -his instinctive knowledge of the artistic effect of his every word and -action, should even care to enter upon the rough-and-tumble strife for -supremacy in Emathia, and far more that he should be able to intervene -with the decision and shrewdness he had already displayed. With a wave -of the hand, as he met her, he indicated the view upon which he had -been gazing. - -“Is it not characteristic of this land of ours?” he asked her. “Hills -barren almost to bareness, intersected by lines of unsurpassable -verdure wherever water is to be found. Do we not see in it also a type -of the Emathian character, Princess--strength, even rigidity of -outline, united with a peculiar tenderness in the region of the -affections?” - -“How very original!” said Zoe, much entertained as she realised the -accomplished way in which he was leading up to the performance of his -task. “In those few words you have given me quite a new view of the -Emathian nature.” - -“Have you not studied it too little, Princess? Forgive my suggesting -it, but don’t you isolate yourself unduly from your own race,--from -its Greek portion, at any rate? A closer knowledge--the companionship -of one who would as humbly teach as he would proudly learn from -you--might not this----?” - -He paused, with speaking eyes fixed upon her face, and she perceived -that he had so thrown himself into his part that for the moment he was -living in it. The dramatic strain in her own nature responded to his -success. - -“Some people are too old to learn,” she replied, with a touch of -suitable melancholy; “and some have already had such hard lessons that -they don’t care to take more.” - -“But not such natures as yours, Princess! Or at least your kind heart -would overrule the promptings of your wounded spirit. I also have -suffered. We are linked by the kinship of sorrow; why not then----” - -“Stop, rascal!” The startling words, in Greek, broke in upon the -murmured conference, causing Prince Romanos to spring away from Zoe, -of whose hand he had been trying to possess himself. Across the -stage--this was how Zoe, already impressed with the theatrical nature -of the occasion, phrased it to herself--swaggered a venerable -gentleman who might have stepped out of an opera, so gay was he with -stiff white kilt, embroidered jacket and tasselled cap, and so warlike -with his sashful of bristling weapons. - -“You, lord!” responded Prince Romanos mechanically. - -“Yes, I!” replied the apparition, speaking now in bad but vigorous -French, evidently for Zoe’s benefit; “and it is high time I came. I -find my only son, the heir to the imperial heritage, saying soft -things to a schismatic woman, who hopes to beguile him into marrying -her.” - -“Sir, you insult the lady!” broke forth his son. “Permit me to present -you to the Princess Zoe Theophanis.” - -“What! one of the English impostors? Why, this is worse than I -believed. Miserable boy, have you no pride of race? is the honour of -your house nothing to you? Can’t you see that it is the one chance of -these--these----” Prince Christodoridi choked back the word upon his -lips, and replaced it weakly with “these impostors--to draw you into -their coils, to make it appear that we--we the Christodoridis--think -them fit to marry with? You, who can show an unbroken Greek and -Orthodox descent from Eudoxia Theophanis, think it no shame to seek in -marriage the daughter of a race of schismatics!” - -“Perhaps I may as well say that I have no intention whatever of -marrying your son. In fact, the question had not arisen,” said Zoe. “I -will leave you to discuss your family matters together.” - -“Wait one moment!” cried the old man, placing himself in her way. “I -know how you and this degenerate son of mine think to laugh at me -behind my back and carry out your plans, but remember this. I will -acknowledge no such marriage, and if you venture to set foot on the -island of Strio, you may land, but you will never leave it again. I am -lord of life and death on my own ground. When the first King of Morea -tried to enforce the conscription among the Striotes, my father sent -him back a boat-load of his soldiers’ heads, and if I furnish twenty -sailors yearly to the Morean navy, it is by virtue of a treaty as -between equals. Therefore bear in mind that Strio has dungeons as well -as a palace.” - -“It sounds interesting,” said Zoe, with a sigh; “but if marrying your -son is the only way of getting there, I am never likely to see Strio, -I fear. Would you kindly----?” - -Prince Christodoridi obeyed the gesture and stood aside, and Zoe -descended the steps slowly. A change seemed to have passed over Prince -Romanos with her departure, and he beckoned authoritatively to his -father. - -“Come to the other end of the terrace and let us talk. You are -satisfied now, I suppose? You renounce the prospect of the imperial -throne rather than disgorge a few of the hoarded coins which my -grandfather gained by piracy----” - -“Hush, hush!” said his father, looking round apprehensively. - -“Oh, I am not accusing you of piracy--you know the Powers would blow -Strio out of the water if you tried it. You refuse even to allow me -any help towards asserting our rights, and when I lay a plan for -profiting by the efforts of these people here, you come to spoil it.” - -“You shall not marry a schismatic,” was the obstinate reply. - -Prince Romanos shrugged his shoulders hopelessly. “Must I point out to -you in so many words that I have never had the faintest intention of -marrying the impostor’s sister? But I had every intention of -accounting for my presence here, and keeping them all in good temper, -by making love to her. Now that is ruined.” - -“She would have trapped you into marrying her. A man is no match for a -woman.” - -“Not some men, perhaps,” with scarcely veiled contempt. “But this -woman cares for some one else. Otherwise, most excellent lord, you -would not have had the chance to interrupt us to-day, for we should be -betrothed already, and I should be on the point of success.” - -“I have done nothing,” grumbled Prince Christodoridi. - -“You have created an atmosphere of suspicion and hostility, whereas, -under cover of the general friendliness, I was about to step into -possession of all the advantages our enemies have secured, and oust -them with their own weapons, without spending a drachma. Was not that -worth doing?” - -“I don’t know what you mean.” - -“It is quite true, though you would not believe it two years ago, that -Panagiotis has honeycombed southern Emathia with Greek societies. They -are supplied with arms, and are under orders to assemble when he gives -them the signal, and seize a number of positions, which can easily be -fortified, about Hagiamavra. He means to direct them from here, with -Theophanis, but I mean to throw myself among them, and take the lead -in the fighting. Which Prince is more likely to win the suffrages of -the Emathians--the one who remained safe at a distance, or the one who -has fought for freedom at their head?” - -Prince Christodoridi looked at his son with grudging admiration. “That -is indeed a plan!” he said. “To make use of the impostor’s own -preparations to defeat him, and without any expense! Is there--must -you give it up now?” - -“Can you show yourself friendly to all--even to the impostor--while I -try to soothe Princess Zoe and convey to her that my devotion is -unchanged? It will only be for a few days.” - -“Did not your grandfather welcome the King of Morea’s officer and set -wine before him an hour before he stabbed him to the heart? Fear not, -son; I can do as well as he.” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - TWO DIPLOMATISTS. - -The colloquy between Prince Christodoridi and his son had taken -place at the farther end of the terrace, from which led the orange -walk mentioned by Princess Emilia in speaking to Zoe. On a marble seat -under the orange-trees, shaded by the terrace but invisible from it, -sat a lady in black, who was a deeply interested auditor of all that -passed. When Prince Romanos and his father prepared to descend the -steps, she rose from her seat and hastened noiselessly down the -avenue, turning sharply when she had gone about twenty yards, so that -as they came round the curve in the marble staircase she was visible -coming towards them under the orange-trees with a book in her hand. - -“It is the Dowager Princess,” murmured Prince Romanos. “Permit me, -madame, to present my father.” - -A thought seemed to strike Prince Christodoridi as he glanced at the -still handsome face, and noted the repressed fire of the dark eyes. -“It is perhaps to you, madame, that I am indebted for the message that -brought me here?” he asked in his bad French. - -The Princess looked surprised. “To me, monsieur? Certainly not. It is -not for me to send invitations to my son’s capital nowadays.” - -“I am at Bashi Konak uninvited, madame. The message to which I refer -was a warning that my son here was on the point of marriage with a -schismatic, the sister of the impostor Teffany.” - -“A message which I am hardly likely to have sent, since I have the -best means of knowing that your son has not the slightest thought of -the kind.” The Princess bestowed a sympathetic smile on Prince -Romanos, who looked distinctly uncomfortable. - -“So he tells me. As to the truth of the matter, you are happy if you -can feel sure you have come upon it, madame. I trust you are on my -side?” - -“Undoubtedly, Prince. In my opinion it would be a grave mistake for -your son to countenance the Teffany claims by allying himself with one -of the family, as with an equal.” - -“Madame, I see you are a woman of sense. But permit me to say I had -doubted it. What is your connection with a wretched renegade Greek in -Roumi employ, whom we picked up last night from the wreck of a -fishing-boat we ran down?” - -“Are you asking me riddles?” demanded the Princess, with distinct -displeasure. “Pray, does this person assert that he is in my service? -You will allow me to remind you that he is not necessarily speaking -the truth.” - -“With that I have nothing to do,” was the rough reply. “When I saw the -fellow’s frock-coat and fez I nearly bade my men throw him back into -the water again, but he pleaded with me by God and the all-holy Virgin -to spare his life and land him at some Pannonian port. I told him -plainly that I would not go an inch out of my way for him, but he -might slink on shore here if he liked. Then he seemed happier, and -said that the Dowager Princess would vouch for him. He had escaped -from Therma, he told one of my men.” - -The Princess’s eyes met those of Prince Romanos in amused surprise. -“Can it possibly be Skopiadi Pasha?” broke from both of them. “A -grey-haired man with a glass eye?” added the Princess. - -“That’s the fellow,” assented Prince Christodoridi. - -“This is really very funny,” said the Princess, with decorous mirth. -“It is a good thing you did not throw the poor man back into the -water, Prince. Now we shall get authentic news as to what has happened -at Therma. And am I really the only person to whom poor Skopiadi could -appeal? I came in contact with him years ago, at the time of the -Rhodope negotiations, but I never expected to be asked to vouch for -him after a shipwreck. We must certainly relieve his mind at once, and -see that he is treated properly. You are rather too stalwart a -partisan for the present day, Prince.” - -She had turned and walked towards the Palace with them, and now left -them, with an amused smile. Prince Christodoridi was purple with -indignation. - -“Does the woman expect me to make an apostate a welcome guest?” he -demanded. “These are fine times, indeed! Why, your grandfather would -have fastened him up in the rigging, and let the worst shots among the -crew practise on him. A good thing I didn’t put him back into the -water, was it? I wish I had!” - -“We have to consider our neighbours’ susceptibilities a little -nowadays,” said Prince Romanos languidly. “After all, Skopiadi is -still Vali of Therma, and the Prince of Dardania doesn’t want to get -into trouble at Czarigrad. I think there may yet be some surprises in -store for you, lord.” - -Prince Christodoridi recognised the truth of this prophecy in the -afternoon, when he found the man he had treated so cavalierly received -as a guest whom the Dardanian Court delighted to honour, and -accorded--so his jealous mind averred, though no one else could -distinguish it--a precedence superior to his own. Prince Christodoridi -and his ship’s crew were accepted as welcome recruits for the aquatic -sports of the morrow, but in social matters they were outer barbarians -compared with the despised Skopiadi, who was in the inmost circle of -European diplomacy, and knew everybody. It was some consolation to the -wounded spirit of the island ruler that his rival begged to be allowed -to absent himself from the festivities at the port, on the plea that -his health was suffering from the hardships met with in his escape. -His account of this reflected the highest credit upon himself. Driven -to desperation by the insubordinate conduct of Jalal-ud-din, whom he -had discovered to be plotting a massacre of the Christians, and who -had incited his own guard to murder him, he had gone on board a -steamer in the harbour at the beginning of the troubles, intending to -go straight to Czarigrad, and lay his case before the Grand Seignior, -demanding support against his aspiring colleague. Unfortunately, when -the fire broke out in the city, and accounts of fresh horrors arrived -perpetually by the mouth of a continuous stream of refugees, the -captain of the steamer refused to take his ship to Czarigrad, or any -Roumi port, and the unfortunate Skopiadi would have been carried off -to Egypt if he had not insisted on being transferred to a -fishing-boat, the crew of which promised to put him on shore at some -Illyrian coast-town. The sad accident which had brought about the loss -of the fishing-boat prevented this, and it was to the prompt help of -Prince Christodoridi that the Pasha owed his life. It was only natural -that he should feel unstrung and disinclined for gaiety, and he -listened without regret to the bustle which marked the departure of -his hosts and their other guests. The Palace and its grounds were at -his command, and he wandered out into the garden with great -contentment, though not without the occasional apprehensive start -which betrayed that his dwelling-place had of late been in the midst -of alarms. He encountered nothing more alarming than the Dowager -Princess, sitting at work on the marble seat in the orange walk, but -for a moment it seemed as if he found her as terrifying a sight as he -could well have met. Then he rallied his courage, and was about to -retire with a bow, when she stopped him. - -“Pray, monsieur, do not treat me as if I were a monster. We seem to be -left to keep each other company, so you must be good enough to -entertain me.” - -At her gesture he took a seat, as far from her as the limits of the -marble bench would allow, and protested, with all the ease and -vivacity of a criminal summoned to execution, that he could ask for -nothing better than to be allowed to make an humble effort to -entertain her Royal Highness. She watched him through half-closed -eyelids, enjoying his discomfiture. - -“And when do you propose to return to take up the duties of your post, -monsieur?” she asked him softly. “I have not observed any undue -anxiety on your part to discover the quickest way of getting back to -Therma.” - -“My health, madame--the shocks I have undergone----” - -“Ah, yes--true. The first shock occurred before you embarked, did it -not? Otherwise you could hardly have mistaken a Port Said boat for a -Czarigrad one.” The unhappy man writhed. “And it must have been most -humiliating when the captain defied you to your face,--of course you -had threatened him with condign punishment if he did not put back and -land you on the quay again?--and even refused your lavish offers of -money.” She looked across at him, then laughed gently. “No, my poor -Skopiadi, nature never intended you for a hero, but she made you a -serviceable diplomatist. Why did you run counter to all her warnings -by allowing them to make you Vali of Therma?” - -“Alas, madame! I had no choice.” - -“I see. On the whole it was rather less dangerous to accept than -refuse, was it? Your ruin was only problematical if you went, but -certain if you stayed at Czarigrad. I imagine, however, that you gave -no hostages to fortune? Madame Skopiadi and your daughters are nowhere -in the Roumi dominions?” - -“My wife was unable to accompany me to Therma, madame. She was ordered -to take a protracted cure at Charlottenbad, and she is now in Paris, -superintending the education of her daughters.” - -“Very wise. And I shall not be doing you an injustice if I suppose -that your fortune is safely invested--also outside the Roumi -dominions? On the whole, then, we may take it that you have no thought -of returning to Czarigrad at present--in fact, that you will -studiously remain at a distance from it?” - -“Madame, I neither assent to your conclusions nor deny them.” - -“It is unnecessary. But observe, monsieur, they are more than -conclusions, they are facts. Still, they will remain hidden in my -mind, unless I have occasion to make them public. You have a -considerable reputation in Europe, I believe? The Powers all favoured -your appointment?” - -“Unfortunately for me, madame, they did.” - -“Then you have some thought, doubtless, of visiting the Foreign -Ministers of the interested Powers, and explaining the reasons for the -failure of your mission? I think it might be well, in your own -interest.” - -“I shall be honoured, madame, if I can combine any interest of yours -with my own.” - -The Princess frowned. “If these things are to be done, they should not -be said, monsieur.” He bowed, crestfallen. “It is your unbiassed -opinion, is it not, that the present state of things in Emathia cannot -continue? Nothing is to be hoped for from the system of illusory -safeguards imposed by the Powers on the Roumi Government?” He bowed -again, but evidently thought silence wiser than speech. “A new plan -must be tried, involving the virtual expatriation of the Roumis. They -may keep garrisons in Therma and two or three other cities, in token -of suzerainty, but the province must be administered by a Commissioner -appointed by the Powers, and responsible to them.” - -“You have voiced my own opinion, madame. But these claimants--which do -you support?” He trembled at his own audacity in asking the question, -but an answer was vital for the direction of his future course. The -Princess showed no anger as she replied with much frankness-- - -“Neither. I hope to show you that they are both impossible. What do -you think of a plan to seize the Hagiamavra peninsula, and defy the -Roumis there at the head of the Emathian insurgents?” - -“There is no doubt that such a scheme would gravely prejudice its -planner in the eyes of Europe, madame.” - -“This is more than a scheme. In a few days it will be a fact.” - -“And you would have the Powers occupy the peninsula, madame, and thus -frustrate the plot?” - -“By no means!” There was something almost amounting to despair at his -obtuseness in the Princess’s voice. “It must not be frustrated. They -must carry it out, and make themselves impossible. Listen. It is -Romanos Christodoridi who has conceived the plan, but I can ensure -that the other party adopt it. They are stronger than he, and will -probably succeed in establishing themselves at Hagiamavra. If blows -are exchanged, it will only be a proof of the unfitness of both sides -to rule; it may even eliminate him altogether. But if not, he can be -removed from the path in another way--by a schismatic marriage.” - -“With Princess Zoe Theophanis?” asked the listener. - -“No, that would be too great a risk. The united claims of the -Theophanis descendants would be too strong, if they agreed to act -together instead of quarrelling. Another marriage, far more -efficacious for the purpose---- But leave that to me.” - -“I desire nothing better, madame. But who, then, is your candidate?” - -“Need you ask, monsieur?” - -“I must have it from your own lips, madame.” - -“That is absolutely unnecessary.” The Princess was clearly annoyed, -but there was a point beyond which the Greek could not be brow-beaten. - -“Unless I know your wishes, I cannot undertake to forward them, -madame.” - -Defeated by his obstinacy, she spoke hurriedly. “You must represent -the importance of haste. Unless Europe intervenes at once, the Balkans -will be in a blaze, and the conflagration may spread. The delay for -which Scythia and Pannonia hoped, which was to defer the crisis until -they were ready to divide Emathia between them, is out of the -question. In the circumstances, what better ruler could there be than -my son Kazimir,--a _persona grata_ to Scythia, connected with every -royal house in Europe, born and brought up in the Balkans, in the one -state which has given the Powers no trouble, and unmarried?” - -“Undoubtedly, madame, there are few candidates with superior -claims--if those of descent are to be ignored.” - -“I tell you, the claimants here shall render themselves impossible. My -son will need advisers, monsieur,--men acquainted with Emathia----” - -“You honour me, madame. Provided, then, that the Theophanis claim -becomes a mockery----” - -“Trust me for that. I have a little experience, you will allow? -Indeed, I believe I know too much for my son’s gardeners. I always -declared that this orange walk ought to run in the opposite direction, -and you can see how much better the growth of the trees would have -been.” - -The words might have suggested that the Princess had suddenly taken -leave of her senses, as she rose and emphasised her meaning vigorously -with gestures; but they were accounted for to Skopiadi Pasha by the -appearance of a lady-in-waiting, who was hovering in the middle -distance, anxious to know where her Royal Highness would have tea -served. The colloquy was at an end, but all that was necessary had -been said, and it remained only for both parties to carry out their -agreement. The Princess was the first to make a move, having the -advantage over Skopiadi Pasha in that the material on which she had to -work was close at hand. She began upon it the same evening, when the -princely party returned from the port, tired and sunburnt, and -decidedly inclined to think that aquatic sports were generally -over-praised, at any rate from the spectators’ point of view. In -Princess Emilia’s hearing she asked Donna Olimpia to come to her rooms -when she was dismissed for the night, and write a letter for her that -she wished to send to a Magnagrecian acquaintance. The maid-of-honour, -who had been looking weary and dispirited, brightened up at once, and -presented herself in the Princess’s sitting-room with shining eyes, -which lost their light, however, after a hasty glance round. - -“No, he is not here this evening,” said the Princess, with a -sympathetic smile. “We must be prudent, you know. It would not take -much to make my daughter-in-law send you back to Magnagrecia, and then -you might never see him again.” - -The girl acquiesced silently, though the tears had started to her -eyes. The Princess laid her hand kindly on hers. “It has been a hard -day, I am afraid?” she asked. - -“Oh, so hard!” breathed Donna Olimpia, with difficulty. “My Princess -was so exacting. She kept me close to her the whole time--always -wanting me to hand her things, or tell her which the boats were. And -he--he was at Princess Zoe’s side all day, talking and laughing--and -looking at her as he does at me.” - -The Princess restrained a smile at the simplicity of the passionate -girl who expected Prince Romanos to keep the expressive glances of his -fine eyes for her alone, but she made no comment. “This is what I -feared,” she said. “Political necessities, you know----” - -“He promised he would make her refuse him.” - -“She has not refused him. I happen to know that.” - -Donna Olimpia turned so white that even the hard-hearted plotter -before her was frightened, and added hastily, “I don’t mean that she -has accepted him. He has not proposed. His father arrived and -interrupted their conversation.” - -“If she had, I would have killed her--and him,” muttered the girl, -looking so like a beautiful fury that for a second time the Princess -was dismayed by the strength of the storm which she had fanned for her -own purposes. This all-important instrument needed supremely dexterous -handling, and she drew away from her a little. - -“I hardly know whether to go on with what I was going to tell you,” -she said. “I thought you would be anxious to protect Prince Romanos -from the consequences of his own indiscretion, but perhaps you would -rather leave him to his punishment.” - -“He is in danger from the other Englishman? But this is foolishness! -She has not encouraged him--even I can see that.” - -“I don’t understand. The danger has nothing to do with Princess Zoe or -any Englishman. It is political.” - -“Ah, he is so daring, so rash! What has he done?” - -“It is what he proposes to do.” The Princess was encouraged by the -softness of Donna Olimpia’s voice. “He means to throw himself into the -midst of the Emathian insurgents, and lead them against the Roumis. -That sounds a very fine thing to do,” with some irritation, as the -girl’s eyes lighted up, “but you don’t seem to see that it means -almost certain death to him, and in any case ruin to his hope of -obtaining a throne.” - -“For his possible throne I care nothing!” cried Donna Olimpia; “but -his life--that is different. He shall not destroy himself!” - -“So I thought you would say. Well, my plan was that we must -manage--you and I--to keep him back, and induce Prince and Princess -Theophanis to take this mad step in his place.” - -The girl laughed gleefully. “And so relieve him of his opponent as -well!” she said. - -“Exactly. But we must work very carefully. Prince Romanos is waiting -for some signal before he starts. Either he expects messengers of his -own, or--which I think is more likely--he is bribing the messengers of -Professor Panagiotis. It must be your business to discover when he -receives the signal. He must promise not to start without bidding you -farewell, and must tell you as long before he goes as possible.” - -“Yes, I can manage that.” - -“Then I will manage the rest. He must be detained, and the Theophanis -party must be warned of his intention, and hasten to anticipate it. -They will be in Emathia before they discover their mistake, and then -they cannot retreat. He will be safe, and ought to be grateful, though -I cannot say that he will obtain his throne even then. He may have -involved himself too far in this foolish plot. But your love for him -does not depend on a throne?” - -“I hate the very thought of it! It is that alone that made him pay -attention to Princess Zoe: he has told me so. But for his imperial -descent and his great future, he would marry me to-morrow.” - -“I see. Some women would prefer the lover to succeed, even at the cost -of their happiness,” said the Princess drily. - -“Ah, I am not like that. A throne which he could share with me--yes; -but a throne for him without me--no,” was the frank reply. “Not that I -wish Princess Theophanis to put her husband on the throne. That is a -woman of the most absolute heartlessness. All these troubles are due -to her.” - -“Why, how is that?” asked the Princess, rather startled. - -“It was before you came, madame. She wished Princess Zoe to marry the -Englishman, Lord Armitage. I knew it; I saw her schemes. Then came -he--Romanos--and she changes her mind, and will have him and no other -as brother-in-law. All the pleasant opportunities are now for him, and -the poor snubbed Englishman scowls in the background. Ah, madame, I -entreat you, punish Princess Eirene, and do it through Lord Armitage! -She deserves it, and he--it will be some satisfaction for him.” - -“Your methods are forcible, but crude.” The Princess spoke with the -air of a connoisseur. “But leave it to me. I think I see what to do.” - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - THE RED GODS CALL. - -“Are you in a tremendous hurry? Could you spare me a minute or two?” -Armitage rose from the seat in the orange walk and intercepted Zoe on -her way to the terrace. - -“Oh yes. I was only going to wait for Princess Emilia. Is anything the -matter?” - -“Oh, nothing much. Only that I want to tell you something, and after -that--well, I suppose I shan’t trouble you again.” - -“You mustn’t be so doleful,” said Zoe, in her elder-sisterly way. “If -there is anything wrong, you know that every one of us would do all we -could to help you. It’s nothing about the yacht, is it? She hasn’t -gone on shore?” - -“_No!_” he burst out with great vehemence. “What do I care about the -yacht, except to help your brother with? It’s you--and that -Christodoridi chap.” - -“Really,” said Zoe, half laughing, half angry, “I shall have to be -rude to that young man in public, if he persists in worrying me as he -does. Maurice thought fit to ask me this morning why I always had him -hanging about, and now you! The general opinion of my taste must be -painfully low.” - -“No one imagines you could like a theatrical fool like that,” said -Armitage, somewhat comforted; “but for political reasons, you know. -The Professor--and your sister----” - -“Neither the Professor nor Eirene will ever make me accept any one for -political reasons, though they are quite likely to try. I should have -thought you knew me better than to think so.” It did not occur to Zoe -that the kindly reproach in her voice was dangerous, for Armitage had -been a silent adorer for so long that she had learnt to regard him as -that most pleasant and useful possession--a safe friend. But he -interrupted her now, his eager, boyish voice full of feeling. - -“You don’t see. It’s just because I know what you are--know how a good -woman loves to sacrifice herself for other people. And that fellow -could never make you happy.” - -“No, he certainly could not. But don’t be afraid, he doesn’t want to -try. As far as I can tell, he only haunts me because it makes him feel -uncomfortable to find one woman who is proof against his -fascinations.” - -“The conceited brute!” cried Armitage explosively. “Let me deal with -him, Princess. I promise you he won’t fancy himself so much when I’ve -taken him in hand.” - -“Probably not. But I am quite able to protect myself, thank you, and I -have Maurice to appeal to.” - -“Ah, but it wouldn’t look well for him to come to blows with his -rival,” said Armitage, with unexpected shrewdness. “I don’t signify, -you see. And if you would just give me the right, I could polish him -off before starting, and you would be free from him while I was gone.” - -“Starting! Why, where are you going?” - -“Oh, that business over there,” jerking his head vaguely in the -direction of Therma. “Will you? You can’t think how much easier it -would make my mind.” - -Zoe looked at him quizzically, still unaware of the gravity of the -occasion. “What a boy you are!” she said, as she had often said -before. “You really force me to ask you why you can’t pick a quarrel -with him--not that I want you to,” hastily; “in fact, I forbid -it--without a mandate from me.” - -“Because I wouldn’t quarrel with a brute like that--especially about a -lady. But if I could say to him, ‘Princess Zoe is engaged to me, and -if I catch you bothering her any more, you had better look out----’ -why, either he takes a back seat, or I kick him for a cad.” - -“But I am not engaged to you,” said Zoe involuntarily. - -“No, but I want you to be. I have cared for you an awfully long time, -and you have always been frightfully good to me. I don’t bore you as -much as some people, do I?--not as much as he does, at any rate? -Couldn’t you think of it?” - -“I really couldn’t.” Zoe was hardly able to regard this very -unconventional proposal as serious, but she managed to speak without a -smile. “I should need something more in a man than that he didn’t bore -me--a good deal more. In fact, I should need so much that I shall -never marry at all.” - -“If you would only try me!” he pleaded. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do -to please you.” - -“Except what you can’t do, and that is to grow up,” was on the tip of -Zoe’s tongue, but she crushed it down nobly. “I am very sorry,” she -said, with finality, “but it’s quite impossible. I have never given -you any reason----” - -“I know you haven’t.” His eagerness to justify her brought the tears -to Zoe’s eyes. “It was all my fault. Only it seemed, you know, as -if---- But I was a fool. You’ll let things be as they were before, -won’t you, when I come back? Then I’ll go off with Wylie, and knock -about a bit----” - -“Colonel Wylie? Is he going too? What is it for?” - -“Well, we aren’t exactly supposed--I oughtn’t to have----” - -“You must tell me now. Where are you going?” - -“I am to take Wylie round in the yacht to a place called Skandalo, -from which you can get to Hagiamavra, where these Emathian fellows are -establishing an insurgent stronghold. He goes as your brother’s -representative, to see what can be done, and what chance there is of -success. If there’s none, he might be able to get them to disband -before the Roumis have time to move troops to attack them, but they -seem pretty confident. Panagiotis had a message yesterday evening to -say that they were ready, so we’re off to-night.” - -“But is there danger?” gasped Zoe. - -“Ought to be none. I wish there was any chance of it.” - -“But after his fever. There is sure to be exposure----” - -“Oh, for Wylie, you mean. It is still Wylie, then?” - -“You have no right to say that----” began Zoe warmly, but her tone -changed. “No, why should I be ashamed to confess it? It is, and it -always will be.” - -“Couldn’t be a better man,” said Armitage, with settled depression. “I -always knew that if he was against me I hadn’t the ghost of a chance. -But why I asked was, that I thought I might look after him a little -for you--see that he didn’t do rash things, you know.” - -“If you would!” murmured Zoe. “But you will never, never let him guess -why you are doing it?” - -“He’ll put me down as a disgusting meddler, I know, but I can stand -it. You can feel he has a deputy guardian angel to look after him, as -you can’t be there yourself.” - -“I can’t thank you enough,” said Zoe, giving him her hand; “but I do -thank you. Oh, there is Princess Emilia looking for me on the terrace! -She must have come up the other way.” - -She hurried up the steps, leaving Armitage to return mournfully to the -solitude of the marble bench, and try to rearrange his outlook on life -in view of the change the last half-hour had made in it. Presently a -dark shadow paused on the pounded marble of the walk, and looking up, -he found the Dowager Princess contemplating with some surprise the -interloper who had taken possession of her favourite seat. He sprang -up in confusion, and would have departed in haste, with many -apologies, if she had not graciously desired him to sit down again. -The invitation did not place him altogether at his ease, since he was -well aware of the Princess’s diplomatic reputation; but fearing that -she might intend to worm some of his friends’ secrets from him, he -determined to be intensely careful, and if possible to go so far in -Machiavellian astuteness as even to penetrate the designs of his -interlocutor. He had an uncomfortable feeling that she had probably -decided to attack him as the easiest of the party to pump, and he -tried to con over hastily all the points on which caution was -necessary. But there was nothing dangerously political about the -Princess’s first remark, uttered with a sympathetic smile. - -“I see you find this a soothing spot, Lord Armitage, as I do. I have -brought many troubles here--many perplexities, too, in the days when I -was my husband’s chief counsellor, and Dardania was threatened by -enemies on every side. Mine has not been a very happy life, but at -least I can look with satisfaction on the Dardania of to-day, the only -contented state in the Balkans. Some of the credit ought to be given -to this quiet seat. I hope it has proved helpful to you also?” - -“Well, hardly. Perhaps I haven’t tried it long enough,” said Armitage, -rather at a loss. - -“You can see no light on your difficulties? And yet I fancy your -Princess feels more kindly towards you than you think.” - -Armitage started involuntarily. “She has confided in you, madame?” he -asked, feeling his way. - -“Not directly, but there are ways of judging. Only a person totally -devoid of discrimination could imagine that she found pleasure in the -attentions of Prince Romanos.” - -“I know she hates the sight of him!” Armitage thought it safe to -reply. - -“And yet it is only too likely that she may be forced to marry him. -Her ambitious sister-in-law----” - -“Princess Theophanis can’t make her marry him against her will, -madame.” - -“It is not only the Princess; the force of circumstances may compel -her. If her brother attains his object, she must make a marriage that -will strengthen his position. The man may or may not be young -Christodoridi, but it will certainly not be you.” - -“No, I suppose not,” he murmured, less crushed than if he had not -already heard the same hard truth from Zoe herself. - -“But take courage. I have a foreboding--I do not think that Maurice -Theophanis will ever be Prince of Emathia.” - -“Do you mean that there’s a plot, madame?” - -“Oh no, not a plot. I merely advise you not to lose hope. The matter -came to my knowledge confidentially, so that I can hardly---- Still, -you are not likely to betray me, so why should I not allow you the -consolation of watching for the event which will ensure the fulfilment -of your hopes?” - -“I can’t promise not to make use of any warning you may give me, -madame.” Armitage was more mystified than ever. The Princess laughed. - -“If I thought you an honest, quixotic fool, Lord Armitage, should I -tell you? Well, then, your Prince, with the prudence and caution so -characteristic of him, proposes to send his follower, Colonel Wylie, -to discover whether the Emathian insurrection is sufficiently -widespread, well-supported--safe, in fact--to justify him in extending -to it the patronage of his name. Prince Romanos, on the other hand, -presents himself among the insurgents as one of themselves, asking -only to be allowed to fight and die in their ranks. Which is likely to -commend himself most to their favour?” - -Armitage’s face was a study while she spoke. Amazement at the -matter-of-course way in which Wylie’s secret mission was mentioned, -followed by indignation at the slur thrown on Maurice, was again -succeeded by surprise at her announcement of the intentions of Prince -Romanos. - -“You mean that Christodoridi will disappear from here to throw in his -lot with the insurgents, madame?” - -“At very nearly the same hour to-night as your Colonel Wylie, and for -the same reason. They are both considerate enough to wish not to -compromise my son, and therefore both will attend the farewell -reception of the athletes, and then slip away quietly. Colonel Wylie -may be a perfect paladin, but I think you may assure yourself that the -man who goes among his future subjects in person is more likely to be -chosen than the one who sends his servant.” - -Armitage assented mechanically, while the Princess went on-- - -“Therefore, as I say, you may be cheerful. It is not likely to occur -to Prince Theophanis to go to Hagiamavra himself, and you will not put -it into his head. I am rather surprised that his wife has not insisted -upon it already, but perhaps he has kept her in the dark. You must be -most careful not to let her suspect anything to-day, for your face is -eloquent of tremendous news. I can’t advise you too strongly not to -say anything to her about Emathia or Hagiamavra, for she would guess -at once that you were concealing something, and she has force of -character enough to hurry her husband off this evening. But I need not -tell you to be careful.” - -She watched his face narrowly. The risk she had taken was -great,--though she had calculated upon her reading of Armitage’s -character,--but she saw she had succeeded. He might accept information -from this intruder, but not advice. She smiled contentedly when he -made the excuse of urgent business to take his departure. Even if he -had not spent some minutes in conversation elaborately designed to -divert her mind from the previous subject, she could have read in his -disturbed expression the thoughts that were chasing each other through -his brain:--“I must put her off the scent, mustn’t let her see that I -believe it. After all, it mayn’t be true. Must see if there’s anything -to confirm it before I tell anybody.” - -That evening Wylie was busy in the room which was nominally a sanctum -for Armitage and himself, but served in reality as a council-chamber -when Eirene’s presence was not desired. He was dressed for the Prince -of Dardania’s reception, but his luggage was ready packed, and his -riding clothes were laid out in the bedroom adjoining. Presently -Maurice came in, and his follower looked up from the money-belt he was -filling, and nodded. - -“I can’t tell you how glad I am that you are letting me prospect -around a little before throwing yourself into this thing,” he said, -when his calculations were over. - -“My wife doesn’t like it at all,” returned Maurice gloomily. “She -thinks I am letting slip a golden opportunity.” - -“Let her think!” was the uncourteous reply. “If she hasn’t learnt yet -that it’s safer to prove the statements of Panagiotis and his friends -before acting on them, you and I have.” - -“Maurice!” It was Eirene who stood before them, wrapped in a loose -gown, and with her hair only partially dressed. “We must all start for -Hagiamavra to-night. Romanos Christodoridi is going!” - -“He can’t. He knows nothing about it,” said Wylie. - -“There has been treachery. He has bribed some one. Lord Armitage heard -the first rumour of it this morning, and has spent the day in -discovering the truth. Prince Romanos has horses ready after the -reception, and a fast sailing-boat waiting for him at Pentikosti. Lord -Armitage came to look for you, Maurice, but you were not in your -rooms, and I opened the letter and spoke to him. I have sent him now -to get horses for us.” - -“You sent him! Without telling me?” - -“Yes.” Eirene’s voice was hard. “Because, if you will not go, I shall -take Constantine and go by myself, with Colonel Wylie in attendance. I -have thought it all out. You have loitered and delayed and preached -prudence too long. I will not have my boy’s rights sacrificed through -your precautions.” - -“If you will allow me, sir, I will leave the room to the Princess and -yourself,” said Wylie to Maurice, with marked respect. Eirene turned -upon him. - -“You will kindly remain,” she said. “I wish you to be a witness of -what I say to the Prince. You understand me, Maurice? If you will act, -I go as your wife; if you refuse, I go to assert my own claim. In -either case Constantine’s rights are secured. They can only be lost -through cowardice, and I, at least, am not a coward. I have the means -of acting without you, you know.” - -“I do know it, unfortunately. You have every advantage over me. Short -of placing you under personal restraint, I can’t hope to influence -you.” - -“And that you would never do!” she said triumphantly. - -“That I would not do. You are determined not to listen to reason?” - -“I will listen to any argument in favour of starting to-night, to none -for putting things off.” - -“Very well, then. As you have guessed, I shall not allow my wife to -start on this preposterous expedition by herself, to assert a claim -which stands or falls with mine. We will go together, but the claim -which will be put forward is not yours, but mine. Such rights as the -boy has are derived from me--reinforced, if you like, by yours. You -understand this?” - -“I don’t mind what conditions you make, provided that you go,” she -answered, with a laugh that was nervous in spite of her effort to make -it merely light. - -“Pardon me, sir. May I remind her Royal Highness of one or two things -she seems to have forgotten?” asked Wylie. A nod gave him permission, -and he went on, “Are you wise, ma’am, in risking the health, perhaps -even the life, of your son in the way you propose? The journey to -Pentikosti is a difficult one, even for men, and at Hagiamavra the -hardships will be considerable. You can take no other woman with you, -and no heavy luggage.” - -“You have done your duty to your master by trying to frighten me,” she -returned defiantly; “but I am not frightened.” - -“And it does not occur to you that this expedition will irritate the -Powers against his Highness to such an extent as to make him an -impossible candidate in future?” - -“Then Prince Romanos will be equally impossible. No, the Prince may go -or not, as he likes, but I go. The horses will be ready at eleven -o’clock, which will give us time to change our clothes after the -reception, if we leave fairly early. I am sorry to keep you waiting -now, Maurice. I shall be ready in ten minutes.” - -“I suppose you are compassionating me as a henpecked wretch?” said -Maurice bitterly, as Wylie closed the door after Eirene. - -“If I advised you to take your wife by the shoulders and give her a -good shaking, you would set me down as a brute, and I don’t know that -it would do much good,” said Wylie. - -“Not a bit. I always knew something of this kind was bound to happen. -You see, there’s no question about my having robbed her of her rights, -and I am bound to back her up in recovering them. I have never been -able to satisfy her in that way yet, and of course she thinks me -slack.” - -“Why not offer to go yourself if she and the child will stay quietly -here?” - -“Quietly? What would she be doing here--can you say? You know the way -in which that money was left----” - -“I know; it’s rough on you every way. Makes a man glad to have escaped -matrimony so far,” said Wylie. “But if I had to deal with that young -woman, she would soon learn to behave herself!” was his -self-sufficient mental remark, for which a speedy Nemesis was already -lying in wait for him. - -The night was very dark when, armed with a lantern, he awaited his -fellow-travellers at a side door. In spite of the care taken not to -compromise him, the Prince of Dardania was fully aware that something -was going on, and had issued orders to his officials not to be too -inquisitive with respect to any horsemen leaving the city. But it was -not considered advisable to ride through the principal streets, and -run the risk of encountering belated guests coming from the Palace, so -that every possible advantage was to be taken of lanes and byways. -Armitage, laden with saddle-bags and hold-alls till he could scarcely -walk, came staggering through the doorway, whispering that the rest -were close at hand; and presently Maurice appeared, with little -Constantine, wrapped up like an infant mummy, in his arms, and two -women close upon his heels. Wylie stepped forward with natural -indignation. - -“You can’t go,” he said, stopping the taller of the two. “The Princess -knows she is not to take a maid.” - -“She is not taking me, but I am going,” said Zoe’s voice. Wylie still -barred the path. - -“No, you’re not. There’s no horse for you.” - -Zoe laughed. “You mustn’t rate our intelligence quite so low. Eirene -knew I should come, and asked Lord Armitage to get a horse for me. I -think myself you are making a mistake in not letting us take my good -Linton, who has gone through all sorts of horrors with me without -turning a hair, but she will be ready to join us with supplies -whenever I wire to her.” - -“But you can’t go. It’s quite impossible. It’s--it’s useless. The -Princess goes to assert her rights, and she has her husband to protect -her, but you have no one to look after you.” Wylie was growing -desperate. - -“I am very much obliged to you,” said Zoe, with meaning in her voice. -“Still, I can assure you that if both you and Lord Armitage turn your -backs on me, I am quite capable of looking after myself.” - -“Oh, look here, Princess,” he said, in a tone that startled Zoe, so -long was it since she had heard it, “don’t bring the whole thing to -smash, I beg of you. You stay behind, like a--like a sensible woman, -and persuade your sister to stay too. You forget that your brother and -I know something already about dragging ladies through the wilds of -Emathia, and we don’t want to try it again. And to take women and -children when there’s a prospect of fighting Roumis--it’s unthinkable, -simply sickening folly. Now you will go back?” - -His earnestness was quite pathetic, but Zoe hardened her heart. “If -you ask me as a friend, I will,” she said. - -Wylie recollected himself. “No, I won’t--ma’am,” he said angrily. - -“Then I won’t go back,” said Zoe. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - THE ENEMY IN THE WAY. - -It was a silent company that rode through the night from Bashi Konak -towards the Roumi frontier. Zoe and Eirene were presumably triumphant, -but they were also in disgrace, and they were made to feel it. One of -the men, either Wylie or Armitage, rode first, to see that the way was -clear, then came the two culprits, left severely to themselves, then -Maurice and the other man, conversing occasionally in low murmurs -which were quite inaudible to the pair in front. Maurice had refused -curtly Eirene’s demand to take little Constantine with her on her -horse, and she had yielded the point without remonstrance, somewhat to -the surprise and much to the relief of the rest. If the worst came to -the worst, Maurice had one weapon the mere mention of which would -bring her to her knees in terror, and she knew it. Her threat of -leaving him could have been rendered nugatory in a moment by the -counter-threat of depriving her of her boy, and she was afraid to push -her husband too far, since he had a way of quietly assuming the -command when she was in full tide of advance, which she found -extremely disconcerting. She had no voice now in the conduct of the -expedition, nor did she expect it, and both she and Zoe would have -fallen from their horses with fatigue sooner than confess how tired -they were getting as the night wore on. It was a welcome surprise -when, just as the first faint light of dawn enabled them to see a -cluster of white-walled houses in front, Armitage, who had ridden -ahead, came back to them. - -“We halt here for an hour or two, ma’am,” he said. “This is the -customs station, and there is a fairly clean inn just over the -frontier. I fancy there is a storm coming on, but we shall be in -shelter.” - -The customs examination was shortened and simplified by the judicious -use of arguments which the Roumi officials could understand, and Zoe -fancied that a discussion of the same kind was going on with the man -in charge of the telegraph-office on the Dardanian side of the -frontier. Something was said as to the telegraph-poles having been -destroyed in the storm, which appeared premature, since the storm had -not begun, and the poles looked particularly firm and strong, and it -was clear that an attempt was to be made to cover the trail of the -fugitives. Zoe smiled, with a recollection of past experiences of the -kind, and betook herself thankfully to the inn, where Eirene was -bestowing little Constantine in a perfect nest of rugs. The woman of -the house brought them coffee, and they were soon asleep. - -Outside the inn, Maurice and Wylie were stamping about, shivering, -while Armitage interviewed the landlord, whose acquaintance he had -made in the course of former journeys to Pentikosti. Presently he -appeared. - -“He says he is quite certain no one has passed, sir,” he said. - -“Then he must still be behind us,” said Maurice. “I should have -thought he would catch us up long ago. He ought to travel faster than -we do.” - -“Had a fall, perhaps,” suggested Wylie. “He doesn’t look as if he had -much of a seat. If you and Armitage will rest in the house, sir, I’ll -go to the top of the road and watch for him, and call you when I see -him.” - -“No, you will be getting fever,” said Maurice. “Armitage will watch. -We can’t afford to run risks with you.” - -Armitage laughed cheerfully as he climbed the road again, while the -other two men made themselves as comfortable as possible on the uneasy -divan of the inn. They had had time to fall asleep and wake with a -start more than once before they heard him outside. - -“I can see him in the distance!” he said breathlessly. “He is riding -hard, and has only one man with him.” - -They hurried out, and up the ridge. In the growing light the two -straining figures below were clearly visible. Wylie scanned them -closely. - -“The servant has the luggage,” he said. “That’s all right. He’ll stay -behind at the customs, while Christodoridi comes on here to see if his -fresh horses are ready. He’ll want them.” - -“Couldn’t ask for a better place than this for stopping him,” said -Maurice. “I only hope he won’t make a fool of himself and take to -shooting.” - -“Two can play at that game,” said Wylie grimly, and they waited. It -seemed a long time before the feet of a struggling horse were heard on -the rocky road, and Romanos Christodoridi came in sight over the -ridge. - -“Might have walked that last bit,” growled Wylie in disgust, as the -rider pulled up in surprise at the sight of the three men confronting -him. - -“Will you be good enough to dismount and step aside with us, Prince?” -said Maurice. “There is a point I should be glad to settle with you -before we join the ladies at the inn.” - -“None of that!” said Wylie sharply, arresting the Greek’s arm as he -raised his whip. It had a loaded handle, and his evident intention was -to bring it down on Maurice’s head, and dash forward in the confusion. -“Will you get off or be pulled off?” - -“I bow to superior force,” said Prince Romanos, with an angry flush on -his sallow cheek. “I suppose it did not strike you, Mr Teffany, that -it would have been more in order if you had brought one of my friends -here, instead of two of your own?” - -“We are not going to fight a duel,” said Maurice. - -“No? Only to murder me?” He threw his horse’s bridle to Wylie and -dismounted. “You have chosen your ground well. It seems that I should -have done better, after all, to listen to the warning of your tool, -but you will admit that her method of detaining me was open to -misconstruction.” - -“I don’t know what you mean,” said Maurice. “Who tried to detain you? -Who’s the tool? We have been expecting you for hours.” - -Prince Romanos looked virtuously indignant. “Your ways are too deep -for me, Mr Teffany. I am tricked, by means of my tenderest affections, -into an interview which I discover is intended to prevent me from -starting as I had intended. On that discovery I tear myself -away--practically by force--ride headlong all night, and find you in -ambush awaiting me. Proceed, sir; I confess you have succeeded in -catching me unawares, but you need not hope to gain anything by this -treachery.” - -“Once for all,” said Maurice, “there has been no treachery--on our -part, at any rate. We made no attempt to detain you.” - -Prince Romanos bowed, obviously unconvinced. “The attempt was made, -and it was clearly to your interest that it should succeed,” he said. -“However, this argument is unprofitable. You are three to one; pray do -your business.” - -“You seem to have treachery on the brain,” said Maurice. “There is no -question of violence of any kind. I asked you to come here that I -might make a certain proposal to you.” - -“Which you intend to compel me to accept? Continue, pray.” - -“You are on your way to Emathia to throw in your lot with the -insurgents; so are we. I imagine that, like myself, you are moved by -the wretched condition of the country. If it had been properly -governed, and the people contented, your claim, like mine, would have -remained in abeyance. Therefore neither of us is fighting for his own -hand, but in the hope of delivering Emathia. Do you agree?” - -“Sir,” said Prince Romanos, “your sentiments are most admirable, and -I--admire them.” - -“Then,” said Maurice, rather impatiently, “what I propose is that for -the present you and I should lay aside our opposing claims, and fight -shoulder to shoulder. Since we are both in reality working for the -good of Emathia, don’t let the mere look of things divide us. You know -as well as I do that nothing would delight Scythia and Pannonia more -than to see the friends of freedom fighting among themselves, so that -they might point out how impossible it was to entrust them with the -government. But if by sinking our differences we can keep our -followers from quarrelling, we shall have gone a long way towards -proving the fitness of the Emathians for liberty.” - -“And for the rule of Prince Maurice the First? Really, Mr Teffany, I -can hardly take it as a compliment that you appear to expect me to -welcome this proposal.” - -“You have not heard me to the end. I was going to suggest that when -the Roumis are driven out, and peace achieved, we should submit our -claims to the decision of the Emathian people, and abide by the -result.” - -Armitage and Wylie were scarcely less astonished this time than Prince -Romanos, who was obviously thunder-struck. “I have offered to submit -my claim to the arbitration of the Œcumenical Patriarch,” he said at -last. - -“And I have refused,” said Maurice shortly. “The only arbitration I -will accept is that of a referendum or a _plébiscite_--whatever you -like to call it--an appeal to the people most concerned.” - -“And if I refuse?” - -“Then I shall be under the painful necessity of asking Lord Armitage -to keep you in safe custody on board his yacht. Now that there is at -last a chance of freeing Emathia, it shall not be sacrificed to -personal jealousies.” - -“Then this is compulsion, after all?” - -“Oh no. You shall be released in time to submit your claim to the -Emathians. But it seems to me that what I have suggested gives you a -better chance.” - -“I have done you an injustice, Mr Teffany. Your methods are not so -simple as I imagined.” - -“I think it would be as well if you left off calling me Mr Teffany. To -you, as to others, I am Prince Theophanis, if you please.” - -“Ah, you would trick me into acknowledging your title?” - -“Not at all. It is a mere matter of courtesy. I have made no attempt -to deprive you of your rank.” - -“Sir, my rank cannot be touched by you. My ancestors were Patricians -of Venice.” - -“Sir, mine were Emperors of the East. But this is all nonsense!” -Maurice broke off impatiently. “The question at issue is your present -conduct, not your ancestors’ nobility. I offer you a free hand, and as -good a chance as my own of establishing your claim, on the sole -condition that while we are in the field with the insurgents you make -no attempt to raise a party against me, or to divide our forces. In -fact, it is to be as if we were twin brothers, and there was a doubt -which was the elder. We are to fight for our common heritage, and not -for our own hand.” - -Prince Romanos seemed to find some difficulty in answering. He walked -two or three steps backwards and forwards, closely watched by Wylie, -whose hand was in his pocket. Then he faced Maurice again. - -“I am at a loss,” he said frankly. “My whole nature rises up against -the compulsion you wish to exercise over me, Prince, and yet I find -something noble in your theory. But you make a large demand in asking -that I should place myself voluntarily in subordination to you.” - -“I ask nothing of the kind. If the Emathians are wise, they will elect -Colonel Wylie to supreme command, and I shall want nothing better than -to serve under him. If they are not--why, I suppose we shall all -command guerilla bands, and do the best we can with them.” - -“And you are willing to swear that you will honourably withdraw from -the contest if, when the fighting is over, the Emathians elect me?” - -“I give you my word here and now, but I will swear if you like.” - -“And if--if you should not see the end of the fighting?” - -“If anything happens to me, you will have a walk-over, for neither the -Powers nor the Emathians are likely to put a woman and a child upon -the throne.” - -“But you had better be very careful not to have anything to do with -that happening,” broke in Wylie; “or you will not see the end of the -fighting either.” - -“These insinuations are highly offensive, Prince,” said the Greek, as -Maurice turned angrily upon his follower. - -“I simply stated a fact, sir,” said Wylie, in answer to the look. “If -you choose to invite people to murder you, it is only fair they should -know that you don’t stand alone.” - -“And Prince Romanos accused you of wishing to murder him a few minutes -ago, sir,” said Armitage. The Greek laughed. - -“It seems we are quits, then. There is as much, or as little, -intention to murder on one side as on the other. Prince Theophanis, I -accept your terms, subject to a solemn ratification over the holy -relics at Hagiamavra. But I should like to ask your sister a question -before I throw in my lot with you. I cannot yet forget the way in -which I was deceived last night.” - -“I hope you don’t imply----” said Maurice quickly. - -“I imply nothing, Prince. The simple word of my _confrère_ Zeto will -at once drive all doubt from my mind.” - -Nothing more was to be got from him, and they walked down to the inn, -where the servant who had accompanied Prince Romanos was awaiting him -in considerable perplexity. Maurice sent the woman of the house to -fetch Zoe, who came out presently, sleepy and dishevelled. Prince -Romanos waved the three Englishmen out of earshot. - -“If you are asked what my question was, Princess, you may say that I -inquired your motive in laying that trap for me last night,” he said. -“But I do not ask, for I know that the chance of furthering your -brother’s schemes and at the same time punishing a faithless suitor -must have been irresistible. What I want to know----” - -“But I never laid a trap for you!” cried Zoe indignantly. “I don’t -know what you mean.” - -He waved his hand indulgently. “We all disown our agents when they -fail,” he said. “It is my misfortune that I have incurred--and -doubtless deserved--the enmity of various ladies, and yours is not the -first plot laid against me. But I recognise the difference. Zeto would -draw the line between political extinction and murder. I put my life -in your hands, Princess. Am I safe”--he spoke low and -confidentially--“in accepting your brother’s proposal and throwing in -my lot with him and his friends? I distrust the man with blue eyes.” - -The extraordinary mixture of coxcombry, confidence, and suspicion in -the man’s speech filled Zoe with mingled amusement and disgust. “You -will be as safe from us as you would be on your own island--I am sorry -to say!” she cried, with flaming eyes. - -“Prince,” said Prince Romanos gravely, turning to Maurice, “your -sister has reassured me with regard to the trap laid for me last -night. I was already convinced, but I desired the formality of her -assurance. Now I am yours. You may regard me from henceforth as your -most trusted colleague.” - -“I am glad to hear it,” said Maurice with all seriousness. “Eirene,” -turning to his wife, who had appeared in the doorway, “Prince Romanos -Christodoridi and I have agreed to lay aside our differences, and -fight only for the deliverance of Emathia. When that is accomplished, -we shall invite the Emathians to choose between us, and elect as -prince the one whom they consider best qualified.” - -“Maurice! You have sacrificed----” began Eirene, but she broke off and -went indoors, closing her lips tightly. Zoe found her presently -walking up and down the narrow inner room where her boy was still -sleeping, with her hands clenched and her head thrown back. - -“I might have known!” she cried. “Maurice always manages to defeat me -somehow. I ought to have taken Constantine and come away by myself, -without warning him,--it is the only way. He would have been so -anxious about us that he would have been willing to do anything. To -surrender without being forced to it! To submit our sacred rights to -the choice of the people!” - -“I suppose he thinks that it will be better for the Emathians if they -can agree upon a ruler rather than have one forced upon them,” said -Zoe. - -“The Emathians! what do they signify? It is a matter of right, of my -boy’s rights! But I have not sworn. I am not bound, and nothing shall -ever make me submit to this iniquitous arrangement.” - -Remonstrance was useless, and Zoe, with a vivid memory of old times, -held her tongue. They continued their journey after a hasty meal, -Prince Romanos and his servant being added to the party. The two were -born mountaineers, and their experience proved most useful in getting -the horses over the precipitous tracks which here, in Roumi territory, -represented the good Dardanian roads. A guide, secured by Armitage, -took charge of them from the inn to Pentikosti, and explained matters -to various truculent-looking groups of highlanders, who appeared at -awkward points and seemed quite capable of making themselves -unpleasant. Thus, though exciting enough, the journey stopped short of -providing actual adventure, and in the evening they rode down into -Pentikosti, and found Armitage’s yacht, with her fires banked, -awaiting them in the rude little harbour. A further distribution of -palm-oil among the Roumi notables who came to do honour to Armitage -secured a promise that in the minds of these worthy men the arrival of -the strangers should be as though it had not been, and before -nightfall the yacht had taken her passengers on board and was steaming -down the coast. - -The next morning the passengers presented rather a curious appearance, -for Armitage, after a talk with his captain, had ransacked his -yachting wardrobe and practically forced the other men to don his -clothes. Prince Romanos looked like a masquerading pirate, and Wylie, -so the rest told him, like a horse-marine; but the incongruity of -riding-clothes on shipboard was sufficiently obvious, even without -Armitage’s evident anxiety. Zoe and Eirene, entreated with becoming -diffidence to make themselves look as “frilly” as they could, complied -as far as the severe limitations of their campaigning luggage would -allow, and wondered what was the use of trying to deceive the crew, -who must know when and where, and probably also why, they had really -come on board. - -It was not until after two days and nights of continuous steaming that -the true reason for the precaution became apparent. The yacht’s head -was turned northwards again, and Armitage was up and down and -everywhere, in a perfect fever of excitement, driving Captain Waters, -whose attention was sufficiently demanded by the intricacy of the -navigation, to the verge of frenzy. Suddenly he calmed down, and -appeared among the rest with a look of pale determination, for which -there seemed no particular reason. - -“Man-of-war going to board us,” he explained to the ladies. “Just go -on with what you are doing, please, as if there was nothing the -matter. Don’t be frightened.” - -“Why should we be frightened?” asked Zoe, astonished, but Eirene’s -eyes were anxious. Together they moved to the rail, where Wylie was -holding up little Constantine to look at the low, thick, two-funnelled -vessel which was rushing swiftly towards them. The child shrieked with -delight as the destroyer circled round and came to a halt, while a -boat put off from its grey side. A pleasant English-speaking officer -mounted the yacht’s ladder, and looked in astonishment at the group -before him. He made himself very agreeable to Mrs and Miss Smith, the -ladies to whom he was presented, and asked the necessary inquisitorial -questions as politely as possible, accepting as altogether natural the -avowed intention of Armitage to run into Therma and see what was -really going on there. But he had a word to add as he took his leave. - -“I see you have zat Apolis on board,” he said to Armitage. “You know -he is incendiary, revolutionist? I have heard him talk in Paris.” - -“He doesn’t talk in that way here,” said Armitage. “Perhaps he knows -better.” - -The officer shrugged his shoulders. “He is dangerous man. Why is he -here, if not to join those fools of insurgents on the mainland?” - -“I really can’t tell you,--unless because I asked him.” - -“I sink I should do my duty in arresting him.” - -“I think not. On board a British ship, in the waters of another -nation? Hardly.” - -“We are on patrol duty here.” - -“But no blockade has been declared. No, really, I couldn’t allow it.” -The officer looked from the boyish speaker and the dainty yacht to the -frowning dark vessel a little way off, and smiled, only just -perceptibly. “But look here,” Armitage went on, “I can’t answer for -what’s in his mind, but I can promise that he shan’t go on shore -unless I do. How’s that?” - -“Zat is ol-right, if you will remember ze ladies, and not run into -peril. You listen my advice, and make your cruise in less troubled -waters, is it not so? But no, where zere is disturbance, zere also is -a mad Englishman and his yacht. Well, beware of ze Roumis.” - -“Thanks. We certainly will,” said Armitage. - -“This is not the first time we have been thankful to adopt the -aristocratic and high-sounding name of Smith,” said Zoe to Wylie, as -they watched the friendly foreigner returning to his own vessel. - -“Our trip would certainly have ended here if that fellow had guessed -who you really were,” he replied. “It’s not going to be all smooth -sailing, you see. Haven’t you done enough for honour now? Why not let -us put into Korona and land you?” - -“Because--you don’t seem to have seen it, but I did--if we had not -been on board, the officer would have turned the yacht back, and your -trip would have ended too. We are not altogether useless, you -perceive!” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - A PORT OF REFUGE. - -“That was a narrow squeak this morning,” said Armitage to Maurice, -as they stood watching for the first sight of the heights of -Hagiamavra in the evening. - -“Why particularly? That fellow had no authority to turn us back, as -there isn’t a blockade, and we could probably have dodged him in the -night if he had tried it.” - -“It’s not that. It’s what we have on board. If he had insisted on -searching us!” - -“Why, are you gun-running?” asked Maurice in surprise. - -Armitage was surprised too. “Well, rifles and cartridges and a couple -of machine-guns are rather an unusual cargo for a yacht, aren’t they?” - -Maurice understood. “Ah, another of my wife’s little speculations?” he -said, trying to keep out of his voice the bitterness he felt. - -“Yes, and that’s given us an idea for getting them on shore. I’ve been -talking it over with Waters, who’s an awfully knowing chap, and he -told me the same thing had been puzzling him. You see, the risk is not -all over when we have them and ourselves landed at Skandalo. Your -precious subjects-that-are-to-be are quite capable of annexing the -arms and kicking you out. What you want is to secure a defensive -position in the middle of them before they realise what you’ve got. -Wylie quite agrees with me.” - -“The prospect is certainly a pleasant one,” said Maurice -indifferently. Few people realised--his wife least of all--the disgust -with which he was filled by the necessity of constantly putting -himself forward, of forcing his claims upon an unwilling, or at best -uninterested, people. - -“The place for you is the Hagiamavra Monastery,” went on Armitage -eagerly,--“in the heart of the insurgents’ position, defensible -against any unsupported rush. It’s a good way from the sea, that’s the -worst of it, and the paths through the hills are simply beastly; but -once up there, there you are. If you stayed down at Skandalo, you’d -always be exposed to attack from the sea, either a bombardment or a -Roumi landing. At the monastery--well, I suppose the _Dreadnought’s_ -guns could touch you, but nothing else that floats, and no Roumi force -is likely to be able to force its way up in the face of opposition.” - -“And what about provisions?” - -“I can leave you a fair store, and then I’ll go off and forage. I -think I can do better for you in that way than if I landed with part -of the crew to help in the fighting. They were not engaged for -war-service, you see, but anything like running a blockade will -delight them.” - -“I see.” Maurice saw more than Armitage intended, and guessed why he -had given up his former plan of attaching himself through thick and -thin to the party that included Zoe, but he did not say so. “I suppose -you realise that you’re more than likely to lose the yacht?” he asked. - -“Meaning that the Powers will sink her? Let ’em. She may as well leave -her bones here as at the North Pole, though I hope she won’t do it -till you’re well supplied. But about these guns and things. Waters has -hit on an awfully neat dodge, and made use of it to keep the men from -getting rusty while he was hanging about off Pentikosti. He has had -canvas covers made for all the cases, with red braid on them--like the -things you see old ladies with on their travels, you know--and -initials stencilled on the tops,--most swagger luggage you ever saw. -He’ll pad them up a little with waste, to disguise the shape and the -sharp corners, and we’ll get them landed and up to the monastery as -the ladies’ boxes.” - -“Awfully neat!” said Maurice, laughing in spite of himself. “But what -about the weight? And the case of a machine-gun must be a fair size, I -should imagine.” - -“Oh, don’t you know those things as big as a house, that some women -lug about their ball-dresses in--all standing, so to speak? It can’t -be bigger than that. And as to the weight--oh, we’ll stuff the -insurgents about Byzantine robes, stiff with gold and jewels, and all -that sort of thing, you know. They’ll take it as an awful compliment -that the Princesses should have come prepared to hold a court.” - -Maurice was hardly convinced, but Armitage was so fully persuaded of -the feasibility of his plan that he offered no further objection. The -yacht anchored off Skandalo that night, jealously scrutinised by -fishing-boats, which drifted out of the darkness into the circle of -her lights, asked a question or two, and faded into nothingness again, -and with earliest daylight Armitage and Captain Waters went on shore -to make judicious inquiries, lest the Roumis might, with unwonted -energy, have occupied the little town. When they came off again, they -brought with them one of the insurgent leaders, no other than Dr -Afanasi Terminoff, who was exercising authority at Skandalo in the -name of the Emathian Revolutionary Committee, the Roumi inhabitants -having wisely effaced themselves on the invasion of the peninsula by a -mixed multitude of patriots and refugees from Therma. It appeared that -Professor Panagiotis had, as Armitage said, played up nobly. He had -not been informed of the flight from Bashi Konak save by a note left -to be delivered to him on the following morning, but on receiving it -he had promptly waited upon the Prince of Dardania to inform him that -Prince Theophanis and all his party had been laid low in the night -with influenza, and would be unable to leave their rooms for some -days. At the same time he had communicated with the insurgent -headquarters,--by the historic method of fire-signals, Zoe suggested, -but more probably by mere prosaic messages carried overland by -returning delegates. The really ardent among these men had been -stealing away from Bashi Konak one by one since the first news of the -massacres at Therma, more anxious to take part in any fighting there -might be than to consume additional time in theoretical negotiations, -and their news travelled before them in some mysterious way. - -The arrival of Prince Theophanis was expected, and Dr Terminoff had -had time to prepare information and advice, with both of which he was -overflowing. The state of things was not altogether propitious. The -Hagiamavra peninsula was now affording standing-ground--accommodation -it could hardly be called--for quite three times its ordinary -population, even allowing for the expatriated Moslems. A certain -proportion of the newcomers consisted of stalwart members of -revolutionary bands from all parts of Emathia, who had obeyed the -summons to concentrate for a great struggle, but the rest were a -heterogeneous mob from Therma, among them a large number of men whose -enthusiasm for freedom was of a wildly anarchistic character. These -refugees were not amenable even to such limited authority as was -possessed by the captains of bands over their followers, and led by -any plausible talker among themselves who could gain their ear, they -raided the houses and farms of the inhabitants in search of -provisions, establishing a worse than Roumi tyranny in the peninsula. -Some central authority, with sufficient power at its command to -enforce its orders, was urgently needed, and it was equally necessary -to devise some means of feeding not only the fighting men, but the -troops of helpless women and children who had sought safety with them. -Maurice and Wylie, as they listened, perceived that the task before -them was much larger than they had anticipated, since it had not -occurred to their minds that they would be called upon to combine the -functions of a relief agency with those of a military dictatorship. To -do this from a precarious foothold on the coast was obviously -impossible, but Dr Terminoff was as anxious as Armitage to establish -the whole party safely at the monastery. Besides the predatory hordes -from Therma, who were spread over the lower hills immediately behind -the town, there were the insurgent bands, hardly less truculent though -better disciplined, occupying the heights in the interior, and only -too likely to welcome an opportunity of returning to their wonted -avocation of brigandage. Moreover, since the delegates who had -accepted Maurice’s leadership at Bashi Konak had not had time to -explain their action to their supporters, a strong republican spirit -was prevalent, and might manifest itself in disagreeable ways. - -In the face of a complicated emergency of this kind, Maurice was at -his best. Prompt action was urgently necessary, not only in order to -circumvent possible objectors, but that the yacht might unload her -cargo and depart before the news of her presence could be carried to -any of the European warships in these waters. Dr Terminoff was sent on -shore again to requisition every available mule for the transport of -the party and their “luggage,” and summon as many members of his own -band as could be readily assembled to act as escort. Wylie accompanied -him, with the idea of gaining an insight into the conditions -prevailing on shore; while the important cases were being got up from -the hold and enclosed in their innocent-seeming wrappers, and Armitage -and his stewards despoiled the cabins of mattresses, cushions, -carpets, and whatever else could add to the comfort of the ladies. -Captain Waters proved himself a tower of strength when it came to -improvising means of getting the cases transferred from the deck along -the ruined stone pier which showed that Skandalo had once known more -prosperous days, and Wylie, as transport officer without subordinates, -exhibited a knowledge of the idiosyncrasies of the Hagiamavran mule, -and the best way of combating them, which was clearly the fruit of -long and bitter experience in like circumstances. By the captain’s -advice, the load was reduced by breaking open one case of rifles and -one of cartridges, and distributing the contents among fifteen men of -the yacht’s crew, who were to act as an additional escort under -command of Armitage. By dint of herculean efforts, all the packs were -adjusted by noon, Zoe and Eirene were mounted on improvised saddles on -the quietest mules, Wylie appointed the bodyguard their stations, and -the long line trickled through the narrow streets of the little town -and up the hills behind. - -A curious throng watched them from roofs and alleys, with much -speculation, but with a notable and natural absence of enthusiasm. The -inhabitants of the peninsula could hardly be expected to welcome the -choice of their neighbourhood as the theatre of great events, however -proud they might be in the distant future that it had been the scene -of the freeing of Emathia. These newcomers looked as if they might be -more profitable guests than the Therma refugees, but the fact that -they were seeking quarters at once in the mountains, instead of -demanding the best accommodation the town could produce, showed that -there was something not quite right about them, and the haggard man -with the blue eyes who regulated their march looked capable of making -himself very unpleasant to honest people who only wished to lead a -quiet life and decorate the caps of their daughters with as fine a -show of piastres as possible. - -The many-coloured crowd and the white houses once left behind, the -track led up the hillside, covered with short grass, where the -sweet-scented shrubs which should have clothed it had been rooted up -for fuel. At the top of the ridge Zoe turned to take a last look at -the yacht, the one remaining link with civilisation, but she was -speedily taught that this was no moment for the indulgence of -sentiment. In the hollow below the ridge a number of the Therma -refugees were encamped, in holes grubbed out of the hillside or in -wretched shelters made with blankets, and when the strangers came in -sight there was a rush of ragged, half-starved creatures clamouring -with piteous voices and outstretched hands. Mothers held up their -wizened babies, old men exhibited roughly bandaged wounds, but even -more terrible was the sight of those who had lost either the desire or -the power to beg, and sat stolid in the apathy of helplessness. Eirene -and Zoe emptied their purses and the lunch-basket, and entreated that -the provisions which were being carried up to the monastery might be -distributed here instead, but Wylie was adamant. The able-bodied men -belonging to this party of refugees had been set to work improving the -pier by Dr Terminoff, and would earn enough to keep their dependants -for a day or two. After that he hoped it would be possible to make -organised arrangements for relief, but it would be mere foolishness to -sacrifice, on an impulse of pity, what might be of inestimable value -to the Emathian cause in the future. Zoe relieved her feelings by -abusing his hardness to Eirene as she rode on, but Eirene did not -answer. Holding her boy closely to her, she was haunted, as with a -foreboding of evil, by the thought that this misery was, in part at -least, due to her ambition for him. - -The uplands beyond the hollow were almost solitary, save for an -occasional goatherd. Once Wylie left the rest to examine a deserted -village, which had been inhabited hitherto, it seemed, by the vanished -Moslems. Now the houses were roofless, the gardens destroyed, and the -fruit-trees cut down, so that the hope he had entertained of settling -some of the refugees there could not be fulfilled at present. He and -Maurice were continually in converse on the many questions pressing -for immediate solution, calling up now Armitage and now Dr Terminoff -for consultation, and leaving to Prince Romanos the duty of attending -on the ladies, which he performed with a very good grace. - -“I am no student of social problems, I confess it,” he said airily. “I -came here to fight, and fight I will as long as I can hold a sword, -but place me face to face with that crowd of miserable objects back -there, and what can I do but empty my purse and hurry away, covering -ears and eyes?” - -“But if you were responsible for them as their prince?” suggested Zoe. - -He shrugged his shoulders. “My heart would perhaps grow harder, -Princess. Certainly my purse would soon be exhausted. I fear I should -take refuge in the philosophy of our Roumi friends, and find comfort -in repeating that all was Kismet.” - -“That would be very consoling to your poor people,” said Zoe. - -He accepted the rebuke with surprising meekness. “Indeed, Princess, in -my view the ideal government for Emathia would be a triumvirate -composed of your brother, Colonel Wylie, and myself; but how could I -say so publicly without seeming to undervalue my rights?” - -“You to do the ornamental part, Maurice the practical, and Colonel -Wylie the military and police?” said Zoe cruelly. “It would save -Maurice a good deal of trouble--but then, you see, we don’t allow that -you have any rights at all.” - -“Naturally, Princess,” was all he could be induced to say, with his -usual shrug. - -The character of the scenery was now changing, the grassy downs being -left behind for wilder and loftier hills. Sometimes a glimpse could be -caught of the monastery itself, far above and beyond, like the -Celestial City in old illustrations to the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress,’ its -tiled roofs clinging to the sides of a great rift in the rock, and -then again it would be hidden by the intervening crags. This broken -country was the chosen haunt of the bands from the mainland, whom it -reminded of their own hills, and challenges rang from the rocky -heights, to be answered with anxious explanations by Dr Terminoff, who -did all he could to magnify the importance of the new recruits to the -cause without revealing either their identity or the nature of the -contribution they brought for the war-chest. His guarded answers -excited much interest, and a gradually increasing crowd of insurgents -attached itself to the travellers, betraying an unconcealed desire to -know the contents of the luggage, which seemed so much heavier than it -looked. This was the moment Wylie had feared, and the sailors and Dr -Terminoff’s men were placed as a screen at the head and tail of the -cavalcade. The sides could not be protected, nor was it indeed -necessary, since the path was only wide enough for a mule and its -driver. “It’s a blessing they haven’t had time to arrange an ambuscade -with stones, or they would have cut the column in two,” said Wylie; -“but I think we have taken them by surprise.” - -As the long procession approached the monastery, an obvious excitement -began to make itself felt among the hangers-on, a certain number of -whom detached themselves and ran on to the gate, where they demanded -entrance with much banging and many shouts. No response, however, came -from within, and the self-appointed couriers rushed back with fervid -zeal to complain that the never-to-be-sufficiently-execrated -Patriarchist monks refused admission to the noble English visitors. -With generous indignation the surrounding mob demanded that Wylie -should lead them to force an entrance, and it was clear that between -the monks and the mainlanders there existed a grudge as old as the -latter’s first encampment on the hills ten days ago, when they had -been excluded, as schismatics, from the sacred precincts. Such a -revival of the feud between the Greek and Slav elements of Emathian -society promised badly for the success of Maurice’s mission of unity, -and he and Armitage went forward to call a parley, while Wylie -prepared for action if necessary. For some time the frowning front of -the monastery appeared utterly unresponsive to all the knocking and -shouting that besieged it, but at length a high black cap and a -venerable beard appeared on the top of the gateway, and a conversation -ensued. Presently Maurice came back and summoned Wylie. - -“They won’t let us in, because the Roumi Government has always treated -them fairly well, and they are afraid what may happen when we come to -smash,” he said. - -“They must let us in,” said Wylie. “Otherwise we shall come to smash -in less than ten minutes. We must break the gate down.” - -“Then our Emathian friends will simply swarm in and loot the place. We -shall be as badly off for accommodation as ever, and have to bear the -everlasting stigma of having plundered an Orthodox monastery.” - -“Oh, we must fake it somehow. Tell your venerable friend that we will -save his face by technically forcing an entrance. Fifteen sailors with -rifles which half of them can’t use look imposing enough to justify -any man of peace in opening his door to them if they threaten to fire. -Of course you will add that if this is not inducement enough we will -let the Emathians loose on them, and then they need have no further -anxiety about the Roumis.” - -“All right. Get the mules as close up to the gate as possible, and let -the sailors be ready to turn their rifles against the Emathians once -it’s opened.” - -“Your brother’s welcome from his subjects is even embarrassing in its -warmth,” remarked Prince Romanos to Zoe, with a fine air of -detachment. - -“Oh, the monastery has seen many leaders of revolts,” replied Zoe -airily. “How should the poor old monks know that Maurice is the leader -of a revolution?” - -“Ladies nearest the gate,” said Wylie’s voice. “Cartridges and -machine-guns next, then the rifles. Terminoff, are your men to be -trusted if one or two of them get inside?” - -“If your sailors are there too,” was the not very encouraging reply. - -Maurice turned and waved his hand. The sailors, instructed by Wylie in -a stage whisper how to hold their rifles, were summoned to the front, -and produced an awe-inspiring click at the word of command. Very -slowly and heavily one of the gates creaked open, leaving just room -for the passage of one mule at a time. At a word from Wylie, Prince -Romanos took the bridle of Eirene’s mule and led it in, and Zoe’s -followed, while the sailors turned to face the crowd instead of the -gate. One by one the mules were dragged in, Maurice and Prince Romanos -opening the second leaf of the door by main force to allow of the -entrance of the cases, while Armitage and Wylie, last of all, facing -outwards, kept back the mob that surged behind. The last and most -obstreperous mule disappeared with a final flourish of heels, the -double row of sailors on either side of the gate drew together and -vanished two by two, and Wylie and Armitage retreated slowly -backwards, each with a hand in his pocket, the crowd pressing round, -but leaving a clear space in front of them. Armitage tripped over the -threshold, but was dragged in, head first, by Maurice, and the sailors -closed half the door while Wylie stood on guard. Then he also slipped -within, and the remaining leaf was slammed and barred, while a howl of -disappointment went up from the mob outside. Wylie smiled ironically. - -“Before I do anything else,” he said, “I’ll put those machine-guns -together, and mount one on the top of the gate, and the other just -here to command it. They seem needed to save us from our friends.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - ARTS OF PEACE. - -The expedition had reached port, but this was all that could be -said. The quiet fore-court of the monastery was filled with kicking -mules, vociferating drivers, and curious sailors, while two or three -agitated monks bewailed the invasion with uplifted hands. The -strangers had brought women within the sacred gates, and were further -polluting the precincts with the presence of schismatics and of -weapons of war. The glory of Hagiamavra had departed, for the stain -could never be removed. Leaving Wylie to arrange measures of defence, -Maurice set himself to soothe the feelings of the distracted hosts. A -little diplomacy induced them to confess that the monastery had on one -former occasion in its history given shelter to the abhorred sex, in -the shape of a number of women and children from Skandalo seeking -refuge on account of the visit of a Roumi fleet, but then these -suppliants had asked no more than to crouch on the bare stones of the -courtyard. However, in answer to a tactful question or two, the -Hegoumenos, or Abbot, owned that the number of monks was now so much -reduced as to occupy only the innermost cells, those which clustered -round the church, in the narrowest part of the rift, thus leaving the -buildings near the gateway free for the accommodation of the visitors. -A promise from Maurice that the ladies would make no attempt to -penetrate farther than the fore-court contributed still more to smooth -matters, and the Hegoumenos volunteered to send a couple of lay -brethren to sweep out the rooms and to provide firewood. - -Returning to the rest, Maurice found that Wylie had got one of the -guns unpacked and set up to protect the entrance, but was in doubt -whether to carry out the rest of his plan and mount the other upon the -gateway itself. The idea was opposed vehemently by Dr Terminoff, who -urged that since the monastery had so fortunately been reached without -the shedding of a drop of blood, there was every hope of coming to a -happy understanding with the insurgents, but that this would be -grievously imperilled by any show of distrust. At his earnest request -Maurice allowed the insurgent leader to go up to the gateway and -address the crowd outside, which he did with much effect. A marked and -somewhat awestruck silence succeeded the din which had hitherto -prevailed, and the various chiefs who were present requested Dr -Terminoff to convey their assurances of friendship to the English -visitors. As he descended from the gateway, the English visitors -seized upon him. - -“What was that you told them about Roumi troops being on their way -here?” demanded Maurice. - -“It is quite true. Five battalions are already embarked, we -understand, and others are on the point of departure.” - -“But how have you heard it up here?” cried Wylie. - -“Oh, I heard it at Skandalo. A messenger from Therma--one of the men -who work for Professor Panagiotis--came in this morning.” - -“And why in the world didn’t you tell us at once?” - -“Because I thought you would go away in your ship without landing if -I did,” was the ingenuous reply. - -“Oh, look here!” cried Armitage indignantly, “this is a little too -much! We must get the ladies back to the yacht as soon as -possible--to-night, if they are not too tired.” - -“Why?” asked Maurice. “You surely didn’t think the Roumis would not -send troops? We have known all along that we should probably have to -face them. You can do much more good by bringing up supplies, -Armitage, as we arranged.” - -“But I can’t take my men away, and leave you and the ladies at the -mercy of these fellows outside. The Roumis couldn’t be worse.” - -“These men are Christians--patriots,” said Dr Terminoff with -indignation. “In their holy war they welcome the aid of Prince -Theophanis and his friends. To-morrow, in full assembly, the -conditions of alliance will be settled, and the defence of the -peninsula will be entrusted to the illustrious Colonel Wylie. Our -patriots are brave as lions, but they know little of discipline, and -just now there was no time to enter into explanations. But having -heard the truth, they will freely allow the passage of the Milordo and -his men.” - -“I’m not afraid of that!” cried Armitage, flushing angrily. “It is -that I don’t think the Prince and his family are safe.” - -“Sir, you throw doubts on the patriots of Emathia?” Dr Terminoff was -bristling with rage, but Wylie interposed. - -“He doesn’t know them as we do, and their behaviour this afternoon has -been calculated to prejudice a stranger rather unfavourably. Leave the -ladies to us, Armitage, and ransack the Mediterranean for supplies and -ammunition. Not rifles,--we have enough for the men who have -none,--but cartridges to fit our Mausers, in packages small enough to -be carried by one man. With anything like an adequate supply, we might -hold that country we passed through to-day for months. You had better -arrange for a further consignment to be sent out from England to meet -you at some safe place, but just now you must pick up what you can -get, and hurry back before the Roumis appear.” - -“But they may be here to-morrow!” cried Armitage. - -“Not they. Roumi troops are not kept ready for service at a moment’s -notice, and transports are not to be had for nothing. The five -battalions are probably in the first agonies of mobilising at this -moment, and the Jews of Czarigrad are chartering all the condemned -tramps they can hear of to carry them, so you will just have time to -make a foraging trip and get back. And by the bye, if the Princess -will let you make use of her letters of credit, bring us a good supply -of small change,--any currency will do. We don’t want to have to add a -mint to the other activities before us, and our New Model army will -require to be paid.” - -Taken aback, alike by the nature of Wylie’s calculations and their -ultra-practical character, Armitage allowed himself to be dismissed -with his sailors after a hasty meal. They were mounted on the Skandalo -mules, and escorted in triumphal procession by the repentant -insurgents outside, who were now only anxious to embrace the men for -whose blood they had previously been thirsting. A code of signals had -been arranged, by means of which Armitage, on sighting a precipitous -headland not far from Skandalo, might know whether it was safe for the -yacht to approach the land, and where she was to disembark her stores. - -The accommodation provided by the monastery was not luxurious, though -the steward of the yacht had done what he could to make the bare -cells, hollowed out in the rock and opening in front into wooden -galleries, habitable. He had been left at Hagiamavra to act as cook, -since the Greek retainer of Prince Romanos, who would not make himself -useful for any one but his master, was the only servant with the -party. Dr Terminoff chose out six members of his band, guaranteed to -be trustworthy, to serve as guards, and they camped round a fire in -the fore-court. At the head of the shallow steps leading to the lowest -gallery, from which all the others were approached, Wylie had built up -the cases of arms into a breastwork, on which he mounted the -machine-gun he had unpacked, not caring to leave it exposed to the -active curiosity of the guards in the court. Thus the position was as -safe as it was possible to make it, and the adventurers talked and -laughed round the inadequate brazier provided for their comfort, with -a determination not to let things flag which suggested inevitably a -certain amount of effort. Their reception at Hagiamavra had not been -quite what they expected, but they were resolved to make the best of -things. - -With the morning came the necessity of meeting the insurgent chiefs in -full assembly, as Dr Terminoff had promised, and it was an assembly -that lasted for three days. Wylie excused himself after the first -morning, for the assembly appeared to be possessed of unlimited powers -of talk, and to be determined to exercise them. It seemed to be the -custom that every man should have the opportunity of addressing his -fellows if he desired it, and there were few sufficiently merciful or -retiring to waive the privilege. Hour after hour Maurice and Prince -Romanos sat side by side listening to the flow of like sentiments -delivered in different dialects and with varying gestures by the -highlanders from the mainland, the cosmopolitan refugees from Therma, -and the Greek fishermen and artisans from the coast districts. The -speeches all began in the same way, with a declaration of the -speaker’s theoretical preference for a republic on the American--Wylie -unkindly suggested the South American--model, but nearly all of them -came to the lame conclusion that in view of the dislike felt by some -of the Powers for republican institutions, and the benefits certain to -be conferred upon the cause by the adhesion to it of the Theophanis -family, it would be well to recognise their pretensions. The returning -delegates from Bashi Konak had now had time to make their influence -felt, and the imminent peril of a Roumi invasion in force inclined -Greek and Slav for once to lay aside their differences and agree to -postpone the actual choice of a Prince until the danger was over. In -the presence of the assembly, Maurice swore on the head of his little -son, and Prince Romanos on the sacred relics, brought with great pomp -and precaution from the monastery, to fight side by side as -brothers-in-arms, and submit their respective claims to the judgment -of the Emathian people when success should have brought peace. Upon -this the gathering resolved, only a few austere republicans -dissenting, to change its name from the Revolutionary to the -Constitutional Assembly, and an intimation of the fact, together with -the information that Emathia had determined to choose a ruler from -among the descendants of the Theophanis Emperors, was sent to -Professor Panagiotis for dissemination by the usual channels. - -While Maurice was thus establishing his position by patient endurance -of dilatory declamation, Wylie was hard at work. At his request Dr -Terminoff picked out for him each day twenty men from among the most -intelligent and adaptable of the insurgents, and they accompanied him -in a survey of the coasts of the peninsula. They found that their new -leader (Glaukos, or Glafko, was the name they gave him among -themselves) had an eye for country as good as their own, and a -conception of military tactics which went far beyond their crude idea -of firing from ambush until their retreat was seriously threatened, -and then retiring with all speed to take up a new position to the -rear. The few precarious landing-places which broke the line of the -precipitous cliffs were noted, and the fishermen living near them -enrolled as scouts, while a ledge of rock here, and a sheltered hollow -there, were marked as the site of rough fortifications from which the -port might be defended. There was much interest as to Wylie’s plans -for defending the narrow isthmus which united the peninsula with the -mainland, and considerable disappointment, and even murmurs of -treachery, when he refused to requisition the services of the -inhabitants _en masse_ for the purpose of digging a ditch and erecting -a rampart across it. He took no notice of the grumbling, but when, -after much consultation among themselves, a deputation of his -followers inquired the reason for his inaction, he pointed out to them -that nothing better could be desired than that the Roumis should -attack Hagiamavra by land. The broken ground of the interior continued -as far as the isthmus, which was not traversed by any road, and an -army making its way painfully into the hills would be subject to -perpetual attacks from an active enemy well posted and knowing the -country. Since the insurgents were so much in love with digging, he -promised them plenty of it in making shelter-trenches, but if they -wanted to help in something really large and important, he could only -advise them to offer their services in making the strong earthwork -above Skandalo, which had been undertaken by Dr Terminoff partly in -response to the demands of the inhabitants, and partly to provide -relief employment for the refugees. In the face of ships’ guns it -would be untenable, and only draw destruction upon the place, but the -townspeople were loud in demanding protection, and a landing in boats -might be prevented by rifle-fire from its shelter. - -While Wylie was regaining his own health in the hard open-air life, -and attaching to himself the men whom he destined as the nucleus of a -disciplined force, Zoe and Eirene had found work of their own. Time -threatened at first to hang heavy on their hands, for they were -forbidden to move about inside the monastery, or to go outside it -without an escort, which every one was too busy to supply. But on the -second morning, to Zoe’s astonishment, Eirene broke in upon her in her -impulsive way. - -“Zoe, I want to do something for those poor wretched women--the people -from Therma. Maurice has arranged that those who can work shall be -fed, but some of them were ill, and there are the babies. I can’t bear -to think of them with no proper shelter.” - -Zoe had been assuring herself that if she proposed doing anything for -the refugees, Eirene would throw cold water on the suggestion, and she -assented with surprise and some remorse. The guards, who were -grumbling at their enforced detention in the courtyard, remote alike -from the deliberations of the Assembly and from Wylie’s explorations, -were despatched to find mules, and welcomed the break in the monotony -of their lot. The reception at the refugee camp, after the toilsome -journey necessary to reach it, was not equally encouraging. The women -seemed to have only one idea of bettering their condition, and that -was by begging, and the most strenuous efforts, enforced by personal -example, were needed to induce them to set to work. Zoe, longing in -vain for her invaluable maid, Linton of the strong arm and caustic -tongue, felt herself shamed by Eirene, who seemed to find no work too -hard, no task too degrading. Only Eirene herself knew that she was -undertaking the care of these people as in some sort an expiation. -Their present plight was largely due to her; what if the punishment -should fall on the dearly loved boy for whose future she planned and -plotted night and day? If any humiliation or exertion of hers could -turn away the danger from him, it should not be wanting. Thus she and -Zoe toiled to induce the women to improve their temporary habitations, -and make at least an effort to keep them clean, and to separate the -fever-stricken from the rest, gathering them into a makeshift -hospital. Some people might think, said Zoe, after various trying -experiences with some of the more active elderly women who had been -chosen as nurses, that philanthropic work among Emathian refugees was -romantic; whereas workhouse nursing at home was instinct with romance -in comparison. The medical officer would naturally have been Dr -Terminoff, but he was already fully occupied with his duties as a -leader of revolt. However, since his liege ladies gave him no peace, -and he was anxious to impress upon his followers the necessity of -deference to Maurice and his family, he unearthed two medical students -who had run away from their studies at Bellaviste to join one of the -bands, and appointed them to hospital posts. Their consent was not -asked, and they proved, unfortunately, to be the only two men in the -peninsula who positively yearned for drill, so that they were -invariably missing whenever Wylie was working at the raw material of -his army. - -Notwithstanding all the drawbacks, Armitage found a distinct -improvement in the condition of the insurgent forces when he returned -at the end of a fortnight. By dint of a lavish expenditure of money, -he had got together a good cargo of provisions, but no efforts seemed -effectual in securing satisfactory ammunition. At one port, where he -thought he had the promise of a large quantity of cartridges, it -proved necessary to get the cases on board in tremendous haste owing -to the suspicions of the harbour authorities and an alarm as to the -arrival of a British warship, and on being opened they turned out to -be largely filled with scrap-metal, while such cartridges as they did -contain were of all sorts and kinds. He brought good news, however, in -the positive assurance that, owing to the representations of the -Powers at Czarigrad, the projected despatch of Roumi troops had been -abandoned. The massacres at Therma had touched the conscience of -Europe--or perhaps, as Wylie said, the devastation of so important a -commercial centre had touched its pocket; in any case, the Roumis were -not to have a free hand in Hagiamavra. Such troops as Jalal-ud-din -Pasha already possessed in and around Therma he might employ against -the insurgents, but they were not to be swept out of existence by -overwhelming force. - -The news produced a profound impression upon the insurgents, who came -by bands solemnly to congratulate Maurice, and thank him for his -efforts in their cause. Not until an indiscreet remark of Dr Terminoff -let the cat out of the bag did he and Armitage understand why he was -supposed to be responsible for the action of the Powers. - -“You know, and I know,” said the Emathian, “that you had nothing to do -with the Czarigrad negotiations, since the Powers are not even aware -of your presence here, so well has Professor Panagiotis manipulated -the press. But it is very well for the people to believe that this -success is due to you.” - -“I don’t want them to believe anything that isn’t true,” said Maurice. -“What are you hinting at?” - -“The Professor has only allowed it to become known that the Assembly -has addressed a hearty request to any prince of the house of -Theophanis to place himself at their head, and achieve the deliverance -of Emathia,” was the reply. “This the reactionary Powers fear above -all things, and therefore they will not allow Roum to attempt to crush -the Emathians, lest Western sympathy should be roused and autonomy -demanded for them. The Powers will act in concert, wasting time and -effecting nothing, but prolonging the present state of affairs until -Scythia and Pannonia are ready for action. Then the wretched -troublesome country will be gladly handed over to them.” - -“You mean that though the Roumis are forbidden to crush us, the Powers -will do it for them?” said Armitage. - -Dr Terminoff nodded. “Yes, and that is why it is well for the Prince -that the people should believe the Powers are acting in his support. -Nilischeff and the anti-dynastic party are hiding their heads at -present, but if they knew that the Prince would be disowned by the -country of his birth, they would urge that his presence here was -merely a danger to the cause, and he ought to be given up.” - -“Cheerful prospect for the immediate future!” said Maurice. “Wylie -would hardly let those fellows of his make the row they are doing if -he knew how mistaken their rejoicing was.” - -With dramatic propriety Wylie appeared at the moment from the -direction of the extemporised drill-ground. - -“More news!” he said. “One of my fishermen scouts brought it, and -thought fit to announce it to the whole army as well as to me. Last -night he spoke a Therma boat which told him that several -ironclads were leaving this morning for these waters, and by the -description it must be a division of the British Mediterranean Fleet. -My beauties down there are mad with joy, anticipating a triumphal -procession to Therma, and Jalal-ud-din’s head on a charger.” - -“We must make them understand that the fleet is much more likely to -act against us than with us,” said Maurice. - -“You cannot, sir,” said Dr Terminoff. “They would only ascribe your -denials to diplomacy. Many years of disappointment have not been able -to destroy their confidence in the goodwill of England, and they -believe that she has just given a superlative proof of it at -Czarigrad. Only the personal assurance of the British Admiral will -convince them.” - -“Backed by a shell or two, I suppose?” said Maurice. “Well, Armitage, -it’s very clear that you must be off at once. It isn’t only that you -mustn’t be caught at Skandalo, but we don’t want to give them a chance -to recognise the yacht if they meet her again.” - -“The ironclads will have to lie about a mile out,” said Armitage -reflectively. “We must hug the shore to the southward and slip round -them. There will just be time.” - -“And when you come back,” said Maurice, “bring provisions, whatever -you have to leave behind. We find that the Skandalo people have been -turning an honest penny by shipping all their spare supplies to -Therma, where prices are enormous, of course, while we have been at -our wits’ end to feed our refugees. We shall have to establish an -embargo if it goes on, for it’s almost certain that news leaks out as -well; but it would be horribly difficult to enforce, and make a -fearful amount of ill-feeling.” - -“Our recruits are not a success as police,” explained Wylie, as they -returned to the monastery. “They are most zealous in hunting -evil-doers, but then I have to hunt the police. Just wait till I get -my Sikhs, though!” - -“I say, you know,” said Armitage, “you fellows have really done a lot -in this short time. You’ve got the beginnings of an army, and public -works, and a judicial system, and you’re contemplating tariff reform!” - -“Until the British fleet comes and blows the peninsula out of the -water,” said Maurice. “Well, I never expected to fight against the -Union Jack, nor did you, Wylie, I’m sure,--but we mean to stick to -this job unless we’re turned out. To have got Greeks and Slavs to -drill shoulder to shoulder is a bigger thing than it looks.” - - - - - CHAPTER X. - THE INTERVENTION OF THE ADMIRAL. - -Before the long dark shapes, dimly discernible from the highest -point of the rock above the monastery, had been apparently floating in -the air on the horizon for more than a day, events began to move in -Hagiamavra. On the isthmus connecting the peninsula with the mainland -stood a village, or rather its remains, for it had formerly been -inhabited by Moslems, and these had required more than merely moral -suasion to induce them to quit it. It served now as an outpost of the -insurgents, and its garrison was surprised by the approach of a small -body of Roumi troops, accompanied very unwillingly by the elders of -the dispossessed community. Much elated by the prospect of a fight at -last, the garrison prepared to let the foe approach within short range -and then annihilate them, but the troops had not come out to be -killed. They remained in cover, while the wretched villagers were -driven forward, to be turned back in confusion by a few contemptuous -shots from the ruins. To the intense disappointment of the defenders, -the Roumis were not stirred to action even by this defiance, and -retired in safety, merely exchanging shots with them at long range. -The next visitor was a Greek pope from Therma, who came as the -mouthpiece of Jalal-ud-din to inquire the reason for the extraordinary -reception given to the soldiers whom he had deputed to restore the -evicted villagers to their homes. In the mild reasonableness of this -demand the insurgents saw the hand of the Powers, restraining the -Pasha from the vigorous measures he would naturally have taken, and -triumphed accordingly. The priest was sent back with the message that -the peninsula now recognised only the authority of the Constitutional -Assembly, and that no stranger would be permitted to set foot on it, -with the exception of properly accredited ambassadors. - -The next two or three days and nights were spent by the insulted -authorities outside in testing the reality of the Assembly’s -occupation. A steamer crowded with troops appeared off Skandalo, but -was fired upon both from the redoubt above the town and from the -water’s edge, and withdrew with dignity. Two attempts were made either -to surprise Karakula, the ruined village, or to slip past it under -cover of darkness into the interior, but these were frustrated by the -watchfulness of the garrison. The steamer foiled at Skandalo proceeded -slowly along the coast, sending a boat ashore at various possible -landing-places, but in every case an outburst of firing met it from -the positions previously selected by Wylie, and the would-be invaders -retreated. The exultation of the insurgents was unbounded, and their -self-complacency seemed to be justified when a resplendent dragoman, -approaching Karakula under a flag of truce, announced that the Consuls -of the Powers at Therma were desirous of offering their mediation, and -wished to meet representatives of the Assembly. Over the election of -these delegates there was much excitement, the general desire being to -choose the men who could be trusted to insist most obstinately on the -most extravagant demands, and on the matter of their instructions -there was something like a battle, when Maurice and Prince Romanos, -supported by the more moderate members, refused even to put forward -such points as the instant withdrawal of the Roumis from Czarigrad and -from Europe. - -The Consuls were admitted, with much ceremony, within the defences as -far as the slope overlooking Karakula, where the delegates met them. -The diplomatists struck a harsh note at the beginning of the interview -by declaring that their mission began and ended with advising the -insurgents to lay down their arms and return to their homes, allowing -the dispossessed Mohammedans to do the same. The delegates retorted by -presenting the demands agreed upon, which comprised the practical -autonomy of Emathia, the suzerainty of Roum being recognised merely by -the permission to keep a garrison in Therma and the concession of a -yearly tribute, which was not to exceed a definite proportion of the -revenues of the province. The Emathians were to elect their own -Governor-General, whose appointment was to be made by the Powers and -confirmed at Czarigrad. He was to be chosen for five years, with the -possibility of re-election; to have full authority to reorganise the -police and judicial systems, with the aid of assessors representing -the various religious bodies under his control; he was to be -responsible only to the Powers, and Czarigrad was to possess no veto -on his acts of government. There were other conditions, but these were -sufficient to make the Consuls raise their hands in horror. With one -voice they besought the delegates not to allow themselves to be led -away by European agitators, who would never be permitted by the Powers -to exercise authority in Emathia. The demands were absolutely -impossible, and to insist upon them would merely be to unite the -Powers with Roum against the Emathian cause. The delegates, proud of -their late success in repelling invasion, and sustained by their -unconfessed belief that England was secretly on their side, retorted -warmly that the demands represented the irreducible minimum they could -accept, and the conference broke up in disorder, the Consuls washing -their hands of all responsibility for the fate of such unreasonable -people. - -While the negotiations were going on, there was a good deal of -intercourse between the British squadron and the canny people of -Skandalo. Boats laden with provisions and sightseers plied between the -town and the ships, and steam pinnaces from the fleet disembarked -keen-eyed officers, who strolled carelessly up the steep streets in -twos and threes, and were politely but firmly turned back when they -attempted to extend their rambles beyond the actual confines of the -place. They complained indignantly to Dr Terminoff, who was again -acting as the Assembly’s representative at the port, and he -sympathised with them in the most friendly spirit. That new erection, -or earthwork, or whatever it was, which had altered the aspect of the -hill above the town, must be sadly provocative of curiosity, but most -unfortunately, knowing nothing of military matters, he could not tell -them anything about it. Both sides understood perfectly what this -fencing meant, and the officers retired to devise further measures. - -The day after the abortive termination of the conference, Eirene and -Zoe were working as usual at the refugee camp. The daily course of -lessons on the advantages of cleanliness was being exemplified on this -particular afternoon by a definite effort to combat the ophthalmia -which abounded among the babies, and Eirene was bathing the eyes of a -protesting infant, held by Zoe, in the centre of a ring of -disapproving women, when one of their guards broke in upon the -demonstration in a state of wild excitement. Two officers from the -fleet had just been captured by the escort, which had discovered them -making their way cautiously down the ridge, and ambushed them in a -hollow. They offered no resistance, and pretended at first that they -had lost their way; but when their captors proceeded to conduct them -back towards the shore, they confessed that in reality they were -anxious to pay their respects to the insurgent prince of whom they had -heard, and begged to be taken to his stronghold. To the guards this -was proof positive that the British Admiral was trying to open up -communication with Maurice in order to offer him the support which -they were persuaded England was desirous of affording, though -stealthily, so as not to allow the other Powers a pretext for helping -Roum. It was useless to assure them that England had no intention -whatever of acting in opposition to the Concert of Europe, and Eirene -was obliged to resort to stratagem to ensure the observance of even a -moderate amount of precaution. It was quite possible, she pointed out, -that the prisoners might not be British naval officers at all, but -spies in the pay of Roum or of one of the other Powers. If, on being -told that they must be blindfolded and deprived of their weapons -before being conveyed to the monastery, they submitted without -objection, this would be a presumptive proof of their good faith, but -if they showed anger or apprehension, it would be best to take them -down to the sea at once, and not lose sight of them until they were -safely on board their boat. It was evident that the suspected persons -stood the test, for when Zoe and Eirene prepared to return home, two -blindfolded figures, a man and a youth, scarcely more than a boy, were -being mounted on mules, giving no help in the process, by way of being -as troublesome to their captors as they could. By Eirene’s orders, -they were placed at the head of the procession, so that she could -distinguish in a moment if either of them tried to get rid of their -wrappings, and she and Zoe, following in the rear of the guard, -conversed only in whispers, that the prisoners might not guess how -near they were to fellow-countrywomen. As they approached the -monastery, Zoe turned to her suddenly. - -“Let us give them a surprise, Eirene. I expect they think they are -coming to a most awful place--a sort of bandits’ lair--and that they -have taken their lives in their hands. Tell the guards to make a good -deal of fuss about bringing them into the presence of the Prince,--a -savage and ferocious insurgent chieftain, of course,--and then let -them just come in and find us at afternoon tea.” - -The idea seemed to Eirene unworthy of the dignity of the occasion, but -Maurice enjoyed it so heartily when it was communicated to him that -she withdrew her protest. Tea was prepared, and the guards, not -understanding the joke, but perceiving that some fun was on foot, -dragged and shoved the prisoners up the steps to the gallery, and -suddenly removed the bandages from their eyes. Then Zoe was sorry for -her suggestion, for the dazed and astonished aspect of the two -officers provoked shouts of laughter from the Emathians, and she was -disgusted to think that she had exposed Englishmen to the ridicule of -foreigners. But Maurice stepped forward to welcome them. - -“Very kind of you to give us a call!” he said, holding out his hand. -“I must present you to Princess Theophanis and my sister, Princess -Zoe. This is Prince Romanos Christodoridi, my hated rival, who is -working with us in the Emathian cause, and this is Colonel Wylie, our -Commander-in-Chief, late of the Egyptian Army. You both belong to the -_Magniloquent_, I think?” - -The elder officer had recovered his composure by this time, and -introduced himself as Lieutenant Cotway, and his companion as Mr -Suter, both of the _Magniloquent_, flagship of Vice-Admiral Essiter. -In view of the nature of their reception, both appeared to think it -advisable not to enter at the moment upon their reasons for -undertaking this adventure, and the midshipman was quickly handing -round hot cakes as though to the manner born, while his superior made -small-talk for Zoe and Eirene, assuming in them an ordinary feminine -interest in the recent Carnival gaieties among the foreign community -at Czarigrad. It was a little difficult to know how to talk to ladies -met in such peculiar circumstances, but the naval man acquitted -himself nobly, and the rest listened and admired him. It was not until -tea was over that Maurice took advantage of a pause to say-- - -“And did you really face the journey up here to bring the ladies all -this interesting news?” - -“Well, you see, Prince, I was not aware that I should have the honour -of meeting them.” - -“Then you had another object? Was it official?” - -“Perhaps you would prefer me to state it in private?” - -“Not at all. We are all in the same boat here.” - -“Well, then,” Lieutenant Cotway looked round with a smile in which -there was a trace of deprecation, “the Admiral had heard there were -some British sympathisers with the insurgents up here, and he sent -me--unofficially--to see whether it was true, and if so, to clear them -out.” - -“By a judicious combination of persuasion and physical force, I -suppose? It didn’t strike him that you might find yourselves slightly -outnumbered?” - -“Why, we had no idea, of course---- I mean, he expected to find the -sort of people who come out and spend two days in an insurgent camp, -and then go home and shriek against the Roumis in the papers. The sort -of people that the insurgents wouldn’t be particularly anxious to -keep, you know. But this is a pretty big thing.” - -“You flatter us!” said Zoe ironically. - -“Well,” said the sailor, with a good-humoured laugh, “it’s so big that -I could hardly expect you to leave it and come down meekly to Skandalo -with me to be deported.” - -“Hardly,” agreed Maurice. - -“But old Point Seven will never believe how big it is,” said Mr Suter -meditatively. Lieutenant Cotway frowned, and repeated the remark in -more decorous language. - -“There will be some difficulty in convincing the Admiral how firmly -you have established yourself up here, Prince. I suppose it’s quite -beyond the bounds of possibility that you and he should meet face to -face and hold a palaver?” - -“It would merely convince all our people more firmly than ever that -England was to be relied on to back them up,” said Maurice. “That is -scarcely the impression the Admiral would wish to convey, I presume?” - -“The very opposite. But I am sure he would wish to meet you if -possible.” - -“He had better creep on shore one night, and be smuggled up here in -disguise,” said Zoe. “It would be an adventure.” - -“If it were only possible for you to visit the flagship, sir?” -suggested Lieutenant Cotway, with a polite smile for Zoe. - -“It might be done,” said Maurice. “Admiral Essiter is an old family -friend. He was with the Naval Brigade in the Soudan in my father’s -time.” - -“Oh, I remember! The Lieutenant Essiter who brought us home his -sword,” said Zoe. - -“Maurice,” Eirene broke in harshly, “whether you go or not, I refuse -to leave Hagiamavra even for a day.” - -“The Admiral’s intentions are dubious, evidently,” said Maurice, with -a smile that was a little forced. “I was just going to say,” he added, -turning to Eirene, “that I fear Lieutenant Cotway must remain here as -a hostage if I go on board the flagship.” - -“What would they value him in comparison with you? I shall remain here -with Constantine, so that the cause will not be lost if treachery is -attempted.” - -“It is to be hoped for your sake, Lieutenant, that your Admiral’s -tastes do not lie in the direction of kidnapping,” said Prince -Romanos, in his most languid tones. - -The sailor’s bronzed face flushed. “It is hardly necessary for me to -say that Prince Theophanis will leave the _Magniloquent_ as free as -when he came on board,” he said. “If I did not believe it, I should -scarcely consent to remain here.” - -“And if I did not believe it, I should certainly not go,” said Maurice -heartily. “I am glad to have the opportunity of putting the real state -of affairs before the Admiral. Even if it does no good at present, it -may be of advantage afterwards. But I think it will be advisable to -make it a surprise visit, for the going to and fro of messengers would -lead to the suspicion that something very different was on foot.” - -“May I suggest, sir, that you should leave me here to-morrow as the -captive of Princess Theophanis, and take Mr Suter down with you? I -will write a note to the Admiral by him, and he can go on board and -deliver it, leaving you in Skandalo. If the Admiral does not feel able -in the circumstances to invite you on board, he may ask you to give -him an interview on shore, but if not, then no harm will have been -done.” - -“Oh, but I hope the Admiral won’t be so inhospitable,” said Zoe, “for -I am going down too. I have always wanted to see over a battleship, -and I may never have the chance again.” - -“The _Magniloquents_ will be tremendously honoured, Princess. The -Admiral couldn’t be inhospitable to a lady to save his life. If I may -speak for him, I am sure he would wish Prince Theophanis to bring the -whole of his party.” - -“To give us a piece of his mind?” asked Wylie. - -“Possibly, but only in the hope of inducing some of you to back out of -this affair before it gets dangerous, you know.” - -“Ah, Lieutenant, danger is the one thing we have sought in it that we -have not found,” said Prince Romanos. “But count me as a visitor to -the _Magniloquent_, I beg of you.” - -“The more the merrier,” said the officer politely. - -“You must make friends with the monks before to-morrow,” said Zoe, “or -you will have a very dull time when we are all away. Perhaps Prince -Romanos will take you to pay your respects to the Hegoumenos now?” - -This suggestion broke up the party, as Zoe had intended, and Maurice -and his wife were left alone in the deserted gallery. He turned to her -quickly. - -“Is there any need to advertise our differences in public, Eirene? -Must you show your distrust of me so openly?” - -“You gave me no choice,” she replied, with quickened breath. “I know -how little interest you have in this venture, and how easily you would -let yourself be persuaded to give it up. I was obliged to show you, -before you committed yourself farther, that any pledges you might give -to the Admiral would make no difference to me.” - -“You are wrong. I am deeply interested in this venture, for it has -cost me too much to retire from it lightly. It has broken up my home -and alienated my wife from me. When we left Bashi Konak I knew that -there could be no ending to it but death or success.” - -Eirene’s lips were trembling. “You are so tiresome!” she said -pettishly, trying to hide her involuntary weakness. “You will do -nothing without being driven to it, and then you go further than I -should ever have asked you. Don’t you see that the Admiral would have -thought he had only to get us all safe on board and then sail away?” - -“Admiral Essiter? Hardly. But putting that aside, can’t you see how -important it is that he and I should meet? Zoe saw it at once, and -gave me just the help I wanted.” - -“Zoe is only a looker-on. All this is a sort of play to her. She has -nothing at stake, and can afford to make herself useful in -conversation. She is not distracted between a husband who won’t look -after his own interests, and a son whose rights must not be -sacrificed. I don’t believe she cares for a single creature.” - -“You forget you are talking of my sister,” said Maurice angrily. “As -to her not caring for any one, that’s her business and not ours. I -should have been thankful to see her happy with Wylie, but I suppose -there’s no chance of that now. At any rate, she has stood by us all -this time, and you would often have been lonely without her.” - -“It’s only for amusement. She has no real interest,” persisted Eirene -rebelliously. Maurice gave up the attempt. - -“At least,” he said, “I hope you approve of my plan of meeting the -Admiral, now that your precautions have obviated the risk of -treachery, if there was any?” - -“It will make the people more convinced that England is on our side; I -am glad of it for that.” - -“You seem determined to encourage these false hopes. My sole idea is -to lay the actual state of things before Essiter,--not that it will -make the slightest difference in his action. If the Powers decide that -we are to be bombarded, he will do his part without turning a hair. -But he will report our conversation to his Government, and those of -the Emathians who survive the fighting and the massacres may have an -easier time. They may not get me as Governor-General, but they will -get some one who is not in bondage to Czarigrad.” - -“They must have you as Governor-General,” said Eirene doggedly. - -“Not necessarily, even if we succeed. There is Christodoridi.” - -“He is nothing. I have taken no oath to him. Listen, Maurice. For the -sake of Constantine’s rights I have opposed you--broken up our home, -as you say. Do you think I would deal more kindly with that upstart -Romanos? Let him look to himself. If he succeeds, as you call it, and -you tamely abdicate your rights in his favour, don’t imagine that I -shall also be tame, and retire meekly with you to Stone Acton. I shall -intrigue, plot, inspire. I have the means, you know. I must and will -see my boy either Prince or Hereditary Prince of Emathia before I die. -I should prefer to see him Hereditary Prince, and you in your rightful -place upon the throne, but if you won’t work with me, I shall work -alone.” - -“These are things it is not wise to say,” said Maurice, very pale. -“Are you prepared to bring upon the little chap--an innocent -child--the guilt of all the bloodshed and civil war that you propose?” - -“No, no!” she cried quickly. “The guilt will be mine, and the -punishment. Only the success will be his.” - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - THE SYMPATHY OF EUROPE. - -A guard of twelve stalwart Emathians, armed with the European -rifles, escorted the party from Hagiamavra through the hills to -Skandalo the next day. Mr Suter, his eyes again bandaged as a -precaution against his possible return to guide an invading force -through the wilds, was in high spirits over the important part -assigned to him as intermediary between the fleet and the insurgent -stronghold. He rode next to Zoe, and talked unceasingly whenever the -nature of the path allowed it, explaining, among other things, why -Admiral Essiter was called “Point Seven,” an explanation which -involved the further explanation of a recondite question of naval -gunnery. When the riders came abreast of the refugee camp the -midshipman’s eyes were unbound, and he rode proudly into the town, -attended by one of the guards, and big with importance, though -refusing to explain either his night’s absence on shore or his present -errand, obtained a passage back to the fleet in one of the -_Magniloquent’s_ boats, which had come on shore for fresh meat. The -rest followed more slowly, and established themselves in Dr -Terminoff’s office, the house of the chief man of the place, to watch -what would follow. Dr Terminoff was delighted at the prospect of their -visiting the fleet, though for the same perverse reason as Eirene, and -declared exultingly that Nilischeff and his party would find -themselves altogether checkmated. - -“A boat putting off from the _Magniloquent_!” announced Wylie, who had -been watching the flagship through his glasses. “A highly superior -boat, too.” - -“Oh, it must be the Admiral’s barge!” cried Zoe, drawing upon her -recollections of sea-stories read in her youth. “Do please let me -look. Isn’t it splendid? Doesn’t it make you feel exactly like -Nelson?” - -“In a steam-launch? Particularly so,” responded Wylie, surrendering -the glass, which Zoe monopolised until the arrival of Mr Suter, -bearing a cordial invitation from the Admiral to the son of his old -friend to visit him on board the flagship. Going down to the renovated -pier, they were received by an officer whose uniform, as Prince -Romanos expressed it, “exhibited something more of ornamentation” than -that of Lieutenant Cotway, and who at once conciliated the scruples -and rejoiced the hearts of the guards by insisting that the invitation -included them. Welcomed, after the miraculously short voyage, as -honoured guests, the adventurers stood at length on the deck of the -_Magniloquent_, there to be received in state by Admiral Essiter, a -small spruce man with a plum-coloured complexion, and the air of -finding his own inscrutable thoughts faintly amusing. The expression -was probably habitual, not due to the circumstances of the occasion, -and Zoe had the idea that, like the protective colouring of some -animals, it must be assumable at pleasure, for watching her host -keenly at lunch, she saw that a look of anxiety sometimes took its -place, though the mask went on again as soon as the Admiral perceived -that he was observed. When the meal was over, he asked Maurice to give -him a quarter of an hour in his cabin, requesting his officers to -entertain the rest of the party, even as the astonished Emathian -guards were being initiated into the wonders of the great ship by -bands of grinning seamen and marines. To the Admiral’s surprise, -Prince Romanos appeared to consider himself included in the invitation -given to Maurice. - -“Your friend doesn’t speak English, perhaps?” said the host, -courteously waving Prince Romanos back. “Will you tell him that -Captain Bryson will show him over the ship?” - -“I thank you--Mr Admiral,” Prince Romanos was wavering between “M. -l’Amiral” and Maurice’s “Admiral,” which sounded to him disagreeably -curt; “but I understand perfectly. Only I conceive myself to possess -an interest not inferior to that of Prince Theophanis in the subject -of your discussion.” - -“Prince Christodoridi is the rival heir,” explained Maurice, as the -Admiral glanced inquiringly towards him. “I think myself that his -claims have not a shadow of foundation, and he, of course, thinks the -same of mine, but we are pledged not to fight it out until Emathia is -free.” - -“Which puts it off for a few hundred years or so? Well, if you don’t -mind his being present, it’s not for me to object. You are your father -all over. There was a story--I don’t guarantee its truth, mind--that -when the square was broken at El Met, he was attacked by an Arab with -a long spear, who gave him all he could do to defend himself. Somehow -or other, he managed to twist the spear out of the fellow’s grip. Did -he finish him off when he had him at his mercy? Not he; he waited till -he got up, and handed him back the spear to go on with.” - -“No, Admiral; that’s a little too stiff,” said Maurice. - -“Well,” said the Admiral deliberately, “I never believed it myself -till to-day. Now I do. But, pray, what is the meaning of the farce you -are playing in that old rat-hole up yonder, masquerading as a Greek -prince, as if your honest English ancestors were not good enough for -you?” - -“Unfortunately they were not English; they were Greek too, descendants -of the last Emperor of the East. I have merely returned to the -original form of our name.” - -“Merely? and what about your assumption of sovereignty?” - -“It was in response to a repeated appeal that I would place myself at -the head of the Emathian Christians.” - -“And who is backing you, if I may be so indiscreet as to ask? Your men -are armed with Mausers, and you have a Maxim or two in position, I -hear.” - -“Your officers must have made good use of their eyes while they were -with us. Yes, we are fairly well supplied, but we have no outside -backers. A member of my family left a substantial legacy to be applied -to the restoration of the fortunes of the house, and we are using -that.” - -“You mean that you are playing ducks and drakes with it. Why not have -bought up a South American republic, or negotiated with the Emperor of -Scythia for a dukedom, if a sensational way of throwing away good -money for the sake of a shadow was all you wanted?” - -“But it was not. What we hope to do is to free Emathia now, and -eventually to turn the Roumis out of Europe.” - -“A nice modest programme! Couldn’t you have found some less utterly -hopeless material to work upon than the Emathian Christians? I have no -particular admiration for the Roumi in civil life, though he’s a -first-class fighting man, but he is an intelligent gentleman beside -these fellows, who torture and mutilate and burn each other’s women -and children because one man calls himself a Patriarchist and the -other an Exarchist. Have you ever considered seriously what hope there -can be of ruling, except by martial law, a set of people who all -profess to be Christians, and yet can’t keep their hands off each -other’s throats?” - -“We have been considering it for years, and now we are trying an -experiment. The thing can scarcely be harder than to keep the peace -between Mohammedans and Hindus in India. Two things are wanted,--money -to keep us going until we can establish some sort of revenue -system--which we have--and a body of impartial police to keep the -balance between the creeds. There would probably be objections to our -enlisting Englishmen, but Colonel Wylie could work as well with Sikhs, -and he could get as many as he wanted, if permission was once given.” - -“Your intentions are as excellent as your plans are ingenious,” said -the Admiral sarcastically, “but you are altogether too idyllic, the -whole lot of you. The coasts of the Egean are not No-man’s-land, -waiting to be colonised. For a private individual to seize upon a -desirable peninsula and settle down to govern it is simply stealing, -though I allow that if it had been done by a sovereign state it would -merely be called annexation.” - -“It is an experiment,” repeated Maurice. “If we can show that it is -possible to induce Emathian Christians of different sects to live -peaceably together and to serve under the same flag, surely it is an -object-lesson worth trying on a larger scale? We hear a great deal of -the sympathy of Europe for Emathia, and the absolute impossibility of -showing that sympathy except in words. But you can show it here by -simply saying ‘Hands off!’ to Roum when she tries to turn us out of -Hagiamavra. In return for not being molested we would pay to Czarigrad -a tribute amounting to the present average revenue from the peninsula, -and acknowledge the Roumi suzerainty. If, at the end of the year, the -condition of Hagiamavra compared favourably with that of the rest of -Emathia, a larger area might be entrusted to us--perhaps the vilayet -of Therma.” - -The Admiral stared at his guest in exasperated consternation. “If you -were only starting with an entirely new world, your plan might work,” -he said slowly, “but you seem to forget entirely the various interests -involved. Europe is quite determined that there shall be no fighting -over Emathia--whether rightly or wrongly it’s not for me to say. Of -course a devastating warfare in the Balkans might wipe out a few -inconvenient nationalities, and sweep the map clean for some such -experiment as yours, but the Powers won’t have it. We shall maintain -the _status quo_ for a year or two, grumbling more and more every -month, no doubt, until Scythia and Pannonia are ready. Then those two -public-spirited Powers will unselfishly offer to divide Emathia -between them and administer it as it should be administered. The -Roumis daren’t protest, Thracia and Dacia and Mœsia daren’t fly at -the throats of their betters, and order will reign in the Balkans. -That’s the plan mapped out, signed and sealed, and when you set up -your personal ambitions as a bar to its realisation, you are simply an -impertinence to be brushed out of the way. The Powers will have none -of you.” - -“The Powers have sometimes yielded points on which they had declared -themselves absolutely immovable,” said Maurice. “Think of Minoa.” - -“There the claimant had dynastic support of the highest and most -extraordinarily widespread kind. You have not.” - -“My wife believes we can count upon the benevolence of Scythia. She -was brought up at that Court, and the Empress has been sending her -kind messages of late.” - -“All moonshine. They will fool you to the top of your bent, make use -of you, and then throw you over. No, don’t deceive yourselves. Reforms -in Emathia, short of the partition of the country, won’t succeed, -because they are not meant to succeed. They are intended to lead up to -that partition when the time is ripe, and disgusted Europe is only too -thankful to any one taking an endless problem off her hands. Scythia -and Pannonia can’t afford to let you try your experiment, lest by some -miracle it should be successful, and because we are acting with them -we shall prevent your trying it. Now will you let me give you my frank -advice?” - -“I can’t promise to take it, but I shall be grateful.” - -“Then look here. You can’t say that I have done anything to injure -your prestige in the sight of your followers. I have received you as -distinguished guests, and I’ll give you a royal salute if it’s a -matter of importance to you. Remain safe on board here, and I’ll send -a landing-party to bring off the rest of your people--Europeans, of -course I mean. You will retire with a good grace, and leave your rival -here in possession. He’s up to the sort of thing--it’s in his -blood--and you are not.” - -“Mr Admiral, you flatter me,” said Prince Romanos, deeply gratified, -with an elaborate bow. - -“No, sir, I don’t,” retorted the Admiral. “I think a quixotic -conscience is an unlucky possession for a filibuster, and I don’t -imagine you have got one. Moreover, you are a single man, and I -understand that Teffany has a wife and child on that forsaken -mountain-top, besides his sister on board here. Well, Teffany, will -you save your face and retire in a blaze of glory--of course to give -up all this foolishness and retire into private life for the future?” - -“No, Admiral; with many thanks to you, I won’t.” - -“So I imagined, since you are your father’s son. Understand, then, -that it’s war to the knife. I am here as the representative of the -Powers to maintain the authority of Roum, and I’ll do it. If your -fellows allow Jalal-ud-din’s forces to advance peaceably and recover -the peninsula, that’s all right. Also I shall not land men to take -part in any fighting unless it’s a case of rescue. But if your men -interfere with the landing of troops, or otherwise carry on -hostilities within range of my guns, I shall shell them. And to-night -a strict blockade will be declared of all the coasts of the peninsula, -and any vessel approaching with supplies of any kind, and not turning -back when summoned to do so, will be sunk. What yacht is it that has -been provisioning you so far? My midshipman saw that your cook wore a -yachtsman’s cap.” - -“You can hardly expect us to let you into the secret of our ways and -means,” said Maurice lightly. “Well, Admiral, we must thank you for -your patience and your warning. When the warning comes true, I hope we -may fall into no worse hands than yours.” - -“God grant it!” cried the Admiral, with startling vehemence. “Good -heavens! Teffany,--Theophanis or whatever you call yourself,--what -possessed you to bring ladies and children into this affair?” - -Maurice hesitated, and Prince Romanos replied for him. “I think, Mr -Admiral, I shall only be doing justice to my friend’s wife and sister -if I say that these intrepid ladies brought themselves into it.” - -“Ah, I daresay! poor ignorant creatures, expecting to find everything -made smooth for them, and every Roumi a plaster saint! But you know -better,” he turned fiercely upon Maurice. “What did you do it -for?--tell me. What possibility is there of your getting them out -unharmed?” - -“Simply that if we can hold out long enough, the Liberal Powers may -get tired of doing Scythia and Pannonia’s dirty work, and insist on -giving us a chance.” - -“Then Heaven help you, if that’s all you have to hope for!” The -Admiral led the way impetuously out of the cabin and plunged into the -group of officers who had been making the tour of the ship with Zoe -and Wylie. “If I hadn’t invited you on board,” he said in a shaking -voice to his guests, “I’d have put you all under arrest and kept you -here safe. As it is, I beg and beseech you to save me the disgrace of -kidnapping you by staying on board of your own free will. You, sir!” -he turned on Wylie, “how dare you encourage these absurd, illegal, -fantastic proceedings? It strikes me that you will hear from the War -Office before long, and to some purpose.” - -“Possibly the War Office has heard from me already, sir,” said Wylie, -and the calmness of the reply restored the Admiral’s composure. - -“Well, I wash my hands of it. I have done what I could to save you, -and as you won’t be saved, I warn you that you’ll have to take the -consequences. Wait! call up those Emathians of yours, if you please,” -to Maurice. “I presume that if they leave you in the lurch you will be -able to yield with a good conscience.” - -The guards were summoned, and stood ranged before the Admiral, with -obviously agonising efforts to recall Wylie’s instructions as to -attitude. - -“I wish you to understand,” said the great man harshly, “that Prince -Theophanis is engaged in an enterprise which the Powers have entirely -forbidden. This rebellion will be put down by force, and no mercy will -be shown to any who take part in it. The warships of the Powers will -co-operate with Jalal-ud-din Pasha and his army in restoring -tranquillity.” - -“Yes, lord,” chorused the guards obediently, when Wylie had translated -the speech. - -“I don’t believe they understand what I mean. What’s that end man -grinning for? Do you all understand?” - -“Oh yes, lord, we understand perfectly!” and as the Admiral turned on -his heel, the furtive grins became broad ones. He made no further -attempt to shake the determination of his guests, but as they were -embarking he put a note into Mr Suter’s hand. - -“Give that to Mr Cotway at the monastery, and tell him I will endorse -any arrangement he makes.” - -The incident passed without remark, for there was a general depression -pervading the ship. The officers bade the visitors farewell as if they -were predestined victims, and a faint cheer which broke out among the -men was quickly silenced. Zoe, always sensitive to mental atmosphere, -shivered as she sat in the boat, though the sun was only beginning to -decline. These impartial observers, who would have liked to help but -were forced to oppose, were so plainly convinced that nothing but -failure was before Maurice and his cause. And failure, in the -circumstances, meant----? A little frightened sigh broke from Zoe’s -lips, and Wylie turned and looked at her. He asked her if she was -cold, and she did not guess that he had read her thoughts until they -had passed through Skandalo, and were on their way to Hagiamavra. Then -she found him beside her mule. - -“I suppose,” he said in a low voice, “there is no hope even now of -your consenting to ease our minds by going on board the fleet--you and -Princess Theophanis and Con, I mean, of course?” - -“What! forsake Maurice now?” cried Zoe. “Certainly not.” - -“But think what a comfort it would be to him--to all of us--to know -that you were safe. How can a man fight his best when his wife and -sister are in the most frightful danger? And then the necessity of -dividing our forces,--the monastery must always be guarded, you know, -however badly the men may be wanted elsewhere. And after all, what is -to be the end of it?” - -“You would really be glad if we left you and took refuge with the -Admiral?” she asked meditatively. - -“Glad? I could sing for joy!” he cried. - -“Ah,” said Zoe, “if you had talked like this before, we might have -done it, but now it is too late. To escape now would be like rats -leaving a sinking ship.” - -“Then it is my fault--my cursed pride? Look here, Princess, have pity -upon me. Do you want me to go to my death knowing that I have brought -you two into all this?” - -“Oh, no!” said Zoe quickly; “I ought not to have put it upon you. -Eirene would never have turned back, even at Bashi Konak, and I could -not have let her go on alone. Nothing would have made us stay behind, -so that may comfort you.” - -“Pretty comfort!” he growled. “The facts are the same.” - -“Oh, but it is not your fault,” responded Zoe, with such evident -conviction of the efficacy of her consolation that he attempted no -further remonstrance. He was miserably uneasy at the prospect of the -future, and hailed even the necessity of a farther journey, when the -monastery had been reached, as a means of banishing thought. Admiral -Essiter had sent strict orders that Lieutenant Cotway and Mr Suter -were to rejoin the _Magniloquent_ that night, and Wylie set out with -an escort to conduct them to the edge of the insurgents’ country. -Shortly before reaching the point at which they were to part company, -Lieutenant Cotway requested Mr Suter to ride a short distance ahead, -much to the disgust of that promising officer, and drew close to -Wylie. - -“Old Point Seven is awfully cut up about the Princesses,” he said. -“Can nothing be done to get them away?” - -“Nothing. I’ve tried again to-night,” groaned Wylie. - -“Well, look here. I presume, when the smash comes, we shall be round -somewhere to pick up the pieces. Afraid we can’t do anything for -you--you see that?” Wylie nodded, “but the admiral will stretch a good -many points to save the ladies. Now can you suggest anything?” - -“Nothing short of carrying them off by force would really be -effectual,” said Wylie bitterly. - -“No last resort? no way of appealing to their better feelings and -getting rid of them in that way? Bright idea! why not kidnap the -baby?” - -“Because you would never get the chance,” said Wylie, laughing in -spite of himself. “His mother doesn’t let him out of her sight night -or day. But I believe there’s something in your notion. Princess -Theophanis has driven her husband to his ruin, but she doesn’t really -want the family wiped out, though you might think it. When things get -very black, I think it will be possible to induce her to escape, so as -to save the child. Yes, and I see how it’s to be done. You know a -place called Ephestilo, on the other coast--not the Skandalo side? -There are two bays close together. One looks like an excellent -harbour, but the cliffs rise sheer from the water’s edge, and there’s -no path up them. Avoid that, and steer for the next bay, where there -are pillars and things, ruins of a temple of some sort, and a fishing -village. There’s a reef of rocks which only leaves room for one boat -to enter at a time, but still there is room, and there’s a path down -from the top of the cliffs. When things get to the worst, we’ll send -away the ladies there by by-paths, and you can take them on board. Of -course this is supposing that we are not surrounded. If we are, it’s -good-bye, unless the monks have any secret passages.” - -“Not likely in this part. But I’ll back you for getting the ladies out -of the monastery somehow. You manage that, and we do the rest. We -shall be patrolling both coasts to keep supplies from reaching you. By -the bye, can’t you do anything to show us when we are wanted at -Ephestilo? It would be rather bad not to be on the spot, in case the -Roumis were after them.” - -“We might light a beacon-fire, but it would be difficult to -distinguish----” - -“It would, with camp-fires all round. No, I know what’s far -better--blue lights. I was going to smuggle a few books and papers on -shore for the ladies,--to the care of your medical friend at Skandalo, -of course,--and I’ll put in half a dozen blue lights in a box -addressed to you. Then you can burn them at half-hour intervals on the -monastery gateway, which has a clear view down to the sea, the night -before your last stand, and we shall be ready the next day.” - -“Right; and if we are unfortunately obliged to make our last stand -without warning--why, that’s one of the accidents to which adventures -of this kind are liable, and you will excuse notice.” - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - A BAPTISM OF FIRE. - -The day after the visit to the fleet found Eirene a prey to nervous -headache, and absolutely unable to leave her bed, the slightest sound, -even the voice of her little son, intensifying the pain almost to the -point of distraction. Zoe was frightened, fearing fever, and wished to -entreat Admiral Essiter to abate his righteous wrath and allow the -_Magniloquent’s_ surgeon to come and see her; but Eirene, groaning on -her uneasy couch--a mattress from the yacht laid upon a stone -divan--forbade her to gratify the oppressor by so abject an appeal. - -“It’s only because of yesterday,” she moaned. “The strain was awful.” - -“Why? You don’t mean that Lieutenant Cotway tried to escape--when he -was a hostage?” - -“Of course not. He was telling Con stories and cutting out a boat for -him all day--gave me no trouble whatever. But I had to think--if there -was treachery--if you were not allowed to come back----” - -“Well?” demanded Zoe, with keen curiosity. - -“I should have given him over to the Emathians and told them to treat -him as they thought right. And--a good many of them have been -brigands, you know.” - -“Eirene, you must be mad! You make my blood run cold.” - -“I made up my mind to do it. The Powers must learn that we are in -earnest. But it was not necessary.” - -“I should think not!” Zoe spoke with good-humoured tolerance. “Don’t -try to be mediæval another time, Eirene; you haven’t the physique for -it. Your amiable predecessor, the Empress Isidora, would have handed -over an innocent man to torture without a qualm, no doubt, but we poor -moderns don’t possess her nerves. Now I am going to take Con for a -walk and leave you perfectly quiet. But do, for goodness’ sake, put -these ideas out of your head.” - -Eirene struggled up from her pillow. “I won’t have you take -Constantine to the camp without me!” she cried. “He will be playing -with the children and getting fever. Oh!” and she lay down again with -a moan of pain. - -“I am not going near the camp,” said Zoe patiently, covering her up. -“We are going to look for orchises on the cliffs. One of the -fishermen’s children at Ephestilo gave me a great bunch the other day, -which she said grew just beyond there, and Con is longing to find -them.” - -“You’ll let him fall over,” protested Eirene faintly, “or the Roumis -will land----” - -“Ephestilo is the last place they will choose if they do, for Colonel -Wylie and the Emathians are practising coast defence there this very -morning. And the place for the orchises is in the next bay, where no -one could land if they tried. And I shan’t let him fall over the -cliff, Eirene. You know he’s always good with me,--not that he gets -much chance of showing it,--and of course we won’t even go near any -dangerous places.” - -Eirene, vanquished, turned her face to the wall with another groan, -and Zoe pulled the makeshift curtain they had arranged over the -doorless doorway so as to deaden the light, and went out to find her -little nephew, who was waiting for her in the gallery. He was a quiet, -serious child, reproducing, to her secret joy, in bodily and mental -characteristics the sobered Maurice of these later years, with hardly -a trace of Eirene. A cause of contention from his very birth, he had -developed a longing for peace and quietness strange in a child, and -was always on the alert to escape from his mother’s exacting devotion -to follow his father about, content to remain unnoticed if he might -hold his hand. Eirene resented bitterly what she chose to consider -this perverseness, and Maurice was constrained to discourage as much -as possible his little son’s desire for his society. “Not to-day, old -man,” he had said this same morning. “Poor mamma is ill, and will want -Con.” - -Zoe had heard this, and it was with something of unholy satisfaction -that she witnessed Eirene’s unavailing struggles to conceal the agony -the boy’s voice and movements caused her. He should have a treat -to-day, she told herself, and be a real child for once, not the -unconscious inheritor of strife-provoking dynastic claims. - -“Such a big bastick, Auntie Zoe!” he exclaimed, dragging towards her -one of the baskets used by the lay-brethren of the monastery when they -made foraging expeditions down to Skandalo; “and steward has given me -a lot of little cakes, all tied up in leaves.” - -“Paper havin’ run short, ma’am,” said the cook, appearing from his -sanctum at the end of the gallery; “but I thought maybe you’d like to -take some lunch with you.” - -“Thank you, steward; it’s a very good idea. Oh, Con, what a lovely -walk we will have! Now gently, so as not to wake poor mamma.” - -They crept down the steps and out at the gate, Constantine saluting -the monk who kept watch there in his own tongue, and receiving a -blessing in return, then out along the rocky path. There was no need -for a guard to-day, as the walk lay within the region constantly -patrolled by the insurgents, and Zoe felt extraordinarily free and -happy, in marked contrast with the gloom that had oppressed her the -night before. She carried the basket, and Constantine was absolutely -obedient, holding her hand and walking on the inside when the path was -narrow. As she answered his endless questions she scoffed mentally at -Eirene’s fears. What harm could befall the child on such a day? - -Descending the hills in the direction of the sea, they came in sight -of the bay of Ephestilo, with Wylie and his motley force hard at work. -Zoe and her nephew stood for some time watching, fascinated, the -stealthy entrance of a boat through the opening in the reef, and its -reception by riflemen posted at various points. Wylie was marking the -different ranges covered by the course the boat must take, and was so -deeply occupied that Zoe would not allow Constantine to run down and -disturb him, even to ask what was that funny thing he had in his hand? -why did the boat come in so slowly? why did the men only pretend to -fire? and a score of other whats and whys. They tore themselves away -at last, and walked on over the short turf of the cliffs to the next -bay, which presented a very different aspect from that of Ephestilo, -with its village of fishermen’s huts clustered on the slope, and boats -drawn up on the shore. Here there was only one hut, built of rough -limestone blocks and sods of turf, and looking as uninviting as the -reputed character of its occupant, a solitary man who had once been a -fisherman of Ephestilo. He had done, or been suspected of doing, -something that cut him off for ever from the society of his kind. What -it was Zoe had never been able to find out exactly, but she gathered -that it was some service to the Roumi authorities, who had been able -to protect him from the vengeance of his fellows until it gradually -became clear that his lonely and blasted existence was a stronger -deterrent against following his example than even his death would have -been. No smoke rose from the roof of Janni’s abode as Zoe and the -child went by it at a distance, Constantine holding tightly to his -aunt’s hand, for he had somehow picked up the prevalent idea of the -ill-omened nature of the spot. But the cottage once passed, all was -enchantment, for the face of this cliff was broken away in the most -fascinating manner, hollows full of rich grass and flowers alternating -with bare faces of limestone rock. From here the sea looked so close -that one might have believed the gradual slope extended to the beach -itself, but Zoe knew well that about half-way down it broke off -suddenly, encircling the bay with sheer cliffs and isolated needles of -rock. - -“Don’t run on in front, Con. Wait for me!” she called, noticing that -the space of turf they were treading was crossed in various directions -by footmarks, as if it was trodden not infrequently by some one who -was yet careful not to make a path. It seemed as though Janni must -have some eyrie in the cliffs, some look-out post where he spent his -solitary days, and she was by no means anxious to come upon him -suddenly. Constantine came back at her call, and in another moment she -was able to reward him by showing him that what he had acclaimed as an -insect was in reality a flower. Thenceforward she had no more anxiety -as to his wandering in advance. His patience was admirable, and his -method thorough. Every hollow to which they came must be absolutely -cleared of orchises before he would consent to go on to another, and -all the while his little tongue kept up a dropping fire of questions -on the natural history of flowers and bees. Working their way steadily -downwards, they came at length to a spot so thick with blossoms that -even Constantine’s energy flagged in contemplating it, and he -suggested sitting down to consider where it would be best to begin. -This seemed a suitable moment for bringing out the steward’s provision -of cakes, and when they had been consumed Constantine set to work like -a giant refreshed. Zoe was glad to see him happily occupied, for she -had caught sight of a ledge a little way farther down, on which the -flowers seemed to be of quite a different variety. It was easy for her -to reach it, but the descent would not be very safe for her nephew, -and she meant to attempt it alone. - -Scrambling down, and tearing her gown in the process, she was rather -disgusted to find that the flowers were merely overblown specimens of -the kind she had been picking all morning, but when she sat down to -pin up the hanging braid, she found that she was rewarded for her -trouble by an exquisite view of the entrance to the bay. The water was -very blue in the noontide stillness, and the cliffs rose straight from -it with a curious effect of being painted in different shades of -white. She was mentally cataloguing them when her attention was -attracted by something moving at the base of the headland on the -left--the one remote from the direction of Ephestilo. Scarcely able to -believe her eyes, she watched narrowly, and saw that it was a boat--a -boat creeping into the bay, as close under the cliffs as the depth of -water would allow. The evident wish of the occupants for secrecy, and -the curious fact that they should be rowing hard at a time of day when -all the fisher population were enjoying their siesta, struck her as -suspicious, and she ran over the probabilities hastily in her mind. It -could hardly be a Roumi raid, for what could one boatful of men do? -Perhaps it was a boat from the fleet, examining the bay to see if it -afforded any landing-place that would need to be watched in view of -the blockade. Secure in her conviction of the inaccessibility of her -perch, she sat watching the boat, until she saw a glass turned upon -her, and realised that her white gown must be clearly visible against -the grass on which she was sitting. Then astonishment seized her, for -she distinctly saw a man in the boat take up a gun and aim it in her -direction, but it was pushed down by another, and he did not fire. - -Zoe was very angry. Whether the people in the boat were fishermen, as -their caps seemed to show, or sailors from the fleet in some attempt -at disguise, they had no right to try and frighten inoffensive females -who were merely looking at them. Well, she was not going to be -frightened. She would remain where she was, and do her best to find -out who these intruders might be. When the boat passed beneath her, -she must hear their voices, for even at this distance the sound of the -oars was audible in the clear air, and it would be hard if she could -not distinguish what language they were speaking. It was out of sight -now, and she sat and waited, fixing her eyes on a tall needle of rock -which rose up close to her platform, and looked as though it had once -formed part of it, but was now, as she found by crawling to the edge -and looking over, separated from it right down to the water-level, as -if by one straight, clean cut. The sound of voices was so long in -coming that at last she grew tired of waiting, and, taking off her hat -lest it should be seen, she lay down and peered through the grass that -fringed the edge of the hollow--then drew back with a feeling of -absolute suffocation, as if the blood had all ebbed from her heart and -rushed to her throat. The men had landed, landed there below her, -where no landing-place existed, and one of them was beginning to work -his way up between the needle and the cliff, as though the fissure was -a “chimney” in the Alps. The boat, with two men in it, one of whom had -a gun, was rowing out again, evidently to keep her in sight, lest she -should escape before the climber reached her. - -Zoe drew back, sat up, and mechanically pinned on her hat again. Her -lips were saying hurriedly, “I must be calm. I must keep cool,” even -while voices seemed to fill the air, crying “Constantine! -Constantine!” She had brought him into danger, and she must save him, -even if it cost her own life. “Con!” she called gently, for fear of -attracting the attention of the men below; “Con, can you hear me?” - -“Yes, Auntie Zoe.” The roguish little face peered over the ledge above -her. “Shall I come? I haven’t nearly finished this place yet.” - -“No. I want you to be a very brave boy, Con.” She tried hard to speak -so as to impress the child without frightening him. “Dare you go all -the way back by yourself, to the place where we saw Colonel Wylie with -that funny thing this morning, and take him a message?” - -“Oh, Auntie Zoe!” the disappointment was poignant. “There’s sixty -million flowers here that I haven’t picked yet.” - -“It’s to do something for father, Con. There are naughty men who want -to hurt him. Tell Colonel Wylie that they are here in a boat, and he -must come round in another boat and catch them. Poor Auntie must stay -here till Colonel Wylie comes, so tell him to be quick. Don’t walk on -the nice grass, Con--it--it isn’t safe--until you get to the very top, -and then run. Oh, Con!” as the sound of something being dragged over -the stones reached her, “don’t take the basket. Auntie will bring it -when she comes. Think of father!” - -She sent the appeal after him despairingly, for she knew well his -tenacity of purpose. “And if any of the flowers fall out, he’ll stop -and pick them up!” she groaned to herself. How long would he take to -get to the top of the cliff? How would his little scrambling childish -feet manage to clamber up those slippery limestone slopes? If he -avoided the grassy hollows, as she had told him to do, his holland -overall would hardly be seen against the rocks by any one who was not -looking specially for it. She must occupy the attention of the men in -the boat, and keep them from looking at the cliff above her, whence -the rattle of fragments of stone as they fell showed her that -Constantine was somehow working his way up. She stood forward and -looked out to sea, as though watching for ships, her figure boldly -outlined against the green of the hollow. Suddenly the boat shot out -from beneath her into her field of vision, and she started violently, -making vehement gestures of astonishment, as though unable to credit -what she saw. Both men were watching her every movement, and the rifle -was pointed directly at her. If she could keep their eyes fixed on -herself, Constantine would be able to escape. Making a -speaking-trumpet of her hands, she called out the Greek “Good day!” -and inquired whether the fishing had been successful. The men in the -boat did not appear to understand, but they were evidently amused, and -returned answers which she could not distinguish. But they were not -speaking either Greek or the Thracian dialect used by the majority of -the Slavic Emathians, of this she was sure. She stood there, calling -out incoherencies in Greek, and receiving irrelevant replies in the -unknown tongue, until voice and strength failed her simultaneously, -for the approach of the climber in the chimney became audible in -grunts and a kind of shuffling noise. She had sufficient presence of -mind to wave her hand to the men in the boat before she sat down, -trying to look as though it was not because her limbs refused to -support her. Still apparently gazing out to sea, she watched, with -dilated eyes and panting breath, for the appearance of a red-capped -head above the brink. When would it come? and what should she do? -Constantine must have reached the top of the cliff by this time, and -now that he was safe, the love of life regained its strength in her. -She looked round once at the rocky slope above her, with a wild idea -of leaping at it and scrambling up too fast for the man in the boat to -be able to take aim. But it was so steep. She would have found it -difficult to climb at any time, and now she was trembling all over. -And even above it there was no possible shelter until nearly the top -of the cliff, where a projecting rock might hide her from the view of -the marksman in the boat. But nothing could shelter her from the men -who were climbing up. Could she pretend to meet them -unsuspiciously--disarm their hostility, temporise, hold them in talk -until help was in sight? If she addressed the first that appeared in -French, which all educated Roumis might be supposed to understand----? -But a moment’s thought reminded her that the first man was certain to -be Janni, who had doubtless discovered and often used this way of -reaching his abode, and who would let down a rope, or even a -rope-ladder, before his confederates would venture on the climb. And -Janni--dark-browed Janni, who scowled angrily even at little -Constantine, and knew no language but his own, which she only spoke -very imperfectly,--how could she hope to conciliate him? Could -she--would she have the courage to push him down when he was climbing -over the edge? For that moment he would be at her mercy, since the man -in the boat would not venture to fire for fear of hitting him. But no, -she had not the nerves for it, as she had said to Eirene so long ago. -“And besides, I don’t _know_ that he means anything dreadful. He may -be merely coming home with some friends,” she told herself by way of -half-excuse, and then laughed at her own moral cowardice. - -There was a sudden quickening of attitude on the part of the men in -the boat. The rifle was raised, and pointed not at Zoe, but at the top -of the cliff far above her. There was the sound of something striking -the rock overhead, bringing down a shower of small fragments, and -almost simultaneously came the report. Other bullets followed, and -then there was a report closer at hand--from overhead, in fact. -Something struck the sea near the boat, raising a little splash, and -then, after--but only momentarily after--a second near report, the man -who held the gun seemed to crumple up, and the weapon dropped from his -hands into the water. Looking up, Zoe had a fleeting impression of a -man kneeling at the top of the cliff, with a rifle raised to his -shoulder; but as she looked, he lowered it, and began to swing himself -down, taking a more direct way than the pleasant path by which she had -wandered with Constantine. Then her attention was distracted, for a -face surmounted by a red cap appeared over the edge of the hollow, and -resolved itself into that of Janni the fisherman, with a knife held -between his teeth. His eyes seemed to fascinate her. She could not -move, and watched in helpless silence while he drew himself up -gradually to her level. - -There was a click on the ledge above her, where Constantine had been -left. “Jammed!” said Wylie’s voice, in a tone of such angry disgust -that she nearly laughed, just as Janni pulled himself over the brink -with a final effort, and ran at her, brandishing the knife. - -“Take my hand,” said the voice overhead, clear and hard, and turning -mechanically to obey, she saw that Wylie was lying on the ledge above, -stretching out his left hand to her, while his right held the rifle -clubbed. She sprang at the rock, and scrambled wildly up its slippery -face. Presently Wylie was assisting her with both hands instead of -one, and now she crouched panting on the ledge beside him. Looking -round involuntarily for Janni and his knife, she saw that he was not, -as she had imagined, an inch or two behind her. He was kneeling at the -edge of the hollow she had left, fixing the end of a rope-ladder that -he had carried with him, and another man, with a rifle on his back, -was already visible upon it. Wylie whirled her to her feet, and -dragged her up the path. - -“He was not really going for you,” he said, in an odd, muffled voice. -“That was a dodge to keep me from coming down and preventing his -fixing the ladder. He knew that when once this thing had jammed I -could do him no harm except at close quarters.” - -He went on to discourse of the iniquities of the Mauser rifle, still -in the same curious voice, as if he was talking for talking’s sake, -without in the least thinking of what he said, and Zoe made no effort -to understand or respond. For one moment, as he lay on the ledge, she -had caught in his eyes the look she had not seen there for seven -years, and she could think of nothing else. She had not deceived -herself. He did care. Nothing else mattered. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - KNIGHTLY EMULATION. - -“I--I can’t go any farther,” panted Zoe at last, as Wylie -half-dragged, half-carried her up the cliff. - -“You must. But only a little way. As far as that rock.” - -He pointed to the projection she had noticed as affording a possible -shelter if she could reach it, and she let him drag her on. Almost -unconscious, with failing eyes and swimming brain, she found herself -seated on the grass on the farther side of the rock, and realised that -he was speaking to her. - -“You may rest here for two minutes exactly.” - -He turned his back and stood looking down the cliff, and she strove -painfully to collect her thoughts and to recover her breath. - -“Time’s up,” he said, turning half round. “Go on, and don’t stop till -you get to the top. Then run.” - -“But you?” she murmured faintly. - -“I stay here until you are at the top, of course. The quicker you are, -the better for me.” - -“I won’t go and leave you.” - -“Do what you are told.” He flung the words at her with a rasp which -would have at once awed the boldest and stirred to revolt the meekest -of women. Zoe was neither the one nor the other. She struggled to her -feet and toiled feebly up the path, but the moment she reached the -short turf at the top she sat down resolutely, excusing her -disobedience by the reflection that she could not have run to save her -life. She could see Wylie waiting behind the rock, but it hid from her -view the assailants who, as she judged from his attitude, were -crowding up the path to attack him. They were afraid to face him -alone, and he preferred that they should come at him in a body, that -they might not be able to use their rifles. Ah, there they were! Zoe -hid her face as the first man appeared, to fall under the butt-end of -the Mauser. Others followed, as she could tell by the sounds, and she -judged that Wylie was maintaining his position, with his back against -the rock. But it could only be a question of time. If they once got -near enough to use their knives----! She shuddered and grew sick, then -opened her eyes with a vague feeling that the solid earth was failing -beneath her feet. Yes, the ground was moving. Craning her neck round -as she lay at the edge of the cliff, she could see a sort of crack in -the turf behind her, slowly widening. Roots of grass, a thin layer of -soil, yellowish marl, the white rock--why, the cliff was falling, and -she was falling with it. - -“Colonel Wylie, the cliff! the cliff!” she shrieked, as she turned -round, and threw herself desperately forward, across the crack. Her -sudden movement accelerated the pace of the falling mass, and it went -crashing down as she dropped helpless on the turf, her feet hanging -over the edge. She must have fainted in the horror of the moment, for -she knew nothing more until she heard Wylie’s voice speaking to her, -and started up wildly, to find him kneeling beside her with blood -flowing down his face. - -“Sorry to trouble you,” he said apologetically, “but would you mind -tying this handkerchief round my head?” - -Her whole being rose up in revolt against him as she folded the -handkerchief mechanically. To have gone through such a scene with him, -and to be expected to ignore it! Then she realised what his request -meant. He had no idea that he had betrayed himself. The mask was on -again, and the blue eyes which had looked love into hers for one -moment had been forbidden to endanger his secret any further. But she -knew! He might do what he liked, say what he liked, leave undone and -unsaid what he liked, but nothing could shake the evidence of that -moment of anxiety intense enough to break down the guard which he had -fixed between his heart and hers. She smiled triumphantly as she -fastened the bandage. - -“I can only do it roughly now,” she said. “When we get back to the -monastery I will bandage it properly, as I did Maurice’s in the -brigands’ camp long ago--do you remember?” - -“Thanks. You are awfully good,” he replied without effusion; and she -knew as well as if he had put it into words that she would have no -chance of doing anything more for him. But what good were his -precautions now? - -“Please help me up,” she said, looking up at him with the merest hint -of reproach. “I feel so shaky.” - -He muttered an apology as he complied, and was sufficiently moved by -compunction to offer her his arm. “We ought to be getting back,” he -said. “Prince and Princess Theophanis will be anxious about you.” - -“Oh, but what happened?” cried Zoe, all the terrors of the past hour -returning upon her with a rush. - -“Why, Con burst upon me, like the little brick he is, scarcely able to -speak for running, and I sent off a boat round the headland, and -snatched a rifle from one of my men and came here myself. The rest you -know.” - -“No, I don’t. About the landslip, I mean.” - -“Your scream made me look up, and I jumped back and flattened myself -against the cliff almost unconsciously. The Roumis were outside, and -besides, they didn’t understand what you meant, of course. Some of -them were carried down by the fall of cliff, and the rest made for -their ladder with all possible speed. If they ever get to their boat, -ours is waiting to intercept them.” - -“Then they were Roumis?” - -“Undoubtedly. I always suspected Janni, but there was no reason for -arresting him, and he didn’t seem to have any means of doing actual -harm. Of course the idea was that these fellows should hide in his -house till nightfall, and then co-operate in some way with an attack -on Ephestilo from the outside, probably setting the village and the -boats on fire and creating a panic, under cover of which a landing -might be effected.” - -“It was very dreadful, I know, but--they took their lives in their -hands, and--don’t you think that some of those who were buried under -the fall of cliff may not be dead?” asked Zoe incoherently. - -“If you remember, I suggested just now that we should hurry back to -the monastery,” he replied with admirable politeness. “As soon as I -have placed you in safety, I shall return and see what can be done.” - -“Oh, but let us turn back and do it now. Let me help.” - -“Certainly not,” in a tone of such finality that Zoe did not venture -even to protest. Once again she smiled involuntarily, and when Wylie -looked at her with a mixture of astonishment and injury, was driven to -attempt an explanation. - -“I can’t help feeling rather proud that it was through me this plot -was foiled,” she said meekly. “Yesterday you were so convinced that -Eirene and I were nothing but a care and an anxiety, you know.” - -“I’m afraid I still consider your services overbalanced by your -presence here,” was the ungallant reply. - -“I am so sorry,” in a voice as though tears were not far off. “What -can we do to make ourselves more worth having? Do you want us to -fight?” - -“Fight? No! There are two women in men’s clothes among my fellows, who -give me more trouble than all the rest put together.” - -“How horrid!” said Zoe. - -“Oh, the men are awfully good to them, and consider them a sort of -saints. But they don’t drill--of course I haven’t given them the -chance--and they won’t see the necessity of it for others. What they -want is blood, like the old lady in Dickens, and they are always -haranguing the men and stirring them up to bother me to lead them to -the slaughter of the Roumis. They have wrongs to avenge, no doubt; but -it’s furies like that who make the men lose their heads and lead to -regrettable incidents when there comes a fight.” - -“Princess!” They had reached the crest of a rise, and Prince Romanos, -flushed and disturbed, met them with a rush. “What is this that I -hear? You have been in danger--proper care was not taken for your -safety? Allow me to relieve you, Colonel. You will doubtless be glad -to return to your duties.” - -“Colonel Wylie’s duty at the present moment is to see me to the -monastery,” said Zoe, angry for Wylie’s sake rather than her own. “He -has said so twice.” - -But Wylie failed in the basest manner to second her. “If the Prince -will allow me to surrender the charge to him, I will venture to leave -you, ma’am,” and he removed her hand resolutely from his arm. Zoe -could have wept. - -“If I didn’t care for you so much, I should hate you!” she said to him -in her thoughts. “But after all, it is not your fault, but the fault -of your pride. That is fighting hard, but you yourself are on my side. -And how sorry you will be some day for all the horrid things you have -said!” - -The thought assisted her to parry good-humouredly the anxious -inquiries of Prince Romanos, who could not understand how she could be -at all calm, far less cheerful, after what she had gone through; and -since he did not know of the cordial received as Wylie drew her up on -the ledge, she might well seem to him a remarkably equable person. The -Greek, who had been silent and thoughtful since his visit to the -_Magniloquent_, took her friendliness as a good omen, and was -encouraged by it to talk about himself, a subject on which he was -still brimful of recondite information. Negativing Zoe’s suggestion -that they should go down into Ephestilo to fetch Constantine, with the -assurance that he had met him joyously riding towards the monastery on -the shoulder of a stalwart Emathian, the poet claimed the attention of -his auditor with a deep sigh. - -“I am afraid you are sorry I was rescued,” said Zoe, for the sake of -saying something. - -“Not sorry you were rescued, Princess, but sorry--yes, desolated--that -Colonel Wylie enjoyed the honour of rescuing you. Why, why was it not -to the wretched Apolis that thus supreme distinction came?” - -“Because he didn’t happen to be in the neighbourhood, I suppose,” said -Zoe prosaically. - -“Ah, Princess, do you imply that you blame this neglect of his? Not -more than he does, I assure you. But from henceforth Apolis shall be -the shadow of Zeto. Never shall she look round without beholding him!” - -“Dear me, I hope not!” cried Zoe in alarm. “Think, Prince, your duty -is at the front, not with the non-combatants. You came here to fight.” - -“And does Zeto bid me fight? Then shall the sword of Apolis be doubly -winged with victory! What trophies will he lay at her feet! in what -imperishable poems shall be celebrated the fame of her who called upon -a _flâneur_ and sent a hero to the fight!” - -“It’s very satisfactory to know from your own lips that you are a -hero--or is it that you are going to be one?” said Zoe, much amused. -“But you mustn’t ascribe the glory to me. We are on opposite sides, -you know.” - -“Ah, no, not on opposite sides. Apolis can be opposed to no family -that numbers Zeto among its members. But there are possible -arrangements---- Only yesterday I received encouragement--an actual -promise of support--from the most unexpected quarter. Your brother is -above all things a reasonable man; I have his pledge to allow matters -to take their course.” Zoe was looking at him in utter bewilderment, -but he did not see it. “In the fairy tales it is always the Prince who -wins the Princess, is it not so?” - -“Not a bit of it!” declared Zoe vigorously. “It is just as often the -poor and nameless knight,” with a tender intonation the significance -of which was lost upon Prince Romanos. “And really,” sudden -indignation getting the better of her, “have you forgotten all that -happened at Bashi Konak? I am not going to treat it as a dream, if you -are.” - -“Princess!” reproachfully, “do you forget that I am a basely deceived, -an injured man?--that the woman to whom I gave my heart’s allegiance -proved herself the tool of my enemies?” - -“Of what enemies, pray? I remember you accused me before of having -employed some one to keep you from following us. Who was it? I want -this cleared up. Was it Donna Olimpia Pazzi?” - -Prince Romanos shuddered pitifully. “It is hard for the man who has -loved and been deceived to hear without a pang the name of the -forsworn one,” he said. “It was that miserable woman, whom I would -have trusted with my life, and who tried to rob me of my honour.” - -“But what did she do?” - -“I received a message entreating me to bid her farewell. We met--at -our usual rendezvous. I was surprised to find the time so much earlier -than I thought. We sat hand in hand, plunged in the ‘sweet sorrow’ of -which your Shakespeare speaks. It was indeed an hour of blissful woe. -Suddenly my eye falls upon a small travelling-clock on a bracket. It -indicates a time at least three-quarters of an hour later than the -large clock on the side-table, and I had already thought that I was -prolonging my stay to its utmost limits. I spring to my feet, I -proclaim my immediate departure. But she--that faithless -one--endeavours to hinder me. She throws herself before me, she holds -me with her white hands. Finding me resolute, she locks the door, and -before my face hides the key in her dress, daring me to take it. I -wrench it from her, in spite of her entreaties, her struggles----” - -“I suppose you think that was a heroic thing to do?” cried Zoe in -disgust. - -“Princess, she had set herself to ruin my career. I paused before -unlocking the door, and loaded her with reproaches, as she knelt, -sobbing, where I had left her. I refused to hear her. ‘You have -endeavoured to betray me,’ I told her. ‘Were I only a Christodoridi, -I should repay your treachery with death. But I am also Apolis, and -therefore I grant you the boon of life, in which to realise the value -of the love which I now tear from my heart. Live, and hate yourself!’” - -“Truly dramatic!” said Zoe. “Well, if that is the way in which you -treat a poor girl whose only fault is that she loved you better than -your career----” - -“Ah, if I could only believe that!” he interrupted, his face visibly -brightening. “But no, she set herself to betray me. She played the -game of my enemies. From whom could she have learnt of my departure -but from them?” - -“What enemies?” demanded Zoe again. “Do you still insinuate that we -had anything to do with it?” - -“You had excellent reasons, I admit it. My opposition to your brother, -my--equivocal conduct to yourself----” - -“Oh!” she cried in despair, “will you never believe that when you -turned your attention to Donna Olimpia, it simply relieved me of a -standing worry?” - -He looked at her with deep admiration. “Princess, you are more than -woman. I confess that I have not discovered in your brother the -capacity--the faculty, I should say--for such a plot, and if you -assure me that you cherished no grudge against me, I rejoice to -proclaim my conviction of your ignorance of it.” - -“So far was I from cherishing a grudge, that when once you left off -following me about, your affairs did not even interest me,” said Zoe, -rather hastily. - -“Ah, there spoke the woman, after all! That blessed little touch of -pique! But have no fear of me, Princess. You shall not be ‘worried’ by -your patient Apolis. You impose a probation, a test? So be it, then. -You shall see me emerge from it with credit, or die in the attempt.” - -“I don’t impose anything of the kind!” in alarm. Evidently nothing but -the plain declaration that she cared for some one else would pierce -the armour of this man’s self-conceit, and she had far too little -confidence in his discretion to make it. “I hope you will emerge with -credit, of course, but it has nothing to do with me.” - -“Ah, cruel! But since you will it----” with a deep sigh. “Henceforth -Apolis is silent, until his moment of triumph. Then---- But it is -forbidden. I understand. I am discreet as the tomb.” - -“A remarkably indiscreet tomb, then!” said Zoe in indignation, as they -reached the welcome refuge of the monastery gates. Eirene was waiting -for her in the gallery, full of excitement and anxiety, after -receiving her little son’s fragmentary and incoherent account of the -morning’s doings. The effect of Zoe’s narrative was to confirm her -sister-in-law in her fixed determination never to let Constantine out -of her sight again, his peril looming much larger in her eyes than -that to which the whole peninsula had been exposed. When Zoe dragged -herself away to rest at last, it was with the exasperated conviction -that her lot was cast among the most irritating set of human beings -that was ever assembled on one spot. Her sole consolation sprang from -the reflection that as she was the only available unmarried woman, it -was natural for Prince Romanos to fancy himself in love with her, and -that as soon as he returned to the society he was so well fitted to -adorn, his affections would at once be diverted to other objects. But -there was more in the man than a roving fancy and a colossal -self-esteem, or even than considerable poetic gifts, and this Maurice -and Wylie discovered the same evening. - -They were sitting in the gallery, discussing rather anxiously how soon -Armitage might be expected to reappear, and what means could be -devised of communicating with the yacht, in view of the close blockade -which had been proclaimed that morning, and which had already been -enforced in the case of several small vessels approaching from the -mainland, which had been ruthlessly turned back by boats from the -fleet. Prince Romanos was accustomed to spend this time in -entertaining the ladies, and incidentally the guards and a few bold -monks, with song and recitation, but this evening he joined the two -men, with a modesty of manner which was almost an apology in itself. - -“I am going to ask you to allow me a definite part in the defence,” he -said to Maurice. “I fear you have thought me a sad idler hitherto, but -I had my reasons. I observed that when I mentioned I had fought with -the Foreign Legion in the Roumi-Morean War, Colonel Wylie appeared to -think it but a poor recommendation--and I confess that I know little -about drill. But it is different in the case of ships, of the water. -There, Prince, I am at home. The instinct of sea-fighting is in my -blood, as your Admiral observed only yesterday, and it is in this -direction I ask you to find me employment. Colonel Wylie, whose -preparations are so complete, so far-reaching, has organised the -fishermen of the peninsula for land defence, but I believe he has made -no use of their boats?” - -“No, except as scouts,” said Wylie, interested in spite of himself. -The Greek’s sallow face was flushed, and his eyes bright. - -“Then commit this portion of our forces to my care,” he entreated. -“No, I am not mad. I have no intention of provoking a conflict with -the armed boats of the warships, far less of attempting to attack -those vessels themselves, but there are humbler ways in which I might -be useful. Even the blockade will hardly prevent our fishermen from -exercising their calling in their own waters. Why, then, should we not -make use of them occasionally to penetrate farther, and bring us -provision and news, perhaps reinforcements and warlike stores? But for -such work they must be trained and directed. Then we must--oh, pardon -me; I speak too boldly in my enthusiasm for my own element--should we -not possess our own counter-blockade? A service of fishing-boats -constantly patrolling our coasts to guard against a landing--if this -had been in existence to-day, there would have been no fear of the -raid which endangered not only our whole enterprise, but the life of -the peerless lady who calls you brother, Prince.” - -“We seem to have been horribly remiss, Wylie,” said Maurice; “and yet -we thought we were pretty far-seeing.” - -“Sea-fighting in fishing-boats is not in my line, I’m afraid,” -muttered Wylie. “But I’m open to learn from my betters in that way,” -he added quickly. - -“This very evening,” went on Prince Romanos, much encouraged, “I fear -an opportunity has been lost. I understand that the one Roumi who -survived to be captured by your men, Colonel, has confessed that a -fire on the headland above Ephestilo, simultaneously with one in the -village itself, was to be the signal for the Roumi troops waiting -outside in boats to enter the bay and effect a landing. A fictitious -conflagration could easily be arranged, and the boats lured in--to -discover, not the panic-stricken inhabitants they anticipated, but a -disciplined force holding them in a trap. Could?--nay, it can be done -even now. Will you permit it? I go to arrange details, to invite -volunteers. Follow me in half an hour, then I can tell you whether it -may be attempted. I have my plans--it is allowed?” - -Barely waiting for the answer, he sprang down the steps. - -“What’s come over the fellow?” demanded Maurice. - -“Can’t say,” growled Wylie. “He’s got something in his head, that’s -clear, and I doubt very much whether it’ll be healthy for you and your -claims.” - -“You old croaker!” said Maurice. “You’ve never trusted him.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - _IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO._ - -Something went wrong with the great plan conceived by Prince Romanos -for the discomfiture of the Roumi invaders. A reckless expenditure of -fuel produced a most inviting beacon on the headland, and a bonfire in -the village which endangered every house within reach, but the eager -watchers who crouched in their hiding-places on either side of the -harbour-mouth, finger on trigger, were not rewarded by the entrance of -any hostile boats. Very naturally they imagined more than once that -they saw some, and in defiance of orders, fired several shots before -they realised that their eyes had deceived them, and this gave -admirable scope for mutual recrimination when it was afterwards -discussed who had frightened the enemy away. Wylie stood alone as an -exponent of the highly unpopular theory that the Roumi prisoner had -deliberately deceived his captors by inducing them to light a fire on -the headland, which he knew was the prearranged signal denoting danger -instead of safety. An indignant deputation at once invaded the cottage -in which the prisoner was quartered, but he had saved the situation by -dying of his wounds, and the secret thus lost was unanimously voted -not to exist. The skill and foresight of Prince Romanos had prepared a -signal defeat for the enemy, which had not taken place solely because -of the impatience or nervousness of some excited patriots. These took -the first opportunity of cleaning their rifles and inserting fresh -cartridges, so that the accusation of having fired was bandied about -with a fine impartiality based upon the conviction that it could never -be brought home to any one in particular. - -This belief that Prince Romanos had guided the insurgents within -measurable distance of a decisive triumph--missed only through the -precipitate action of some persons unknown--smoothed his path when he -unfolded his views the next day. He asked for volunteers for coast -work, and the whole force desired to enrol themselves under his -banner, leaving Wylie in the rather undignified position of a -commander without any soldiers. With much tact Prince Romanos pointed -out that he could accept only recruits who had practical experience in -managing boats, and in this way he weeded out all but the fishermen of -the peninsula and such of the mainland refugees as came from the -coast. Still, even this reduction followed a curiously marked line. - -“I suppose you see,” said Wylie to Maurice, as he looked over his -lists, “that we are practically left with the Slavs, while all the -Greeks have followed Christodoridi? It’s just the old cleavage over -again.” - -“That’s bad. How has he managed it?” - -“It didn’t want much management--I must do him the justice to say -that. It comes simply from the geographical distribution of the -people--the Slavs generally north and inland, the Greeks in most cases -south and on the coast. It’s natural enough that the Greeks should be -the fishing people, and I suppose it’s merely a coincidence that he -has fixed on them.” - -“We can hardly stipulate that either you or I should be always about -with him, to make sure that he doesn’t use the position for his own -advantage,” said Maurice, answering the doubt suggested by Wylie’s -manner rather than his words. - -“No, you gave up all possibility of that when you handed him over a -share in the enterprise practically without conditions. By your new -way of conducting family feuds he has as much right to lead as you -have.” - -“We are both under you,” said Maurice quickly. “You are -Commander-in-Chief, and Christodoridi’s department of coast defence is -entirely subordinate to you at headquarters.” - -“I must show it by calling up the men for drill on convenient days. I -have an idea that their alacrity in volunteering for him was not -unconnected with the prospect of a blissful future in which every man -would fight as he liked. But it may be necessary any day to get all -our forces together. I hear this morning that a Roumi detachment has -occupied Ahmed Pasha,”--this was the village on the mainland nearest -to Karakula and the isthmus. “Very likely they intended a simultaneous -attack on Karakula and Ephestilo, but now they may prefer to advance -in force by land.” - -In spite of this forward movement, however, the Roumi authorities were -singularly tardy in taking any decisive step. Such news as filtered -through to the insurgent headquarters ascribed the delay to intrigues -at Czarigrad and to the divided councils of the Powers. Europe was -united, it seemed, in coercing the insurgents, since the British -warships blockading the Skandalo side of the peninsula were now -reinforced by those of other nations, but it could not decide to what -extent the Roumi Government was to be allowed a free hand. This -respite was of service in allowing Prince Romanos to organise his -scheme of defence, though it was dangerous owing to the steady -consumption of provisions, which there were no means of replacing. In -this particular also Prince Romanos proved himself useful. He had -fixed his headquarters at Skandalo, and he discovered that the wary -townspeople were contriving to make the best of both worlds by -despatching secretly boat-loads of fresh provisions to the blockading -ships. It could hardly be doubted that news was conveyed in the same -way, and amid the loudly expressed opposition of the inhabitants, -Prince Romanos requisitioned all the craft belonging to the town for -the service of the Constitutional Assembly, and bought up all the -provisions in store, and also the growing crops. The shopkeepers, -seeing themselves deprived of the high prices which they had been in -the habit of obtaining, were very angry, and the cultivators, who had -sold their vegetables to the insurgents with the artless intention of -selling them over again to the fleets, resented hotly their fields and -gardens being placed under guard, but the leakage was stopped. -Moreover, the fishermen scouts brought in now and then accessions of -strength,--a boat-load of sympathisers from various countries, anxious -to offer the remainder of their (generally discreditable) lives as a -sacrifice upon the altar of Emathian freedom, or a collection of guns -and ammunition--the ammunition never by any chance fitting the -guns--which had been subscribed for by revolutionary circles in -continental capitals, and brought thus far on its way by means of -lavish bribery of Roumi officials. They obtained news also, through -the accredited agents of Professor Panagiotis, who was working -heroically with pen and telegraph to impress upon Europe the -importance of the Hagiamavran experiment, and to discount in advance -the failure which most people predicted for it. He adjured the -insurgents to maintain their position at all costs. Europe was already -at a loss to know how to deal with them, and the situation must become -intolerable if it lasted much longer. Some of the Powers were already -threatening to withdraw from the Concert unless more stringent -measures were adopted, which the others would not allow, and the -brightest hope for the future lay in the prospect that they would -carry out their threat. Till then the insurgents had only to hold -their ground, repelling all blandishments on the part of the Consuls -or other representatives of the Powers, refusing any concessions from -Roum, no matter how ample, that were offered without a European -guarantee, and above all, remaining absolutely united. - -This last counsel of perfection was the more difficult to follow that -a distinct difference of opinion was beginning to make itself felt in -the deliberations of the leaders. Prince Romanos was claiming--with -studied moderation, but still as a right--the power of initiating -minor operations without referring every detail to Maurice at the -monastery and Wylie wherever he might happen to be. There were so many -small triumphs possible, as he justly said,--such as cutting off a -picket of Roumi soldiers, or waylaying a boat from the mainland on its -way to the fleet and forcibly buying up its freight of -provisions,--which would serve to raise the spirits of his men, but -the opportunity for which would be lost were he compelled to send and -ask leave before starting. Maurice hesitated to sanction these -measures, considering that the comparative leniency of the Powers, in -“keeping a ring” for the insurgents and seeing that the Roumis fought -fair, demanded that the insurgents should abstain from aggressive -movements in return. They ought to confine themselves to the defence -of the peninsula, and not attack either Roumi soil on the mainland or -Roumi vessels outside Hagiamavran waters. Wylie shook his head when -this theory was broached in his hearing. - -“Won’t work,” he said. “We can’t afford to stick to these rocks merely -as a moral object-lesson for Europe. Provisions are running out, -Armitage is probably hovering round outside the warships, trying to -nose his way in, and can’t do it, and if we go on passively resisting -we shall simply be starved out. Even a temporary foothold on Roumi -territory means a chance of adding to our stores.” - -“But it also means a larger area to guard,” objected Maurice. - -“Do the men good. They are getting fed up with the notion that they -know all that there is to be known of drill, and are practically -invincible. They are growing stale from too much contemplation of -their own military virtues. A few small affairs, in which they would -get just a little knocked about, would do them all the good in the -world, and possibly avert the general stampede which would be a moral -certainty if the Roumis attacked us in force to-day with artillery.” - -“But the Powers,” persisted Maurice. “They have really displayed -remarkable forbearance, and to prejudice our cause in their eyes by -acts of aggression----” - -“Prince,” said Wylie solemnly, “make no mistake. You can’t prejudice -your cause in the eyes of the Powers, because it is already damned -beyond redemption as far as three of them are concerned. You want a -free and independent Emathia and they don’t. They don’t venture to -deal with you themselves, because they are horribly jealous of one -another, and they have a haunting fear that England might suddenly go -mad and do something rash and high-sounding if they attempted anything -like the partition of Poland over again too soon. But they mean to see -you cleared out, and by fair means or foul they’ll do it. To sit still -and wait will only prolong the agony. Let ’em see you’ve got teeth and -will die game.” - -“But if we die, we want our dying to do some good for Emathia,” said -Maurice. - -“Well, and it will do more good to die fighting than preserving a -correct moral attitude on a pedestal. We have the shadow of a chance -one way, none the other. Not to mention that you can’t play -Christodoridi’s game better than by holding the men back when they -want to fight.” - -“What is his game--your view of it, I mean?” - -“To make himself prince and marry your sister.” - -The unhesitating reply surprised Maurice. “But Zoe won’t have anything -to say to him,” he objected. - -“I hope she will.” Wylie said it with the grim determination of the -man who prides himself on rising superior to his own feelings. “If he -brings off the other part of the programme, of course, that is. Sort -of compensation to you for cutting you out, don’t you see? Awfully -good for him, too. She would keep him in hand--might even make -something of him.” - -“I don’t doubt it’s being good for him, but it would be misery for -her. She won’t do it. Why, there was that girl at Bashi Konak--the -maid-of-honour. He flirted with her under Zoe’s very eyes. That’s not -the kind of thing a woman forgets in a hurry.” - -“You know more about women than I do, no doubt--better opportunities. -The question is whether Christodoridi doesn’t know even more than you. -At any rate, I’ve told you what he’s got in his head, and you’ll see -that I am correct.” - -“I don’t believe the beggar has the cheek,” said Maurice, unconvinced, -but a few days later he was reluctantly compelled to acknowledge that -Wylie was in all probability right. It was early morning, and the -party at the monastery were at breakfast in the gallery, Maurice and -Wylie taking the meal in haste between a surprise inspection of the -nearest camp and a long tramp over the hills which formed the backbone -of the peninsula, to examine the defences behind Karakula. Up to the -monastery gate came the thud of soft-shod running feet, and a panting -voice summoned the guards to open. A struggle seemed to follow upon -the opening, but the runner, a lithe young Greek, wriggled through his -opponents and flung himself up the steps. At the top he drew himself -up and bowed courteously all round. - -“A message and a gift for the Lady Zoe from the Lord Romanos,” he -said, and paused impressively. From the folds of his shirt he drew out -something scarlet and white in a crumpled mass, then shook it out with -the dexterity of a conjuror, and exhibited a Roumi flag. “Last night -it waved over the quarters of the Roumi commander at Ahmed Pasha. This -morning it is at the feet of the Lady Zoe,” and he spread it proudly -on the ground before her. - -Much against her will, Zoe felt her colour rise as she stooped to look -at it. She glanced at Wylie with something of defiance. “It’s rather -large for a handkerchief, and rather small for a tablecloth, isn’t -it?” she said, with exaggerated flippancy. To her utter disgust, Wylie -answered her only by a frown and an instant endeavour to remove the -bad impression she had made. - -“Did Prince Christodoridi himself secure this trophy?” he asked, -forcing a corner of the flag into her reluctant fingers. The -messenger, who had been watching with distinct animosity Zoe’s -reception of the offering, brightened again at once. - -“It is more than a trophy; it is a token,” he replied. “This morning -the Imperial Eagle flies over Ahmed Pasha, in the place of that -dishonoured rag.” - -“What! Prince Christodoridi has taken the village?” cried Maurice. The -messenger swelled with pride. - -“With the noble Prince as leader, we stole upon the place last night -in three bands, and took the Roumi dogs by surprise. The village is -now free from them.” - -“How many prisoners?” asked Wylie sharply. - -“None, lord. It was a sharp fight, a fight to a finish.” - -“I hope it’s all right,” said Wylie to Maurice in English. “We don’t -want prisoners, certainly, but I know these fellows’ ways. Did the -Prince capture the tower of Segreti at the same time?” he asked the -messenger, alluding to an old Venetian fortification near the village, -which had been used as a citadel by the Roumis. - -“Nay, lord, the noise of the fighting warned the garrison, and we -could not take them by surprise. But the Lord Romanos is even now -directing the digging of a trench which is to cut off their -water-supply, and then the tower also will fall into our hands.” - -“We will visit Prince Christodoridi this morning, and congratulate him -on his success,” said Maurice. “You can take the day for rest, and -return to him in the evening.” - -“Nay, lord, I will return at once, and inform the Prince that you and -the Lord Glafko will visit him,” was the reply, and refusing all -offers of refreshment, the messenger set out at once. Maurice and -Wylie followed on mules, noticing as they went the ferment caused by -the news of the capture of the Roumi post. Their own men were -crestfallen and resentful, the Greeks flushed with triumph. The old -schism was present in a form comparatively harmless, but capable of -being grievously accentuated, for the wildest tales of spoil and -slaughter, springing from seed casually flung by the messenger on his -way, were circulating everywhere, and the Slavs were asking why they -had not been allowed their share. Arrived at the isthmus, they found -Karakula practically deserted, its garrison having marched in a body -to Ahmed Pasha in hope of loot. - -“Pretty thing if the Roumis had landed now!” said Wylie grimly. -“Christodoridi and half our force cut off outside our boundaries, and -Karakula undefended. I’ll stay here and beat up what recruits I can, -Prince, while you go on and fetch the fellows back.” - -Maurice went on, to be greeted by a few stray shots from the ramparts -of Segreti, and to find the work of cutting off the water-supply at a -standstill, the men refusing to dig until they had thoroughly -ransacked the village. Prince Romanos met him in a state of mind -compounded of pride and disgust. His force was now engaged in testing -walls and turning up the ground round the houses, to discover where -the inhabitants had concealed their hoards, and the triumph of the -night might at any moment be turned into disaster if the garrison of -Segreti should pluck up sufficient courage to make a sortie. Together -the two leaders beat up a band of the men most amenable to reason, and -sent them back to reinforce Wylie, and then they set to work to -collect the rest and post them in the positions that were capable of -defence, since it was hardly probable that Jalal-ud-din would meekly -accept the transformation of Ahmed Pasha from an outpost of his own to -one of the enemy’s. Wylie must come and decide what works ought to be -constructed, and how far it was possible to overawe the defenders of -Segreti by fire from the village while their water-supply was -diverted, and Maurice foresaw that he would probably wish to take up -his quarters at Ahmed Pasha for the present, if the village was to be -held. Maurice himself inclined to the belief that it would be wiser to -withdraw from it, but Prince Romanos could not bear to think of -surrending the fruits of his victory, and they argued the matter as -they went back towards Karakula. As they approached the village, Wylie -met them, and turned the current of their thoughts. - -“There’s a boat coming in with a flag of truce--a steam-pinnace from -the fleet,” he said. “It’s a good thing you are both on the spot. I -have got together a guard for you.” - -They walked down towards the shore and watched the boat approach. An -officer in commander’s uniform and a dragoman disembarked and picked -their way across the rocks, with some loss of dignity, followed by six -fully-armed seamen. - -“Can hardly be an offer of terms,” said Wylie. “The boat has her gun -trained on us, too.” - -Arrived on level ground, the commander paused, evidently waiting to be -addressed. Maurice advanced. “You are the bearer of a communication -from the Admirals, sir?” he asked. - -“I am, sir,” snapped the officer, whose temper had clearly suffered -from the method of landing. “I am to inquire whether you think the -Powers have sent their fleets here to enable you and your followers to -behave with impunity as savages?” - -“I know of nothing that could lead you to imagine that we thought so,” -replied Maurice. - -“Not your achievement of last night? But perhaps you are not aware -that one witness escaped your infamous massacre?” - -“I know of no massacre. If you are alluding to the capture of Ahmed -Pasha, I believe we have as much right to take villages from the -Roumis as they have to try and take ours.” - -“But not to refuse quarter when it is asked for, and to murder sick -men in cold blood. The Admirals give you fair warning that upon the -first repetition of such barbarities, they will bombard Skandalo and -all your coast villages, and sink every craft on the coast. Also----” - -“Wait, if you please,” said Maurice. “The Admirals are condemning us -unheard. I am willing to give every facility for an inquiry. This is -the first I have heard of these outrages, and I can only hope it is -not true.” - -“Ask your people and see if they will deny it!” cried the ambassador. -“If you choose to associate yourself with such a crew, you must take -the responsibility for their peculiar views of fighting. In future you -will be good enough to understand that the Powers will permit no -further aggressions on Roumi territory, and will interfere if they are -attempted.” - -“Are we to understand that the Powers will also prohibit any Roumi -aggression on our territory?” - -“No, sir, you are not to understand anything of the kind. The Powers -are about tired of your impudence in calling the peninsula yours, and -it will give them great pleasure to see the rightful owners in -possession of it again.” This time the dragoman was the speaker, -somewhat to the disgust of his companion, who gave him a withering -look, but he was not to be silenced. “We have warned you, and if you -continue to resist, we shall see your blood upon your own heads!” he -cried. - -“I presume that I may report to the Admirals that I delivered my -message to Prince Theophanis in person?” said the naval man. - -“You may, sir, and also that I protested against their saddling me -with crimes of which I had not the smallest knowledge. The matter -shall be looked into.” - -The parties separated with bows and mutual ill-humour, the sailors -ostentatiously taking turns to cover the retreat of the ambassadors -for fear of treachery. - -“Then the man did escape!” said Prince Romanos thoughtfully. - -Maurice turned on him. “Then there was an organised attempt to leave -no witnesses, and you connived at it?” - -“We never give quarter to Roumis,” was the frank reply. “It is not our -custom, and never has been, and if you had been born in Eastern -Europe, Prince, you would understand why. They give none to us. About -the sick men I don’t understand; they must have fired at us, for all -the men I saw killed were armed.” - -“And the killing of the wounded--you saw that?” - -“No; I told the men to make all safe, while I secured the flag. When I -came down from the roof they told me they were afraid one man had -escaped, and we searched everywhere, but could not find him.” - -“Then the wounded were killed?” said Maurice. - -“Of course. But it was not as if their wounds were slight,” said -Prince Romanos eagerly. “They would have died in any case.” - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - THE TOWER OF SEGRETI. - -The next day happened to be the festival of a very important saint, -and it was of course out of the question that any drill should take -place. A burst of heavy firing early in the morning suggested that the -Roumis were presuming on the piety of the insurgents to make an attack -in the belief that they would not fight, but Wylie was able to -reassure his friends when he came to breakfast. - -“Nothing but powder-play,” he said. “Simple wicked waste of cartridges -in honour of St Elijah, or whatever his name is. I have put a stop to -it, of course, but the men are very sick. The Assembly is summoned for -noon, Prince, and I’m afraid we shall have a long job.” - -The Assembly was held by desire both of Maurice and of the men who had -taken part in the capture of Ahmed Pasha. He wished to impress upon -the whole body of insurgents the humanitarian principles held in such -high esteem by the Powers, and the heroes of the assault were eager to -defend themselves and claim the applause and support of their fellows. -They had not taken at all kindly to the indignant lecture Maurice -bestowed on them after his interview with the envoys from the fleet, -and it was evident that Prince Romanos sided with them in his heart, -though the sentiments to which he gave utterance were the most -civilised possible. There was a great deal at stake, and Zoe, who had -listened attentively to all the discussions beforehand, sat waiting -anxiously in the shadow of the gateway to hear what was decided. The -deliberations of the Assembly were unusually brief on this occasion, -but it was past five o’clock before she saw Wylie coming up the hill. - -“Well?” she asked him eagerly. - -“Oh, horribly unsatisfactory,” he replied, taking a seat beside her. -“Your brother and I simply lammed into the fellows about their methods -of barbarism, but they don’t see it a bit. Of course it’s perfectly -natural from their point of view. None of them would dream of asking -for quarter from a Roumi, and they have no idea of offering it. Why, -then, should they give quarter if a Roumi so far forgets the rules of -the game as to ask for his life? As to killing the wounded, they -themselves are just as dangerous wounded as sound--or rather more so, -since down on the ground they might escape notice--and the Roumis are -the same. And suppose they humoured your brother’s incomprehensible -scruples, what should they do with prisoners if they got them? There -was a wild ray of hope that he might wish to torture them for the sake -of extracting information, and they were ready to promise any number, -but that soon faded away. The idea of keeping them safe and treating -them kindly, merely for the sake of letting them go again, struck them -as sheer lunacy, and they insisted that there was no question of the -exchange of prisoners, because the Roumis never took any--or got any; -I don’t know which they meant to imply. It was no use whatever -appealing to them on the moral side, for they declared in all good -faith that Roumis were not human beings.” - -“But Prince Romanos?” cried Zoe. “He seems to have such influence with -them, and he can’t believe all these absurd things.” - -“I fancy there’s a good deal of the original Archipelago pirate left -under the Parisian poet,” said Wylie incautiously. “Not that I would -say a word against him,” he added hastily; “he stands in with us in -this like a man, whatever his personal views may be. As it is, your -brother has had to go in for simple expediency, very much against the -grain, but perhaps it made it easier for Prince Christodoridi to back -him. To turn the neutrality of the Powers into active hostility -appealed even to our children of nature as foolishness, though there -was some disposition to receive the warning as they did Admiral -Essiter’s on board the _Magniloquent_. But we got to a working -compromise--nominally, that is. I fear it only means that our fellows -will be more careful to finish off any wounded Roumis before we appear -in the neighbourhood.” - -“But they don’t seem to have an idea of discipline,” said Zoe -despairingly. “How can you expect them to obey an order they don’t -like?” - -“Ah, that is where our Sikhs will come in--when we get them. At -present the best we can do is to maintain order among the Slavs with -the help of the Greeks, and among the Greeks with the help of the -Slavs, so keeping the old sore open all the time--and with the risk -that at any moment Greek and Slav may come to the conclusion that they -dislike us rather worse than each other, and combine against us. Your -brother spoke his mind strongly on the refusal of quarter and the -killing of wounded men, and vowed that any man concerned in anything -of the kind after this should be shot without benefit of clergy, but -that’s a thing easier said than done. There’s hardly a man you could -depend upon to help arrest another in such a case, and if it came to -shooting--why, two revolvers are not many against a whole crowd with -rifles. The fact is, physical force is the only thing that appeals to -these fellows at their present stage, and your brother is coming to -see that they can’t be ruled by reason.” - -Zoe had turned pale. “You mean that he--and you--are only safe among -them because you are known to be armed?” she said. - -“Oh no, it’s not quite as bad as that. There is such a thing as moral -influence, you know. Besides, I believe our fellows themselves would -condemn to death--and execute--any man that tried to murder him or me, -if it was done in an underhand way, that is, not in the course of a -gentlemanly argument in the Assembly. Any one attempting to blow up -one of the warships would be treated in the same way, because that’s -the sort of thing the Powers might naturally resent; but they can’t -see why the Powers should take it upon themselves to interfere with -their domestic customs. Your brother can only back his orders by the -threat of leaving the insurgents to themselves, and in some moods they -would a good deal rather be without him. So we may yet find ourselves -in more danger from our own men than from the Roumis--certainly more -than from the Powers.” - -He stopped abruptly, and Zoe looked at him in surprise. He was pulling -at his moustache in an undecided way. - -“I want to speak to you on a personal matter,” he said, in a notably -unconciliatory tone. - -“Personal to you, or to me?” asked Zoe. - -“To you.” - -Zoe raised her eyebrows. “I can only promise to listen to you, not to -take your advice--which I have not asked for.” - -“I know that. You sent Christodoridi back his flag?” - -“Most certainly. I never liked the idea of keeping it, and when I -found it was the trophy of an ‘infamous massacre,’ I returned it to -him at once.” - -“Meaning to snub him as horribly as possible?” - -“Meaning to show him that attentions from him were distasteful.” Zoe’s -words came out with great clearness. - -“Do you think you are treating the poor wretch properly?” Wylie spoke -with the first approach to diffidence he had shown, and she triumphed. - -“Yes, I think I am taking the right and honourable course,” she said, -slowly and thoughtfully. “As nothing would induce me to marry him, I -think it is only fair to let him see it plainly. But really, what this -has to do with you----” - -He raised his hand, and she wondered whether the gesture spelt appeal -or command. He seemed to be wavering between the two. “You ought to -marry him,” he said. “It is your duty--the best thing for you.” - -“Then I am quite sure I shall not do my duty,” said Zoe calmly. “But -since you are taking this kind interest in my future, perhaps you will -explain why it should be the best thing for me?” - -She had herself well in hand, and spoke with extreme precision, while -he brought out his words with difficulty. She could have pitied him if -he had not been so persistently wrong-headed, so determined to make -misery for himself. “It is in case of trouble--if anything happened,” -he said incoherently. “If he married you, it would be his duty to take -you away from here at once. No one could think the worse of him for -it.” - -“Except his wife. That wouldn’t signify, of course. And you still -think I would escape and leave Eirene here?” - -“Oh, the Princess and Con would go too, naturally.” - -“Very naturally. And you and Maurice?” - -“Oh, you know what your brother is. I should stay with him, of -course.” - -“And now you will know what I am. I shall stay with him too, of -course.” The conversation should have ended with this retort, but Zoe -was incapable of letting matters remain as they were. The man deserved -punishment, and he should have it. “And now that I have answered your -questions, perhaps you will let me know the reason of your sudden -concern for me?” she asked. - -“As your brother’s friend--servant----” - -“Indeed! If you had said that the memory of old times, or the fear -that another deserving young man might be as badly treated as you -were, had made you speak, it would be a different thing. It would have -given you a personal standing in the matter. But to say what you have -said, merely as a servant or friend of the family, is unpardonable. It -is a piece of gross impertinence.” - -She expected an outburst of anger, but he controlled himself -admirably. “You can say what you like to me,” he said, and once again -Zoe’s heart played her false. Severity was obviously the proper -course, but she could not be severe when he was meek. - -“There is one other reason--only one--that might justify you,” she -said hurriedly, looking on the ground. “If you could say honestly, ‘I -have a part to play, and I have made up my mind to play it. I will not -be tempted to throw it up, and I am afraid of being tempted--I am -tempted----’” - -Her voice failed, and her head had sunk so low that he could not see -her face. If she could have forced herself to look up, and their eyes -had met, the barrier between them must have been broken down; but he -had time to recover himself, and his voice was harsh as he answered-- - -“You have no right to say that. Such a supposition is unpardonable. It -is a piece of----” - -“Oh!” cried Zoe, covering her ears as she recognised the echo of her -own words, and shrinking away from him. The humiliation of his -presence was intolerable, and she was stung at last into speaking -again. “Would you kindly go?” she asked, still not looking at him. - -“Forgive me. I was a--a cad to say it.” He brought out the odious word -with a fierce satisfaction, as if he desired to hear Zoe confirm his -self-condemnation. But she looked steadily away from him. - -“I will forgive you when you forgive yourself,” she said, and Wylie -left her, cursing his own evil temper, the memory of his past wrongs, -the present danger, and all the other circumstances that had conspired -to make him behave like a brute, when he had honestly intended to play -a high and heroic part. It had seemed such a suitable -punishment--well, not exactly punishment; say recompense--to carry the -unselfish sentiments he had enunciated when Zoe refused him long ago -to the point of promoting this politically desirable marriage for her, -and they ought both to have felt it an excellent arrangement. But Zoe -saw fit to object, and what was more absurd still, he discovered that -in his use of moral suasion he had hurt himself as much as he had her. -Very wisely, but a little late, he registered a vow to leave Prince -Romanos to fight his own battles in future. - -Fortunately for Zoe, she was not called upon to meet Wylie again for -the present. The Assembly, before receiving Maurice’s pronouncement on -the subject of the usages of war, had declared emphatically in favour -of retaining Ahmed Pasha and proceeding to the capture of the tower of -Segreti. Maurice and Wylie had urged in vain the danger of finding -their forces divided by a surprise attack delivered at the narrowest -part of the isthmus; not a man would support them in withdrawing from -the first spot liberated on the mainland. If Ahmed Pasha was to be -held, it was very clear that Segreti must be taken, since its -defenders, should they be well supplied with ammunition, could render -the village untenable. That they had not done so already was -presumably due to lack of supplies, since they had left off wasting -cartridges on long shots, and only fired when they saw any -considerable body of insurgents together, but this might be merely a -ruse. Wylie had urged that since the tower was to be taken, it would -be best to storm it, but this advice ran counter to all the instincts -of his followers. A frontal attack on an enemy ensconced behind stone -walls was out of the question in their eyes. A foe might be ambushed, -surprised, taken in the rear, but never attacked in front. The -cutting-off of the water-supply, now nearly completed, would soon -begin to cause the garrison inconvenience, and the insurgents need -only post themselves round the tower at a discreet distance, to see -that no one escaped. - -This last comforting doctrine Wylie opposed with more success. -Jalal-ud-din’s apparent supineness hitherto had inclined the -insurgents to consider him a negligible quantity, but they allowed -themselves, after much argument, to be convinced that he could not -possibly remain passive under the cutting-up of the Ahmed Pasha -detachment. His obvious objective was the tower of Segreti, since to -relieve that would mean also the recapture of the village, while to -allow the garrison to be annihilated would expose him to eternal -disgrace--as well as to very mundane penalties from his master. This -fact having been impressed upon the minds of the Assembly, Wylie was -empowered to take such means, short of storming the tower, as -commended themselves to him for repulsing the expected Roumi force, -and he transferred his headquarters to Ahmed Pasha the same evening. -His first duty on the morrow was to try and induce the garrison of the -tower to surrender, which he did by pointing out that their water was -now cut off, and that they must be short both of provisions and -ammunition. Their reply was simply to invite him to come up and attack -them, assuring him that they had plenty of ammunition left to repel -any force he could muster. In the meantime they jeered both at his -promise of a safe-conduct to the Roumi lines if they surrendered, and -his warnings of their certain fate if they remained obstinate. Since -nothing would induce his unsatisfactory and independent troops to -embark upon the series of harassing night assaults and feigned attacks -with which he would have tried to tire out the defenders and exhaust -their stores, his only hope was to prepare a warm reception for the -relieving force. - -In this course he had the satisfaction of finding that his men were -thoroughly with him. A guerilla warfare was something they could -understand, and his previous training had sharpened their natural -faculty for taking advantage of the rugged nature of the country. -There were two possible ways of approach for a force coming from the -direction of Therma--one by paths through the hills, the other along -the sea-shore--and under Wylie’s orders the insurgents rendered both -as difficult as possible. The work on the shore had to be conducted -with the greatest secrecy, in view of the presence of the warships, -which were apt to turn their search-lights landwards at inconvenient -moments during the night; but the track was already so rough, and so -frequently interrupted by projecting headlands, that there was little -likelihood of its being chosen for the advance. More attention was -therefore bestowed on the inland route, and the two days which were -all the breathing-space that Jalal-ud-din allowed his foes were turned -to good account. Great excitement prevailed on the third night after -the capture, when Wylie’s scouts came in to announce that a column was -actually advancing with the Pasha himself in command, and that it was -guarding a train of baggage-animals conveying supplies for the -garrison of Segreti. Wylie made a final inspection of his force, saw -that the members of the various bands were at the posts he had -assigned them, and not at those to which their own sweet will -inclined, and hurried back for a final conference with Maurice, who -was in command at Karakula, lest the moment of the fight should be -chosen for an attack upon the isthmus. - -The day that followed was a long and exciting one. It seemed that -Jalal-ud-din Pasha imagined that the mere sight of his array was -sufficient to quell opposition, for he disdained to take the obvious -precaution of searching the country ahead of him and on either side of -his line of march. Therefore his progress was a succession of small -fights. A burst of firing from a scarcely discernible trench on a -hillside, or from a thicket that looked too small to shelter a single -rifleman; then a halt, during which his troops blazed away lustily, -while a detachment detailed for the purpose climbed the hill -laboriously to clear out the hornets’ nest, and returned disappointed -to report that the assailants had vanished. The number of wounded -increased steadily, and the nerves even of the stolid Roumi -rank-and-file became affected. There was no opportunity of catching -the insurgents in a body, and it was very rarely that even an odd man -or two showed themselves. Jalal-ud-din set his teeth and continued to -advance. Once through these defiles, his force could sweep away -anything that ventured to oppose it, and Segreti must be relieved, -even if it were not now as dangerous to turn back as to go on. One -more long narrow valley, and the relieving column would emerge on the -comparatively level ground round Ahmed Pasha. - -This last valley was full of terrors for the Roumi troops. There was -no more haphazard firing from the heights; each man here was a -marksman, and each bullet found its billet, until no attempt was made -to care for the wounded as they fell, for the common impulse to get -through and get out hurried every man on. It was a demoralised and -disorderly body of men, encumbered and mixed up with driverless mules -and horses which had lost their riders, that approached the mouth of -the valley at last. The only way open before them was the one leading -to the shore, for that to Ahmed Pasha was blocked by a rough barricade -of earth, stones, sods, anything that could be obtained, and from it -there broke a hail of fire, utterly unexpected. Jalal-ud-din tried to -rally his men, but this last surprise was too much for them, and they -hurried panic-stricken down the road to the shore, still galled by the -fire from the barricade, which did terrible execution upon the mass -pressed together in the narrow space. On the shore things were no -better, for bullets came from the cliffs behind and the walls and -roofs of Ahmed Pasha away to the left, while the defenders of the -barricade were beginning to climb over it and form themselves into a -line in front. - -This was the crucial moment for Wylie’s scheme. Mere slaughter was not -what he aimed at. If the provisions and stores convoyed by the column -could be secured, Jalal-ud-din and the remains of his force were free -to make the best of their way home by the beach. The insurgents’ -orders were to strike for the baggage-animals, and let the soldiers -alone unless they tried to make a stand, and if they had obeyed them a -notable triumph might have been secured. But the sight of the -hereditary foe, confused and in retreat, was too much for the -mountaineers, and instead of following Wylie into the thickest of the -press, they swerved, as if by instinct, to the right, so as to cut off -the Roumi retreat. In the wild _mêlée_ which ensued all order was -lost, and every man fought the nearest available foe with cold steel, -for rifles were useless, save as clubs. Wylie, escaping imminent death -over and over again almost by a miracle, used voice and whistle in -vain to call off his men, but what he could not do was effected by an -outside agent. There was a distant boom, and something came singing -overhead, at the sound of which the Roumis promptly flung themselves -on the ground. The insurgents, conspicuous in their white kilts or -grey homespun among the darker uniforms, stared at them in amazement, -but were about to take full advantage of their unlooked-for cowardice -when there came another boom, and something fell into the mass of men -on the right of the fight and exploded. Wylie was the first to realise -what had happened. The Admirals had fulfilled their threat, and were -shelling the rebels who had ventured to pass the limit they had laid -down. All the ships in sight were firing now, the _Magniloquent_, as -the nearest, leading, and dropping her shells, with terrible -precision, exactly where the insurgents were thickest. For a moment -they looked about them with a kind of stupid wonder, then, as Wylie -had always known they would do if confronted with modern artillery, -they broke and fled wildly, with shrieks and cries, the warships -completing their discomfiture by planting more shells wherever ten or -a dozen men ran together. Rather by good fortune than calculation, a -considerable number sought refuge in the mouth of the valley through -which the Roumis had come, and here, where shells could only be -dropped by guesswork, Wylie got them into some sort of order, pointing -out that Jalal-ud-din must run the gauntlet of their fire even now to -reach Segreti. - -The firing from the ships ceased, and Wylie expected every moment to -see the head of the Roumi column appear, but he waited in vain. At -last, followed in fear and trembling by one bold man, he crept out to -reconnoitre, but to his astonishment found the scene of the battle -left solitary. Looking along the seaside road to the right, he saw in -the distance a disorderly crowd making its way back towards Therma. -Jalal-ud-din’s force was in retreat, considering discretion the better -part of valour in spite of the assistance of the ships. Another shell -buried itself in the sand unpleasantly near Wylie and his kilted -companion, and he returned hastily to his men, sending orders to Ahmed -Pasha that a white flag was to be hoisted while he led the search for -the dead and wounded. Segreti was not relieved, at any rate, but the -supplies for which he had hoped were irrevocably lost, and the -warships of the Powers had fired upon the insurgents. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - THE CONSULS TO THE RESCUE. - -The confusion that prevailed in Ahmed Pasha after the fight was -nothing short of sickening to the orderly English mind. The mass of -the insurgents thought of nothing but holding an Assembly of their -own, and shouting their grievances into one another’s sympathetic -ears, and at last, in disgust, Wylie left them to do it. Maurice and -Dr Terminoff, with a score of men carrying litters, came hurrying from -Karakula, and with a few members of Wylie’s force who were able to -conquer the desire to talk, set to work to care for the wounded. Each -man, as soon as his hurts had been hastily bandaged, was sent to the -rear, which meant Eirene’s hospital at Skandalo--a long journey either -on mule-back or by litter, but there was no guarantee of even -temporary safety at this end of the peninsula. Maurice and Dr -Terminoff convoyed the long train of bearers, and Wylie, finding that -his forces were still too much inebriated with their own verbosity to -have any leisure for their military duties, took advantage of the fact -to look after the Roumi wounded. There were not many of these, but he -had placed several carefully in a sheltered spot near the shore, and -he knew there must be more in the valley. These he brought out and -laid near the rest, with the obedient but unwilling help of the few -men who had stuck to him, and leaving them guarded, beckoned Prince -Romanos quietly out of the Assembly, which had now, by sunset, reached -the pitch of excitement at which every one tried to speak at once. - -“I am off to the fleet, to get them to take the Roumi wounded on -board,” he said. “Keep these fellows on the talk, until they’re got -rid of.” - -“But they will shoot you at sight,” objected Prince Romanos. “And who -will row you out to the ships?” - -“No one--not even one of my own men. I must row myself as best I can. -But one man alone won’t look very alarming. They’ll hardly fire.” - -“My man Petros shall row you. He won’t like it, but he’ll do it for -me. You are wise, to send the poor wretches off before our friends -remember them.” - -“The only chance,” agreed Wylie, and presently Prince Romanos helped -him to drag a small boat down to the beach, and he was soon being -rowed towards the fleet by the deeply disapproving Petros, who -objected equally to the errand, the darkness, and the danger. - -“Halt! What boat’s that?” came a challenge, and a shape loomed up -close to the little vessel, not the huge towering bulk of one of the -warships, but a picket-boat which was patrolling the neighbourhood of -the fleet. The precaution surprised Wylie, until he remembered that -dynamite had always been one of the favourite weapons of the -insurgents in their career on the mainland, and that the Powers could -hardly imagine themselves to be enthusiastically beloved at this -particular moment. He explained his errand, and the officer in the -boat listened with surprise and evident incredulity, exchanging a few -sentences with a subordinate, among which the words, “Trap. Pay us out -for this afternoon,” were clearly audible. - -“I am an Englishman myself--a British officer until two months ago,” -said Wylie, and a lantern was flashed suddenly in his face. The -scrutiny seemed to be satisfactory, for the lantern was turned to -another use by being employed to flash signals to the nearest ship, -and presently a steam-pinnace came swishing and panting through the -darkness, bearing the commander who had carried the Admirals’ -remonstrance a few days before, and who was now charged, as he pointed -out, strictly to report upon the state of affairs. He invited Wylie -into the pinnace, and ordered his boat to be towed behind, but his -manner was the reverse of cordial. - -“The Admiral has a high opinion of your impudence in asking us to do -your dirty work for you,” he said. “Why don’t you foot your own -butchers’ bill?” - -“Our fellows are quite ready to do it,” returned Wylie in his driest -tone. “Unfortunately, the Powers would hardly approve of their -methods.” - -“If you imagine we are going to help you out of the difficulties you -get into through being unable to control your associates----” began -the officer pugnaciously. - -“Not at all. I propose to show you the Roumi wounded, whom Prince -Theophanis and I have collected out of all sorts of places--there are -fifteen of them. You will be good enough to satisfy yourself that they -have been treated as well as the absence of proper appliances permits. -If you take them on board, there will be no more trouble on the score -of humanity. If you refuse--well, the Prince and I and a few of our -men will protect them if we can, but the responsibility will not be -ours. And they must share with us such food as we have, and we are on -short commons already.” - -The commander grunted, and on reaching the shore followed Wylie in -silence. He looked narrowly at the wounded Roumis lying behind their -screen of bushes, jerked out a question or two, and turned to Wylie -again. - -“I’ll take ’em,” he said. “It’s not strictly correct, but your Prince -and you seem decent fellows, and there’s no need to let you in for -worse than you’re in for already.” - -“Lord!” It was Petros, who stood, breathing hard, at Wylie’s side; “a -word from the Lord Romanos. He said, ‘Tell the Lord Glafko that they -are brandishing their rifles. They will not talk much longer.’” - -“No time to lose,” said Wylie, and he and the commander laid etiquette -aside and worked with the sailors from the pinnace in carrying the -wounded on board. Before the work was half done, torches began to move -about in the direction of Ahmed Pasha, and shouts were heard. - -“They have remembered, and are coming to search the battlefield,” said -Wylie. “Heaven send they may go to the valley first!” - -The torches were wandering in all directions, towards the valley and -the barricade, and also towards the scene of the fight on the shore, -across which the bearers were passing with their helpless burdens. - -“Go on and get done as quick as you can,” said Wylie to the commander. -“I’ll lead them astray.” - -The Roumi dead had been laid near the barricade, ready for burial on -the morrow, and Wylie shouted to the advancing warriors, asking if -they sought them. As they followed his voice, he led them away from -the beach, but to his surprise they seemed to have no thought of the -foe, whether dead or alive. They pressed round him and hustled him -back against the barricade, the construction of which he had himself -superintended the day before. - -“Traitor! You and your master have betrayed us to the Europeans!” was -the cry, as the torchlight flickered on the fierce faces. - -“There has been no betrayal,” said Wylie sharply. “You were warned -that the warships would fire if we fought on Roumi territory, but you -chose to do it.” - -“You led us to the shore. You had covenanted with the Admirals to -betray us!” - -“Right--oh!” came a long-drawn shout from the shore. “Can we take you -on board, Colonel?” - -Then the wounded were safe. Wylie sent back a ringing “No, thanks. -Good night!” putting his hands to his mouth, and turned again to his -accusers. But their attention had been diverted from him for the -moment. - -“Europeans--here!” was the cry, and for an instant there was every -prospect of a stampede. The bombardment of the afternoon had left its -mark. But in the silence the sound of the pinnace’s engine as she -steamed away was distinctly audible, and it was obviously retreating. - -“Glafko’s friends came to rescue him,” suggested some one. “They are -frightened, and have gone away.” The inference was clear. Glafko was -defenceless; and the rush of accusations came shrill and confused. -Maurice and Wylie were agents of the Powers for betraying the -insurgents to Roum. They were agents of Roum for betraying them to the -Powers. They were escaped criminals, who had excited such violent -resentment in the breasts of the Powers that their presence among the -innocent Emathians brought down punishment upon them also. The various -charges clashed hopelessly, but the general result was universally -accepted. Wylie had been instrumental in inducing the guileless -insurgents to expect the sympathy of the Powers, and had led them to -expose themselves to a treacherous attack. Defence was as useless as -it would have been inaudible, for the insurgents were as ready to -forget as they had shown themselves unable to appreciate the many -warnings they had received against relying on the support of Europe. A -man who had seen Wylie set off for the fleet this evening added his -testimony, and another, one of his unwilling helpers, told how the -Roumi wounded had been carefully tended and laid in one place, from -which they had now been removed. Quite half the crowd immediately went -to verify this last fact, and returned to add fresh curses to those -already raining upon Wylie. No one had as yet ventured to lay hands -upon him, and he had not drawn his revolver, but he was anxiously -calculating his chances. The party at the monastery ought to be -warned, for Maurice would not dream of mutiny on the part of his own -men. If he fired now, he must fire to kill, and that would hardly -improve matters, but who was there to whom he could entrust a message -with any hope of its being delivered? - -It was Wylie’s salvation on this occasion that the ascendency he had -established even over the men who disliked him was so strong that no -one cared to strike the first blow, and also that his back was -defended by the barricade. The men who shouted most loudly against him -were those on the outskirts of the crowd, and they made no attempt to -go beyond words, though one stone flung towards him would have been -the signal for a storm. Nor did they offer any opposition when Prince -Romanos pushed his way through them, and placed himself at Wylie’s -side. - -“What is this?” he cried. - -A dozen voices answered him, repeating the various accusations. He -raised his hand in silence. - -“This behaviour is unworthy of free men--of patriots,” he said loudly. -“For weeks we have warned you that there was no help to be looked for -from the Powers. Their great war-vessels are hemming us in for the -express purpose of keeping away from us friends and supplies, and -watching our dying agonies. Prince Theophanis and Colonel Wylie are -not likely to obtain any sympathy from England; rather their love for -Emathia has brought her displeasure upon them. We have only one friend -in all Europe, and that is not one of the Great Powers. My unhappy -country stands aside, longing to assist her brothers, but bound hand -and foot. She has suffered too sorely already for her sympathy to dare -to disregard the threats now showered upon her. Sons of Emathia, you -bear me no malice because my country cannot help you. Then why accuse -Prince Theophanis of treachery because his country helps Roum? He and -I are alike powerless.” - -Wylie listened with startled attention. Put in this way, there was a -considerable difference between the attitude of Morea and that of the -European Concert, and he could hardly expect that the Emathians would -fail to see it. That they did not miss the point was shown by a voice -from the back which called out, “Romanos for Prince!” and the -approving shout which greeted the words. Prince Romanos silenced the -voices again. - -“Now you are trenching on the functions of the Constitutional -Assembly,” he said. “Such words should not be uttered until peace is -attained. But that will never be if you reward by ungrateful attacks -the gentlemen who have given up so much in England to come to our -help.” - -The meeting broke up in enthusiasm, amid renewed shouts of “Romanos -for Prince!” and Wylie and Prince Romanos walked back to Ahmed Pasha -and made joint arrangements for the defence. Wylie’s mind dwelt -gratefully and lovingly on the agreement into which he had entered -with Lieutenant Cotway, and on the pathway he had so carefully -prepared from the monastery to Ephestilo. It was possible that the -escape of the ladies would have to be managed before very long now. -There was no romantic loyalty about the insurgents. - -The untoward events of that day and evening appeared to pass off -without serious consequences. Wylie doubled the guard at the -monastery, and Maurice, on hearing what had happened, insisted that -his friend should never go about without a bodyguard of his own, -picked from among the Slavs on whose fidelity it was possible, so far -as could be known, to count. One of them was the Zeko with whom the -party had made acquaintance long before in his brigand days, who -seemed to take an almost paternal interest in Wylie, and was quite -ready to slay any number of Greeks in his defence. Thus attended, -Wylie remained at Ahmed Pasha, watching from a distance the -unfortunate garrison of Segreti, who had seen their hope of relief -swept away, but remained as determined as ever not to surrender. It -seemed impossible that either the Roumis or the Powers should leave -them to starve, and therefore Wylie felt little surprise when a boat -from the fleet, bearing a flag of truce, landed the dragoman who had -already visited him, to announce that the Consuls of the Powers had -decided to effect the relief of Segreti on behalf of their respective -Governments, purely for the sake of humanity. They would arrive under -a flag of truce, bringing with them no Roumi troops, but merely a -naval guard, adequate to the dignity of each Consul, drawn from the -fleet of his particular Power, and unless opposition was offered to -their landing, would not interfere with the insurgents. Of the -difficulty which the insurgents’ unfortunate leaders would have in -reconciling them to this arrangement, the Consuls could hardly be -expected to take account. - -“What in the world do they want to make such a fuss about it for?” -grumbled Wylie to Prince Romanos. “We could have managed it any night -if they had had the sense to communicate with us privately. Now our -fellows must stand by and see their prey snatched away from them.” - -“Suggest to the Powers that a Roumi attack should be arranged for the -same time at the monastery end,” proposed Prince Romanos. - -“And suppose it came off? Besides, we don’t want to give our fellows -reason to suspect any more plots. No, we shall have to explain things -openly. I think they have just sense enough not to wish to provoke a -conflict with the Powers.” - -“How do you mean to dispose of them on the occasion?” - -“Why, the proper thing would be to have them drawn up to salute the -Consuls, of course. But I daren’t venture on such close quarters. I -should like to withdraw them to Karakula, but I know they wouldn’t go, -lest the Powers should put the Roumis back in Ahmed Pasha. I suppose -they must stay here, but if any consideration on earth can induce them -to pile arms, they shall do it.” - -The temper of the insurgents proved to be exactly what Wylie had -expected. The news that the Powers were intervening to rescue the -defiant opponents whose ultimate discomfiture they had anticipated -with so much certainty provoked many new accusations of treachery, and -it required some hours of talking before the prudence of those who -realised the divinity that doth hedge the person of a Consul could -prevail over the truculence of the rest. Distasteful as the sight of -the pacific removal of the garrison would be, however, every man was -resolved to witness it, and a sullen mob crowded the roofs of Ahmed -Pasha when the Consuls were expected. Prince Romanos had exerted -himself nobly to second Wylie in insisting that the rifles should be -left behind under guard, and they were doubly thankful that they had -done so when they observed the vigorous pantomime by which the -garrison of Segreti expressed their delight at the approaching -release--on the ramparts, so as to be clearly visible against the sky, -with the amiable object of exasperating their helpless foes as much as -possible. - -The progress of the Consuls on their work of mercy was imposing in the -extreme. The boats from the various fleets were marshalled in -squadrons, and the precedence of each squadron was determined by the -seniority of the Consul it escorted. In every other respect, the size -of the boats and the number of men they carried, the squadrons were -equal in all cases--a mute testimony to the mutual jealousy of the -Powers. The British Consul-General, Sir Frank Francis, happened to be -the senior official present, and to him Wylie addressed himself as -soon as he landed, begging him to hasten his work as much as possible, -and to restrain the rescued Roumis from offering provocation to the -insurgents. Sir Frank looked at him as though he was presuming on old -acquaintance, and replied shortly that the relief would be -accomplished with due formality, and that the Consuls intended to take -advantage of the occasion to make one more appeal to the common-sense -of the insurgents. Wylie shrugged his shoulders and washed his hands -of all responsibility, but returned to beg that the Consuls would time -their appeal to coincide with the actual relief, so as to divide the -attention of the insurgents as far as possible. Sir Frank would make -no promises, and Wylie and his guard stood aside while other -gold-laced and decorated gentlemen joined their leader, and successive -bodies of armed sailors landed and formed up on the beach. - -In stately procession the Consuls and their guards marched up from the -beach to the tower, the watchers at Ahmed Pasha looking on with angry -eyes, and the besieged came forth to meet them with extravagant -demonstrations of rejoicing. There was some delay while the garrison -collected their personal property, and exhibited in ocular evidence -the straits to which they had been reduced, and in the meantime a -discussion of some sort seemed to be going on among the highly -ornamented group of diplomatists outside the tower. To Wylie, watching -through his glass, it appeared that Sir Frank was urging the other -Consuls to accompany him on his mission of conciliation to Ahmed -Pasha, but that the unamiable attitude of the insurgents, as observed -through the binoculars of the naval auxiliaries, inclined his -colleagues to consider that a dragoman was the best person to go, -while the senior dragoman present gave it as his honest opinion that -the task was not one on which any man below the rank of Consul ought -to be sent. The difficulty was evidently solved at last by Sir Frank’s -undertaking the duty himself, amid the protests of the other Consuls, -for, accompanied by a portion of his guard, he began to cross the -rough slope which lay between Segreti and Ahmed Pasha. Wylie went out -to meet him, but the stout-hearted old diplomatist declined to regard -him as a suitable object for conciliation. Waving the intruder aside, -Sir Frank advanced to within fifty feet of the village, and addressed -himself to the scowling occupants of the roofs. His principle was -evidently to use the knife before applying the plaster. - -“The Powers have effected the relief of Segreti on the score of -humanity alone,” he informed his audience, in sharp explosive -sentences. “At the same time, they will not allow you to derive any -advantage from it. The tower is mined, and will be blown up with the -Roumi flag flying.” - -A howl of rage answered him, and there was a sudden movement among the -men on the roofs. He took no notice of either, but when Wylie, alarmed -lest the bolder spirits should be rushing for their rifles, would have -gone to prevent them, he detained him by an imperious gesture. - -“We know quite well that the end of your resources is in sight,” he -went on. “You must now realise that the foreign adventurers who have -led you astray can give you no help. Through the clemency of his -Majesty the Grand Seignior, safety is still open to you. On giving up -your arms and your leaders, you will be permitted to return to your -homes.” - -“As marked men!” cried Prince Romanos, standing forth as spokesman. -“And the rights for which we have fought--the Constitution--what of -them?” - -“The Powers will do their best to secure the execution of the reforms -already granted. They promise nothing more.” - -“Then we stand fast. Am I right?” cried Prince Romanos, appealing to -the rest, and a shout of approval answered him. “We lay down our arms -when the concessions we have already demanded are granted by the Grand -Seignior and guaranteed by the Powers, and not till then!” he shouted -to Sir Frank. - -“I can only regret your decision,” was the reply, as the -Consul-General turned to depart, careless of the angry shouts which -pursued him from the walls. Wylie stepped forward to accompany him out -of range, but again Sir Frank waved him back. “I do not require the -protection of a renegade Englishman,” he said, and Wylie bowed and -remained. - -“Glafko! Glafko!” Prince Romanos was calling to him loudly. “Come at -once. They have overpowered the guard and got at the rifles. And some -of them are already on the way to the tower.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - THE HOPE THAT FAILED. - -Leaving Sir Frank Francis to pursue his dignified way alone, Wylie -ran back to the village, only to see a considerable body of -insurgents, armed with rifles hastily snatched up, half-way to the -tower. They were approaching it from the back, whereas the Consuls and -their forces, with the rescued garrison, were assembled in front of -it, waiting for Sir Frank’s return to begin their march back to the -sea, but a collision seemed inevitable. With a wild idea of flinging -himself between the contending parties, Wylie ran towards the tower, -hoping to intercept his followers before they could reach the front of -the building. Sir Frank, in the natural exasperation induced by -intercourse with these wretched insurgents, who were giving the -consular body trouble so absurdly disproportionate to their -importance, might call him a renegade Englishman, but he could not see -the British flag fired upon by his own men. His intention was -frustrated, however, by two of them, who rose up, as if by magic, from -behind a bush, and laid violent hands upon him. Protest, command, -entreat as he might, it was no use; they dragged him behind the bush -and held him fast there, considerately choosing a position from which -the tower and its assailants were clearly visible. To Wylie’s intense -relief, the main body of his men halted at a ridge which commanded the -whole side of the tower, and lay down behind it, covering the consular -force with their rifles. Only three ran on, and Wylie saw that they -carried ropes. Arrived at the back of the tower, one of them threw his -rope over a sculptured gargoyle which projected from the building at -about a third of its height, and wriggled up it, his companions -holding the ends. The lower part of the masonry alone had been kept in -good repair, and when he reached the gargoyle the climber had passed -his greatest difficulty--the stretch of squared stones with the -crevices well filled with mortar. Above it the stones were -weather-worn, and the mortar of the Venetian builders was crumbling -away from between them, so that he was able to find holes for his feet -and hands. Wylie gathered from the remarks of the men who held him -that the adventurer was a noted cliff-climber, and smiled, even in his -disgust, at the reticence which had hitherto been maintained as to his -profession. With such an auxiliary it would have been comparatively -easy to storm the tower on a windy night, with the garrison in the -proper state of exhaustion, induced by constant false alarms, but the -man and his associates had alike kept their own counsel. - -The approach of the insurgents to the tower had not passed unnoticed -by the rear ranks of the consular force in the front, and when the -three men ran forward warning shouts were raised, two or three -officers stepping out and calling to them, evidently under the -impression that they did not know the place was mined. As they took no -notice, the commander of the Magnagrecian guard, who was the nearest, -began to march his men round to the back. Instantly, to Wylie’s -speechless horror, the insurgents lining the ridge fired a volley. He -could hardly believe his eyes when he saw that they had fired into the -air, and that the Magnagrecian detachment was untouched. But the -bullets whistling overhead had alarmed the rest of the force, and the -Magnagrecians were hastily recalled. No one seemed quite to know -whether the volley had been an accident, an act of hostility or one of -warning, and while the officers of various nationalities discussed the -matter excitedly, a shout of triumph from the insurgents drew their -attention to the top of the tower. The daring climber stood there, and -the Roumi flag which had floated proudly from its staff was torn down -and rent savagely into fragments. In its place the eagle of the -Eastern Empire rose into view and blew out defiantly. So much they -saw, then the climber seemed to throw himself headlong from the -battlements, scrambling down the ruined masonry for dear life. Arrived -at the gargoyle, he took a flying leap, regardless of safety, and as -his feet touched the ground the building blew up. The time-worn walls, -which had seen so many changes since their builders had first hoisted -the standard of St Mark, ended their career under the flag of Free -Emathia. - -In the shock and amazement of this transformation scene, it was -difficult to perceive what actually happened. The Consuls and their -naval contingents declared that the insurgents lining the roofs of -Ahmed Pasha, in the excitement of their triumph, opened fire upon the -representatives of Europe. The insurgents, on the other hand, -declared, and Wylie believed they spoke the truth, that it was not -bullets that wounded several sailors at this juncture, but flying -fragments of masonry, and that they had merely fired their rifles -again into the air. However this might be, there was no doubt that the -consular force, with marvellous celerity, took cover behind the ruins -of Segreti, and that bullets were flying between it and Ahmed Pasha, -rendering the position of those who found themselves on the broken -ground stretching from one to the other unpleasant in the extreme. The -insurgents lining the ridge behaved with a steadiness of which Wylie -would have been proud in less exasperating circumstances. They -separated into two parties, which took turns in running back and -halting to cover each other’s retreat with the greatest precision, -picking up Wylie and his two guards by the way, and tumbling proudly -into Ahmed Pasha without the loss of a man, though one or two -exhibited flesh-wounds. Even the climber and his two companions had -somehow escaped from the wreck of the tower, and joined the rest. - -An informal Assembly for mutual congratulation was, of course, the -first thing to be thought of, the periods of the orators being -pleasantly punctuated by the bullets which struck the houses round -them. Nobody was concerned to apologise to Wylie, who had very -skilfully been prevented, so the general opinion seemed to run, from -making a regrettable exhibition of himself, and the seriousness of the -situation was quite overborne by the gratifying reflection that -Emathia was actually engaged in hostilities with the whole of envious -Europe. But it was very speedily borne in upon the minds of the -triumphant talkers that war with Europe did not merely mean exchanging -long shots from cover with another force equally well protected. A -shell came screaming and tearing overhead, without any innocuous -warning this time, and exploded in the courtyard of one of the houses, -from which rose a thick cloud of smoke. Other shells followed, one -dropping almost in the midst of the Assembly, which broke up with -unprecedented celerity, and Wylie seized the opportunity of the -general consternation to resume his command. It was useless to try and -retain Ahmed Pasha under the fire of the ships, but the fact had in it -this compensation, that it would be equally impossible for the Powers -to reestablish the Roumis in the place if they could be beguiled into -destroying it. They would probably go on dropping shells as long as no -sign of surrender appeared, and by sunset the place would be untenable -for any self-respecting Moslems. The insurgents, confused and -terrified by the sudden reversal of their fortunes, were willing -enough to obey the man who proposed to deprive their enemies of any -profit from it, and under Wylie’s orders the wounded were first -conveyed out at the back of the village, and then such stores as -remained. Lastly, the garrison left in small parties, keeping the now -burning houses between themselves and Segreti, and taking care not to -concentrate anywhere on the road, lest the ships should take a fancy -to enlarge the area of their fire. Wylie was perhaps the only man -present who realised that the brief attempt of the insurgents to -obtain a footing on the mainland was now ended. They were driven back -upon Karakula, and might be thankful if they were allowed to retain -even that. - -Though the insurgents’ love for the Powers could hardly be expected to -have been increased by the events of the day, they were sufficiently -frightened by this second bombardment and its results to become more -amenable to discipline. Ahmed Pasha was now a heap of smoking ruins, -and the shells began to fall into Karakula--apparently out of pure -vindictiveness, since it was well within the line which the Admirals -had laid down as the limit of the insurgents’ territory. The village -itself was not capable of defence, as the houses had never been -repaired since its first seizure, and it was commanded by the steep -slope behind it, and therefore Wylie did not linger there. He posted -his pickets from shore to shore of the isthmus, in case an attempt -should be made by the Roumis to break through, and concentrated the -rest of his force in a hollow well shielded from the fire of the -warships, from which they could quickly reinforce any part of the line -that might be threatened. From a high point of the ridge which formed -the backbone of the peninsula he could obtain a view of the consular -force sheltering behind Segreti, and he noted that the firing ceased -as though at a signal, presumably when each ship had dropped a certain -number of shells. A detachment of armed sailors was then thrown -forward to examine the ruins and make sure that they were not -occupied, and thereafter the Consuls, their guards and their rescued -charges, embarked in safety. No attempt was made to cross the line and -approach Karakula, for which Wylie was devoutly thankful, since his -men, posted in an advantageous position, which the fire from the ships -could not easily search out, would certainly have refused to withdraw -without fighting, and could not have been dislodged without heavy -loss. - -Night fell at last, and leaving Prince Romanos in command on one shore -of the isthmus, Wylie took up his post on the other, that nearest to -Therma and Skandalo. It was here, if anywhere on the isthmus, that an -attack would be made, and he had conceived a plan for drawing the -assailants into a morass not far from the shore by means of a feigned -retreat. He had everything in readiness to give them a warm reception, -but with a sad lack of consideration they declined to come. -Distrustful, owing to much bitter experience, of the wakefulness of -his supporters, he watched through most of the night himself, and felt -almost as if he had been cheated when it had passed uneventfully. The -labours and trials of the last few days had left their mark upon him, -and Prince Romanos started when they met. - -“You are ill!” he said. “Or were you wounded yesterday after all?” - -“This place is feverish,” said Wylie irritably. “I felt it in the -night. I suppose I had no business to sleep out, but there wasn’t much -choice. I must send for my quinine from the monastery, and then I -daresay I shall shake it off.” - -“Better rest for to-day,” suggested Prince Romanos; but Wylie was an -impracticable patient, all the more determined to do all he could at -once because he knew it was highly unlikely that he would be able to -do it on the morrow. The new line of defence behind Karakula must be -strengthened, and more use made of the marsh, so that it might appear -to be the only unguarded spot, positively inviting an attack. This was -a kind of warfare the insurgents could understand, and they entered -heartily into the contrivances for concentrating a heavy fire on an -imaginary force in difficulties. One man even volunteered to offer to -act as guide to the Roumis, with the amiable intention of leading them -into the trap, but the drawback to this scheme was that there were no -Roumis to lead astray--not the slightest apparent intention on the -part of Jalal-ud-din to profit from the advantage secured for him by -the Powers yesterday. Still Wylie worked on, growing more ghastly in -appearance as the hours passed, until Prince Romanos was summoned by a -violent outcry from the trench which was being dug under his -superintendence. Wylie had collapsed at last, and as he lay insensible -in the sun, knives were being drawn above him. His own guards, and the -other Slavs in the neighbourhood, declared that the Greeks had -murdered him, and the Greeks were vehemently rebutting the accusation, -crying out that the Slavs had brought it against them to conceal their -own guilt. Prince Romanos patched up a hollow peace by sending for Dr -Terminoff, who pronounced the illness to be entirely due to natural -causes, and ordered the patient to be carried to the hospital. Before -he arrived there, however, Wylie recovered consciousness sufficiently -to murmur, “Ephestilo camp; not hospital--not monastery,” and the -doctor consented unwillingly to do as he wished, sending word to -Maurice of the change. Maurice hurried to Ephestilo as soon as the -news reached him, and found his friend established in the chief house -in the village, from which his guards had expelled the inhabitants on -their own authority. Wylie could not lift his head from the rolled-up -cloak which served as a pillow, but his eyes met Maurice’s anxiously. - -“Hoped I should be--sensible--when you came,” he said with difficulty. -“Don’t let--ladies--come here.” - -“But it’s nothing infectious,” said Maurice, in astonishment. “I know -they will want to nurse you.” - -“Then don’t--tell them,” was the obstinate reply. - -“My dear fellow, you must be properly looked after,” remonstrated -Maurice. “They won’t tease you to talk, or anything of that sort,” -with a vague effort to get at the root of the objection. - -“My men”--with an attempt to glance in the direction of the guards, -who were sitting playing cards on the floor--“look after--me all -right--good fellows--do as they’re told. I will not--have any one -else. Promise.” - -There was so much determination in the weak voice that Maurice -compromised. “Well, if Terminoff thinks your men are enough----” - -“Promise,” persisted Wylie. “Not even--if--I mention names.” - -“Whose names?” asked Maurice, taken aback. Wylie glanced at him with a -kind of sick contempt. - -“Zoe’s, of course,” he said irritably. “I might call out for her--no, -of course I shan’t,”--with a momentary accession of strength,--“but I -might. Don’t let her come.” - -“Of course not,” said Maurice quickly; and Wylie sighed with something -like contentment, and then began to murmur incoherently, while Maurice -relieved his feelings by turning the guards out of the room, and -forbidding cards anywhere but on the piazza outside. One of the men, -who had acted as Wylie’s servant, was appointed head-nurse, and told -that he would be held responsible for the patient, and might choose -his own assistants, who must obey the doctor’s orders implicitly. The -men were all willing enough, but a very primitive surgery was their -only notion of curative treatment, and Maurice returned to the -monastery full of anxiety. Zoe was waiting for him at the gate. - -“Colonel Wylie is ill?” she said. - -“Attack of fever. I left him fairly comfortable.” - -“And he won’t let me go near him, of course?” - -“How did you know?” he asked in surprise. - -“I know him. I suppose he has made you promise, Maurice? Don’t be -afraid; I am not going to make a fuss--only you must tell me if he is -dying.” - -“I hope there’s no fear of that. If there was----” - -“If there is, you must let me know, and I shall go to him. Even he -would not wish to keep me away then--he would forgive me at last. Do -you remember, Maurice?--‘an unforgiving brute,’ you called him once.” -She laughed drearily. “But he wouldn’t deprive me of that one little -scrap of comfort when there was no chance of my presuming upon it in -the future.” - -“Then you think”--Maurice hesitated--“that he cares for you still?” - -“I know he does. But he can’t forgive me.” - -“I don’t know--I had an idea somehow that it was you. Eirene thought -you didn’t care for him.” - -“Eirene ought to know better,” said Zoe indignantly. “But she really -thinks you don’t care for a person unless you show it by doing -something wild, I suppose. Maurice, if I had married him seven years -ago, do you think we should have been saved all this?” with a wave of -her hand that included the peninsula generally. “He would have been -quartered somewhere in Egypt or India, I suppose, and he would be an -ordinary hard-working soldier, and I the usual Anglo-Indian regimental -lady. You would not have embarked on this without him?” - -“I don’t know,” said Maurice again slowly. “We should have had -Teffany-Wise’s legacy just the same, I imagine, and Eirene would have -been the same. She would not have waited for Wylie, you know. No, I -don’t think you need reproach yourself with that, Zoe,--as if you -hadn’t enough to bear.” - -“Don’t!” said Zoe quickly, dashing away an intrusive tear. “And the -worst of it is that what I said to him when I refused him was -perfectly justified--absolutely true. Any reasonable man would have -seen it, only--you know----” - -“This particular man is not reasonable?” suggested Maurice. “Of course -he isn’t--on this subject. If he was, he wouldn’t be Wylie. But if he -was, how glad I should have been if he had married you and taken you -out of this!” - -“He wouldn’t have gone, and I wouldn’t have been taken,” said Zoe with -conviction. “We should stand by you and Eirene to the end, Maurice--as -we shall now. But surely things are no worse now than they were, if -the warships are going to let us alone? You and--he--always said that -it was only a source of weakness to hold Ahmed Pasha.” - -“If the warships let us alone to starve?” said Maurice. “We can hold -out for a week on the present restricted allowance, no longer. And how -are we to get supplies?” - -“Lord Armitage may come any day,” Zoe reminded him. - -“No; I forgot to tell you. Demetri the fisherman came in to Skandalo -when I was there this morning, and said he had actually sighted the -yacht outside the blockading warships. He tried to signal to her how -bad our plight was, but unfortunately his boat attracted the notice of -a Hercynian destroyer,--she was beyond our own waters, of course. They -came to order her back, sighted the yacht, and went off in chase. He -heard the sound of firing, but can’t say whether she was captured. -It’s just possible that she gave them the slip in the night, of -course.” - -“I should have thought Lord Armitage would have taken the risk and run -for Skandalo,” said Zoe. - -“Then he would have been sunk, to a certainty, and what good would his -stores be to us at the bottom of the sea? No, he will try to keep out -of sight till he finds a chance of getting in, but the worst of it is -they will all be looking for him now.” - -“I should send the refugees back to the mainland,” said Zoe suddenly. -“The food would last much longer if we had only the insurgents and the -regular inhabitants.” - -“My dear Zoe, don’t you think the Powers know that, and the Roumis -too? The moment our poor wretches showed their noses beyond that -barren labyrinth where Wylie and Christodoridi held up Jalal-ud-din, -they would be turned back, you may be sure. They would have tried it -themselves long ago if they hadn’t been certain of that. No, the -Powers, in the interests of humanity, will see us starved to the point -at which the Roumis are certain of a walk-over. That’s the secret of -their forbearance, in spite of all the moral sympathy that Panagiotis -assures us they feel. They are cruel only to be kind, of course.” - -Two days of the allotted week passed by, and still the Powers and the -Roumis remained inactive. Wylie muttered incoherently on his sick-bed -at Ephestilo, and Zoe tried to compensate herself for her banishment -from him by caring for the wounded from Ahmed Pasha, who had at least -gained their injuries in his company. The third night was very foggy, -and the watchers along the coast could hear the muffled sound of -sirens and whistles as the European warships talked to one another. -The morning was also foggy, but the fog lay over the sea, not the -land. The warships were moored too far out to be seen, and even the -fishing-boats at anchor loomed dimly through the haze. From Skandalo -came exciting news. The boats lying farthest out had caught a glimpse -of the yacht. She had burst upon them out of the gloom, and they had -cheered her on, thinking that nothing could now prevent her from -reaching the port. But from the direction of Therma there came a small -foreign ship, steaming parallel with the shore, so as to cut the yacht -off from Skandalo, and she had turned and fled back into the fog. From -the cliffs at the southern extremity of the peninsula one or two -glimpses of her had been caught, and refugees and insurgents were now -crowding to the coast to watch for her. The warship had followed her -out of the range of vision, so there was still the hope that she might -shake off pursuit and run safely for Ephestilo, the only practicable -harbour on that side, and one into which the pursuer would not be able -to follow her. - -Work was at a standstill that morning, for the imminence of the crisis -drew every one to the cliffs. Mothers carrying their babies, sick and -wounded men dragging themselves painfully over the ground, warriors -forsaking their posts inland, townspeople and farmers who were now -feeling the pinch of famine like their guests,--all converged on -Ephestilo. The slopes on either side of the bay down to the water’s -edge were parti-coloured with people, and all eyes were fixed on the -space between the headlands, looking out to sea, as though it were the -stage of a natural amphitheatre. Boom! came a hollow sound from -seaward, and as though the shot had rent the curtain of fog, the yacht -ran into sight at that moment, sparks mingling with the smoke from her -funnels in the intensity of her effort to reach the shore. Her pursuer -was visible immediately afterwards, close--terribly close--upon her, -and steaming as before to cut her off from the one opening in the -rocks that guarded the harbour. Sighs and moans of sympathy broke from -the watching people as the shells of the pursuer fell before, behind, -beside the yacht, then on board, causing her to shrink and stagger, -but she still held on. - -“Good old Armitage! He’s going to run her on the rocks--thinks we can -salve the stores from her then,” said Maurice, and as he spoke a great -cry rose up from the multitude on the shore. The yacht had run -straight upon the reef. The fishermen, led by Maurice, rushed for -their boats, only to recoil in terror as a shell splashed into the -water of the harbour. Amid the tears and groans of the crowd, the -commander of the destroyer went about his work methodically, sending -an occasional shot into the bay to keep the onlookers quiet. The crew -of the yacht were taken off in boats and transferred to the pursuer, -which then withdrew a short distance and fired shot after shot into -the grounded vessel. Her boiler blew up at last, with a tremendous -explosion, and her shattered remains sank gently into the deep water -outside the rocks, followed by a long despairing wail from the shore. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - A _RUSE DE GUERRE._ - -When the fog cleared away that evening, a sight ominous of doom met -the eyes of the blockaded inhabitants of the peninsula. Inside the -line of warships lay a row of other vessels, Roumi transports packed -with troops, waiting like vultures for the dying agonies of their -prey. The sight seemed to infuse a desperate resolution into the -luckless refugees, for that night an epidemic of desertion set in. The -insurgents and their leaders made no attempt to stay it, arguing, as -Zoe had done, that in the absence of the refugees the food would hold -out much longer. Therefore the Skandalo boatmen reaped after dark a -rich harvest of jewels and other treasures saved from devastated homes -in Therma, and the force guarding the Karakula lines also found -opportunities of turning a more or less honest penny. Boat after boat -put out into the darkness from the port, and a long straggling train -of fugitives streamed along the isthmus. The morning light saw the -boats returning, laden as when they started. They had been turned back -by the picket-boats from the warships, and told that in future no -craft from the peninsula would be allowed to pass the line of -transports, while the Roumis on board the transports promised -faithfully thenceforth to sink any boat approaching them that did not -bring an offer of surrender. The fugitives who had chosen the land -route came straggling back at intervals through the day. They also had -been stopped by Jalal-ud-din’s force, and told to go back and -starve,--or else bring about a surrender. When they would have flung -themselves down to die round about the Roumi camp, they were driven -back across the isthmus at the bayonet’s point. At present the Roumis -considered their hungry mouths more desirable even than their blood, -for not only would they help to consume the insurgents’ stores, but -their clamorous misery would weaken the hearts of the fighting men. - -The returning fugitives were shepherded once more into their allotted -camps, and supplied with their meagre rations, to supplement which -they wandered over the hills, seeking leaves and roots. The -townspeople were openly mutinous, the insurgents angry and -discontented. The only class not absolutely destitute were the -fishermen, who found an eager market for whatever they could catch, -but their operations were now restricted by the transports, which -fired on them whenever they ventured more than a few hundred yards -from the shore. Otherwise there was no further attempt at hostilities, -only the dark masses looming ominous on the horizon. Gradually the -belief spread that the Powers had forbidden the Roumis to engage in -actual warfare, while allowing them to blockade the peninsula until -its inhabitants were too much reduced to offer any resistance to a -landing, and on the sixth day Prince Romanos came to Maurice. - -“We must do something, or else all starve together,” he said. “I -propose to cross the isthmus to-night, take the shore road, and attack -Jalal-ud-din’s camp in the rear. The attack will merely be a cover for -a raid upon his stores, which are the only thing we care about.” - -“You will be shelled by the fleets,” said Maurice. - -“I think not. The camp lies inland, and we shall return through the -defiles. We must see that no one slips past to take the news of the -attack to the ships, and then I hope we shall get back across the -isthmus unmolested.” - -“Then go, in God’s name! To see these unfortunate women and children -suffering--and with no hope for them but worse suffering, and no -prospect of any good from it--is heartrending. I will take command at -Karakula while you are gone, and Terminoff will look after this end of -the place. Pick your men, and don’t let them know what duty they’re -on. We don’t want to raise the hopes of the people unnecessarily--and -besides, plans leak out sometimes.” - -Prince Romanos looked at him keenly. “You suspect some one. Is it -Nilischeff?” - -“I don’t like the way in which he keeps Skandalo in a ferment. And -there’s no denying that he favours neither my claim nor yours. But I -have no proof against him.” - -“M. Nilischeff must be watched. The same thought had occurred to me. -But I go to revictual the garrison. If we do not return, at least you -will have fewer mouths to feed.” - -But Prince Romanos and his men returned triumphant. The Roumis had -apparently concentrated their attention on the mouth of the defile as -the only spot from which the insurgents might be expected to appear, -and their stores and transport were all at the other side of the camp, -on which the attack was actually made. One of the first and chief -prizes of the assailants was a herd of cattle, which they drove -straight through the camp to the mouth of the defile, overthrowing -tents and huts, and knocking down and trampling the startled soldiers -who tried to stop them. Behind the maddened cattle came the -insurgents, laden with everything in the way of food they could -possibly lay hands on, from live sheep to tinned delicacies sacred to -the Pasha himself. The Roumis had blocked the mouth of the defile, -leaving only a narrow passage, so as to make it easier to stop -fugitives, and this was held without difficulty by a rearguard, when -the main body of the assailants had passed through with their spoils. -The rearguard, unencumbered, fought its way back over the familiar -ground just before dawn, and when daylight came the whole force was -safely inside the Karakula lines, with remarkably few casualties to -report. - -The day was a grand one for all the occupants of the peninsula. -Maurice’s desire that the whole of the spoil should at once be placed -under guard and issued only as rations was unanimously scouted, and -the hunger-stricken people gave themselves up to a whole day’s -feasting, with its inevitable waste and excess. On the morrow they -realised their mistake, and agreed that what was left should be -strictly preserved, but this would barely supply their needs for a -week longer. Naturally the cry soon arose for a fresh foray, and the -men who had ranged themselves under the banner of Prince Romanos -demanded to be led once more against the Roumi camp. It was useless to -point out to them that the first attack had succeeded entirely because -it was a surprise, and that a repetition of the assault would now be -provided against. They ascribed the delay to pusillanimity on -Maurice’s part, and openly urged his rival to act in opposition to -him. As the question of food was once more becoming urgent, the two -leaders agreed at length that Prince Romanos should take his servant -Petros and one or two trustworthy men, and make a scouting expedition -through the defiles, to discover in what part of the camp -Jalal-ud-din’s commissariat was now located, and whether there was any -chance of raiding it successfully, either from the front, flank, or -rear. Having made his observations, he was to return and communicate -them to Maurice, who would then take command at Karakula as before, -while the picked force under his rival made a further attempt. - -The evening after the departure of Prince Romanos was an anxious one -for Maurice. He had sat up the night before with Wylie, who lay in a -kind of stupor during the daytime, but became violently excited during -the hours of darkness, calling loudly for Zoe, or holding imaginary -conversations with her, rebutting accusations of unkindness on her -part, which must presumably have been suggested by his own conscience. -Then he would imagine that an attack was imminent, and insist on -getting up and taking part in the defence,--a determination which it -required much tact and skilful humouring to combat. The early part of -the day had been spent in a mournful succession of funerals, the dead -drawn alike from among the wounded in the hospital and the -half-starved refugees, and the afternoon in the court-martial--or -rather, the trial before the Assembly--of a Skandalote who had been -caught stealing off to the Roumi ships, presumably with the intention -of carrying news. The man was defended by Lazar Nilischeff, who -asserted that he knew him well, and that his only object was to try to -buy some food from the sailors,--a defence received with ridicule by -the Greek portion of the Assembly, who declared unanimously for death. -Nilischeff’s followers declared with equal determination in favour of -acquittal, while the dynastic Slavs, on whose support Maurice could -always count, devised a compromise which placed him in a most -invidious position while apparently exalting his authority, by -desiring that the issue of life or death should be decided by him -alone. In the end, the man was remanded to prison, and Maurice turned -to the necessary but inevitably disagreeable task of superintending -the distribution of the evening rations to the refugees and sick. The -fighting men, who might be supposed to be endowed with some portion of -self-control, received theirs only once a-day, in the morning; but -experience had shown that the refugees had no idea of making their -supplies last out, but consumed at once what was intended to feed them -for twenty-four hours, and then wandered about with mournful -lamentations, or begged from their more provident companions. This -evening, however, the expectant throng was not confined to these -weaker souls. It appeared that the impression had somehow got about -that the absence of Prince Romanos betokened a foray that night, and a -consequent abundance of provisions on the morrow, so that from all the -nearer posts the garrisons had come in to demand that the food in hand -should at once be distributed to all alike, and delegates had arrived -from the Karakula lines with the same request. With his little band of -faithful men at his back, Maurice refused it absolutely. There was no -likelihood whatever of a raid that night. It might not take place for -three or four days, perhaps not at all, and it would be madness to -consume all the available supplies. The men were not sufficiently -ravenous to use force, but there was an ugly mutinous spirit among -them, which showed itself in the defiant raising of the cry, “Romanos -for Prince!” as they returned to their respective posts. - -The night passed without alarm, and Maurice rejoiced that the -monastery guard and the men at the nearest encampment were all Slavs, -since they felt a natural inclination to champion his cause against -that of Prince Romanos, and might be relied upon to warn him if any -treachery was attempted against him personally. There was no sign of -the scouting party in the morning, and Maurice hurried down to -Ephestilo to see Wylie, and returned to the usual daily routine, -issuing rations, judging small causes, and arranging for funerals, -while Eirene and Zoe visited the hospital. It was about mid-day that -the unmistakable sound of rifle-fire reached him, coming from the -direction of the isthmus. Seizing a glass, he ran up to the top of the -gateway. Did his eyes deceive him, or was the line of Roumi transports -shorter than before? He counted them; there were two less on the -horizon, and all were moving northwards. The sound of firing grew -louder; was it merely heavier, or was it approaching? The guards were -assembling in groups, looking, with almost stupid astonishment, in the -direction of Karakula, and discussing what the meaning of the sound -could be. Maurice ran down again, sent off a messenger to recall -Eirene and Zoe, and to warn the refugees to seek shelter round the -monastery, and leaving a small guard there, started for the isthmus -with the rest of his men. Before they had gone far, a breathless -messenger came toiling up the path in front and met them. - -“Lord, the Roumis have landed on the isthmus, and are inside the lines -of Karakula.” - -“Inside? But what has happened to the garrison?” - -“Lord, many of them had followed the Lord Romanos into the defiles, -and there was no time to recall them. There were some who remained, -but they were killed or driven back. And the Roumis have captured the -hermitage of Akri, for all the men there had departed.” - -“Akri lost?” cried Maurice. The blow was a heavy one, for the post -commanded both the lines of Karakula in front of it and the next line -of defence in the rear. “Is there no one left? Where is the picked -force?” - -“They are all gone across the isthmus, lord. When the message came -from the Lord Romanos, an hour before dawn, only the picked force were -summoned, but all the rest went also, saying they would get food for -themselves, since it was not given them.” - -“A message? to the force--not to me?” - -“I know not, lord. Gatso the fisherman brought it.” - -Maurice turned to the ex-brigand Zeko. “Find Gatso, if he is anywhere -inside the lines, and bring him to me,” he said. “Come on, the rest of -you.” - -As they hurried on along the precipitous paths, it became clear from -the sound of the firing that the inner line of defences was being -attacked, and when they reached them, crawling on hands and knees for -the last part of the way, they were a welcome reinforcement to the -defenders. The Roumis had not yet realised the full advantage given -them by the possession of the height of Akri, from which they could -have rendered the lower breastworks untenable, but their riflemen were -keeping up a heavy fire from cover in front. Maurice divided the men -who had come with him, sending parties away on both sides to reinforce -the weakest points, and taking the rifle of a man who had been killed, -settled himself at a loophole in the breastwork at which he had first -arrived, which was that commanding the chief path into the interior. -In the intervals of firing he questioned the men on either side as to -the events of the morning, of which their impressions were somewhat -hazy. The message brought by Gatso in the darkness, to the effect that -Prince Romanos had discovered a large provision-convoy, on its way -from Therma, halted outside the Roumi camp, and that he was about to -attack it immediately, had drawn away more than half of the Karakula -force, while the garrisons of Akri and other isolated points had -deserted _en masse_. They had crossed the isthmus and entered the -defiles without alarm, and those left behind had thought of nothing -but what was going on beyond the hills. Even the consciousness of -superior virtue could not keep them from grumbling as they gathered -round their fires and made coffee at dawn, and into the midst of their -grumbling came the volley which told them that the Roumis had landed. -During Wylie’s illness, a number of lazy men, who found it took them -too long to go round the marsh, had made a rough path across it with -hurdles and bundles of reeds, intending, of course, to remove these -stepping-stones at the first hint of a landing. They had not had time -to do so, however, and the Roumis, landing unobserved in the twilight, -had stolen up, and were inside the defences before their presence was -even suspected. Taken absolutely by surprise, the defenders fought -like heroes, and succeeded in keeping back their assailants -sufficiently to secure their own retreat on the second line, only to -discover that this disastrous morning’s work had been crowned by the -abandonment of Akri, up which two or three daring Roumis crept, to -find themselves, much to their elation, masters of the position. Until -they should occupy it in force, matters remained at a standstill, both -sides firing at each other from cover, and neither venturing to show -themselves. In this interval a diversion was caused by the entrance -into Maurice’s redoubt of the stalwart Zeko, dragging and pushing a -protesting Greek. - -“Gatso the fisherman, lord,” he announced, with a final shove that -cast his victim prone at Maurice’s feet. “I found him hiding in a cave -on the way to Ephestilo.” - -Gatso protested incoherently as he knelt that he had given his message -word for word. The Lord Romanos had indeed discovered a rich convoy, -only waiting to be attacked, and had despatched him with the news, -which he had duly delivered. Maurice interrupted him. - -“To whom were you told to take the news?” he demanded. - -“To the picked force, lord,” was the glib answer. - -“To them first?” Gatso declared with much invocation of saints that it -was so, but Zeko’s grip descended again on the back of his neck, and -changed his tune. “To--to you, lord, at the monastery,” he gasped. -“Oh, Holy Virgin, I shall be choked!” - -“Let him go, Zeko,” said Maurice contemptuously. “You see what he has -done,” he added to the other men. “Instead of delivering his message -as he was told, he has spread it broadcast, and by drawing the -garrisons from their posts, has brought about this defeat. What does -he deserve?” - -“Death, lord,” was the unanimous answer, and every man in the redoubt -looked ready to execute the sentence. But Maurice waved them back. - -“We have lost too many men to waste more,” he said. “You ought to be -shot, Gatso, but take this rifle and see how many Roumis you can shoot -instead.” - -There was a murmur of discontent, and Gatso himself showed no -particular gratitude; but he took the rifle and crawled to the -loophole, while Maurice set himself to work along the line and see -whether it was in immediate danger of being pierced at any other -point. Everywhere he found his men confronted by the Roumis, and shots -being exchanged at intervals. The enemy had already landed troops -enough to outnumber his force twice over, and he was hopelessly cut -off from his best men, who were all with Prince Romanos beyond the -isthmus. A determined rush on the part of the Roumis must break the -weak line. Perhaps they were waiting until night to make it, or -perhaps they were planning to make a second landing at disaffected -Skandalo, or in one of the smaller bays, and take him in the rear. He -thought of Wylie lying sick at Ephestilo, of Eirene and Zoe and the -other women practically defenceless at the monastery, and reflected -bitterly that he could not depend on the guards at the various -landing-places even to warn him of an attack unless he was in the -immediate neighbourhood. “We must certainly have either Wylie’s Sikhs -or some other force that we can trust, as a nucleus, before we can -hope to turn these chaps into soldiers,” he said to himself, and then -remembered that he was planning for a future which his short-lived -sovereignty would now never see. There was just the chance that Prince -Romanos, with his victorious force, might be keeping out of sight in -the defiles, intending to make a rear attack, when darkness fell, on -the Roumis who barred his way, in which case there would be more hope -of the stubborn defence, contesting each inch of ground, on which they -had relied, in the last resort, to awaken the tardy sympathy of -Europe. But when he reached the right-hand extremity of his line, -resting on the sea, a chorus of lamentation met him. The men not at -the loopholes were gathered round a dripping form, which they were -wrapping in their own clothes, and plying with coffee. - -“The only one escaped!” they told Maurice, with awe. “He saw the Lord -Romanos fall.” - -“Tell me,” said Maurice, and the fugitive sat up. He was a Greek from -the mainland, who had been foremost in pressing the claims of Prince -Romanos, but now he saluted Maurice as Prince. - -“You are left, lord,” he said. “The Lord Romanos is slain.” - -“Tell me,” said Maurice again, while a groan broke from the listeners. - -“Lord, I was one of those who went from Akri when the message came of -the spoil at hand. The Lord Romanos was angry that we had forsaken our -posts, but said he would make use of us before sending us back. Under -his orders we attacked the convoy, which was encamped in no order, -every cart having halted where it chose--an easy prey. But it was a -trap, and nothing more. In the carts, under the coverings, were -men--Roumis--and upon us, as we fought with them, came other Roumis -from behind, while in front the Pasha’s camp turned out at the alarm. -We saw that an ambush had been laid for us, and that death was at -hand, and every man sought only to slay as many of the accursed as -possible before dying himself. I saw the Lord Romanos struck down, -fighting with sword and revolver, and the accursed raised a mighty -shout. How I escaped I know not, but I found myself on the outskirts -of the fight, and the sea not far off, and life was strong within me. -Therefore I flung myself from the rocks, and sometimes swimming, and -again wading along the shore, I passed the hills and the isthmus, and -seeing the Roumis at Karakula, cast myself into the sea once more and -reached this place, which is now little better----” - -“Lord!” a panting herald of disaster burst into the group and -confronted Maurice, “the Roumis are firing from Akri, and the sons of -freedom fall fast. Is it your pleasure that they should hold the -breastwork until all are slain?” - -“I will come,” said Maurice. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - THE BITTER END. - -Inside the breastwork commanding the path the defenders were -crouching close under the loopholes to avoid the fire which was being -poured in by a strong body of riflemen posted on Akri. Several dead -bodies lay unheeded behind them, victims of the first volley, and most -of the men had received wounds. They met Maurice with a subdued cheer -as he crawled in among them. - -“You will not keep us here to be shot, lord?” they questioned him -eagerly. “You will give the word for us to dash upon the bayonets, and -kill as we are killed?” - -“You would be shot down before you could cover half the distance. No, -lie still, and don’t reply to the fire. Then they may think we are all -killed, and try to rush the breastwork.” - -But even as Maurice spoke, he remembered that the enemy on Akri could -pour in a volley that would kill all his men the moment they rose to -their feet, and he began to wonder whether he ought to withdraw them -one by one while the Roumis in front were still lying down and taking -long shots. If this line were pierced, the way would be open, with -only occasional obstacles, to the defences surrounding the monastery -itself, and when they were attacked, then it would indeed be the -beginning of the end. But could the line be held? “Oh, if only Wylie -were here!” he breathed, and started when one of the men laid a hand -upon his arm, and directed his attention to the dry stream-bed behind -a projecting rock which afforded a sheltered entrance to the -breastwork from the rear. There was Wylie, haggard and unshaven, -holding fast with both hands to the packsaddle of the mule on which he -was precariously perched, riding down towards the threatened point, -his guards accompanying him with sullen faces. The enemy on Akri -seemed to detect a reinforcement in the half-seen forms moving behind -rocks and bushes, and sent a volley in their direction for a change. -The mule was hit, and came down on its knees, the guards dragging -Wylie off just in time. Maurice crawled back to meet him, and found -him sitting upon a stone, hardly able to speak. - -“This is madness!” said Maurice. “Let them take you back at once.” - -“Akri gone?” asked Wylie, speaking slowly and with difficulty, and -paying no attention to his friend. “Send ten men with Mausers up -here,” indicating the protecting rock above him. “Just cover -enough--enfilade Akri--keep down fire.” - -Astonished and delighted, Maurice obeyed, leading the men up in -person, to find that from the summit of the rock they could indeed -obtain a side view of the top of Akri, and that the riflemen there -were absolutely exposed. A few minutes made a gratifying difference in -the state of affairs. The fire which had had such damaging results -ceased entirely, the few survivors of the Roumi marksmen crawling away -to huddle in the shelter of the ruins of the hermitage. Leaving his -men to hold the rock, Maurice descended it to report. - -“Thought so,” said Wylie. “Top of Akri slopes on that side--no cover. -They must bring up sandbags before they can fire again--won’t do that -till dark. Suppose you haven’t thought of sending for one of the -Maxims?” - -“No, indeed,” confessed Maurice. “Shall I take some of the men and -fetch it?” - -“Better. Not the one commanding the gateway--we may want that--the -other. Prolong the agony a bit while the ammunition holds out--they’ll -hardly face it. I’ll hold the fort here while you’re gone.” - -Divided between relief at this unexpected accession of strength and -anxiety for Wylie, Maurice departed on his errand. At the monastery he -found that Eirene and Zoe had organised a corps of messengers,--small -boys who were to bring periodical reports from the various possible -landing-places,--and that at present there was no sign of a Roumi -descent on any other point. - -“Good reason,” growled Wylie, when he returned with the gun and told -him of this. “They know that the paths leading to the monastery from -Skandalo and Ephestilo are practically impassable in the face of any -opposition at all. This path along the hills is the only hopeful one -for an army.” - -He spoke more easily, and now that the exhaustion caused by the rough -ride was over, something of his ordinary alert look was returning. -While Maurice was absent, he had directed the building of a rough -shelter, a mere framework of loose stones, for the men working the -Maxim, and it was now placed in position, commanding the path. - -“Pure bluff,” he remarked. “They are bound to break the line somewhere -if they keep on trying, but this gives us a slight moral advantage. -They know that we can wipe out a good many of them when it comes to a -final tussle, and therefore it may just make them willing to -negotiate.” - -“It’s come to that, then?” said Maurice. - -Wylie nodded. “I gather from the men that Christodoridi has played the -fool to some purpose. He has relieved us of more than half our -fighting men, with their rifles and ammunition, and those we have left -have been pouring out cartridges like water, to judge by the firing I -heard at Ephestilo. We can’t go on long at that rate. Our food may -hold out for two days, now that we have lost so many mouths, but not -longer. Therefore it would be as well to make use of the two days.” - -“It’s a little sudden,” said Maurice, almost apologetically. “Last -night the food was the only trouble.” - -“Yes, and might have been so still if Christodoridi had happened to -carry a piece of paper and a pencil instead of sending a verbal -message. You would have realised, if he didn’t, that his beautiful -halted convoy must be a trap. But it’s no good crying over wasted -casualties. I’ll stay here while you go back and settle things with -Terminoff and the rest. When you are ready, we must send a flag of -truce, I suppose.” - -“To suggest what?” - -Wylie looked up at him with approval. “You see, as I do, that it’s all -up,” he said, “but we’ll keep a stiff upper lip. Offer to surrender as -prisoners of war. The Roumis will probably accept, without for a -moment intending to keep the terms, but if we are once recognised as -belligerents, the Admirals must for very shame interfere if anything -in the way of a massacre is attempted. Let Terminoff go as envoy, and -tell him to communicate with the Admirals if he can, so as to get -their guarantee for the terms.” - -“Do you think they’ll give it? You imagine that there’s some faint -chance still?” asked Maurice incredulously. - -Wylie shook his head. “They won’t give it. But we preserve our high -moral attitude. Not that it’ll do much good to you and me, but it may -save the lives of some of those wretched refugees, and it may be of -some future service to the Emathian cause.” - -“Of which you have no reason to think kindly. Wylie, I won’t insult -you by asking you to forgive me for dragging you into this, but I will -say that if I had guessed how the Powers would behave, and the -Christians, I should have thought my own life was enough to throw -away.” - -“Can’t be helped,” said Wylie. “Luck’s been against us all through. -Well, ‘whirligig of time,’ don’t you know? A hundred years hence they -may be worshipping you and me with haloes on in every village of a -free Emathia.” - -“As martyrs?” said Maurice lightly as he turned away, but his mouth -set firmly when he had taken the path to the monastery. “No martyrdom -for you, if I can help it!” he said, addressing in his thoughts the -distant Wylie. “Eirene owes me something, and she may as well pay it -in this way as any other. And pay it she shall.” - -Arrived at the monastery, he summoned Dr Terminoff and the other -insurgent leaders to a council. He had thought that by this time he -knew the men with whom he had to deal, but it came upon him with a -shock that he was mistaken. Dr Terminoff, hitherto so obliging, so -ready to listen to reason, refused definitely to become the bearer of -the offer of surrender. He explained his position frankly. - -“It is quite possible,” he said, “that the Roumis may, under the -influence of the Admirals, repeat their former offer of immunity for -the common people if the leaders are given up. Our leaders have -throughout been Prince Theophanis, Prince Christodoridi, and Colonel -Wylie. I see no reason to put myself forward as a leader when I have -enjoyed none of the privileges of leadership.” - -“Perhaps you would prefer me to carry the offer in person?” suggested -Maurice, unable to keep a hint of sarcasm out of his voice. “Only I -fear that if the Roumis should refuse to recognise the flag of truce -and seize me, you would have lost your chief asset without any -equivalent.” - -The usual scene of disorder ensued. Every one saw that it was out of -the question for Maurice to go, but nobody wished to go himself. -Finally some one suggested that the task would be a suitable one for a -monk, and as the monks of Hagiamavra were known to have objected -strenuously to the selection of their monastery as an insurgent -stronghold, they might be able to obtain at least a hearing from -Jalal-ud-din. The Hegoumenos, when the matter was laid before him by a -deputation, was very naturally averse from compromising himself by -doing anything to help his unwelcome guests out of their difficulties, -but his objections were vigorously combated. If the insurgents -continued to hold out, the monks must starve with them; while if the -Roumis stormed the place, it was highly unlikely that they would be -spared in the general slaughter, so that it was distinctly to their -interest to bring about a settlement if possible. One of the officials -of the monastery and a lay brother were at length chosen by lot to -carry the proposal, which was signed by Maurice alone. The insurgent -chiefs, in their new-born zeal for self-effacement, would not put -their names to it, and he flatly refused to ask Wylie for his -signature. - -“Colonel Wylie is here as my servant,” he said, when the rest -objected. “Prince Christodoridi and I have been your only leaders. Now -I am left alone, but I need no one to share my responsibility.” - -This attitude was so surprising that it inspired Lazar Nilischeff and -his group with the suspicion that Maurice intended to purchase his own -safety by betraying the insurgents. They insisted on the English -stewards being called in and required suddenly to translate the offer -of surrender, that they might be sure it contained no conditions of -which they were ignorant, and they would not allow Maurice to hand it -himself to the two monks, lest he should give them secret -instructions. A month ago such behaviour on their part would have -filled him with disgust, but to-day he submitted to their exactions -with a patience that surprised them. They were like a wild animal in a -trap, he realised, snapping desperately even at the hand which tries -to release it. - -There had been some doubt whether Jalal-ud-din, once out of sight of -the Admirals, would recognise a flag of truce, but that run up on the -breastwork which was held by Wylie and dominated by the Maxim was -responded to by one from the Roumi line, and the two monks walked -boldly out into the open. Their high caps and black robes crossed the -space swept during the day by the fire of both parties, and -disappeared into the Roumi lines, and those left behind resigned -themselves to wait. It was not until after dark that the return of the -ambassadors was announced by the approach of a party bearing a flag of -truce, who left them midway across the open space and departed. The -two old men were much shaken by their experience, though they had -suffered no bodily harm. They had been taken before Jalal-ud-din -himself, who had thundered out a demand for unconditional surrender, -and refused even to listen to the suggestion of any other terms. -Permission to communicate either with the Admirals or with the Consuls -at Therma had been denied, but the only European in the camp, a -Hercynian whose status did not appear to be exactly defined, had held -out no hope of help from Europe. He would do his best to intercede for -the lives of any of the inhabitants of the peninsula who were not -taken with arms in their hands, but that was all; and the general -impression gained from this conversation was that Europe would not be -sorry to see the place swept clear by a general massacre, thus at once -punishing past defiance and saving future trouble. - -The truce was to remain in force until the next evening, to allow the -insurgents time to discuss their hard case among themselves, and -Maurice went down to the breastwork and carried Wylie off to the -monastery almost by main force, dexterously depriving him of his last -excuse by first sending for his possessions from Ephestilo. The hour -that followed, spent under the shelter of impending doom, reminded the -four who shared the recollection of an evening passed long ago in the -brigands’ camp. Zoe and Eirene had not been told of the severe -alternative which was all that was offered, but the prospect of -surrender, even as prisoners of war, was painful enough in its -destruction of all that they had lived for during the last few months. -Still, each kept up for the sake of the rest, pretending all the while -that it was for the sake of little Constantine, who clung to his -father with a determination that appealed to Maurice as a kind of -premonition, and could hardly be torn from him when bedtime came. - -Troubles began early the next day. Maurice was roused by Wylie’s voice -in the gallery, and going out, found him leaning on a stick and giving -orders to his guards, who looked thoroughly frightened. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Maurice, when the men had gone. - -“Matter enough. The Roumis have broken the truce and pierced our line -in the night. They are posted all along the deep gully between us and -Ephestilo.” - -“But there was no firing--no alarm!” cried Maurice. - -“No need. Nilischeff and his men were holding a palaver, and they had -only to slip past.” - -“But we can turn them out?” - -“If we try it we shall have them on us along the whole line. No, -honestly I think it will be best to let them stay there for the -day--taking care they get no farther, of course--and make use of the -truce if they will let us.” - -“How? by trying to communicate with the Admirals again?” - -“No, that’s useless. By getting your wife and sister away.” - -“But, good Heavens! you say we are cut off from Ephestilo.” - -“By the direct path, but there is a longer way round. Zeko will take -them down all right.” - -“But not to-day. You have not warned the ships.” - -“As soon as it is dusk this evening. That will give us time to burn -the blue lights on the gateway, for they can’t get to Ephestilo by the -long way till to-morrow morning at earliest. Then Cotway will be ready -for them.” - -“But--old man, I know you’re doing your best for them, but do you -realise what it means--a night journey through these hills, with the -Roumis swarming in every direction? Wouldn’t they be better even -staying here?” - -“No,” said Wylie shortly. “You don’t know what Nilischeff and his men -were discussing in the night, but I do. They mean to save their own -wretched skins by handing us all over--all, mind--to the Roumis.” - -“Then let us do one piece of justice before our chance is gone, and -shoot the lot of them.” - -Wylie shook his head. “No; keep on the mask and anticipate them by -surrendering, when once the ladies are safe. I doubt if you would have -men enough behind you to do it, for one thing. Nilischeff has made -them believe that the enmity of the Powers is against us personally, -and that when we are once out of the way Thracia will step forward as -the deliverer favoured by all Europe.” - -“I don’t mind what he makes out about me,” said Maurice wrathfully, -“but to contemplate giving up women to the Roumis!--and this from men -who know what it means! Well, I will tell Eirene to be ready.” - -It was some time before he had the opportunity of speaking to his wife -in private, and when he called her she was at first too busy to -respond. Then she came out of her room looking annoyed. - -“I wish you wouldn’t speak so loud, Maurice,” she said. “You know how -difficult it is to get Constantine settled for his day-sleep, and he -always starts up when he hears your voice.” - -“Well, he won’t be disturbed in that way much longer. You understand -that it’s all up with us here, Eirene? I think it is better that you -and Zoe and Con should be out of the way before all the business of -the surrender begins, so I shall pack you off this evening to -Ephestilo, where Admiral Essiter will send a boat to fetch you on -board the _Magniloquent_.” - -“I have never asked you to face any disagreeables that I was not -willing to share,” said Eirene. “I shall stay here with you, of -course.” - -“I think not. I am sorry to be obliged to speak plainly, Eirene. You -would not wish Zoe to be left as Con’s guardian?” - -“Maurice!” she cried quickly, but he went on unheeding. - -“The Admiral will protect you, and give you advice if you need it. You -will have the independent control of Teffany-Wise’s money, and no -doubt you will be able to use it more profitably for Con than for me.” - -“But you talk as if--something was going to happen to you,” she -faltered. - -“It’s extremely likely that something is. But that need not trouble -you. You will have Con to yourself, and can plan his future as you -like.” - -“Maurice!” Eirene took her courage in both hands, and went close to -him. “Has it seemed--I mean, you could not have thought that--that -when we had all those quarrels I--I didn’t care?” - -“We will say that you dissembled your love with remarkable skill,” -said Maurice, as lightly as he could. “Don’t imagine I blame you. You -ought never to have married me. We thought you knew your own mind, but -you were too young. I couldn’t give you what you had a right to -expect, and you couldn’t do without it, as you once thought you could. -I have been nothing but a disappointment to you.” - -“No, no!” she cried eagerly. “I have never repented--never. I would -marry you again to-morrow if---- Oh, Maurice!” struck by his lack of -response, “don’t say you have repented--all along!” - -“That I certainly have not. There have been times---- But it does no -good to talk about it. How could I help repenting, for your sake, when -I saw you struggling, chafing, hardly able to keep back the contempt -you felt for me?” - -“I wanted to bring out the best in you,” she said, choking back a -sob,--“to make you worthy of your birthright, not let you sink into a -mere country gentleman. Perhaps I have seemed unkind, but I meant it -for your good.” - -“I never doubted it,” he assured her; “but you see, I knew all along -that my good meant your ambition. The conjunction was unfortunate, but -it was not your fault.” - -“You are cruel!” burst from Eirene. - -“Am I? That was the last thing I intended. I hoped that when you -explained to Con that his father was a failure, you would at least be -able to say that he meant well.” - -“You will break my heart, Maurice. You loved me once; is your love -quite gone? Have I destroyed it? Oh, don’t answer me in that cruel -cold voice! Is there nothing I can do? I do care; I have always cared. -Let me do something to make you believe it. Maurice!” she laid her -hands on his shoulders, “ask me to stay with you, let me die with -you--just to show you have forgiven me.” - -“Certainly not. No, no!” as he saw the agony in her eyes, “there is -nothing to forgive. We both made a mistake, and it is about my only -piece of comfort that you will now have the chance of repairing it. -But as to doing something for me--there is one thing----” - -“Tell me. Let me do it,” she panted. - -“Insist on my sending Wylie to escort you to Ephestilo. Then I shall -not have his blood on my head.” - -“Colonel Wylie? But why not you?” - -“Because I can’t leave these poor wretches, whom I have led into this, -but he has nothing to do with them. It would take a load from my mind -if I knew he was safe. And he will be a good friend to you.” - -“I have never liked him----” began Eirene, but she interrupted herself -quickly. “No, I will do it, I will; but only for your sake, Maurice. -You understand that?” - -“I do, and I thank you. But, Eirene, you must put no more obstacles -between him and Zoe. She is not to be a pawn in your game any longer. -Is that quite clear?” - -“If it is another thing I can do for you, it is.” - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - FUGITIVES. - -“Maurice, it isn’t true! You are not sending us away and staying -here yourself?” - -“My dear Zoe, it’s the only thing to be done. But I foresee that my -hair will be grey before it is done.” - -“But don’t you see that when we have held out so long---- Oh, Maurice, -we came for the sake of the cause, and we don’t want to forsake it -when it has failed. We don’t mean to go away and be saved without -you.” - -“Don’t you think I know that? But when the only thing you can do for -me is to go quietly----? There’s Con, you know. We couldn’t let the -little chap be killed without trying to save him, could we? And you -will have to help look after him, see that he doesn’t quite forget me, -don’t you know?” - -“I hate Eirene!” cried Zoe passionately. - -“No, don’t say that. She is awfully cut up--didn’t realise how near we -were to the end of all things, of course. I say, Zoe, you mustn’t -visit this on her. It’s not her fault really, and I want you two to -stick together. If you say to yourself--I mean, if you remember--if it -occurs to you, don’t you know?--that I--I cared for her, perhaps it -might make it easier.” - -“It won’t, because she has treated you so shamefully.” - -“At least she has promised to do the last thing I shall ask her, and -you won’t.” - -“Oh, Maurice, of course I will! Oh, what a shame! you have made me -promise. But, my dear boy----” - -“Maurice!” the curtain at the door was lifted, and Eirene came in, -very pale and quiet. “I want to know who is to go with us to-night. -They say that the way to Ephestilo is blocked, and that we shall have -to go round.” - -“Wylie thought Zeko would be the best man to command the escort,” said -Maurice, guessing that Wylie was within hearing; “and we shall pick -out six of our best men to go with him.” - -“It is not enough,” said Eirene imperiously. “I mean, we must have a -European. We may come on the Roumis anywhere. You must send Colonel -Wylie with us.” - -“Of course, the very thing!” said Maurice, with almost too ready -acquiescence. “I’ll tell him he is to go.” - -“I beg your pardon,” said Wylie, appearing in the doorway; “but I have -a voice in the matter, and I am not going. You will find Zeko quite -trustworthy, Princess, and he knows the way as well as I do.” - -“It is not fitting,” persisted Eirene. “Maurice, I decline to go -unless we are properly escorted.” - -“Your husband commands here, ma’am,” said Wylie sharply. “If it is his -order that you are to go, go you will.” - -“Not at all. Are you not teaching me to defy him at this very moment, -Colonel Wylie? I can quite believe you are capable of sending me away -by force, but I may remind you that if I chose to scream or struggle, -all your plans would be betrayed.” - -Wylie turned away impatiently. “You may say what you like, ma’am, but -I am not going.” - -“Not if I ask it, Wylie?” said Maurice. - -“No,” was the gruff reply. “You are plotting to save me from whatever -happens to you, and I won’t have it.” - -“‘I will be drowned, and nobody shall save me,’” quoted Maurice, in a -perplexity so hopeless that it became humorous. “Look at it sensibly, -old man. Can’t you realise what a comfort it would be to me to know -that the girls had some one to look after them?” - -“I stay here to look after you.” Wylie was unmoved. - -“But you are on the sick list. Really, you wouldn’t add to our -fighting strength much, you know, and if we succeed in surrendering -before Nilischeff does it for us, your presence would complicate -matters horribly. You are a meddlesome foreigner, you see, without -even as much right here as I have. To make things easier--as a favour -to me----” - -“Don’t ask favours, Maurice; give your orders!” cried Eirene, her -voice high and harsh. “You realise, if Colonel Wylie doesn’t, that we -may never reach Ephestilo, and that we must not fall into the hands of -the Roumis. Do you see now, both of you? Neither Constantine nor Zoe -nor I--no descendant of John Theophanis--must fall into the hands of -the Roumis.” - -“Wylie, you see?” cried Maurice passionately. “How could I put such a -responsibility into the hands of Zeko?” - -“For God’s sake, don’t put it into mine!” cried Wylie in horror. “Go -yourself, and leave me here.” - -“I can’t, and you know it. Wylie, you must go. You are the only man I -can trust in a thing of this kind.” - -Wylie looked round him with hunted eyes, as though seeking a way of -escape. Then, with a groan, “All right. I’ll go,” he said. - -“I knew you would. Thanks, old man.” - -“And after all,” said Zoe, trying to keep her lips from trembling as -she spoke, “we may meet the party from the ship quite soon, and then -Colonel Wylie can come back at once to you, Maurice.” - -“Ah, of course. That I will,” said Wylie. - -“Only if you have handed them over safely,” said Maurice. “Don’t let -me see you again if you can’t do that.” - -“All right. We start as soon as it is dusk, then.” His voice had -regained its usual tones as he turned to Eirene and Zoe. “Put on -native shoes, and dark clothes, if you have them--handkerchiefs on -your heads instead of hats, like the women here. No luggage, of -course. I will give you the blue lights,” he added to Maurice. “You -must burn them on the gateway at half-hour intervals, without fail. If -the Emathians object, tell them it is a signal of distress, a last -appeal for help from the Admirals. You must keep our absence a secret, -of course. I will have the men we are to take with us put on guard, so -that they can get away without being seen.” - -How the hours of that dreadful day wore themselves away, none of the -people chiefly affected could have told. By far the most cheerful was -Maurice, over whom the impending doom hung most certainly. Eirene was -filled with a passionate remorse, which it was now too late to prove -save by the promptest acquiescence in anything her husband suggested, -and Wylie went about like a man under sentence of death. As for Zoe, -the active imagination which had played such a large part in her -history ran riot now in scenes and possibilities of horror, until she -could only restore herself to some measure of calmness by the sage -reflection that nothing in all her life had ever proved as terrible as -she had pictured it beforehand. The only humorous element in the day’s -doings was furnished by Zeko and his six men, who objected as strongly -as did Wylie to being sent out of the way of danger, and could only be -induced to go by the promise that they should return with him when the -ladies had been placed in safety. - -It was more difficult now to leave the monastery secretly than it had -been when the adventurers reached Hagiamavra, for the hills round it -were no longer solitary, but dotted with the huts and tents and -camp-fires of the insurgents and refugees, who were crowding closer to -this central point as the lines were tightened round them. Maurice was -naturally the chief object of interest to these people, and he -concentrated their attention on himself by preparing to start with his -guards, shortly before dusk, for the breastwork on which the Maxim had -been mounted the day before, to resume the defence as soon as the -armistice expired. The malcontents under Nilischeff, their occupation -gone by the loss of the line they should have defended, hung about -sullenly until he ordered them away to strengthen other weak points, -and begging women and wailing children, demanding vainly the food -which he had not to give them, watched the departure of the forlorn -hope. For that it was a forlorn hope there could be no doubt. The -Roumi seizure of the ravine between the monastery and Ephestilo had -driven a wedge into the heart of the defences, and no one knew better -than Maurice that at any moment he might be stabbed in the back by his -own men. But his business was to keep matters going somehow until the -morning, and then to obtain such terms as he could for the poor -starving people around. - -Through the open doors of the great gateway the monastery guards could -be seen sitting round their fire in the courtyard, Eirene and Zoe were -on the gallery to wave farewell to Maurice, and Wylie was clearly -visible in the background, doing something to the remaining Maxim. No -one could have imagined that they had any intention of leaving the -place that night, but in an hour all was changed. Slipping out one by -one from the small door at the side of the gateway, the fugitives -assembled in the shadow, while the fire in the courtyard was -diligently kept up by Armitage’s steward, who had volunteered to -remain for this special purpose, so that the light might continue to -be visible to the people encamped outside. He was also charged with -the care of the blue lights, the first of which shed a ghastly glare -about an hour later over the rugged landscape and the awestruck -upturned faces of the refugees. They interpreted it as a supernatural -portent of disaster, a sign of the divine wrath such as preceded the -fall of Jerusalem, and a chorus of mingled shrieks and wailing arose, -until the steward, much irritated, roused two lay brethren forcibly -from their slumbers, and sent them to calm the people with the news -that the terrible lights were the sign of safety rather than of ruin. - -The fugitives were well beyond the range of the light when the glare -first broke out. Zeko went in advance, to make sure of a path, since -to stumble over a sleeping refugee would have been to wreck all hope, -then three of his men, then Eirene, carrying little Constantine in a -shawl wrapped round her, and Zoe, to whom she resolutely refused -permission to share the burden, while the rear was brought up by -Wylie, walking feebly with the aid of a stick, and the other three -insurgents. The levels and plateaus were necessarily avoided, and the -way led down dry torrent-beds, and up steep hillsides covered with -thickets of sweet-smelling shrubs, where the only thing to be heard, -besides the soft footfalls of the party, was the chirp of the -grasshopper. There was no moon, which was an advantage in one way and -a drawback in another, but Zeko was well accustomed to finding his way -by the stars, and he led on almost without a pause until, halting on a -ridge after a specially exhausting climb, his followers became aware -of a sound which was not that of their own labouring breath. - -“Down! down!” hissed Zeko, and they crouched under the bushes from -which they had just emerged, while the guide beckoned Wylie to him. -Together they crawled forward, and were lost to sight for a time which -seemed interminable to the two women, who could now distinguish -clearly the sound of muffled footsteps on the other side of the ridge. -Constantine, who had been inclined to be unduly talkative in the -surprise of this night-journey, went to sleep in his mother’s arms -with a murmur of content, and they waited with what patience they -might, the guards lying round them, with itching fingers on the -triggers of their rifles. At last Wylie returned. - -“The Roumis are more enterprising than we thought them,” he said. -“They are evidently sending a force up to act against the monastery -from this side, so we shall have to change our route a little, and try -to cross their line of march when they have passed.” - -This meant a tedious working along the top of the slope among the -bushes, ready to drop down under their shadow at a word, thus pursuing -a course parallel with that of the advancing Roumis, but in the -reverse direction. After a while, the friendly ridge sank into a -confusion of hillocks and ravines, and here it was necessary to -proceed even more carefully, since any moment might bring them face to -face with Roumi stragglers who had taken a wrong turning in the dark. -The danger was so great that Zeko bore away gradually more to the -left, away from the line of march, despite the remonstrances of Wylie, -who urged that they were getting into a region neither of them knew, -and that it would be wiser to wait for a while, until the enemy was -quite out of hearing. But Zeko was so confident of his ability to find -his way, and so resolutely determined to keep moving, lest time should -be wasted, that he still pressed on, leading his unfortunate charges -such a dance, up hill and down dale, that it was with positive -physical relief they heard him at last confess he did not know where -he was, and that it would be well to wait for daylight before going -farther, lest they should run into the midst of the enemy. They were -now in a well-wooded, or rather well-bushed, ravine, and he suggested -that they should conceal themselves in the undergrowth and snatch what -rest they could. Wylie agreed perforce, for the long hours of -scrambling had told upon him so much that he could scarcely stand, and -he advised Zoe and Eirene to pull their head-handkerchiefs over their -faces, so as to save themselves from scratches, and work their way in -under the bushes. The guards were already doing this, and a sudden -exclamation, followed by a string of prayers in a strange voice, made -Wylie and Zeko angrily order silence. - -“It is a man, lord!” they answered, crawling out again and dragging -with them a dishevelled figure, who was gradually identified, when his -terror had a little subsided, as a goatherd named Mikhaili. His hut -was situated in these ravines, he told them, and thinking it was safe -from molestation by reason of its solitude, he and his family had -remained there instead of seeking refuge near the monastery, the more -so since they were able to live as usual on the produce of their -flock, which must have been given up into the common stock if they had -joined the rest. But this night they had not ventured to remain -indoors, for they had seen Roumis quite close at hand, and though they -were far too much terrified to watch them continuously, they could -hear them moving about, now in one direction, now in another. The hut -had escaped notice in the darkness, he thought, but he and his wife -and children were all hiding in the bushes, believing that it would -certainly be discovered when daylight came. - -“We seem to have blundered into the thick of them,” said Wylie, as -cheerfully as he could. “Who would have thought of their making night -marches all over the place like this? Well, we are quite hidden among -these bushes, so I hope you ladies will get what sleep you can. We -shall keep a good watch, so don’t be afraid.” - -Anxious only to give as little trouble as possible, Zoe and Eirene -obeyed, so far as lying down and trying to sleep went. But Zoe could -not sleep, tired as she was, for she felt convinced that Wylie was -keeping watch himself. At length she could bear the thought no longer, -and wriggled to the entrance of her burrow, so that she could get a -glimpse of him. As she had expected, he was sitting on a stone, with -his rifle between his knees, but something strange in his attitude -made her look at him more closely. He was crouched in a heap, his eyes -wide open and glassy, and his hands had relaxed their hold in complete -unconsciousness. Afraid to raise her voice to call Zeko, Zoe crawled -out of her hole and took the rifle gently away without disturbing -Wylie. He murmured a little incoherently when she tried to move him, -and in terror lest he should cry out, she ventured to speak softly, -hoping he would think he was in hospital again, and she a nurse. - -“Let me help you to lie down more easily,” she said in a low voice. “I -don’t think your pillow is comfortable, is it?” - -She could not have moved him if he had remained obstinate, but with -his own unconscious help she succeeded in getting him to lie down, -with the stone for a pillow, and covering him with the cloak she had -worn. Then she took the rifle, and set herself to keep watch in his -place, unable, even in the circumstances of the moment, to restrain a -bitter little smile at the thought, “How frightfully angry he would be -if he knew!” To her great joy she felt no inclination for sleep, and -she sat there, guarding the rest, and growing stiffer and stiffer with -the night cold, until the first faint streaks of dawn appeared, and -Zeko came crawling out from under the bushes. He expressed no surprise -at finding her on guard, after her low-voiced explanation that the -Lord Glafko was ill again. It was only suitable that women should keep -watch while their protectors slept; in fact, it was all they could do -to repay the kind care taken of them. Wylie was now in a natural -sleep, and it went to Zoe’s heart to let Zeko wake him, which he did -when she had crawled back into her burrow, but the few precious -minutes of grey twilight must not be lost if they were to pass safely -through this danger-zone. While Zeko went to the top of the hill to -see if he could distinguish where they were, Wylie woke the other -guards, and all were ready to start when the guide should return. -There was a moment’s pause while Mikhaili crept up with an offering of -goat’s-milk cheese, and a draught of milk in a leathern cup for little -Constantine, and while the rest were eagerly consuming the gift of -this Good Samaritan, Zeko, returning, drew Wylie aside and up the -hill. There was a look of awe upon the ex-brigand’s face which Wylie -did not understand until he had been bidden to kneel down and look -through a gap between two rocks. On the other side of the hill, -literally only a few yards from them, a number of Roumi soldiers lay -asleep. Whether they were an outlying picket or stragglers from the -larger force,--the confused way in which they were strewn about -favoured this supposition,--the fact remained that the two parties had -spent the night so near one another that a cry or an altercation in -one camp must have roused its neighbour. Zeko, in a heart-felt -whisper, vowed an extravagant gift of candles to the Prophet Elijah, -patron saint of hills, for his services that night, and he and Wylie -rejoined the rest. Mikhaili, warned of the nearness of the foe, and -invited to call his wife and children and accompany the fugitives, -refused to do so. Here they might hope to escape notice, he said, but -the way to Ephestilo would lead from one danger to another. He put -them in the right path--if that could be called a path which must -avoid all tracks, since the Roumis might be making use of them--and -they parted with mutual good wishes. - -The sleeping Roumis were passed in safety, and for a while the way was -uneventful, though rugged and difficult enough, while the bushes -lasted, so convenient for concealment. But they ended suddenly, and -the bare rocks made every movement of the party horribly conspicuous. -Still, even in this change in the character of the country there was -hope, since it showed they must be approaching the sea, and therefore -Ephestilo, and Zoe and Eirene shook off their weariness and pressed on -manfully. Thus they came to a height from which they could see the -blue waters, and a sigh of relief broke from them. But between them -and the sea there was still some distance to be traversed, and when -they looked down on the country that lay beneath them, their hearts -stood still. Everywhere twinkling darts of light as the sun sparkled -on bayonet-points, everywhere dots of scarlet which betrayed -themselves as red _tarbushes_. - -“A cordon!” burst from Wylie. “They are hemming our people in. This -means massacre.” - -“Down, lord, down!” cried Zeko, dragging Wylie to his knees. “There -are some of them behind us!” - -For a moment they waited with beating hearts, hoping against hope that -the figures on the sky-line had not been seen--a hope that was cut -short by the swish of a bullet and a shout of triumph that the range -had been found so nearly. Wylie raised himself sharply. - -“Roll these stones together,” he said, setting the example himself. -“We can hold out some time behind a sangar here.” - -“Nay, lord!” came in protesting tones from Zeko and his men. “The -accursed who are behind us cannot reach this hill for many minutes, -and it will shield us from their fire. Let us rather slay the women -and steal down towards the line of the miscreants in front. Then we -can throw ourselves upon them and kill many more than our own number.” - -“Be quiet!” said Wylie roughly. “Demo, that stone.” - -The man obeyed, without enthusiasm, and the loose rocks were piled -into a rough breastwork, through the interstices of which the rifles -could be fired. When it was finished, Zoe crept up to Wylie, her whole -frame vibrating with indignation. - -“You won’t let them touch us?” she panted. “If it has to be done, you -will do it yourself?” - -“Don’t--don’t ask me!” His voice was full of entreaty, but Zoe was -pitiless. - -“You must,” she persisted. “Why, from you---- You know,” she broke off -suddenly, “you hate us all.” - -“If I did, it would be easy enough to do it. You know well enough it -isn’t that. It’s--the very opposite.” - -“Then I have a right to ask you to do it. You promise?” - -“Good God, yes!” he groaned. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - THE BRITISH FLAG. - -Crouching behind the piled stones, Wylie tried to get a clear view -of the enemy attacking from behind, but they had found such good cover -that this was difficult. They were on a much lower level, which was -fortunate, since they had no mark but the stones, yet the broken -country afforded such facilities for concealment that they might at -any time climb unperceived to a higher point, and fire down into the -sangar. Everything depended on the most extreme watchfulness, so that -if they did gain one of the heights they might be shot before they -could shoot. Wylie looked round at Zoe, the tension of a few moments -before forgotten. - -“You have good sight,” he said. “Lie down on the seaward side, and -keep a look-out. Let me know if you see anything among the Roumis down -there to show that they have noticed us.” - -“If we fire, they must notice us,” said Zoe. - -“If we don’t, the fellows behind will wipe us out,” said he. - -Without further objection, Zoe obeyed, lying flat at the edge of the -rock, her face supported on her hands, peering between two stones. At -present there was no sign of movement among the Roumis below, for a -solitary shot, even if they had heard it, was not likely to arouse -their suspicions. But as Zoe watched, the eight rifles behind her -crashed out simultaneously, and at once there was a scurrying in the -lines beneath, and an eager turning of eyes to the ridge. She warned -Wylie, and received his order to tell him the moment any man or men -began to scale the hill. But her next words gave him far different -news. - -“There is a steam pinnace coming towards the opening in the bay!” she -cried. - -“Better late than never!” said Wylie grimly. - -Bullets were flying overhead now from the unseen enemy behind, and -every few minutes a rifle or two cracked, as one man or another caught -a glimpse of the snipers. The Roumis in front were now evidently -persuaded that something out of the common was occurring on the -hill-top, and a small detachment was ordered up to inquire into it. -Warned by Zoe, Wylie transferred his whole force to that side, and as -soon as the Roumis began to mount the hill, they were met with so hot -a fire from the eight rifles that they withdrew hastily to seek cover -from which to take long shots. But the momentary transference of the -garrison had afforded the enemy behind an opportunity of establishing -themselves somewhat higher up, and one or two of their bullets even -entered the loopholes. One of the insurgents was hit in the arm, but -with a handkerchief tied round the injured limb he remained at his -post. - -“Have you anything that will make a flag?” asked Wylie of Zoe, without -turning round. “Handkerchiefs? Right. Then hold it up straight--don’t -show yourself, mind--and wave it towards the right. Our men can get -round the end of the Roumi line in that direction.” - -Seeing that, as he said, the cordon on that side was not complete, Zoe -took heart again, though when the bullets came whizzing through the -enclosure she had given up all for lost. She and Eirene unfastened the -kerchiefs from their heads, and knotting them and their -pocket-handkerchiefs together, she manufactured a small flag, and was -tying it to the stick which Wylie had used to help him on the march -when Zeko turned round and saw what she was doing. With a snarl of -fury he tore the stick from her hand, and lifted his rifle as if to -dash out her brains. Her involuntary cry made Wylie turn to see what -was the matter, and he seized Zeko’s arm. The brigand offered no -apology, but pointed for justification to the flag and to Zoe, pouring -out a bitter accusation which she was too much shaken to understand. - -“It’s all right,” said Wylie. “He thought you were trying to surrender -behind our backs--hoisting the white flag, you know. I’ll explain.” - -The scowl left Zeko’s brow gradually, but it was clear that his -objection to the flag remained. At length, with an air of yielding -gracefully to Wylie’s unreasonable demands, he pulled the bandage -roughly from the arm of the man who had been hurt, and applied the -flag to the wound until it was stained everywhere with blood. Then he -handed it back to Zoe with a grin, and she conquered her disgust -sufficiently to receive it and fasten it to the stick. It blew out -well in the wind, but this made it very difficult to hold, as she lay -behind the stones, alternately raising the stick erect and bending it -down to the right, with the sun beating on her uncovered head. It was -almost a relief when a bullet hit the stick--the flag served as an -excellent mark for the enemy in front--and broke it in two, the wind -immediately carrying the flag away. Noticing how hot the fire was -getting, Wylie moved to the front with three of his men, and told Zoe -to take her place with Eirene and Constantine in the most sheltered -corner. There they crouched on the ground, in what ought to have been -comparative safety, but it seemed a sort of imprisonment to Zoe, who -could no longer see what was happening, or watch for the first sight -of the relieving force. Moreover, the place, though the best they -could find, was not really safe. As she and Eirene sat huddled -together, a bullet entered at the loophole nearest them, passing -through the head of the wounded insurgent, who sprang up convulsively -and fell forward over the barricade, and striking one of the largest -stones, which it shattered. Constantine, who had been watching the -firing with intense interest, sprang into his mother’s arms with a -frightened cry as the flying dust and fragments of rock filled the -air. She drew the shawl about him, and he gave a little sigh as he hid -his face in her bosom. - -“Poor little Con!” said Zoe, when she could find her voice, “how tired -he is! Think of going to sleep in the middle of this firing!” - -Eirene looked up quickly. “Yes, of course he is tired--terribly -tired.” The vague anxiety left her eyes, and her voice grew stronger -as she repeated firmly, “It is just that. He is so tired.” - -“No harm done, I hope?” said Wylie, looking round. “Keep as low down -as you can.” - -They obeyed, comforting themselves with the thought that no other -bullet was likely to strike in the same place. But as Zoe watched, it -seemed to her that the bullets were coming now from a different -direction. One even came over the barricade from the back, and struck -the ground. The enemy were firing down instead of up. She called out -to Wylie. - -“Yes, they’ve managed to get up there,” he answered in jerks, without -turning his head. “It was when that unlucky shot killed Demo.” - -Another man rolled over on his side, and his rifle clattered as it -fell. Zeko reached across and took away his cartridge-belt, displaying -to Wylie the few cartridges left, and muttering something which Zoe -understood to be a prediction that if the women were not killed soon -the Roumis would rush the sangar and get possession of them after all. -Wylie took out his watch, but the face was smashed. - -“Is your watch going?” he called to Zoe. “The sailors ought to be here -in twenty minutes. Zeko, find out exactly how many cartridges we have -left--for six rifles--and we will allot them accordingly. The Lady Zoe -will tell us as each five minutes passes. Don’t let the men fire more -than one at a time, unless there comes a rush.” - -Zeko made his calculation with an impatient grunt, and at Wylie’s -orders divided the cartridges into four parts, one for each five -minutes, while Zoe crouched with her watch in her hand, feeling that -minutes had never moved so slowly before. Divergent counsels appeared -to prevail among the enemy in front, for they fired only in a -half-hearted sort of way, but those behind, elated by their position, -took full advantage of it. It was impossible to lift a head above the -parapet without attracting a bullet, and Wylie and the two men in -front were exposed to their fire if they changed their place in the -slightest. Still, so long as they remained quiet, they could only be -hit by accident, and the persevering foes therefore transferred their -attention to the breastwork, trying to knock away the stones, and thus -leave the defenders shelterless. They succeeded best at the end -opposite to that at which Eirene and Zoe were crouching, where the -ridge was very steep, but as there was no attack on that side this did -no immediate harm. Through the opening thus made there came a sound of -distant music, which roused Zoe’s curiosity. Surely the rescuers could -not be bringing a band with them? Crawling forward a little, she saw, -as if in a stone frame, the advancing column. The officer at the head, -in whom she thought she recognised Lieutenant Cotway, was driving -before him a Roumi bugler, who was sounding the “Cease fire!” -spasmodically with all his might, admonished by frequent reminders -from behind. Close at hand walked a midshipman, displaying boldly, -even ostentatiously, a large-sized Union Jack, and some -five-and-twenty sailors in marching order followed. The slackness of -the fire in front was now accounted for, since Lieutenant Cotway had -evidently arrived at an explanation of some sort with the Roumis, -though its effects were only gradual, but so far the frenzied -exertions of the bugler did not seem to have penetrated to the -consciousness of the snipers at the back. Even if they did, the -column, climbing its painful path, would not come into sight until it -had all but reached the top of the hill, and it was only too probable -that until the truth was brought home to them by the actual sight of -the White Ensign, the enemy would prefer to assure themselves that the -bugler was playing tunes for his own delectation. - -“Ten minutes!” said Zoe, returning to her place, and Zeko reached -eagerly for the third supply of cartridges. As he did so, a bullet -struck the heap, and a violent explosion flung him backwards. Three of -his fingers were torn off, and he was much scorched, but even in his -agony what appealed to him most was the fact that save for two or -three cartridges in the magazines of the rifles not yet emptied, the -ammunition was gone. Zoe crawled to him to try and tie up his hand, -but he waved her away angrily, and did it himself with the other hand -and his teeth, then took out his knife and lay down to wait. But there -was little prospect now of the enemy’s trying to rush the breastwork, -for the sound of the explosion must have told them what had happened, -and they were not likely to trust themselves within stabbing distance -of the four bruised, scorched men who now alone remained. The front of -the sangar had been blown clean out, and the back, which stood on -level ground, was now no longer a wall, but a heap, affording next to -no shelter. Wylie took possession of the three undischarged rifles, -and trained them on one particular point, forbidding the men to fire -until he gave the word. Sooner or later the snipers would advance to a -height from which they could fire straight down into the place, and -unless they could be checked in this, there would be no one left to -save when the rescuers arrived. Presently the rifle he held went off, -and by the muttered exclamations of joy from the men, Zoe knew that -one of the enemy, at any rate, had fallen in the attempt to reach the -coveted spot. Then the other two were discharged simultaneously, and -Wylie turned savagely upon the culprits, who had wasted two precious -cartridges upon one Roumi. All that remained now was one cartridge -still in his rifle, and that was soon expended, not so successfully as -before, since the Roumi at whom he fired was only wounded. - -“Close in now, and shelter the ladies,” he said, and the men obeyed. -Wylie thrust his revolver into Zoe’s hand. - -“If we are all done for before the sailors get up,” he said, and she -understood, and laid it down beside her. The Roumis were on the height -now, but they had not got the exact range, and the bullets were -dropping beyond the group. Then Zeko sprang up and spun round wildly, -made a vain attempt to hurl his knife at the foe, and fell with a -horrible crash. Zoe hid her face. - -“Oh, do it, do it now!” she entreated of Wylie. “I shall go mad if -this goes on.” - -“Quiet. Wait!” he said firmly. “I thought I saw--yes, there they are. -Here, here!” he shouted, putting his hands to his mouth. - -“Where?” cried another voice. “Yes, all right. Cease firing up there, -or I fire!” - -The firing ceased as if by magic, and Lieutenant Cotway hurried across -the piece of open ground, followed by his seamen. Mr Suter, with great -presence of mind, wedged the flagstaff into the heap of stones, and -held it up straight. - -“Only just in time!” said Wylie, getting up. - -“So it seems. Ladies not hurt, I hope? Well, you have made a good -fight of it. Sorry to be obliged to put you and your survivors under -arrest--Admiral’s orders. Is Prince Theophanis here? No? The old man -will be disgusted--hoped to get you all out of mischief at one blow. -Well, better toddle back to the boat with what we have got, for our -Roumi friends are not exactly charmed by our interference.” - -“Send the ladies on in front,” said Wylie. “We must look after our -poor fellows, you know.” - -Was the man frightened? wondered Lieutenant Cotway. His teeth -chattered and his face was white, and he leaned against the rock as -though he could scarcely stand. “Collapse, possibly,” the sailor said -to himself, and turned to offer his hand to help Eirene to rise. -“Sorry to meet you again in such circumstances, ma’am. Afraid you’ve -had a bad time? But once we get you on board it’ll be better. I’m -going to send you on ahead with Mr Suter while we rig up some sort of -contrivance for the wounded. Is that my young friend Con you have -there? Don’t wonder you are tired if you have been carrying him all -the way from the monastery. This man will take him for you.” - -The big sailor he indicated handed his rifle to a comrade and held out -his arms, but Eirene only clasped her boy closer. There was a furtive, -almost suspicious, look in her eyes. “No, no,” she said breathlessly, -“I will carry him. I am not tired. No one shall take him from me.” - -“Of course not,” said Mr Cotway soothingly. “I thought it might be a -relief to you, that’s all. You persuade your sister to rest if you get -a chance,” he added to Zoe. “One can see she’s had a pretty hard -time.” - -“Yes, yes,” said Zoe. “Oh, tell me,” she said anxiously, lowering her -voice,--the tall lieutenant was standing between her and the -rest,--“you are going to bring Colonel Wylie on board? You are not -going to--to shoot him?” - -The sailor repressed a laugh with difficulty. “Don’t be afraid, -there’s no deception,” he assured her. “‘We are here for all your -goods,’ don’t you know?” - -“But Maurice--my brother--can you save him?” - -“Can’t tell till I hear more about it. But the sooner you get on board -and pour everything into the sympathetic ears of Point Seven, the -better. He has been like a bear dancing on a hot plate the last few -days. He’ll strain the resources of the Concert to breaking-point if -there’s anything he can do. Got your ten men, Mr Suter?” - -The ten men were waiting, and Mr Suter, proud of his independent -command, led them off in fine style. As soon as they and their charges -had passed over the edge of the plateau, Lieutenant Cotway turned to -Wylie. - -“I say, you must be wounded. What is it?” - -“No, merely fever. I’m afraid I must ask you to let one of your men -give me an arm down the hill. But there was one of our fellows I hoped -wasn’t dead.” - -Together they examined the bodies strewn about the ruins of the -sangar, but no life remained in any of them. To those acquainted with -Roumi methods of warfare, their disposal presented a difficulty, but -one of the two remaining insurgents suggested a cairn, and the corpses -were laid in the centre of the space which had witnessed their last -fight, and the stones piled over them. Then the man drew a circle -round the heap with his knife, and scrawled cabalistic figures inside -and outside it, muttering the while. “It is magic,” he said, as he -rose from his knees. “Even the accursed will not dare to disturb that -grave, and in the years to come the relics of the martyrs shall be -carried to a shrine worthy of them.” - -“Your people seem to be full of spirit still,” said Lieutenant Cotway -as he helped Wylie down the hill, a sailor supporting him on the other -side; “but I’m afraid your cause is in a bad way. What’s your Prince -doing?” - -“He was proposing to surrender to-day, as being more dignified than -finding himself handed over by traitors on his own side,” said Wylie. - -Mr Cotway whistled. “Isn’t it slightly confiding to treat with the -Roumis without giving the Admirals a chance to see fair?” he asked. - -“Unfortunately the Admirals were at an Olympian distance, and the -Roumis in between. We simply couldn’t get at you. But there is just a -chance that you may be in time to prevent a massacre yet.” - -“With twenty-five men? Oh, I see, you mean the representatives of -Europe generally. Well, my orders are to escort the ladies on board, -but I think old Point Seven would agree that it was a case for -discretion. I shall send you aboard with Suter, and hold Ephestilo, -for fear our landing should be disputed. The Roumis will hardly yearn -for publicity.” - -“You will want a guide,” said Wylie thickly. - -“Well, I don’t intend to engage you for the post. One of your men -might do. I suppose there’s a straight road from Ephestilo to your -headquarters?” - -“Yes, but the Roumis are lying across it.” - -“They ought to know which side their bread is buttered by this time. -The Roumis won’t take any trouble to spare the susceptibilities of -their warmest friends, but they will probably not care to fire on -armed Europe. Ah, here we are on the level at last! Now we shall get -on faster. Take my arm again. Baines, go on giving Colonel Wylie an -arm on the other side. There are the ladies, I see. Why won’t Princess -Theophanis let some one else carry that heavy child? I suppose she -gave him something last night to keep him quiet?” - -“No. He talked a good deal till quite lately.” Wylie spoke with -difficulty. - -“Hope there’s nothing wrong, then. He seemed very quiet. I say,” as -Wylie stumbled, “what’s up? I don’t think you’ll get as far as the -_Magniloquent_ this morning. Can you keep up till we get to Ephestilo, -or shall I send a man on to get some sort of litter?” - -“I can keep up,” declared Wylie, and he stumbled on between his two -supporters, and succeeded in reaching the outskirts of Ephestilo. The -inhabitants, who had forsaken their homes for hiding-places among the -rocks on the approach of the Roumis, were returning now, with a -pathetic confidence in the power of the little pinnace lying at the -rude quay, and the people whose house Wylie had occupied during his -illness met him and claimed him as a guest,--not, perhaps, without an -eye to the special protection this would probably involve. Leaving him -in their charge, Lieutenant Cotway hurried to the quay, from which -Eirene and Zoe were just embarking. - -“Tell the Admiral the whole state of things, Princess,” he said to -Zoe, for Eirene was too much engrossed with her boy to have any ears -for him. “I am staying on shore for the present, and keeping Colonel -Wylie with me, and I only hope we may be able to bring your brother -off safely to-night.” - -The short voyage from Ephestilo to the flagship was accomplished -almost in silence. Zoe was hastily conning over in her mind the facts -of the situation, and trying wildly to put them into the fewest words -that would suffice to move the Admiral to instant action. Mr Suter’s -usual flow of talk was checked. He and his crew were alike uneasily -conscious of the silent woman with the terror-haunted eyes, who sat -huddled by herself, clasping a bundle to her breast--an image of dread -that must have filled Zoe with foreboding had not her mind been fully -preoccupied with the effort to save Maurice from his impending fate. -They reached the ship at last, and the Admiral himself came down the -ladder to welcome them and help them to the deck. - -“I fear you have had a most unpleasant journey,” he said kindly to -Eirene. “Be sure that whatever we can do to make you forget it--ah, -what’s that? the baby got hurt?” - -“Mr Cotway said he was afraid there was something wrong with it, sir,” -said Mr Suter, in what he imagined to be a whisper. It roused Eirene -at once. - -“There is nothing wrong with him!” she cried, glaring round on the -officers. “He is all right--only frightened by so many strangers. He -always hides his face when he is shy--doesn’t he, Zoe? doesn’t he? You -know he does.” Her voice rose almost to a scream. “He will be quite -good when he is once alone with me--quite good.” - -“Yes, of course,” said the Admiral gently. “Bring him in here, and put -him on the bed. No, don’t be afraid; we will all go away. But you -would like the doctor, wouldn’t you?--just in case there is any little -scratch or bruise, you know.” - -He signed to the surgeon to enter the cabin, and came out, shutting -the door noiselessly. Then he turned to Zoe. - -“Now what is it you want to tell me?” for she had been trying to -attract his attention ever since they arrived. “About your brother? -Dear me, a sad change since you were here last!” - -“The Roumis will hear of nothing but unconditional surrender,” said -Zoe breathlessly; “and Maurice is holding out in hope of getting -better terms, but he has reason to be afraid of treachery from some of -the men on our own side.” - -“Unconditional surrender? The Powers have made it plain to the Roumis -from the first that the rank and file of the insurgents were to go -free if they laid down their arms. Why did your brother not apply for -our mediation?” - -“The Roumis would let no one pass, and that Hercynian who is in their -camp, Gratrian Bey, sided with Jalal-ud-din.” - -“So I should imagine. Well, this must be looked into, even if it -breaks up the Concert. Ask Admiral Scartazzini and Admiral d’Anville -if they will co-operate with me in sending landing-parties on shore at -once,” he said to an officer. “What are the best roads into the -interior of the peninsula?” he asked Zoe. - -“The one from Ephestilo is the nearest, but the one from Karakula is -the easiest to find. From Skandalo you can’t find your way without a -guide.” - -“But there are some of your party left to serve as guides? Still, we -won’t try Skandalo, for the Hercynians are guarding it. The Neustrians -had better start from Karakula, and the Magnagrecians and ourselves -from Ephestilo. Then I hope---- Well, what news?” as the surgeon came -out of the cabin. - -“The poor child is dead, sir.” - -“Dead?” cried Zoe and the Admiral together. - -“Hours ago. The merest bruise on the temple--from a flying stone, I -imagine. It must have been instantaneous. The mother is -distracted--refuses to believe it even now; but I think she must have -guessed.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - CHANGES AND CHANCES. - -“Now, how’s that?” asked the surgeon, standing in front of Wylie and -looking at him triumphantly. - -“Oh, gorgeous in the extreme,” was the languid reply. “Makes one feel -that a quiet grave would be preferable, don’t you know.” - -“Don’t talk about graves,” said the surgeon, with unexpected -fierceness. “Pluck up a little spirit, man! If you can’t stand being -dressed and put into a chair, how will you manage to receive -visitors?” - -“What visitors?” with a faint show of interest. - -“Well, one visitor--whom I imagine you’ll be glad to see.” - -“I hope,” said Wylie slowly, “that you haven’t let any nonsense I may -have talked when I was off my head----” - -“Oh, don’t be afraid. I am discretion itself.” - -“I hope you have not given any one the trouble of coming here because -you thought I wanted to see them?” - -“Certainly not,” retorted the surgeon. “The reason I invited ‘them’ -was because I thought you didn’t want to see them, of course. I’m glad -you have modesty enough not to imagine that ‘they’ wanted to see you. -Anyhow, you need only look as sick and sorry as you do now, and -they’ll never want to see you again. Now do, for the sake of my -professional reputation, try to assume some faint resemblance to a -smile, even if you feel it not!” - -“Oh, shut up!” groaned the patient. - -“Well, it’s not my fault if you don’t appreciate your blessings. Here, -drink this, and I’ll give you ten minutes or so to practise an amiable -expression in. Think you’re going to be photographed. ‘I know it’s -difficult, but try to look pleasant,’ you know.” - -The doctor had spoken with calculated guile, for it was only two or -three minutes after leaving his patient that he returned, ushering Zoe -up the verandah steps. To his great satisfaction, he saw Wylie’s face -light up as she went forward, her eyes suspiciously bright, and shook -hands with him. - -“Now you may have a quarter of an hour,” he said; “but mind, no -getting out of that chair. No experiments in walking by way of showing -the Princess how much better you are--you understand? I don’t want -testimonials of that sort.” - -He ran down the steps, and Wylie and Zoe were left alone. He turned to -her quickly. - -“You are in mourning. Who is it? not your brother?” - -“Oh no, not Maurice. But it is--dear little Con.” - -“Not really? Poor little chap! I’m awfully sorry. How was it? Did he -get hurt?” - -“He must have been struck by one of the pieces of stone when that -bullet hit the rock, and it killed him at once. He was dead when -Eirene carried him all the way to Ephestilo. She guessed, but she -wouldn’t let herself believe it.” - -“What awful trouble for you both! I say, I am sorry,” said Wylie, with -awkward reiteration. “Poor thing! it must nearly have killed her.” - -“I think she would have died if it had not been for--what happened -afterwards,” said Zoe. “She sat in the corner of the Admiral’s cabin -with Con in her arms, and wouldn’t give him up, saying that she knew -he wasn’t dead, and he would be all right if they would only leave him -to her. She wouldn’t listen to any one, and it was a whole day and -night before she would even let me take him. But that was because a -messenger had come off to say that Maurice was dangerously -wounded--they feared mortally--and she must come at once. At first she -wouldn’t go. She said she had killed Maurice’s son, and that she -didn’t dare to meet him, and that her ambition had brought disaster on -them both, and if she went to Maurice, he would die too. She talked of -going into a convent and praying for Maurice, and never seeing him -again--and all the time the boat was waiting to take her on shore. It -was the Admiral who got her to see reason at last. Oh, he is a good -man, and so wise! He asked her how she dared add to the sorrow she had -brought on Maurice by refusing to go to him when he wanted her, and -said she would show her repentance much better by nursing him than by -keeping away and praying for him. Then he turned to me--so suddenly -that I almost jumped--and snapped out, ‘Do you get on your things and -go ashore at once. If Teffany’s wife forsakes him, at least he has a -sister.’ It was most frightfully clever,--horribly incongruous, you -know,--but he had read Eirene like a book. She cried out, ‘His wife -has not forsaken him! How dare you say so?’ and she let me take poor -Con out of her arms, and she went.” - -“And you had to stay?” asked Wylie pityingly. - -Zoe nodded. “I promised her that I would see to everything if she -would go. I knew Maurice wanted her more than me, of course.” - -“And was the little chap buried at sea?” - -“No, Eirene wanted the Orthodox service. It was at Skandalo, and there -were horrible difficulties about it. Perhaps the Roumis made -themselves unpleasant, I don’t know--or perhaps the people only -thought the Roumis wouldn’t like one of us to be buried there. We were -stopped by a mob before we reached the cemetery, and the Admiral’s -flag-lieutenant had to go and parley with the priests. The sailors -were very angry, and wanted to burn the church down, but at last they -let us through peaceably. It was in the corner farthest from the -church, and I believe they had to buy the piece of ground outright. I -know they have hoisted the Union Jack on it, and they keep a sentry -there, so it is not Emathian ground after all.” - -“Poor little Con! that he should be the one to suffer--the first, at -least!” murmured Wylie. “But your brother--what had happened to him?” - -“He was parleying with the Roumis--Jalal-ud-din himself came out to -meet him. Maurice had both the Maxims mounted to sweep the path, and -the men well posted, so we really had something to offer, for he could -have killed hundreds of the Roumis before they could have reached the -position. But while the parley was actually going on, the Roumis got -round behind somewhere--no, I don’t think it can have been treachery, -for what good could it have done any one on our side to destroy all -chance of surrender?--and they fired suddenly into our men. Maurice -turned round when he heard the noise, and that abominable old wretch -Jalal-ud-din struck at him with his sword. He tried to stagger back to -his men, but the Roumis rushed forward and began a regular butchery. -In the middle of it the contingents which Admiral Essiter had sent -arrived, and it was only by threatening to fire on the Roumis that -they got them to stop. They had to stay up there, for all sorts of -outrages were happening, and they are still holding the ridge from the -monastery to Karakula. When they were moving the bodies, they found -Maurice under a heap of dead, all trampled--and slashed--and--and -horribly wounded. He was just alive, but they didn’t think he could -live even till Eirene came. But he is alive still--just alive--and she -is nursing him at Skandalo. Of course they can’t tell him about Con, -and sometimes he asks for him. Eirene never leaves him. She won’t even -let me take charge of him while she rests--but I don’t believe she -ever does rest. Sometimes I think she is trying to atone, and -sometimes that she wants to die, so as not to have to tell him. But -she won’t let me stay with him.” - -“And so you have time to waste on me?” Zoe started and looked at him -suspiciously, but there was not in his voice the hardness she had -learnt to dread. “Tell me, am I a very lamentable object? I can’t help -seeing the tears in your eyes when you look at me--and I don’t like to -think I am making you cry.” - -“Oh no, it’s nothing of that sort,” said Zoe, jumping up and going to -the edge of the verandah. “I think you do your doctor great credit.” - -“Then what is it?” - -“You really mustn’t ask so many questions,” she said desperately. She -stood with her back to him, but he saw her dash for her handkerchief. -“Do you know,” with a gallant attempt to be arch and cheerful, “that I -had to tell them--make them believe--let them think that you and I -were engaged before they would let me come to see you?” She turned -hurriedly towards the steps. - -“Zoe!” his voice arrested her, and she paused reluctantly, still with -her back to him. “Zoe, come back--please come back. If you don’t, I -shall get up.” - -“Oh, you mustn’t!” The terrible threat brought her back at once, and -he captured her hand. - -“Dear, I would never have asked you to do it, but if you are willing -to stand by me and help me now, I can only be grateful.” - -“Only?” she said, but the tears flowed again, and spoiled the effect -of the question. She brushed them away hastily. “Willing to help -you--what a thing to ask!” she said. “I was only afraid you would not -let yourself be helped.” - -He drew her down into the chair beside him, and kissed the hand he -held. “Now tell me what the trouble is,” he said. - -A shudder ran through her. “Oh, don’t ask me!” she cried. “Let us be -happy together just for this short time.” - -“It is better to know. Tell me, dear, or---- No, it is a shame to ask -you. You would rather I got the doctor to tell me?” - -“No, no; I will tell you----” but she could not go on. - -“I must guess, then. Well, am I to be shot to-morrow?” - -“Oh no, no! How can you?” - -“To be shot, then, but not to-morrow?” - -“Oh, don’t! I’ll tell you. Admiral Essiter and the Neustrian and -Magnagrecian Admirals have got into dreadful trouble for the action -they took, especially for stopping the massacre. Oh, I don’t suppose -it’s called that, but that’s what it means,--the Roumis have -complained, and ranged the other three Powers against them. Scythia -and Pannonia and Hercynia are threatening to withdraw from the -Concert,--I should think it would get on much better without them, but -at this moment England and Neustria and Magnagrecia are on their knees -to them to stay. Hercynia has even recalled its old ship already. -Admiral Essiter says it is only to get a relief crew really, but they -pretend that it is a token of haughty displeasure, of course.” - -“And where do I come in?” - -“Why, the line the Roumis take is that as the Admirals stepped in and -prevented their massacre--their policy of unconditional surrender, I -mean--the Admirals must see that they get what they demanded at -first.” - -“Ah, the leaders of the insurgents are to be given up, you mean?” - -“Yes, that’s what they want; and at present all are safe, you -see--you, and Maurice, and Lord Armitage, who is a prisoner on board -the Pannonian flagship, and Prince Romanos----” - -“Do they insist on the Admirals bringing him back from the dead?” - -“Oh, I forgot to tell you; he is not dead, of course. He was wounded -and left for dead, but a Greek from his own island found him--at -least, that is the story--and smuggled him away into Dardania. The -Prince and Princess are looking after him, and Professor Panagiotis is -hanging on his words, and making Europe ring with the history of our -blockade. But he has made Europe ring so often, and it doesn’t seem to -do any good. And Prince Romanos, who did so much harm by his rashness, -is safe with friends, and you and Maurice are prisoners, and any -moment the Government may order the Admiral to hand you over to the -Roumis----” - -“But there’s also the chance that the British Government may develop a -certain amount of backbone, and refuse.” - -“You mustn’t count upon it;” Zoe’s tears started afresh. “Scythia is -frightfully bitter against us, and she eggs the others on. They say -she refuses to consider any further measures until the prisoners have -been given up. And oh, do you know, Admiral Essiter says that after -the Therma massacres the Powers were practically agreed on giving -Emathia a constitution and releasing her from Roum, but that while -they were quarrelling as to whom they should choose for Prince we went -to Hagiamavra, and they all withdrew their assent? They say they can’t -allow reforms to be extorted by violence. So we really have done -harm.” - -“At least we did the best we knew how,” said Wylie wearily. “Don’t -trouble about it, dear. You have told me the worst now, and thinking -won’t make it any better. So we’ll forget it, do you see, and simply -be happy. You will come to see me as often as they let you, and then I -shall be happy, and I’ll try to make you happy. And as for the times -between--why, the first half of them I shall be busy remembering what -you said and how you looked, and the last half I shall be wondering -what you will say and how you will look the next time, and you can’t -imagine how quickly it will pass. There’s the doctor whistling -vigorously! Tell me quick--do you agree?” - -“Oh!” sighed Zoe, “if you had only been like this before!” - -“Ah, I’m weak and broken in spirit now, you see. No, dearest, forgive -me. I have been a brute, but I want to leave you a happy hour or two -to remember. Doctor, you promised us a quarter of an hour.” - -“And you have had thirty-five minutes,” said the surgeon. “Well, I’m -glad to see you seem to have profited by it. He was quite restive at -the thought of a visitor, Princess, but he looks much better now.” - -He escorted Zoe down to the quay and saw her on board the pinnace, -returning for a farewell visit to Wylie and the other sick and wounded -insurgents who were in extemporised hospital quarters at Ephestilo. - -“You’re a lucky chap,” he said, looking at Wylie narrowly as he spoke. - -“I know I am,” was the hearty reply, “and I’ll stick to it even if the -luck ends to-morrow.” - -“Princess Zoe has been telling secrets, I see.” - -“I made her. It’s better to know. Did you think I couldn’t stand it? -If one is to be offered up as a sacrifice to the unity of Europe, one -may as well be aware of the honour.” - -“It’s awfully rough on you and your Prince--the Englishman who calls -himself a Greek, I mean; not the flyaway chap that came aboard with -you off Skandalo.” - -“No,” said Wylie doggedly. “We knew what we were in for, and took the -risk, but it is rough on the women.” - -“There’s no one you could get to come here to look after them, I -suppose, in case----?” - -“Not a soul, I’m afraid. What about Armitage?” - -“His case comes under the Foreign Enlistment Act, I believe. He -doesn’t seem to have offered armed resistance.” - -“Still, he won’t be free to do anything, I imagine. Well, after all, -your Admiral will see that no harm happens to them, and if they wish -to stay to the end--it would comfort them, I suppose--how could we -object just because it made it worse for us?” - -“They won’t make it worse for you,” said the surgeon with conviction. -“They have grit, those two. Why, the way Princess Zoe came--no, I -forgot; it was not to be mentioned.” - -That the slip was premeditated Wylie could hardly doubt, but he could -not bring himself to let it pass. “You don’t mean that she saw me when -I was ill?” he said. - -“Since you ask, I do. But don’t tell her that I gave her away, or I -shall get into trouble.” - -“How could you bother her about me? It’s disgusting.” - -“Because you did nothing but call out for her, if you must know, and -beg her to forgive you. Nothing I could do would make you leave off, -and at last I thought she might at any rate help you to die quietly. -There was a norther blowing, so she could not get round from Skandalo -by boat, but she came across on a mule, and she and I sat up with you -a whole night. You didn’t know her, but her being there kept you quiet -and gave you your chance. Don’t look so sick. Most men would feel some -slight approach to gratitude.” - -“What is it to you what I feel?” demanded Wylie, so fiercely that the -doctor jumped. “No, don’t go off like that. If I am savage, just try -to realise what it feels like to have coals of fire not merely heaped, -but simply shovelled, on your head.” - -“Ah, I see!” said the surgeon sagely, and Wylie was left to his own -meditations. When Zoe came again, two days later, he had been promoted -to sitting up for the greater part of the morning, and he informed her -of the improvement with pride. She told him in return that Maurice had -recognised Eirene, and had been able to answer questions, but neither -his good news nor her own seemed to have much effect upon her mood. -She moved about the verandah, talking restlessly, and Wylie saw the -brightness of unshed tears in her eyes. It was not until he hinted -that the task of following her movements was bad for his head that she -came, full of compunction, to sit down beside him. - -“If I asked you to promise me something, would you do it?” she asked -impulsively, with her hand in his. - -“Not without knowing what it was.” - -“Not even for me?” - -“Not even for you. Would you if I asked for a promise?” - -“That’s different. You would be sure to want something horrid, while I -only want what is for your good. You have nothing to thank the British -Government for--nothing----” - -“Only my life--so far.” - -“That’s Admiral Essiter, not the Government. They are keeping you -prisoner here, with sentries outside, and calmly discussing whether -they shall hand you over to be killed--and yet I know you wouldn’t -escape if I found a way for you.” - -“What would you propose?” - -“Oh, you don’t mean that you would?” she cried joyfully. “I have so -many plans. They keep suggesting themselves all day and night. And -some of the officers would help, I am sure--Mr Cotway, at any rate, -and Mr Suter----” - -“And you would let Cotway ruin his career?” - -“But it is for you--for your life,” said Zoe, with an unconscious -selfishness which she recognised when she had uttered the words. “He -would wish to do it, rather than connive at a national disgrace,” she -added quickly. “They all say it would be that. Mr Suter said he should -throw up his commission if it happened.” - -“My dear girl, you really mustn’t lead these unfortunate youths into -romantic pitfalls of this kind. Has nobody told you that I am on -parole here? I gave my word as soon as I was able to sit up. The -sentry whose presence you resent so much is really only here for my -protection, in case of any kind attentions from our Roumi friends.” - -“Of course I have never suggested it to any of them,” said Zoe, after -a moment’s stunned silence. “I meant to have the plan all ready, and -to get your consent, before I sounded Mr Cotway. But I knew you -wouldn’t do it. It’s just like Maurice. Eirene wanted him to pretend -to be dead, and let himself be carried away in a coffin, to be buried -at home--I suggested it to her--but he wouldn’t. And the Powers go on -talking and talking--and the Roumis are getting frightfully -aggressive--and everything----” - -“Aggressive in demanding that we should be given up, do you mean?” - -“Yes--and that the Admirals should withdraw their landing-parties. -They say it is the presence of the European forces that is keeping -Southern Emathia in a ferment, of course, and that Jalal-ud-din could -pacify the province in a week if he had it to himself.” - -“In the good old way, I presume. But, Zoe, I didn’t understand that -the Admirals were actually occupying the peninsula. I thought they had -Red Cross camps here and at Skandalo under the protection of the -ships’ guns, and just a few armed sailors as sentries.” - -Zoe looked astonished. “Oh no,” she said; “there is a joint European -occupation--at least, on behalf of England and Neustria and -Magnagrecia. The Roumis have garrisons at Skandalo and Karakula, and -an entrenched camp near the monastery, but the Admirals are -administering everything. That is what makes the Roumis so angry. You -see, the expelled Mohammedans want to come back, but the Therma -refugees are in their farms, and daren’t return to their own homes, so -that there is an immense amount of pacification to be done.” - -“Jalal-ud-din is pressing the return of the Mohammedans, and the -Admirals are watching over the interests of the refugees?” said Wylie. -“It seems to me that we were not the only people who rushed in where -angels fear to tread. To snatch the Roumis’ prey from them when they -were flushed with victory----” - -“Oh, that is what makes the other Powers so angry with our Admirals,” -said Zoe carelessly. “There have been riots at Therma, and Europeans -were attacked in the streets. All the Consulates are guarded by -troops.” - -“Roumi troops?” - -“No, troops of the different nationalities. A detachment of -Highlanders is looking after Sir Frank Francis.” - -“And the Powers are still talking? Zoe, if Admiral Essiter will take a -word of advice from a condemned criminal, give him this message from -me. Unless the Powers withdraw from Hagiamavra in a day or two, and -give us up, look out for trouble. Let him get reinforcements from -Malta, Egypt, anywhere he can, or the next Therma massacre will be of -Europeans, not of Emathian Christians.” - -“But do you really think there is danger? Every one says that the -Roumis are getting insolent and talking big, but that it only needs a -warship or two at Therma to make them sing small. And all sorts of -people are coming here to see the sites of our battles, as if it was a -show-place--horrid smart people, you know, flirting and having picnics -where our men were killed. The Princess Dowager of Dardania is at -Skandalo. I asked her to receive me, because I thought she might be -some help, and she was very gracious, but she would promise nothing. -She has Donna Olimpia Pazzi with her instead of her own -lady-in-waiting, who she says got homesick and had to be sent back to -Dardania. The girl looked at me with such an evil eye that I was glad -to take the opportunity of mentioning about you and me, you know, so -that she might see there was no need to be afraid for her dear -Romanos. The Princess quite beamed when she heard it----” - -“Zoe, do you know what they call that woman all over Europe? The -Stormy Petrel! I should have thought something was brewing even if you -hadn’t told me of the trouble in Therma. Give my message to the -Admiral at the first possible moment, or you will be sorry for it all -your life.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - AN UNHOLY COMPACT. - -The lady whom Wylie had designated as the Stormy Petrel was sitting -in her private room in the house she had taken at Skandalo, busied, as -was usually the case in her hours of retirement, with the arrears of -an enormous correspondence. The mental activity of Ottilie, Princess -of Dardania, had increased, rather than diminished, with the passage -of years, and she had a finger in many obscure and incongruous pies, -besides taking a prominent part in all the more obvious developments -of standing political intrigue. The power, or the semblance of it, -which she thus gained was the sole joy of her life, and its one -drawback was the European reputation she enjoyed, which had a tendency -to scatter all the elements of a promising conspiracy as soon as she -began to show an interest in it. In Balkan affairs, however, she had, -as it were, a prescriptive right to take part, and many exalted -personages looked to her for their views on the subject. It was her -boast that she never employed a secretary. Every letter addressed to -her was opened by herself, and only unimportant epistles were handed -over to be dealt with by her lady-in-waiting. The post of this -attendant was no sinecure, and Donna Olimpia Pazzi, who was at present -filling it, looked pale and tired when she entered her mistress’s -presence. - -“Madame Theophanis desires to know whether you will receive her, -madame,” she said. - -“_Princess_ Theophanis, my child. Who are we that we should remind the -unfortunate of their fallen condition?” The Princess spoke in a clear -raised tone, not without a suspicion of mockery, calculated to -penetrate into the anteroom beyond. “Beg her to give herself the -trouble of entering.” - -Donna Olimpia hesitated, then came close up to the writing-table. -“When will you allow me to return to Bashi Konak, madame?” she asked -hurriedly, almost inaudibly. - -The Princess frowned. “You must not be unreasonable. I thought you -agreed with me that it was safer you should not return while Prince -Christodoridi remained at the Palace?” - -“Yes, madame, but---- Oh, you cannot tell what I suffer! You know him, -yet not as I do. What fresh object may have captivated his fancy--at -whose shrine----” - -“Olimpia, this is childish.” The Princess spoke with severity. “I have -promised that all shall be well if you take my advice. Would you wreck -your whole future by this untimely jealousy? Be content: Prince -Romanos will love you much better when he meets you again after a few -weeks’ separation than if he had enjoyed your society the whole time.” - -The girl shook like an aspen as the Princess, leaning back in her -chair, watched with artistic pleasure the effect of the taunt. “We are -keeping Princess Theophanis waiting most cruelly. Will you be good -enough to bring her in, or must I go myself?” The tone cut like a -knife. - -“Pardon, madame!” murmured Donna Olimpia, retreating helplessly. In -another moment she ushered in Eirene, looking haggard and wasted in -her deep mourning. The Dowager Princess met her and kissed her -affectionately, uttering little cooing sentences of condolence until -the lady-in-waiting had retired, closing the door behind her. Then her -manner changed. - -“We will not waste time,” she said. - -“No, I can’t wait,” said Eirene nervously. “I have snatched these few -minutes while my sister-in-law is at Ephestilo, and Admiral Essiter’s -surgeon is sitting with my husband. I was obliged to come when you -sent word that you, and you alone, could show me how to save his -life.” - -“Exactly. You are wise. You realise that if Scythia, Pannonia, and -Hercynia continue to support Roum in demanding the surrender of the -insurgent leaders, the British Government will yield? I have a great -admiration for your British Government; it always knows when to -submit. And that ‘when,’ in this case, will be about the beginning of -next week.” - -“So I feared,” murmured Eirene, with dry lips. - -“Therefore, if anything is to be done, it must be done at once.” - -“Yes, yes; I know.” - -“You understand that I am not here as a philanthropist? You are -prepared to pay a price for your husband’s life?” - -“I would give mine if you asked it.” - -“Ah, that, I fear, has little marketable value. But would you give -your ambition, madame?” - -Eirene paused before answering. The words seemed to be wrung from her -at last. “Yes. I have no child now, to suffer.” - -“‘The children born of thee are fire and sword’”--the words, applied -to herself many years before, came to the Princess’s lips, but she -repressed them. “I am glad to see you are able to take a common-sense -view of the matter. Then, on that assurance, I will put affairs in -train.” - -“But won’t you tell me what it is you want me to do?” urged Eirene, as -the Princess turned again to her writing-table. “I am to renounce our -rights, of course--my husband’s and mine----” - -“I have not said so.” The Princess looked round. “What you will -renounce is the right of independent action. You will act as is -suggested to you; I can tell you no more at present. Of course you -will have the right to refuse the terms when they are submitted for -your acceptance, if you prefer it. In that case, naturally, I can do -no more, and I shall not be the person responsible for the death of a -very worthy, if misguided, young man, who was unfortunate enough to -take the advice of his wife rather than of older and wiser heads.” - -“Madame, you will break my heart!” panted Eirene. - -“Oh no, you mistake. If you should discover that your duty to your -ambition compelled you to sacrifice the life of your husband, then -your heart might break, but I think not. You would be upheld by a -sense of the stern nobility of your attitude, surely? Then farewell, -dear madame. I shall see you again soon? My kindest remembrances to -your brave husband. Olimpia!” - -Ushered out of the Princess’s presence, Eirene stood for a moment as -if dazed. The two cavasses from Therma, allotted to her partly as -guard, partly as spies upon her movements, gathered themselves up -lazily from the most comfortable resting-places they could find in -front of the house, and the sight of them recalled her to herself. -Hastily she picked her way back to the building where Maurice lay -under guard, up one steep street and down another, an incongruous -figure with her black attire and burning eyes among the many-coloured -and abounding life that thronged them. Sailors from the fleets jostled -the sight-seeing tourists of whom Zoe had spoken to Wylie, and the -inhabitants of the town were making hay while the sun shone as -zealously under the Roumi flag as when the Imperial ensign had floated -over their roofs. Nothing was changed in their busy, money-making -existence, everything in the life of the lonely woman who passed among -them like a reproachful ghost. - - * * * * * * * * - -“Eirene,” said Zoe, coming in one morning from marketing, “something -dreadful must be happening at Therma. I met Captain Bryson rushing -down to the quay, and he says all the warships are ordered there at -once, leaving only the _Dorinda_ on guard here. Street-fighting, he -said, with the Roumi troops siding with the mob.” - -“I thought that was just what Graham Wylie prophesied,” said Eirene, -without interest. - -“Yes, but I don’t believe he thought it would begin so soon. Oh, I -wonder whether the Admiral took his advice about asking for -reinforcements! I told him that very evening, but he only looked at me -in that pitying, smiling way he has, and wouldn’t say anything. -Eirene, you look frightfully tired. Do go out and get a breath of air, -and let me sit with Maurice a little.” - -“I am not tired----” began Eirene, but through the open door behind -Zoe she caught sight of a man approaching the house--the Princess -Dowager’s Dardanian servant, in all the bravery of the snowy linen and -shining embroidery of his native dress, and the sashful of murderous -weapons about his manly waist. In his strong brown fingers he carried -a note. Zoe must not guess that the veteran intriguer was in -communication with her sister-in-law, and Eirene made up her mind in -an instant. “I am more tired than I thought I was,” she said -languidly. “Maurice was very restless in the night. I am rather faint, -I think. I will walk up the hill and back again. Oh!” as the Dardanian -reached the door, “was that Maurice calling?” - -Zoe fled to the sick-room, tearing off her hat as she went, and Eirene -took the note from the messenger. It was very short. - - - “Things have come to a crisis sooner than I expected. If anything is - to be done, it must be to-day.--O.” - - -“I will come,” she said, and with trembling fingers tied on the black -bonnet with its long fall of crape reaching to the ground, reminiscent -of the court mourning of her early days in Scythia, which had made -Maurice so anxious and uneasy when he caught sight of it once that the -doctor had fairly driven her out of the room. Together they had -concocted a myth concerning Eirene’s desire to show sympathy with the -families of the slain insurgents, which the patient’s dulled brain and -limited powers of asking questions had not yet been able to penetrate; -but Eirene had not ventured to appear in the bonnet again in his room, -though she scouted angrily the surgeon’s blunt advice that she should -consider the living husband before the dead child, and defer the -outward tokens of woe for the present. She did not herself realise the -actual satisfaction that her depth of crape gave her; it was in -accordance with her feelings and the situation, and she derived a -certain mournful pleasure from it. - -“I am glad you have lost no time,” said the Princess, when she was -ushered into her presence. “This affair at Therma renders your -husband’s position most precarious.” - -“Are the rioters demanding his death?” asked Eirene, almost in a -whisper. - -“Rioters? This is not a riot. It is an attack by Roumi troops on the -troops and Consulates of the three ‘Liberal’ Powers--the three Powers -which are protecting your husband. Jalal-ud-din remains passive. The -Scythian and Pannonian Consulates have so far escaped, and the -Hercynian Consulate has actually been saluted by the revolted troops. -There lies your danger.” - -“Hercynia has always been hostile,” murmured Eirene. - -“Hercynia is ranged on the side of Roum. If this outbreak is quelled, -Hercynia will act as mediator between her _protégée_ and the -insulted Powers, and her first duty will be to show that Roum is more -sinned against than sinning. She will demand the instant surrender of -the Hagiamavra leaders.” - -“But they would not grant it, when Roum has allowed the Consuls to be -attacked.” - -“They would not, if there was a sufficiently strong party in the -Concert against it. At present the Powers are three and three, and -because Scythia and Pannonia and Hercynia know what they want, and -England is willing to obey any one who tells her what to do, they will -prevail. But if one of them is detached, England will gladly help to -form a majority on the side she herself prefers.” - -“And which of them is to be detached? and what is the price?” - -“I will tell you presently. It is some years now since you were in -Scythia, madame, but you will remember the characteristics of her -diplomacy sufficiently to be sure that in the unprecedented situation -arising out of your husband’s filibustering expedition she has not -forgotten her own plans for the future of Emathia. For the promotion -of those plans, it is necessary that Emathia should only be released -from Roum to come under the rule of a Scythian nominee.” - -“Your son Kazimir,” murmured Eirene involuntarily. - -The Princess frowned. “We are not concerned with personalities, -madame, but with facts. Let it suffice that the person chosen must be -possessed of certain qualifications to which your husband cannot -pretend.” - -“I know,” said Eirene wearily. “And therefore he is to retire in the -other person’s favour. Why not say so at once?” - -“Because that is not what is required of you. Your husband is not -recognised by Europe as a candidate. Therefore his withdrawal would be -the private act of a private person, and have no political -significance whatever. At the same time, it might have a slightly -invidious appearance for Scythia suddenly to propose the virtual -independence of Emathia under a prince of her choosing.” - -“I can’t imagine what you want me to do.” Eirene was wearied to -impatience. “Please say what it is, and let me go back to my husband. -Only”--with a sudden thought--“it is no use suggesting that Maurice -should become a puppet prince under the thumb of Scythia, for nothing -would ever induce him to do it.” - -“Dear madame, I know your husband and his prejudices. In this little -matter, you and I are going to arrange things for his good, for his -life’s sake”--the emphasis was significant--“without consulting him. -You will believe that it is with the keenest pleasure I tell you that -we shall also gratify, though, alas! only temporarily, the ambition -you have cherished so long.” - -“Madame,” said Eirene, with quivering lips, “my ambition is dead, and -you know it. It was for my child I cherished it, and it died with him. -No political success can be more than dust and ashes to me now. It is -for the sake of my husband’s life, and that alone, that I listen to -you.” - -The Princess shrugged her shoulders slightly. “Very well, let it pass. -To my suggestion, madame. If you agree, the Scythian Ambassador at -Czarigrad will definitely propose your husband as Governor-General and -Prince of Emathia, under the nominal sovereignty of Roum, but with the -guarantee of the Powers and owning responsibility to them. The Liberal -Powers will testify surprise, but will eventually joyfully agree. If a -popular election is demanded--well, we all know that these things are -managed somehow--he will be the person elected. I shall have the -honour of paying my respects to the Princess of Emathia in the Konak -at Therma.” - -“And the price?” - -“A mere nothing. A promise signed by your husband to resign his post, -for reasons of health, when he is required to do so by Scythia.” - -“He would never do it.” - -“I think he would, when he knew that the document would be made public -in case of his refusing.” - -Eirene flushed angrily. “You know I don’t mean that!” she cried. “What -Maurice promised he would do, of course. But he would never give the -promise.” - -“Then he will be handed over to Roum, and--shot.” - -“Madame, you ask impossibilities. Why tantalise me like this? My -husband would refuse the suggestion with scorn.” - -“Dear madame, did I not say that you and I would arrange the matter -for his good? He will sign the promise, but it is not necessary he -should know what it is.” - -“He would never sign it without reading it.” - -“Then he must think it something different from what it is. Madame, I -understand that your husband has something to forgive you. Have you -not the courage, the cunning, if you will, to play a slight trick upon -him for his life’s sake?” - -“He would never forgive me,” said Eirene, trembling. - -“He need never know, unless you tell him. Listen--the intimation that -his retirement is desired shall be conveyed to you first. I will not -do you the injustice to imagine that you cannot induce him--by urging -ill-health on your own part, if necessary--to take a step on which you -have set your heart. Once he has complied, the paper shall be handed -back to you, to be dealt with as you please.” - -Eirene caught at a straw. “But even if he did resign, the people would -at once elect Prince Romanos Christodoridi. He is the Pannonian -candidate, and the Greeks adore him.” - -“My dear friend, it is quite unnecessary for you to trouble yourself -about that young man. I know something about him that would make him, -if I even whispered it abroad, an impossible candidate. I assure you -that everything has been provided for. But I will make your task as -easy as I can. The preliminary to proposing your husband as candidate -must of course be the decision on the part of the Powers that he is -not to be handed over to Roum--that he is, in short, a free man. This -I will undertake to obtain at once, confiding in your honour. If I am -able to announce to you--and events confirm it--that his life is safe, -may I depend upon you to perform your part of the compact?” - -“But his life is all that I want. I don’t care now about his becoming -Prince.” - -“But I do. As I have already pointed out, his life depends upon his -being useful in the future.” - -“But if I drew back then--you don’t mean----” - -“I mean that if you were so foolish as to deny that you had entered -into this engagement--well, it is not beyond the resources of -diplomacy to discover that the illegal acts of which your husband was -guilty during his occupation of Hagiamavra were such as to place him, -after all, outside the pale of pardon. We are not to be played with, -madame.” - -“The--the pardon would cover Colonel Wylie and Lord Armitage, and all -who were concerned?” - -“Certainly. The Powers--except perhaps Hercynia--are not really -thirsting for the blood of these obscure individuals, you know! You -have decided to take action, madame--you have conceived a plan? Good! -In return, then, for the assurance I trust to be able to convey to -you, in two days at most, of the safety of your husband and his -associates, you will deliver to me a paper signed by him, containing -a solemn promise on his part to resign the Governor-Generalship of -Emathia, without assigning other than private reasons, whenever he -shall be required to do so by the Emperor of Scythia or his -representatives, in consideration of their good offices in bringing -about his release?” - -“You mean to make him impossible for ever as a candidate!” cried -Eirene. Then her indignation faded. “Well, it does not signify. After -all, it is for his life. But wait,” her tone was full of animation -once more. “It is possible that he will not be elected. Prince Romanos -has many supporters. Don’t be afraid,” noticing the Princess’s -expression; “Maurice shall offer himself as candidate, according to -our compact, and I will do nothing and say nothing to prevent his -succeeding. But if he fails, if Prince Romanos is elected, you can do -what you like with him, so you have said. Therefore the paper will be -of no further use to you. In that case will you give it me back?” - -The Princess considered the matter. “Yes,” she said, “I think I can -promise that.” - -“Swear it!” cried Eirene eagerly. “You have an icon of great sanctity -there, I see. Swear upon it.” - -“You ask a great deal, madame.” The Princess shot an angry glance at -this suppliant who was presuming to make terms with her, but she moved -across to the icon and kissed it. “I swear that if Prince -Christodoridi is elected, I will return the paper signed by your -husband to ‘you,’” she said, with an emphasis on the pronoun which -Eirene remembered afterwards. “But do not be afraid, the election will -be properly managed, and our friend Apolis will have no chance.” - -“I will give or send you the paper when it is certain that my -husband’s life is safe,” said Eirene. “I see how it is to be done. You -need not be afraid.” - -She went out with a pale face and set lips, determined on betraying -Maurice for his life’s sake, even arguing to herself that her action -was justifiable, since it involved the loss of her own ambition. But -on one point she had no illusions. Maurice would never forgive her for -setting his life above his honour. She returned home, and before going -into the sick-room chose out two sheets of black-edged paper and wrote -two letters, arranging the sentences carefully, so that when glanced -at cursorily, or seen upside-down, the wording appeared to be the -same. Taking these in her hand, with several loose pieces of -blotting-paper, she went into Maurice’s room. - -“Hush!” came softly from Zoe, who was sitting close to the door. “He’s -asleep.” - -“No, I’m not,” said a weak voice from the bed. “Eirene, I think you -might let Con in to-day. I feel as if I hadn’t seen him for years, and -he will be quite good.” - -“Oh, hush!” cried Eirene, in a voice that thrilled with pain. Then she -recollected herself hurriedly. “No, Maurice, you are not strong enough -yet. But I do want you to sign this letter if you feel fairly well. I -want Merceda to sell out ten thousand pounds of Mr Teffany-Wise’s -money, and pay it into our joint account.” - -“What! not had enough adventures yet?” groaned Maurice. - -“This is not an adventure; it is a most excellent thing. Zoe, you -heard Admiral Essiter talking of the new idea the Constitutional -Assembly have started, to police the peninsula themselves, under the -Admirals?” - -“Yes, but I thought you didn’t care about it,” said Zoe. - -“Oh, I have been thinking about it since. They only need money, -Maurice, and it would be a step to self-government. Let us lend them -this ten thousand.” - -“I don’t like taking such a step without consulting any one,” said -Maurice. - -“You can consult the Admiral before doing it. It can’t be any harm to -have the money ready. And it would show that we really wished well to -the people, and didn’t care about them merely as potential subjects.” - -“I should like to think it over a little.” - -“Oh, but I want to do it at once!” Zoe frowned as Eirene’s voice rose -higher. “I have written the letter. Look, Zoe, that is all right, -isn’t it? Maurice will only have to sign it. You can read it to him if -you like, so as not to try his eyes.” - -“Just like Eirene!” thought Zoe as she read the letter through. -“Pushing her schemes exactly as usual, after all that has happened! If -Eirene won’t be satisfied unless you sign it, Maurice,” she added -aloud, “I suppose it can’t do much harm. You will have to sign the -transfer first, and then the cheque, before she can do anything with -the money.” - -“Of course. I only feel that one ought to be rather careful what one -does in present circumstances, for fear of adding to the Admirals’ -difficulties,” said Maurice, by way of apology to his wife for Zoe’s -chilling tone and dignified withdrawal to the window. “We will find -out exactly what Essiter thinks before taking any further step, but as -you say, it can’t hurt to have the money in the bank.” - -“Do be careful, Eirene! You will be giving Maurice the blotting-paper -to sign,” said Zoe sharply, as the papers fluttered from her -sister-in-law’s trembling hands. - -“Much more likely to spill the ink,” retorted Eirene, gathering them -up, and holding one in front of Maurice with a book to keep it steady. -The room was dim and his eyes weak, and neither he nor Zoe had the -faintest idea that the paper to which he had laboriously scrawled his -name was not the letter to the stockbroker, but the promise demanded -by the Princess. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - THE WAGES OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. - -The situation at Therma was “serious” in the opinion of the most -optimistic observers, “critical” in that of others. The Roumi troops -were irritated beyond endurance, so said their apologists, by the -action of the Admirals in saving the Hagiamavra insurgents from the -punishment they merited, and were still further incensed by the -importation of European soldiers to guard the Consulates. An indemnity -had been demanded by the three “Liberal” powers for the damage to -person and property sustained by their nationals during the rioting of -which Zoe had spoken to Wylie, and since settlement was deferred in -the old familiar way, it was thought well to act decisively, and seize -the Therma quays. This was the last straw. The international force -sent to take over the customs buildings was attacked by an armed mob, -largely composed of Roumi soldiers, led by their officers. Not -expecting serious opposition, and desirous of sparing Roumi -susceptibilities as much as possible, the Consuls had sent only small -detachments, and these were compelled to retreat down the quay, fired -at from windows and roofs, and sustaining many casualties. The British -destroyer lying in the harbour shelled the mob, and covered the -embarkation of the survivors, but could not protect either the -European or the Christian parts of the town. The fact that three of -the great Powers were to some extent in sympathy with the malcontents -made it impossible to arrange for a joint defence of the diplomatic -quarter, and the British, Neustrian, and Magnagrecian Consulates were -subjected to three separate sieges, in which the occupants suffered -severely, until their Admirals, arriving in haste, landed parties to -relieve them. When the sacred abodes of diplomacy were thus treated, -it was clear that no consideration for the homes of ordinary -Christians, whether Roumi subjects or foreigners, was to be expected. -The rest of the city was given up to rapine of all kinds; the ravages -of the massacres in the spring, which had been in process of being -repaired, were renewed, and anarchy reigned. Jalal-ud-din Pasha, -summoned by the Admirals to recall his soldiers to barracks, declared -his inability to restrain them unless the foreign troops whose -presence excited their ire were removed, and when this was indignantly -refused, relapsed into a benevolent neutrality. But unfortunately for -himself and his master, he had misread the situation. Outrages on -Emathian Christians were one thing,--Europe had endured them with more -or less equanimity for centuries; but to burn European officials in -their houses and shoot down European troops was something very -different. The insulted Powers hurried reinforcements to the spot -(those of England were already on their way, thanks to Admiral -Essiter’s appreciation of Wylie’s warning), and the Admirals were -given full authority to deal with the state of affairs. - -Nor was the vindication of the insulted dignity of Europe left -entirely to the sword. The Ambassadors at Czarigrad, who had debated -earnestly and fruitlessly for many months, labouring at a Sisyphean -task with a patience and lack of success that were little less than -pathetic, found a ray of light suddenly cast upon their path. The -Neustrian and Scythian Ambassadors arrived at the scene of their -discussions one morning in company,--a circumstance that in itself -aroused comment, since the representatives of the friendly and allied -nations had for some time been on opposite sides. The reconciliation -was emphasised when the Neustrian Ambassador, acting under instruction -from his Government, pointed out that the events now occurring at -Therma showed how unlikely it was that the Hagiamavran leaders would -receive fair treatment at Roumi hands, and proposed their immediate -release. The Scythian Ambassador, similarly instructed from home, -caused an immense sensation by seconding the suggestion, and it was -carried. The Magnagrecian Ambassador was thereupon encouraged to bring -forward the proposal, which had been shelved for so long, that Emathia -should be constituted an autonomous principality, under the merely -nominal suzerainty of Roum; but his Pannonian colleague, who had by -this time recovered from the shock of finding himself deserted by -Scythia, countered his plan with the suggestion that a Christian -Governor-General, approved by the Powers, but responsible to -Czarigrad, was all that was necessary. That this Christian Vali should -be a Roumi subject was of course a foregone conclusion, and he -believed that the Grand Seignior might be induced to reappoint M. -Nestor Skopiadi, who had already proved himself so zealous and capable -a ruler. This barefaced attempt to establish over again the hopeless -state of things which had ended with Skopiadi Pasha’s flight from -massacre in the spring was a little too much for the rest of the -Ambassadors, and the gathering broke up without expressing any -collective opinion, that its members might report to their respective -Governments the alternative proposals submitted to it. - -But at least the lives of the insurgent leaders were safe. The tidings -was brought to Skandalo by the _Magniloquent’s_ steam pinnace, -carrying Admiral Essiter’s flag-lieutenant, who was charged with -despatches for the Magnagrecian commander at Ephestilo. He brought -also the Admiral’s own suggestion that he should offer to take Zoe to -Ephestilo with him, in case she might like to carry the news to Wylie -herself, and she accepted the invitation joyfully. While she was -getting ready, Eirene was summoned from the sick-room by the news that -the Princess Dowager of Dardania was inquiring for her. The creditor -had come to demand the payment of the bond, and Eirene took the -fateful paper from its hiding-place inside the bodice of her dress, -and went to face her. - -“I felt that I must come and bring my congratulations in person,” said -the Princess, in a tone loud enough to be heard by the flag-lieutenant -in the next room. “Well, have I kept my promise?” she asked, in a -lowered voice. - -“You are very good, madame,” said Eirene loudly. “Yes, and I will keep -mine,” she added, almost in a whisper. - -The Princess took the paper from her hand, and without ceremony opened -and read it. “Good!” she said lightly. “This is quite satisfactory. -Prince Theophanis is fully aware of the nature of what he has signed, -of course?” - -“You know he is not!” said Eirene indignantly. - -“Ah, well, sooner or later he will be. Good-bye, dear friend. So glad -to have had just this glimpse of you!” - -She rustled out, and the flag-lieutenant wondered why Eirene’s face -should look so tragic after a mere visit of kindly courtesy. But Zoe -came hurrying from her room, and the incident was forgotten. He had a -good deal to tell her as the pinnace carried them down the coast and -round the point and up again, for the Roumis had shown their -resentment at Scythia’s defection from their cause by attacking the -Scythian Consulate at Therma, the guards of which were not expecting -an assault, and while the occupants were rescued by a sortie from the -British Consulate, the place itself was looted and burnt. It was the -general opinion, he told her, that this change of front on the part of -Scythia portended the separation of Emathia from Roum, and its -establishment as an autonomous state under Maurice, insomuch that -various old and orthodox Mussulmans at Therma were already packing up -their goods, preferring transplantation to living under the rule of -the Giaour. This news troubled Zoe almost as much as the tidings of -the prisoners’ safety had rejoiced her, for it recalled to her Wylie’s -unbending attitude in the past, and she wondered, sick at heart, -whether he would again think it right to withhold from her, for her -own sake, all that she cared for. It was with fear and trembling that -she climbed the steps to the verandah, in the wake of the sentry, who -was beaming with sympathy for her good news. She did not quite see why -he insisted on going up first, and proclaiming, “The lady, sir, with a -hannouncement,” but when Wylie actually walked to meet her, leaning on -a stick, she understood. - -“Oh, have you walked from your chair to the steps quite by yourself?” -she cried in delight. - -“Absolutely. How’s that for improvement? And I don’t mean you to enjoy -all the privileges of our engagement in future,” he said, stooping and -kissing her. “Why, Zoe, what’s the matter?” as he looked into her -face. Her tearful eyes, and the general air of agitation about her, -prepared him for the tidings she must be bringing. “Is it news, dear?” - -“Yes. I have something--to tell you,” she broke out, stopping short, -and putting out her hands to keep him from her. - -“My dear girl, I can guess. Do these naval fellows think I can’t stand -a shock, that they send you to break it to me? Don’t trouble to say -it.” - -Zoe gave a little shivering laugh, which sounded oddly in his ears. “I -must. I said I would,” she gasped, but she let herself be drawn into -his arms, and clung to him convulsively. “You won’t turn away from -me?” she besought him. “You won’t be different? Everything will be as -it has been till now?” - -“Turn away from you--because the brutes have given you such a thing to -do, poor little girl?” His tone was answer enough. “Here, let me say -it for you. They are going to hand me over to the Roumis, I suppose?” - -“No. They are going to set you free,” came from Zoe in a kind of wail, -and her fingers tightened their hold. - -“But you must be dreaming, my darling. Or am I dreaming? It is all -right--and you are _sorry_?” - -“Oh no, no!” Zoe freed herself, and stamped her foot at him. “I was -only afraid--you might want to give me up. But you shan’t!” as she saw -the look she knew so well creeping over his face. “You promised that -everything should be as it has been, and I won’t give you up--not if -Maurice was made Emperor to-morrow! That was why I was glad when the -Admiral let me bring you the news--that mere gratitude might keep you -from throwing me over.” - -“Don’t talk about my throwing you over,” he said, more sternly than -she had heard him speak for a long time. “I might feel bound in honour -to release you from your promise.” - -“You couldn’t if I refused to release you.” - -“I must think what is the best thing to be done for you.” - -“The best thing? Ask Maurice. When I told him you and I were engaged, -he said it was the finest news he had heard for many a day.” - -“It would have been wiser to ask your sister-in-law.” - -“Worldly-wiser, perhaps! No, not even that. Have I been so -particularly happy and useful all these years, so conspicuously -successful in my influence on every one around me, that you want to -condemn me to it all again? I suppose you think that trouble is good -for me, since you are kind enough to let me be engaged to you as long -as you are expecting to be killed, and then, as soon as that strain is -over, go on to jilt me.” - -“You must let me think,” repeated Wylie, dropping into his chair. “It -is harder for me than for you.” - -Zoe’s eyes flamed. “Harder!” she cried. “If you cared for me, it might -be.” - -“Not care?” he groaned. “It’s because I do care----” - -“It is not!” she said passionately, standing in front of him like an -accuser. “It is because you are afraid what people will say, or hint, -or think about you. You say it would be hard to give me up, but it -would be harder to say to yourself,--I don’t even ask you to say it to -me,--‘It was pride that kept us apart all these years, and I won’t let -it do us any more harm now.’” - -“I can’t argue with you, but I am going to try to do the proper -thing,” persisted Wylie. - -“Very well, then. I can’t go on pleading for myself with a man who -tells me plainly he doesn’t care what I say. But remember this: if you -throw me over now, you must never, never cross my path again, never -think of helping Maurice in his work. I could not stand seeing you, -meeting you--thinking of these few days when you could afford to let -me be happy, because you were going to die and I could not presume -upon it! And I suppose even you would hardly wish to cut me off from -Maurice, the only person I have left in the world?” - -“Zoe, Zoe!” His voice reached her as she walked away, and she paused, -but could not trust herself to turn round. - -“If you send me away now, it’s for ever,” she jerked out. - -“Let me think,” he entreated. - -“No, I won’t. Am I to go or not? You must make up your mind at once. -Oh, Graham, can’t you see--I can’t bear it----” - -“No, don’t go! I can’t give you up again. Forgive me, dearest. I -thought I was thinking of you, and it was myself after all.” - -White and trembling, Zoe allowed herself to be drawn back. “You must -never do it again,” she managed to say. - -“I won’t--it isn’t worth it. What does it signify if all Europe cries -shame upon me as a fortune-hunter, when it would make us both -miserable for ever if I wasn’t?” - -“Especially when my fortune is so very desirable,” said Zoe, regaining -calmness. “Plenty of hard work, with a little fancy fighting thrown -in, and a month or two of imprisonment under sentence of death as an -occasional variety.” - -“You are the fortune,” said Wylie. She shook her head. - -“That sounds very nice, but it isn’t true. My fortune is that I have -Maurice for a brother. That’s all you care about. You know quite well -it was not until you found you would lose him that you changed your -mind about giving me up. But don’t think I mind. I am glad that any -one should appreciate him properly. Oh, there’s the whistle! I must -go--and leave you to think of Maurice.” - -“Come here first.” She approached incautiously, and found her hands -seized. “Now tell me whether you really believe I care more about -Maurice than you?” - -“You will make me keep the boat waiting. I think you like me nearly as -much as Maurice, you know; well, almost--quite--as much. Oh, you are -hurting my wrists!” - -“Only when you try to pull your hands away. No, go on, that’s not -enough. I am not going to be libelled by you, at any rate, whatever -Europe may say. Maurice is my friend, and you think I care for you -just about as much as for him?” - -“Well, perhaps a little differently, you know.” - -“Only differently--not more? And you are satisfied?” - -“I am. But I shouldn’t be if I believed it.” - -Her hands had lain passive in Wylie’s, and she twisted them -dexterously away and hurried down the steps, laughing and blushing. -She knew he could not follow her, but he succeeded in reaching the top -of the steps, and his “Just wait till next time!” met her as she -turned to wave him farewell. The flag-lieutenant found it absolutely -useless to speak of politics to her during the return voyage. - -It was like coming out of the sunshine into cold shadow to return to -Skandalo. As soon as she entered the house, Dr Terminoff, who was in -charge of Maurice during the absence of the fleet, hurried out to meet -her. - -“Can you remain with your brother, madame, while I look after Princess -Theophanis? It has been necessary to inform him of the death of the -poor child, and we have had a very sad scene. She has quite broken -down, and I was obliged to get her out of the room.” - -“But think of spoiling the good news from Czarigrad by telling him -to-day!” cried Zoe. - -“Hush! he will hear you. Pray go to him, and if there is any rise of -temperature, tell me at once. He insisted that I should go to the -Princess, but I am anxious about him.” - -Zoe took the thermometer and went into the sick-room, half hoping that -Maurice would be asleep. But he spoke to her as soon as she approached -the bed. - -“It was not Eirene’s fault, Zoe. I made her tell me. I told her she -absolutely must bring him in.” - -Zoe could not speak, but she laid her hand on his forehead for a -moment, and he went on. - -“I wish you--they--had told me before. I have been looking forward so -much---- I thought he would come and sit on the bed, and we should -have such talks together.” - -“Yes, he was so good and quiet.” Zoe commanded her voice with -difficulty. - -“But it is worse for Eirene than me. She had such hopes and plans for -him. He was to be all that I am not.” - -“He would have been exactly like you, and I’m glad of it,” said Zoe, -with fierce conviction. “And Eirene has no one but herself to thank -for the destruction of her hopes.” - -“Don’t, don’t!” said Maurice. Then, after a pause, “You have never -been able to be quite fair to her, have you, Zoe?” - -“At any rate, I can’t help seeing that but for her you two would have -been living quietly at Stone Acton--with Con.” - -“How can you tell? If his time was come---- And I suppose it is--it -must be--better for him. That was what Eirene said--that he could -never disappoint us now, that I need have no fear of treachery from -him, that he need never be afraid to meet my eye. What could she -mean?” - -“I don’t know. Perhaps she didn’t quite know what she was saying. -Maurice, you say I haven’t been fair to her, and I confess that about -the time we came here I was very angry with her, thinking she didn’t -care for you at all compared with her ambition. But I believe she -does.” - -“You think it is necessary to tell me that? It would be a poor -look-out for me if she didn’t, since she is all that I have now.” - -“Oh, Maurice, don’t you count me?” - -“You have old Wylie, and it will be quite different. You’ll understand -soon enough.” Zoe felt insulted, for was it not her prescriptive -right, as a novelist, to understand the feelings proper to all sorts -of circumstances, without having experienced them? She could not quite -keep the injured tone out of her voice. - -“If you heard Graham talk, you would see that I couldn’t possibly -change, even if I was likely to,” she said. “Why, I told him just now -that he would be marrying me more for your sake than my own.” - -“And what did he say?” - -“Oh, of course he made a fuss. But really, you know, I feel that all -our future will be decided by yours. Have you thought at all----” - -“It is for Europe to decide.” Maurice spoke with a curious hardness. -“But if they nominate me Prince of Emathia, I shall accept it.” - -“Oh, Maurice, after all? I thought perhaps----” - -“You will bear me witness that I took this thing up because I thought -it right, not from any yearning for a throne for ourselves or--the -poor little chap. We started our enterprise at the wrong time, -possibly, but that’s neither here nor there. If it was right before, -it’s right now. And if there was no other reason, it has cost me too -much for me to give it up without good cause. Zoe, will you take a -message to Eirene for me? Give her my love, and ask how she is, and -say I want her to come and sit with me as soon as she feels up to it.” - - * * * * * * * * - -With a madness which suggested that the gods had determined upon their -destruction, the Roumi troops in Therma continued to devastate the -city with fire and sword, until the small European detachments were -hard put to it to hold their ground. More than this they were helpless -to do until their reinforcements arrived, for the Admirals were loath -to face the destruction of life and property which would be caused by -a bombardment, and waited in grim impatience. Meanwhile, the -newspapers of many nations at a safe distance asked, with piteous -reiteration, Are we really in the twentieth century? Is Therma in -Europe or in darkest Africa? Does the European Concert exist? and -similar rhetorical questions which neither needed nor expected an -answer. The British reinforcements were the first to arrive, but the -Power most injured was Neustria, whose Vice-Consul, with all his -family and staff, had been massacred at the beginning of the outbreak. -Therefore the British troops were landed and held in reserve on the -heights overlooking the city, until the arrival of the Neustrian fleet -under command of an officer of impressive seniority, and the next day -an ultimatum, in which the Magnagrecian Admiral concurred, was -despatched to Jalal-ud-din. It demanded, among other things, that he -should surrender for trial by an international commission those of his -soldiers who had been concerned in the murder of Europeans, and embark -the rest immediately for Czarigrad. - -As soon as the terms of the ultimatum became known, Pannonia withdrew -her ships promptly from the fleet threatening Therma, though her -Ambassador continued to attend the meetings of his colleagues at -Czarigrad, while Hercynia, in a more uncompromising spirit, retired -from all participation in the Concert and its doings. These -demonstrations of sympathy, it was imagined, stimulated Jalal-ud-din -to reply that the Powers had themselves to thank for the behaviour of -his troops, and need not look to him to get them out of their -difficulties. After this, he translated his words into action, so it -was asserted, by leading in person an overwhelming attack on the -dilapidated remains of the British Consulate. The Powers had had their -answer, and after an hour’s delay, to afford any peaceably disposed -persons an opportunity of removing beyond the bounds of the city, they -delivered their rejoinder in the form of a bombardment. When the -cannonade from the ships ceased, the British force already on shore -covered the landing of the other troops, and that evening the flags of -four nationalities waved on the ruins which had once been the city -walls, and their forces were only waiting for the subsidence of the -flames to penetrate the blocked streets. The knell of Roumi domination -in the two western vilayets of Emathia had sounded when Jalal-ud-din -Pasha surrendered, with his surviving troops, to the Neustrian Admiral -amid the ruins of his Konak. - -The heaps of rubbish which had once been Therma were still smoking -when Scythia flung another metaphorical bombshell into the -ambassadorial conference at Czarigrad. The discussions of that august -body were being carried on under difficulties, since there were lively -apprehensions of an outburst of Moslem fury, roused by the course of -events in Emathia, that would sweep away every Christian in the -capital, but the solemn farce of suggesting and considering the names -of candidates likely to be acceptable at once to the Grand Seignior, -and to one and all of the Powers, must be continued at all costs. The -mask was thrown off, however, when the Scythian Ambassador, without -previous consultation with his colleagues, proposed Prince Maurice -Theophanis as High Commissioner of Emathia. His wealth, and his -comparative success in the brief experiment of administering -Hagiamavra, were not forgotten, and much stress was laid upon the fact -of his marriage with a lady of recognised imperial lineage and lofty -connections. The other side of the case was presented by the Pannonian -Ambassador, who could hardly find words in which to exhibit the -absurdity of conferring such a distinction upon an upstart whose -claims had never been scrutinised, far less established, and who had -not only defied the Concert of Europe, but kept it at bay for months. -However, since topsy-turviness was to be the order of the day, he -would not pose as the one wise man in a world of fools, but would -propose, in opposition to Prince Theophanis, a candidate whose claims -were far superior, and his drawbacks no greater, in the person of -Prince Romanos Christodoridi. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV. - A CONTESTED ELECTION. - -If Pannonia imagined that Maurice’s failure to secure a unanimous -nomination would lead to the withdrawal of his candidature, events -proved her to be mistaken. The present anomalous system of government -by an International Commission was not to be perpetuated until in pure -weariness Europe agreed to the partition of Emathia between her and -her great rival. Since neither party would withdraw its candidate, the -British Ambassador displayed the impatience and ignorance of the rules -of the diplomatic game characteristic of his nation by proposing that -the matter should be referred to the Emathians themselves for -decision. The _naïveté_ and rashness of the suggestion brought -Scythia and Pannonia together in opposition to it, but in the absence -of Hercynia the other three Powers had a clear majority. There was no -excuse for foreign interference, since neither of the candidates -belonged to a reigning house, and the election of delegates could be -supervised by the European officers of the Gendarmerie already at -work. Moreover, the Emathians had already shown their capacity for -representative institutions by the way in which, under the noses of -their rulers but without their knowledge, they had elected delegates -to the informal assembly held at Bashi Konak under cover of the Prince -of Dardania’s Pan-Balkanic Games. The protest of the two Powers which -considered themselves specially interested, and aggrieved, was -therefore overruled, and a stern warning addressed to the various -Balkan states, which were one and all thrilling with indignation at -this new development of affairs, by which they were threatened with a -rival instead of the acquisition of territory they had demanded. The -Dardanian attitude alone remained perfectly correct, the Prince -managing to restrain the activities of his warlike subjects, even -while he allowed their tongues to wag. The question of Illyria was -still in abeyance, for there was no thought of complicating the -problems already clustering thick in the path of the new state by -adding to it an inaccessible highland largely peopled by -irreconcilable Moslems. At present the Illyrians were loudly putting -forward their claim to enjoy a republic of their own, but they would -soon forsake words in favour of aggressions on the territory of their -more civilised neighbours, and then Prince Alexis intended to act as -the mandatory of the European Congress which must be held for the -final settlement of Balkan affairs. If he once had the opportunity of -getting a footing in Illyria, there were innumerable precedents and -solid facts which made it extremely unlikely that he would ever be -turned out. - -Therma was now once more the cynosure of European eyes, for here the -delegates from the whole of Emathia were to meet for the purpose of -choosing their Prince. The city was rising like a phœnix from its -ashes, since the engineers of the four occupying Powers, seconded by -an army of labourers from all the eastern Mediterranean, had hardly -waited for the ruins to cool before they were at work upon the new -Therma. It was highly superior to the old Therma, of course,--in -sanitation if not in picturesqueness,--and the poorer fugitives who -returned to it wandered about disconsolately, unable to find rest for -the soles of their feet. Everything was so wide and clean and highly -whitewashed, and when they tried to erect their little huts and -lean-tos, in which they might have felt comfortable, in the spaces -which were one day to be public gardens, or clinging to the skirts of -the great new houses, unsympathetic soldiers came and cleared them -away, sweeping off the owners and their belongings to be disinfected. -Therma was to become the model city of the Egean, but its former -inhabitants could hardly be expected to appreciate the change. The -people who did appreciate it were the sightseers of the Old and New -Worlds, who flocked to it with enthusiasm, charmed with the -cosmopolitan population, the passing to and fro of soldiers of four -armies, the presence of the great warships lying in the harbour, and -an occasional glimpse of the diplomatists of European reputation who -were assisting at the birth of the new state. All these people lived -in tents at first, then crowded into the newly erected houses before -the plaster was even dry, and concealing deficiencies with precious -carpets and Eastern draperies bought from the faithful Moslems who -were shaking from their feet the dust of the faithless city and -escaping to more rigidly orthodox shores, held festivities as polyglot -and almost as unrestrained as those that follow a gold rush. - -Among the diplomatists who bent their steps towards Therma was one -whose advent proved singularly displeasing to the Dowager Princess of -Dardania, who had quitted Skandalo, in common with those more deeply -interested in the approaching election, for the larger life of the -reconstructed city. It was not the first time that Prince Soudaroff -had followed in her steps when she had been in charge of a negotiation -which she was carrying out with full satisfaction to herself, and she -resented extremely the idea that he was appointed to inspect, perhaps -to revise, her methods. Nominally, of course, he had no connection -with her, but as soon as she had heard of his arrival in the city, and -found his name in her visitors’ book, she knew that sooner or later he -would ask for a business interview. This time the request came very -quickly. He was the bearer of an autograph letter from the Empress of -Scythia to Princess Theophanis; would the Princess of Dardania advise -him as to the best way of presenting it to her, as he understood she -had maintained a strict seclusion since her recent bereavement? The -Princess gave him an appointment, and it was without surprise that she -remembered afterwards the total omission of any mention of the -Empress’s letter. - -“It does not strike you, madame, that we are in danger of being too -successful?” asked the envoy, after a few preliminary civilities -designed to allow Donna Olimpia to be safely despatched out of -hearing. - -“Too successful, Prince? How could that be?” - -“I find, madame, that the candidate we are supporting is too strong. -To-day I have examined the secret returns prepared for me as to the -predilections of the delegates, and I should say that Prince -Theophanis would be elected by an absolutely overwhelming majority. -The partisans of Prince Christodoridi are noisy enough, but his -behaviour at Hagiamavra, which brought about the final catastrophe, -has told against him with many.” - -“But so long as the candidate we favour is elected, how can it signify -whether the majority is small or large?” cried the Princess. - -“On the contrary, madame, it is of supreme importance that the -majority should be small. There have been cases before when a -_parvenu_ prince, finding himself unexpectedly strong, has repudiated -the conditions on which he was raised to the throne. If Prince -Theophanis has practically the whole of Emathia at his back, he may -even venture to deny the authenticity of the document you hold, and -refuse to resign when called upon.” - -“He will not dare to break with his wife,” said the Princess eagerly. -“To deny his signature would be to expose her, and she is his link -with our court, besides being the inheritor of claims rather better -than his own.” - -“I do not for a moment expect him to denounce her as having practised -a fraud upon him, madame. But what if Princess Theophanis should -declare the document a forgery?” - -“It is impossible!” cried the Princess, in anxious protest. “It is in -her own writing, with his signature added.” - -“Still, handwriting has been counterfeited before to-day. You know -your own sex better than I do, madame, but I must own that a woman who -would deliberately deceive a sick husband, even for his advantage, -would not seem to me incapable of denying the deception in order to -set herself right in his eyes. I assume, as you say, that their -interests are identical, and that he has a high respect for her.” - -“It is possible,” she allowed unwillingly. “But who could foresee such -a thing? What more could I have done?” - -“Witnesses?” suggested Prince Soudaroff. - -“My lady saw her come, but knew nothing of her business. Indeed, I -could not have admitted her to the secret, for she is a strong -partisan of the Christodoridi.” - -Their eyes met, and Prince Soudaroff permitted himself a smile. “_The_ -lady, I presume?” he said. “No, madame, I agree that it would not have -been prudent to complicate matters further in that direction.” - -“Then what is to be done? Shall I get Princess Theophanis here, on the -plea that you have doubts as to the authenticity of the document, and -make her swear to her husband’s signature?” - -He shook his head slowly. “I fear, madame, that so decisive an act -might lead to the Princess’s confessing everything to her husband, -which would be most disastrous at this juncture. The memory had better -slumber for the present. No, I think it would be advisable to detach -some of the Theophanis supporters.” - -“And allow Prince Christodoridi to be elected?” - -“Possibly; I do not know. To ensure that the majority, on whichever -side it is, should at any rate be very small.” - -“You would not think of exposing Prince Christodoridi at once, and -removing one obstacle altogether.” - -“And allowing Prince Theophanis an absolutely unanimous return? No, -madame. I must recommend you once more to cultivate patience. But I am -pleased to observe that our championship of the Englishman has already -created an uneasy feeling among the party which is always intensely -suspicious of our designs. If that feeling of uneasiness were to -deepen----?” - -“What do you want me to do?” - -“Madame, your promptness is admirable. Nothing, save to emphasise in -conversation the favour with which Princess Theophanis is regarded at -our court, the anxiety felt in the highest quarters to see her husband -successful--the efforts, indeed, that are being made to ensure his -election. You will know how best to disseminate the impression in the -most likely soil.” - -“You may trust me!” said the Princess. - -The first tangible result of this conversation was the presentation to -Eirene, with great ceremony, of the Empress’s letter. It was -accompanied by a most sacred icon, which had been specially blessed by -Father Serafim, the favourite miracle-worker of the day in Scythia, -and he had sent with it an assurance of his prayers for Maurice’s -success. The sensation caused by this embassy had hardly subsided, -when all the cosmopolitan circles of Therma were buzzing with the news -of a most extraordinary indiscretion on the part of Prince Soudaroff. -He had actually said--true, it was after dinner and in the presence of -only a few intimate diplomatic friends,--but he had said that Scythia -looked to Emathia under her new ruler to compensate her for the losses -and disappointments she had sustained in the Far East. Instantly all -the people who had been thunderstruck when the Scythian Ambassador at -Czarigrad proposed Maurice’s election nodded wisely at one another. -This was the explanation, then! No one had ever suspected Scythia of -acting on an impulse of pure philanthropy, and it was abundantly clear -that she had received ample guarantees from Prince Theophanis before -she put her interest in him to the test of publicity. When Maurice’s -supporters denied indignantly that he had given her any pledges, they -merely nodded more wisely still, and implied that the denial raised -their opinion of his political sagacity. - -The most keenly amused of his critics was Prince Romanos, who had been -one of the first arrivals at the resuscitated city, carrying one arm -in a sling, but more gay and debonnaire than ever, so bubbling over -with pleasure at meeting his friends again that it would have been -sheer cruelty to refer to the circumstances in which he had parted -from them. A violent flirtation with Donna Olimpia occupied most of -his time at first, but the Princess Dowager took a very strong view of -this amusement when it came to her knowledge, and practically forbade -him her house, so that his rivals were free to enjoy his society all -day long. - -“You are unfortunate in your backer,” he said one day, when Maurice -and Wylie had been discussing with considerable irritation the latest -Scythian manœuvre. “Now I cannot flatter myself that Pannonia -proposed me for any more exalted reason than to prevent your being -elected, but at least she lets me alone.” - -“Probably much better for your prospects,” growled Wylie. - -“But certainly. Scythia’s fussy eagerness for your success can only do -you harm, while Pannonia’s wholesome neglect will bring me in -triumphantly.” - -“You seem very sure you are going to succeed,” said Maurice. - -“I am; absolutely certain. I feel it here,” he struck his chest. “I -will tell you why,” he lowered his voice mysteriously; “everything has -succeeded with me lately. I am in the--what do you call it?--line of -success.” - -“I can’t for the life of me see why you should succeed,” said Wylie. - -“Because I am not handicapped by the favour of Scythia, if for no -other reason. You cannot deny that Princess Theophanis was the -playmate of the Emperor’s sisters, or that the Scythian court is -showing the kindest interest in her. Now no one can say that I have a -wife at all, far less one connected in any way with royalty, so that -I stand upon my own merits--a poor foundation, perhaps, but less -slippery than the Scythian iceberg.” - -Not less perturbed than Maurice and Wylie by the unaccountable -benevolence of Scythia were the former’s supporters among the -delegates, who were now beginning to pour into the city. Most of the -men who survived the fall of Hagiamavra seemed to have contrived to -get themselves elected, and they gravitated naturally to the house -(little more than a broad verandah approached by steps and with some -cupboards beneath and in the rear), which was the headquarters of the -Theophanis cause. Here Maurice and Wylie were generally to be found, -with Dr Terminoff, and Professor Panagiotis when he could spare time -from his wire-pulling, and the delegates became accustomed after a -time to see Prince Romanos there also. This friendly association of -the two candidates, which at first revolted their sense of propriety, -began to recall the days at Hagiamavra, over which a glamour was -already tending to gather, and the delegates applied themselves to -well-meant efforts for perpetuating the happy state of things that had -reigned there, quite oblivious of the fact that an arrangement which -had not even answered particularly well temporarily might be a -disastrous failure if adopted in permanency. To their practical minds -it seemed now quite beside the question to determine which of the -candidates had the greater right on his side; the important thing was -to compose an unhappy family feud in such a way that all parties -should, if possible, be satisfied. Early one morning a number of them -invaded the verandah, and when Maurice had been established in his -chair in their midst, and coffee and cigarettes brought in, the -spokesman demanded one more assurance that he was not in any way -pledged to Scythia in the event of his being elected. - -“It is not that we doubt the Prince’s word,” said the old man; “but we -desire to treat the Lord Romanos with all fairness, and we have a word -to say for him to-day.” - -Prince Romanos, leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his hand, -smiled, and acknowledged the kind intention lazily. - -“The Lord Romanos is the younger man, and unmarried,” pursued the -spokesman. Prince Romanos started involuntarily. “Let him marry the -sister of the Lord Mavrikios, and they two shall be next heirs after -him and his wife.” - -“My sister is already betrothed, with my full consent, to the Lord -Glafko here,” said Maurice, keeping a grave face. A look of dismay -went round the assembly. - -“Yet another prince!” muttered the spokesman. “There were two kings in -Sparta, but who ever heard of three?” - -“I am the Prince’s servant, and desire no more,” said Wylie. - -The old man’s face cleared. “But it is beneath the dignity of the Lady -Zoe to wed a servant. Will the Lord Glafko stand in the way of this -excellent arrangement?” - -“Certainly not, if the Lady Zoe prefers it,” said Wylie heartily. -“Shall I go and tell her so? But I suppose I am not the proper person. -Would you like to represent it to her?” he asked the spokesman, who -hesitated, but recovered himself quickly. - -“Nay, lord; how could I put the thing as it should be put? Let the -Lord Romanos himself ask her, for who should plead his cause better -than he himself?” - -Again the rest applauded, and Prince Romanos seemed to shake off a -certain hesitation, and looked round laughing. - -“I take you all to witness that I am sent on this errand without my -consent. One does not go by choice to propose to another man’s bride. -But if I have your moral support----? The ladies are at home, Prince?” - -He disappeared indoors, and the assembly awaited his return -breathlessly. When he came back, he was still laughing. - -“The Lady Zoe says she would not marry me if I were the only man in -the world,” he said. “Well, you will at least bear witness that it was -not I who refused, but she.” - -The delegates assented sadly, and the spokesman propounded, without -enthusiasm, an alternative plan. - -“Let the Prince and his wife adopt the Lord Romanos as their son.” -Maurice winced painfully. “Then he may take part in the government -while they live, and reign after them.” - -“The idea is not a bad one,” murmured Professor Panagiotis, who had -come in almost unnoticed, and taken his place beside Maurice. But -Prince Romanos laughed boisterously. - -“My dear good friends, I hope Prince Theophanis will live a hundred -years, but I do not propose to be kept out of my inheritance as long -as that. No, what I want is to be Prince of Emathia at once. He wants -the same. Therefore we must fight it out.” - -The assembly subsided into silence, and suggested no more schemes that -day. But in the evening, when the delegates were gone, and Dr -Terminoff had joined the party on the verandah, the Professor recurred -to the second one. - -“I could wish that Prince Christodoridi were willing to waive his -present claims in view of recognition as hereditary prince, and -eventual successor,” he said. - -“No doubt you could,” said Prince Romanos. “But what have you ever -seen in me, my dear Professor, to make you imagine me a model of -patient unselfishness?” - -“Nothing, I confess it,” said the Professor emphatically. “But I -should like to see our forces united. As it is, Scythia and Pannonia -have every chance of ruining our hopes, and they are already taking -advantage of it. Nilischeff is proclaiming loudly that Prince -Theophanis is the mere instrument of Scythia, and he influences many -votes.” - -“And you have already lost so many that if he votes for me, I shall be -elected?” said Prince Romanos. “Come, this cheering prophecy gives me -courage to make a modest proposal of my own. Let us face the situation -without disguise. Emathia is Slav, is Greek. We should probably -disagree about the proportions, therefore I will not go into details. -Rightly or wrongly, the Slavs entertain a preference for you, my -friend,” to Maurice, “the Greeks for me. I speak roughly, of course, -but that is the general idea. The Slavs occupy the high ground in the -interior--speaking roughly again--the Greeks the low country nearer -the sea. Therefore Emathia is capable of division into two provinces, -the population of one predominantly Greek, of the other predominantly -Slav. Let us determine to divide her thus. Whichever of us succeeds in -the election will be Prince of Emathia, and mouthpiece of the Powers, -but he cannot dispense with the other. I have no liking for your -rugged hillmen, you have no sympathy with my brilliant elusive Greeks. -Therefore, if I become Prince, I will place you in charge of the Slav -province and the scattered Slavs in the low country. If you succeed, -give me the care of the lower province and the Greeks dwelling in the -upper.” - -“But you are merely perpetuating the racial cleavage which has done -all the mischief!” cried Maurice, as Prince Romanos stopped short with -gleaming eyes. - -“I think not. There would be one army, one judicial system. Colonel -Wylie will give us the benefit of his Indian experience in organising -them. The plan could not of course be worked unless we were bound by -the closest friendship, but we have been through much together----” - -“The plan would checkmate Scythia,” said the Professor sharply. - -“I could not suggest it to any one possessing less nobility of -character than Prince Theophanis,” said Prince Romanos, not without a -hint of malice. “His zeal is so entirely for the sake of Emathia that -I can do so without being misunderstood.” - -“It sounds excellent now, when we expect to succeed,” said Wylie. “The -question is, how it will look to us if we fail. What do you say, -Prince?” - -“The Prince will say that if it is for the good of Emathia, he will -agree to it,” said Prince Romanos boldly. - -“Very likely,” grumbled Wylie. “I am not the person to judge. It takes -a poet to think of a thing of this kind----” - -“And a fool to agree to it?” said Maurice. “But if it will give the -strength we need for the struggle against disruption? After all, it -would only be doing on a large scale what we tried on a small one at -Hagiamavra.” - -“Where it was not exactly successful,” said Wylie. “Oh, I know it’s -ideally desirable, but these things want ideal people to carry them -out.” - -“There is no idea of binding ourselves by a hard and fast agreement,” -said Maurice, as Prince Romanos laughed and bowed. “It must be -understood that the thing is purely tentative. If the man in -possession finds that the other is not working loyally with him, or if -the other--the under dog--finds he is thwarted in his pet schemes -without good cause, either may terminate it. We must have arrangements -for talking things over thoroughly together at frequent intervals, of -course.” - -“Then you agree?” cried Prince Romanos joyfully. “Welcome, then, my -colleague! You observe that I at once claim for myself the part of -upper dog--what is that you say, top dog?--and proceed to constitute -my cabinet. Prince Theophanis my Prime Minister, my Protector of -Slavs, my second self; Colonel Wylie my War Minister; Professor -Panagiotis my Foreign Secretary, Press Censor, Director of Public -Education and of my political conscience; Dr Terminoff, Minister of -Public Health. This day week the Prince of Emathia will claim your -services, gentlemen.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - PAYING THE BILL. - -By a majority of thirty-three, Prince Romanos Christodoridi was -elected High Commissioner of Emathia. This result caused no surprise -at the Theophanis headquarters, where hope was practically extinct -from the moment that a pencil note was received from Professor -Panagiotis shortly after the opening of the poll:-- - - - “Treachery. Nilischeff has demanded that he and his followers should - be allowed to vote in favour of union with Thracia. Informed that this - is not the question before the delegates, he declines to vote at all. - He influences seventy-eight votes.” - - -The abstention of these delegates, all Slavs, coupled with the adverse -voting of those who had been led to believe that Maurice was merely -the tool of Scythia, turned the scale in favour of Prince Romanos, and -led to much lively mutual recrimination afterwards. This ceased only -in presence of the astonishing sight of the defeated candidate shaking -hands with his successful rival, and promising him all the help he -could give in his arduous task. The world, as represented by the -diplomatists of Europe and the sightseers, looked on cynically, as at -a formal ceremony that meant nothing whatever, but the unsophisticated -Emathians accepted the scene in good faith, possibly considering that -the experiences of Hagiamavra gave them a more intimate knowledge of -the two men than that enjoyed by the politicians. - -It was a day of surprises, and not the least of them fell to Zoe’s -share. She was standing on the verandah in the afternoon, awaiting -eagerly the return of Maurice and Wylie with full details of the -defeat, when a carriage drove up to the door, and a slender -black-robed figure descended. It was Donna Olimpia Pazzi, and when she -saw Zoe looking down at her she made her an eager sign. - -“Please don’t call the servants. It is you I am come to see,” she said -breathlessly, and hastened up the steps. “I have brought you a book -and a message from the Princess,” she went on, still in the same -hurried way. “No, not the Princess Dowager--my own Princess, Princess -Emilia--a book of poems, which she submits with humility to your -matured judgment--they are her own, of course--and hopes that your -friendship will justify her boldness. That was my excuse for getting -leave to come, but I had something to say to you.” - -“Yes?” said Zoe. “Do sit down. Is anything the matter?” - -“I will not sit down,” said the girl, with something like defiance. -“Forgive me----” she broke off hastily. “I am in great trouble, and I -must tell some one. You will not betray me?” - -“Certainly not,” said Zoe, much surprised. “Your secret will be safe -with me.” - -“It is not my own secret only, but I can trust you. Last week you -refused a proposal of marriage from the Prince--from Romanos -Christodoridi?” - -“Most certainly I refused him, though I have no idea how you heard -anything about it.” Zoe spoke coldly. “I regarded his proposal as an -insult, since he knew I was already engaged.” - -“It was a greater insult than you imagined. He is my husband.” - -“Your husband--married to you? When? How long----?” - -“At Bashi Konak, when he was there wounded. In my Princess’s private -chapel, by her chaplain. She was present, and the Princess Dowager.” - -“But by Latin rites--and you are a Roman Catholic, too? But the Greeks -would never forgive him! It is impossible for him to be Prince.” - -“He is Prince, and you will not betray him, because you have promised; -nor shall I, because I am his wife--his most unhappy wife. But I could -not let you continue to think you had refused him, when he was mine -already.” - -The curious perverted pride in Donna Olimpia’s voice as she drew up -her head haughtily made Zoe wonder, and she felt half repelled, half -pitiful. “I don’t understand,” she said. “You are married to him; you -have got what you wanted, then, I suppose? Then why are you not -happy?” - -“How can I be happy?” the girl’s voice was choked. “He cannot -acknowledge me, or the Greeks would howl him out of Emathia. The -Princess promised me--the Princess Dowager, I mean--that he should not -be elected. Then I was to meet him in Paris, where his father would -not trouble him, and we should be left in peace. She brought me away -from Bashi Konak because she said the secret could never be kept if we -were seen together, and it must not come out until we were both safely -away from Emathia. Then he came here, and she has hardly let me see -him--even in her presence. And now he is Prince, and he can’t claim me -after all.” The tears flowed fast. - -“Then claim him,” said Zoe, rather unsympathetically. - -“And destroy his position? Never! I did not want him to be Prince, but -he wishes it, and I dare not cross his will. If he had been defeated -in the election, it would not have been my fault, and I could have -comforted him. But now he would never forgive me if I betrayed him.” - -“Well, really,” said Zoe with some impatience, “so far as I can see, -there are only two things that you might do. You can make the marriage -public and claim him, or you can go back to Bashi Konak and keep out -of his way.” - -“You say that, knowing what he is?” cried Donna Olimpia. - -“But, speaking as one woman to another, there is one thing you can’t -do,” said Zoe earnestly. “You can’t stay on here unless the marriage -is recognised. I say that, knowing what he is, as you say. Go back to -Magnagrecia if you like--to Bashi Konak at any rate--but don’t stay -here.” - -“You think he will find himself compelled to follow me, and so ruin -his own cause,” was the suspicious reply. - -Zoe started angrily. “I was speaking to you for your good,” she said. -“Knowing Prince Romanos, I should think it highly unlikely---- No, I -won’t say it. But surely you see that you must protect yourself? He -won’t do it. I can’t quite make out what part the Princess Dowager has -been playing. You don’t think she deceived you deliberately?” - -“I think not, but one cannot tell--with her. I don’t believe she -wished my husband to be Prince, or why take such pains to promote our -marriage?” - -“I think you are both merely pawns in her game,” said Zoe. “At any -rate, you can’t feel any confidence in consulting her. If it suited -her, she would sacrifice you without a qualm. That’s what I always -feel about her.” - -“You know that she has your brother also in her power?” said Donna -Olimpia suddenly. “I know it, because she told me so once, to comfort -me. I did not want my husband to be Prince, but neither did I wish him -to suffer the humiliation of being defeated by Prince Theophanis. ‘Be -tranquil,’ she said; ‘Prince Theophanis will not reign. A word from me -would make him impossible.’” - -“Then you think she has brought about his defeat?” cried Zoe -indignantly. Donna Olimpia shook her head. - -“No, and I will tell you why. The hold she has over him is something -connected with a paper. When we were at Skandalo, Princess Theophanis -visited her twice, in great trouble. They talked very low, and I heard -nothing in the anteroom until the end of the second visit. Then they -seemed to have come suddenly close to the door, where the icon hangs, -and something was said about Prince Christodoridi’s being elected, but -I could not hear distinctly. Then I heard the Princess Dowager say -something about ‘the paper signed by your husband,’ and Princess -Theophanis said, ‘I will give you the paper when my husband’s life is -safe,’ or words like that.” - -“Well?” said Zoe breathlessly. - -“Then on the day we heard that the prisoners were to be released--I am -certain of it, because the English naval officer told me the news when -he brought a packet of letters and telegrams addressed to the Princess -at Therma--she went out without me, to congratulate Princess -Theophanis. When she came back, she locked a large envelope up in her -desk. Before she did it, she took out a paper that was inside it, with -a deep mourning border, read it through, and put it back again. I saw -her.” - -“The day the flag-lieutenant came?” said Zoe. “But Maurice had only -signed one paper then--a letter to a stockbroker--and he could hardly -manage that. That was black-edged, I know, but there was nothing in it -that could get him or anybody into trouble. Unless Eirene had added -what she wanted the money for--but even then---- No, I don’t see what -it could have been.” - -“You won’t mind my interrupting you for a moment, Zoe?” said Eirene, -coming out of the house, “but I saw that you had Donna Olimpia here, -and I wanted her to take a note back to the Princess for me. You will -be sure to give it her at once, won’t you?” she asked of the girl. “It -is very important.” - -“Without fail, madame,” said Donna Olimpia, with a certain excitement -in her tone. Neither she nor Zoe could help noticing the change in -Eirene’s appearance. It was as if years had fallen from her in a few -hours, and for the first time since Constantine’s death she actually -smiled as she went back into the house. - -“I can’t understand it,” said Zoe breathlessly; “but I think there -can’t be a doubt that you would be better away from the Princess. I -must write and thank Princess Emilia for her book; shall I mention -that you are longing to return to her?” - -“Am I to leave my husband at the Princess Dowager’s mercy?” - -“If you stay here, she has a weapon continually at hand with which to -attack him. Once you are at Bashi Konak, he cannot approach you -without acknowledging his marriage.” - -“Princess, I am torn asunder. I will try to go--and yet I cannot -resolve to leave him to himself. While I am in the same city, even -though I don’t see him, I can watch over him a little, but if I go -away, who knows into what toils he may fall?” wringing her hands with -a hopeless gesture. - -“Think about it,” said Zoe soothingly. “Would you like my brother or -Colonel Wylie to speak to him?” The unhappy girl shrank away. “They -would never take advantage of what you have told me, you know; but I -see that it would put them in a very awkward position. Well, if you -think of anything I could do---- Don’t forget my sister’s note.” - -Donna Olimpia caught up the note, and hurried away, almost without a -farewell. She found that her mistress had returned from witnessing the -public proclamation of Prince Romanos, to which she had not been -permitted to attend her, and she received a sharp rebuke for staying -out so long. But the sight of Eirene’s note turned the Princess’s -thoughts into another channel. - -“Insolent!” she muttered, for though impatience might be one of her -own failings, this did not make her any more tender towards it in -others. “Well, if she will have it, she shall!” - -Going to her desk, she took out Eirene’s paper in its envelope, and -enclosed both in another envelope, which she addressed to Prince and -Princess Theophanis, as if it contained an invitation. Then she called -her Dardanian servant. - -“You are to give this into the hands of Prince Theophanis and no one -else,” she said. “Ask him to open it at once, and to send a message by -you that he has received it safely. Go first to the Place de l’Europe -Unie--you know where his seat was on the platform--and if he is no -longer there, follow him to his house. Lose no time.” - -The man obeyed with alacrity, seeing his chance of settling a bet -which he had made on the subject of the election with a compatriot -employed at the British Consulate and detailed to guard Prince -Theophanis. His own sharpest dagger, and the compatriot’s largest and -most highly ornamented revolver, had been the stakes, and both would -now adorn his girdle. He swaggered out with immense importance, almost -knocking down a quiet gentleman who had just alighted at the door as -he did so. Prince Soudaroff looked after him uncertainly. If the man -had been going in the direction of the Theophanis headquarters he -would have ventured to stop him, but the great square in front of the -site marked out for the High Commissioner’s palace was the common -rallying-ground this afternoon, and he let him go on. The flush of -gratified resentment had hardly died from the Princess’s cheek when -she received her visitor. - -“And the next step?” she said eagerly. - -“Patience, madame, patience! You must remember that we do not wish to -perpetuate the present unsettled state of affairs. No, let the -Emathians perceive the advantages of a settled government, -perhaps--who knows?--begin to find them press a little hardly; then -will come the opportunity of discrediting the temporary ruler, and the -necessity of supplying his place immediately. But we must be prepared -to prevent Prince Theophanis from stepping into the vacant place. I -presume the document which you hold contains no limitations as to -time?” - -“None whatever,” said the Princess, concealing beneath a mask of -absolute certainty the sudden alarm she felt. - -“Since the task was in your hands, madame, I knew it would be well -carried out. Still, I think, if I may say so, that in view of your -constant journeys, the time has come when the document would be safer -in my possession than in yours.” - -“I’m afraid I can’t agree to that,” said the Princess, with a smile of -which her practised opponent detected the hollowness. “You see I have -promised Princess Theophanis not to let it out of my hands unless it -becomes necessary----” - -“To produce it? Quite so. The promise is given. The mind of the -Princess Theophanis is at rest. The promise has done its work; let it -pass,” he waved his hand. “You will at any rate permit me to inspect -the document, madame? If I should retain it, disregarding your -protests, no blame can attach to you.” - -“Fie, casuist!” said the Princess playfully. - -“You flatter me, madame.” - -“But I could not think of such a thing!” - -“I await the document, madame.” - -“It is useless, Prince.” - -“Madame, here I am. Must I say that I do not leave the house without -that paper?” - -“But I cannot give it you.” - -“Cannot, madame? Why not?” - -“Because I have returned it. I swore that I would.” - -“You have returned it? to Princess Theophanis?” - -“Yes--at least to her husband.” The triumph in her tone did not escape -Prince Soudaroff, but it was not with sympathy that his eyes gleamed. - -“At least, madame, you took the precaution of having it photographed -before parting with it?” - -“No--I am sorry.” The Princess was startled at last. “I never thought -of that.” - -“I also am sorry, madame. Do you perceive what you have done? For the -gratification of a moment’s malice you have wrecked this great -scheme--deliberately thrown away the results of the labour of years. -Could you not have been satisfied with sending this priceless paper to -Princess Theophanis? Then we might have procured its return by -threatening to reveal everything to her husband. But no, you must send -it direct to that most impracticable of men, of whom one can only say -that he will take the course the least in accordance with prudence and -calculation--an honest, single-minded fool! He will probably make it -public forthwith.” - -“No,” said the Princess, with an inspiration born of dismay, “he will -keep it secret--to shield her. Go quickly and play upon his feelings. -You will promise secrecy if he will. Otherwise you will make public -the conduct of his wife.” - -“I will try,” said Prince Soudaroff, a hint of hope in his tones. “But -remember, madame, you have failed--grievously. You know the penalty.” - -“You will disown me to save yourselves? Oh, quite so! But I have been -disowned before this, Prince, and you have been glad to ask for my -help again.” - -“I hardly think that Prince Kazimir is likely to ask for your help -again, madame,” was the biting reply with which Prince Soudaroff took -his leave. He chose a somewhat roundabout way to Maurice’s house, for -he was anxious to think out the best means of dealing with the -situation. The nettle must be grasped boldly, for the slightest sign -of weakness would draw attention to the insecurity of his position. To -his disgust, there was standing at the Theophanis door a highly ornate -carriage and pair,--one of those which had taken part in the state -procession round the city,--which from the cavasses and other -attendants attached to it he knew to be that of the British Admiral. -It was with the fervent hope that the presence of the distinguished -visitor would have prevented Maurice from opening the Princess’s -envelope that he asked for admittance, to find Wylie and Zoe -entertaining the flag-lieutenant in the verandah. - -Fate was against him, as he realised the moment he heard that Admiral -Essiter was being received by Prince and Princess Theophanis in -private. The Dardanian had followed Maurice home from the square, and -caught him up just as he reached his own door. He opened the letter as -he mounted the steps, and Zoe saw his face change. - -“Oh, Maurice, what is it?” she cried. “Not the black-edged paper? Oh!” -with a sudden thought, “you don’t say that Eirene gave the ten -thousand pounds to the Princess?” - -“What does it mean?” said Maurice, bewildered. “What do you mean? What -black-edged paper?” - -“Donna Olimpia told me just now that the Princess had a black-edged -paper, signed by you, which Eirene had given her to save your life; -and I knew you had signed nothing but the letter to Merceda. But it -was such a small sum, comparatively----” - -“This is worse. That could only have discredited the Princess. This -discredits us--me.” He laid it before her, and Zoe, after reading it, -rose superior to her natural jealousy in a way that showed she had -learnt something since her engagement. - -“Maurice, you must take it to Eirene, and have it out with her at -once. It mayn’t be as bad as it looks. Perhaps she will be able to say -something to explain---- At any rate you must settle it with her -before you speak to another creature, or things will never be right -again between you.” - -“That’s true. I will. And you might as well tell Wylie how it is when -he comes in. He’ll have to know why I can’t stay in Emathia as we -agreed to do.” - -He went into Eirene’s sitting-room, and she started up to meet him, -but turned white at the sight of the paper in his hand. - -“What does this mean, Eirene?” he asked, laying it on the table, and -she bent over it and pretended to read it, for the sake of gaining -time. - -“She swore on the icon to give it back to me,” she murmured at last. -It was not what she had intended to say, but all the arguments that -raced through her mind seemed utterly futile. - -“Perhaps she agreed with me, that when one is disgraced it is as well -to know it,” he replied. - -“It was to save your life.” - -“At the cost of honour.” - -“It was the only way. I do care for your honour, Maurice, you know it, -but when it was a choice between that and your life----” - -“It would have been more--regular--to leave the choice to me.” - -“Ah, but I knew which you would choose. Oh, Maurice, don’t look at me -like that! I killed Constantine. Was I to kill you too?” It was the -first time she had mentioned the child’s death since she had broken -the news of it to him, and he realised the intense feeling which had -forced the words from her lips, and left her standing like a culprit -before him, supporting herself by the table. He strove for calmness. - -“No, I suppose it could hardly be expected of you,” he said. - -“Maurice!” she flung herself at his feet, “don’t look at me in that -way! What is the good of talking quietly when your eyes are killing -me? Say what you like--curse me; I deserve it.” - -“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, get up!” he groaned impatiently. “I don’t want -to be hard on you, Eirene. Don’t talk nonsense about cursing. But -really, life is not so excessively delightful that one cares to think -one has bought it at the price of honour.” - -Eirene rose and stood before him. “You have your remedy,” she said, -very quietly. “Put the whole blame on me. Deny your signature. Send me -away--only forgive me first. I will never utter a word of complaint, -and I will always pray for you.” - -“You forget that I did sign the thing, after all. Do you want me to -cover one baseness with another? No, we will go home quietly, and drop -out of sight.” - -“There is no need for your future to be ruined. I will go--as you -cannot bear to see me. Zoe will take care of you--and Graham Wylie.” -Her voice trembled, but she fought down the rising tears. “You trust -them; they have not deceived you. You will have your work, and I shall -have my punishment. Perhaps when I am dying----” - -“Nonsense!” cried Maurice, driven to exasperation. “There is no need -for heroic measures. If you will think a moment, you will see it is -impossible for me to stay here after this. Our Emathians are brave, at -any rate. Well, Scythia spreads a whisper that I saved my life by a -disgraceful compact with a Scythian agent. What influence should I -have after that? I could not deny it, and you may be quite certain -that I shan’t.” - -“Maurice,” said Zoe’s diffident voice at the door, “Admiral Essiter -and his flag-lieutenant are here. Shall I say you are really too tired -to see them?” - -“No!” cried Eirene, waking suddenly into fiery energy. “Bring the -Admiral in here, in here--at once, Zoe. Maurice, I forbid you to say -a word! Leave this to me.” - -Poor Admiral Essiter, perceiving on the threshold that he was -intruding upon a domestic difference, wished heartily that he had not -thought of following up his official visit of congratulation to Prince -Romanos with one of condolence to the defeated candidate. He knew -something of Eirene by personal experience, and more by report, and -the sight of the black-edged paper on the table suggested to him that -she was about to separate from Maurice owing to his ill-success in the -election, and that he had been pitched upon to assist at the final -arrangements. For all the magnificence of his appearance, and his -natural coolness, he came very near retreating ignominiously, and -Eirene saw it. - -“Come in, please, and shut the door,” she said imperiously. “I wish to -make a confession in your presence, sir. I have forged my husband’s -signature to that paper.” - -“Really, Eirene!” said Maurice indignantly. “My wife is not quite -herself, Admiral. I signed the paper with my own hand. She doesn’t -know what she is saying.” - -“Of course not--very natural,” murmured the Admiral soothingly. “This -is rather an inconvenient time, isn’t it? You would rather I called -another day?” - -“No, no!” cried Eirene. “You are to stay. Don’t mind what my husband -says.” - -“But I must pay a little attention to him in his own house, mustn’t -I?” said the Admiral, in the genial voice which had so many times -averted a break-up of the European Concert. “You can speak frankly to -me, Teffany, you know. If there is anything I can help to arrange, you -have only to say so. If not, I go, seeing nothing and remembering -nothing.” - -“If nothing else will satisfy my wife----” began Maurice unwillingly. - -“Nothing will,” said Eirene, with such determination that her husband -and the Admiral alike bowed to it. - -“Then may I suggest that we should sit down?” said the arbitrator -pleasantly, drawing forward a chair for Eirene. “This is not a -court-martial, is it?--merely a little friendly talk. You were going -to tell me something, Princess?” - -“I want you to know,” said Eirene, leaning forward in her chair, with -her hands clasped rigidly on her knee, “that I have deceived Maurice -and disgraced him----” - -“Eirene! You will make the Admiral think----” cried Maurice, but the -Admiral held up his hand. - -“One at a time, please. We will hear the Princess first. You deceived -your husband, ma’am--for his good, of course?” - -“Of course,” said Eirene, unconscious of sarcasm. “I made him sign -that paper, when he thought he was only signing a letter.” - -“You had better see it,” said Maurice, handing the document across the -table. The Admiral read it with astonishment. - -“This has never left your own possession, I hope, Princess?” - -“I wrote it for the Princess Dowager of Dardania, and she has had it -till now. She has great influence at the Scythian Court, and she got -the Emperor to save Maurice’s life, in return for that. I knew he -wouldn’t like my doing it, so I had to mislead him about it.” Eirene’s -tone was impenitent. - -“And your feeling is that if the existence of this document should -ever be asserted, you would be unable to deny it?” asked the Admiral -of Maurice, who nodded. “Well, it seems to me that it is at least as -discreditable to Scythia as to you--more so, in fact. They can hardly -have intended ever to make it public. It was to be a weapon held over -you, I presume.” - -“Yes. I was to get him to resign without mentioning it, if I could,” -assented Eirene, charmed with the Admiral’s penetration. “And it has -saved his life, and if I could have helped it he would never have -known anything about it. But I know it is just the kind of thing he -will never forgive----” - -“Eirene!” cried Maurice, stung beyond endurance. “Can’t you see that -it is not the thing itself, but your having done it, that is so -horrible?” - -“And so,” said Eirene, looking very straight at the wall to keep her -tears from overflowing, “I am going to take all the blame, and go away -to a convent, and never see him again.” - -“Come, come!” said the Admiral reprovingly. “We don’t do things of -that sort in England, Princess, off the stage--or at least we don’t -talk about doing them. You have treated your husband very badly, and -I don’t wonder he feels it, but there’s no need to make things worse.” - -Eirene drew herself up, and the Admiral noted with secret satisfaction -that Maurice moved nearer her involuntarily, and that his voice was -very chilling as he said, “My wife and I can settle that between -ourselves, Admiral. But if you think there is anything to be done -about this paper----” - -“You would like to approach the Princess Dowager about it, perhaps? We -might frighten her with the threat of making it public. But I fancy -she is merely a tool. What I should like would be to get at the person -behind her.” - -As if in answer to the aspiration, Zoe opened the door and came in, -closing it carefully. “Maurice, Prince Soudaroff is here, and is very -anxious to see you. I told him the Admiral was with you, and he said -he was come about a paper. Do you think it could be----” - -“The very man I should have chosen!” said the Admiral. - -“Bring him in, Zoe,” said Maurice, taking his stand resolutely beside -Eirene, with his hand on her shoulder--a point that Prince Soudaroff -noted immediately as he entered. His decision had been reached the -moment he learned that the Admiral was closeted with Maurice and -Eirene, and he did not wait to be addressed. The Princess Dowager must -be thrown over. - -“I have come on rather a painful errand,” he said. “There is a -document in existence, I understand, affecting the honour of Prince -Theophanis. How it was fabricated I hardly know, but I have a horrible -fear that a certain exalted lady of our acquaintance has been meddling -with politics again. These little irregularities will occur, one must -regretfully admit, when ladies interfere in things they know nothing -about.” - -“The document embodied a certain engagement, to be carried out if -Prince Theophanis was elected?” asked the Admiral, who had the paper, -face downwards, in his hand. - -“Exactly. And I fear the absurd thing has been made the means of -causing some little pain to Princess Theophanis? Ah, I was afraid so. -Really, a woman can be very cruel when her affections are concerned, -and of course the lady of whom I speak imagined she was acting in the -interests of her son.” - -“Which was a pure delusion?” said the Admiral. - -“Absolutely. The idea was puerile.” Never was a lie uttered more -unflinchingly like truth. - -“And the promise wrung from Princess Theophanis had no effect whatever -in obtaining her husband’s release?” - -“How could it? Admiral Essiter will hardly imagine that we should -traffic with an affectionate wife for the life of her husband at the -price of a piece of paper?” - -“I could hardly credit it. Then this document is quite valueless?” The -Admiral spoke casually, but he had produced a match-box from -somewhere, and as he spoke he lighted the paper he held. He saw, if -neither of the others did, Prince Soudaroff’s involuntary start -forward, instantly checked, to snatch it from destruction. “I think,” -he went on, in a business-like tone, as he crushed the last flaming -corner, “that it would be as well to have a record of the facts, -signed by all of us, for reference in case of need. The lady Prince -Soudaroff has mentioned might try to repeat her game on some future -occasion. Otherwise, of course, I must safeguard the interests of -Prince Theophanis by laying the whole affair before my colleagues, but -I should prefer to keep the matter between ourselves.” - -“I should prefer it infinitely,” said Prince Soudaroff--on this -occasion, probably, with truth. - -“Is Colonel Wylie acquainted with the facts?” asked the Admiral of -Maurice. “Yes? Then he might act as secretary.” - -“I will fetch him,” said Maurice, and Wylie was called, and wrote out -a very uncompromising, if not wholly literal, history of the case. -When Prince Soudaroff had signed it and taken his leave, the Admiral -laughed. - -“If Colonel Wylie would be good enough to make another copy, to be -laid up in the Theophanis family archives,--which in view of the -uncertainty of life in these regions had better be represented by the -Bank of England,--I should feel more at ease,” he said. “Otherwise, if -the _Magniloquent_ shared the fate of the _Maine_ one night, you would -be as badly off as ever.” - -Wylie set to work on the copy, and Zoe remained to help him, while -Maurice escorted the Admiral to his carriage. When he returned to the -verandah, Eirene was awaiting him at the top of the steps. - -“Am I to go, Maurice?” she asked him. - -“Go? where?” - -“I don’t know. To some convent in Scythia, I suppose.” - -“Not with my consent.” - -“But do you forgive me?” - -“Would you do it again?” - -“Oh, Maurice!” she hid her face on his shoulder. “If your life -depended upon it?” - -“Not even then. Not without asking me, at any rate.” - -“But that would mean not doing it. Don’t make me promise!” - -“I must. Eirene, we have hard work before us, and we ought to be -shoulder to shoulder. You mustn’t make me feel that there’s a danger -of your working against me, for any reason whatever. Only tell me -before you do things. I think you’ll find that it’s happier for both -of us.” - -“I will,” she murmured. “And look, Maurice, I scribbled this down just -now, and I want you to have it put into proper form. Is it too dark -for you to read it? It is to say that I give up my right of dealing -with Mr Teffany-Wise’s money. It has done more to separate us than -anything.” - -“It has.” He sighed involuntarily. “If it hadn’t come between us---- -Still, it has helped to free Emathia. But we will only deal with it -together in future, dear.” - - THE END. - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES. - -Sydney C. Grier was the pseudonym of Hilda Caroline Gregg. - -This book is part of the author’s “Balkan Series II.” The series, in -order, being: _The Heir_, _The Heritage_, and _The Prize_. - -Alterations to the text: - -Note: minor spelling and hyphenization inconsistencies (_e.g._ -thunderstruck/thunder-struck, rank-and-file/rank and file, etc.) have -been preserved. - -[Title Page] - -Add brief note indicating this novel’s position in the series. See -above. - -[Chapter VI] - -Change “You _musn’t_ be so doleful” to _mustn’t_. - -[Chapter IX] - -“detention in the _court yard_” to _courtyard_. - -[Chapter XIV] - -“it may be necessary any day to to get all our forces together” delete -one _to_. - -[Chapter XVI] - -“there was no _gurantee_ of even temporary safety” to _guarantee_. - -[Chapter XX] - -“for the poor starving _peeple_ around” to _people_. - -[Chapter XXI] - -“_Wyllie_ transferred his whole force” to _Wylie_. - -[End of Text] - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HERITAGE *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Grier - </title> - <style type="text/css"> - -/* Headers and Divisions */ - h1, h2, h3 {margin:2em 0em 1em 0em; page-break-before:always; text-align:center;} - - div.tp {text-align:center;} /* title page */ - - /* center a block of text */ - div.quote_o {font-size:95%; margin:0.5em 2em 0.5em 2em; text-align:center;} - div.quote_i {display:inline-block; text-align:left;} - -/* General */ - - body {margin:0% 5% 0% 5%;} - - .nobreak {page-break-before:avoid;} - - p {margin:0em 0em 0em 0em; text-align:justify; text-indent:2em;} - p.center {margin:0em 0em 0em 0em; text-align:center; text-indent:0em;} - p.noindent {text-indent:0em;} - p.sign2 {margin:0em 2em 0em 0em; text-align:right; text-indent:0em;} - p.spacer {margin:0.5em 0em 0.5em 0em; text-align:center; text-indent:0em;} - p.end {margin:1em 0em 0em 0em; text-align:center; text-indent:0em;} - - p.toc_1 {font-variant:small-caps; text-align:justify; text-indent:0em;} - - div.letter {padding:1em 0em 1em 3em;} - - span.font80 {font-size:80%;} - - span.sc {font-variant:small-caps;} - - span.chap_sub {font-size:80%;} - -/* play/poetry indented verses */ - p.i0 {margin:0em 0em 0em 2em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i1 {margin:0em 0em 0em 3em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i2 {margin:0em 0em 0em 4em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i3 {margin:0em 0em 0em 5em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i4 {margin:0em 0em 0em 6em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i5 {margin:0em 0em 0em 7em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i6 {margin:0em 0em 0em 8em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i7 {margin:0em 0em 0em 9em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i8 {margin:0em 0em 0em 10em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i9 {margin:0em 0em 0em 11em; text-indent:-2em;} - p.i10 {margin:0em 0em 0em 12em; text-indent:-2em;} - - </style> -</head> - -<body> - -<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Heritage, by Sydney C. Grier</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Heritage</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Sydney C. Grier</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: November 22, 2021 [eBook #66794]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HERITAGE ***</div> - -<div class="tp"> -<h1> -The Heritage -</h1> - -<span class="font80">BY</span><br/> -SYDNEY C. GRIER<br/> -<span class="font80">AUTHOR OF ‘THE HEIR,’ ‘AN UNCROWNED KING,’<br/> -‘THE WARDEN OF THE MARCHES,’ ETC.</span> - -<br/><br/> -(<i>Second in the Balkan Series II.</i>) - -<br/><br/><br/> -FOURTH EDITION -<br/><br/> -William Blackwood & Sons<br/> -Edinburg and London<br/> -<span class="font80">1908<br/> -<i>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</i></span> -</div> - - -<h2> -CONTENTS. -</h2> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch00">PROLOGUE.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch01">I. PRACTICAL POLITICS.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch02">II. REVOLUTION AND ROSE-WATER.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch03">III. THE RIVAL HEIR.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch04">IV. THE STERN PARENT.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch05">V. TWO DIPLOMATISTS.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch06">VI. THE RED GODS CALL.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch07">VII. THE ENEMY IN THE WAY.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch08">VIII. A PORT OF REFUGE.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch09">IX. ARTS OF PEACE.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch10">X. THE INTERVENTION OF THE ADMIRAL.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch11">XI. THE SYMPATHY OF EUROPE.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch12">XII. A BAPTISM OF FIRE.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch13">XIII. KNIGHTLY EMULATION.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch14">XIV. <i>IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO.</i></a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch15">XV. THE TOWER OF SEGRETI.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch16">XVI. THE CONSULS TO THE RESCUE.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch17">XVII. THE HOPE THAT FAILED.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch18">XVIII. A <i>RUSE DE GUERRE.</i></a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch19">XIX. THE BITTER END.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch20">XX. FUGITIVES.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch21">XXI. THE BRITISH FLAG.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch22">XXII. CHANGES AND CHANCES.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch23">XXIII. AN UNHOLY COMPACT.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch24">XXIV. THE WAGES OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch25">XXV. A CONTESTED ELECTION.</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch26">XXVI. PAYING THE BILL.</a> -</p> - - -<h2> -THE HERITAGE. -</h2> - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="ch00"> -PROLOGUE. -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Night</span> was falling in the leafless beech forest which covered a spur -of the Balkans. There was a thin sprinkling of snow on the rocky -ground, but it was frozen hard, and showed no trace of the leather -moccasins of the two men who were climbing the slope. Both wore -unobtrusive uniforms of dull grey, almost concealed by huge brown -greatcoats with hoods, and carried rifles slung across their backs; -but while one was a stolid peasant, the other had a keen intellectual -face, not devoid of a certain tincture of what may without offence be -termed “slimness.” It was a face familiar to many Emathian -mountaineers, and to a few startled Roumis, as that of Lazar -Nilischeff, a prominent leader of revolt. As he and his follower -mounted the path, two men, somewhat similar to them in aspect, but -with a slight difference in their equipment, came out from among the -trees to meet them, and one of them greeted Nilischeff with the formal -politeness natural between those who are pursuing the same end with -distinct purposes in view. Both were Thracian by race, and had -received their university training at the city of Bellaviste; but -while Nilischeff was a Thracian subject, and had crossed the frontier -in the hope of adding a freed Emathia to his sovereign’s dominions, Dr -Afanasi Terminoff was Emathian-born, and scouted any prospect other -than that of actual independence for his unrestful country. -</p> - -<p> -“You sent an urgent message for me?” said Nilischeff, as the two -leaders went on together up the hill, leaving their subordinates to -guard the path. -</p> - -<p> -“The rich Englishman is dying,” said Terminoff gloomily, “and he -begged me to find him a lawyer.” -</p> - -<p> -“No doubt he wishes to make his will.” The only available lawyer tried -hard not to exhibit indecent exultation. “He will leave his money to -the Organisation, you think?” -</p> - -<p> -“He has not told me,” was the curt answer, and the two men continued -their climb in silence, the minds of both running riot over the -possibilities of unlimited action called forth by the suggestion. The -rich Englishman’s money had already provided a pleasurable earnest in -the shape of rifles, ammunition, dynamite, and other materials of the -revolutionary craft, but its owner had exercised a control over their -employment which the recipients found somewhat galling. -</p> - -<p> -“Why are you in these parts?” was the next question, for this -particular spur of the mountains was situated in the region sacred to -Nilischeff’s band. -</p> - -<p> -“We were betrayed to the Roumis—by a Greek,” replied Terminoff. “Our -scouts had only just time to warn us.” -</p> - -<p> -“Did the Greek get away?” -</p> - -<p> -“For the moment; but we fastened up his wife and daughters in their -house, and set light to it. Then we ambushed the Roumis in the -river-gorge, and scattered them and caught him. So there was an end of -the lot.” -</p> - -<p> -“If we are not to be left in peace in the winter, things are coming to -a pretty pass,” said Nilischeff sympathetically. “You are in the cave, -I suppose?” -</p> - -<p> -The question was asked with renewed sharpness, for it was not -etiquette for any other band to imperil one of Nilischeff’s villages -by seeking shelter in it, but Terminoff was able to give a -satisfactory answer. The cave was common property, and there were few -nights in the year when a sufficiently energetic force of Roumis might -not have made a valuable capture by visiting it, but the forests and -defiles through which it was approached were a country notoriously -ill-suited to Roumis who had any care for their health. Every now and -then a murmured greeting to Terminoff showed the presence of a scout -in ambush, and when the forest was left behind, the rest of the ascent -was commanded, every foot of it, by the rough breastwork at the cave’s -mouth. The two leaders climbed the almost invisible path, and wriggled -into the cave between the great stones heaped before it. A fire was -burning behind a sheltering rock, casting a fitful glimmer into the -dark recesses at the back, where the only other light came from a -candle flickering before a sacred picture fixed crookedly on the wall. -On a couch of rugs and greatcoats, spread upon a foundation of dead -beech leaves brought from the forest below, lay a very tall man with -strongly marked features and a pointed white beard. He held out his -hand feebly to Nilischeff. -</p> - -<p> -“They’ve got me at last, you see, though not by a bullet,” he said, -speaking with difficulty. “A lifetime spent in the West Indies is a -bad preparation for the Balkans in mid-winter, and it’s rough on a -sick man to have to turn out of bed and tramp all night through the -snow. But now about that little bit of business I want you to do for -me. You have brought writing materials, of course?” -</p> - -<p> -He lay back and gasped while Nilischeff brought out a fountain-pen and -a writing-pad, but there was a cynical smile on his drawn face. -</p> - -<p> -“It’s not my will,” he murmured, with obvious enjoyment of the two -men’s discomfiture. “That was made and left in safe keeping before I -started. This is merely a codicil that I wish to add.” -</p> - -<p> -The words came slowly and painfully from him in French, and as he -spoke his thumb moved rapidly backwards and forwards over his -forefinger, in the familiar Eastern gesture denoting the telling of -money. They watched him as if fascinated. -</p> - -<p> -“I have never concealed from you my object in taking part in your -operations,” he went on. “You, gentlemen, are solely actuated, as I -know, by the high and noble desire of freeing Emathia from the Roumi -yoke. I confess without shame that my aim is the grovelling one of -restoring my family to its ancient position. My fortune is left in -trust for my cousin Maurice Teffany, head of the house of Theophanis, -his wife Eirene, representative of the younger line of the Imperial -house, and their children, to be used in regaining for them the throne -of the Eastern Empire, and maintaining the dignity when they achieve -it.” He watched narrowly with his sunken eyes the gloomy looks of -Terminoff, and the protesting face of Nilischeff, and spoke with -hoarse passion,—“But in acting for the good of my family, I am doing -the best thing for you, and you know it. I am giving you a head, a -master, who will weld you into a nation with or without your consent. -Why, if the Roumis left Emathia to-morrow, you and the Greeks would be -at each other’s throats before night, with Thracia and Mœsia, and -perhaps Dardania and Dacia, mobilising in feverish haste to seize -whatever they could, until Scythia and Pannonia stepped in and divided -the country between them! This is your one chance.” -</p> - -<p> -“As well hand ourselves over to Panagiotis and his Greeks at once,” -muttered Nilischeff. “The old time-server will come over to your -cousin’s side again as soon as he hears of your legacy. They say that -Prince Christodoridi refuses to contribute one single drachma towards -the Greek propaganda, though it is to put himself on the throne.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then he is penny wise and pound foolish,” said the sick man; “and you -are worse, if you don’t welcome Panagiotis and the Greeks, whatever -brings them over to your side. Europe will never see Emathia annexed -to Thracia, but she will allow you to build up an autonomous state if -you can only keep your hands off your knives. And meanwhile, you shall -each have a thousand pounds, which will provide your bands with -cartridges and dynamite until Maurice Theophanis is ready to move. So -call two of your men as witnesses.” -</p> - -<p> -Two members of the band who were not on guard were summoned, and -Nilischeff prepared to write. The cynical smile was again on the -invalid’s face. -</p> - -<p> -“My cousin is too fond of waiting to be called upon,” he said. “I wish -to make him act of his own accord.” -</p> - -<p> -“A bomb, sir?” suggested one of the witnesses, an eager-faced student -who had run away from a theological seminary to join the band. “Only a -small one, of course—merely to frighten, not to hurt any one.” -</p> - -<p> -“You might blow up all England before you would frighten Maurice -Teffany back to Emathia. No, what I mean to use is a domestic -bombshell. Write down that while the principal of the trust-money can -only be touched by husband and wife acting together, the interest may -be used, for the purposes of the trust, by the Princess Eirene at her -own discretion. I think my friend Maurice will find himself in Emathia -sooner than he expects. You will write out the codicil twice, if you -please,” he added to Nilischeff, “and I will sign both copies, so that -you and our friend Terminoff may each keep one.” The smile expressed -what he did not add, that the mutual jealousy of the two men would -ensure the due production of the document. -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice Teffany?” said the second witness, when the matter had been -explained to him. “Why, that was one of the European travellers we -captured four years ago, when I was in Stoyan’s band. He called -himself Ismit (Smith), but we heard afterwards that he was a Greek -prince, and we ought to have killed him. ‘If I were your leader——!’ -he said one day, and we laughed, not knowing. And will the other man -come with him, the Capitan with the blue eyes? If he does, I tell you -there is no one left of Stoyan’s band that will not rather fight with -him than against him!” -</p> - -<p> -With some difficulty the garrulous ex-brigand was silenced, and -induced to affix his mark to the two papers. When this had been done, -and the sick man was resting, Dr Terminoff escorted Nilischeff down -the hill again and past his outposts. The lawyer’s brain was working -busily. -</p> - -<p> -“I see a way of turning this to account,” he said. “I am sending off -despatches to-morrow, and I will mention the sad death of the -noble-hearted British philanthropist, Teffany-Wise. It will appear in -all the English papers how he gave his declining years to the service -of freedom, visiting Emathia with relief for the oppressed, and was -pursued from place to place by the Roumis thirsting for his blood. -Imagine it—he dies in a cave, deprived of every comfort, but with his -last breath bequeathing to the cause all he has to leave. A fine moral -effect, is it not?” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch01"> -CHAPTER I.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">PRACTICAL POLITICS.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -“<span class="sc">It</span> is Colonel Wylie, isn’t it? I say, I beg your pardon if I’ve -made a mistake.” The speaker’s boyish tones grew doubtful as he looked -at the grey hair and hollow cheeks of the fellow-passenger to whom he -spoke, but the sunken eyes, peculiarly blue in contrast with the -leaden complexion, reassured him. “It is you, Wylie, after all. But -what have you been doing to yourself?” -</p> - -<p> -“Spending five years in the Nile swamps. I don’t wonder you didn’t -know me. I came face to face with myself in a big mirror on the hotel -stairs at Cairo, and got a shock—wondered who the poor devil was with -the cadaverous countenance.” -</p> - -<p> -“Miss Teffany knew you at once.” -</p> - -<p> -“Now that’s what I call really flattering. I can’t be so absolutely -unrecognisable if she knew me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Did you guess she was on board?” -</p> - -<p> -“Saw her come on deck before you did.” -</p> - -<p> -“But you haven’t spoken to her.” There was wonder in the younger man’s -voice. -</p> - -<p> -“How was I to know that she would recognise me? And when you found her -out, I hadn’t the heart to disturb you.” -</p> - -<p> -“She sent me to fetch you to her now, though.” -</p> - -<p> -Wylie laughed at the faint sigh that accompanied the words. “Rough on -you,” he said. “Well, you’re not changed at any rate—not a day older. -Come, don’t let us keep her waiting.” -</p> - -<p> -They crossed the deck towards a lady in a noticeably well-cut tweed -travelling-coat and hat, who sat alone, protected by the presence at a -little distance of an elderly maid of the most rigid type of -respectability. She looked up eagerly, almost anxiously, as Wylie -approached, but the blue eyes met hers with curiosity rather than -interest. The seven years since their last meeting had worked no such -doleful change in Zoe Teffany as in the man who had once loved her; -she had worn well, as women say of one another. She was a woman not to -be passed over, alert, keenly interested in life, though an occasional -fugitive look of wistfulness betrayed that life had not brought her -all she had once confidently expected from it. She shook hands -heartily with Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Now I really believe in this adventure,” she said. “With you our old -party is complete.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your brother and his wife are here?” asked Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“No, I am to meet them when I land. But have they told you nothing of -their plans?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nothing. I was lounging about on the Riviera, desperately dull, when -your brother’s letter reached me. He merely said that things were -moving in Emathia, and reminded me of my old promise to back him up. -It was only a joke at the time, but as I am forbidden the tropics, and -can’t face an English spring, it seemed good enough now, so here I -am.” -</p> - -<p> -His glance forbade her to pity him, and Zoe looked hastily away. “Then -you have a great deal to learn,” she said, making room for him beside -her. “Lord Armitage, if you will bring that deck-chair closer, we can -talk without being overheard.” -</p> - -<p> -“<i>Lord</i> Armitage?” asked Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, you didn’t know?” groaned the bearer of the title. “Second cousin -three times removed dies to bother me, and leaves me the family -honours—me, if you please. I have to chuck my work, and buy pictures -instead of making them, and if I go into a studio, there’s no hope of -getting the old chaff, for the fellows hang on my words with bated -breath, because I’m a patron of art! So that’s why I’m here.” -</p> - -<p> -“You will be the Byron of Emathian independence,” said Zoe -encouragingly. “Think of the halo of respectability that the presence -of an English nobleman and his yacht will throw over our proceedings!” -</p> - -<p> -Something in Armitage’s face warned Wylie that aspirations less -abstract than a yearning for Emathian independence had drawn him into -the adventure, and he smiled grimly to himself. Zoe looked a little -hurt. -</p> - -<p> -“You are laughing at our having to begin again from the very -beginning,” she said. “Seven years does seem a long time to waste, I -suppose—especially as when we saw you last we were full of golden -anticipations, thinking that in a few months Maurice and Eirene would -at any rate be on their way to a throne. The blow fell the very same -day, you know.” -</p> - -<p> -“You think your brother should have decided differently?” -</p> - -<p> -“Never for one moment. But I am not sure that Eirene -doesn’t—sometimes. It was really very galling to see Professor -Panagiotis fling himself heart and soul into the cause of the rival -claimant, the instant Maurice had refused his terms.” -</p> - -<p> -“It doesn’t seem to have done the rival claimant much good, so far.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, but that’s because they had a violent quarrel just two years ago. -Prince Christodoridi swore that the Professor was only working for his -own advantage all along, and the Professor declares that the Prince -has shown the blackest ingratitude.” -</p> - -<p> -“And the thieves having fallen out, the honest man comes by his own? -Or is it a case of everything coming to him who knows how to wait?” -</p> - -<p> -“Both, I think,” said Zoe, laughing. “Eirene would certainly tell you -that Maurice knows how to wait only too well. Of course, it was hard -on her—the way their marriage fell flat, I mean. The Scythian Court -simply ignored the whole thing, and all her other royal acquaintances -followed their example. She just dropped out, and it was as if she -didn’t exist. Well, you know, she had begun at Stone Acton by being -very much on her dignity—expecting royal honours, in fact. The people -round were tremendously interested at first, but they very soon began -to ask what sort of a Princess this could be, who was never noticed by -any of our own royalties. They bored her, too,—I don’t wonder at -that; they have often bored me,—and she snubbed them, and gave a -great deal of offence. And then there came the Romance of the -Long-Lost Uncle.” -</p> - -<p> -“This is thrilling,” said Wylie. “Princess Eirene’s uncle?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, ours—our cousin, at least; a very very distant cousin. His name -was Teffany-Wise, and he was descended from the daughter of Prosper -Teffany, a younger son who emigrated from Penteffan to the West Indies -about the end of the seventeenth century. I met him in Jamaica when I -went round the world, and I wrote home that he looked ineffably old, -and capable of any wickedness. He had a sort of inscrutable -parchment-like face, you know. I always thought he made his money by -slave-trading, but Maurice says its palmy days were over long before -his time, unless he was as old as the Wandering Jew, and that he was -probably only a speculator in Chicago slum tenements. At any rate, -there he was, immensely rich, without a relation nearer than -ourselves, and frightfully excited over the newspaper accounts of our -Emathian adventures. You see, if the royalties ignored Maurice, the -journalists didn’t, and he let himself be interviewed pretty often, -because he thought it was only due to Eirene to make her position -perfectly clear. It seemed that Mr Teffany-Wise had always had an -ambition to use his money in restoring the fortunes of the family, but -until he heard about us he didn’t know who there was left. So he -talked to me, and then suddenly sailed for home, and descended on -Stone Acton in a shower of gold, and supplied Eirene with the object -in life she wanted.” -</p> - -<p> -“And that was——?” -</p> - -<p> -“To hustle Maurice into putting himself forward publicly as a -candidate for the throne of Emathia. He was determined not to move -until he received an invitation, and she was determined he should. She -has made a sort of religion of the Theophanis claims since the -Long-Lost Uncle appeared. Why, she has turned the library at Stone -Acton into a regular throne-room, with crimson hangings—imperial -purple, you know—and two gilded chairs on a daïs under a canopy. Oh, -it mayn’t seem very dreadful to you, but you don’t know Stone Acton. -It was always such a <i>sensible</i> house! And she has been having the -most extraordinary people there—refugees and conspirators and so -on—till the neighbourhood was scandalised. That was Mr Teffany-Wise’s -doing. He saw that there was no hope of Professor Panagiotis and the -Emathian Greeks for the present, so he turned boldly to the Slav -party—the Thracian Committees and their followers—and bid for their -support.” -</p> - -<p> -“Backing his offer with hard cash, I presume?” said Wylie. “That -explains the increased activity and boldness of the Emathian -insurgents this last year or two. But the Roumis mean business now. I -suppose your long-lost relative has no objection to being morally -guilty of a massacre or two?” -</p> - -<p> -“He thought they were unavoidable but disagreeable incidents—useful, -too, since they would stir the indignation of Europe.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, so far as I can see, he is likely to be gratified. And has his -game been worth the candle?” -</p> - -<p> -“I believe he thought so. At any rate, the national sentiment is much -more strongly developed than when we were in Emathia. Then the -reformers talked of uniting with Thracia or Mœsia or Morea, according -to their tastes, but now they are all inclining to the thought of an -Emathian nation. Most of them would like a republic, of course, but -they know the Powers would never hear of that, and Maurice’s refusal -to bind himself body and soul to the Greeks pleased them. So before Mr -Teffany-Wise died, he had practically got things settled.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, he is dead, then?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes; he insisted on interviewing the Committees and leaders of bands -for himself, and inspecting their work, and they passed him on from -one to another all through the disturbed districts. It was winter, and -he was chased by the Roumis, and the hardships were too much for him. -Of course you think I’m a brute to talk like this, but I can’t forgive -that man. He has spoilt Maurice’s life.” -</p> - -<p> -“If your brother is what I remember him, it would be difficult for any -one to do that,” said Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“No one could, except through Eirene. But you must expect to see -Maurice a good deal changed. It isn’t either comfortable or dignified -for a man to have to go through life as a drag on his wife’s wheel.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then I gather that your sister-in-law has not changed?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Eirene is Eirene still—only more so. She would not have been -quite so bad but for the Uncle. He left his property in trust, to be -used for restoring the family to the Imperial throne. That was natural -enough, but he gave Eirene power to use the interest as she thought -best, though she can’t touch the capital without Maurice’s consent.” -</p> - -<p> -“Injudicious,” said Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Injudicious? It was mad! And Eirene is so unfair. She has no sense of -what can be done and what can’t. Little Constantine—their boy—was -born just after the news of the will came, and she was very ill. Their -two first babies died—really and truly I believe it was because she -always worried and excited herself so much—and she knew how anxious -Maurice was. Well, she sent for him and made him promise that he would -open communications with the Slav leaders, instead of waiting for them -to approach him. She got better, and little Con is all right, and of -course Maurice had to keep his promise. So he wrote to say that if he -received a definite invitation from them, he would place himself at -their head, and negotiations have been going on ever since. Then -Professor Panagiotis threw himself into the fray, and now there is -really some prospect of Maurice’s being accepted as candidate both by -the Greek and Slav parties.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, surely that was worth waiting for?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, I suppose so, but I hate its having come about in this way! The -massacres, you know—the Committees are really provoking them, so as -to force the hand of Europe, and things may be much worse yet.” -</p> - -<p> -“Probably; but I see their drift now—to get to work while Scythia and -Pannonia are both too busy with their own internal concerns to -interfere. But why are we starting from this side?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, we have to settle the preliminaries first,—‘a conference of the -powers,’ you know,—and it is to be done under cover of this great -Pan-Balkanic Athletic Festival that the Prince of Dardania is -holding.” -</p> - -<p> -“Armitage representing the athletic capabilities of the party, I -suppose?” said Wylie, with a humorous shrug. “I’m afraid you can’t -depend on me much.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, we go as spectators. The Princess of Dardania is a lady of -literary tastes, and was kind enough to want to see <i>me</i>,” said Zoe, -with a side glance at him as she rose. “It is getting a little cold -here, I think. I will write one or two letters in the cabin.” -</p> - -<p> -There was nothing to show whether Wylie had detected any special -meaning in her tone as he escorted her across the deck, and when he -returned to Armitage it was to smoke in silence, as if all his -interest was concentrated on the rocky coast they were passing. The -younger man lost patience. -</p> - -<p> -“Well?” he said, with repressed excitement. -</p> - -<p> -“Well?” returned Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Do you find her altered, or not?” -</p> - -<p> -“Much as she was, only more so,” cruelly adapting Zoe’s own -description of her sister-in-law. -</p> - -<p> -Armitage was obviously disappointed. “You have kept up with her -doings, perhaps? I suppose even your exile was lightened by a Society -paper now and then?” -</p> - -<p> -“Don’t know. Didn’t read them if it was.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then you have heard people talk of her? Of course she’s an awfully -well-known woman. When she is in town, one meets her everywhere. Her -travels, you see—and her personality—and her books——” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, I thought I was intended to understand that she had succeeded in -perpetrating something in that line.” -</p> - -<p> -“Rather!” said Armitage vivaciously, encouraged by the faint hint of -interrogation in the tone. “She’s a success, you know. Not a popular -success—five hundred thousand copies and all that—but with the right -people. All the clever women swear by her. They say she voices the -unrest of the modern woman better than anybody else.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh yes—misunderstood by her family, unappreciated by her husband, -too lofty to be happy, and too self-contained to be wicked—the usual -jargon,” muttered Wylie impatiently. -</p> - -<p> -“More head than heart,” pursued Armitage, then broke off quickly. “I -say, I believe you’ve been reading them. She calls herself Zeto.” -</p> - -<p> -“What, her books? No, thank you.” -</p> - -<p> -Again a dead stop. But Armitage was not to be baulked. -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t know why you shouldn’t. It would be only natural, surely? You -seemed pretty hard hit when you went.” -</p> - -<p> -“You seem to forget that when I went to the Soudan I put her out of my -head.” -</p> - -<p> -“But could you manage it?” -</p> - -<p> -“Generally, I’m thankful to say.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, but not always? Don’t think I’m trying to pry into your affairs,” -burst out Armitage in his boyish way, “but it means a lot to me. I’ll -stand aside without a word if you’re going to ask her again, but if -not—— Well, I might have some little chance.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, don’t mind me. I told her I should never ask her again, and I -haven’t the slightest wish to do it. If my swamps and slave-raiders -have done nothing else for me, they have cured me of all that sort of -thing. I’m not bragging—or whatever you might call it—but telling -you a simple fact. Women don’t interest me now, and other things do. I -used to imagine I could combine the two, but now I know better. If my -blessing is all you want to make you happy, go in and win. But if this -business comes to anything, she will be for neither of us. You see -that?” -</p> - -<p> -And while Armitage acquiesced, with a rueful face, Zoe was saying to -herself, as she adjusted her hat in the cabin mirror, “Of course I -never expected him to forgive me the moment he saw me again. It would -have been nice if he had, but it wouldn’t have been a bit like him.” -</p> - -<p> -During the remainder of the voyage down the coast the adventurers made -no further attempt to discuss their prospects. They excited -considerable interest on board the Ungaro-Croata steamer, where the -mutual relations of the handsome lady who had the history and -archæology of the region at her fingers’ ends, the sick officer, and -the “Milordo” with the artistic neckties, who from force of habit was -constantly pulling out a sketch-book and jotting down the bold -outlines of a headland or the handsome face of a fisher-lad, were -freely canvassed, but even the urbane and polyglot captain confessed -himself at a loss. The sick officer knew something of a good many -languages, and asked very telling questions, and both the lady and the -“Milordo” had visited these parts before; but they all talked so -freely that there was no chance of finding out anything more about -them, averred the worthy sailor. He and a few of his passengers -enjoyed a mild sensation when the steamer reached the little -red-roofed town, whose white houses seemed to rise sheer from the blue -water, where the three English were to land. Here an elderly man, -whose spectacled eyes gave the impression of an incongruous contrast -with his aquiline profile, came on board to meet them, and bowed over -Zoe’s hand with a respect that was almost reverential; but the -spectators could hear nothing of the colloquy that ensued while the -luggage was being got on shore. -</p> - -<p> -“I come as the messenger of your august brother, madame,” he said. “He -thought it well you should know that he enters on this campaign not as -Mr Teffany, but as Prince Maurice Theophanis.” -</p> - -<p> -“Which means that I am to call myself Princess Zoe, I suppose? This is -the Princess’s doing, of course?” -</p> - -<p> -“Her advice, and mine also, went farther, madame, but the Prince -declines to style himself Imperial Highness—far less Emperor—until -his claims are recognised. He has taken the present step almost -entirely with the view of preventing embarrassment to the Prince of -Dardania.” -</p> - -<p> -“Surely it will rather cause him embarrassment?” began Zoe -hesitatingly, and Wylie broke in. -</p> - -<p> -“Have you made sure of your ground, Professor? An ambiguous position -is awkward enough, but the Prince of Dardania may not relish finding -himself committed to support the Theophanis claims, and it would be -more awkward if he repudiated his invitation.” -</p> - -<p> -The Professor scarcely vouchsafed him a glance. “Madame,” he said to -Zoe, “your brother’s friends have not been idle in anticipation of his -arrival. The Prince of Dardania is already committed in private to our -cause, which will assure him, if it succeeds, the possession of -Illyria. In this his brother-in-law, the King of Magnagrecia, is -equally interested, so that we have already attached one of the great -Powers to our side. It is to the three Liberal Powers, England, -Neustria, and Magnagrecia, that we look for support in our effort to -rescue Emathia from the Roumi yoke, and in bringing forward as our -proposed High Commissioner—for we go no further as yet—a man not -only chosen by the Emathian leaders themselves, but distinguished by -European approval, we offer them a means of intervention such as they -have never yet enjoyed.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, Professor Panagiotis has thought it all out!” laughed Armitage. -“Wylie, you and I must take a back seat. You are aide-de-camp, I -suppose—or equerry, which is it?—and I am—what am I? Oh, -lord-in-waiting, of course.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are both Maurice’s good friends, who have come to help him, not -to be his servants,” said Zoe quickly. -</p> - -<p> -“Pardon me, Princess,” said Wylie, very distinctly. “We are your -brother’s servants. We have come here for nothing but to put ourselves -under his orders—to help him to his rights if we can, but not to -claim any share in his confidence.” -</p> - -<p> -He fell behind with Armitage, perhaps not caring to face the blankness -of Zoe’s look as she accepted mechanically the Professor’s assistance -across the rough stones of the jetty. The younger man seemed hardly -satisfied, and Wylie answered his unspoken question. -</p> - -<p> -“Must show at once that we see how the land lies. I know these -fellows’ jealousy of any influence but their own. If they are not to -bring Teffany’s future to smash by working against us, we must be -content to remain in the background. I suppose he’s not much better -fitted to cope with them than he used to be—not a full-blown -statesman yet, or even a diplomat?” -</p> - -<p> -“Thank goodness, no! Absolutely straight, good man of business, steady -as Old Time, happiest when he’s playing the country squire. But the -Princess—she’s a diplomatist, or anything you like. You’ll understand -what an imperial bearing means when you see her, if you don’t now.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch02"> -CHAPTER II.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">REVOLUTION AND ROSE-WATER.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Princess</span> Eirene Theophanis sat alone in the garden at Bashi Konak, -her fingers busied with embroidery, her mind with the progress made by -her husband’s cause since their arrival at the little Dardanian -capital. The Prince of Dardania was a true friend, an ally to be -depended upon. Eirene had felt this from the moment she perceived that -he had sent his brother-in-law in command of the guard which was to -meet the travellers at the frontier and escort them to the city. True, -Colonel Roburoff was only a handsome Scythian officer with whom -Princess Ludmilla of Dardania had made a runaway match, but her -brother had taken the couple back into favour, and the successful -adventurer commanded his Guard. That he should be sent to receive -Prince and Princess Theophanis showed a just sense of their exact -position, as claimants <i>de jure</i> of a right not yet recognised <i>de -facto</i>, paying a private visit from which important public events -might hereafter develop. The same consideration had been shown in -allotting them quarters. Colonel Roburoff had apologised for the fact -that they were accommodated, not at the Palace, but in a house hired -for the occasion, on the ground that the royal dwelling was already -inconveniently crowded, but had pointed out, with due mystery, the -superior opportunities thus afforded for conference with friends and -supporters. Moreover, on the occasion of the meeting at the frontier, -Zoe had received, from a confidential attendant of the Princess of -Dardania, a bouquet gathered, so she was assured, by the royal hands -themselves, and concealing a little scented note which read, “To the -profound, the accomplished Zeto, from the humblest of her admirers, -<span class="sc">Emilia</span>.” Even now Zoe was spending the morning at the Palace, -whither she had been summoned by a special messenger to cheer the -Princess, who was prevented by slight indisposition from accompanying -her husband to the arena to watch the games. Eirene reflected with -pleasure that not only was this romantic friendship beneficial in the -extreme to the Theophanis cause, but also that the Princess’s devotion -was likely to keep Zoe a good deal out of Wylie’s way. -</p> - -<p> -There was an old feud between Eirene and Wylie, which had only been -temporarily bridged over when Zoe’s rejection of him called forth her -sympathies. He had seldom shown the Princess sufficient deference to -satisfy her, though he was never otherwise than polite, and she had an -uneasy suspicion that he despised the various little assumptions by -which she sought to assert her dignity. Maurice gave her no support in -these matters, she thought bitterly, and she was sure she had caught -Armitage laughing when she hinted that it was more correct to say he -had gone out “in attendance on” the Prince than merely “with” him. -Why, even when they were about to enter the royal carriages sent to -convey them to Bashi Konak, Maurice had flatly refused to let Zoe sit -with her back to the horses. “But you are the Emperor, Maurice,” his -wife had pleaded. “I’m not Emperor yet,” he replied promptly; “and -when I am, if the imperial funds don’t run to a separate carriage for -Zoe, one or other of us will stay at home.” Trials like this made -Eirene almost despair of her husband. Other people might think such -things trifles, but to her, brought up in a Court, their real -importance was manifest. How was Maurice ever to assume his proper -place if he would not submit to the rules governing his caste? Even -his wife could not prevent him from taking his own line. When she had -succeeded in goading him to a certain course of action, as often as -not he would somehow contrive to carry it out in a wholly unexpected -way. It was he who had sent for Wylie, and disconcerted her grievously -by doing so, for she had relied on his English dislike for foreigners -to keep him isolated from his supporters and dependent on her for -counsel. It did not mollify her displeasure when, in answer to her -remonstrances, he remarked, “I want one honest man at my back that I -can trust, to look after you and Zoe and the little chap, if anything -happens to me.” “I could trust our people,” she had said -reproachfully; to which he replied, “Oh, could you? I couldn’t,” and -went out to post his letter. And here was Wylie established as -Maurice’s guide, philosopher, and friend, in no way inclined, -apparently, to presume upon the favour shown him, but still the one -man in whom Zoe had ever shown more than a contemptuous interest. -Almost unconsciously, Eirene had come to regard her sister-in-law, -during the last few years of planning and plotting, as an asset that -might be valuable, rejoicing when she refused various eligible offers. -But of what avail were those refusals if she turned again, after all, -to the man for whose sake they were made? If only Zoe could have been -safely engaged to some desirable person before Wylie reappeared on the -scene! As that was not the case, however, it was a moral duty to keep -her from throwing herself away on an obviously unsuitable man, who -could contribute nothing but his sword to further the great cause, and -whose loyalty was already certain. -</p> - -<p> -While these thoughts were passing through Eirene’s mind, some one came -into sight at the end of the garden path, some one who was cheerfully -contributing a good deal more than a sword to the cause. Princess -Theophanis knew, though her husband did not, the exact nature of the -cargo carried at the present moment by Armitage’s yacht, which was -cruising at large without its owner in the eastern Mediterranean, and -paying only rare and hurried visits to territorial waters. Armitage -was a valuable asset without any drawbacks such as attached to Wylie, -and Eirene felt that Maurice had shown even more than his usual -unwisdom in declining to accede to her suggestion, and dispense with -his old friend’s services, when she announced that Armitage would take -part in their venture. She met him with a friendly smile as he came -towards her down the path. -</p> - -<p> -“I have just had a letter from Waters—that’s my captain—which will -relieve your mind, ma’am,” he said. “It was all a false alarm about -that Pannonian man-of-war they thought was shadowing them. Waters took -a bold course and went on board her to ask if they could give him any -news of me, and they paid him a return visit quite in an unsuspicious -spirit.” -</p> - -<p> -“I wish we could get rid of the arms,” said Eirene anxiously. “The -slightest accident, or an incautious remark from one of your crew, -might——” -</p> - -<p> -“Give the whole show away,” supplied Armitage, as she paused. “I -suppose we could arrange to hand the things over to one of the bands -if we could fix on the right spot to land them; but I thought that -wasn’t what you wanted, ma’am?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, no; of course not! It is absolutely essential that we should keep -a supply in our own hands, that we may not be dependent upon any of -the Committees. And we must not land and conceal it on any of the -islands, in case it should be necessary to act suddenly. Even now I -fear we may not be able to communicate with your yacht quickly enough -in case of a crisis.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have thought of a way of doing that, ma’am. Waters is lying at -present in a little harbour called Pentikosti, just to the south of -the Dardanian frontier. He has made friends with the Roumi officials, -and applied a little palm-oil judiciously, giving them to understand -that I may come down over the mountains at any time, and the yacht is -to wait for me. They will give him every facility for hearing from us, -and he will stand on and off outside the harbour, and keep a good -look-out both ways.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is excellent!” said Eirene warmly. “Your ingenuity is as admirable -as your helpfulness, Lord Armitage. I trust that one day I shall be -able to reward both.” -</p> - -<p> -Such phrases were often on Eirene’s lips, as in the days when they had -been received with mingled scorn and resentment by her ignorant -fellow-travellers, but it was a novelty for them to be welcomed as -this was. -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t know about one day,” said Armitage, with desperate boldness. -“You could do something for me now, ma’am, that would leave me in your -debt for ever.” -</p> - -<p> -She looked at him with surprise plainly tinged with displeasure, but -her voice was no less gracious than before. “In our present -circumstances I had hardly hoped to be able to reward our friends -otherwise than by my thanks, so I am happier than I thought. What is -there that the Prince and I can do for you, Lord Armitage?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is Princess Zoe—I love her,” he broke out. “If I could make her -care for me, would you oppose it?” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene’s first impulse was to gain time for thought. “But you—I never -thought of you,” she said confusedly. “It was always—I mean, you are -not the person.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have cared for her ever since the night I first saw her by the -camp-fire under Hadgi-Antoniou,” he answered; “but of course I knew -how it was with Wylie, and I tried to put all thought of her out of my -head. And I was always so hard-up in those days, too; I had nothing to -offer her. Then when the title and all the rest of it came to me, -there was still Wylie to think of; I made sure he would come back some -day and ask her again, and she would have him. But now that he has -given up all thoughts of her——” -</p> - -<p> -“Given up all thoughts of her!” repeated Eirene. “How can you possibly -know?” -</p> - -<p> -“He told me,” said Armitage, unshaken. “Said that that sort of thing -didn’t interest him now.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, but that’s only because he is feeling ill and miserable,” said -Eirene quickly, but checked herself. After all, even if this change of -feeling on Wylie’s part was only temporary, why not take advantage of -it? A marriage between Armitage and Zoe might not be all that her -ambition had planned, but it offered certain solid benefits. Eirene -was not blind to the fact that the support of a British peer, with an -ancient title and a fair amount of wealth, had already proved useful -in investing the Theophanis cause with an atmosphere of -plausibility—even respectability, and it would be a wise stroke to -attach him permanently to the family. There could be no question of -putting pressure on Zoe, of course, and Maurice, in his -unreasonableness, would see to it that the final decision rested -freely with her; but pending the prospect of a more magnificent -alliance, there could be no harm in not destroying Armitage’s hopes. -Eirene spoke low and confidentially. “I can make no promises for Zoe,” -she said; “for what you have told me may surprise her as much as it -does me, but I see no reason—at any rate at present—why she should -refuse you. Certainly I can promise that I shall not set myself -against the idea.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are awfully good, ma’am. I don’t think I could be more interested -in Teffany’s—I mean the Prince’s—cause than I was before, but it -makes one frightfully keen to feel that one’s in it oneself in a sort -of way. I know I have nothing to offer Princess Zoe compared with what -she might expect, but——” -</p> - -<p> -“I have found my happiness in marrying an English gentleman, and I can -wish nothing better for my sister,” said Eirene, with something of -reproof in her voice, and Armitage wondered how he had erred. He could -not know that the mere suspicion of failure in the great scheme, the -hint at a possible future in which Lord Armitage would once more be a -bridegroom in no way to be despised by the sister of Maurice Teffany -of Stone Acton, had become intolerable to Eirene. Zoe had misjudged -her when she told Wylie that Mr Teffany-Wise’s legacy had led her to -make a religion of the Theophanis claims. It was the birth of her son, -in whose veins ran the blood of both the elder and younger lines of -the descendants of John Theophanis, that had roused afresh in Eirene -the ambition which had slumbered a little under her husband’s -influence during the first years of their marriage. Constantine -Theophanis must yet sit on the throne of Czarigrad, and be invested -with the imperial diadem in the cathedral of Hagion Pneuma, and to -this end his parents must submit, if necessary, to the humiliating -task of accepting office as the nominees of the Powers, to -masquerading as temporary tenants where they were the rightful -inheritors. This Eirene could do without a murmur, but she could not -contemplate returning unsuccessful to Stone Acton, to meet the -half-veiled contempt of the acquaintances whose friendly advances she -had rebuffed, and to hear them ask whether she and Mr Teffany thought -of sending their little boy to the Grammar-school in the neighbouring -town? “No? and the education is so thoroughly good! A public school? -Mr Teffany was at Harrow? Oh, of course, but in these days of reduced -rents—— And boys picked up such expensive ideas at public schools.” -Eirene drew in her breath sharply, and said, in the tone which -Armitage had learnt to interpret as a dismissal, “You may rely on me. -If you want my advice at any time I shall be delighted to give it. Do -I see Professor Panagiotis coming through the house? Bring him to me -at once, please.” -</p> - -<p> -Armitage obeyed, retiring when he had finished his errand. The -Professor waited until he was out of sight before he spoke. “You have -received further news from Scythia, madame?” he asked then, but rather -as though stating a fact than putting a question. Eirene, who had -guessed before this that he contrived to make acquaintance with at -least the outside of the letters intended for his nominal employers, -betrayed no resentment. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, I have another letter from the Grand-Duchess Sonya,” she said; -“and I can hardly doubt that she writes with the knowledge of the -Empress. The tone is markedly friendly, and she speaks more than once -of the sympathy with which they are watching events here, and their -strong hope that the Prince will be able to prove his title.” -</p> - -<p> -The Professor’s face did not show the satisfaction that might have -been expected. “It is too good,” he said. “I distrust this excessive -amiability.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think they are surprised at our strength,” said Eirene quickly, -“and already bidding for our future support.” -</p> - -<p> -“Without an effort to realise the hopes of centuries, which our -success would frustrate?” asked the Professor. “No, madame. There is -something behind. It is this warm encouragement that perplexes me. -Tacit sympathy I should have expected, but coupled with warnings -against rashness, and with every other recommendation that might tend -to cause delay.” -</p> - -<p> -“But they cannot know how fast we are moving,” she urged eagerly. “You -yourself have said that the reasonableness of the delegates astonishes -you.” -</p> - -<p> -“True, madame; the impression produced by his Highness is most -gratifying, Greek and Slav both believing that they have found their -champion in him. The military proposals of Colonel Wylie have also -been well received. But as I said just now, it is too good. I should -wish to see more opposition. Knives have not been drawn once during -the sittings. One delegate’s hand went to his revolver during a -discussion which had become a little heated, but the Prince borrowed -the weapon at once to look at, and kept it on the table before him the -rest of the morning.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, you see, they know him already, and they do not care to oppose -him. Our task will be shorter than we expected. The delegates will -swear allegiance to him, and he will have Christian Emathia at his -feet. Then——” -</p> - -<p> -“Then, madame, we shall have to deal with the Powers—a very different -matter. The conscience of Europe has to be roused before they can be -induced to intervene.” -</p> - -<p> -“By massacres, I suppose?” Eirene shuddered. “The Prince will never -agree to that.” -</p> - -<p> -“The Prince will not be consulted, madame. The lamented philanthropist -to whom the Emathia of the future owes so much recognised that in -certain qualities your Royal Highness has the advantage over your -husband, while in other respects he is superior. It is this -combination that is of such promise for your future rule. You will not -shrink from the measures necessary to bring that rule about.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, it would be criminal to hold back now.” -</p> - -<p> -“Madame, you put into words my very thoughts. Assume—though I cannot -believe it possible—that this conference closes next week, having -arrived at a unanimous decision to support your husband. There will be -just time for the delegates to return to their districts before the -snow melts sufficiently to allow of the movement of troops. The Roumis -are already irritated by our successes of the autumn, and the attacks -that have been made even during the winter on their outposts. They -will be in a mood to act energetically, and repress all outbreaks with -severity. You know what that means. Outbreaks will occur. They will be -put down. The details will be spread far and wide. Christendom will be -roused, will send representatives to inquire into the state of -affairs. We shall continue to resist. The Roumis will continue to act -with vigour. The Powers inquire into our demands. We desire a -constitutional government under the suzerainty of Roum, but with a -Christian Governor appointed by the Powers and responsible to them, -and for the post we suggest the descendant of our ancient Emperors, to -whose banner all sections of Christians in Emathia are willing to -rally. We may not at first obtain all we ask, but Minoa has taught us -the value of perseverance.” -</p> - -<p> -“But if the Roumis should not act with severity?” broke in Eirene. -“This new Greek Vali of Therma, appointed in response to the protests -of the Powers in the autumn—he will not promote massacres.” -</p> - -<p> -“For Skopiadi Pasha’s influence I would give that!” cried the -Professor, snapping his fingers. “It is not he who rules,—he has -enough to do to look after his own safety,—but the Military Governor, -Jalal-ud-din Pasha. He commands the troops in the city and in the -field; he is one of the old school, and believes in prompt repression. -He would not hesitate to arrange for Skopiadi’s removal if he opposed -him—and truly we could ask for nothing better!” -</p> - -<p> -“At least,” urged Eirene, “let there be as little bloodshed as -possible. Could we not contrive to rescue and arm the threatened -Christians before they could be massacred? Lord Armitage’s yacht, with -plenty of rifles and cartridges on board, is lying at Pentikosti, -ready to sail night or day.” -</p> - -<p> -“And then where would be our moral effect on the minds of the Powers, -madame? You are like most ladies who indulge in revolutions—willing -to assent to any amount of bloodshed provided it takes place out of -your sight and hearing. A massacre is necessary, but you may well -salve your conscience by laying the blame on the Powers, who will be -moved by nothing else.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think you have an appointment to meet Dr Terminoff now that the -games are over for the morning?” Eirene rose with marked displeasure, -which the Professor chose to disregard. -</p> - -<p> -“I am honoured by your recollection, madame. You may rely on me to -keep you informed of any new points that may arise. May I also depend -on you for early information of any suspicious circumstances that -strike you? It is some underground action on the part of Pannonia that -I fear, for her silence, coupled with the benevolence of Scythia, -upsets all my calculations.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch03"> -CHAPTER III.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE RIVAL HEIR.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">At</span> the Palace, Zoe was enjoying a new experience, and enjoying not -least the humorous side of it, for she was not one of the people who -can never see anything funny in what concerns themselves. -Entertainments given in her honour, and lavish compliments, were no -novelty to her, but she had never hitherto met with the whole-hearted -devotion shown by her youthful hostess. A very young girl when the -Prince of Dardania carried her captive by the force of a masterful -personality and a touch of Eastern fascination, Princess Emilia had -felt it to be extremely romantic that after one sight of her he should -have broken off the engagement arranged for him by his mother, and -refused to marry any one but the little sister of the Magnagrecian -monarch. Her brother, the king, yielded to the demand of the two -lovers, and Princess Emilia left the greatest centre of culture in -Southern Europe to reign over a nation of half-barbarous mountaineers, -and incidentally to introduce a new issue and a new complication into -the Balkan question. Dardania was now no longer to be regarded as the -faithful henchman of Scythia, she looked westwards instead of east; -and her Prince had announced publicly that he desired no accession of -territory on the Emathian side, while not denying that the rocky coast -region of Illyria had attractions which would make him and his -Magnagrecian brother-in-law very willing to police and civilise it in -unison. Princess Emilia cared nothing for politics, save in their -romantic aspect. She thought her husband’s self-denying ordinance with -respect to Emathia was most noble, and the Theophanis claim to the -throne of the Eastern Empire filled her with enthusiasm, though this -was less by reason of its intrinsic merits than because Maurice was -Zoe’s brother. Brought up in a highly literary society, the Princess -suffered from a kind of mental starvation in her new sphere, for which -she tried to compensate herself in every way open to her. She was an -omnivorous reader and a born critic, and her favourite maid-of-honour, -Donna Olimpia Pazzi, shared her mistress’s tastes, though in a minor -degree, as was becoming. Together they plied Zoe with questions and -comments on every book ever written, made her read portions of her own -novels aloud to them, recited the great poems of their native land -with an accent that enhanced the beauty of the words, and called in -the Court bard, who held a hereditary place in the household of the -Alexeiévitch family, that they might translate to her his wild -ballads of border war and revenge. On this particular morning they -enjoyed themselves so thoroughly that when the Prince returned from -the games he scoffed openly at his wife’s plea of indisposition, and -wished he had thought of escaping some very dull gymnastic contests in -the same way. When he left them, Princess Emilia linked her arm in -Zoe’s, and walked down with her through the Palace garden to the gate -by which the house allotted to the Theophanis party was reached. -</p> - -<p> -“You must promise me again that nothing shall prevent you from coming -to the reception to-night,” she said. “It is our last chance of -welcoming our own friends in peace before my mother-in-law arrives.” -</p> - -<p> -“The Dowager Princess comes to-morrow, doesn’t she?” asked Zoe. -Princess Emilia assented with a little grimace. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, and she says it is because she is yearning to see us again, -though she hates me, and can’t forgive Alexis for marrying me. She is -really coming to spy, I know. She wishes to see whether your brother -is likely to succeed, and endanger her dear Kazimir’s future. You know -she hopes to make him Prince of Emathia?” -</p> - -<p> -“I know, and I have often wondered—though perhaps I ought not to say -it—why the Prince of Dardania doesn’t support his brother rather than -a stranger.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, Kazimir is a thorough Scythian,—he is in the Imperial Guard, you -know,—and Alexis and he have never agreed. And perhaps it was a -little my doing, too. The Princess Dowager had made herself so very -disagreeable that I wasn’t sorry when I found out a way to punish her. -You think me very wicked? Wait till you see my mother-in-law!” -</p> - -<p> -“I have heard plenty about her,” said Zoe, with an involuntary smile, -“and I certainly don’t expect to like her. But she has had rather a -sad life lately, hasn’t she? All her plans seem to have gone wrong for -the last few years.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then she shouldn’t make such unpleasant plans. You can’t expect me to -be glad that her plan for marrying Alexis to that Scythian girl -failed?” She drew up her small figure with mock dignity, and Zoe -acknowledged that this would be too much to expect. “My mother-in-law -has no feeling for romance,” Princess Emilia went on, “though her own -marriage was so romantic. All the matches she promotes are cold, -calculating, political things. Now I—I palpitate with romance to the -tips of my fingers!” she flung them out airily. “That is the sole want -I find in you, my sweetest Zeto. You have plenty of romance somewhere -about you, but it is all shut up inside you and locked tight, when it -ought to overflow into your life. Dearest, indulge me; allow me the -chance of arranging a little romance for you!” -</p> - -<p> -“No, thanks,” said Zoe, with a little shiver. “Romances in real life -are uncomfortable things, and I’m not sure that people are not -happiest without them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, there is your cold, cautious English spirit—afraid to take the -plunge for fear of the consequences! We Magnagrecians are not like -that. I waited—oh, so eagerly!—for my romance, and now I live in it. -And Olimpia, she is waiting for hers. You can see it in her eyes, -can’t you? But you—you hold back; you put out your hands to push -romance away; you cry out, ‘Leave me alone! I don’t wish to lose my -peace of mind for the sake of a possible overwhelming joy.’” -</p> - -<p> -The vivacious pantomime with which the Princess illustrated her idea -of her friend’s mental attitude was irresistible, and Zoe was moved, -for peace’ sake, to an imperfect confession. -</p> - -<p> -“You and Donna Olimpia are both very young,” she said. “I have had my -romance, and it is over.” -</p> - -<p> -Momentary dismay was succeeded by renewed satisfaction on Princess -Emilia’s face. “You shall tell me all about it some day,” she said. -“But it is over, is it not?—quite over?” Zoe’s unwilling affirmative -seemed to herself like the irrevocable stamping-down of earth upon a -grave, but the Princess did not realise the reason of her reluctance. -“Then all is well,” she continued enthusiastically. “That is past, -done with, but romance is still alive in your heart, and you shall -forget that old sadness in a happier present. You will not hold aloof; -you will yield yourself to me; is it not so? Do not make me unhappy by -refusing happiness if I can put it into your power.” -</p> - -<p> -For a moment Zoe really imagined that the Princess had in some way -learnt her story, had penetrated the secret of the gradual death of -her hopes as Wylie went serenely on his remorseless way, seeming to be -utterly oblivious of the old days when he had been the suppliant, and -Zoe had shown herself callous. The bitterness of hope deferred was in -her voice as she answered with a catch in her breath, “If I have -learnt nothing else since those days, I have, at any rate, learnt to -take happiness when it is offered—not to put it off to the future.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, I knew you would be reasonable!” cried the Princess, not -realising that she was about to destroy the hope so lightly raised. -“Then listen. Dear, dear Zeto, you have never met Apolis?” -</p> - -<p> -“The author of ‘Rêves d’Exil’?” Zoe forced herself to answer. “No—I -think not; I am sure I have not.” -</p> - -<p> -“He is coming to-night!” announced Princess Emilia, almost with awe. -“We met him in Paris; he is the incarnation of romance. You see my -plan, then? Here is this gifted poet, himself a disappointed -being,—his works show that, don’t they?—and you, cherishing the -memory of a dead romance. Why should you not console one another? -Think what books you might write in collaboration!” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe’s first impulse was to laugh at the thought of this unknown poet -and herself uniting the pageants of their respective bleeding hearts -for the edification of Europe, but Princess Emilia was gazing at her -with an affection and anxiety hard to resist. “Say you will be kind to -him. It is my dearest, most cherished scheme,” she was murmuring. -</p> - -<p> -“I won’t turn my back on him when he is introduced, Principessina,” -Zoe assured her. “But I must honestly tell you that your prospect -doesn’t appeal to me. I never do care for men of letters in daily -life—as witness the Professor. What I like is a man of action.” -</p> - -<p> -“But if Apolis is also a man of action?” said the Princess -mysteriously. “Ah, I must not say more, but you cannot imagine how -much it might mean to your brother if you could attach him to your -cause, and that can only be by attaching him to yourself.” -</p> - -<p> -“A sort of private Byron?” suggested Zoe scoffingly, but Princess -Emilia was evidently deeply in earnest. -</p> - -<p> -“You don’t know what hangs upon it,” she repeated as she let Zoe out -of the gate, and again Zoe wondered at the importance in her voice. -</p> - -<p> -At the Palace in the evening the reception was of an informal kind, -the Prince and Princess moving about among their guests and talking -freely. It was especially a literary party, so that instead of the -Balkanic athletes who had been prominent at these gatherings of late, -the winners in the poetic competitions and the European press -representatives formed the majority of those present. Very early in -the evening Princess Emilia brought a slender, handsome young man, of -an unmistakably Greek type of face, up to Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“I now have the pleasure of fulfilling one of my life’s ambitions,” -she said prettily, “in presenting Apolis to Zeto.” -</p> - -<p> -“And in doing so, madame, you gratify my own chief desire,” was the -ready reply of the poet. -</p> - -<p> -Zoe sought in vain for any remark equally compatible with truth and -responsive to his politeness, but her failure passed unnoticed, for he -was quite capable of taking charge of the conversation without her -assistance. He had solved the difficulty of talking about himself -without appearing egotistical, by regarding his own history entirely -from a literary point of view, producing, as it were, a monograph from -it in response to any turn of the talk. Zoe found it quite interesting -to note the ingenuity with which he adapted the most hopeless -conditions to his purpose, though she was conscious of an uneasy doubt -as to the literal veracity of all the experiences he described. When -she came to analyse them afterwards, however, she discovered that he -had mentioned very few facts, since most of his descriptions concerned -feelings and impressions which he had experienced, or might have -experienced, in given circumstances. The principal landmarks which -emerged from the flood were a long sojourn in Paris, and the cause -which led to it, a quarrel with his father—recounted with exquisite -but not exactly filial humour—over a beautiful girl whom he had not -been allowed to marry. For her sake, therefore, he was an exile from -the rocky island, the beloved home of his forefathers, in the -unsympathetic West. -</p> - -<p> -“That is the lady to whom you have written as Meteora?” asked Zoe. -“Was it her real name?” -</p> - -<p> -“In my earlier poems—yes, mademoiselle. Let me see, what was her real -name—Xenocraté? Praxinoë? I cannot remember! How a man’s memory -betrays him!” -</p> - -<p> -“But some of the poems to Meteora were among the latest in the book!” -objected Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“To her latest incarnation, mademoiselle. I see the ideal Meteora -under the form of many a very unideal woman, alas! Love is one, but -the lover perceives it in more places than one.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are frank, monsieur.” Zoe was reflecting how singularly agreeable -this theory must be for the poet, and how very inconvenient for the -ladies who enjoyed successively the honour of embodying his ideal. -</p> - -<p> -“I am, mademoiselle. I had flattered myself that frankness was the -personal note of my work, but it seems that this has not suggested -itself to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Certainly I noticed that Meteora’s personal appearance seemed to -vary.” -</p> - -<p> -“Exactly, mademoiselle. Where beauty is, there is the loved one.” His -eyes strayed to the graceful figure of Donna Olimpia Pazzi, as she -passed them on an errand for the Princess. “Why should such details as -the colour of eyes and hair interfere with the course of love?” -</p> - -<p> -“Why, indeed?” said Zoe. “What a <i>poseur</i> the man is!” she thought -impatiently. “Would Emilia consider it unkind if I passed him on to -some one else now?” Looking round for a way of escape, her eyes -encountered the fixed gaze of Professor Panagiotis, who had been -walking through the rooms with Maurice, but had stopped dead, and was -staring at her companion with something like stupefaction. Maurice -turned impatiently to see why he was waiting, but the Professor -grasped his arm and drew him towards Zoe, whom he addressed in tones -like distant thunder. -</p> - -<p> -“Will you have the goodness, madame, to present that gentleman to his -Highness your brother?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is rather difficult, since I only know his pseudonym,” said Zoe. -“This is Apolis, the poet, Maurice.” -</p> - -<p> -“Say, rather, this is Prince Romanos Christodoridi, the hereditary -enemy of your line,” the Professor corrected her savagely. “Pray, -monsieur, how did you come here?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not acknowledge the right of this person to question me,” said -the poet, turning from the Professor and addressing himself to -Maurice. “You, sir, are my opponent, I presume. Have you anything to -ask?” -</p> - -<p> -“I should certainly be glad to know your object in coming to Bashi -Konak,” said Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“Nothing is simpler, sir—to assert my cause. I learn that -negotiations are proceeding here which may gravely prejudice my -rights, and I determine to watch over them in person. The -Christodoridis are not entirely without friends, even though Professor -Panagiotis has chosen to transfer his valuable support to the opposite -party.” -</p> - -<p> -“It was time to transfer my support when your father refused to -contribute a drachma of his hoarded wealth to the cause on which my -whole fortune has been lavished!” burst forth the Professor. -</p> - -<p> -“I refused nothing,—but then I had no hoarded wealth,” said Prince -Romanos with dignity. “If money is to liberate Emathia, I acknowledge -that Mr Teffany—oh, pardon me; Prince Theophanis, I think?—has the -advantage over one who can offer only his pen and his sword; but -nothing shall withhold me from contributing my worthless life to the -cause of freedom, and requesting Emathia to judge between us.” -</p> - -<p> -“So be it!” said Maurice, holding out his hand. “We are enemies, but -friendly ones, I hope. Together we will do our best to free Emathia, -and then she shall judge.” -</p> - -<p> -“Sir, you are mad! Impossible!” protested Professor Panagiotis, but -Prince Romanos bowed like a duellist about to engage. -</p> - -<p> -“I accept your courtesy, Prince. My freedom of action I must preserve, -but there need be no personal enmity between us. That would indeed be -impossible in the presence of my accomplished <i>confrère</i>, the -Princess your sister.” -</p> - -<p> -The elaborate bow towards Zoe, with which he concluded, carried -comfort to the anxious heart of Princess Emilia, watching from a -distance. In her relief she seized upon Eirene as the nearest -available person to whom she could pour forth her feelings. -</p> - -<p> -“I was so frightened!” she said breathlessly. “It was so like a scene -in the theatre,—the meeting of the rival heirs,—and they might have -fought, or anything.” -</p> - -<p> -“But who is the man?” asked Eirene, in bewilderment. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, Prince Christodoridi’s son Romanos, the other claimant, you know. -When he wrote to my husband that he understood we were promoting a -negotiation that gravely concerned his interests, we couldn’t wait to -ask how he had heard of it, we could only invite him here. My husband -wished to tell you at once, but I persuaded him to let the meeting be -a surprise. I wanted Prince Romanos to meet my dear Zeto and fall in -love with her without knowing who she was, so that there could be no -quarrelling when it became known that he was here.” -</p> - -<p> -“But what good could it do if he did fall in love with her?” asked -Eirene blankly, her mind running upon the various disastrous -consequences that were bound to ensue from this most inconvenient -intrusion. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, but he could not fight against her brother then!” said Princess -Emilia with conviction. “And Zeto might say she would not marry him -unless he consented to acknowledge Prince Theophanis as the rightful -heir. Of course I hoped she would fall in love with him too, because -then she could make him do anything she wanted. That was why I did not -tell her who he was, lest she should steel her heart against him as -the enemy of her family.” -</p> - -<p> -“It would have done no good if we had known of his coming earlier,” -murmured Eirene, still intent upon her own thoughts. “We should not -have been able to do anything,—it is not time yet.” -</p> - -<p> -Princess Emilia listened with a puzzled face. “But you do think mine -was a good plan, don’t you?” she asked. “I can’t quite decide whether -it has succeeded or not yet, but you would be glad if it did?” -</p> - -<p> -“Glad? Oh, yes!” laughed Eirene drearily. “But you don’t realise that -Zoe is not the right girl to make a plan like that succeed. And he is -not the right man.” -</p> - -<p> -The worst forebodings of Eirene and the Professor were justified by -the effect produced on the Emathian delegates by the appearance of -Prince Romanos. All the animosities and differences of opinion which -had begun to show signs of slumbering broke out afresh, and purely -practical questions were shelved indefinitely in view of the primary -importance of a disputed title. Among the bewildering complexities of -race, religion, and political feeling that divided the delegates, it -became gradually clear that while the Slavs, with whom went those of -Scythian sympathies, were on Maurice’s side, the Greeks, and with them -the friends of Pannonian ascendency, took that of Prince Romanos. A -small group of Greeks—the personal adherents of Professor -Panagiotis—remained faithful to Maurice, and an irreconcilable party, -headed by Lazar Nilischeff, advocated the cutting of the Gordian knot -by a request to Thracia to take over the whole of Emathia, while there -were isolated supporters of similar action on the part of Mœsia and -Morea. Still, the salient fact was that the harmony, and therefore the -advantage, of the conference was destroyed. It was no use continuing -to thresh out the questions from the discussion of which the rough -draft of a constitution had gradually been emerging; and even Wylie’s -scheme of raising a body of Sikhs, time-expired soldiers of the Indian -army, as the nucleus of a central police, which had been warmly -welcomed on the one hand and as violently opposed on the other, had -lost its interest. As the less educated among the delegates demanded -with one voice, whenever any attempt was made to continue the -interrupted deliberations, what was the good of fiddling about details -when the essential question, Who was to rule Emathia as the nominee of -the Powers and the people? was still undecided. Passing <i>popas</i> were -seized upon and catechised, and expeditions were made to interrogate -mountain hermits of special sanctity, with the result of a wonderfully -varied collection of answers. Was Maurice Theophanis, descendant in -the direct line of the elder son of the Emperor John, debarred from -succeeding by the fact that neither his immediate ancestors nor -himself were members of the Orthodox Church? Did her marriage with a -schismatic also invalidate the claim of his wife Eirene, descended -from the younger son of John Theophanis? And in view of this flaw, was -the otherwise inferior claim of the Christodoridi family, who sprang -only from a female descendant of the Emperor, that which ought to -prevail? -</p> - -<p> -The arguments were interminable and warm, and the arbitrators to whom -it was suggested to refer the matter ranged from the Hercynian Emperor -to the President of the United States. Prince Romanos himself adhered -firmly to the condition he had announced on his first appearance -before the delegates. He was prepared to submit his claim to the -arbitration of the Œcumenical Patriarch, and abide by his decision. -Could anything be fairer, as the question was one of religion? Since -it was practically a foregone conclusion that the Patriarch would -decide in favour of the Orthodox candidate of Orthodox descent, -Maurice and his supporters were unable to feel the same confidence in -his impartiality, but a rift began to make itself felt between the -Emathian Slavs and those with Scythian sympathies. The latter, though -usually much opposed to the claims of the Patriarch, supported the -reference of the matter to him, and in consequence of this defection -it became clear that, in case of a division, Maurice would be -outvoted. This point was not actually reached, but on the adjournment -of the debate Professor Panagiotis hurried to Eirene. -</p> - -<p> -“This is what I feared!” he cried. “It is an arrangement between -Scythia and Pannonia. In order to gain time, one of them will support -your husband, the other the Christodoridis, and they will both favour -a reference to the Œcumenical Patriarch, who will take from a year to -a year and a half to give his decision. We can do nothing until the -snow melts, and yet, unless we can checkmate this plan, we are -condemned to a delay that will be fatal to our hopes.” -</p> - -<p> -“We must try to work on Prince Romanos,” suggested Eirene, but not -cheerfully. “The Princess of Dardania is very anxious that he should -marry Princess Zoe.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, if that might be!” cried the Professor quickly. “But it is too -much to hope.” -</p> - -<p> -“But what good could it do?” asked Eirene, as she had asked of -Princess Emilia. “He would hardly withdraw his claim through affection -for her.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, but if he marries her, he marries a schismatic, and his claim -becomes infinitely weaker than your own,” was the fierce answer. Their -eyes met, and Eirene drew a long breath. If Zoe’s fate had depended -upon the deliberations of these two plotters, it would have been -settled there and then. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch04"> -CHAPTER IV.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE STERN PARENT.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -“<span class="sc">Dear</span> Zeto, why are you so unkind to poor Apolis?” -</p> - -<p> -“I wish I could be, Principessina; it would do him good. But he sees -nothing that he doesn’t wish to see.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, but he feels it dreadfully. That poem which he addressed to -you—how could you have the heart to read it aloud? It brought the -tears to my eyes.” -</p> - -<p> -“But it wasn’t addressed to me personally, you know. It was to the -ideal love whom he sees in all women that are not actually old and -ugly.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, now you are unjust, and I can prove it to you. He has confessed -to me that he knew before he came who Zeto was, and that he consented -to conceal his identity because he hoped to win your favour before you -had been prejudiced against him.” -</p> - -<p> -“There is no prejudice whatever. The man doesn’t appeal to me. Can’t -you realise that he hasn’t a chance? Why, I must be much more romantic -than you really. You think one ought to be able to settle down -comfortably with the second-best when one has missed the best, but -that’s what I can’t do. The better the thing one has lost, the worse -is the punishment of wanting it when one can’t have it, but that’s -only fair, when the loss was one’s own fault.” There was a kind of -soothing finality in speaking as if the loss in question had been -irrevocably incurred a long time ago, not left hanging in doubt until -quite lately, but it led Princess Emilia astray, very naturally. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, but the punishment need not last for ever,” she said eagerly. -“You can never be quite so happy as you might have been, of course, -but there is something in making another person happy. Apolis himself -does not pretend that he never loved before——” Zoe’s lip curled -involuntarily. “His first love married some one else. He can never -forget her, of course, but he does not steel his heart against -happiness. He quoted to me so pathetically— -</p> - -<div class="quote_o"><div class="quote_i"> -<p class="i5">‘I saw him stand</p> -<p class="i0">Before an Altar—with a gentle bride;</p> -<p class="i0">Her face was fair, but was not that which made</p> -<p class="i0">The Starlight of his Boyhood;’</p> -</div></div> - -<p class="noindent"> -and he quite agreed with me what a beautiful idea it was for the two -wounded hearts to console one another. He was only afraid that the -opposition of your family would prevent your ever listening to him, -and I was so glad to be able to tell him how favourably Prince and -Princess Theophanis regarded the idea.” -</p> - -<p> -“Favourably?” cried Zoe. “Why, Maurice will have no more to do with -him than he can possibly help. He just tolerates him as an opponent, -but he could not stand him as a friend. But Eirene—— Ah, I see!” a -light breaking in upon her, “this is Eirene’s doing. She thinks it -would further her plans in some way if I married Prince Romanos. Very -well, I will talk to her.” -</p> - -<p> -“But you will be kind to the poor man?” pleaded Princess Emilia. -</p> - -<p> -Zoe could not trust herself to reply. She was eager to get back to -Eirene and reproach her with her duplicity, for it was evident that -she had, to say the least, allowed the Princess to believe that -Maurice favoured the pretensions of Prince Romanos. When she succeeded -in finding her sister-in-law alone, and poured forth her accusation, -Eirene quailed at first before the storm. -</p> - -<p> -“If you knew my difficulties, Zoe!” she said deprecatingly. “Our plans -are threatened on every side, and I am perfectly distracted—ready to -catch at a straw.” -</p> - -<p> -“But what possible good could it do if I did marry Prince Romanos?” -demanded Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -Eirene dissembled, for her true reason must at all costs be hidden -both from Zoe and from Maurice. To her uneasy conscience, it was -extraordinary that they did not divine it, and she lived in constant -dread of its suddenly occurring to them. “Of course it would be to -Maurice’s advantage,” she said. “Prince Romanos could not go to any -lengths in opposing him if you were his wife. You might even prevail -upon him to withdraw his claim altogether.” -</p> - -<p> -“And what if I prevailed upon him to push his claim strongly, and -helped him to win?” -</p> - -<p> -“Zoe, you couldn’t! No, you are English. You could never turn traitor -to your own family, and support the cause of a stranger against -Maurice!” -</p> - -<p> -“Turning traitor to my husband would not signify, of course.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is not as if you cared for him,” said Eirene inadvertently. -</p> - -<p> -“No, it is not. But I am to pretend to care for him, simply that I may -betray him better! And you suggest it, you who know that there is only -one man I would ever marry, and that therefore I shall not marry at -all!” -</p> - -<p> -“I thought you were old enough now to be willing to sacrifice your -feelings for the sake of your family,” said Eirene, with deliberation. -“<i>Noblesse oblige</i>, Zoe. It is part of a princess’s duty to make a -political marriage. It is not as if I was asking you to give up any -one on whom you had set your heart. As you say, that other episode is -over—one need only look at Colonel Wylie to be sure of it. Besides, -he told Lord Armitage that you had cured him, and he hadn’t the -slightest thought of asking you again. So there is merely a memory to -sacrifice,—a romantic idea of faithfulness,—and think what it may -mean to Maurice. He and I have made sacrifices, too——” -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice’s being entirely involuntary,” broke in Zoe, the impulse to -return blow for blow strong upon her. “You have sacrificed his home -and his domestic peace for him, which certainly ought to count in his -favour. But you are not going to sacrifice my conscience for me. At -any rate I am old enough to have learnt not to do evil that good may -come, and I prefer to remain faithful to what you call my romantic -ideas. For your own sake I would advise you not to make use of -Princess Emilia to put any more false notions into young -Christodoridi’s head, for if he speaks to me I shall certainly tell -him the truth—and Maurice will support me.” -</p> - -<p> -And with this Parthian shot—the sting of which to Eirene lay in the -fact that it was only too literally true—Zoe departed. The next few -days were marked, so far as politics went, by aimless rushings to and -fro, conferences between groups, abortive negotiations, and other -devices of the Professor for postponing that general meeting of the -delegates which would lead to the adverse vote he feared. Then a -stupendous fact precipitated itself like a landslip to dam up the -stream of talk. The annual spring disturbances in Emathia began -without showing Europe the courtesy of waiting for the melting of the -snows. From the balcony of a house in the Christian quarter of Therma -bombs were thrown at a passing body of Roumi troops, killing several -men and horses, and producing a momentary panic. But the stout old -Mohammedan military governor, Jalal-ud-din Pasha, was not a good -subject for panic. He drew a cordon round the neighbourhood, and -rumours crept about that the whole street in which the incident had -occurred was to be razed to the ground. Before there was time either -for this to be done, or for his soldiers to convert into facts, if -such was their intention, the tales of murder and outrage which ran -concurrently with the rumour, the bells of a church outside the -threatened area rang violently, and hell was let loose. Bands of -excited revolutionaries, armed with weapons hastily brought forth from -concealment, attacked the soldiers, and were themselves attacked by -the Mohammedan mob of the rest of the city, who had demanded arms from -Jalal-ud-din to protect their lives,—a plea the justice of which that -astute politician recognised instantly. Bomb explosions occurred in -innumerable places, all the shops closed as if automatically, the -churches and the foreign Consulates became a seething mass of -refugees, and the Consuls telegraphed wildly in all directions for -warships. That night a glow that lit up the sky for many miles -proclaimed to seafarers that something larger than the ordinary -nightly fires, which might be said to be epidemic in Therma, was in -progress. A great part of the city was in flames, and by the light of -the burning houses men fought like demons, or broke into buildings as -yet untouched in quest of plunder and victims. The ships in the -harbour put out to sea hurriedly, lest the conflagration should reach -them, and every road and path leading from the city had its stream of -fugitives, who had dropped from the walls, or bribed the guard with -such valuables as they had saved to let them pass the gates. In the -morning an indignant body of foreign representatives, shepherded -through the roaring streets by an escort furnished by Jalal-ud-din, -presented themselves at the residence of the Vali, who was a Greek by -race, and demanded an interview. To their stupefaction they were -received, not by Skopiadi Pasha, but by Jalal-ud-din himself, who -explained that the Vali had disappeared during the course of the -outbreak, whereupon he himself had taken up the duties of acting-Vali, -pending instructions from Czarigrad, which could not be expected -immediately, since all the telegraph-wires were destroyed. He promised -protection and a speedy restoration of order; and the Consuls, knowing -that Skopiadi Pasha could not have said more, and would probably have -done less, went home convinced that Jalal-ud-din, though almost -certainly responsible for his superior’s disappearance, was not -without his good points. Poor Skopiadi, always anxious to please, but -vacillating between the demands of the Powers and the directions of -his own government, nominally free to act, but in reality fettered by -a deadly fear of Jalal-ud-din and his troops, had worn out most -people’s patience. For the more frivolous officials of the various -Consulates it became an agreeable relief to the tedium of the day to -exchange bets as to whether his military governor had had him murdered -or only imprisoned. -</p> - -<p> -The latest news that reached Bashi Konak from Therma, before the -destruction of the telegraphs, was that the city was on fire and the -troops engaged in a general massacre, and the excitement among the -Emathian delegates and their sympathisers rose to fever-heat. Eirene -durst not meet the eye of Professor Panagiotis, lest she should read -there that all the horrors now occurring were a part of the plan she -had concerted with him, nor was her conscience quieted by his vigorous -denunciation of <i>agents provocateurs</i> and unauthorised -revolutionaries. She knew that he was continually receiving and -sending messages, and that his protestations did not ring quite true, -and she had a horrible fear that in his eyes the untimeliness of the -outbreak was atoned for by the severity it had evoked from -Jalal-ud-din. With the inconsistency which Zoe was wont to call -Eirene-ish, she made no attempt to undo what she had done, and found -her comfort in refusing to let her boy out of her sight. Clasping him -in her arms, regardless of his unconcealed preference for the toys -from which she had snatched him, she could remind herself that it was -all for his sake. Out of the blood and fire of the present would rise -the imperial throne on which he should sit in the future. -</p> - -<p> -It was at first suggested that the games, now drawing towards their -close, should be discontinued in consequence of the news from Therma, -but the Prince of Dardania decided otherwise. His little capital was -filled with a motley crowd of competitors from all parts of the -Balkans and sightseers from many parts of Europe, and to leave these -without the occupation for which they had come to Bashi Konak would -inevitably tend to turn their thoughts to politics. Then would come -heated discussions and inflammatory speeches, and the correctness of -attitude on which Prince Alexis prided himself as characteristic of -his state would be imperilled. He had sacrificed much in order to give -no offence to any one, allowing Princess Emilia to feed daily a large -company of refugees from Emathia at great expense and in a highly -inefficient manner, and refusing to allow volunteers or warlike stores -to be conveyed across his frontier into the disturbed districts, and -he had no mind to lose his reward. When the general break-up came, who -would be so fit to receive an accession of territory as the ruler who -had resisted every temptation to take part in hostilities, who had -contrived, as far as mortal man could, to live peaceably with each of -his neighbours and yet alienate none of the others? Therefore the -Prince decreed that the aquatic sports, with which the festival was to -end, should take place as had been announced, and the Court and its -guests prepared to migrate from the capital to the port for the -purpose. -</p> - -<p> -The day before the move, Zoe went to the Palace as usual by way of the -garden, and was surprised to find Princess Emilia in a highly -disturbed state. Her flushed face and agitated manner suggested that -she had just gone through a trying scene, and Zoe ascribed the trouble -mentally to the Dowager Princess, whose visit was certainly not -proving an unmixed success. Princess Emilia looked up at her friend’s -entrance, and ran to her impulsively. -</p> - -<p> -“Zeto, dearest Zeto, tell me; you have learnt to care for him, haven’t -you? You are going to make me happy?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not in that way, Principessina. But you mustn’t let it make you -miserable. He is happy enough.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, <i>he</i>!” cried the Princess viciously, dismissing the absent -Romanos with an emphatic gesture. “I don’t care about him; it is you. -That he should have dared——! Oh, but I promised I would say nothing. -But assure me that you don’t care for him, Zeto. Comfort me in that -way, if not in the other. If you do care for him, he shall still—— -But you wouldn’t like that. Oh, I don’t know what I am saying!” -</p> - -<p> -“Most certainly I don’t care for him, if that will comfort you,” said -Zoe, bewildered. “But what has he done—or is it I? I always told you -I should never think of marrying him, so please don’t try to bring him -reluctantly to my feet. Of course I knew he didn’t really care, but -you wouldn’t believe me. How have you found out now that I was right?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, it was a revelation—a detestable revelation! It was my -mother-in-law who brought it about, of course; all the disagreeable -things happen through her. Pretending to gratify my dear romantic -heart, too! But, Zeto, he is to ask you formally to marry him, and -abide by your answer. I insisted on that.” -</p> - -<p> -“My dear child, what was the necessity?” cried Zoe impatiently, but -Princess Emilia drew herself up. -</p> - -<p> -“It was due to me. I will have it done, and he understands perfectly. -You will find him in the garden. I sent her—Olimpia—to tell him to -wait for you on the terrace. Don’t go near the orange walk, for my -mother-in-law is there. She retired there to weep over my ingratitude, -she said, so keep to the other end of the terrace.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe was conscious of a strong wish that both Princess Emilia and her -mother-in-law would confine themselves to their own affairs, but as -nothing would satisfy the former but that she should immediately -receive and refuse the formal proposal of Prince Romanos, without -betraying any knowledge of his alleged perfidy, she went out into the -garden again. A graceful figure in white, with a large parasol, passed -her on the steps of the terrace, and Zoe thought with surprise that -she had never known before that Donna Olimpia disliked her. Perhaps -she was jealous of her Princess’s favour for the stranger. On the -terrace was Prince Romanos, leaning in an interesting attitude upon -the marble balustrade. He turned with a start as she appeared at the -top of the steps, and she wondered once more that this <i>poseur</i>, with -his instinctive knowledge of the artistic effect of his every word and -action, should even care to enter upon the rough-and-tumble strife for -supremacy in Emathia, and far more that he should be able to intervene -with the decision and shrewdness he had already displayed. With a wave -of the hand, as he met her, he indicated the view upon which he had -been gazing. -</p> - -<p> -“Is it not characteristic of this land of ours?” he asked her. “Hills -barren almost to bareness, intersected by lines of unsurpassable -verdure wherever water is to be found. Do we not see in it also a type -of the Emathian character, Princess—strength, even rigidity of -outline, united with a peculiar tenderness in the region of the -affections?” -</p> - -<p> -“How very original!” said Zoe, much entertained as she realised the -accomplished way in which he was leading up to the performance of his -task. “In those few words you have given me quite a new view of the -Emathian nature.” -</p> - -<p> -“Have you not studied it too little, Princess? Forgive my suggesting -it, but don’t you isolate yourself unduly from your own race,—from -its Greek portion, at any rate? A closer knowledge—the companionship -of one who would as humbly teach as he would proudly learn from -you—might not this——?” -</p> - -<p> -He paused, with speaking eyes fixed upon her face, and she perceived -that he had so thrown himself into his part that for the moment he was -living in it. The dramatic strain in her own nature responded to his -success. -</p> - -<p> -“Some people are too old to learn,” she replied, with a touch of -suitable melancholy; “and some have already had such hard lessons that -they don’t care to take more.” -</p> - -<p> -“But not such natures as yours, Princess! Or at least your kind heart -would overrule the promptings of your wounded spirit. I also have -suffered. We are linked by the kinship of sorrow; why not then——” -</p> - -<p> -“Stop, rascal!” The startling words, in Greek, broke in upon the -murmured conference, causing Prince Romanos to spring away from Zoe, -of whose hand he had been trying to possess himself. Across the -stage—this was how Zoe, already impressed with the theatrical nature -of the occasion, phrased it to herself—swaggered a venerable -gentleman who might have stepped out of an opera, so gay was he with -stiff white kilt, embroidered jacket and tasselled cap, and so warlike -with his sashful of bristling weapons. -</p> - -<p> -“You, lord!” responded Prince Romanos mechanically. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, I!” replied the apparition, speaking now in bad but vigorous -French, evidently for Zoe’s benefit; “and it is high time I came. I -find my only son, the heir to the imperial heritage, saying soft -things to a schismatic woman, who hopes to beguile him into marrying -her.” -</p> - -<p> -“Sir, you insult the lady!” broke forth his son. “Permit me to present -you to the Princess Zoe Theophanis.” -</p> - -<p> -“What! one of the English impostors? Why, this is worse than I -believed. Miserable boy, have you no pride of race? is the honour of -your house nothing to you? Can’t you see that it is the one chance of -these—these——” Prince Christodoridi choked back the word upon his -lips, and replaced it weakly with “these impostors—to draw you into -their coils, to make it appear that we—we the Christodoridis—think -them fit to marry with? You, who can show an unbroken Greek and -Orthodox descent from Eudoxia Theophanis, think it no shame to seek in -marriage the daughter of a race of schismatics!” -</p> - -<p> -“Perhaps I may as well say that I have no intention whatever of -marrying your son. In fact, the question had not arisen,” said Zoe. “I -will leave you to discuss your family matters together.” -</p> - -<p> -“Wait one moment!” cried the old man, placing himself in her way. “I -know how you and this degenerate son of mine think to laugh at me -behind my back and carry out your plans, but remember this. I will -acknowledge no such marriage, and if you venture to set foot on the -island of Strio, you may land, but you will never leave it again. I am -lord of life and death on my own ground. When the first King of Morea -tried to enforce the conscription among the Striotes, my father sent -him back a boat-load of his soldiers’ heads, and if I furnish twenty -sailors yearly to the Morean navy, it is by virtue of a treaty as -between equals. Therefore bear in mind that Strio has dungeons as well -as a palace.” -</p> - -<p> -“It sounds interesting,” said Zoe, with a sigh; “but if marrying your -son is the only way of getting there, I am never likely to see Strio, -I fear. Would you kindly——?” -</p> - -<p> -Prince Christodoridi obeyed the gesture and stood aside, and Zoe -descended the steps slowly. A change seemed to have passed over Prince -Romanos with her departure, and he beckoned authoritatively to his -father. -</p> - -<p> -“Come to the other end of the terrace and let us talk. You are -satisfied now, I suppose? You renounce the prospect of the imperial -throne rather than disgorge a few of the hoarded coins which my -grandfather gained by piracy——” -</p> - -<p> -“Hush, hush!” said his father, looking round apprehensively. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, I am not accusing you of piracy—you know the Powers would blow -Strio out of the water if you tried it. You refuse even to allow me -any help towards asserting our rights, and when I lay a plan for -profiting by the efforts of these people here, you come to spoil it.” -</p> - -<p> -“You shall not marry a schismatic,” was the obstinate reply. -</p> - -<p> -Prince Romanos shrugged his shoulders hopelessly. “Must I point out to -you in so many words that I have never had the faintest intention of -marrying the impostor’s sister? But I had every intention of -accounting for my presence here, and keeping them all in good temper, -by making love to her. Now that is ruined.” -</p> - -<p> -“She would have trapped you into marrying her. A man is no match for a -woman.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not some men, perhaps,” with scarcely veiled contempt. “But this -woman cares for some one else. Otherwise, most excellent lord, you -would not have had the chance to interrupt us to-day, for we should be -betrothed already, and I should be on the point of success.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have done nothing,” grumbled Prince Christodoridi. -</p> - -<p> -“You have created an atmosphere of suspicion and hostility, whereas, -under cover of the general friendliness, I was about to step into -possession of all the advantages our enemies have secured, and oust -them with their own weapons, without spending a drachma. Was not that -worth doing?” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t know what you mean.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is quite true, though you would not believe it two years ago, that -Panagiotis has honeycombed southern Emathia with Greek societies. They -are supplied with arms, and are under orders to assemble when he gives -them the signal, and seize a number of positions, which can easily be -fortified, about Hagiamavra. He means to direct them from here, with -Theophanis, but I mean to throw myself among them, and take the lead -in the fighting. Which Prince is more likely to win the suffrages of -the Emathians—the one who remained safe at a distance, or the one who -has fought for freedom at their head?” -</p> - -<p> -Prince Christodoridi looked at his son with grudging admiration. “That -is indeed a plan!” he said. “To make use of the impostor’s own -preparations to defeat him, and without any expense! Is there—must -you give it up now?” -</p> - -<p> -“Can you show yourself friendly to all—even to the impostor—while I -try to soothe Princess Zoe and convey to her that my devotion is -unchanged? It will only be for a few days.” -</p> - -<p> -“Did not your grandfather welcome the King of Morea’s officer and set -wine before him an hour before he stabbed him to the heart? Fear not, -son; I can do as well as he.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch05"> -CHAPTER V.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">TWO DIPLOMATISTS.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">The</span> colloquy between Prince Christodoridi and his son had taken -place at the farther end of the terrace, from which led the orange -walk mentioned by Princess Emilia in speaking to Zoe. On a marble seat -under the orange-trees, shaded by the terrace but invisible from it, -sat a lady in black, who was a deeply interested auditor of all that -passed. When Prince Romanos and his father prepared to descend the -steps, she rose from her seat and hastened noiselessly down the -avenue, turning sharply when she had gone about twenty yards, so that -as they came round the curve in the marble staircase she was visible -coming towards them under the orange-trees with a book in her hand. -</p> - -<p> -“It is the Dowager Princess,” murmured Prince Romanos. “Permit me, -madame, to present my father.” -</p> - -<p> -A thought seemed to strike Prince Christodoridi as he glanced at the -still handsome face, and noted the repressed fire of the dark eyes. -“It is perhaps to you, madame, that I am indebted for the message that -brought me here?” he asked in his bad French. -</p> - -<p> -The Princess looked surprised. “To me, monsieur? Certainly not. It is -not for me to send invitations to my son’s capital nowadays.” -</p> - -<p> -“I am at Bashi Konak uninvited, madame. The message to which I refer -was a warning that my son here was on the point of marriage with a -schismatic, the sister of the impostor Teffany.” -</p> - -<p> -“A message which I am hardly likely to have sent, since I have the -best means of knowing that your son has not the slightest thought of -the kind.” The Princess bestowed a sympathetic smile on Prince -Romanos, who looked distinctly uncomfortable. -</p> - -<p> -“So he tells me. As to the truth of the matter, you are happy if you -can feel sure you have come upon it, madame. I trust you are on my -side?” -</p> - -<p> -“Undoubtedly, Prince. In my opinion it would be a grave mistake for -your son to countenance the Teffany claims by allying himself with one -of the family, as with an equal.” -</p> - -<p> -“Madame, I see you are a woman of sense. But permit me to say I had -doubted it. What is your connection with a wretched renegade Greek in -Roumi employ, whom we picked up last night from the wreck of a -fishing-boat we ran down?” -</p> - -<p> -“Are you asking me riddles?” demanded the Princess, with distinct -displeasure. “Pray, does this person assert that he is in my service? -You will allow me to remind you that he is not necessarily speaking -the truth.” -</p> - -<p> -“With that I have nothing to do,” was the rough reply. “When I saw the -fellow’s frock-coat and fez I nearly bade my men throw him back into -the water again, but he pleaded with me by God and the all-holy Virgin -to spare his life and land him at some Pannonian port. I told him -plainly that I would not go an inch out of my way for him, but he -might slink on shore here if he liked. Then he seemed happier, and -said that the Dowager Princess would vouch for him. He had escaped -from Therma, he told one of my men.” -</p> - -<p> -The Princess’s eyes met those of Prince Romanos in amused surprise. -“Can it possibly be Skopiadi Pasha?” broke from both of them. “A -grey-haired man with a glass eye?” added the Princess. -</p> - -<p> -“That’s the fellow,” assented Prince Christodoridi. -</p> - -<p> -“This is really very funny,” said the Princess, with decorous mirth. -“It is a good thing you did not throw the poor man back into the -water, Prince. Now we shall get authentic news as to what has happened -at Therma. And am I really the only person to whom poor Skopiadi could -appeal? I came in contact with him years ago, at the time of the -Rhodope negotiations, but I never expected to be asked to vouch for -him after a shipwreck. We must certainly relieve his mind at once, and -see that he is treated properly. You are rather too stalwart a -partisan for the present day, Prince.” -</p> - -<p> -She had turned and walked towards the Palace with them, and now left -them, with an amused smile. Prince Christodoridi was purple with -indignation. -</p> - -<p> -“Does the woman expect me to make an apostate a welcome guest?” he -demanded. “These are fine times, indeed! Why, your grandfather would -have fastened him up in the rigging, and let the worst shots among the -crew practise on him. A good thing I didn’t put him back into the -water, was it? I wish I had!” -</p> - -<p> -“We have to consider our neighbours’ susceptibilities a little -nowadays,” said Prince Romanos languidly. “After all, Skopiadi is -still Vali of Therma, and the Prince of Dardania doesn’t want to get -into trouble at Czarigrad. I think there may yet be some surprises in -store for you, lord.” -</p> - -<p> -Prince Christodoridi recognised the truth of this prophecy in the -afternoon, when he found the man he had treated so cavalierly received -as a guest whom the Dardanian Court delighted to honour, and -accorded—so his jealous mind averred, though no one else could -distinguish it—a precedence superior to his own. Prince Christodoridi -and his ship’s crew were accepted as welcome recruits for the aquatic -sports of the morrow, but in social matters they were outer barbarians -compared with the despised Skopiadi, who was in the inmost circle of -European diplomacy, and knew everybody. It was some consolation to the -wounded spirit of the island ruler that his rival begged to be allowed -to absent himself from the festivities at the port, on the plea that -his health was suffering from the hardships met with in his escape. -His account of this reflected the highest credit upon himself. Driven -to desperation by the insubordinate conduct of Jalal-ud-din, whom he -had discovered to be plotting a massacre of the Christians, and who -had incited his own guard to murder him, he had gone on board a -steamer in the harbour at the beginning of the troubles, intending to -go straight to Czarigrad, and lay his case before the Grand Seignior, -demanding support against his aspiring colleague. Unfortunately, when -the fire broke out in the city, and accounts of fresh horrors arrived -perpetually by the mouth of a continuous stream of refugees, the -captain of the steamer refused to take his ship to Czarigrad, or any -Roumi port, and the unfortunate Skopiadi would have been carried off -to Egypt if he had not insisted on being transferred to a -fishing-boat, the crew of which promised to put him on shore at some -Illyrian coast-town. The sad accident which had brought about the loss -of the fishing-boat prevented this, and it was to the prompt help of -Prince Christodoridi that the Pasha owed his life. It was only natural -that he should feel unstrung and disinclined for gaiety, and he -listened without regret to the bustle which marked the departure of -his hosts and their other guests. The Palace and its grounds were at -his command, and he wandered out into the garden with great -contentment, though not without the occasional apprehensive start -which betrayed that his dwelling-place had of late been in the midst -of alarms. He encountered nothing more alarming than the Dowager -Princess, sitting at work on the marble seat in the orange walk, but -for a moment it seemed as if he found her as terrifying a sight as he -could well have met. Then he rallied his courage, and was about to -retire with a bow, when she stopped him. -</p> - -<p> -“Pray, monsieur, do not treat me as if I were a monster. We seem to be -left to keep each other company, so you must be good enough to -entertain me.” -</p> - -<p> -At her gesture he took a seat, as far from her as the limits of the -marble bench would allow, and protested, with all the ease and -vivacity of a criminal summoned to execution, that he could ask for -nothing better than to be allowed to make an humble effort to -entertain her Royal Highness. She watched him through half-closed -eyelids, enjoying his discomfiture. -</p> - -<p> -“And when do you propose to return to take up the duties of your post, -monsieur?” she asked him softly. “I have not observed any undue -anxiety on your part to discover the quickest way of getting back to -Therma.” -</p> - -<p> -“My health, madame—the shocks I have undergone——” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, yes—true. The first shock occurred before you embarked, did it -not? Otherwise you could hardly have mistaken a Port Said boat for a -Czarigrad one.” The unhappy man writhed. “And it must have been most -humiliating when the captain defied you to your face,—of course you -had threatened him with condign punishment if he did not put back and -land you on the quay again?—and even refused your lavish offers of -money.” She looked across at him, then laughed gently. “No, my poor -Skopiadi, nature never intended you for a hero, but she made you a -serviceable diplomatist. Why did you run counter to all her warnings -by allowing them to make you Vali of Therma?” -</p> - -<p> -“Alas, madame! I had no choice.” -</p> - -<p> -“I see. On the whole it was rather less dangerous to accept than -refuse, was it? Your ruin was only problematical if you went, but -certain if you stayed at Czarigrad. I imagine, however, that you gave -no hostages to fortune? Madame Skopiadi and your daughters are nowhere -in the Roumi dominions?” -</p> - -<p> -“My wife was unable to accompany me to Therma, madame. She was ordered -to take a protracted cure at Charlottenbad, and she is now in Paris, -superintending the education of her daughters.” -</p> - -<p> -“Very wise. And I shall not be doing you an injustice if I suppose -that your fortune is safely invested—also outside the Roumi -dominions? On the whole, then, we may take it that you have no thought -of returning to Czarigrad at present—in fact, that you will -studiously remain at a distance from it?” -</p> - -<p> -“Madame, I neither assent to your conclusions nor deny them.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is unnecessary. But observe, monsieur, they are more than -conclusions, they are facts. Still, they will remain hidden in my -mind, unless I have occasion to make them public. You have a -considerable reputation in Europe, I believe? The Powers all favoured -your appointment?” -</p> - -<p> -“Unfortunately for me, madame, they did.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then you have some thought, doubtless, of visiting the Foreign -Ministers of the interested Powers, and explaining the reasons for the -failure of your mission? I think it might be well, in your own -interest.” -</p> - -<p> -“I shall be honoured, madame, if I can combine any interest of yours -with my own.” -</p> - -<p> -The Princess frowned. “If these things are to be done, they should not -be said, monsieur.” He bowed, crestfallen. “It is your unbiassed -opinion, is it not, that the present state of things in Emathia cannot -continue? Nothing is to be hoped for from the system of illusory -safeguards imposed by the Powers on the Roumi Government?” He bowed -again, but evidently thought silence wiser than speech. “A new plan -must be tried, involving the virtual expatriation of the Roumis. They -may keep garrisons in Therma and two or three other cities, in token -of suzerainty, but the province must be administered by a Commissioner -appointed by the Powers, and responsible to them.” -</p> - -<p> -“You have voiced my own opinion, madame. But these claimants—which do -you support?” He trembled at his own audacity in asking the question, -but an answer was vital for the direction of his future course. The -Princess showed no anger as she replied with much frankness— -</p> - -<p> -“Neither. I hope to show you that they are both impossible. What do -you think of a plan to seize the Hagiamavra peninsula, and defy the -Roumis there at the head of the Emathian insurgents?” -</p> - -<p> -“There is no doubt that such a scheme would gravely prejudice its -planner in the eyes of Europe, madame.” -</p> - -<p> -“This is more than a scheme. In a few days it will be a fact.” -</p> - -<p> -“And you would have the Powers occupy the peninsula, madame, and thus -frustrate the plot?” -</p> - -<p> -“By no means!” There was something almost amounting to despair at his -obtuseness in the Princess’s voice. “It must not be frustrated. They -must carry it out, and make themselves impossible. Listen. It is -Romanos Christodoridi who has conceived the plan, but I can ensure -that the other party adopt it. They are stronger than he, and will -probably succeed in establishing themselves at Hagiamavra. If blows -are exchanged, it will only be a proof of the unfitness of both sides -to rule; it may even eliminate him altogether. But if not, he can be -removed from the path in another way—by a schismatic marriage.” -</p> - -<p> -“With Princess Zoe Theophanis?” asked the listener. -</p> - -<p> -“No, that would be too great a risk. The united claims of the -Theophanis descendants would be too strong, if they agreed to act -together instead of quarrelling. Another marriage, far more -efficacious for the purpose—— But leave that to me.” -</p> - -<p> -“I desire nothing better, madame. But who, then, is your candidate?” -</p> - -<p> -“Need you ask, monsieur?” -</p> - -<p> -“I must have it from your own lips, madame.” -</p> - -<p> -“That is absolutely unnecessary.” The Princess was clearly annoyed, -but there was a point beyond which the Greek could not be brow-beaten. -</p> - -<p> -“Unless I know your wishes, I cannot undertake to forward them, -madame.” -</p> - -<p> -Defeated by his obstinacy, she spoke hurriedly. “You must represent -the importance of haste. Unless Europe intervenes at once, the Balkans -will be in a blaze, and the conflagration may spread. The delay for -which Scythia and Pannonia hoped, which was to defer the crisis until -they were ready to divide Emathia between them, is out of the -question. In the circumstances, what better ruler could there be than -my son Kazimir,—a <i>persona grata</i> to Scythia, connected with every -royal house in Europe, born and brought up in the Balkans, in the one -state which has given the Powers no trouble, and unmarried?” -</p> - -<p> -“Undoubtedly, madame, there are few candidates with superior -claims—if those of descent are to be ignored.” -</p> - -<p> -“I tell you, the claimants here shall render themselves impossible. My -son will need advisers, monsieur,—men acquainted with Emathia——” -</p> - -<p> -“You honour me, madame. Provided, then, that the Theophanis claim -becomes a mockery——” -</p> - -<p> -“Trust me for that. I have a little experience, you will allow? -Indeed, I believe I know too much for my son’s gardeners. I always -declared that this orange walk ought to run in the opposite direction, -and you can see how much better the growth of the trees would have -been.” -</p> - -<p> -The words might have suggested that the Princess had suddenly taken -leave of her senses, as she rose and emphasised her meaning vigorously -with gestures; but they were accounted for to Skopiadi Pasha by the -appearance of a lady-in-waiting, who was hovering in the middle -distance, anxious to know where her Royal Highness would have tea -served. The colloquy was at an end, but all that was necessary had -been said, and it remained only for both parties to carry out their -agreement. The Princess was the first to make a move, having the -advantage over Skopiadi Pasha in that the material on which she had to -work was close at hand. She began upon it the same evening, when the -princely party returned from the port, tired and sunburnt, and -decidedly inclined to think that aquatic sports were generally -over-praised, at any rate from the spectators’ point of view. In -Princess Emilia’s hearing she asked Donna Olimpia to come to her rooms -when she was dismissed for the night, and write a letter for her that -she wished to send to a Magnagrecian acquaintance. The maid-of-honour, -who had been looking weary and dispirited, brightened up at once, and -presented herself in the Princess’s sitting-room with shining eyes, -which lost their light, however, after a hasty glance round. -</p> - -<p> -“No, he is not here this evening,” said the Princess, with a -sympathetic smile. “We must be prudent, you know. It would not take -much to make my daughter-in-law send you back to Magnagrecia, and then -you might never see him again.” -</p> - -<p> -The girl acquiesced silently, though the tears had started to her -eyes. The Princess laid her hand kindly on hers. “It has been a hard -day, I am afraid?” she asked. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, so hard!” breathed Donna Olimpia, with difficulty. “My Princess -was so exacting. She kept me close to her the whole time—always -wanting me to hand her things, or tell her which the boats were. And -he—he was at Princess Zoe’s side all day, talking and laughing—and -looking at her as he does at me.” -</p> - -<p> -The Princess restrained a smile at the simplicity of the passionate -girl who expected Prince Romanos to keep the expressive glances of his -fine eyes for her alone, but she made no comment. “This is what I -feared,” she said. “Political necessities, you know——” -</p> - -<p> -“He promised he would make her refuse him.” -</p> - -<p> -“She has not refused him. I happen to know that.” -</p> - -<p> -Donna Olimpia turned so white that even the hard-hearted plotter -before her was frightened, and added hastily, “I don’t mean that she -has accepted him. He has not proposed. His father arrived and -interrupted their conversation.” -</p> - -<p> -“If she had, I would have killed her—and him,” muttered the girl, -looking so like a beautiful fury that for a second time the Princess -was dismayed by the strength of the storm which she had fanned for her -own purposes. This all-important instrument needed supremely dexterous -handling, and she drew away from her a little. -</p> - -<p> -“I hardly know whether to go on with what I was going to tell you,” -she said. “I thought you would be anxious to protect Prince Romanos -from the consequences of his own indiscretion, but perhaps you would -rather leave him to his punishment.” -</p> - -<p> -“He is in danger from the other Englishman? But this is foolishness! -She has not encouraged him—even I can see that.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t understand. The danger has nothing to do with Princess Zoe or -any Englishman. It is political.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, he is so daring, so rash! What has he done?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is what he proposes to do.” The Princess was encouraged by the -softness of Donna Olimpia’s voice. “He means to throw himself into the -midst of the Emathian insurgents, and lead them against the Roumis. -That sounds a very fine thing to do,” with some irritation, as the -girl’s eyes lighted up, “but you don’t seem to see that it means -almost certain death to him, and in any case ruin to his hope of -obtaining a throne.” -</p> - -<p> -“For his possible throne I care nothing!” cried Donna Olimpia; “but -his life—that is different. He shall not destroy himself!” -</p> - -<p> -“So I thought you would say. Well, my plan was that we must -manage—you and I—to keep him back, and induce Prince and Princess -Theophanis to take this mad step in his place.” -</p> - -<p> -The girl laughed gleefully. “And so relieve him of his opponent as -well!” she said. -</p> - -<p> -“Exactly. But we must work very carefully. Prince Romanos is waiting -for some signal before he starts. Either he expects messengers of his -own, or—which I think is more likely—he is bribing the messengers of -Professor Panagiotis. It must be your business to discover when he -receives the signal. He must promise not to start without bidding you -farewell, and must tell you as long before he goes as possible.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, I can manage that.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then I will manage the rest. He must be detained, and the Theophanis -party must be warned of his intention, and hasten to anticipate it. -They will be in Emathia before they discover their mistake, and then -they cannot retreat. He will be safe, and ought to be grateful, though -I cannot say that he will obtain his throne even then. He may have -involved himself too far in this foolish plot. But your love for him -does not depend on a throne?” -</p> - -<p> -“I hate the very thought of it! It is that alone that made him pay -attention to Princess Zoe: he has told me so. But for his imperial -descent and his great future, he would marry me to-morrow.” -</p> - -<p> -“I see. Some women would prefer the lover to succeed, even at the cost -of their happiness,” said the Princess drily. -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, I am not like that. A throne which he could share with me—yes; -but a throne for him without me—no,” was the frank reply. “Not that I -wish Princess Theophanis to put her husband on the throne. That is a -woman of the most absolute heartlessness. All these troubles are due -to her.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why, how is that?” asked the Princess, rather startled. -</p> - -<p> -“It was before you came, madame. She wished Princess Zoe to marry the -Englishman, Lord Armitage. I knew it; I saw her schemes. Then came -he—Romanos—and she changes her mind, and will have him and no other -as brother-in-law. All the pleasant opportunities are now for him, and -the poor snubbed Englishman scowls in the background. Ah, madame, I -entreat you, punish Princess Eirene, and do it through Lord Armitage! -She deserves it, and he—it will be some satisfaction for him.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your methods are forcible, but crude.” The Princess spoke with the -air of a connoisseur. “But leave it to me. I think I see what to do.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch06"> -CHAPTER VI.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE RED GODS CALL.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -“<span class="sc">Are</span> you in a tremendous hurry? Could you spare me a minute or two?” -Armitage rose from the seat in the orange walk and intercepted Zoe on -her way to the terrace. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh yes. I was only going to wait for Princess Emilia. Is anything the -matter?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, nothing much. Only that I want to tell you something, and after -that—well, I suppose I shan’t trouble you again.” -</p> - -<p> -“You mustn’t be so doleful,” said Zoe, in her elder-sisterly way. “If -there is anything wrong, you know that every one of us would do all we -could to help you. It’s nothing about the yacht, is it? She hasn’t -gone on shore?” -</p> - -<p> -“<i>No!</i>” he burst out with great vehemence. “What do I care about the -yacht, except to help your brother with? It’s you—and that -Christodoridi chap.” -</p> - -<p> -“Really,” said Zoe, half laughing, half angry, “I shall have to be -rude to that young man in public, if he persists in worrying me as he -does. Maurice thought fit to ask me this morning why I always had him -hanging about, and now you! The general opinion of my taste must be -painfully low.” -</p> - -<p> -“No one imagines you could like a theatrical fool like that,” said -Armitage, somewhat comforted; “but for political reasons, you know. -The Professor—and your sister——” -</p> - -<p> -“Neither the Professor nor Eirene will ever make me accept any one for -political reasons, though they are quite likely to try. I should have -thought you knew me better than to think so.” It did not occur to Zoe -that the kindly reproach in her voice was dangerous, for Armitage had -been a silent adorer for so long that she had learnt to regard him as -that most pleasant and useful possession—a safe friend. But he -interrupted her now, his eager, boyish voice full of feeling. -</p> - -<p> -“You don’t see. It’s just because I know what you are—know how a good -woman loves to sacrifice herself for other people. And that fellow -could never make you happy.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, he certainly could not. But don’t be afraid, he doesn’t want to -try. As far as I can tell, he only haunts me because it makes him feel -uncomfortable to find one woman who is proof against his -fascinations.” -</p> - -<p> -“The conceited brute!” cried Armitage explosively. “Let me deal with -him, Princess. I promise you he won’t fancy himself so much when I’ve -taken him in hand.” -</p> - -<p> -“Probably not. But I am quite able to protect myself, thank you, and I -have Maurice to appeal to.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, but it wouldn’t look well for him to come to blows with his -rival,” said Armitage, with unexpected shrewdness. “I don’t signify, -you see. And if you would just give me the right, I could polish him -off before starting, and you would be free from him while I was gone.” -</p> - -<p> -“Starting! Why, where are you going?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, that business over there,” jerking his head vaguely in the -direction of Therma. “Will you? You can’t think how much easier it -would make my mind.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe looked at him quizzically, still unaware of the gravity of the -occasion. “What a boy you are!” she said, as she had often said -before. “You really force me to ask you why you can’t pick a quarrel -with him—not that I want you to,” hastily; “in fact, I forbid -it—without a mandate from me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Because I wouldn’t quarrel with a brute like that—especially about a -lady. But if I could say to him, ‘Princess Zoe is engaged to me, and -if I catch you bothering her any more, you had better look out——’ -why, either he takes a back seat, or I kick him for a cad.” -</p> - -<p> -“But I am not engaged to you,” said Zoe involuntarily. -</p> - -<p> -“No, but I want you to be. I have cared for you an awfully long time, -and you have always been frightfully good to me. I don’t bore you as -much as some people, do I?—not as much as he does, at any rate? -Couldn’t you think of it?” -</p> - -<p> -“I really couldn’t.” Zoe was hardly able to regard this very -unconventional proposal as serious, but she managed to speak without a -smile. “I should need something more in a man than that he didn’t bore -me—a good deal more. In fact, I should need so much that I shall -never marry at all.” -</p> - -<p> -“If you would only try me!” he pleaded. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do -to please you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Except what you can’t do, and that is to grow up,” was on the tip of -Zoe’s tongue, but she crushed it down nobly. “I am very sorry,” she -said, with finality, “but it’s quite impossible. I have never given -you any reason——” -</p> - -<p> -“I know you haven’t.” His eagerness to justify her brought the tears -to Zoe’s eyes. “It was all my fault. Only it seemed, you know, as -if—— But I was a fool. You’ll let things be as they were before, -won’t you, when I come back? Then I’ll go off with Wylie, and knock -about a bit——” -</p> - -<p> -“Colonel Wylie? Is he going too? What is it for?” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, we aren’t exactly supposed—I oughtn’t to have——” -</p> - -<p> -“You must tell me now. Where are you going?” -</p> - -<p> -“I am to take Wylie round in the yacht to a place called Skandalo, -from which you can get to Hagiamavra, where these Emathian fellows are -establishing an insurgent stronghold. He goes as your brother’s -representative, to see what can be done, and what chance there is of -success. If there’s none, he might be able to get them to disband -before the Roumis have time to move troops to attack them, but they -seem pretty confident. Panagiotis had a message yesterday evening to -say that they were ready, so we’re off to-night.” -</p> - -<p> -“But is there danger?” gasped Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“Ought to be none. I wish there was any chance of it.” -</p> - -<p> -“But after his fever. There is sure to be exposure——” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, for Wylie, you mean. It is still Wylie, then?” -</p> - -<p> -“You have no right to say that——” began Zoe warmly, but her tone -changed. “No, why should I be ashamed to confess it? It is, and it -always will be.” -</p> - -<p> -“Couldn’t be a better man,” said Armitage, with settled depression. “I -always knew that if he was against me I hadn’t the ghost of a chance. -But why I asked was, that I thought I might look after him a little -for you—see that he didn’t do rash things, you know.” -</p> - -<p> -“If you would!” murmured Zoe. “But you will never, never let him guess -why you are doing it?” -</p> - -<p> -“He’ll put me down as a disgusting meddler, I know, but I can stand -it. You can feel he has a deputy guardian angel to look after him, as -you can’t be there yourself.” -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t thank you enough,” said Zoe, giving him her hand; “but I do -thank you. Oh, there is Princess Emilia looking for me on the terrace! -She must have come up the other way.” -</p> - -<p> -She hurried up the steps, leaving Armitage to return mournfully to the -solitude of the marble bench, and try to rearrange his outlook on life -in view of the change the last half-hour had made in it. Presently a -dark shadow paused on the pounded marble of the walk, and looking up, -he found the Dowager Princess contemplating with some surprise the -interloper who had taken possession of her favourite seat. He sprang -up in confusion, and would have departed in haste, with many -apologies, if she had not graciously desired him to sit down again. -The invitation did not place him altogether at his ease, since he was -well aware of the Princess’s diplomatic reputation; but fearing that -she might intend to worm some of his friends’ secrets from him, he -determined to be intensely careful, and if possible to go so far in -Machiavellian astuteness as even to penetrate the designs of his -interlocutor. He had an uncomfortable feeling that she had probably -decided to attack him as the easiest of the party to pump, and he -tried to con over hastily all the points on which caution was -necessary. But there was nothing dangerously political about the -Princess’s first remark, uttered with a sympathetic smile. -</p> - -<p> -“I see you find this a soothing spot, Lord Armitage, as I do. I have -brought many troubles here—many perplexities, too, in the days when I -was my husband’s chief counsellor, and Dardania was threatened by -enemies on every side. Mine has not been a very happy life, but at -least I can look with satisfaction on the Dardania of to-day, the only -contented state in the Balkans. Some of the credit ought to be given -to this quiet seat. I hope it has proved helpful to you also?” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, hardly. Perhaps I haven’t tried it long enough,” said Armitage, -rather at a loss. -</p> - -<p> -“You can see no light on your difficulties? And yet I fancy your -Princess feels more kindly towards you than you think.” -</p> - -<p> -Armitage started involuntarily. “She has confided in you, madame?” he -asked, feeling his way. -</p> - -<p> -“Not directly, but there are ways of judging. Only a person totally -devoid of discrimination could imagine that she found pleasure in the -attentions of Prince Romanos.” -</p> - -<p> -“I know she hates the sight of him!” Armitage thought it safe to -reply. -</p> - -<p> -“And yet it is only too likely that she may be forced to marry him. -Her ambitious sister-in-law——” -</p> - -<p> -“Princess Theophanis can’t make her marry him against her will, -madame.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is not only the Princess; the force of circumstances may compel -her. If her brother attains his object, she must make a marriage that -will strengthen his position. The man may or may not be young -Christodoridi, but it will certainly not be you.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, I suppose not,” he murmured, less crushed than if he had not -already heard the same hard truth from Zoe herself. -</p> - -<p> -“But take courage. I have a foreboding—I do not think that Maurice -Theophanis will ever be Prince of Emathia.” -</p> - -<p> -“Do you mean that there’s a plot, madame?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh no, not a plot. I merely advise you not to lose hope. The matter -came to my knowledge confidentially, so that I can hardly—— Still, -you are not likely to betray me, so why should I not allow you the -consolation of watching for the event which will ensure the fulfilment -of your hopes?” -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t promise not to make use of any warning you may give me, -madame.” Armitage was more mystified than ever. The Princess laughed. -</p> - -<p> -“If I thought you an honest, quixotic fool, Lord Armitage, should I -tell you? Well, then, your Prince, with the prudence and caution so -characteristic of him, proposes to send his follower, Colonel Wylie, -to discover whether the Emathian insurrection is sufficiently -widespread, well-supported—safe, in fact—to justify him in extending -to it the patronage of his name. Prince Romanos, on the other hand, -presents himself among the insurgents as one of themselves, asking -only to be allowed to fight and die in their ranks. Which is likely to -commend himself most to their favour?” -</p> - -<p> -Armitage’s face was a study while she spoke. Amazement at the -matter-of-course way in which Wylie’s secret mission was mentioned, -followed by indignation at the slur thrown on Maurice, was again -succeeded by surprise at her announcement of the intentions of Prince -Romanos. -</p> - -<p> -“You mean that Christodoridi will disappear from here to throw in his -lot with the insurgents, madame?” -</p> - -<p> -“At very nearly the same hour to-night as your Colonel Wylie, and for -the same reason. They are both considerate enough to wish not to -compromise my son, and therefore both will attend the farewell -reception of the athletes, and then slip away quietly. Colonel Wylie -may be a perfect paladin, but I think you may assure yourself that the -man who goes among his future subjects in person is more likely to be -chosen than the one who sends his servant.” -</p> - -<p> -Armitage assented mechanically, while the Princess went on— -</p> - -<p> -“Therefore, as I say, you may be cheerful. It is not likely to occur -to Prince Theophanis to go to Hagiamavra himself, and you will not put -it into his head. I am rather surprised that his wife has not insisted -upon it already, but perhaps he has kept her in the dark. You must be -most careful not to let her suspect anything to-day, for your face is -eloquent of tremendous news. I can’t advise you too strongly not to -say anything to her about Emathia or Hagiamavra, for she would guess -at once that you were concealing something, and she has force of -character enough to hurry her husband off this evening. But I need not -tell you to be careful.” -</p> - -<p> -She watched his face narrowly. The risk she had taken was -great,—though she had calculated upon her reading of Armitage’s -character,—but she saw she had succeeded. He might accept information -from this intruder, but not advice. She smiled contentedly when he -made the excuse of urgent business to take his departure. Even if he -had not spent some minutes in conversation elaborately designed to -divert her mind from the previous subject, she could have read in his -disturbed expression the thoughts that were chasing each other through -his brain:—“I must put her off the scent, mustn’t let her see that I -believe it. After all, it mayn’t be true. Must see if there’s anything -to confirm it before I tell anybody.” -</p> - -<p> -That evening Wylie was busy in the room which was nominally a sanctum -for Armitage and himself, but served in reality as a council-chamber -when Eirene’s presence was not desired. He was dressed for the Prince -of Dardania’s reception, but his luggage was ready packed, and his -riding clothes were laid out in the bedroom adjoining. Presently -Maurice came in, and his follower looked up from the money-belt he was -filling, and nodded. -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t tell you how glad I am that you are letting me prospect -around a little before throwing yourself into this thing,” he said, -when his calculations were over. -</p> - -<p> -“My wife doesn’t like it at all,” returned Maurice gloomily. “She -thinks I am letting slip a golden opportunity.” -</p> - -<p> -“Let her think!” was the uncourteous reply. “If she hasn’t learnt yet -that it’s safer to prove the statements of Panagiotis and his friends -before acting on them, you and I have.” -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice!” It was Eirene who stood before them, wrapped in a loose -gown, and with her hair only partially dressed. “We must all start for -Hagiamavra to-night. Romanos Christodoridi is going!” -</p> - -<p> -“He can’t. He knows nothing about it,” said Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“There has been treachery. He has bribed some one. Lord Armitage heard -the first rumour of it this morning, and has spent the day in -discovering the truth. Prince Romanos has horses ready after the -reception, and a fast sailing-boat waiting for him at Pentikosti. Lord -Armitage came to look for you, Maurice, but you were not in your -rooms, and I opened the letter and spoke to him. I have sent him now -to get horses for us.” -</p> - -<p> -“You sent him! Without telling me?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes.” Eirene’s voice was hard. “Because, if you will not go, I shall -take Constantine and go by myself, with Colonel Wylie in attendance. I -have thought it all out. You have loitered and delayed and preached -prudence too long. I will not have my boy’s rights sacrificed through -your precautions.” -</p> - -<p> -“If you will allow me, sir, I will leave the room to the Princess and -yourself,” said Wylie to Maurice, with marked respect. Eirene turned -upon him. -</p> - -<p> -“You will kindly remain,” she said. “I wish you to be a witness of -what I say to the Prince. You understand me, Maurice? If you will act, -I go as your wife; if you refuse, I go to assert my own claim. In -either case Constantine’s rights are secured. They can only be lost -through cowardice, and I, at least, am not a coward. I have the means -of acting without you, you know.” -</p> - -<p> -“I do know it, unfortunately. You have every advantage over me. Short -of placing you under personal restraint, I can’t hope to influence -you.” -</p> - -<p> -“And that you would never do!” she said triumphantly. -</p> - -<p> -“That I would not do. You are determined not to listen to reason?” -</p> - -<p> -“I will listen to any argument in favour of starting to-night, to none -for putting things off.” -</p> - -<p> -“Very well, then. As you have guessed, I shall not allow my wife to -start on this preposterous expedition by herself, to assert a claim -which stands or falls with mine. We will go together, but the claim -which will be put forward is not yours, but mine. Such rights as the -boy has are derived from me—reinforced, if you like, by yours. You -understand this?” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t mind what conditions you make, provided that you go,” she -answered, with a laugh that was nervous in spite of her effort to make -it merely light. -</p> - -<p> -“Pardon me, sir. May I remind her Royal Highness of one or two things -she seems to have forgotten?” asked Wylie. A nod gave him permission, -and he went on, “Are you wise, ma’am, in risking the health, perhaps -even the life, of your son in the way you propose? The journey to -Pentikosti is a difficult one, even for men, and at Hagiamavra the -hardships will be considerable. You can take no other woman with you, -and no heavy luggage.” -</p> - -<p> -“You have done your duty to your master by trying to frighten me,” she -returned defiantly; “but I am not frightened.” -</p> - -<p> -“And it does not occur to you that this expedition will irritate the -Powers against his Highness to such an extent as to make him an -impossible candidate in future?” -</p> - -<p> -“Then Prince Romanos will be equally impossible. No, the Prince may go -or not, as he likes, but I go. The horses will be ready at eleven -o’clock, which will give us time to change our clothes after the -reception, if we leave fairly early. I am sorry to keep you waiting -now, Maurice. I shall be ready in ten minutes.” -</p> - -<p> -“I suppose you are compassionating me as a henpecked wretch?” said -Maurice bitterly, as Wylie closed the door after Eirene. -</p> - -<p> -“If I advised you to take your wife by the shoulders and give her a -good shaking, you would set me down as a brute, and I don’t know that -it would do much good,” said Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Not a bit. I always knew something of this kind was bound to happen. -You see, there’s no question about my having robbed her of her rights, -and I am bound to back her up in recovering them. I have never been -able to satisfy her in that way yet, and of course she thinks me -slack.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why not offer to go yourself if she and the child will stay quietly -here?” -</p> - -<p> -“Quietly? What would she be doing here—can you say? You know the way -in which that money was left——” -</p> - -<p> -“I know; it’s rough on you every way. Makes a man glad to have escaped -matrimony so far,” said Wylie. “But if I had to deal with that young -woman, she would soon learn to behave herself!” was his -self-sufficient mental remark, for which a speedy Nemesis was already -lying in wait for him. -</p> - -<p> -The night was very dark when, armed with a lantern, he awaited his -fellow-travellers at a side door. In spite of the care taken not to -compromise him, the Prince of Dardania was fully aware that something -was going on, and had issued orders to his officials not to be too -inquisitive with respect to any horsemen leaving the city. But it was -not considered advisable to ride through the principal streets, and -run the risk of encountering belated guests coming from the Palace, so -that every possible advantage was to be taken of lanes and byways. -Armitage, laden with saddle-bags and hold-alls till he could scarcely -walk, came staggering through the doorway, whispering that the rest -were close at hand; and presently Maurice appeared, with little -Constantine, wrapped up like an infant mummy, in his arms, and two -women close upon his heels. Wylie stepped forward with natural -indignation. -</p> - -<p> -“You can’t go,” he said, stopping the taller of the two. “The Princess -knows she is not to take a maid.” -</p> - -<p> -“She is not taking me, but I am going,” said Zoe’s voice. Wylie still -barred the path. -</p> - -<p> -“No, you’re not. There’s no horse for you.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe laughed. “You mustn’t rate our intelligence quite so low. Eirene -knew I should come, and asked Lord Armitage to get a horse for me. I -think myself you are making a mistake in not letting us take my good -Linton, who has gone through all sorts of horrors with me without -turning a hair, but she will be ready to join us with supplies -whenever I wire to her.” -</p> - -<p> -“But you can’t go. It’s quite impossible. It’s—it’s useless. The -Princess goes to assert her rights, and she has her husband to protect -her, but you have no one to look after you.” Wylie was growing -desperate. -</p> - -<p> -“I am very much obliged to you,” said Zoe, with meaning in her voice. -“Still, I can assure you that if both you and Lord Armitage turn your -backs on me, I am quite capable of looking after myself.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, look here, Princess,” he said, in a tone that startled Zoe, so -long was it since she had heard it, “don’t bring the whole thing to -smash, I beg of you. You stay behind, like a—like a sensible woman, -and persuade your sister to stay too. You forget that your brother and -I know something already about dragging ladies through the wilds of -Emathia, and we don’t want to try it again. And to take women and -children when there’s a prospect of fighting Roumis—it’s unthinkable, -simply sickening folly. Now you will go back?” -</p> - -<p> -His earnestness was quite pathetic, but Zoe hardened her heart. “If -you ask me as a friend, I will,” she said. -</p> - -<p> -Wylie recollected himself. “No, I won’t—ma’am,” he said angrily. -</p> - -<p> -“Then I won’t go back,” said Zoe. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch07"> -CHAPTER VII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE ENEMY IN THE WAY.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">It</span> was a silent company that rode through the night from Bashi Konak -towards the Roumi frontier. Zoe and Eirene were presumably triumphant, -but they were also in disgrace, and they were made to feel it. One of -the men, either Wylie or Armitage, rode first, to see that the way was -clear, then came the two culprits, left severely to themselves, then -Maurice and the other man, conversing occasionally in low murmurs -which were quite inaudible to the pair in front. Maurice had refused -curtly Eirene’s demand to take little Constantine with her on her -horse, and she had yielded the point without remonstrance, somewhat to -the surprise and much to the relief of the rest. If the worst came to -the worst, Maurice had one weapon the mere mention of which would -bring her to her knees in terror, and she knew it. Her threat of -leaving him could have been rendered nugatory in a moment by the -counter-threat of depriving her of her boy, and she was afraid to push -her husband too far, since he had a way of quietly assuming the -command when she was in full tide of advance, which she found -extremely disconcerting. She had no voice now in the conduct of the -expedition, nor did she expect it, and both she and Zoe would have -fallen from their horses with fatigue sooner than confess how tired -they were getting as the night wore on. It was a welcome surprise -when, just as the first faint light of dawn enabled them to see a -cluster of white-walled houses in front, Armitage, who had ridden -ahead, came back to them. -</p> - -<p> -“We halt here for an hour or two, ma’am,” he said. “This is the -customs station, and there is a fairly clean inn just over the -frontier. I fancy there is a storm coming on, but we shall be in -shelter.” -</p> - -<p> -The customs examination was shortened and simplified by the judicious -use of arguments which the Roumi officials could understand, and Zoe -fancied that a discussion of the same kind was going on with the man -in charge of the telegraph-office on the Dardanian side of the -frontier. Something was said as to the telegraph-poles having been -destroyed in the storm, which appeared premature, since the storm had -not begun, and the poles looked particularly firm and strong, and it -was clear that an attempt was to be made to cover the trail of the -fugitives. Zoe smiled, with a recollection of past experiences of the -kind, and betook herself thankfully to the inn, where Eirene was -bestowing little Constantine in a perfect nest of rugs. The woman of -the house brought them coffee, and they were soon asleep. -</p> - -<p> -Outside the inn, Maurice and Wylie were stamping about, shivering, -while Armitage interviewed the landlord, whose acquaintance he had -made in the course of former journeys to Pentikosti. Presently he -appeared. -</p> - -<p> -“He says he is quite certain no one has passed, sir,” he said. -</p> - -<p> -“Then he must still be behind us,” said Maurice. “I should have -thought he would catch us up long ago. He ought to travel faster than -we do.” -</p> - -<p> -“Had a fall, perhaps,” suggested Wylie. “He doesn’t look as if he had -much of a seat. If you and Armitage will rest in the house, sir, I’ll -go to the top of the road and watch for him, and call you when I see -him.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, you will be getting fever,” said Maurice. “Armitage will watch. -We can’t afford to run risks with you.” -</p> - -<p> -Armitage laughed cheerfully as he climbed the road again, while the -other two men made themselves as comfortable as possible on the uneasy -divan of the inn. They had had time to fall asleep and wake with a -start more than once before they heard him outside. -</p> - -<p> -“I can see him in the distance!” he said breathlessly. “He is riding -hard, and has only one man with him.” -</p> - -<p> -They hurried out, and up the ridge. In the growing light the two -straining figures below were clearly visible. Wylie scanned them -closely. -</p> - -<p> -“The servant has the luggage,” he said. “That’s all right. He’ll stay -behind at the customs, while Christodoridi comes on here to see if his -fresh horses are ready. He’ll want them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Couldn’t ask for a better place than this for stopping him,” said -Maurice. “I only hope he won’t make a fool of himself and take to -shooting.” -</p> - -<p> -“Two can play at that game,” said Wylie grimly, and they waited. It -seemed a long time before the feet of a struggling horse were heard on -the rocky road, and Romanos Christodoridi came in sight over the -ridge. -</p> - -<p> -“Might have walked that last bit,” growled Wylie in disgust, as the -rider pulled up in surprise at the sight of the three men confronting -him. -</p> - -<p> -“Will you be good enough to dismount and step aside with us, Prince?” -said Maurice. “There is a point I should be glad to settle with you -before we join the ladies at the inn.” -</p> - -<p> -“None of that!” said Wylie sharply, arresting the Greek’s arm as he -raised his whip. It had a loaded handle, and his evident intention was -to bring it down on Maurice’s head, and dash forward in the confusion. -“Will you get off or be pulled off?” -</p> - -<p> -“I bow to superior force,” said Prince Romanos, with an angry flush on -his sallow cheek. “I suppose it did not strike you, Mr Teffany, that -it would have been more in order if you had brought one of my friends -here, instead of two of your own?” -</p> - -<p> -“We are not going to fight a duel,” said Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“No? Only to murder me?” He threw his horse’s bridle to Wylie and -dismounted. “You have chosen your ground well. It seems that I should -have done better, after all, to listen to the warning of your tool, -but you will admit that her method of detaining me was open to -misconstruction.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t know what you mean,” said Maurice. “Who tried to detain you? -Who’s the tool? We have been expecting you for hours.” -</p> - -<p> -Prince Romanos looked virtuously indignant. “Your ways are too deep -for me, Mr Teffany. I am tricked, by means of my tenderest affections, -into an interview which I discover is intended to prevent me from -starting as I had intended. On that discovery I tear myself -away—practically by force—ride headlong all night, and find you in -ambush awaiting me. Proceed, sir; I confess you have succeeded in -catching me unawares, but you need not hope to gain anything by this -treachery.” -</p> - -<p> -“Once for all,” said Maurice, “there has been no treachery—on our -part, at any rate. We made no attempt to detain you.” -</p> - -<p> -Prince Romanos bowed, obviously unconvinced. “The attempt was made, -and it was clearly to your interest that it should succeed,” he said. -“However, this argument is unprofitable. You are three to one; pray do -your business.” -</p> - -<p> -“You seem to have treachery on the brain,” said Maurice. “There is no -question of violence of any kind. I asked you to come here that I -might make a certain proposal to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Which you intend to compel me to accept? Continue, pray.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are on your way to Emathia to throw in your lot with the -insurgents; so are we. I imagine that, like myself, you are moved by -the wretched condition of the country. If it had been properly -governed, and the people contented, your claim, like mine, would have -remained in abeyance. Therefore neither of us is fighting for his own -hand, but in the hope of delivering Emathia. Do you agree?” -</p> - -<p> -“Sir,” said Prince Romanos, “your sentiments are most admirable, and -I—admire them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then,” said Maurice, rather impatiently, “what I propose is that for -the present you and I should lay aside our opposing claims, and fight -shoulder to shoulder. Since we are both in reality working for the -good of Emathia, don’t let the mere look of things divide us. You know -as well as I do that nothing would delight Scythia and Pannonia more -than to see the friends of freedom fighting among themselves, so that -they might point out how impossible it was to entrust them with the -government. But if by sinking our differences we can keep our -followers from quarrelling, we shall have gone a long way towards -proving the fitness of the Emathians for liberty.” -</p> - -<p> -“And for the rule of Prince Maurice the First? Really, Mr Teffany, I -can hardly take it as a compliment that you appear to expect me to -welcome this proposal.” -</p> - -<p> -“You have not heard me to the end. I was going to suggest that when -the Roumis are driven out, and peace achieved, we should submit our -claims to the decision of the Emathian people, and abide by the -result.” -</p> - -<p> -Armitage and Wylie were scarcely less astonished this time than Prince -Romanos, who was obviously thunder-struck. “I have offered to submit -my claim to the arbitration of the Œcumenical Patriarch,” he said at -last. -</p> - -<p> -“And I have refused,” said Maurice shortly. “The only arbitration I -will accept is that of a referendum or a <i>plébiscite</i>—whatever you -like to call it—an appeal to the people most concerned.” -</p> - -<p> -“And if I refuse?” -</p> - -<p> -“Then I shall be under the painful necessity of asking Lord Armitage -to keep you in safe custody on board his yacht. Now that there is at -last a chance of freeing Emathia, it shall not be sacrificed to -personal jealousies.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then this is compulsion, after all?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh no. You shall be released in time to submit your claim to the -Emathians. But it seems to me that what I have suggested gives you a -better chance.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have done you an injustice, Mr Teffany. Your methods are not so -simple as I imagined.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think it would be as well if you left off calling me Mr Teffany. To -you, as to others, I am Prince Theophanis, if you please.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, you would trick me into acknowledging your title?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not at all. It is a mere matter of courtesy. I have made no attempt -to deprive you of your rank.” -</p> - -<p> -“Sir, my rank cannot be touched by you. My ancestors were Patricians -of Venice.” -</p> - -<p> -“Sir, mine were Emperors of the East. But this is all nonsense!” -Maurice broke off impatiently. “The question at issue is your present -conduct, not your ancestors’ nobility. I offer you a free hand, and as -good a chance as my own of establishing your claim, on the sole -condition that while we are in the field with the insurgents you make -no attempt to raise a party against me, or to divide our forces. In -fact, it is to be as if we were twin brothers, and there was a doubt -which was the elder. We are to fight for our common heritage, and not -for our own hand.” -</p> - -<p> -Prince Romanos seemed to find some difficulty in answering. He walked -two or three steps backwards and forwards, closely watched by Wylie, -whose hand was in his pocket. Then he faced Maurice again. -</p> - -<p> -“I am at a loss,” he said frankly. “My whole nature rises up against -the compulsion you wish to exercise over me, Prince, and yet I find -something noble in your theory. But you make a large demand in asking -that I should place myself voluntarily in subordination to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“I ask nothing of the kind. If the Emathians are wise, they will elect -Colonel Wylie to supreme command, and I shall want nothing better than -to serve under him. If they are not—why, I suppose we shall all -command guerilla bands, and do the best we can with them.” -</p> - -<p> -“And you are willing to swear that you will honourably withdraw from -the contest if, when the fighting is over, the Emathians elect me?” -</p> - -<p> -“I give you my word here and now, but I will swear if you like.” -</p> - -<p> -“And if—if you should not see the end of the fighting?” -</p> - -<p> -“If anything happens to me, you will have a walk-over, for neither the -Powers nor the Emathians are likely to put a woman and a child upon -the throne.” -</p> - -<p> -“But you had better be very careful not to have anything to do with -that happening,” broke in Wylie; “or you will not see the end of the -fighting either.” -</p> - -<p> -“These insinuations are highly offensive, Prince,” said the Greek, as -Maurice turned angrily upon his follower. -</p> - -<p> -“I simply stated a fact, sir,” said Wylie, in answer to the look. “If -you choose to invite people to murder you, it is only fair they should -know that you don’t stand alone.” -</p> - -<p> -“And Prince Romanos accused you of wishing to murder him a few minutes -ago, sir,” said Armitage. The Greek laughed. -</p> - -<p> -“It seems we are quits, then. There is as much, or as little, -intention to murder on one side as on the other. Prince Theophanis, I -accept your terms, subject to a solemn ratification over the holy -relics at Hagiamavra. But I should like to ask your sister a question -before I throw in my lot with you. I cannot yet forget the way in -which I was deceived last night.” -</p> - -<p> -“I hope you don’t imply——” said Maurice quickly. -</p> - -<p> -“I imply nothing, Prince. The simple word of my <i>confrère</i> Zeto will -at once drive all doubt from my mind.” -</p> - -<p> -Nothing more was to be got from him, and they walked down to the inn, -where the servant who had accompanied Prince Romanos was awaiting him -in considerable perplexity. Maurice sent the woman of the house to -fetch Zoe, who came out presently, sleepy and dishevelled. Prince -Romanos waved the three Englishmen out of earshot. -</p> - -<p> -“If you are asked what my question was, Princess, you may say that I -inquired your motive in laying that trap for me last night,” he said. -“But I do not ask, for I know that the chance of furthering your -brother’s schemes and at the same time punishing a faithless suitor -must have been irresistible. What I want to know——” -</p> - -<p> -“But I never laid a trap for you!” cried Zoe indignantly. “I don’t -know what you mean.” -</p> - -<p> -He waved his hand indulgently. “We all disown our agents when they -fail,” he said. “It is my misfortune that I have incurred—and -doubtless deserved—the enmity of various ladies, and yours is not the -first plot laid against me. But I recognise the difference. Zeto would -draw the line between political extinction and murder. I put my life -in your hands, Princess. Am I safe”—he spoke low and -confidentially—“in accepting your brother’s proposal and throwing in -my lot with him and his friends? I distrust the man with blue eyes.” -</p> - -<p> -The extraordinary mixture of coxcombry, confidence, and suspicion in -the man’s speech filled Zoe with mingled amusement and disgust. “You -will be as safe from us as you would be on your own island—I am sorry -to say!” she cried, with flaming eyes. -</p> - -<p> -“Prince,” said Prince Romanos gravely, turning to Maurice, “your -sister has reassured me with regard to the trap laid for me last -night. I was already convinced, but I desired the formality of her -assurance. Now I am yours. You may regard me from henceforth as your -most trusted colleague.” -</p> - -<p> -“I am glad to hear it,” said Maurice with all seriousness. “Eirene,” -turning to his wife, who had appeared in the doorway, “Prince Romanos -Christodoridi and I have agreed to lay aside our differences, and -fight only for the deliverance of Emathia. When that is accomplished, -we shall invite the Emathians to choose between us, and elect as -prince the one whom they consider best qualified.” -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice! You have sacrificed——” began Eirene, but she broke off and -went indoors, closing her lips tightly. Zoe found her presently -walking up and down the narrow inner room where her boy was still -sleeping, with her hands clenched and her head thrown back. -</p> - -<p> -“I might have known!” she cried. “Maurice always manages to defeat me -somehow. I ought to have taken Constantine and come away by myself, -without warning him,—it is the only way. He would have been so -anxious about us that he would have been willing to do anything. To -surrender without being forced to it! To submit our sacred rights to -the choice of the people!” -</p> - -<p> -“I suppose he thinks that it will be better for the Emathians if they -can agree upon a ruler rather than have one forced upon them,” said -Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“The Emathians! what do they signify? It is a matter of right, of my -boy’s rights! But I have not sworn. I am not bound, and nothing shall -ever make me submit to this iniquitous arrangement.” -</p> - -<p> -Remonstrance was useless, and Zoe, with a vivid memory of old times, -held her tongue. They continued their journey after a hasty meal, -Prince Romanos and his servant being added to the party. The two were -born mountaineers, and their experience proved most useful in getting -the horses over the precipitous tracks which here, in Roumi territory, -represented the good Dardanian roads. A guide, secured by Armitage, -took charge of them from the inn to Pentikosti, and explained matters -to various truculent-looking groups of highlanders, who appeared at -awkward points and seemed quite capable of making themselves -unpleasant. Thus, though exciting enough, the journey stopped short of -providing actual adventure, and in the evening they rode down into -Pentikosti, and found Armitage’s yacht, with her fires banked, -awaiting them in the rude little harbour. A further distribution of -palm-oil among the Roumi notables who came to do honour to Armitage -secured a promise that in the minds of these worthy men the arrival of -the strangers should be as though it had not been, and before -nightfall the yacht had taken her passengers on board and was steaming -down the coast. -</p> - -<p> -The next morning the passengers presented rather a curious appearance, -for Armitage, after a talk with his captain, had ransacked his -yachting wardrobe and practically forced the other men to don his -clothes. Prince Romanos looked like a masquerading pirate, and Wylie, -so the rest told him, like a horse-marine; but the incongruity of -riding-clothes on shipboard was sufficiently obvious, even without -Armitage’s evident anxiety. Zoe and Eirene, entreated with becoming -diffidence to make themselves look as “frilly” as they could, complied -as far as the severe limitations of their campaigning luggage would -allow, and wondered what was the use of trying to deceive the crew, -who must know when and where, and probably also why, they had really -come on board. -</p> - -<p> -It was not until after two days and nights of continuous steaming that -the true reason for the precaution became apparent. The yacht’s head -was turned northwards again, and Armitage was up and down and -everywhere, in a perfect fever of excitement, driving Captain Waters, -whose attention was sufficiently demanded by the intricacy of the -navigation, to the verge of frenzy. Suddenly he calmed down, and -appeared among the rest with a look of pale determination, for which -there seemed no particular reason. -</p> - -<p> -“Man-of-war going to board us,” he explained to the ladies. “Just go -on with what you are doing, please, as if there was nothing the -matter. Don’t be frightened.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why should we be frightened?” asked Zoe, astonished, but Eirene’s -eyes were anxious. Together they moved to the rail, where Wylie was -holding up little Constantine to look at the low, thick, two-funnelled -vessel which was rushing swiftly towards them. The child shrieked with -delight as the destroyer circled round and came to a halt, while a -boat put off from its grey side. A pleasant English-speaking officer -mounted the yacht’s ladder, and looked in astonishment at the group -before him. He made himself very agreeable to Mrs and Miss Smith, the -ladies to whom he was presented, and asked the necessary inquisitorial -questions as politely as possible, accepting as altogether natural the -avowed intention of Armitage to run into Therma and see what was -really going on there. But he had a word to add as he took his leave. -</p> - -<p> -“I see you have zat Apolis on board,” he said to Armitage. “You know -he is incendiary, revolutionist? I have heard him talk in Paris.” -</p> - -<p> -“He doesn’t talk in that way here,” said Armitage. “Perhaps he knows -better.” -</p> - -<p> -The officer shrugged his shoulders. “He is dangerous man. Why is he -here, if not to join those fools of insurgents on the mainland?” -</p> - -<p> -“I really can’t tell you,—unless because I asked him.” -</p> - -<p> -“I sink I should do my duty in arresting him.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think not. On board a British ship, in the waters of another -nation? Hardly.” -</p> - -<p> -“We are on patrol duty here.” -</p> - -<p> -“But no blockade has been declared. No, really, I couldn’t allow it.” -The officer looked from the boyish speaker and the dainty yacht to the -frowning dark vessel a little way off, and smiled, only just -perceptibly. “But look here,” Armitage went on, “I can’t answer for -what’s in his mind, but I can promise that he shan’t go on shore -unless I do. How’s that?” -</p> - -<p> -“Zat is ol-right, if you will remember ze ladies, and not run into -peril. You listen my advice, and make your cruise in less troubled -waters, is it not so? But no, where zere is disturbance, zere also is -a mad Englishman and his yacht. Well, beware of ze Roumis.” -</p> - -<p> -“Thanks. We certainly will,” said Armitage. -</p> - -<p> -“This is not the first time we have been thankful to adopt the -aristocratic and high-sounding name of Smith,” said Zoe to Wylie, as -they watched the friendly foreigner returning to his own vessel. -</p> - -<p> -“Our trip would certainly have ended here if that fellow had guessed -who you really were,” he replied. “It’s not going to be all smooth -sailing, you see. Haven’t you done enough for honour now? Why not let -us put into Korona and land you?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because—you don’t seem to have seen it, but I did—if we had not -been on board, the officer would have turned the yacht back, and your -trip would have ended too. We are not altogether useless, you -perceive!” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch08"> -CHAPTER VIII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">A PORT OF REFUGE.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -“<span class="sc">That</span> was a narrow squeak this morning,” said Armitage to Maurice, -as they stood watching for the first sight of the heights of -Hagiamavra in the evening. -</p> - -<p> -“Why particularly? That fellow had no authority to turn us back, as -there isn’t a blockade, and we could probably have dodged him in the -night if he had tried it.” -</p> - -<p> -“It’s not that. It’s what we have on board. If he had insisted on -searching us!” -</p> - -<p> -“Why, are you gun-running?” asked Maurice in surprise. -</p> - -<p> -Armitage was surprised too. “Well, rifles and cartridges and a couple -of machine-guns are rather an unusual cargo for a yacht, aren’t they?” -</p> - -<p> -Maurice understood. “Ah, another of my wife’s little speculations?” he -said, trying to keep out of his voice the bitterness he felt. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, and that’s given us an idea for getting them on shore. I’ve been -talking it over with Waters, who’s an awfully knowing chap, and he -told me the same thing had been puzzling him. You see, the risk is not -all over when we have them and ourselves landed at Skandalo. Your -precious subjects-that-are-to-be are quite capable of annexing the -arms and kicking you out. What you want is to secure a defensive -position in the middle of them before they realise what you’ve got. -Wylie quite agrees with me.” -</p> - -<p> -“The prospect is certainly a pleasant one,” said Maurice -indifferently. Few people realised—his wife least of all—the disgust -with which he was filled by the necessity of constantly putting -himself forward, of forcing his claims upon an unwilling, or at best -uninterested, people. -</p> - -<p> -“The place for you is the Hagiamavra Monastery,” went on Armitage -eagerly,—“in the heart of the insurgents’ position, defensible -against any unsupported rush. It’s a good way from the sea, that’s the -worst of it, and the paths through the hills are simply beastly; but -once up there, there you are. If you stayed down at Skandalo, you’d -always be exposed to attack from the sea, either a bombardment or a -Roumi landing. At the monastery—well, I suppose the <i>Dreadnought’s</i> -guns could touch you, but nothing else that floats, and no Roumi force -is likely to be able to force its way up in the face of opposition.” -</p> - -<p> -“And what about provisions?” -</p> - -<p> -“I can leave you a fair store, and then I’ll go off and forage. I -think I can do better for you in that way than if I landed with part -of the crew to help in the fighting. They were not engaged for -war-service, you see, but anything like running a blockade will -delight them.” -</p> - -<p> -“I see.” Maurice saw more than Armitage intended, and guessed why he -had given up his former plan of attaching himself through thick and -thin to the party that included Zoe, but he did not say so. “I suppose -you realise that you’re more than likely to lose the yacht?” he asked. -</p> - -<p> -“Meaning that the Powers will sink her? Let ’em. She may as well leave -her bones here as at the North Pole, though I hope she won’t do it -till you’re well supplied. But about these guns and things. Waters has -hit on an awfully neat dodge, and made use of it to keep the men from -getting rusty while he was hanging about off Pentikosti. He has had -canvas covers made for all the cases, with red braid on them—like the -things you see old ladies with on their travels, you know—and -initials stencilled on the tops,—most swagger luggage you ever saw. -He’ll pad them up a little with waste, to disguise the shape and the -sharp corners, and we’ll get them landed and up to the monastery as -the ladies’ boxes.” -</p> - -<p> -“Awfully neat!” said Maurice, laughing in spite of himself. “But what -about the weight? And the case of a machine-gun must be a fair size, I -should imagine.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, don’t you know those things as big as a house, that some women -lug about their ball-dresses in—all standing, so to speak? It can’t -be bigger than that. And as to the weight—oh, we’ll stuff the -insurgents about Byzantine robes, stiff with gold and jewels, and all -that sort of thing, you know. They’ll take it as an awful compliment -that the Princesses should have come prepared to hold a court.” -</p> - -<p> -Maurice was hardly convinced, but Armitage was so fully persuaded of -the feasibility of his plan that he offered no further objection. The -yacht anchored off Skandalo that night, jealously scrutinised by -fishing-boats, which drifted out of the darkness into the circle of -her lights, asked a question or two, and faded into nothingness again, -and with earliest daylight Armitage and Captain Waters went on shore -to make judicious inquiries, lest the Roumis might, with unwonted -energy, have occupied the little town. When they came off again, they -brought with them one of the insurgent leaders, no other than Dr -Afanasi Terminoff, who was exercising authority at Skandalo in the -name of the Emathian Revolutionary Committee, the Roumi inhabitants -having wisely effaced themselves on the invasion of the peninsula by a -mixed multitude of patriots and refugees from Therma. It appeared that -Professor Panagiotis had, as Armitage said, played up nobly. He had -not been informed of the flight from Bashi Konak save by a note left -to be delivered to him on the following morning, but on receiving it -he had promptly waited upon the Prince of Dardania to inform him that -Prince Theophanis and all his party had been laid low in the night -with influenza, and would be unable to leave their rooms for some -days. At the same time he had communicated with the insurgent -headquarters,—by the historic method of fire-signals, Zoe suggested, -but more probably by mere prosaic messages carried overland by -returning delegates. The really ardent among these men had been -stealing away from Bashi Konak one by one since the first news of the -massacres at Therma, more anxious to take part in any fighting there -might be than to consume additional time in theoretical negotiations, -and their news travelled before them in some mysterious way. -</p> - -<p> -The arrival of Prince Theophanis was expected, and Dr Terminoff had -had time to prepare information and advice, with both of which he was -overflowing. The state of things was not altogether propitious. The -Hagiamavra peninsula was now affording standing-ground—accommodation -it could hardly be called—for quite three times its ordinary -population, even allowing for the expatriated Moslems. A certain -proportion of the newcomers consisted of stalwart members of -revolutionary bands from all parts of Emathia, who had obeyed the -summons to concentrate for a great struggle, but the rest were a -heterogeneous mob from Therma, among them a large number of men whose -enthusiasm for freedom was of a wildly anarchistic character. These -refugees were not amenable even to such limited authority as was -possessed by the captains of bands over their followers, and led by -any plausible talker among themselves who could gain their ear, they -raided the houses and farms of the inhabitants in search of -provisions, establishing a worse than Roumi tyranny in the peninsula. -Some central authority, with sufficient power at its command to -enforce its orders, was urgently needed, and it was equally necessary -to devise some means of feeding not only the fighting men, but the -troops of helpless women and children who had sought safety with them. -Maurice and Wylie, as they listened, perceived that the task before -them was much larger than they had anticipated, since it had not -occurred to their minds that they would be called upon to combine the -functions of a relief agency with those of a military dictatorship. To -do this from a precarious foothold on the coast was obviously -impossible, but Dr Terminoff was as anxious as Armitage to establish -the whole party safely at the monastery. Besides the predatory hordes -from Therma, who were spread over the lower hills immediately behind -the town, there were the insurgent bands, hardly less truculent though -better disciplined, occupying the heights in the interior, and only -too likely to welcome an opportunity of returning to their wonted -avocation of brigandage. Moreover, since the delegates who had -accepted Maurice’s leadership at Bashi Konak had not had time to -explain their action to their supporters, a strong republican spirit -was prevalent, and might manifest itself in disagreeable ways. -</p> - -<p> -In the face of a complicated emergency of this kind, Maurice was at -his best. Prompt action was urgently necessary, not only in order to -circumvent possible objectors, but that the yacht might unload her -cargo and depart before the news of her presence could be carried to -any of the European warships in these waters. Dr Terminoff was sent on -shore again to requisition every available mule for the transport of -the party and their “luggage,” and summon as many members of his own -band as could be readily assembled to act as escort. Wylie accompanied -him, with the idea of gaining an insight into the conditions -prevailing on shore; while the important cases were being got up from -the hold and enclosed in their innocent-seeming wrappers, and Armitage -and his stewards despoiled the cabins of mattresses, cushions, -carpets, and whatever else could add to the comfort of the ladies. -Captain Waters proved himself a tower of strength when it came to -improvising means of getting the cases transferred from the deck along -the ruined stone pier which showed that Skandalo had once known more -prosperous days, and Wylie, as transport officer without subordinates, -exhibited a knowledge of the idiosyncrasies of the Hagiamavran mule, -and the best way of combating them, which was clearly the fruit of -long and bitter experience in like circumstances. By the captain’s -advice, the load was reduced by breaking open one case of rifles and -one of cartridges, and distributing the contents among fifteen men of -the yacht’s crew, who were to act as an additional escort under -command of Armitage. By dint of herculean efforts, all the packs were -adjusted by noon, Zoe and Eirene were mounted on improvised saddles on -the quietest mules, Wylie appointed the bodyguard their stations, and -the long line trickled through the narrow streets of the little town -and up the hills behind. -</p> - -<p> -A curious throng watched them from roofs and alleys, with much -speculation, but with a notable and natural absence of enthusiasm. The -inhabitants of the peninsula could hardly be expected to welcome the -choice of their neighbourhood as the theatre of great events, however -proud they might be in the distant future that it had been the scene -of the freeing of Emathia. These newcomers looked as if they might be -more profitable guests than the Therma refugees, but the fact that -they were seeking quarters at once in the mountains, instead of -demanding the best accommodation the town could produce, showed that -there was something not quite right about them, and the haggard man -with the blue eyes who regulated their march looked capable of making -himself very unpleasant to honest people who only wished to lead a -quiet life and decorate the caps of their daughters with as fine a -show of piastres as possible. -</p> - -<p> -The many-coloured crowd and the white houses once left behind, the -track led up the hillside, covered with short grass, where the -sweet-scented shrubs which should have clothed it had been rooted up -for fuel. At the top of the ridge Zoe turned to take a last look at -the yacht, the one remaining link with civilisation, but she was -speedily taught that this was no moment for the indulgence of -sentiment. In the hollow below the ridge a number of the Therma -refugees were encamped, in holes grubbed out of the hillside or in -wretched shelters made with blankets, and when the strangers came in -sight there was a rush of ragged, half-starved creatures clamouring -with piteous voices and outstretched hands. Mothers held up their -wizened babies, old men exhibited roughly bandaged wounds, but even -more terrible was the sight of those who had lost either the desire or -the power to beg, and sat stolid in the apathy of helplessness. Eirene -and Zoe emptied their purses and the lunch-basket, and entreated that -the provisions which were being carried up to the monastery might be -distributed here instead, but Wylie was adamant. The able-bodied men -belonging to this party of refugees had been set to work improving the -pier by Dr Terminoff, and would earn enough to keep their dependants -for a day or two. After that he hoped it would be possible to make -organised arrangements for relief, but it would be mere foolishness to -sacrifice, on an impulse of pity, what might be of inestimable value -to the Emathian cause in the future. Zoe relieved her feelings by -abusing his hardness to Eirene as she rode on, but Eirene did not -answer. Holding her boy closely to her, she was haunted, as with a -foreboding of evil, by the thought that this misery was, in part at -least, due to her ambition for him. -</p> - -<p> -The uplands beyond the hollow were almost solitary, save for an -occasional goatherd. Once Wylie left the rest to examine a deserted -village, which had been inhabited hitherto, it seemed, by the vanished -Moslems. Now the houses were roofless, the gardens destroyed, and the -fruit-trees cut down, so that the hope he had entertained of settling -some of the refugees there could not be fulfilled at present. He and -Maurice were continually in converse on the many questions pressing -for immediate solution, calling up now Armitage and now Dr Terminoff -for consultation, and leaving to Prince Romanos the duty of attending -on the ladies, which he performed with a very good grace. -</p> - -<p> -“I am no student of social problems, I confess it,” he said airily. “I -came here to fight, and fight I will as long as I can hold a sword, -but place me face to face with that crowd of miserable objects back -there, and what can I do but empty my purse and hurry away, covering -ears and eyes?” -</p> - -<p> -“But if you were responsible for them as their prince?” suggested Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -He shrugged his shoulders. “My heart would perhaps grow harder, -Princess. Certainly my purse would soon be exhausted. I fear I should -take refuge in the philosophy of our Roumi friends, and find comfort -in repeating that all was Kismet.” -</p> - -<p> -“That would be very consoling to your poor people,” said Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -He accepted the rebuke with surprising meekness. “Indeed, Princess, in -my view the ideal government for Emathia would be a triumvirate -composed of your brother, Colonel Wylie, and myself; but how could I -say so publicly without seeming to undervalue my rights?” -</p> - -<p> -“You to do the ornamental part, Maurice the practical, and Colonel -Wylie the military and police?” said Zoe cruelly. “It would save -Maurice a good deal of trouble—but then, you see, we don’t allow that -you have any rights at all.” -</p> - -<p> -“Naturally, Princess,” was all he could be induced to say, with his -usual shrug. -</p> - -<p> -The character of the scenery was now changing, the grassy downs being -left behind for wilder and loftier hills. Sometimes a glimpse could be -caught of the monastery itself, far above and beyond, like the -Celestial City in old illustrations to the ‘Pilgrim’s Progress,’ its -tiled roofs clinging to the sides of a great rift in the rock, and -then again it would be hidden by the intervening crags. This broken -country was the chosen haunt of the bands from the mainland, whom it -reminded of their own hills, and challenges rang from the rocky -heights, to be answered with anxious explanations by Dr Terminoff, who -did all he could to magnify the importance of the new recruits to the -cause without revealing either their identity or the nature of the -contribution they brought for the war-chest. His guarded answers -excited much interest, and a gradually increasing crowd of insurgents -attached itself to the travellers, betraying an unconcealed desire to -know the contents of the luggage, which seemed so much heavier than it -looked. This was the moment Wylie had feared, and the sailors and Dr -Terminoff’s men were placed as a screen at the head and tail of the -cavalcade. The sides could not be protected, nor was it indeed -necessary, since the path was only wide enough for a mule and its -driver. “It’s a blessing they haven’t had time to arrange an ambuscade -with stones, or they would have cut the column in two,” said Wylie; -“but I think we have taken them by surprise.” -</p> - -<p> -As the long procession approached the monastery, an obvious excitement -began to make itself felt among the hangers-on, a certain number of -whom detached themselves and ran on to the gate, where they demanded -entrance with much banging and many shouts. No response, however, came -from within, and the self-appointed couriers rushed back with fervid -zeal to complain that the never-to-be-sufficiently-execrated -Patriarchist monks refused admission to the noble English visitors. -With generous indignation the surrounding mob demanded that Wylie -should lead them to force an entrance, and it was clear that between -the monks and the mainlanders there existed a grudge as old as the -latter’s first encampment on the hills ten days ago, when they had -been excluded, as schismatics, from the sacred precincts. Such a -revival of the feud between the Greek and Slav elements of Emathian -society promised badly for the success of Maurice’s mission of unity, -and he and Armitage went forward to call a parley, while Wylie -prepared for action if necessary. For some time the frowning front of -the monastery appeared utterly unresponsive to all the knocking and -shouting that besieged it, but at length a high black cap and a -venerable beard appeared on the top of the gateway, and a conversation -ensued. Presently Maurice came back and summoned Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“They won’t let us in, because the Roumi Government has always treated -them fairly well, and they are afraid what may happen when we come to -smash,” he said. -</p> - -<p> -“They must let us in,” said Wylie. “Otherwise we shall come to smash -in less than ten minutes. We must break the gate down.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then our Emathian friends will simply swarm in and loot the place. We -shall be as badly off for accommodation as ever, and have to bear the -everlasting stigma of having plundered an Orthodox monastery.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, we must fake it somehow. Tell your venerable friend that we will -save his face by technically forcing an entrance. Fifteen sailors with -rifles which half of them can’t use look imposing enough to justify -any man of peace in opening his door to them if they threaten to fire. -Of course you will add that if this is not inducement enough we will -let the Emathians loose on them, and then they need have no further -anxiety about the Roumis.” -</p> - -<p> -“All right. Get the mules as close up to the gate as possible, and let -the sailors be ready to turn their rifles against the Emathians once -it’s opened.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your brother’s welcome from his subjects is even embarrassing in its -warmth,” remarked Prince Romanos to Zoe, with a fine air of -detachment. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, the monastery has seen many leaders of revolts,” replied Zoe -airily. “How should the poor old monks know that Maurice is the leader -of a revolution?” -</p> - -<p> -“Ladies nearest the gate,” said Wylie’s voice. “Cartridges and -machine-guns next, then the rifles. Terminoff, are your men to be -trusted if one or two of them get inside?” -</p> - -<p> -“If your sailors are there too,” was the not very encouraging reply. -</p> - -<p> -Maurice turned and waved his hand. The sailors, instructed by Wylie in -a stage whisper how to hold their rifles, were summoned to the front, -and produced an awe-inspiring click at the word of command. Very -slowly and heavily one of the gates creaked open, leaving just room -for the passage of one mule at a time. At a word from Wylie, Prince -Romanos took the bridle of Eirene’s mule and led it in, and Zoe’s -followed, while the sailors turned to face the crowd instead of the -gate. One by one the mules were dragged in, Maurice and Prince Romanos -opening the second leaf of the door by main force to allow of the -entrance of the cases, while Armitage and Wylie, last of all, facing -outwards, kept back the mob that surged behind. The last and most -obstreperous mule disappeared with a final flourish of heels, the -double row of sailors on either side of the gate drew together and -vanished two by two, and Wylie and Armitage retreated slowly -backwards, each with a hand in his pocket, the crowd pressing round, -but leaving a clear space in front of them. Armitage tripped over the -threshold, but was dragged in, head first, by Maurice, and the sailors -closed half the door while Wylie stood on guard. Then he also slipped -within, and the remaining leaf was slammed and barred, while a howl of -disappointment went up from the mob outside. Wylie smiled ironically. -</p> - -<p> -“Before I do anything else,” he said, “I’ll put those machine-guns -together, and mount one on the top of the gate, and the other just -here to command it. They seem needed to save us from our friends.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch09"> -CHAPTER IX.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">ARTS OF PEACE.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">The</span> expedition had reached port, but this was all that could be -said. The quiet fore-court of the monastery was filled with kicking -mules, vociferating drivers, and curious sailors, while two or three -agitated monks bewailed the invasion with uplifted hands. The -strangers had brought women within the sacred gates, and were further -polluting the precincts with the presence of schismatics and of -weapons of war. The glory of Hagiamavra had departed, for the stain -could never be removed. Leaving Wylie to arrange measures of defence, -Maurice set himself to soothe the feelings of the distracted hosts. A -little diplomacy induced them to confess that the monastery had on one -former occasion in its history given shelter to the abhorred sex, in -the shape of a number of women and children from Skandalo seeking -refuge on account of the visit of a Roumi fleet, but then these -suppliants had asked no more than to crouch on the bare stones of the -courtyard. However, in answer to a tactful question or two, the -Hegoumenos, or Abbot, owned that the number of monks was now so much -reduced as to occupy only the innermost cells, those which clustered -round the church, in the narrowest part of the rift, thus leaving the -buildings near the gateway free for the accommodation of the visitors. -A promise from Maurice that the ladies would make no attempt to -penetrate farther than the fore-court contributed still more to smooth -matters, and the Hegoumenos volunteered to send a couple of lay -brethren to sweep out the rooms and to provide firewood. -</p> - -<p> -Returning to the rest, Maurice found that Wylie had got one of the -guns unpacked and set up to protect the entrance, but was in doubt -whether to carry out the rest of his plan and mount the other upon the -gateway itself. The idea was opposed vehemently by Dr Terminoff, who -urged that since the monastery had so fortunately been reached without -the shedding of a drop of blood, there was every hope of coming to a -happy understanding with the insurgents, but that this would be -grievously imperilled by any show of distrust. At his earnest request -Maurice allowed the insurgent leader to go up to the gateway and -address the crowd outside, which he did with much effect. A marked and -somewhat awestruck silence succeeded the din which had hitherto -prevailed, and the various chiefs who were present requested Dr -Terminoff to convey their assurances of friendship to the English -visitors. As he descended from the gateway, the English visitors -seized upon him. -</p> - -<p> -“What was that you told them about Roumi troops being on their way -here?” demanded Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“It is quite true. Five battalions are already embarked, we -understand, and others are on the point of departure.” -</p> - -<p> -“But how have you heard it up here?” cried Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, I heard it at Skandalo. A messenger from Therma—one of the men -who work for Professor Panagiotis—came in this morning.” -</p> - -<p> -“And why in the world didn’t you tell us at once?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because I thought you would go away in your ship without landing if -I did,” was the ingenuous reply. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, look here!” cried Armitage indignantly, “this is a little too -much! We must get the ladies back to the yacht as soon as -possible—to-night, if they are not too tired.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why?” asked Maurice. “You surely didn’t think the Roumis would not -send troops? We have known all along that we should probably have to -face them. You can do much more good by bringing up supplies, -Armitage, as we arranged.” -</p> - -<p> -“But I can’t take my men away, and leave you and the ladies at the -mercy of these fellows outside. The Roumis couldn’t be worse.” -</p> - -<p> -“These men are Christians—patriots,” said Dr Terminoff with -indignation. “In their holy war they welcome the aid of Prince -Theophanis and his friends. To-morrow, in full assembly, the -conditions of alliance will be settled, and the defence of the -peninsula will be entrusted to the illustrious Colonel Wylie. Our -patriots are brave as lions, but they know little of discipline, and -just now there was no time to enter into explanations. But having -heard the truth, they will freely allow the passage of the Milordo and -his men.” -</p> - -<p> -“I’m not afraid of that!” cried Armitage, flushing angrily. “It is -that I don’t think the Prince and his family are safe.” -</p> - -<p> -“Sir, you throw doubts on the patriots of Emathia?” Dr Terminoff was -bristling with rage, but Wylie interposed. -</p> - -<p> -“He doesn’t know them as we do, and their behaviour this afternoon has -been calculated to prejudice a stranger rather unfavourably. Leave the -ladies to us, Armitage, and ransack the Mediterranean for supplies and -ammunition. Not rifles,—we have enough for the men who have -none,—but cartridges to fit our Mausers, in packages small enough to -be carried by one man. With anything like an adequate supply, we might -hold that country we passed through to-day for months. You had better -arrange for a further consignment to be sent out from England to meet -you at some safe place, but just now you must pick up what you can -get, and hurry back before the Roumis appear.” -</p> - -<p> -“But they may be here to-morrow!” cried Armitage. -</p> - -<p> -“Not they. Roumi troops are not kept ready for service at a moment’s -notice, and transports are not to be had for nothing. The five -battalions are probably in the first agonies of mobilising at this -moment, and the Jews of Czarigrad are chartering all the condemned -tramps they can hear of to carry them, so you will just have time to -make a foraging trip and get back. And by the bye, if the Princess -will let you make use of her letters of credit, bring us a good supply -of small change,—any currency will do. We don’t want to have to add a -mint to the other activities before us, and our New Model army will -require to be paid.” -</p> - -<p> -Taken aback, alike by the nature of Wylie’s calculations and their -ultra-practical character, Armitage allowed himself to be dismissed -with his sailors after a hasty meal. They were mounted on the Skandalo -mules, and escorted in triumphal procession by the repentant -insurgents outside, who were now only anxious to embrace the men for -whose blood they had previously been thirsting. A code of signals had -been arranged, by means of which Armitage, on sighting a precipitous -headland not far from Skandalo, might know whether it was safe for the -yacht to approach the land, and where she was to disembark her stores. -</p> - -<p> -The accommodation provided by the monastery was not luxurious, though -the steward of the yacht had done what he could to make the bare -cells, hollowed out in the rock and opening in front into wooden -galleries, habitable. He had been left at Hagiamavra to act as cook, -since the Greek retainer of Prince Romanos, who would not make himself -useful for any one but his master, was the only servant with the -party. Dr Terminoff chose out six members of his band, guaranteed to -be trustworthy, to serve as guards, and they camped round a fire in -the fore-court. At the head of the shallow steps leading to the lowest -gallery, from which all the others were approached, Wylie had built up -the cases of arms into a breastwork, on which he mounted the -machine-gun he had unpacked, not caring to leave it exposed to the -active curiosity of the guards in the court. Thus the position was as -safe as it was possible to make it, and the adventurers talked and -laughed round the inadequate brazier provided for their comfort, with -a determination not to let things flag which suggested inevitably a -certain amount of effort. Their reception at Hagiamavra had not been -quite what they expected, but they were resolved to make the best of -things. -</p> - -<p> -With the morning came the necessity of meeting the insurgent chiefs in -full assembly, as Dr Terminoff had promised, and it was an assembly -that lasted for three days. Wylie excused himself after the first -morning, for the assembly appeared to be possessed of unlimited powers -of talk, and to be determined to exercise them. It seemed to be the -custom that every man should have the opportunity of addressing his -fellows if he desired it, and there were few sufficiently merciful or -retiring to waive the privilege. Hour after hour Maurice and Prince -Romanos sat side by side listening to the flow of like sentiments -delivered in different dialects and with varying gestures by the -highlanders from the mainland, the cosmopolitan refugees from Therma, -and the Greek fishermen and artisans from the coast districts. The -speeches all began in the same way, with a declaration of the -speaker’s theoretical preference for a republic on the American—Wylie -unkindly suggested the South American—model, but nearly all of them -came to the lame conclusion that in view of the dislike felt by some -of the Powers for republican institutions, and the benefits certain to -be conferred upon the cause by the adhesion to it of the Theophanis -family, it would be well to recognise their pretensions. The returning -delegates from Bashi Konak had now had time to make their influence -felt, and the imminent peril of a Roumi invasion in force inclined -Greek and Slav for once to lay aside their differences and agree to -postpone the actual choice of a Prince until the danger was over. In -the presence of the assembly, Maurice swore on the head of his little -son, and Prince Romanos on the sacred relics, brought with great pomp -and precaution from the monastery, to fight side by side as -brothers-in-arms, and submit their respective claims to the judgment -of the Emathian people when success should have brought peace. Upon -this the gathering resolved, only a few austere republicans -dissenting, to change its name from the Revolutionary to the -Constitutional Assembly, and an intimation of the fact, together with -the information that Emathia had determined to choose a ruler from -among the descendants of the Theophanis Emperors, was sent to -Professor Panagiotis for dissemination by the usual channels. -</p> - -<p> -While Maurice was thus establishing his position by patient endurance -of dilatory declamation, Wylie was hard at work. At his request Dr -Terminoff picked out for him each day twenty men from among the most -intelligent and adaptable of the insurgents, and they accompanied him -in a survey of the coasts of the peninsula. They found that their new -leader (Glaukos, or Glafko, was the name they gave him among -themselves) had an eye for country as good as their own, and a -conception of military tactics which went far beyond their crude idea -of firing from ambush until their retreat was seriously threatened, -and then retiring with all speed to take up a new position to the -rear. The few precarious landing-places which broke the line of the -precipitous cliffs were noted, and the fishermen living near them -enrolled as scouts, while a ledge of rock here, and a sheltered hollow -there, were marked as the site of rough fortifications from which the -port might be defended. There was much interest as to Wylie’s plans -for defending the narrow isthmus which united the peninsula with the -mainland, and considerable disappointment, and even murmurs of -treachery, when he refused to requisition the services of the -inhabitants <i>en masse</i> for the purpose of digging a ditch and erecting -a rampart across it. He took no notice of the grumbling, but when, -after much consultation among themselves, a deputation of his -followers inquired the reason for his inaction, he pointed out to them -that nothing better could be desired than that the Roumis should -attack Hagiamavra by land. The broken ground of the interior continued -as far as the isthmus, which was not traversed by any road, and an -army making its way painfully into the hills would be subject to -perpetual attacks from an active enemy well posted and knowing the -country. Since the insurgents were so much in love with digging, he -promised them plenty of it in making shelter-trenches, but if they -wanted to help in something really large and important, he could only -advise them to offer their services in making the strong earthwork -above Skandalo, which had been undertaken by Dr Terminoff partly in -response to the demands of the inhabitants, and partly to provide -relief employment for the refugees. In the face of ships’ guns it -would be untenable, and only draw destruction upon the place, but the -townspeople were loud in demanding protection, and a landing in boats -might be prevented by rifle-fire from its shelter. -</p> - -<p> -While Wylie was regaining his own health in the hard open-air life, -and attaching to himself the men whom he destined as the nucleus of a -disciplined force, Zoe and Eirene had found work of their own. Time -threatened at first to hang heavy on their hands, for they were -forbidden to move about inside the monastery, or to go outside it -without an escort, which every one was too busy to supply. But on the -second morning, to Zoe’s astonishment, Eirene broke in upon her in her -impulsive way. -</p> - -<p> -“Zoe, I want to do something for those poor wretched women—the people -from Therma. Maurice has arranged that those who can work shall be -fed, but some of them were ill, and there are the babies. I can’t bear -to think of them with no proper shelter.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe had been assuring herself that if she proposed doing anything for -the refugees, Eirene would throw cold water on the suggestion, and she -assented with surprise and some remorse. The guards, who were -grumbling at their enforced detention in the courtyard, remote alike -from the deliberations of the Assembly and from Wylie’s explorations, -were despatched to find mules, and welcomed the break in the monotony -of their lot. The reception at the refugee camp, after the toilsome -journey necessary to reach it, was not equally encouraging. The women -seemed to have only one idea of bettering their condition, and that -was by begging, and the most strenuous efforts, enforced by personal -example, were needed to induce them to set to work. Zoe, longing in -vain for her invaluable maid, Linton of the strong arm and caustic -tongue, felt herself shamed by Eirene, who seemed to find no work too -hard, no task too degrading. Only Eirene herself knew that she was -undertaking the care of these people as in some sort an expiation. -Their present plight was largely due to her; what if the punishment -should fall on the dearly loved boy for whose future she planned and -plotted night and day? If any humiliation or exertion of hers could -turn away the danger from him, it should not be wanting. Thus she and -Zoe toiled to induce the women to improve their temporary habitations, -and make at least an effort to keep them clean, and to separate the -fever-stricken from the rest, gathering them into a makeshift -hospital. Some people might think, said Zoe, after various trying -experiences with some of the more active elderly women who had been -chosen as nurses, that philanthropic work among Emathian refugees was -romantic; whereas workhouse nursing at home was instinct with romance -in comparison. The medical officer would naturally have been Dr -Terminoff, but he was already fully occupied with his duties as a -leader of revolt. However, since his liege ladies gave him no peace, -and he was anxious to impress upon his followers the necessity of -deference to Maurice and his family, he unearthed two medical students -who had run away from their studies at Bellaviste to join one of the -bands, and appointed them to hospital posts. Their consent was not -asked, and they proved, unfortunately, to be the only two men in the -peninsula who positively yearned for drill, so that they were -invariably missing whenever Wylie was working at the raw material of -his army. -</p> - -<p> -Notwithstanding all the drawbacks, Armitage found a distinct -improvement in the condition of the insurgent forces when he returned -at the end of a fortnight. By dint of a lavish expenditure of money, -he had got together a good cargo of provisions, but no efforts seemed -effectual in securing satisfactory ammunition. At one port, where he -thought he had the promise of a large quantity of cartridges, it -proved necessary to get the cases on board in tremendous haste owing -to the suspicions of the harbour authorities and an alarm as to the -arrival of a British warship, and on being opened they turned out to -be largely filled with scrap-metal, while such cartridges as they did -contain were of all sorts and kinds. He brought good news, however, in -the positive assurance that, owing to the representations of the -Powers at Czarigrad, the projected despatch of Roumi troops had been -abandoned. The massacres at Therma had touched the conscience of -Europe—or perhaps, as Wylie said, the devastation of so important a -commercial centre had touched its pocket; in any case, the Roumis were -not to have a free hand in Hagiamavra. Such troops as Jalal-ud-din -Pasha already possessed in and around Therma he might employ against -the insurgents, but they were not to be swept out of existence by -overwhelming force. -</p> - -<p> -The news produced a profound impression upon the insurgents, who came -by bands solemnly to congratulate Maurice, and thank him for his -efforts in their cause. Not until an indiscreet remark of Dr Terminoff -let the cat out of the bag did he and Armitage understand why he was -supposed to be responsible for the action of the Powers. -</p> - -<p> -“You know, and I know,” said the Emathian, “that you had nothing to do -with the Czarigrad negotiations, since the Powers are not even aware -of your presence here, so well has Professor Panagiotis manipulated -the press. But it is very well for the people to believe that this -success is due to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t want them to believe anything that isn’t true,” said Maurice. -“What are you hinting at?” -</p> - -<p> -“The Professor has only allowed it to become known that the Assembly -has addressed a hearty request to any prince of the house of -Theophanis to place himself at their head, and achieve the deliverance -of Emathia,” was the reply. “This the reactionary Powers fear above -all things, and therefore they will not allow Roum to attempt to crush -the Emathians, lest Western sympathy should be roused and autonomy -demanded for them. The Powers will act in concert, wasting time and -effecting nothing, but prolonging the present state of affairs until -Scythia and Pannonia are ready for action. Then the wretched -troublesome country will be gladly handed over to them.” -</p> - -<p> -“You mean that though the Roumis are forbidden to crush us, the Powers -will do it for them?” said Armitage. -</p> - -<p> -Dr Terminoff nodded. “Yes, and that is why it is well for the Prince -that the people should believe the Powers are acting in his support. -Nilischeff and the anti-dynastic party are hiding their heads at -present, but if they knew that the Prince would be disowned by the -country of his birth, they would urge that his presence here was -merely a danger to the cause, and he ought to be given up.” -</p> - -<p> -“Cheerful prospect for the immediate future!” said Maurice. “Wylie -would hardly let those fellows of his make the row they are doing if -he knew how mistaken their rejoicing was.” -</p> - -<p> -With dramatic propriety Wylie appeared at the moment from the -direction of the extemporised drill-ground. -</p> - -<p> -“More news!” he said. “One of my fishermen scouts brought it, and -thought fit to announce it to the whole army as well as to me. Last -night he spoke a Therma boat which told him that several -ironclads were leaving this morning for these waters, and by the -description it must be a division of the British Mediterranean Fleet. -My beauties down there are mad with joy, anticipating a triumphal -procession to Therma, and Jalal-ud-din’s head on a charger.” -</p> - -<p> -“We must make them understand that the fleet is much more likely to -act against us than with us,” said Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“You cannot, sir,” said Dr Terminoff. “They would only ascribe your -denials to diplomacy. Many years of disappointment have not been able -to destroy their confidence in the goodwill of England, and they -believe that she has just given a superlative proof of it at -Czarigrad. Only the personal assurance of the British Admiral will -convince them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Backed by a shell or two, I suppose?” said Maurice. “Well, Armitage, -it’s very clear that you must be off at once. It isn’t only that you -mustn’t be caught at Skandalo, but we don’t want to give them a chance -to recognise the yacht if they meet her again.” -</p> - -<p> -“The ironclads will have to lie about a mile out,” said Armitage -reflectively. “We must hug the shore to the southward and slip round -them. There will just be time.” -</p> - -<p> -“And when you come back,” said Maurice, “bring provisions, whatever -you have to leave behind. We find that the Skandalo people have been -turning an honest penny by shipping all their spare supplies to -Therma, where prices are enormous, of course, while we have been at -our wits’ end to feed our refugees. We shall have to establish an -embargo if it goes on, for it’s almost certain that news leaks out as -well; but it would be horribly difficult to enforce, and make a -fearful amount of ill-feeling.” -</p> - -<p> -“Our recruits are not a success as police,” explained Wylie, as they -returned to the monastery. “They are most zealous in hunting -evil-doers, but then I have to hunt the police. Just wait till I get -my Sikhs, though!” -</p> - -<p> -“I say, you know,” said Armitage, “you fellows have really done a lot -in this short time. You’ve got the beginnings of an army, and public -works, and a judicial system, and you’re contemplating tariff reform!” -</p> - -<p> -“Until the British fleet comes and blows the peninsula out of the -water,” said Maurice. “Well, I never expected to fight against the -Union Jack, nor did you, Wylie, I’m sure,—but we mean to stick to -this job unless we’re turned out. To have got Greeks and Slavs to -drill shoulder to shoulder is a bigger thing than it looks.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch10"> -CHAPTER X.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE INTERVENTION OF THE ADMIRAL.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Before</span> the long dark shapes, dimly discernible from the highest -point of the rock above the monastery, had been apparently floating in -the air on the horizon for more than a day, events began to move in -Hagiamavra. On the isthmus connecting the peninsula with the mainland -stood a village, or rather its remains, for it had formerly been -inhabited by Moslems, and these had required more than merely moral -suasion to induce them to quit it. It served now as an outpost of the -insurgents, and its garrison was surprised by the approach of a small -body of Roumi troops, accompanied very unwillingly by the elders of -the dispossessed community. Much elated by the prospect of a fight at -last, the garrison prepared to let the foe approach within short range -and then annihilate them, but the troops had not come out to be -killed. They remained in cover, while the wretched villagers were -driven forward, to be turned back in confusion by a few contemptuous -shots from the ruins. To the intense disappointment of the defenders, -the Roumis were not stirred to action even by this defiance, and -retired in safety, merely exchanging shots with them at long range. -The next visitor was a Greek pope from Therma, who came as the -mouthpiece of Jalal-ud-din to inquire the reason for the extraordinary -reception given to the soldiers whom he had deputed to restore the -evicted villagers to their homes. In the mild reasonableness of this -demand the insurgents saw the hand of the Powers, restraining the -Pasha from the vigorous measures he would naturally have taken, and -triumphed accordingly. The priest was sent back with the message that -the peninsula now recognised only the authority of the Constitutional -Assembly, and that no stranger would be permitted to set foot on it, -with the exception of properly accredited ambassadors. -</p> - -<p> -The next two or three days and nights were spent by the insulted -authorities outside in testing the reality of the Assembly’s -occupation. A steamer crowded with troops appeared off Skandalo, but -was fired upon both from the redoubt above the town and from the -water’s edge, and withdrew with dignity. Two attempts were made either -to surprise Karakula, the ruined village, or to slip past it under -cover of darkness into the interior, but these were frustrated by the -watchfulness of the garrison. The steamer foiled at Skandalo proceeded -slowly along the coast, sending a boat ashore at various possible -landing-places, but in every case an outburst of firing met it from -the positions previously selected by Wylie, and the would-be invaders -retreated. The exultation of the insurgents was unbounded, and their -self-complacency seemed to be justified when a resplendent dragoman, -approaching Karakula under a flag of truce, announced that the Consuls -of the Powers at Therma were desirous of offering their mediation, and -wished to meet representatives of the Assembly. Over the election of -these delegates there was much excitement, the general desire being to -choose the men who could be trusted to insist most obstinately on the -most extravagant demands, and on the matter of their instructions -there was something like a battle, when Maurice and Prince Romanos, -supported by the more moderate members, refused even to put forward -such points as the instant withdrawal of the Roumis from Czarigrad and -from Europe. -</p> - -<p> -The Consuls were admitted, with much ceremony, within the defences as -far as the slope overlooking Karakula, where the delegates met them. -The diplomatists struck a harsh note at the beginning of the interview -by declaring that their mission began and ended with advising the -insurgents to lay down their arms and return to their homes, allowing -the dispossessed Mohammedans to do the same. The delegates retorted by -presenting the demands agreed upon, which comprised the practical -autonomy of Emathia, the suzerainty of Roum being recognised merely by -the permission to keep a garrison in Therma and the concession of a -yearly tribute, which was not to exceed a definite proportion of the -revenues of the province. The Emathians were to elect their own -Governor-General, whose appointment was to be made by the Powers and -confirmed at Czarigrad. He was to be chosen for five years, with the -possibility of re-election; to have full authority to reorganise the -police and judicial systems, with the aid of assessors representing -the various religious bodies under his control; he was to be -responsible only to the Powers, and Czarigrad was to possess no veto -on his acts of government. There were other conditions, but these were -sufficient to make the Consuls raise their hands in horror. With one -voice they besought the delegates not to allow themselves to be led -away by European agitators, who would never be permitted by the Powers -to exercise authority in Emathia. The demands were absolutely -impossible, and to insist upon them would merely be to unite the -Powers with Roum against the Emathian cause. The delegates, proud of -their late success in repelling invasion, and sustained by their -unconfessed belief that England was secretly on their side, retorted -warmly that the demands represented the irreducible minimum they could -accept, and the conference broke up in disorder, the Consuls washing -their hands of all responsibility for the fate of such unreasonable -people. -</p> - -<p> -While the negotiations were going on, there was a good deal of -intercourse between the British squadron and the canny people of -Skandalo. Boats laden with provisions and sightseers plied between the -town and the ships, and steam pinnaces from the fleet disembarked -keen-eyed officers, who strolled carelessly up the steep streets in -twos and threes, and were politely but firmly turned back when they -attempted to extend their rambles beyond the actual confines of the -place. They complained indignantly to Dr Terminoff, who was again -acting as the Assembly’s representative at the port, and he -sympathised with them in the most friendly spirit. That new erection, -or earthwork, or whatever it was, which had altered the aspect of the -hill above the town, must be sadly provocative of curiosity, but most -unfortunately, knowing nothing of military matters, he could not tell -them anything about it. Both sides understood perfectly what this -fencing meant, and the officers retired to devise further measures. -</p> - -<p> -The day after the abortive termination of the conference, Eirene and -Zoe were working as usual at the refugee camp. The daily course of -lessons on the advantages of cleanliness was being exemplified on this -particular afternoon by a definite effort to combat the ophthalmia -which abounded among the babies, and Eirene was bathing the eyes of a -protesting infant, held by Zoe, in the centre of a ring of -disapproving women, when one of their guards broke in upon the -demonstration in a state of wild excitement. Two officers from the -fleet had just been captured by the escort, which had discovered them -making their way cautiously down the ridge, and ambushed them in a -hollow. They offered no resistance, and pretended at first that they -had lost their way; but when their captors proceeded to conduct them -back towards the shore, they confessed that in reality they were -anxious to pay their respects to the insurgent prince of whom they had -heard, and begged to be taken to his stronghold. To the guards this -was proof positive that the British Admiral was trying to open up -communication with Maurice in order to offer him the support which -they were persuaded England was desirous of affording, though -stealthily, so as not to allow the other Powers a pretext for helping -Roum. It was useless to assure them that England had no intention -whatever of acting in opposition to the Concert of Europe, and Eirene -was obliged to resort to stratagem to ensure the observance of even a -moderate amount of precaution. It was quite possible, she pointed out, -that the prisoners might not be British naval officers at all, but -spies in the pay of Roum or of one of the other Powers. If, on being -told that they must be blindfolded and deprived of their weapons -before being conveyed to the monastery, they submitted without -objection, this would be a presumptive proof of their good faith, but -if they showed anger or apprehension, it would be best to take them -down to the sea at once, and not lose sight of them until they were -safely on board their boat. It was evident that the suspected persons -stood the test, for when Zoe and Eirene prepared to return home, two -blindfolded figures, a man and a youth, scarcely more than a boy, were -being mounted on mules, giving no help in the process, by way of being -as troublesome to their captors as they could. By Eirene’s orders, -they were placed at the head of the procession, so that she could -distinguish in a moment if either of them tried to get rid of their -wrappings, and she and Zoe, following in the rear of the guard, -conversed only in whispers, that the prisoners might not guess how -near they were to fellow-countrywomen. As they approached the -monastery, Zoe turned to her suddenly. -</p> - -<p> -“Let us give them a surprise, Eirene. I expect they think they are -coming to a most awful place—a sort of bandits’ lair—and that they -have taken their lives in their hands. Tell the guards to make a good -deal of fuss about bringing them into the presence of the Prince,—a -savage and ferocious insurgent chieftain, of course,—and then let -them just come in and find us at afternoon tea.” -</p> - -<p> -The idea seemed to Eirene unworthy of the dignity of the occasion, but -Maurice enjoyed it so heartily when it was communicated to him that -she withdrew her protest. Tea was prepared, and the guards, not -understanding the joke, but perceiving that some fun was on foot, -dragged and shoved the prisoners up the steps to the gallery, and -suddenly removed the bandages from their eyes. Then Zoe was sorry for -her suggestion, for the dazed and astonished aspect of the two -officers provoked shouts of laughter from the Emathians, and she was -disgusted to think that she had exposed Englishmen to the ridicule of -foreigners. But Maurice stepped forward to welcome them. -</p> - -<p> -“Very kind of you to give us a call!” he said, holding out his hand. -“I must present you to Princess Theophanis and my sister, Princess -Zoe. This is Prince Romanos Christodoridi, my hated rival, who is -working with us in the Emathian cause, and this is Colonel Wylie, our -Commander-in-Chief, late of the Egyptian Army. You both belong to the -<i>Magniloquent</i>, I think?” -</p> - -<p> -The elder officer had recovered his composure by this time, and -introduced himself as Lieutenant Cotway, and his companion as Mr -Suter, both of the <i>Magniloquent</i>, flagship of Vice-Admiral Essiter. -In view of the nature of their reception, both appeared to think it -advisable not to enter at the moment upon their reasons for -undertaking this adventure, and the midshipman was quickly handing -round hot cakes as though to the manner born, while his superior made -small-talk for Zoe and Eirene, assuming in them an ordinary feminine -interest in the recent Carnival gaieties among the foreign community -at Czarigrad. It was a little difficult to know how to talk to ladies -met in such peculiar circumstances, but the naval man acquitted -himself nobly, and the rest listened and admired him. It was not until -tea was over that Maurice took advantage of a pause to say— -</p> - -<p> -“And did you really face the journey up here to bring the ladies all -this interesting news?” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, you see, Prince, I was not aware that I should have the honour -of meeting them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then you had another object? Was it official?” -</p> - -<p> -“Perhaps you would prefer me to state it in private?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not at all. We are all in the same boat here.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, then,” Lieutenant Cotway looked round with a smile in which -there was a trace of deprecation, “the Admiral had heard there were -some British sympathisers with the insurgents up here, and he sent -me—unofficially—to see whether it was true, and if so, to clear them -out.” -</p> - -<p> -“By a judicious combination of persuasion and physical force, I -suppose? It didn’t strike him that you might find yourselves slightly -outnumbered?” -</p> - -<p> -“Why, we had no idea, of course—— I mean, he expected to find the -sort of people who come out and spend two days in an insurgent camp, -and then go home and shriek against the Roumis in the papers. The sort -of people that the insurgents wouldn’t be particularly anxious to -keep, you know. But this is a pretty big thing.” -</p> - -<p> -“You flatter us!” said Zoe ironically. -</p> - -<p> -“Well,” said the sailor, with a good-humoured laugh, “it’s so big that -I could hardly expect you to leave it and come down meekly to Skandalo -with me to be deported.” -</p> - -<p> -“Hardly,” agreed Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“But old Point Seven will never believe how big it is,” said Mr Suter -meditatively. Lieutenant Cotway frowned, and repeated the remark in -more decorous language. -</p> - -<p> -“There will be some difficulty in convincing the Admiral how firmly -you have established yourself up here, Prince. I suppose it’s quite -beyond the bounds of possibility that you and he should meet face to -face and hold a palaver?” -</p> - -<p> -“It would merely convince all our people more firmly than ever that -England was to be relied on to back them up,” said Maurice. “That is -scarcely the impression the Admiral would wish to convey, I presume?” -</p> - -<p> -“The very opposite. But I am sure he would wish to meet you if -possible.” -</p> - -<p> -“He had better creep on shore one night, and be smuggled up here in -disguise,” said Zoe. “It would be an adventure.” -</p> - -<p> -“If it were only possible for you to visit the flagship, sir?” -suggested Lieutenant Cotway, with a polite smile for Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“It might be done,” said Maurice. “Admiral Essiter is an old family -friend. He was with the Naval Brigade in the Soudan in my father’s -time.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, I remember! The Lieutenant Essiter who brought us home his -sword,” said Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice,” Eirene broke in harshly, “whether you go or not, I refuse -to leave Hagiamavra even for a day.” -</p> - -<p> -“The Admiral’s intentions are dubious, evidently,” said Maurice, with -a smile that was a little forced. “I was just going to say,” he added, -turning to Eirene, “that I fear Lieutenant Cotway must remain here as -a hostage if I go on board the flagship.” -</p> - -<p> -“What would they value him in comparison with you? I shall remain here -with Constantine, so that the cause will not be lost if treachery is -attempted.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is to be hoped for your sake, Lieutenant, that your Admiral’s -tastes do not lie in the direction of kidnapping,” said Prince -Romanos, in his most languid tones. -</p> - -<p> -The sailor’s bronzed face flushed. “It is hardly necessary for me to -say that Prince Theophanis will leave the <i>Magniloquent</i> as free as -when he came on board,” he said. “If I did not believe it, I should -scarcely consent to remain here.” -</p> - -<p> -“And if I did not believe it, I should certainly not go,” said Maurice -heartily. “I am glad to have the opportunity of putting the real state -of affairs before the Admiral. Even if it does no good at present, it -may be of advantage afterwards. But I think it will be advisable to -make it a surprise visit, for the going to and fro of messengers would -lead to the suspicion that something very different was on foot.” -</p> - -<p> -“May I suggest, sir, that you should leave me here to-morrow as the -captive of Princess Theophanis, and take Mr Suter down with you? I -will write a note to the Admiral by him, and he can go on board and -deliver it, leaving you in Skandalo. If the Admiral does not feel able -in the circumstances to invite you on board, he may ask you to give -him an interview on shore, but if not, then no harm will have been -done.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, but I hope the Admiral won’t be so inhospitable,” said Zoe, “for -I am going down too. I have always wanted to see over a battleship, -and I may never have the chance again.” -</p> - -<p> -“The <i>Magniloquents</i> will be tremendously honoured, Princess. The -Admiral couldn’t be inhospitable to a lady to save his life. If I may -speak for him, I am sure he would wish Prince Theophanis to bring the -whole of his party.” -</p> - -<p> -“To give us a piece of his mind?” asked Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Possibly, but only in the hope of inducing some of you to back out of -this affair before it gets dangerous, you know.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, Lieutenant, danger is the one thing we have sought in it that we -have not found,” said Prince Romanos. “But count me as a visitor to -the <i>Magniloquent</i>, I beg of you.” -</p> - -<p> -“The more the merrier,” said the officer politely. -</p> - -<p> -“You must make friends with the monks before to-morrow,” said Zoe, “or -you will have a very dull time when we are all away. Perhaps Prince -Romanos will take you to pay your respects to the Hegoumenos now?” -</p> - -<p> -This suggestion broke up the party, as Zoe had intended, and Maurice -and his wife were left alone in the deserted gallery. He turned to her -quickly. -</p> - -<p> -“Is there any need to advertise our differences in public, Eirene? -Must you show your distrust of me so openly?” -</p> - -<p> -“You gave me no choice,” she replied, with quickened breath. “I know -how little interest you have in this venture, and how easily you would -let yourself be persuaded to give it up. I was obliged to show you, -before you committed yourself farther, that any pledges you might give -to the Admiral would make no difference to me.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are wrong. I am deeply interested in this venture, for it has -cost me too much to retire from it lightly. It has broken up my home -and alienated my wife from me. When we left Bashi Konak I knew that -there could be no ending to it but death or success.” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene’s lips were trembling. “You are so tiresome!” she said -pettishly, trying to hide her involuntary weakness. “You will do -nothing without being driven to it, and then you go further than I -should ever have asked you. Don’t you see that the Admiral would have -thought he had only to get us all safe on board and then sail away?” -</p> - -<p> -“Admiral Essiter? Hardly. But putting that aside, can’t you see how -important it is that he and I should meet? Zoe saw it at once, and -gave me just the help I wanted.” -</p> - -<p> -“Zoe is only a looker-on. All this is a sort of play to her. She has -nothing at stake, and can afford to make herself useful in -conversation. She is not distracted between a husband who won’t look -after his own interests, and a son whose rights must not be -sacrificed. I don’t believe she cares for a single creature.” -</p> - -<p> -“You forget you are talking of my sister,” said Maurice angrily. “As -to her not caring for any one, that’s her business and not ours. I -should have been thankful to see her happy with Wylie, but I suppose -there’s no chance of that now. At any rate, she has stood by us all -this time, and you would often have been lonely without her.” -</p> - -<p> -“It’s only for amusement. She has no real interest,” persisted Eirene -rebelliously. Maurice gave up the attempt. -</p> - -<p> -“At least,” he said, “I hope you approve of my plan of meeting the -Admiral, now that your precautions have obviated the risk of -treachery, if there was any?” -</p> - -<p> -“It will make the people more convinced that England is on our side; I -am glad of it for that.” -</p> - -<p> -“You seem determined to encourage these false hopes. My sole idea is -to lay the actual state of things before Essiter,—not that it will -make the slightest difference in his action. If the Powers decide that -we are to be bombarded, he will do his part without turning a hair. -But he will report our conversation to his Government, and those of -the Emathians who survive the fighting and the massacres may have an -easier time. They may not get me as Governor-General, but they will -get some one who is not in bondage to Czarigrad.” -</p> - -<p> -“They must have you as Governor-General,” said Eirene doggedly. -</p> - -<p> -“Not necessarily, even if we succeed. There is Christodoridi.” -</p> - -<p> -“He is nothing. I have taken no oath to him. Listen, Maurice. For the -sake of Constantine’s rights I have opposed you—broken up our home, -as you say. Do you think I would deal more kindly with that upstart -Romanos? Let him look to himself. If he succeeds, as you call it, and -you tamely abdicate your rights in his favour, don’t imagine that I -shall also be tame, and retire meekly with you to Stone Acton. I shall -intrigue, plot, inspire. I have the means, you know. I must and will -see my boy either Prince or Hereditary Prince of Emathia before I die. -I should prefer to see him Hereditary Prince, and you in your rightful -place upon the throne, but if you won’t work with me, I shall work -alone.” -</p> - -<p> -“These are things it is not wise to say,” said Maurice, very pale. -“Are you prepared to bring upon the little chap—an innocent -child—the guilt of all the bloodshed and civil war that you propose?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, no!” she cried quickly. “The guilt will be mine, and the -punishment. Only the success will be his.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch11"> -CHAPTER XI.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE SYMPATHY OF EUROPE.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">A guard</span> of twelve stalwart Emathians, armed with the European -rifles, escorted the party from Hagiamavra through the hills to -Skandalo the next day. Mr Suter, his eyes again bandaged as a -precaution against his possible return to guide an invading force -through the wilds, was in high spirits over the important part -assigned to him as intermediary between the fleet and the insurgent -stronghold. He rode next to Zoe, and talked unceasingly whenever the -nature of the path allowed it, explaining, among other things, why -Admiral Essiter was called “Point Seven,” an explanation which -involved the further explanation of a recondite question of naval -gunnery. When the riders came abreast of the refugee camp the -midshipman’s eyes were unbound, and he rode proudly into the town, -attended by one of the guards, and big with importance, though -refusing to explain either his night’s absence on shore or his present -errand, obtained a passage back to the fleet in one of the -<i>Magniloquent’s</i> boats, which had come on shore for fresh meat. The -rest followed more slowly, and established themselves in Dr -Terminoff’s office, the house of the chief man of the place, to watch -what would follow. Dr Terminoff was delighted at the prospect of their -visiting the fleet, though for the same perverse reason as Eirene, and -declared exultingly that Nilischeff and his party would find -themselves altogether checkmated. -</p> - -<p> -“A boat putting off from the <i>Magniloquent</i>!” announced Wylie, who had -been watching the flagship through his glasses. “A highly superior -boat, too.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, it must be the Admiral’s barge!” cried Zoe, drawing upon her -recollections of sea-stories read in her youth. “Do please let me -look. Isn’t it splendid? Doesn’t it make you feel exactly like -Nelson?” -</p> - -<p> -“In a steam-launch? Particularly so,” responded Wylie, surrendering -the glass, which Zoe monopolised until the arrival of Mr Suter, -bearing a cordial invitation from the Admiral to the son of his old -friend to visit him on board the flagship. Going down to the renovated -pier, they were received by an officer whose uniform, as Prince -Romanos expressed it, “exhibited something more of ornamentation” than -that of Lieutenant Cotway, and who at once conciliated the scruples -and rejoiced the hearts of the guards by insisting that the invitation -included them. Welcomed, after the miraculously short voyage, as -honoured guests, the adventurers stood at length on the deck of the -<i>Magniloquent</i>, there to be received in state by Admiral Essiter, a -small spruce man with a plum-coloured complexion, and the air of -finding his own inscrutable thoughts faintly amusing. The expression -was probably habitual, not due to the circumstances of the occasion, -and Zoe had the idea that, like the protective colouring of some -animals, it must be assumable at pleasure, for watching her host -keenly at lunch, she saw that a look of anxiety sometimes took its -place, though the mask went on again as soon as the Admiral perceived -that he was observed. When the meal was over, he asked Maurice to give -him a quarter of an hour in his cabin, requesting his officers to -entertain the rest of the party, even as the astonished Emathian -guards were being initiated into the wonders of the great ship by -bands of grinning seamen and marines. To the Admiral’s surprise, -Prince Romanos appeared to consider himself included in the invitation -given to Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“Your friend doesn’t speak English, perhaps?” said the host, -courteously waving Prince Romanos back. “Will you tell him that -Captain Bryson will show him over the ship?” -</p> - -<p> -“I thank you—Mr Admiral,” Prince Romanos was wavering between “M. -l’Amiral” and Maurice’s “Admiral,” which sounded to him disagreeably -curt; “but I understand perfectly. Only I conceive myself to possess -an interest not inferior to that of Prince Theophanis in the subject -of your discussion.” -</p> - -<p> -“Prince Christodoridi is the rival heir,” explained Maurice, as the -Admiral glanced inquiringly towards him. “I think myself that his -claims have not a shadow of foundation, and he, of course, thinks the -same of mine, but we are pledged not to fight it out until Emathia is -free.” -</p> - -<p> -“Which puts it off for a few hundred years or so? Well, if you don’t -mind his being present, it’s not for me to object. You are your father -all over. There was a story—I don’t guarantee its truth, mind—that -when the square was broken at El Met, he was attacked by an Arab with -a long spear, who gave him all he could do to defend himself. Somehow -or other, he managed to twist the spear out of the fellow’s grip. Did -he finish him off when he had him at his mercy? Not he; he waited till -he got up, and handed him back the spear to go on with.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Admiral; that’s a little too stiff,” said Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“Well,” said the Admiral deliberately, “I never believed it myself -till to-day. Now I do. But, pray, what is the meaning of the farce you -are playing in that old rat-hole up yonder, masquerading as a Greek -prince, as if your honest English ancestors were not good enough for -you?” -</p> - -<p> -“Unfortunately they were not English; they were Greek too, descendants -of the last Emperor of the East. I have merely returned to the -original form of our name.” -</p> - -<p> -“Merely? and what about your assumption of sovereignty?” -</p> - -<p> -“It was in response to a repeated appeal that I would place myself at -the head of the Emathian Christians.” -</p> - -<p> -“And who is backing you, if I may be so indiscreet as to ask? Your men -are armed with Mausers, and you have a Maxim or two in position, I -hear.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your officers must have made good use of their eyes while they were -with us. Yes, we are fairly well supplied, but we have no outside -backers. A member of my family left a substantial legacy to be applied -to the restoration of the fortunes of the house, and we are using -that.” -</p> - -<p> -“You mean that you are playing ducks and drakes with it. Why not have -bought up a South American republic, or negotiated with the Emperor of -Scythia for a dukedom, if a sensational way of throwing away good -money for the sake of a shadow was all you wanted?” -</p> - -<p> -“But it was not. What we hope to do is to free Emathia now, and -eventually to turn the Roumis out of Europe.” -</p> - -<p> -“A nice modest programme! Couldn’t you have found some less utterly -hopeless material to work upon than the Emathian Christians? I have no -particular admiration for the Roumi in civil life, though he’s a -first-class fighting man, but he is an intelligent gentleman beside -these fellows, who torture and mutilate and burn each other’s women -and children because one man calls himself a Patriarchist and the -other an Exarchist. Have you ever considered seriously what hope there -can be of ruling, except by martial law, a set of people who all -profess to be Christians, and yet can’t keep their hands off each -other’s throats?” -</p> - -<p> -“We have been considering it for years, and now we are trying an -experiment. The thing can scarcely be harder than to keep the peace -between Mohammedans and Hindus in India. Two things are wanted,—money -to keep us going until we can establish some sort of revenue -system—which we have—and a body of impartial police to keep the -balance between the creeds. There would probably be objections to our -enlisting Englishmen, but Colonel Wylie could work as well with Sikhs, -and he could get as many as he wanted, if permission was once given.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your intentions are as excellent as your plans are ingenious,” said -the Admiral sarcastically, “but you are altogether too idyllic, the -whole lot of you. The coasts of the Egean are not No-man’s-land, -waiting to be colonised. For a private individual to seize upon a -desirable peninsula and settle down to govern it is simply stealing, -though I allow that if it had been done by a sovereign state it would -merely be called annexation.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is an experiment,” repeated Maurice. “If we can show that it is -possible to induce Emathian Christians of different sects to live -peaceably together and to serve under the same flag, surely it is an -object-lesson worth trying on a larger scale? We hear a great deal of -the sympathy of Europe for Emathia, and the absolute impossibility of -showing that sympathy except in words. But you can show it here by -simply saying ‘Hands off!’ to Roum when she tries to turn us out of -Hagiamavra. In return for not being molested we would pay to Czarigrad -a tribute amounting to the present average revenue from the peninsula, -and acknowledge the Roumi suzerainty. If, at the end of the year, the -condition of Hagiamavra compared favourably with that of the rest of -Emathia, a larger area might be entrusted to us—perhaps the vilayet -of Therma.” -</p> - -<p> -The Admiral stared at his guest in exasperated consternation. “If you -were only starting with an entirely new world, your plan might work,” -he said slowly, “but you seem to forget entirely the various interests -involved. Europe is quite determined that there shall be no fighting -over Emathia—whether rightly or wrongly it’s not for me to say. Of -course a devastating warfare in the Balkans might wipe out a few -inconvenient nationalities, and sweep the map clean for some such -experiment as yours, but the Powers won’t have it. We shall maintain -the <i>status quo</i> for a year or two, grumbling more and more every -month, no doubt, until Scythia and Pannonia are ready. Then those two -public-spirited Powers will unselfishly offer to divide Emathia -between them and administer it as it should be administered. The -Roumis daren’t protest, Thracia and Dacia and Mœsia daren’t fly at -the throats of their betters, and order will reign in the Balkans. -That’s the plan mapped out, signed and sealed, and when you set up -your personal ambitions as a bar to its realisation, you are simply an -impertinence to be brushed out of the way. The Powers will have none -of you.” -</p> - -<p> -“The Powers have sometimes yielded points on which they had declared -themselves absolutely immovable,” said Maurice. “Think of Minoa.” -</p> - -<p> -“There the claimant had dynastic support of the highest and most -extraordinarily widespread kind. You have not.” -</p> - -<p> -“My wife believes we can count upon the benevolence of Scythia. She -was brought up at that Court, and the Empress has been sending her -kind messages of late.” -</p> - -<p> -“All moonshine. They will fool you to the top of your bent, make use -of you, and then throw you over. No, don’t deceive yourselves. Reforms -in Emathia, short of the partition of the country, won’t succeed, -because they are not meant to succeed. They are intended to lead up to -that partition when the time is ripe, and disgusted Europe is only too -thankful to any one taking an endless problem off her hands. Scythia -and Pannonia can’t afford to let you try your experiment, lest by some -miracle it should be successful, and because we are acting with them -we shall prevent your trying it. Now will you let me give you my frank -advice?” -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t promise to take it, but I shall be grateful.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then look here. You can’t say that I have done anything to injure -your prestige in the sight of your followers. I have received you as -distinguished guests, and I’ll give you a royal salute if it’s a -matter of importance to you. Remain safe on board here, and I’ll send -a landing-party to bring off the rest of your people—Europeans, of -course I mean. You will retire with a good grace, and leave your rival -here in possession. He’s up to the sort of thing—it’s in his -blood—and you are not.” -</p> - -<p> -“Mr Admiral, you flatter me,” said Prince Romanos, deeply gratified, -with an elaborate bow. -</p> - -<p> -“No, sir, I don’t,” retorted the Admiral. “I think a quixotic -conscience is an unlucky possession for a filibuster, and I don’t -imagine you have got one. Moreover, you are a single man, and I -understand that Teffany has a wife and child on that forsaken -mountain-top, besides his sister on board here. Well, Teffany, will -you save your face and retire in a blaze of glory—of course to give -up all this foolishness and retire into private life for the future?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Admiral; with many thanks to you, I won’t.” -</p> - -<p> -“So I imagined, since you are your father’s son. Understand, then, -that it’s war to the knife. I am here as the representative of the -Powers to maintain the authority of Roum, and I’ll do it. If your -fellows allow Jalal-ud-din’s forces to advance peaceably and recover -the peninsula, that’s all right. Also I shall not land men to take -part in any fighting unless it’s a case of rescue. But if your men -interfere with the landing of troops, or otherwise carry on -hostilities within range of my guns, I shall shell them. And to-night -a strict blockade will be declared of all the coasts of the peninsula, -and any vessel approaching with supplies of any kind, and not turning -back when summoned to do so, will be sunk. What yacht is it that has -been provisioning you so far? My midshipman saw that your cook wore a -yachtsman’s cap.” -</p> - -<p> -“You can hardly expect us to let you into the secret of our ways and -means,” said Maurice lightly. “Well, Admiral, we must thank you for -your patience and your warning. When the warning comes true, I hope we -may fall into no worse hands than yours.” -</p> - -<p> -“God grant it!” cried the Admiral, with startling vehemence. “Good -heavens! Teffany,—Theophanis or whatever you call yourself,—what -possessed you to bring ladies and children into this affair?” -</p> - -<p> -Maurice hesitated, and Prince Romanos replied for him. “I think, Mr -Admiral, I shall only be doing justice to my friend’s wife and sister -if I say that these intrepid ladies brought themselves into it.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, I daresay! poor ignorant creatures, expecting to find everything -made smooth for them, and every Roumi a plaster saint! But you know -better,” he turned fiercely upon Maurice. “What did you do it -for?—tell me. What possibility is there of your getting them out -unharmed?” -</p> - -<p> -“Simply that if we can hold out long enough, the Liberal Powers may -get tired of doing Scythia and Pannonia’s dirty work, and insist on -giving us a chance.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then Heaven help you, if that’s all you have to hope for!” The -Admiral led the way impetuously out of the cabin and plunged into the -group of officers who had been making the tour of the ship with Zoe -and Wylie. “If I hadn’t invited you on board,” he said in a shaking -voice to his guests, “I’d have put you all under arrest and kept you -here safe. As it is, I beg and beseech you to save me the disgrace of -kidnapping you by staying on board of your own free will. You, sir!” -he turned on Wylie, “how dare you encourage these absurd, illegal, -fantastic proceedings? It strikes me that you will hear from the War -Office before long, and to some purpose.” -</p> - -<p> -“Possibly the War Office has heard from me already, sir,” said Wylie, -and the calmness of the reply restored the Admiral’s composure. -</p> - -<p> -“Well, I wash my hands of it. I have done what I could to save you, -and as you won’t be saved, I warn you that you’ll have to take the -consequences. Wait! call up those Emathians of yours, if you please,” -to Maurice. “I presume that if they leave you in the lurch you will be -able to yield with a good conscience.” -</p> - -<p> -The guards were summoned, and stood ranged before the Admiral, with -obviously agonising efforts to recall Wylie’s instructions as to -attitude. -</p> - -<p> -“I wish you to understand,” said the great man harshly, “that Prince -Theophanis is engaged in an enterprise which the Powers have entirely -forbidden. This rebellion will be put down by force, and no mercy will -be shown to any who take part in it. The warships of the Powers will -co-operate with Jalal-ud-din Pasha and his army in restoring -tranquillity.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, lord,” chorused the guards obediently, when Wylie had translated -the speech. -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t believe they understand what I mean. What’s that end man -grinning for? Do you all understand?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh yes, lord, we understand perfectly!” and as the Admiral turned on -his heel, the furtive grins became broad ones. He made no further -attempt to shake the determination of his guests, but as they were -embarking he put a note into Mr Suter’s hand. -</p> - -<p> -“Give that to Mr Cotway at the monastery, and tell him I will endorse -any arrangement he makes.” -</p> - -<p> -The incident passed without remark, for there was a general depression -pervading the ship. The officers bade the visitors farewell as if they -were predestined victims, and a faint cheer which broke out among the -men was quickly silenced. Zoe, always sensitive to mental atmosphere, -shivered as she sat in the boat, though the sun was only beginning to -decline. These impartial observers, who would have liked to help but -were forced to oppose, were so plainly convinced that nothing but -failure was before Maurice and his cause. And failure, in the -circumstances, meant——? A little frightened sigh broke from Zoe’s -lips, and Wylie turned and looked at her. He asked her if she was -cold, and she did not guess that he had read her thoughts until they -had passed through Skandalo, and were on their way to Hagiamavra. Then -she found him beside her mule. -</p> - -<p> -“I suppose,” he said in a low voice, “there is no hope even now of -your consenting to ease our minds by going on board the fleet—you and -Princess Theophanis and Con, I mean, of course?” -</p> - -<p> -“What! forsake Maurice now?” cried Zoe. “Certainly not.” -</p> - -<p> -“But think what a comfort it would be to him—to all of us—to know -that you were safe. How can a man fight his best when his wife and -sister are in the most frightful danger? And then the necessity of -dividing our forces,—the monastery must always be guarded, you know, -however badly the men may be wanted elsewhere. And after all, what is -to be the end of it?” -</p> - -<p> -“You would really be glad if we left you and took refuge with the -Admiral?” she asked meditatively. -</p> - -<p> -“Glad? I could sing for joy!” he cried. -</p> - -<p> -“Ah,” said Zoe, “if you had talked like this before, we might have -done it, but now it is too late. To escape now would be like rats -leaving a sinking ship.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then it is my fault—my cursed pride? Look here, Princess, have pity -upon me. Do you want me to go to my death knowing that I have brought -you two into all this?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, no!” said Zoe quickly; “I ought not to have put it upon you. -Eirene would never have turned back, even at Bashi Konak, and I could -not have let her go on alone. Nothing would have made us stay behind, -so that may comfort you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Pretty comfort!” he growled. “The facts are the same.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, but it is not your fault,” responded Zoe, with such evident -conviction of the efficacy of her consolation that he attempted no -further remonstrance. He was miserably uneasy at the prospect of the -future, and hailed even the necessity of a farther journey, when the -monastery had been reached, as a means of banishing thought. Admiral -Essiter had sent strict orders that Lieutenant Cotway and Mr Suter -were to rejoin the <i>Magniloquent</i> that night, and Wylie set out with -an escort to conduct them to the edge of the insurgents’ country. -Shortly before reaching the point at which they were to part company, -Lieutenant Cotway requested Mr Suter to ride a short distance ahead, -much to the disgust of that promising officer, and drew close to -Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Old Point Seven is awfully cut up about the Princesses,” he said. -“Can nothing be done to get them away?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nothing. I’ve tried again to-night,” groaned Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Well, look here. I presume, when the smash comes, we shall be round -somewhere to pick up the pieces. Afraid we can’t do anything for -you—you see that?” Wylie nodded, “but the admiral will stretch a good -many points to save the ladies. Now can you suggest anything?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nothing short of carrying them off by force would really be -effectual,” said Wylie bitterly. -</p> - -<p> -“No last resort? no way of appealing to their better feelings and -getting rid of them in that way? Bright idea! why not kidnap the -baby?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because you would never get the chance,” said Wylie, laughing in -spite of himself. “His mother doesn’t let him out of her sight night -or day. But I believe there’s something in your notion. Princess -Theophanis has driven her husband to his ruin, but she doesn’t really -want the family wiped out, though you might think it. When things get -very black, I think it will be possible to induce her to escape, so as -to save the child. Yes, and I see how it’s to be done. You know a -place called Ephestilo, on the other coast—not the Skandalo side? -There are two bays close together. One looks like an excellent -harbour, but the cliffs rise sheer from the water’s edge, and there’s -no path up them. Avoid that, and steer for the next bay, where there -are pillars and things, ruins of a temple of some sort, and a fishing -village. There’s a reef of rocks which only leaves room for one boat -to enter at a time, but still there is room, and there’s a path down -from the top of the cliffs. When things get to the worst, we’ll send -away the ladies there by by-paths, and you can take them on board. Of -course this is supposing that we are not surrounded. If we are, it’s -good-bye, unless the monks have any secret passages.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not likely in this part. But I’ll back you for getting the ladies out -of the monastery somehow. You manage that, and we do the rest. We -shall be patrolling both coasts to keep supplies from reaching you. By -the bye, can’t you do anything to show us when we are wanted at -Ephestilo? It would be rather bad not to be on the spot, in case the -Roumis were after them.” -</p> - -<p> -“We might light a beacon-fire, but it would be difficult to -distinguish——” -</p> - -<p> -“It would, with camp-fires all round. No, I know what’s far -better—blue lights. I was going to smuggle a few books and papers on -shore for the ladies,—to the care of your medical friend at Skandalo, -of course,—and I’ll put in half a dozen blue lights in a box -addressed to you. Then you can burn them at half-hour intervals on the -monastery gateway, which has a clear view down to the sea, the night -before your last stand, and we shall be ready the next day.” -</p> - -<p> -“Right; and if we are unfortunately obliged to make our last stand -without warning—why, that’s one of the accidents to which adventures -of this kind are liable, and you will excuse notice.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch12"> -CHAPTER XII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">A BAPTISM OF FIRE.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">The</span> day after the visit to the fleet found Eirene a prey to nervous -headache, and absolutely unable to leave her bed, the slightest sound, -even the voice of her little son, intensifying the pain almost to the -point of distraction. Zoe was frightened, fearing fever, and wished to -entreat Admiral Essiter to abate his righteous wrath and allow the -<i>Magniloquent’s</i> surgeon to come and see her; but Eirene, groaning on -her uneasy couch—a mattress from the yacht laid upon a stone -divan—forbade her to gratify the oppressor by so abject an appeal. -</p> - -<p> -“It’s only because of yesterday,” she moaned. “The strain was awful.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why? You don’t mean that Lieutenant Cotway tried to escape—when he -was a hostage?” -</p> - -<p> -“Of course not. He was telling Con stories and cutting out a boat for -him all day—gave me no trouble whatever. But I had to think—if there -was treachery—if you were not allowed to come back——” -</p> - -<p> -“Well?” demanded Zoe, with keen curiosity. -</p> - -<p> -“I should have given him over to the Emathians and told them to treat -him as they thought right. And—a good many of them have been -brigands, you know.” -</p> - -<p> -“Eirene, you must be mad! You make my blood run cold.” -</p> - -<p> -“I made up my mind to do it. The Powers must learn that we are in -earnest. But it was not necessary.” -</p> - -<p> -“I should think not!” Zoe spoke with good-humoured tolerance. “Don’t -try to be mediæval another time, Eirene; you haven’t the physique for -it. Your amiable predecessor, the Empress Isidora, would have handed -over an innocent man to torture without a qualm, no doubt, but we poor -moderns don’t possess her nerves. Now I am going to take Con for a -walk and leave you perfectly quiet. But do, for goodness’ sake, put -these ideas out of your head.” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene struggled up from her pillow. “I won’t have you take -Constantine to the camp without me!” she cried. “He will be playing -with the children and getting fever. Oh!” and she lay down again with -a moan of pain. -</p> - -<p> -“I am not going near the camp,” said Zoe patiently, covering her up. -“We are going to look for orchises on the cliffs. One of the -fishermen’s children at Ephestilo gave me a great bunch the other day, -which she said grew just beyond there, and Con is longing to find -them.” -</p> - -<p> -“You’ll let him fall over,” protested Eirene faintly, “or the Roumis -will land——” -</p> - -<p> -“Ephestilo is the last place they will choose if they do, for Colonel -Wylie and the Emathians are practising coast defence there this very -morning. And the place for the orchises is in the next bay, where no -one could land if they tried. And I shan’t let him fall over the -cliff, Eirene. You know he’s always good with me,—not that he gets -much chance of showing it,—and of course we won’t even go near any -dangerous places.” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene, vanquished, turned her face to the wall with another groan, -and Zoe pulled the makeshift curtain they had arranged over the -doorless doorway so as to deaden the light, and went out to find her -little nephew, who was waiting for her in the gallery. He was a quiet, -serious child, reproducing, to her secret joy, in bodily and mental -characteristics the sobered Maurice of these later years, with hardly -a trace of Eirene. A cause of contention from his very birth, he had -developed a longing for peace and quietness strange in a child, and -was always on the alert to escape from his mother’s exacting devotion -to follow his father about, content to remain unnoticed if he might -hold his hand. Eirene resented bitterly what she chose to consider -this perverseness, and Maurice was constrained to discourage as much -as possible his little son’s desire for his society. “Not to-day, old -man,” he had said this same morning. “Poor mamma is ill, and will want -Con.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe had heard this, and it was with something of unholy satisfaction -that she witnessed Eirene’s unavailing struggles to conceal the agony -the boy’s voice and movements caused her. He should have a treat -to-day, she told herself, and be a real child for once, not the -unconscious inheritor of strife-provoking dynastic claims. -</p> - -<p> -“Such a big bastick, Auntie Zoe!” he exclaimed, dragging towards her -one of the baskets used by the lay-brethren of the monastery when they -made foraging expeditions down to Skandalo; “and steward has given me -a lot of little cakes, all tied up in leaves.” -</p> - -<p> -“Paper havin’ run short, ma’am,” said the cook, appearing from his -sanctum at the end of the gallery; “but I thought maybe you’d like to -take some lunch with you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Thank you, steward; it’s a very good idea. Oh, Con, what a lovely -walk we will have! Now gently, so as not to wake poor mamma.” -</p> - -<p> -They crept down the steps and out at the gate, Constantine saluting -the monk who kept watch there in his own tongue, and receiving a -blessing in return, then out along the rocky path. There was no need -for a guard to-day, as the walk lay within the region constantly -patrolled by the insurgents, and Zoe felt extraordinarily free and -happy, in marked contrast with the gloom that had oppressed her the -night before. She carried the basket, and Constantine was absolutely -obedient, holding her hand and walking on the inside when the path was -narrow. As she answered his endless questions she scoffed mentally at -Eirene’s fears. What harm could befall the child on such a day? -</p> - -<p> -Descending the hills in the direction of the sea, they came in sight -of the bay of Ephestilo, with Wylie and his motley force hard at work. -Zoe and her nephew stood for some time watching, fascinated, the -stealthy entrance of a boat through the opening in the reef, and its -reception by riflemen posted at various points. Wylie was marking the -different ranges covered by the course the boat must take, and was so -deeply occupied that Zoe would not allow Constantine to run down and -disturb him, even to ask what was that funny thing he had in his hand? -why did the boat come in so slowly? why did the men only pretend to -fire? and a score of other whats and whys. They tore themselves away -at last, and walked on over the short turf of the cliffs to the next -bay, which presented a very different aspect from that of Ephestilo, -with its village of fishermen’s huts clustered on the slope, and boats -drawn up on the shore. Here there was only one hut, built of rough -limestone blocks and sods of turf, and looking as uninviting as the -reputed character of its occupant, a solitary man who had once been a -fisherman of Ephestilo. He had done, or been suspected of doing, -something that cut him off for ever from the society of his kind. What -it was Zoe had never been able to find out exactly, but she gathered -that it was some service to the Roumi authorities, who had been able -to protect him from the vengeance of his fellows until it gradually -became clear that his lonely and blasted existence was a stronger -deterrent against following his example than even his death would have -been. No smoke rose from the roof of Janni’s abode as Zoe and the -child went by it at a distance, Constantine holding tightly to his -aunt’s hand, for he had somehow picked up the prevalent idea of the -ill-omened nature of the spot. But the cottage once passed, all was -enchantment, for the face of this cliff was broken away in the most -fascinating manner, hollows full of rich grass and flowers alternating -with bare faces of limestone rock. From here the sea looked so close -that one might have believed the gradual slope extended to the beach -itself, but Zoe knew well that about half-way down it broke off -suddenly, encircling the bay with sheer cliffs and isolated needles of -rock. -</p> - -<p> -“Don’t run on in front, Con. Wait for me!” she called, noticing that -the space of turf they were treading was crossed in various directions -by footmarks, as if it was trodden not infrequently by some one who -was yet careful not to make a path. It seemed as though Janni must -have some eyrie in the cliffs, some look-out post where he spent his -solitary days, and she was by no means anxious to come upon him -suddenly. Constantine came back at her call, and in another moment she -was able to reward him by showing him that what he had acclaimed as an -insect was in reality a flower. Thenceforward she had no more anxiety -as to his wandering in advance. His patience was admirable, and his -method thorough. Every hollow to which they came must be absolutely -cleared of orchises before he would consent to go on to another, and -all the while his little tongue kept up a dropping fire of questions -on the natural history of flowers and bees. Working their way steadily -downwards, they came at length to a spot so thick with blossoms that -even Constantine’s energy flagged in contemplating it, and he -suggested sitting down to consider where it would be best to begin. -This seemed a suitable moment for bringing out the steward’s provision -of cakes, and when they had been consumed Constantine set to work like -a giant refreshed. Zoe was glad to see him happily occupied, for she -had caught sight of a ledge a little way farther down, on which the -flowers seemed to be of quite a different variety. It was easy for her -to reach it, but the descent would not be very safe for her nephew, -and she meant to attempt it alone. -</p> - -<p> -Scrambling down, and tearing her gown in the process, she was rather -disgusted to find that the flowers were merely overblown specimens of -the kind she had been picking all morning, but when she sat down to -pin up the hanging braid, she found that she was rewarded for her -trouble by an exquisite view of the entrance to the bay. The water was -very blue in the noontide stillness, and the cliffs rose straight from -it with a curious effect of being painted in different shades of -white. She was mentally cataloguing them when her attention was -attracted by something moving at the base of the headland on the -left—the one remote from the direction of Ephestilo. Scarcely able to -believe her eyes, she watched narrowly, and saw that it was a boat—a -boat creeping into the bay, as close under the cliffs as the depth of -water would allow. The evident wish of the occupants for secrecy, and -the curious fact that they should be rowing hard at a time of day when -all the fisher population were enjoying their siesta, struck her as -suspicious, and she ran over the probabilities hastily in her mind. It -could hardly be a Roumi raid, for what could one boatful of men do? -Perhaps it was a boat from the fleet, examining the bay to see if it -afforded any landing-place that would need to be watched in view of -the blockade. Secure in her conviction of the inaccessibility of her -perch, she sat watching the boat, until she saw a glass turned upon -her, and realised that her white gown must be clearly visible against -the grass on which she was sitting. Then astonishment seized her, for -she distinctly saw a man in the boat take up a gun and aim it in her -direction, but it was pushed down by another, and he did not fire. -</p> - -<p> -Zoe was very angry. Whether the people in the boat were fishermen, as -their caps seemed to show, or sailors from the fleet in some attempt -at disguise, they had no right to try and frighten inoffensive females -who were merely looking at them. Well, she was not going to be -frightened. She would remain where she was, and do her best to find -out who these intruders might be. When the boat passed beneath her, -she must hear their voices, for even at this distance the sound of the -oars was audible in the clear air, and it would be hard if she could -not distinguish what language they were speaking. It was out of sight -now, and she sat and waited, fixing her eyes on a tall needle of rock -which rose up close to her platform, and looked as though it had once -formed part of it, but was now, as she found by crawling to the edge -and looking over, separated from it right down to the water-level, as -if by one straight, clean cut. The sound of voices was so long in -coming that at last she grew tired of waiting, and, taking off her hat -lest it should be seen, she lay down and peered through the grass that -fringed the edge of the hollow—then drew back with a feeling of -absolute suffocation, as if the blood had all ebbed from her heart and -rushed to her throat. The men had landed, landed there below her, -where no landing-place existed, and one of them was beginning to work -his way up between the needle and the cliff, as though the fissure was -a “chimney” in the Alps. The boat, with two men in it, one of whom had -a gun, was rowing out again, evidently to keep her in sight, lest she -should escape before the climber reached her. -</p> - -<p> -Zoe drew back, sat up, and mechanically pinned on her hat again. Her -lips were saying hurriedly, “I must be calm. I must keep cool,” even -while voices seemed to fill the air, crying “Constantine! -Constantine!” She had brought him into danger, and she must save him, -even if it cost her own life. “Con!” she called gently, for fear of -attracting the attention of the men below; “Con, can you hear me?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Auntie Zoe.” The roguish little face peered over the ledge above -her. “Shall I come? I haven’t nearly finished this place yet.” -</p> - -<p> -“No. I want you to be a very brave boy, Con.” She tried hard to speak -so as to impress the child without frightening him. “Dare you go all -the way back by yourself, to the place where we saw Colonel Wylie with -that funny thing this morning, and take him a message?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, Auntie Zoe!” the disappointment was poignant. “There’s sixty -million flowers here that I haven’t picked yet.” -</p> - -<p> -“It’s to do something for father, Con. There are naughty men who want -to hurt him. Tell Colonel Wylie that they are here in a boat, and he -must come round in another boat and catch them. Poor Auntie must stay -here till Colonel Wylie comes, so tell him to be quick. Don’t walk on -the nice grass, Con—it—it isn’t safe—until you get to the very top, -and then run. Oh, Con!” as the sound of something being dragged over -the stones reached her, “don’t take the basket. Auntie will bring it -when she comes. Think of father!” -</p> - -<p> -She sent the appeal after him despairingly, for she knew well his -tenacity of purpose. “And if any of the flowers fall out, he’ll stop -and pick them up!” she groaned to herself. How long would he take to -get to the top of the cliff? How would his little scrambling childish -feet manage to clamber up those slippery limestone slopes? If he -avoided the grassy hollows, as she had told him to do, his holland -overall would hardly be seen against the rocks by any one who was not -looking specially for it. She must occupy the attention of the men in -the boat, and keep them from looking at the cliff above her, whence -the rattle of fragments of stone as they fell showed her that -Constantine was somehow working his way up. She stood forward and -looked out to sea, as though watching for ships, her figure boldly -outlined against the green of the hollow. Suddenly the boat shot out -from beneath her into her field of vision, and she started violently, -making vehement gestures of astonishment, as though unable to credit -what she saw. Both men were watching her every movement, and the rifle -was pointed directly at her. If she could keep their eyes fixed on -herself, Constantine would be able to escape. Making a -speaking-trumpet of her hands, she called out the Greek “Good day!” -and inquired whether the fishing had been successful. The men in the -boat did not appear to understand, but they were evidently amused, and -returned answers which she could not distinguish. But they were not -speaking either Greek or the Thracian dialect used by the majority of -the Slavic Emathians, of this she was sure. She stood there, calling -out incoherencies in Greek, and receiving irrelevant replies in the -unknown tongue, until voice and strength failed her simultaneously, -for the approach of the climber in the chimney became audible in -grunts and a kind of shuffling noise. She had sufficient presence of -mind to wave her hand to the men in the boat before she sat down, -trying to look as though it was not because her limbs refused to -support her. Still apparently gazing out to sea, she watched, with -dilated eyes and panting breath, for the appearance of a red-capped -head above the brink. When would it come? and what should she do? -Constantine must have reached the top of the cliff by this time, and -now that he was safe, the love of life regained its strength in her. -She looked round once at the rocky slope above her, with a wild idea -of leaping at it and scrambling up too fast for the man in the boat to -be able to take aim. But it was so steep. She would have found it -difficult to climb at any time, and now she was trembling all over. -And even above it there was no possible shelter until nearly the top -of the cliff, where a projecting rock might hide her from the view of -the marksman in the boat. But nothing could shelter her from the men -who were climbing up. Could she pretend to meet them -unsuspiciously—disarm their hostility, temporise, hold them in talk -until help was in sight? If she addressed the first that appeared in -French, which all educated Roumis might be supposed to understand——? -But a moment’s thought reminded her that the first man was certain to -be Janni, who had doubtless discovered and often used this way of -reaching his abode, and who would let down a rope, or even a -rope-ladder, before his confederates would venture on the climb. And -Janni—dark-browed Janni, who scowled angrily even at little -Constantine, and knew no language but his own, which she only spoke -very imperfectly,—how could she hope to conciliate him? Could -she—would she have the courage to push him down when he was climbing -over the edge? For that moment he would be at her mercy, since the man -in the boat would not venture to fire for fear of hitting him. But no, -she had not the nerves for it, as she had said to Eirene so long ago. -“And besides, I don’t <i>know</i> that he means anything dreadful. He may -be merely coming home with some friends,” she told herself by way of -half-excuse, and then laughed at her own moral cowardice. -</p> - -<p> -There was a sudden quickening of attitude on the part of the men in -the boat. The rifle was raised, and pointed not at Zoe, but at the top -of the cliff far above her. There was the sound of something striking -the rock overhead, bringing down a shower of small fragments, and -almost simultaneously came the report. Other bullets followed, and -then there was a report closer at hand—from overhead, in fact. -Something struck the sea near the boat, raising a little splash, and -then, after—but only momentarily after—a second near report, the man -who held the gun seemed to crumple up, and the weapon dropped from his -hands into the water. Looking up, Zoe had a fleeting impression of a -man kneeling at the top of the cliff, with a rifle raised to his -shoulder; but as she looked, he lowered it, and began to swing himself -down, taking a more direct way than the pleasant path by which she had -wandered with Constantine. Then her attention was distracted, for a -face surmounted by a red cap appeared over the edge of the hollow, and -resolved itself into that of Janni the fisherman, with a knife held -between his teeth. His eyes seemed to fascinate her. She could not -move, and watched in helpless silence while he drew himself up -gradually to her level. -</p> - -<p> -There was a click on the ledge above her, where Constantine had been -left. “Jammed!” said Wylie’s voice, in a tone of such angry disgust -that she nearly laughed, just as Janni pulled himself over the brink -with a final effort, and ran at her, brandishing the knife. -</p> - -<p> -“Take my hand,” said the voice overhead, clear and hard, and turning -mechanically to obey, she saw that Wylie was lying on the ledge above, -stretching out his left hand to her, while his right held the rifle -clubbed. She sprang at the rock, and scrambled wildly up its slippery -face. Presently Wylie was assisting her with both hands instead of -one, and now she crouched panting on the ledge beside him. Looking -round involuntarily for Janni and his knife, she saw that he was not, -as she had imagined, an inch or two behind her. He was kneeling at the -edge of the hollow she had left, fixing the end of a rope-ladder that -he had carried with him, and another man, with a rifle on his back, -was already visible upon it. Wylie whirled her to her feet, and -dragged her up the path. -</p> - -<p> -“He was not really going for you,” he said, in an odd, muffled voice. -“That was a dodge to keep me from coming down and preventing his -fixing the ladder. He knew that when once this thing had jammed I -could do him no harm except at close quarters.” -</p> - -<p> -He went on to discourse of the iniquities of the Mauser rifle, still -in the same curious voice, as if he was talking for talking’s sake, -without in the least thinking of what he said, and Zoe made no effort -to understand or respond. For one moment, as he lay on the ledge, she -had caught in his eyes the look she had not seen there for seven -years, and she could think of nothing else. She had not deceived -herself. He did care. Nothing else mattered. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch13"> -CHAPTER XIII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">KNIGHTLY EMULATION.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -“<span class="sc">I</span>—I can’t go any farther,” panted Zoe at last, as Wylie -half-dragged, half-carried her up the cliff. -</p> - -<p> -“You must. But only a little way. As far as that rock.” -</p> - -<p> -He pointed to the projection she had noticed as affording a possible -shelter if she could reach it, and she let him drag her on. Almost -unconscious, with failing eyes and swimming brain, she found herself -seated on the grass on the farther side of the rock, and realised that -he was speaking to her. -</p> - -<p> -“You may rest here for two minutes exactly.” -</p> - -<p> -He turned his back and stood looking down the cliff, and she strove -painfully to collect her thoughts and to recover her breath. -</p> - -<p> -“Time’s up,” he said, turning half round. “Go on, and don’t stop till -you get to the top. Then run.” -</p> - -<p> -“But you?” she murmured faintly. -</p> - -<p> -“I stay here until you are at the top, of course. The quicker you are, -the better for me.” -</p> - -<p> -“I won’t go and leave you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Do what you are told.” He flung the words at her with a rasp which -would have at once awed the boldest and stirred to revolt the meekest -of women. Zoe was neither the one nor the other. She struggled to her -feet and toiled feebly up the path, but the moment she reached the -short turf at the top she sat down resolutely, excusing her -disobedience by the reflection that she could not have run to save her -life. She could see Wylie waiting behind the rock, but it hid from her -view the assailants who, as she judged from his attitude, were -crowding up the path to attack him. They were afraid to face him -alone, and he preferred that they should come at him in a body, that -they might not be able to use their rifles. Ah, there they were! Zoe -hid her face as the first man appeared, to fall under the butt-end of -the Mauser. Others followed, as she could tell by the sounds, and she -judged that Wylie was maintaining his position, with his back against -the rock. But it could only be a question of time. If they once got -near enough to use their knives——! She shuddered and grew sick, then -opened her eyes with a vague feeling that the solid earth was failing -beneath her feet. Yes, the ground was moving. Craning her neck round -as she lay at the edge of the cliff, she could see a sort of crack in -the turf behind her, slowly widening. Roots of grass, a thin layer of -soil, yellowish marl, the white rock—why, the cliff was falling, and -she was falling with it. -</p> - -<p> -“Colonel Wylie, the cliff! the cliff!” she shrieked, as she turned -round, and threw herself desperately forward, across the crack. Her -sudden movement accelerated the pace of the falling mass, and it went -crashing down as she dropped helpless on the turf, her feet hanging -over the edge. She must have fainted in the horror of the moment, for -she knew nothing more until she heard Wylie’s voice speaking to her, -and started up wildly, to find him kneeling beside her with blood -flowing down his face. -</p> - -<p> -“Sorry to trouble you,” he said apologetically, “but would you mind -tying this handkerchief round my head?” -</p> - -<p> -Her whole being rose up in revolt against him as she folded the -handkerchief mechanically. To have gone through such a scene with him, -and to be expected to ignore it! Then she realised what his request -meant. He had no idea that he had betrayed himself. The mask was on -again, and the blue eyes which had looked love into hers for one -moment had been forbidden to endanger his secret any further. But she -knew! He might do what he liked, say what he liked, leave undone and -unsaid what he liked, but nothing could shake the evidence of that -moment of anxiety intense enough to break down the guard which he had -fixed between his heart and hers. She smiled triumphantly as she -fastened the bandage. -</p> - -<p> -“I can only do it roughly now,” she said. “When we get back to the -monastery I will bandage it properly, as I did Maurice’s in the -brigands’ camp long ago—do you remember?” -</p> - -<p> -“Thanks. You are awfully good,” he replied without effusion; and she -knew as well as if he had put it into words that she would have no -chance of doing anything more for him. But what good were his -precautions now? -</p> - -<p> -“Please help me up,” she said, looking up at him with the merest hint -of reproach. “I feel so shaky.” -</p> - -<p> -He muttered an apology as he complied, and was sufficiently moved by -compunction to offer her his arm. “We ought to be getting back,” he -said. “Prince and Princess Theophanis will be anxious about you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, but what happened?” cried Zoe, all the terrors of the past hour -returning upon her with a rush. -</p> - -<p> -“Why, Con burst upon me, like the little brick he is, scarcely able to -speak for running, and I sent off a boat round the headland, and -snatched a rifle from one of my men and came here myself. The rest you -know.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, I don’t. About the landslip, I mean.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your scream made me look up, and I jumped back and flattened myself -against the cliff almost unconsciously. The Roumis were outside, and -besides, they didn’t understand what you meant, of course. Some of -them were carried down by the fall of cliff, and the rest made for -their ladder with all possible speed. If they ever get to their boat, -ours is waiting to intercept them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then they were Roumis?” -</p> - -<p> -“Undoubtedly. I always suspected Janni, but there was no reason for -arresting him, and he didn’t seem to have any means of doing actual -harm. Of course the idea was that these fellows should hide in his -house till nightfall, and then co-operate in some way with an attack -on Ephestilo from the outside, probably setting the village and the -boats on fire and creating a panic, under cover of which a landing -might be effected.” -</p> - -<p> -“It was very dreadful, I know, but—they took their lives in their -hands, and—don’t you think that some of those who were buried under -the fall of cliff may not be dead?” asked Zoe incoherently. -</p> - -<p> -“If you remember, I suggested just now that we should hurry back to -the monastery,” he replied with admirable politeness. “As soon as I -have placed you in safety, I shall return and see what can be done.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, but let us turn back and do it now. Let me help.” -</p> - -<p> -“Certainly not,” in a tone of such finality that Zoe did not venture -even to protest. Once again she smiled involuntarily, and when Wylie -looked at her with a mixture of astonishment and injury, was driven to -attempt an explanation. -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t help feeling rather proud that it was through me this plot -was foiled,” she said meekly. “Yesterday you were so convinced that -Eirene and I were nothing but a care and an anxiety, you know.” -</p> - -<p> -“I’m afraid I still consider your services overbalanced by your -presence here,” was the ungallant reply. -</p> - -<p> -“I am so sorry,” in a voice as though tears were not far off. “What -can we do to make ourselves more worth having? Do you want us to -fight?” -</p> - -<p> -“Fight? No! There are two women in men’s clothes among my fellows, who -give me more trouble than all the rest put together.” -</p> - -<p> -“How horrid!” said Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, the men are awfully good to them, and consider them a sort of -saints. But they don’t drill—of course I haven’t given them the -chance—and they won’t see the necessity of it for others. What they -want is blood, like the old lady in Dickens, and they are always -haranguing the men and stirring them up to bother me to lead them to -the slaughter of the Roumis. They have wrongs to avenge, no doubt; but -it’s furies like that who make the men lose their heads and lead to -regrettable incidents when there comes a fight.” -</p> - -<p> -“Princess!” They had reached the crest of a rise, and Prince Romanos, -flushed and disturbed, met them with a rush. “What is this that I -hear? You have been in danger—proper care was not taken for your -safety? Allow me to relieve you, Colonel. You will doubtless be glad -to return to your duties.” -</p> - -<p> -“Colonel Wylie’s duty at the present moment is to see me to the -monastery,” said Zoe, angry for Wylie’s sake rather than her own. “He -has said so twice.” -</p> - -<p> -But Wylie failed in the basest manner to second her. “If the Prince -will allow me to surrender the charge to him, I will venture to leave -you, ma’am,” and he removed her hand resolutely from his arm. Zoe -could have wept. -</p> - -<p> -“If I didn’t care for you so much, I should hate you!” she said to him -in her thoughts. “But after all, it is not your fault, but the fault -of your pride. That is fighting hard, but you yourself are on my side. -And how sorry you will be some day for all the horrid things you have -said!” -</p> - -<p> -The thought assisted her to parry good-humouredly the anxious -inquiries of Prince Romanos, who could not understand how she could be -at all calm, far less cheerful, after what she had gone through; and -since he did not know of the cordial received as Wylie drew her up on -the ledge, she might well seem to him a remarkably equable person. The -Greek, who had been silent and thoughtful since his visit to the -<i>Magniloquent</i>, took her friendliness as a good omen, and was -encouraged by it to talk about himself, a subject on which he was -still brimful of recondite information. Negativing Zoe’s suggestion -that they should go down into Ephestilo to fetch Constantine, with the -assurance that he had met him joyously riding towards the monastery on -the shoulder of a stalwart Emathian, the poet claimed the attention of -his auditor with a deep sigh. -</p> - -<p> -“I am afraid you are sorry I was rescued,” said Zoe, for the sake of -saying something. -</p> - -<p> -“Not sorry you were rescued, Princess, but sorry—yes, desolated—that -Colonel Wylie enjoyed the honour of rescuing you. Why, why was it not -to the wretched Apolis that thus supreme distinction came?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because he didn’t happen to be in the neighbourhood, I suppose,” said -Zoe prosaically. -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, Princess, do you imply that you blame this neglect of his? Not -more than he does, I assure you. But from henceforth Apolis shall be -the shadow of Zeto. Never shall she look round without beholding him!” -</p> - -<p> -“Dear me, I hope not!” cried Zoe in alarm. “Think, Prince, your duty -is at the front, not with the non-combatants. You came here to fight.” -</p> - -<p> -“And does Zeto bid me fight? Then shall the sword of Apolis be doubly -winged with victory! What trophies will he lay at her feet! in what -imperishable poems shall be celebrated the fame of her who called upon -a <i>flâneur</i> and sent a hero to the fight!” -</p> - -<p> -“It’s very satisfactory to know from your own lips that you are a -hero—or is it that you are going to be one?” said Zoe, much amused. -“But you mustn’t ascribe the glory to me. We are on opposite sides, -you know.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, no, not on opposite sides. Apolis can be opposed to no family -that numbers Zeto among its members. But there are possible -arrangements—— Only yesterday I received encouragement—an actual -promise of support—from the most unexpected quarter. Your brother is -above all things a reasonable man; I have his pledge to allow matters -to take their course.” Zoe was looking at him in utter bewilderment, -but he did not see it. “In the fairy tales it is always the Prince who -wins the Princess, is it not so?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not a bit of it!” declared Zoe vigorously. “It is just as often the -poor and nameless knight,” with a tender intonation the significance -of which was lost upon Prince Romanos. “And really,” sudden -indignation getting the better of her, “have you forgotten all that -happened at Bashi Konak? I am not going to treat it as a dream, if you -are.” -</p> - -<p> -“Princess!” reproachfully, “do you forget that I am a basely deceived, -an injured man?—that the woman to whom I gave my heart’s allegiance -proved herself the tool of my enemies?” -</p> - -<p> -“Of what enemies, pray? I remember you accused me before of having -employed some one to keep you from following us. Who was it? I want -this cleared up. Was it Donna Olimpia Pazzi?” -</p> - -<p> -Prince Romanos shuddered pitifully. “It is hard for the man who has -loved and been deceived to hear without a pang the name of the -forsworn one,” he said. “It was that miserable woman, whom I would -have trusted with my life, and who tried to rob me of my honour.” -</p> - -<p> -“But what did she do?” -</p> - -<p> -“I received a message entreating me to bid her farewell. We met—at -our usual rendezvous. I was surprised to find the time so much earlier -than I thought. We sat hand in hand, plunged in the ‘sweet sorrow’ of -which your Shakespeare speaks. It was indeed an hour of blissful woe. -Suddenly my eye falls upon a small travelling-clock on a bracket. It -indicates a time at least three-quarters of an hour later than the -large clock on the side-table, and I had already thought that I was -prolonging my stay to its utmost limits. I spring to my feet, I -proclaim my immediate departure. But she—that faithless -one—endeavours to hinder me. She throws herself before me, she holds -me with her white hands. Finding me resolute, she locks the door, and -before my face hides the key in her dress, daring me to take it. I -wrench it from her, in spite of her entreaties, her struggles——” -</p> - -<p> -“I suppose you think that was a heroic thing to do?” cried Zoe in -disgust. -</p> - -<p> -“Princess, she had set herself to ruin my career. I paused before -unlocking the door, and loaded her with reproaches, as she knelt, -sobbing, where I had left her. I refused to hear her. ‘You have -endeavoured to betray me,’ I told her. ‘Were I only a Christodoridi, -I should repay your treachery with death. But I am also Apolis, and -therefore I grant you the boon of life, in which to realise the value -of the love which I now tear from my heart. Live, and hate yourself!’” -</p> - -<p> -“Truly dramatic!” said Zoe. “Well, if that is the way in which you -treat a poor girl whose only fault is that she loved you better than -your career——” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, if I could only believe that!” he interrupted, his face visibly -brightening. “But no, she set herself to betray me. She played the -game of my enemies. From whom could she have learnt of my departure -but from them?” -</p> - -<p> -“What enemies?” demanded Zoe again. “Do you still insinuate that we -had anything to do with it?” -</p> - -<p> -“You had excellent reasons, I admit it. My opposition to your brother, -my—equivocal conduct to yourself——” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh!” she cried in despair, “will you never believe that when you -turned your attention to Donna Olimpia, it simply relieved me of a -standing worry?” -</p> - -<p> -He looked at her with deep admiration. “Princess, you are more than -woman. I confess that I have not discovered in your brother the -capacity—the faculty, I should say—for such a plot, and if you -assure me that you cherished no grudge against me, I rejoice to -proclaim my conviction of your ignorance of it.” -</p> - -<p> -“So far was I from cherishing a grudge, that when once you left off -following me about, your affairs did not even interest me,” said Zoe, -rather hastily. -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, there spoke the woman, after all! That blessed little touch of -pique! But have no fear of me, Princess. You shall not be ‘worried’ by -your patient Apolis. You impose a probation, a test? So be it, then. -You shall see me emerge from it with credit, or die in the attempt.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t impose anything of the kind!” in alarm. Evidently nothing but -the plain declaration that she cared for some one else would pierce -the armour of this man’s self-conceit, and she had far too little -confidence in his discretion to make it. “I hope you will emerge with -credit, of course, but it has nothing to do with me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, cruel! But since you will it——” with a deep sigh. “Henceforth -Apolis is silent, until his moment of triumph. Then—— But it is -forbidden. I understand. I am discreet as the tomb.” -</p> - -<p> -“A remarkably indiscreet tomb, then!” said Zoe in indignation, as they -reached the welcome refuge of the monastery gates. Eirene was waiting -for her in the gallery, full of excitement and anxiety, after -receiving her little son’s fragmentary and incoherent account of the -morning’s doings. The effect of Zoe’s narrative was to confirm her -sister-in-law in her fixed determination never to let Constantine out -of her sight again, his peril looming much larger in her eyes than -that to which the whole peninsula had been exposed. When Zoe dragged -herself away to rest at last, it was with the exasperated conviction -that her lot was cast among the most irritating set of human beings -that was ever assembled on one spot. Her sole consolation sprang from -the reflection that as she was the only available unmarried woman, it -was natural for Prince Romanos to fancy himself in love with her, and -that as soon as he returned to the society he was so well fitted to -adorn, his affections would at once be diverted to other objects. But -there was more in the man than a roving fancy and a colossal -self-esteem, or even than considerable poetic gifts, and this Maurice -and Wylie discovered the same evening. -</p> - -<p> -They were sitting in the gallery, discussing rather anxiously how soon -Armitage might be expected to reappear, and what means could be -devised of communicating with the yacht, in view of the close blockade -which had been proclaimed that morning, and which had already been -enforced in the case of several small vessels approaching from the -mainland, which had been ruthlessly turned back by boats from the -fleet. Prince Romanos was accustomed to spend this time in -entertaining the ladies, and incidentally the guards and a few bold -monks, with song and recitation, but this evening he joined the two -men, with a modesty of manner which was almost an apology in itself. -</p> - -<p> -“I am going to ask you to allow me a definite part in the defence,” he -said to Maurice. “I fear you have thought me a sad idler hitherto, but -I had my reasons. I observed that when I mentioned I had fought with -the Foreign Legion in the Roumi-Morean War, Colonel Wylie appeared to -think it but a poor recommendation—and I confess that I know little -about drill. But it is different in the case of ships, of the water. -There, Prince, I am at home. The instinct of sea-fighting is in my -blood, as your Admiral observed only yesterday, and it is in this -direction I ask you to find me employment. Colonel Wylie, whose -preparations are so complete, so far-reaching, has organised the -fishermen of the peninsula for land defence, but I believe he has made -no use of their boats?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, except as scouts,” said Wylie, interested in spite of himself. -The Greek’s sallow face was flushed, and his eyes bright. -</p> - -<p> -“Then commit this portion of our forces to my care,” he entreated. -“No, I am not mad. I have no intention of provoking a conflict with -the armed boats of the warships, far less of attempting to attack -those vessels themselves, but there are humbler ways in which I might -be useful. Even the blockade will hardly prevent our fishermen from -exercising their calling in their own waters. Why, then, should we not -make use of them occasionally to penetrate farther, and bring us -provision and news, perhaps reinforcements and warlike stores? But for -such work they must be trained and directed. Then we must—oh, pardon -me; I speak too boldly in my enthusiasm for my own element—should we -not possess our own counter-blockade? A service of fishing-boats -constantly patrolling our coasts to guard against a landing—if this -had been in existence to-day, there would have been no fear of the -raid which endangered not only our whole enterprise, but the life of -the peerless lady who calls you brother, Prince.” -</p> - -<p> -“We seem to have been horribly remiss, Wylie,” said Maurice; “and yet -we thought we were pretty far-seeing.” -</p> - -<p> -“Sea-fighting in fishing-boats is not in my line, I’m afraid,” -muttered Wylie. “But I’m open to learn from my betters in that way,” -he added quickly. -</p> - -<p> -“This very evening,” went on Prince Romanos, much encouraged, “I fear -an opportunity has been lost. I understand that the one Roumi who -survived to be captured by your men, Colonel, has confessed that a -fire on the headland above Ephestilo, simultaneously with one in the -village itself, was to be the signal for the Roumi troops waiting -outside in boats to enter the bay and effect a landing. A fictitious -conflagration could easily be arranged, and the boats lured in—to -discover, not the panic-stricken inhabitants they anticipated, but a -disciplined force holding them in a trap. Could?—nay, it can be done -even now. Will you permit it? I go to arrange details, to invite -volunteers. Follow me in half an hour, then I can tell you whether it -may be attempted. I have my plans—it is allowed?” -</p> - -<p> -Barely waiting for the answer, he sprang down the steps. -</p> - -<p> -“What’s come over the fellow?” demanded Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“Can’t say,” growled Wylie. “He’s got something in his head, that’s -clear, and I doubt very much whether it’ll be healthy for you and your -claims.” -</p> - -<p> -“You old croaker!” said Maurice. “You’ve never trusted him.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch14"> -CHAPTER XIV.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub"><i>IMPERIUM IN IMPERIO.</i></span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Something</span> went wrong with the great plan conceived by Prince Romanos -for the discomfiture of the Roumi invaders. A reckless expenditure of -fuel produced a most inviting beacon on the headland, and a bonfire in -the village which endangered every house within reach, but the eager -watchers who crouched in their hiding-places on either side of the -harbour-mouth, finger on trigger, were not rewarded by the entrance of -any hostile boats. Very naturally they imagined more than once that -they saw some, and in defiance of orders, fired several shots before -they realised that their eyes had deceived them, and this gave -admirable scope for mutual recrimination when it was afterwards -discussed who had frightened the enemy away. Wylie stood alone as an -exponent of the highly unpopular theory that the Roumi prisoner had -deliberately deceived his captors by inducing them to light a fire on -the headland, which he knew was the prearranged signal denoting danger -instead of safety. An indignant deputation at once invaded the cottage -in which the prisoner was quartered, but he had saved the situation by -dying of his wounds, and the secret thus lost was unanimously voted -not to exist. The skill and foresight of Prince Romanos had prepared a -signal defeat for the enemy, which had not taken place solely because -of the impatience or nervousness of some excited patriots. These took -the first opportunity of cleaning their rifles and inserting fresh -cartridges, so that the accusation of having fired was bandied about -with a fine impartiality based upon the conviction that it could never -be brought home to any one in particular. -</p> - -<p> -This belief that Prince Romanos had guided the insurgents within -measurable distance of a decisive triumph—missed only through the -precipitate action of some persons unknown—smoothed his path when he -unfolded his views the next day. He asked for volunteers for coast -work, and the whole force desired to enrol themselves under his -banner, leaving Wylie in the rather undignified position of a -commander without any soldiers. With much tact Prince Romanos pointed -out that he could accept only recruits who had practical experience in -managing boats, and in this way he weeded out all but the fishermen of -the peninsula and such of the mainland refugees as came from the -coast. Still, even this reduction followed a curiously marked line. -</p> - -<p> -“I suppose you see,” said Wylie to Maurice, as he looked over his -lists, “that we are practically left with the Slavs, while all the -Greeks have followed Christodoridi? It’s just the old cleavage over -again.” -</p> - -<p> -“That’s bad. How has he managed it?” -</p> - -<p> -“It didn’t want much management—I must do him the justice to say -that. It comes simply from the geographical distribution of the -people—the Slavs generally north and inland, the Greeks in most cases -south and on the coast. It’s natural enough that the Greeks should be -the fishing people, and I suppose it’s merely a coincidence that he -has fixed on them.” -</p> - -<p> -“We can hardly stipulate that either you or I should be always about -with him, to make sure that he doesn’t use the position for his own -advantage,” said Maurice, answering the doubt suggested by Wylie’s -manner rather than his words. -</p> - -<p> -“No, you gave up all possibility of that when you handed him over a -share in the enterprise practically without conditions. By your new -way of conducting family feuds he has as much right to lead as you -have.” -</p> - -<p> -“We are both under you,” said Maurice quickly. “You are -Commander-in-Chief, and Christodoridi’s department of coast defence is -entirely subordinate to you at headquarters.” -</p> - -<p> -“I must show it by calling up the men for drill on convenient days. I -have an idea that their alacrity in volunteering for him was not -unconnected with the prospect of a blissful future in which every man -would fight as he liked. But it may be necessary any day to get all -our forces together. I hear this morning that a Roumi detachment has -occupied Ahmed Pasha,”—this was the village on the mainland nearest -to Karakula and the isthmus. “Very likely they intended a simultaneous -attack on Karakula and Ephestilo, but now they may prefer to advance -in force by land.” -</p> - -<p> -In spite of this forward movement, however, the Roumi authorities were -singularly tardy in taking any decisive step. Such news as filtered -through to the insurgent headquarters ascribed the delay to intrigues -at Czarigrad and to the divided councils of the Powers. Europe was -united, it seemed, in coercing the insurgents, since the British -warships blockading the Skandalo side of the peninsula were now -reinforced by those of other nations, but it could not decide to what -extent the Roumi Government was to be allowed a free hand. This -respite was of service in allowing Prince Romanos to organise his -scheme of defence, though it was dangerous owing to the steady -consumption of provisions, which there were no means of replacing. In -this particular also Prince Romanos proved himself useful. He had -fixed his headquarters at Skandalo, and he discovered that the wary -townspeople were contriving to make the best of both worlds by -despatching secretly boat-loads of fresh provisions to the blockading -ships. It could hardly be doubted that news was conveyed in the same -way, and amid the loudly expressed opposition of the inhabitants, -Prince Romanos requisitioned all the craft belonging to the town for -the service of the Constitutional Assembly, and bought up all the -provisions in store, and also the growing crops. The shopkeepers, -seeing themselves deprived of the high prices which they had been in -the habit of obtaining, were very angry, and the cultivators, who had -sold their vegetables to the insurgents with the artless intention of -selling them over again to the fleets, resented hotly their fields and -gardens being placed under guard, but the leakage was stopped. -Moreover, the fishermen scouts brought in now and then accessions of -strength,—a boat-load of sympathisers from various countries, anxious -to offer the remainder of their (generally discreditable) lives as a -sacrifice upon the altar of Emathian freedom, or a collection of guns -and ammunition—the ammunition never by any chance fitting the -guns—which had been subscribed for by revolutionary circles in -continental capitals, and brought thus far on its way by means of -lavish bribery of Roumi officials. They obtained news also, through -the accredited agents of Professor Panagiotis, who was working -heroically with pen and telegraph to impress upon Europe the -importance of the Hagiamavran experiment, and to discount in advance -the failure which most people predicted for it. He adjured the -insurgents to maintain their position at all costs. Europe was already -at a loss to know how to deal with them, and the situation must become -intolerable if it lasted much longer. Some of the Powers were already -threatening to withdraw from the Concert unless more stringent -measures were adopted, which the others would not allow, and the -brightest hope for the future lay in the prospect that they would -carry out their threat. Till then the insurgents had only to hold -their ground, repelling all blandishments on the part of the Consuls -or other representatives of the Powers, refusing any concessions from -Roum, no matter how ample, that were offered without a European -guarantee, and above all, remaining absolutely united. -</p> - -<p> -This last counsel of perfection was the more difficult to follow that -a distinct difference of opinion was beginning to make itself felt in -the deliberations of the leaders. Prince Romanos was claiming—with -studied moderation, but still as a right—the power of initiating -minor operations without referring every detail to Maurice at the -monastery and Wylie wherever he might happen to be. There were so many -small triumphs possible, as he justly said,—such as cutting off a -picket of Roumi soldiers, or waylaying a boat from the mainland on its -way to the fleet and forcibly buying up its freight of -provisions,—which would serve to raise the spirits of his men, but -the opportunity for which would be lost were he compelled to send and -ask leave before starting. Maurice hesitated to sanction these -measures, considering that the comparative leniency of the Powers, in -“keeping a ring” for the insurgents and seeing that the Roumis fought -fair, demanded that the insurgents should abstain from aggressive -movements in return. They ought to confine themselves to the defence -of the peninsula, and not attack either Roumi soil on the mainland or -Roumi vessels outside Hagiamavran waters. Wylie shook his head when -this theory was broached in his hearing. -</p> - -<p> -“Won’t work,” he said. “We can’t afford to stick to these rocks merely -as a moral object-lesson for Europe. Provisions are running out, -Armitage is probably hovering round outside the warships, trying to -nose his way in, and can’t do it, and if we go on passively resisting -we shall simply be starved out. Even a temporary foothold on Roumi -territory means a chance of adding to our stores.” -</p> - -<p> -“But it also means a larger area to guard,” objected Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“Do the men good. They are getting fed up with the notion that they -know all that there is to be known of drill, and are practically -invincible. They are growing stale from too much contemplation of -their own military virtues. A few small affairs, in which they would -get just a little knocked about, would do them all the good in the -world, and possibly avert the general stampede which would be a moral -certainty if the Roumis attacked us in force to-day with artillery.” -</p> - -<p> -“But the Powers,” persisted Maurice. “They have really displayed -remarkable forbearance, and to prejudice our cause in their eyes by -acts of aggression——” -</p> - -<p> -“Prince,” said Wylie solemnly, “make no mistake. You can’t prejudice -your cause in the eyes of the Powers, because it is already damned -beyond redemption as far as three of them are concerned. You want a -free and independent Emathia and they don’t. They don’t venture to -deal with you themselves, because they are horribly jealous of one -another, and they have a haunting fear that England might suddenly go -mad and do something rash and high-sounding if they attempted anything -like the partition of Poland over again too soon. But they mean to see -you cleared out, and by fair means or foul they’ll do it. To sit still -and wait will only prolong the agony. Let ’em see you’ve got teeth and -will die game.” -</p> - -<p> -“But if we die, we want our dying to do some good for Emathia,” said -Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“Well, and it will do more good to die fighting than preserving a -correct moral attitude on a pedestal. We have the shadow of a chance -one way, none the other. Not to mention that you can’t play -Christodoridi’s game better than by holding the men back when they -want to fight.” -</p> - -<p> -“What is his game—your view of it, I mean?” -</p> - -<p> -“To make himself prince and marry your sister.” -</p> - -<p> -The unhesitating reply surprised Maurice. “But Zoe won’t have anything -to say to him,” he objected. -</p> - -<p> -“I hope she will.” Wylie said it with the grim determination of the -man who prides himself on rising superior to his own feelings. “If he -brings off the other part of the programme, of course, that is. Sort -of compensation to you for cutting you out, don’t you see? Awfully -good for him, too. She would keep him in hand—might even make -something of him.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t doubt it’s being good for him, but it would be misery for -her. She won’t do it. Why, there was that girl at Bashi Konak—the -maid-of-honour. He flirted with her under Zoe’s very eyes. That’s not -the kind of thing a woman forgets in a hurry.” -</p> - -<p> -“You know more about women than I do, no doubt—better opportunities. -The question is whether Christodoridi doesn’t know even more than you. -At any rate, I’ve told you what he’s got in his head, and you’ll see -that I am correct.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t believe the beggar has the cheek,” said Maurice, unconvinced, -but a few days later he was reluctantly compelled to acknowledge that -Wylie was in all probability right. It was early morning, and the -party at the monastery were at breakfast in the gallery, Maurice and -Wylie taking the meal in haste between a surprise inspection of the -nearest camp and a long tramp over the hills which formed the backbone -of the peninsula, to examine the defences behind Karakula. Up to the -monastery gate came the thud of soft-shod running feet, and a panting -voice summoned the guards to open. A struggle seemed to follow upon -the opening, but the runner, a lithe young Greek, wriggled through his -opponents and flung himself up the steps. At the top he drew himself -up and bowed courteously all round. -</p> - -<p> -“A message and a gift for the Lady Zoe from the Lord Romanos,” he -said, and paused impressively. From the folds of his shirt he drew out -something scarlet and white in a crumpled mass, then shook it out with -the dexterity of a conjuror, and exhibited a Roumi flag. “Last night -it waved over the quarters of the Roumi commander at Ahmed Pasha. This -morning it is at the feet of the Lady Zoe,” and he spread it proudly -on the ground before her. -</p> - -<p> -Much against her will, Zoe felt her colour rise as she stooped to look -at it. She glanced at Wylie with something of defiance. “It’s rather -large for a handkerchief, and rather small for a tablecloth, isn’t -it?” she said, with exaggerated flippancy. To her utter disgust, Wylie -answered her only by a frown and an instant endeavour to remove the -bad impression she had made. -</p> - -<p> -“Did Prince Christodoridi himself secure this trophy?” he asked, -forcing a corner of the flag into her reluctant fingers. The -messenger, who had been watching with distinct animosity Zoe’s -reception of the offering, brightened again at once. -</p> - -<p> -“It is more than a trophy; it is a token,” he replied. “This morning -the Imperial Eagle flies over Ahmed Pasha, in the place of that -dishonoured rag.” -</p> - -<p> -“What! Prince Christodoridi has taken the village?” cried Maurice. The -messenger swelled with pride. -</p> - -<p> -“With the noble Prince as leader, we stole upon the place last night -in three bands, and took the Roumi dogs by surprise. The village is -now free from them.” -</p> - -<p> -“How many prisoners?” asked Wylie sharply. -</p> - -<p> -“None, lord. It was a sharp fight, a fight to a finish.” -</p> - -<p> -“I hope it’s all right,” said Wylie to Maurice in English. “We don’t -want prisoners, certainly, but I know these fellows’ ways. Did the -Prince capture the tower of Segreti at the same time?” he asked the -messenger, alluding to an old Venetian fortification near the village, -which had been used as a citadel by the Roumis. -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, lord, the noise of the fighting warned the garrison, and we -could not take them by surprise. But the Lord Romanos is even now -directing the digging of a trench which is to cut off their -water-supply, and then the tower also will fall into our hands.” -</p> - -<p> -“We will visit Prince Christodoridi this morning, and congratulate him -on his success,” said Maurice. “You can take the day for rest, and -return to him in the evening.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, lord, I will return at once, and inform the Prince that you and -the Lord Glafko will visit him,” was the reply, and refusing all -offers of refreshment, the messenger set out at once. Maurice and -Wylie followed on mules, noticing as they went the ferment caused by -the news of the capture of the Roumi post. Their own men were -crestfallen and resentful, the Greeks flushed with triumph. The old -schism was present in a form comparatively harmless, but capable of -being grievously accentuated, for the wildest tales of spoil and -slaughter, springing from seed casually flung by the messenger on his -way, were circulating everywhere, and the Slavs were asking why they -had not been allowed their share. Arrived at the isthmus, they found -Karakula practically deserted, its garrison having marched in a body -to Ahmed Pasha in hope of loot. -</p> - -<p> -“Pretty thing if the Roumis had landed now!” said Wylie grimly. -“Christodoridi and half our force cut off outside our boundaries, and -Karakula undefended. I’ll stay here and beat up what recruits I can, -Prince, while you go on and fetch the fellows back.” -</p> - -<p> -Maurice went on, to be greeted by a few stray shots from the ramparts -of Segreti, and to find the work of cutting off the water-supply at a -standstill, the men refusing to dig until they had thoroughly -ransacked the village. Prince Romanos met him in a state of mind -compounded of pride and disgust. His force was now engaged in testing -walls and turning up the ground round the houses, to discover where -the inhabitants had concealed their hoards, and the triumph of the -night might at any moment be turned into disaster if the garrison of -Segreti should pluck up sufficient courage to make a sortie. Together -the two leaders beat up a band of the men most amenable to reason, and -sent them back to reinforce Wylie, and then they set to work to -collect the rest and post them in the positions that were capable of -defence, since it was hardly probable that Jalal-ud-din would meekly -accept the transformation of Ahmed Pasha from an outpost of his own to -one of the enemy’s. Wylie must come and decide what works ought to be -constructed, and how far it was possible to overawe the defenders of -Segreti by fire from the village while their water-supply was -diverted, and Maurice foresaw that he would probably wish to take up -his quarters at Ahmed Pasha for the present, if the village was to be -held. Maurice himself inclined to the belief that it would be wiser to -withdraw from it, but Prince Romanos could not bear to think of -surrending the fruits of his victory, and they argued the matter as -they went back towards Karakula. As they approached the village, Wylie -met them, and turned the current of their thoughts. -</p> - -<p> -“There’s a boat coming in with a flag of truce—a steam-pinnace from -the fleet,” he said. “It’s a good thing you are both on the spot. I -have got together a guard for you.” -</p> - -<p> -They walked down towards the shore and watched the boat approach. An -officer in commander’s uniform and a dragoman disembarked and picked -their way across the rocks, with some loss of dignity, followed by six -fully-armed seamen. -</p> - -<p> -“Can hardly be an offer of terms,” said Wylie. “The boat has her gun -trained on us, too.” -</p> - -<p> -Arrived on level ground, the commander paused, evidently waiting to be -addressed. Maurice advanced. “You are the bearer of a communication -from the Admirals, sir?” he asked. -</p> - -<p> -“I am, sir,” snapped the officer, whose temper had clearly suffered -from the method of landing. “I am to inquire whether you think the -Powers have sent their fleets here to enable you and your followers to -behave with impunity as savages?” -</p> - -<p> -“I know of nothing that could lead you to imagine that we thought so,” -replied Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“Not your achievement of last night? But perhaps you are not aware -that one witness escaped your infamous massacre?” -</p> - -<p> -“I know of no massacre. If you are alluding to the capture of Ahmed -Pasha, I believe we have as much right to take villages from the -Roumis as they have to try and take ours.” -</p> - -<p> -“But not to refuse quarter when it is asked for, and to murder sick -men in cold blood. The Admirals give you fair warning that upon the -first repetition of such barbarities, they will bombard Skandalo and -all your coast villages, and sink every craft on the coast. Also——” -</p> - -<p> -“Wait, if you please,” said Maurice. “The Admirals are condemning us -unheard. I am willing to give every facility for an inquiry. This is -the first I have heard of these outrages, and I can only hope it is -not true.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ask your people and see if they will deny it!” cried the ambassador. -“If you choose to associate yourself with such a crew, you must take -the responsibility for their peculiar views of fighting. In future you -will be good enough to understand that the Powers will permit no -further aggressions on Roumi territory, and will interfere if they are -attempted.” -</p> - -<p> -“Are we to understand that the Powers will also prohibit any Roumi -aggression on our territory?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, sir, you are not to understand anything of the kind. The Powers -are about tired of your impudence in calling the peninsula yours, and -it will give them great pleasure to see the rightful owners in -possession of it again.” This time the dragoman was the speaker, -somewhat to the disgust of his companion, who gave him a withering -look, but he was not to be silenced. “We have warned you, and if you -continue to resist, we shall see your blood upon your own heads!” he -cried. -</p> - -<p> -“I presume that I may report to the Admirals that I delivered my -message to Prince Theophanis in person?” said the naval man. -</p> - -<p> -“You may, sir, and also that I protested against their saddling me -with crimes of which I had not the smallest knowledge. The matter -shall be looked into.” -</p> - -<p> -The parties separated with bows and mutual ill-humour, the sailors -ostentatiously taking turns to cover the retreat of the ambassadors -for fear of treachery. -</p> - -<p> -“Then the man did escape!” said Prince Romanos thoughtfully. -</p> - -<p> -Maurice turned on him. “Then there was an organised attempt to leave -no witnesses, and you connived at it?” -</p> - -<p> -“We never give quarter to Roumis,” was the frank reply. “It is not our -custom, and never has been, and if you had been born in Eastern -Europe, Prince, you would understand why. They give none to us. About -the sick men I don’t understand; they must have fired at us, for all -the men I saw killed were armed.” -</p> - -<p> -“And the killing of the wounded—you saw that?” -</p> - -<p> -“No; I told the men to make all safe, while I secured the flag. When I -came down from the roof they told me they were afraid one man had -escaped, and we searched everywhere, but could not find him.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then the wounded were killed?” said Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“Of course. But it was not as if their wounds were slight,” said -Prince Romanos eagerly. “They would have died in any case.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch15"> -CHAPTER XV.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE TOWER OF SEGRETI.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">The</span> next day happened to be the festival of a very important saint, -and it was of course out of the question that any drill should take -place. A burst of heavy firing early in the morning suggested that the -Roumis were presuming on the piety of the insurgents to make an attack -in the belief that they would not fight, but Wylie was able to -reassure his friends when he came to breakfast. -</p> - -<p> -“Nothing but powder-play,” he said. “Simple wicked waste of cartridges -in honour of St Elijah, or whatever his name is. I have put a stop to -it, of course, but the men are very sick. The Assembly is summoned for -noon, Prince, and I’m afraid we shall have a long job.” -</p> - -<p> -The Assembly was held by desire both of Maurice and of the men who had -taken part in the capture of Ahmed Pasha. He wished to impress upon -the whole body of insurgents the humanitarian principles held in such -high esteem by the Powers, and the heroes of the assault were eager to -defend themselves and claim the applause and support of their fellows. -They had not taken at all kindly to the indignant lecture Maurice -bestowed on them after his interview with the envoys from the fleet, -and it was evident that Prince Romanos sided with them in his heart, -though the sentiments to which he gave utterance were the most -civilised possible. There was a great deal at stake, and Zoe, who had -listened attentively to all the discussions beforehand, sat waiting -anxiously in the shadow of the gateway to hear what was decided. The -deliberations of the Assembly were unusually brief on this occasion, -but it was past five o’clock before she saw Wylie coming up the hill. -</p> - -<p> -“Well?” she asked him eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, horribly unsatisfactory,” he replied, taking a seat beside her. -“Your brother and I simply lammed into the fellows about their methods -of barbarism, but they don’t see it a bit. Of course it’s perfectly -natural from their point of view. None of them would dream of asking -for quarter from a Roumi, and they have no idea of offering it. Why, -then, should they give quarter if a Roumi so far forgets the rules of -the game as to ask for his life? As to killing the wounded, they -themselves are just as dangerous wounded as sound—or rather more so, -since down on the ground they might escape notice—and the Roumis are -the same. And suppose they humoured your brother’s incomprehensible -scruples, what should they do with prisoners if they got them? There -was a wild ray of hope that he might wish to torture them for the sake -of extracting information, and they were ready to promise any number, -but that soon faded away. The idea of keeping them safe and treating -them kindly, merely for the sake of letting them go again, struck them -as sheer lunacy, and they insisted that there was no question of the -exchange of prisoners, because the Roumis never took any—or got any; -I don’t know which they meant to imply. It was no use whatever -appealing to them on the moral side, for they declared in all good -faith that Roumis were not human beings.” -</p> - -<p> -“But Prince Romanos?” cried Zoe. “He seems to have such influence with -them, and he can’t believe all these absurd things.” -</p> - -<p> -“I fancy there’s a good deal of the original Archipelago pirate left -under the Parisian poet,” said Wylie incautiously. “Not that I would -say a word against him,” he added hastily; “he stands in with us in -this like a man, whatever his personal views may be. As it is, your -brother has had to go in for simple expediency, very much against the -grain, but perhaps it made it easier for Prince Christodoridi to back -him. To turn the neutrality of the Powers into active hostility -appealed even to our children of nature as foolishness, though there -was some disposition to receive the warning as they did Admiral -Essiter’s on board the <i>Magniloquent</i>. But we got to a working -compromise—nominally, that is. I fear it only means that our fellows -will be more careful to finish off any wounded Roumis before we appear -in the neighbourhood.” -</p> - -<p> -“But they don’t seem to have an idea of discipline,” said Zoe -despairingly. “How can you expect them to obey an order they don’t -like?” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, that is where our Sikhs will come in—when we get them. At -present the best we can do is to maintain order among the Slavs with -the help of the Greeks, and among the Greeks with the help of the -Slavs, so keeping the old sore open all the time—and with the risk -that at any moment Greek and Slav may come to the conclusion that they -dislike us rather worse than each other, and combine against us. Your -brother spoke his mind strongly on the refusal of quarter and the -killing of wounded men, and vowed that any man concerned in anything -of the kind after this should be shot without benefit of clergy, but -that’s a thing easier said than done. There’s hardly a man you could -depend upon to help arrest another in such a case, and if it came to -shooting—why, two revolvers are not many against a whole crowd with -rifles. The fact is, physical force is the only thing that appeals to -these fellows at their present stage, and your brother is coming to -see that they can’t be ruled by reason.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe had turned pale. “You mean that he—and you—are only safe among -them because you are known to be armed?” she said. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh no, it’s not quite as bad as that. There is such a thing as moral -influence, you know. Besides, I believe our fellows themselves would -condemn to death—and execute—any man that tried to murder him or me, -if it was done in an underhand way, that is, not in the course of a -gentlemanly argument in the Assembly. Any one attempting to blow up -one of the warships would be treated in the same way, because that’s -the sort of thing the Powers might naturally resent; but they can’t -see why the Powers should take it upon themselves to interfere with -their domestic customs. Your brother can only back his orders by the -threat of leaving the insurgents to themselves, and in some moods they -would a good deal rather be without him. So we may yet find ourselves -in more danger from our own men than from the Roumis—certainly more -than from the Powers.” -</p> - -<p> -He stopped abruptly, and Zoe looked at him in surprise. He was pulling -at his moustache in an undecided way. -</p> - -<p> -“I want to speak to you on a personal matter,” he said, in a notably -unconciliatory tone. -</p> - -<p> -“Personal to you, or to me?” asked Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“To you.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe raised her eyebrows. “I can only promise to listen to you, not to -take your advice—which I have not asked for.” -</p> - -<p> -“I know that. You sent Christodoridi back his flag?” -</p> - -<p> -“Most certainly. I never liked the idea of keeping it, and when I -found it was the trophy of an ‘infamous massacre,’ I returned it to -him at once.” -</p> - -<p> -“Meaning to snub him as horribly as possible?” -</p> - -<p> -“Meaning to show him that attentions from him were distasteful.” Zoe’s -words came out with great clearness. -</p> - -<p> -“Do you think you are treating the poor wretch properly?” Wylie spoke -with the first approach to diffidence he had shown, and she triumphed. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, I think I am taking the right and honourable course,” she said, -slowly and thoughtfully. “As nothing would induce me to marry him, I -think it is only fair to let him see it plainly. But really, what this -has to do with you——” -</p> - -<p> -He raised his hand, and she wondered whether the gesture spelt appeal -or command. He seemed to be wavering between the two. “You ought to -marry him,” he said. “It is your duty—the best thing for you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then I am quite sure I shall not do my duty,” said Zoe calmly. “But -since you are taking this kind interest in my future, perhaps you will -explain why it should be the best thing for me?” -</p> - -<p> -She had herself well in hand, and spoke with extreme precision, while -he brought out his words with difficulty. She could have pitied him if -he had not been so persistently wrong-headed, so determined to make -misery for himself. “It is in case of trouble—if anything happened,” -he said incoherently. “If he married you, it would be his duty to take -you away from here at once. No one could think the worse of him for -it.” -</p> - -<p> -“Except his wife. That wouldn’t signify, of course. And you still -think I would escape and leave Eirene here?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, the Princess and Con would go too, naturally.” -</p> - -<p> -“Very naturally. And you and Maurice?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, you know what your brother is. I should stay with him, of -course.” -</p> - -<p> -“And now you will know what I am. I shall stay with him too, of -course.” The conversation should have ended with this retort, but Zoe -was incapable of letting matters remain as they were. The man deserved -punishment, and he should have it. “And now that I have answered your -questions, perhaps you will let me know the reason of your sudden -concern for me?” she asked. -</p> - -<p> -“As your brother’s friend—servant——” -</p> - -<p> -“Indeed! If you had said that the memory of old times, or the fear -that another deserving young man might be as badly treated as you -were, had made you speak, it would be a different thing. It would have -given you a personal standing in the matter. But to say what you have -said, merely as a servant or friend of the family, is unpardonable. It -is a piece of gross impertinence.” -</p> - -<p> -She expected an outburst of anger, but he controlled himself -admirably. “You can say what you like to me,” he said, and once again -Zoe’s heart played her false. Severity was obviously the proper -course, but she could not be severe when he was meek. -</p> - -<p> -“There is one other reason—only one—that might justify you,” she -said hurriedly, looking on the ground. “If you could say honestly, ‘I -have a part to play, and I have made up my mind to play it. I will not -be tempted to throw it up, and I am afraid of being tempted—I am -tempted——’” -</p> - -<p> -Her voice failed, and her head had sunk so low that he could not see -her face. If she could have forced herself to look up, and their eyes -had met, the barrier between them must have been broken down; but he -had time to recover himself, and his voice was harsh as he answered— -</p> - -<p> -“You have no right to say that. Such a supposition is unpardonable. It -is a piece of——” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh!” cried Zoe, covering her ears as she recognised the echo of her -own words, and shrinking away from him. The humiliation of his -presence was intolerable, and she was stung at last into speaking -again. “Would you kindly go?” she asked, still not looking at him. -</p> - -<p> -“Forgive me. I was a—a cad to say it.” He brought out the odious word -with a fierce satisfaction, as if he desired to hear Zoe confirm his -self-condemnation. But she looked steadily away from him. -</p> - -<p> -“I will forgive you when you forgive yourself,” she said, and Wylie -left her, cursing his own evil temper, the memory of his past wrongs, -the present danger, and all the other circumstances that had conspired -to make him behave like a brute, when he had honestly intended to play -a high and heroic part. It had seemed such a suitable -punishment—well, not exactly punishment; say recompense—to carry the -unselfish sentiments he had enunciated when Zoe refused him long ago -to the point of promoting this politically desirable marriage for her, -and they ought both to have felt it an excellent arrangement. But Zoe -saw fit to object, and what was more absurd still, he discovered that -in his use of moral suasion he had hurt himself as much as he had her. -Very wisely, but a little late, he registered a vow to leave Prince -Romanos to fight his own battles in future. -</p> - -<p> -Fortunately for Zoe, she was not called upon to meet Wylie again for -the present. The Assembly, before receiving Maurice’s pronouncement on -the subject of the usages of war, had declared emphatically in favour -of retaining Ahmed Pasha and proceeding to the capture of the tower of -Segreti. Maurice and Wylie had urged in vain the danger of finding -their forces divided by a surprise attack delivered at the narrowest -part of the isthmus; not a man would support them in withdrawing from -the first spot liberated on the mainland. If Ahmed Pasha was to be -held, it was very clear that Segreti must be taken, since its -defenders, should they be well supplied with ammunition, could render -the village untenable. That they had not done so already was -presumably due to lack of supplies, since they had left off wasting -cartridges on long shots, and only fired when they saw any -considerable body of insurgents together, but this might be merely a -ruse. Wylie had urged that since the tower was to be taken, it would -be best to storm it, but this advice ran counter to all the instincts -of his followers. A frontal attack on an enemy ensconced behind stone -walls was out of the question in their eyes. A foe might be ambushed, -surprised, taken in the rear, but never attacked in front. The -cutting-off of the water-supply, now nearly completed, would soon -begin to cause the garrison inconvenience, and the insurgents need -only post themselves round the tower at a discreet distance, to see -that no one escaped. -</p> - -<p> -This last comforting doctrine Wylie opposed with more success. -Jalal-ud-din’s apparent supineness hitherto had inclined the -insurgents to consider him a negligible quantity, but they allowed -themselves, after much argument, to be convinced that he could not -possibly remain passive under the cutting-up of the Ahmed Pasha -detachment. His obvious objective was the tower of Segreti, since to -relieve that would mean also the recapture of the village, while to -allow the garrison to be annihilated would expose him to eternal -disgrace—as well as to very mundane penalties from his master. This -fact having been impressed upon the minds of the Assembly, Wylie was -empowered to take such means, short of storming the tower, as -commended themselves to him for repulsing the expected Roumi force, -and he transferred his headquarters to Ahmed Pasha the same evening. -His first duty on the morrow was to try and induce the garrison of the -tower to surrender, which he did by pointing out that their water was -now cut off, and that they must be short both of provisions and -ammunition. Their reply was simply to invite him to come up and attack -them, assuring him that they had plenty of ammunition left to repel -any force he could muster. In the meantime they jeered both at his -promise of a safe-conduct to the Roumi lines if they surrendered, and -his warnings of their certain fate if they remained obstinate. Since -nothing would induce his unsatisfactory and independent troops to -embark upon the series of harassing night assaults and feigned attacks -with which he would have tried to tire out the defenders and exhaust -their stores, his only hope was to prepare a warm reception for the -relieving force. -</p> - -<p> -In this course he had the satisfaction of finding that his men were -thoroughly with him. A guerilla warfare was something they could -understand, and his previous training had sharpened their natural -faculty for taking advantage of the rugged nature of the country. -There were two possible ways of approach for a force coming from the -direction of Therma—one by paths through the hills, the other along -the sea-shore—and under Wylie’s orders the insurgents rendered both -as difficult as possible. The work on the shore had to be conducted -with the greatest secrecy, in view of the presence of the warships, -which were apt to turn their search-lights landwards at inconvenient -moments during the night; but the track was already so rough, and so -frequently interrupted by projecting headlands, that there was little -likelihood of its being chosen for the advance. More attention was -therefore bestowed on the inland route, and the two days which were -all the breathing-space that Jalal-ud-din allowed his foes were turned -to good account. Great excitement prevailed on the third night after -the capture, when Wylie’s scouts came in to announce that a column was -actually advancing with the Pasha himself in command, and that it was -guarding a train of baggage-animals conveying supplies for the -garrison of Segreti. Wylie made a final inspection of his force, saw -that the members of the various bands were at the posts he had -assigned them, and not at those to which their own sweet will -inclined, and hurried back for a final conference with Maurice, who -was in command at Karakula, lest the moment of the fight should be -chosen for an attack upon the isthmus. -</p> - -<p> -The day that followed was a long and exciting one. It seemed that -Jalal-ud-din Pasha imagined that the mere sight of his array was -sufficient to quell opposition, for he disdained to take the obvious -precaution of searching the country ahead of him and on either side of -his line of march. Therefore his progress was a succession of small -fights. A burst of firing from a scarcely discernible trench on a -hillside, or from a thicket that looked too small to shelter a single -rifleman; then a halt, during which his troops blazed away lustily, -while a detachment detailed for the purpose climbed the hill -laboriously to clear out the hornets’ nest, and returned disappointed -to report that the assailants had vanished. The number of wounded -increased steadily, and the nerves even of the stolid Roumi -rank-and-file became affected. There was no opportunity of catching -the insurgents in a body, and it was very rarely that even an odd man -or two showed themselves. Jalal-ud-din set his teeth and continued to -advance. Once through these defiles, his force could sweep away -anything that ventured to oppose it, and Segreti must be relieved, -even if it were not now as dangerous to turn back as to go on. One -more long narrow valley, and the relieving column would emerge on the -comparatively level ground round Ahmed Pasha. -</p> - -<p> -This last valley was full of terrors for the Roumi troops. There was -no more haphazard firing from the heights; each man here was a -marksman, and each bullet found its billet, until no attempt was made -to care for the wounded as they fell, for the common impulse to get -through and get out hurried every man on. It was a demoralised and -disorderly body of men, encumbered and mixed up with driverless mules -and horses which had lost their riders, that approached the mouth of -the valley at last. The only way open before them was the one leading -to the shore, for that to Ahmed Pasha was blocked by a rough barricade -of earth, stones, sods, anything that could be obtained, and from it -there broke a hail of fire, utterly unexpected. Jalal-ud-din tried to -rally his men, but this last surprise was too much for them, and they -hurried panic-stricken down the road to the shore, still galled by the -fire from the barricade, which did terrible execution upon the mass -pressed together in the narrow space. On the shore things were no -better, for bullets came from the cliffs behind and the walls and -roofs of Ahmed Pasha away to the left, while the defenders of the -barricade were beginning to climb over it and form themselves into a -line in front. -</p> - -<p> -This was the crucial moment for Wylie’s scheme. Mere slaughter was not -what he aimed at. If the provisions and stores convoyed by the column -could be secured, Jalal-ud-din and the remains of his force were free -to make the best of their way home by the beach. The insurgents’ -orders were to strike for the baggage-animals, and let the soldiers -alone unless they tried to make a stand, and if they had obeyed them a -notable triumph might have been secured. But the sight of the -hereditary foe, confused and in retreat, was too much for the -mountaineers, and instead of following Wylie into the thickest of the -press, they swerved, as if by instinct, to the right, so as to cut off -the Roumi retreat. In the wild <i>mêlée</i> which ensued all order was -lost, and every man fought the nearest available foe with cold steel, -for rifles were useless, save as clubs. Wylie, escaping imminent death -over and over again almost by a miracle, used voice and whistle in -vain to call off his men, but what he could not do was effected by an -outside agent. There was a distant boom, and something came singing -overhead, at the sound of which the Roumis promptly flung themselves -on the ground. The insurgents, conspicuous in their white kilts or -grey homespun among the darker uniforms, stared at them in amazement, -but were about to take full advantage of their unlooked-for cowardice -when there came another boom, and something fell into the mass of men -on the right of the fight and exploded. Wylie was the first to realise -what had happened. The Admirals had fulfilled their threat, and were -shelling the rebels who had ventured to pass the limit they had laid -down. All the ships in sight were firing now, the <i>Magniloquent</i>, as -the nearest, leading, and dropping her shells, with terrible -precision, exactly where the insurgents were thickest. For a moment -they looked about them with a kind of stupid wonder, then, as Wylie -had always known they would do if confronted with modern artillery, -they broke and fled wildly, with shrieks and cries, the warships -completing their discomfiture by planting more shells wherever ten or -a dozen men ran together. Rather by good fortune than calculation, a -considerable number sought refuge in the mouth of the valley through -which the Roumis had come, and here, where shells could only be -dropped by guesswork, Wylie got them into some sort of order, pointing -out that Jalal-ud-din must run the gauntlet of their fire even now to -reach Segreti. -</p> - -<p> -The firing from the ships ceased, and Wylie expected every moment to -see the head of the Roumi column appear, but he waited in vain. At -last, followed in fear and trembling by one bold man, he crept out to -reconnoitre, but to his astonishment found the scene of the battle -left solitary. Looking along the seaside road to the right, he saw in -the distance a disorderly crowd making its way back towards Therma. -Jalal-ud-din’s force was in retreat, considering discretion the better -part of valour in spite of the assistance of the ships. Another shell -buried itself in the sand unpleasantly near Wylie and his kilted -companion, and he returned hastily to his men, sending orders to Ahmed -Pasha that a white flag was to be hoisted while he led the search for -the dead and wounded. Segreti was not relieved, at any rate, but the -supplies for which he had hoped were irrevocably lost, and the -warships of the Powers had fired upon the insurgents. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch16"> -CHAPTER XVI.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE CONSULS TO THE RESCUE.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">The</span> confusion that prevailed in Ahmed Pasha after the fight was -nothing short of sickening to the orderly English mind. The mass of -the insurgents thought of nothing but holding an Assembly of their -own, and shouting their grievances into one another’s sympathetic -ears, and at last, in disgust, Wylie left them to do it. Maurice and -Dr Terminoff, with a score of men carrying litters, came hurrying from -Karakula, and with a few members of Wylie’s force who were able to -conquer the desire to talk, set to work to care for the wounded. Each -man, as soon as his hurts had been hastily bandaged, was sent to the -rear, which meant Eirene’s hospital at Skandalo—a long journey either -on mule-back or by litter, but there was no guarantee of even -temporary safety at this end of the peninsula. Maurice and Dr -Terminoff convoyed the long train of bearers, and Wylie, finding that -his forces were still too much inebriated with their own verbosity to -have any leisure for their military duties, took advantage of the fact -to look after the Roumi wounded. There were not many of these, but he -had placed several carefully in a sheltered spot near the shore, and -he knew there must be more in the valley. These he brought out and -laid near the rest, with the obedient but unwilling help of the few -men who had stuck to him, and leaving them guarded, beckoned Prince -Romanos quietly out of the Assembly, which had now, by sunset, reached -the pitch of excitement at which every one tried to speak at once. -</p> - -<p> -“I am off to the fleet, to get them to take the Roumi wounded on -board,” he said. “Keep these fellows on the talk, until they’re got -rid of.” -</p> - -<p> -“But they will shoot you at sight,” objected Prince Romanos. “And who -will row you out to the ships?” -</p> - -<p> -“No one—not even one of my own men. I must row myself as best I can. -But one man alone won’t look very alarming. They’ll hardly fire.” -</p> - -<p> -“My man Petros shall row you. He won’t like it, but he’ll do it for -me. You are wise, to send the poor wretches off before our friends -remember them.” -</p> - -<p> -“The only chance,” agreed Wylie, and presently Prince Romanos helped -him to drag a small boat down to the beach, and he was soon being -rowed towards the fleet by the deeply disapproving Petros, who -objected equally to the errand, the darkness, and the danger. -</p> - -<p> -“Halt! What boat’s that?” came a challenge, and a shape loomed up -close to the little vessel, not the huge towering bulk of one of the -warships, but a picket-boat which was patrolling the neighbourhood of -the fleet. The precaution surprised Wylie, until he remembered that -dynamite had always been one of the favourite weapons of the -insurgents in their career on the mainland, and that the Powers could -hardly imagine themselves to be enthusiastically beloved at this -particular moment. He explained his errand, and the officer in the -boat listened with surprise and evident incredulity, exchanging a few -sentences with a subordinate, among which the words, “Trap. Pay us out -for this afternoon,” were clearly audible. -</p> - -<p> -“I am an Englishman myself—a British officer until two months ago,” -said Wylie, and a lantern was flashed suddenly in his face. The -scrutiny seemed to be satisfactory, for the lantern was turned to -another use by being employed to flash signals to the nearest ship, -and presently a steam-pinnace came swishing and panting through the -darkness, bearing the commander who had carried the Admirals’ -remonstrance a few days before, and who was now charged, as he pointed -out, strictly to report upon the state of affairs. He invited Wylie -into the pinnace, and ordered his boat to be towed behind, but his -manner was the reverse of cordial. -</p> - -<p> -“The Admiral has a high opinion of your impudence in asking us to do -your dirty work for you,” he said. “Why don’t you foot your own -butchers’ bill?” -</p> - -<p> -“Our fellows are quite ready to do it,” returned Wylie in his driest -tone. “Unfortunately, the Powers would hardly approve of their -methods.” -</p> - -<p> -“If you imagine we are going to help you out of the difficulties you -get into through being unable to control your associates——” began -the officer pugnaciously. -</p> - -<p> -“Not at all. I propose to show you the Roumi wounded, whom Prince -Theophanis and I have collected out of all sorts of places—there are -fifteen of them. You will be good enough to satisfy yourself that they -have been treated as well as the absence of proper appliances permits. -If you take them on board, there will be no more trouble on the score -of humanity. If you refuse—well, the Prince and I and a few of our -men will protect them if we can, but the responsibility will not be -ours. And they must share with us such food as we have, and we are on -short commons already.” -</p> - -<p> -The commander grunted, and on reaching the shore followed Wylie in -silence. He looked narrowly at the wounded Roumis lying behind their -screen of bushes, jerked out a question or two, and turned to Wylie -again. -</p> - -<p> -“I’ll take ’em,” he said. “It’s not strictly correct, but your Prince -and you seem decent fellows, and there’s no need to let you in for -worse than you’re in for already.” -</p> - -<p> -“Lord!” It was Petros, who stood, breathing hard, at Wylie’s side; “a -word from the Lord Romanos. He said, ‘Tell the Lord Glafko that they -are brandishing their rifles. They will not talk much longer.’” -</p> - -<p> -“No time to lose,” said Wylie, and he and the commander laid etiquette -aside and worked with the sailors from the pinnace in carrying the -wounded on board. Before the work was half done, torches began to move -about in the direction of Ahmed Pasha, and shouts were heard. -</p> - -<p> -“They have remembered, and are coming to search the battlefield,” said -Wylie. “Heaven send they may go to the valley first!” -</p> - -<p> -The torches were wandering in all directions, towards the valley and -the barricade, and also towards the scene of the fight on the shore, -across which the bearers were passing with their helpless burdens. -</p> - -<p> -“Go on and get done as quick as you can,” said Wylie to the commander. -“I’ll lead them astray.” -</p> - -<p> -The Roumi dead had been laid near the barricade, ready for burial on -the morrow, and Wylie shouted to the advancing warriors, asking if -they sought them. As they followed his voice, he led them away from -the beach, but to his surprise they seemed to have no thought of the -foe, whether dead or alive. They pressed round him and hustled him -back against the barricade, the construction of which he had himself -superintended the day before. -</p> - -<p> -“Traitor! You and your master have betrayed us to the Europeans!” was -the cry, as the torchlight flickered on the fierce faces. -</p> - -<p> -“There has been no betrayal,” said Wylie sharply. “You were warned -that the warships would fire if we fought on Roumi territory, but you -chose to do it.” -</p> - -<p> -“You led us to the shore. You had covenanted with the Admirals to -betray us!” -</p> - -<p> -“Right—oh!” came a long-drawn shout from the shore. “Can we take you -on board, Colonel?” -</p> - -<p> -Then the wounded were safe. Wylie sent back a ringing “No, thanks. -Good night!” putting his hands to his mouth, and turned again to his -accusers. But their attention had been diverted from him for the -moment. -</p> - -<p> -“Europeans—here!” was the cry, and for an instant there was every -prospect of a stampede. The bombardment of the afternoon had left its -mark. But in the silence the sound of the pinnace’s engine as she -steamed away was distinctly audible, and it was obviously retreating. -</p> - -<p> -“Glafko’s friends came to rescue him,” suggested some one. “They are -frightened, and have gone away.” The inference was clear. Glafko was -defenceless; and the rush of accusations came shrill and confused. -Maurice and Wylie were agents of the Powers for betraying the -insurgents to Roum. They were agents of Roum for betraying them to the -Powers. They were escaped criminals, who had excited such violent -resentment in the breasts of the Powers that their presence among the -innocent Emathians brought down punishment upon them also. The various -charges clashed hopelessly, but the general result was universally -accepted. Wylie had been instrumental in inducing the guileless -insurgents to expect the sympathy of the Powers, and had led them to -expose themselves to a treacherous attack. Defence was as useless as -it would have been inaudible, for the insurgents were as ready to -forget as they had shown themselves unable to appreciate the many -warnings they had received against relying on the support of Europe. A -man who had seen Wylie set off for the fleet this evening added his -testimony, and another, one of his unwilling helpers, told how the -Roumi wounded had been carefully tended and laid in one place, from -which they had now been removed. Quite half the crowd immediately went -to verify this last fact, and returned to add fresh curses to those -already raining upon Wylie. No one had as yet ventured to lay hands -upon him, and he had not drawn his revolver, but he was anxiously -calculating his chances. The party at the monastery ought to be -warned, for Maurice would not dream of mutiny on the part of his own -men. If he fired now, he must fire to kill, and that would hardly -improve matters, but who was there to whom he could entrust a message -with any hope of its being delivered? -</p> - -<p> -It was Wylie’s salvation on this occasion that the ascendency he had -established even over the men who disliked him was so strong that no -one cared to strike the first blow, and also that his back was -defended by the barricade. The men who shouted most loudly against him -were those on the outskirts of the crowd, and they made no attempt to -go beyond words, though one stone flung towards him would have been -the signal for a storm. Nor did they offer any opposition when Prince -Romanos pushed his way through them, and placed himself at Wylie’s -side. -</p> - -<p> -“What is this?” he cried. -</p> - -<p> -A dozen voices answered him, repeating the various accusations. He -raised his hand in silence. -</p> - -<p> -“This behaviour is unworthy of free men—of patriots,” he said loudly. -“For weeks we have warned you that there was no help to be looked for -from the Powers. Their great war-vessels are hemming us in for the -express purpose of keeping away from us friends and supplies, and -watching our dying agonies. Prince Theophanis and Colonel Wylie are -not likely to obtain any sympathy from England; rather their love for -Emathia has brought her displeasure upon them. We have only one friend -in all Europe, and that is not one of the Great Powers. My unhappy -country stands aside, longing to assist her brothers, but bound hand -and foot. She has suffered too sorely already for her sympathy to dare -to disregard the threats now showered upon her. Sons of Emathia, you -bear me no malice because my country cannot help you. Then why accuse -Prince Theophanis of treachery because his country helps Roum? He and -I are alike powerless.” -</p> - -<p> -Wylie listened with startled attention. Put in this way, there was a -considerable difference between the attitude of Morea and that of the -European Concert, and he could hardly expect that the Emathians would -fail to see it. That they did not miss the point was shown by a voice -from the back which called out, “Romanos for Prince!” and the -approving shout which greeted the words. Prince Romanos silenced the -voices again. -</p> - -<p> -“Now you are trenching on the functions of the Constitutional -Assembly,” he said. “Such words should not be uttered until peace is -attained. But that will never be if you reward by ungrateful attacks -the gentlemen who have given up so much in England to come to our -help.” -</p> - -<p> -The meeting broke up in enthusiasm, amid renewed shouts of “Romanos -for Prince!” and Wylie and Prince Romanos walked back to Ahmed Pasha -and made joint arrangements for the defence. Wylie’s mind dwelt -gratefully and lovingly on the agreement into which he had entered -with Lieutenant Cotway, and on the pathway he had so carefully -prepared from the monastery to Ephestilo. It was possible that the -escape of the ladies would have to be managed before very long now. -There was no romantic loyalty about the insurgents. -</p> - -<p> -The untoward events of that day and evening appeared to pass off -without serious consequences. Wylie doubled the guard at the -monastery, and Maurice, on hearing what had happened, insisted that -his friend should never go about without a bodyguard of his own, -picked from among the Slavs on whose fidelity it was possible, so far -as could be known, to count. One of them was the Zeko with whom the -party had made acquaintance long before in his brigand days, who -seemed to take an almost paternal interest in Wylie, and was quite -ready to slay any number of Greeks in his defence. Thus attended, -Wylie remained at Ahmed Pasha, watching from a distance the -unfortunate garrison of Segreti, who had seen their hope of relief -swept away, but remained as determined as ever not to surrender. It -seemed impossible that either the Roumis or the Powers should leave -them to starve, and therefore Wylie felt little surprise when a boat -from the fleet, bearing a flag of truce, landed the dragoman who had -already visited him, to announce that the Consuls of the Powers had -decided to effect the relief of Segreti on behalf of their respective -Governments, purely for the sake of humanity. They would arrive under -a flag of truce, bringing with them no Roumi troops, but merely a -naval guard, adequate to the dignity of each Consul, drawn from the -fleet of his particular Power, and unless opposition was offered to -their landing, would not interfere with the insurgents. Of the -difficulty which the insurgents’ unfortunate leaders would have in -reconciling them to this arrangement, the Consuls could hardly be -expected to take account. -</p> - -<p> -“What in the world do they want to make such a fuss about it for?” -grumbled Wylie to Prince Romanos. “We could have managed it any night -if they had had the sense to communicate with us privately. Now our -fellows must stand by and see their prey snatched away from them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Suggest to the Powers that a Roumi attack should be arranged for the -same time at the monastery end,” proposed Prince Romanos. -</p> - -<p> -“And suppose it came off? Besides, we don’t want to give our fellows -reason to suspect any more plots. No, we shall have to explain things -openly. I think they have just sense enough not to wish to provoke a -conflict with the Powers.” -</p> - -<p> -“How do you mean to dispose of them on the occasion?” -</p> - -<p> -“Why, the proper thing would be to have them drawn up to salute the -Consuls, of course. But I daren’t venture on such close quarters. I -should like to withdraw them to Karakula, but I know they wouldn’t go, -lest the Powers should put the Roumis back in Ahmed Pasha. I suppose -they must stay here, but if any consideration on earth can induce them -to pile arms, they shall do it.” -</p> - -<p> -The temper of the insurgents proved to be exactly what Wylie had -expected. The news that the Powers were intervening to rescue the -defiant opponents whose ultimate discomfiture they had anticipated -with so much certainty provoked many new accusations of treachery, and -it required some hours of talking before the prudence of those who -realised the divinity that doth hedge the person of a Consul could -prevail over the truculence of the rest. Distasteful as the sight of -the pacific removal of the garrison would be, however, every man was -resolved to witness it, and a sullen mob crowded the roofs of Ahmed -Pasha when the Consuls were expected. Prince Romanos had exerted -himself nobly to second Wylie in insisting that the rifles should be -left behind under guard, and they were doubly thankful that they had -done so when they observed the vigorous pantomime by which the -garrison of Segreti expressed their delight at the approaching -release—on the ramparts, so as to be clearly visible against the sky, -with the amiable object of exasperating their helpless foes as much as -possible. -</p> - -<p> -The progress of the Consuls on their work of mercy was imposing in the -extreme. The boats from the various fleets were marshalled in -squadrons, and the precedence of each squadron was determined by the -seniority of the Consul it escorted. In every other respect, the size -of the boats and the number of men they carried, the squadrons were -equal in all cases—a mute testimony to the mutual jealousy of the -Powers. The British Consul-General, Sir Frank Francis, happened to be -the senior official present, and to him Wylie addressed himself as -soon as he landed, begging him to hasten his work as much as possible, -and to restrain the rescued Roumis from offering provocation to the -insurgents. Sir Frank looked at him as though he was presuming on old -acquaintance, and replied shortly that the relief would be -accomplished with due formality, and that the Consuls intended to take -advantage of the occasion to make one more appeal to the common-sense -of the insurgents. Wylie shrugged his shoulders and washed his hands -of all responsibility, but returned to beg that the Consuls would time -their appeal to coincide with the actual relief, so as to divide the -attention of the insurgents as far as possible. Sir Frank would make -no promises, and Wylie and his guard stood aside while other -gold-laced and decorated gentlemen joined their leader, and successive -bodies of armed sailors landed and formed up on the beach. -</p> - -<p> -In stately procession the Consuls and their guards marched up from the -beach to the tower, the watchers at Ahmed Pasha looking on with angry -eyes, and the besieged came forth to meet them with extravagant -demonstrations of rejoicing. There was some delay while the garrison -collected their personal property, and exhibited in ocular evidence -the straits to which they had been reduced, and in the meantime a -discussion of some sort seemed to be going on among the highly -ornamented group of diplomatists outside the tower. To Wylie, watching -through his glass, it appeared that Sir Frank was urging the other -Consuls to accompany him on his mission of conciliation to Ahmed -Pasha, but that the unamiable attitude of the insurgents, as observed -through the binoculars of the naval auxiliaries, inclined his -colleagues to consider that a dragoman was the best person to go, -while the senior dragoman present gave it as his honest opinion that -the task was not one on which any man below the rank of Consul ought -to be sent. The difficulty was evidently solved at last by Sir Frank’s -undertaking the duty himself, amid the protests of the other Consuls, -for, accompanied by a portion of his guard, he began to cross the -rough slope which lay between Segreti and Ahmed Pasha. Wylie went out -to meet him, but the stout-hearted old diplomatist declined to regard -him as a suitable object for conciliation. Waving the intruder aside, -Sir Frank advanced to within fifty feet of the village, and addressed -himself to the scowling occupants of the roofs. His principle was -evidently to use the knife before applying the plaster. -</p> - -<p> -“The Powers have effected the relief of Segreti on the score of -humanity alone,” he informed his audience, in sharp explosive -sentences. “At the same time, they will not allow you to derive any -advantage from it. The tower is mined, and will be blown up with the -Roumi flag flying.” -</p> - -<p> -A howl of rage answered him, and there was a sudden movement among the -men on the roofs. He took no notice of either, but when Wylie, alarmed -lest the bolder spirits should be rushing for their rifles, would have -gone to prevent them, he detained him by an imperious gesture. -</p> - -<p> -“We know quite well that the end of your resources is in sight,” he -went on. “You must now realise that the foreign adventurers who have -led you astray can give you no help. Through the clemency of his -Majesty the Grand Seignior, safety is still open to you. On giving up -your arms and your leaders, you will be permitted to return to your -homes.” -</p> - -<p> -“As marked men!” cried Prince Romanos, standing forth as spokesman. -“And the rights for which we have fought—the Constitution—what of -them?” -</p> - -<p> -“The Powers will do their best to secure the execution of the reforms -already granted. They promise nothing more.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then we stand fast. Am I right?” cried Prince Romanos, appealing to -the rest, and a shout of approval answered him. “We lay down our arms -when the concessions we have already demanded are granted by the Grand -Seignior and guaranteed by the Powers, and not till then!” he shouted -to Sir Frank. -</p> - -<p> -“I can only regret your decision,” was the reply, as the -Consul-General turned to depart, careless of the angry shouts which -pursued him from the walls. Wylie stepped forward to accompany him out -of range, but again Sir Frank waved him back. “I do not require the -protection of a renegade Englishman,” he said, and Wylie bowed and -remained. -</p> - -<p> -“Glafko! Glafko!” Prince Romanos was calling to him loudly. “Come at -once. They have overpowered the guard and got at the rifles. And some -of them are already on the way to the tower.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch17"> -CHAPTER XVII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE HOPE THAT FAILED.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Leaving</span> Sir Frank Francis to pursue his dignified way alone, Wylie -ran back to the village, only to see a considerable body of -insurgents, armed with rifles hastily snatched up, half-way to the -tower. They were approaching it from the back, whereas the Consuls and -their forces, with the rescued garrison, were assembled in front of -it, waiting for Sir Frank’s return to begin their march back to the -sea, but a collision seemed inevitable. With a wild idea of flinging -himself between the contending parties, Wylie ran towards the tower, -hoping to intercept his followers before they could reach the front of -the building. Sir Frank, in the natural exasperation induced by -intercourse with these wretched insurgents, who were giving the -consular body trouble so absurdly disproportionate to their -importance, might call him a renegade Englishman, but he could not see -the British flag fired upon by his own men. His intention was -frustrated, however, by two of them, who rose up, as if by magic, from -behind a bush, and laid violent hands upon him. Protest, command, -entreat as he might, it was no use; they dragged him behind the bush -and held him fast there, considerately choosing a position from which -the tower and its assailants were clearly visible. To Wylie’s intense -relief, the main body of his men halted at a ridge which commanded the -whole side of the tower, and lay down behind it, covering the consular -force with their rifles. Only three ran on, and Wylie saw that they -carried ropes. Arrived at the back of the tower, one of them threw his -rope over a sculptured gargoyle which projected from the building at -about a third of its height, and wriggled up it, his companions -holding the ends. The lower part of the masonry alone had been kept in -good repair, and when he reached the gargoyle the climber had passed -his greatest difficulty—the stretch of squared stones with the -crevices well filled with mortar. Above it the stones were -weather-worn, and the mortar of the Venetian builders was crumbling -away from between them, so that he was able to find holes for his feet -and hands. Wylie gathered from the remarks of the men who held him -that the adventurer was a noted cliff-climber, and smiled, even in his -disgust, at the reticence which had hitherto been maintained as to his -profession. With such an auxiliary it would have been comparatively -easy to storm the tower on a windy night, with the garrison in the -proper state of exhaustion, induced by constant false alarms, but the -man and his associates had alike kept their own counsel. -</p> - -<p> -The approach of the insurgents to the tower had not passed unnoticed -by the rear ranks of the consular force in the front, and when the -three men ran forward warning shouts were raised, two or three -officers stepping out and calling to them, evidently under the -impression that they did not know the place was mined. As they took no -notice, the commander of the Magnagrecian guard, who was the nearest, -began to march his men round to the back. Instantly, to Wylie’s -speechless horror, the insurgents lining the ridge fired a volley. He -could hardly believe his eyes when he saw that they had fired into the -air, and that the Magnagrecian detachment was untouched. But the -bullets whistling overhead had alarmed the rest of the force, and the -Magnagrecians were hastily recalled. No one seemed quite to know -whether the volley had been an accident, an act of hostility or one of -warning, and while the officers of various nationalities discussed the -matter excitedly, a shout of triumph from the insurgents drew their -attention to the top of the tower. The daring climber stood there, and -the Roumi flag which had floated proudly from its staff was torn down -and rent savagely into fragments. In its place the eagle of the -Eastern Empire rose into view and blew out defiantly. So much they -saw, then the climber seemed to throw himself headlong from the -battlements, scrambling down the ruined masonry for dear life. Arrived -at the gargoyle, he took a flying leap, regardless of safety, and as -his feet touched the ground the building blew up. The time-worn walls, -which had seen so many changes since their builders had first hoisted -the standard of St Mark, ended their career under the flag of Free -Emathia. -</p> - -<p> -In the shock and amazement of this transformation scene, it was -difficult to perceive what actually happened. The Consuls and their -naval contingents declared that the insurgents lining the roofs of -Ahmed Pasha, in the excitement of their triumph, opened fire upon the -representatives of Europe. The insurgents, on the other hand, -declared, and Wylie believed they spoke the truth, that it was not -bullets that wounded several sailors at this juncture, but flying -fragments of masonry, and that they had merely fired their rifles -again into the air. However this might be, there was no doubt that the -consular force, with marvellous celerity, took cover behind the ruins -of Segreti, and that bullets were flying between it and Ahmed Pasha, -rendering the position of those who found themselves on the broken -ground stretching from one to the other unpleasant in the extreme. The -insurgents lining the ridge behaved with a steadiness of which Wylie -would have been proud in less exasperating circumstances. They -separated into two parties, which took turns in running back and -halting to cover each other’s retreat with the greatest precision, -picking up Wylie and his two guards by the way, and tumbling proudly -into Ahmed Pasha without the loss of a man, though one or two -exhibited flesh-wounds. Even the climber and his two companions had -somehow escaped from the wreck of the tower, and joined the rest. -</p> - -<p> -An informal Assembly for mutual congratulation was, of course, the -first thing to be thought of, the periods of the orators being -pleasantly punctuated by the bullets which struck the houses round -them. Nobody was concerned to apologise to Wylie, who had very -skilfully been prevented, so the general opinion seemed to run, from -making a regrettable exhibition of himself, and the seriousness of the -situation was quite overborne by the gratifying reflection that -Emathia was actually engaged in hostilities with the whole of envious -Europe. But it was very speedily borne in upon the minds of the -triumphant talkers that war with Europe did not merely mean exchanging -long shots from cover with another force equally well protected. A -shell came screaming and tearing overhead, without any innocuous -warning this time, and exploded in the courtyard of one of the houses, -from which rose a thick cloud of smoke. Other shells followed, one -dropping almost in the midst of the Assembly, which broke up with -unprecedented celerity, and Wylie seized the opportunity of the -general consternation to resume his command. It was useless to try and -retain Ahmed Pasha under the fire of the ships, but the fact had in it -this compensation, that it would be equally impossible for the Powers -to reestablish the Roumis in the place if they could be beguiled into -destroying it. They would probably go on dropping shells as long as no -sign of surrender appeared, and by sunset the place would be untenable -for any self-respecting Moslems. The insurgents, confused and -terrified by the sudden reversal of their fortunes, were willing -enough to obey the man who proposed to deprive their enemies of any -profit from it, and under Wylie’s orders the wounded were first -conveyed out at the back of the village, and then such stores as -remained. Lastly, the garrison left in small parties, keeping the now -burning houses between themselves and Segreti, and taking care not to -concentrate anywhere on the road, lest the ships should take a fancy -to enlarge the area of their fire. Wylie was perhaps the only man -present who realised that the brief attempt of the insurgents to -obtain a footing on the mainland was now ended. They were driven back -upon Karakula, and might be thankful if they were allowed to retain -even that. -</p> - -<p> -Though the insurgents’ love for the Powers could hardly be expected to -have been increased by the events of the day, they were sufficiently -frightened by this second bombardment and its results to become more -amenable to discipline. Ahmed Pasha was now a heap of smoking ruins, -and the shells began to fall into Karakula—apparently out of pure -vindictiveness, since it was well within the line which the Admirals -had laid down as the limit of the insurgents’ territory. The village -itself was not capable of defence, as the houses had never been -repaired since its first seizure, and it was commanded by the steep -slope behind it, and therefore Wylie did not linger there. He posted -his pickets from shore to shore of the isthmus, in case an attempt -should be made by the Roumis to break through, and concentrated the -rest of his force in a hollow well shielded from the fire of the -warships, from which they could quickly reinforce any part of the line -that might be threatened. From a high point of the ridge which formed -the backbone of the peninsula he could obtain a view of the consular -force sheltering behind Segreti, and he noted that the firing ceased -as though at a signal, presumably when each ship had dropped a certain -number of shells. A detachment of armed sailors was then thrown -forward to examine the ruins and make sure that they were not -occupied, and thereafter the Consuls, their guards and their rescued -charges, embarked in safety. No attempt was made to cross the line and -approach Karakula, for which Wylie was devoutly thankful, since his -men, posted in an advantageous position, which the fire from the ships -could not easily search out, would certainly have refused to withdraw -without fighting, and could not have been dislodged without heavy -loss. -</p> - -<p> -Night fell at last, and leaving Prince Romanos in command on one shore -of the isthmus, Wylie took up his post on the other, that nearest to -Therma and Skandalo. It was here, if anywhere on the isthmus, that an -attack would be made, and he had conceived a plan for drawing the -assailants into a morass not far from the shore by means of a feigned -retreat. He had everything in readiness to give them a warm reception, -but with a sad lack of consideration they declined to come. -Distrustful, owing to much bitter experience, of the wakefulness of -his supporters, he watched through most of the night himself, and felt -almost as if he had been cheated when it had passed uneventfully. The -labours and trials of the last few days had left their mark upon him, -and Prince Romanos started when they met. -</p> - -<p> -“You are ill!” he said. “Or were you wounded yesterday after all?” -</p> - -<p> -“This place is feverish,” said Wylie irritably. “I felt it in the -night. I suppose I had no business to sleep out, but there wasn’t much -choice. I must send for my quinine from the monastery, and then I -daresay I shall shake it off.” -</p> - -<p> -“Better rest for to-day,” suggested Prince Romanos; but Wylie was an -impracticable patient, all the more determined to do all he could at -once because he knew it was highly unlikely that he would be able to -do it on the morrow. The new line of defence behind Karakula must be -strengthened, and more use made of the marsh, so that it might appear -to be the only unguarded spot, positively inviting an attack. This was -a kind of warfare the insurgents could understand, and they entered -heartily into the contrivances for concentrating a heavy fire on an -imaginary force in difficulties. One man even volunteered to offer to -act as guide to the Roumis, with the amiable intention of leading them -into the trap, but the drawback to this scheme was that there were no -Roumis to lead astray—not the slightest apparent intention on the -part of Jalal-ud-din to profit from the advantage secured for him by -the Powers yesterday. Still Wylie worked on, growing more ghastly in -appearance as the hours passed, until Prince Romanos was summoned by a -violent outcry from the trench which was being dug under his -superintendence. Wylie had collapsed at last, and as he lay insensible -in the sun, knives were being drawn above him. His own guards, and the -other Slavs in the neighbourhood, declared that the Greeks had -murdered him, and the Greeks were vehemently rebutting the accusation, -crying out that the Slavs had brought it against them to conceal their -own guilt. Prince Romanos patched up a hollow peace by sending for Dr -Terminoff, who pronounced the illness to be entirely due to natural -causes, and ordered the patient to be carried to the hospital. Before -he arrived there, however, Wylie recovered consciousness sufficiently -to murmur, “Ephestilo camp; not hospital—not monastery,” and the -doctor consented unwillingly to do as he wished, sending word to -Maurice of the change. Maurice hurried to Ephestilo as soon as the -news reached him, and found his friend established in the chief house -in the village, from which his guards had expelled the inhabitants on -their own authority. Wylie could not lift his head from the rolled-up -cloak which served as a pillow, but his eyes met Maurice’s anxiously. -</p> - -<p> -“Hoped I should be—sensible—when you came,” he said with difficulty. -“Don’t let—ladies—come here.” -</p> - -<p> -“But it’s nothing infectious,” said Maurice, in astonishment. “I know -they will want to nurse you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then don’t—tell them,” was the obstinate reply. -</p> - -<p> -“My dear fellow, you must be properly looked after,” remonstrated -Maurice. “They won’t tease you to talk, or anything of that sort,” -with a vague effort to get at the root of the objection. -</p> - -<p> -“My men”—with an attempt to glance in the direction of the guards, -who were sitting playing cards on the floor—“look after—me all -right—good fellows—do as they’re told. I will not—have any one -else. Promise.” -</p> - -<p> -There was so much determination in the weak voice that Maurice -compromised. “Well, if Terminoff thinks your men are enough——” -</p> - -<p> -“Promise,” persisted Wylie. “Not even—if—I mention names.” -</p> - -<p> -“Whose names?” asked Maurice, taken aback. Wylie glanced at him with a -kind of sick contempt. -</p> - -<p> -“Zoe’s, of course,” he said irritably. “I might call out for her—no, -of course I shan’t,”—with a momentary accession of strength,—“but I -might. Don’t let her come.” -</p> - -<p> -“Of course not,” said Maurice quickly; and Wylie sighed with something -like contentment, and then began to murmur incoherently, while Maurice -relieved his feelings by turning the guards out of the room, and -forbidding cards anywhere but on the piazza outside. One of the men, -who had acted as Wylie’s servant, was appointed head-nurse, and told -that he would be held responsible for the patient, and might choose -his own assistants, who must obey the doctor’s orders implicitly. The -men were all willing enough, but a very primitive surgery was their -only notion of curative treatment, and Maurice returned to the -monastery full of anxiety. Zoe was waiting for him at the gate. -</p> - -<p> -“Colonel Wylie is ill?” she said. -</p> - -<p> -“Attack of fever. I left him fairly comfortable.” -</p> - -<p> -“And he won’t let me go near him, of course?” -</p> - -<p> -“How did you know?” he asked in surprise. -</p> - -<p> -“I know him. I suppose he has made you promise, Maurice? Don’t be -afraid; I am not going to make a fuss—only you must tell me if he is -dying.” -</p> - -<p> -“I hope there’s no fear of that. If there was——” -</p> - -<p> -“If there is, you must let me know, and I shall go to him. Even he -would not wish to keep me away then—he would forgive me at last. Do -you remember, Maurice?—‘an unforgiving brute,’ you called him once.” -She laughed drearily. “But he wouldn’t deprive me of that one little -scrap of comfort when there was no chance of my presuming upon it in -the future.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then you think”—Maurice hesitated—“that he cares for you still?” -</p> - -<p> -“I know he does. But he can’t forgive me.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t know—I had an idea somehow that it was you. Eirene thought -you didn’t care for him.” -</p> - -<p> -“Eirene ought to know better,” said Zoe indignantly. “But she really -thinks you don’t care for a person unless you show it by doing -something wild, I suppose. Maurice, if I had married him seven years -ago, do you think we should have been saved all this?” with a wave of -her hand that included the peninsula generally. “He would have been -quartered somewhere in Egypt or India, I suppose, and he would be an -ordinary hard-working soldier, and I the usual Anglo-Indian regimental -lady. You would not have embarked on this without him?” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t know,” said Maurice again slowly. “We should have had -Teffany-Wise’s legacy just the same, I imagine, and Eirene would have -been the same. She would not have waited for Wylie, you know. No, I -don’t think you need reproach yourself with that, Zoe,—as if you -hadn’t enough to bear.” -</p> - -<p> -“Don’t!” said Zoe quickly, dashing away an intrusive tear. “And the -worst of it is that what I said to him when I refused him was -perfectly justified—absolutely true. Any reasonable man would have -seen it, only—you know——” -</p> - -<p> -“This particular man is not reasonable?” suggested Maurice. “Of course -he isn’t—on this subject. If he was, he wouldn’t be Wylie. But if he -was, how glad I should have been if he had married you and taken you -out of this!” -</p> - -<p> -“He wouldn’t have gone, and I wouldn’t have been taken,” said Zoe with -conviction. “We should stand by you and Eirene to the end, Maurice—as -we shall now. But surely things are no worse now than they were, if -the warships are going to let us alone? You and—he—always said that -it was only a source of weakness to hold Ahmed Pasha.” -</p> - -<p> -“If the warships let us alone to starve?” said Maurice. “We can hold -out for a week on the present restricted allowance, no longer. And how -are we to get supplies?” -</p> - -<p> -“Lord Armitage may come any day,” Zoe reminded him. -</p> - -<p> -“No; I forgot to tell you. Demetri the fisherman came in to Skandalo -when I was there this morning, and said he had actually sighted the -yacht outside the blockading warships. He tried to signal to her how -bad our plight was, but unfortunately his boat attracted the notice of -a Hercynian destroyer,—she was beyond our own waters, of course. They -came to order her back, sighted the yacht, and went off in chase. He -heard the sound of firing, but can’t say whether she was captured. -It’s just possible that she gave them the slip in the night, of -course.” -</p> - -<p> -“I should have thought Lord Armitage would have taken the risk and run -for Skandalo,” said Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“Then he would have been sunk, to a certainty, and what good would his -stores be to us at the bottom of the sea? No, he will try to keep out -of sight till he finds a chance of getting in, but the worst of it is -they will all be looking for him now.” -</p> - -<p> -“I should send the refugees back to the mainland,” said Zoe suddenly. -“The food would last much longer if we had only the insurgents and the -regular inhabitants.” -</p> - -<p> -“My dear Zoe, don’t you think the Powers know that, and the Roumis -too? The moment our poor wretches showed their noses beyond that -barren labyrinth where Wylie and Christodoridi held up Jalal-ud-din, -they would be turned back, you may be sure. They would have tried it -themselves long ago if they hadn’t been certain of that. No, the -Powers, in the interests of humanity, will see us starved to the point -at which the Roumis are certain of a walk-over. That’s the secret of -their forbearance, in spite of all the moral sympathy that Panagiotis -assures us they feel. They are cruel only to be kind, of course.” -</p> - -<p> -Two days of the allotted week passed by, and still the Powers and the -Roumis remained inactive. Wylie muttered incoherently on his sick-bed -at Ephestilo, and Zoe tried to compensate herself for her banishment -from him by caring for the wounded from Ahmed Pasha, who had at least -gained their injuries in his company. The third night was very foggy, -and the watchers along the coast could hear the muffled sound of -sirens and whistles as the European warships talked to one another. -The morning was also foggy, but the fog lay over the sea, not the -land. The warships were moored too far out to be seen, and even the -fishing-boats at anchor loomed dimly through the haze. From Skandalo -came exciting news. The boats lying farthest out had caught a glimpse -of the yacht. She had burst upon them out of the gloom, and they had -cheered her on, thinking that nothing could now prevent her from -reaching the port. But from the direction of Therma there came a small -foreign ship, steaming parallel with the shore, so as to cut the yacht -off from Skandalo, and she had turned and fled back into the fog. From -the cliffs at the southern extremity of the peninsula one or two -glimpses of her had been caught, and refugees and insurgents were now -crowding to the coast to watch for her. The warship had followed her -out of the range of vision, so there was still the hope that she might -shake off pursuit and run safely for Ephestilo, the only practicable -harbour on that side, and one into which the pursuer would not be able -to follow her. -</p> - -<p> -Work was at a standstill that morning, for the imminence of the crisis -drew every one to the cliffs. Mothers carrying their babies, sick and -wounded men dragging themselves painfully over the ground, warriors -forsaking their posts inland, townspeople and farmers who were now -feeling the pinch of famine like their guests,—all converged on -Ephestilo. The slopes on either side of the bay down to the water’s -edge were parti-coloured with people, and all eyes were fixed on the -space between the headlands, looking out to sea, as though it were the -stage of a natural amphitheatre. Boom! came a hollow sound from -seaward, and as though the shot had rent the curtain of fog, the yacht -ran into sight at that moment, sparks mingling with the smoke from her -funnels in the intensity of her effort to reach the shore. Her pursuer -was visible immediately afterwards, close—terribly close—upon her, -and steaming as before to cut her off from the one opening in the -rocks that guarded the harbour. Sighs and moans of sympathy broke from -the watching people as the shells of the pursuer fell before, behind, -beside the yacht, then on board, causing her to shrink and stagger, -but she still held on. -</p> - -<p> -“Good old Armitage! He’s going to run her on the rocks—thinks we can -salve the stores from her then,” said Maurice, and as he spoke a great -cry rose up from the multitude on the shore. The yacht had run -straight upon the reef. The fishermen, led by Maurice, rushed for -their boats, only to recoil in terror as a shell splashed into the -water of the harbour. Amid the tears and groans of the crowd, the -commander of the destroyer went about his work methodically, sending -an occasional shot into the bay to keep the onlookers quiet. The crew -of the yacht were taken off in boats and transferred to the pursuer, -which then withdrew a short distance and fired shot after shot into -the grounded vessel. Her boiler blew up at last, with a tremendous -explosion, and her shattered remains sank gently into the deep water -outside the rocks, followed by a long despairing wail from the shore. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch18"> -CHAPTER XVIII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">A <i>RUSE DE GUERRE.</i></span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">When</span> the fog cleared away that evening, a sight ominous of doom met -the eyes of the blockaded inhabitants of the peninsula. Inside the -line of warships lay a row of other vessels, Roumi transports packed -with troops, waiting like vultures for the dying agonies of their -prey. The sight seemed to infuse a desperate resolution into the -luckless refugees, for that night an epidemic of desertion set in. The -insurgents and their leaders made no attempt to stay it, arguing, as -Zoe had done, that in the absence of the refugees the food would hold -out much longer. Therefore the Skandalo boatmen reaped after dark a -rich harvest of jewels and other treasures saved from devastated homes -in Therma, and the force guarding the Karakula lines also found -opportunities of turning a more or less honest penny. Boat after boat -put out into the darkness from the port, and a long straggling train -of fugitives streamed along the isthmus. The morning light saw the -boats returning, laden as when they started. They had been turned back -by the picket-boats from the warships, and told that in future no -craft from the peninsula would be allowed to pass the line of -transports, while the Roumis on board the transports promised -faithfully thenceforth to sink any boat approaching them that did not -bring an offer of surrender. The fugitives who had chosen the land -route came straggling back at intervals through the day. They also had -been stopped by Jalal-ud-din’s force, and told to go back and -starve,—or else bring about a surrender. When they would have flung -themselves down to die round about the Roumi camp, they were driven -back across the isthmus at the bayonet’s point. At present the Roumis -considered their hungry mouths more desirable even than their blood, -for not only would they help to consume the insurgents’ stores, but -their clamorous misery would weaken the hearts of the fighting men. -</p> - -<p> -The returning fugitives were shepherded once more into their allotted -camps, and supplied with their meagre rations, to supplement which -they wandered over the hills, seeking leaves and roots. The -townspeople were openly mutinous, the insurgents angry and -discontented. The only class not absolutely destitute were the -fishermen, who found an eager market for whatever they could catch, -but their operations were now restricted by the transports, which -fired on them whenever they ventured more than a few hundred yards -from the shore. Otherwise there was no further attempt at hostilities, -only the dark masses looming ominous on the horizon. Gradually the -belief spread that the Powers had forbidden the Roumis to engage in -actual warfare, while allowing them to blockade the peninsula until -its inhabitants were too much reduced to offer any resistance to a -landing, and on the sixth day Prince Romanos came to Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“We must do something, or else all starve together,” he said. “I -propose to cross the isthmus to-night, take the shore road, and attack -Jalal-ud-din’s camp in the rear. The attack will merely be a cover for -a raid upon his stores, which are the only thing we care about.” -</p> - -<p> -“You will be shelled by the fleets,” said Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“I think not. The camp lies inland, and we shall return through the -defiles. We must see that no one slips past to take the news of the -attack to the ships, and then I hope we shall get back across the -isthmus unmolested.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then go, in God’s name! To see these unfortunate women and children -suffering—and with no hope for them but worse suffering, and no -prospect of any good from it—is heartrending. I will take command at -Karakula while you are gone, and Terminoff will look after this end of -the place. Pick your men, and don’t let them know what duty they’re -on. We don’t want to raise the hopes of the people unnecessarily—and -besides, plans leak out sometimes.” -</p> - -<p> -Prince Romanos looked at him keenly. “You suspect some one. Is it -Nilischeff?” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t like the way in which he keeps Skandalo in a ferment. And -there’s no denying that he favours neither my claim nor yours. But I -have no proof against him.” -</p> - -<p> -“M. Nilischeff must be watched. The same thought had occurred to me. -But I go to revictual the garrison. If we do not return, at least you -will have fewer mouths to feed.” -</p> - -<p> -But Prince Romanos and his men returned triumphant. The Roumis had -apparently concentrated their attention on the mouth of the defile as -the only spot from which the insurgents might be expected to appear, -and their stores and transport were all at the other side of the camp, -on which the attack was actually made. One of the first and chief -prizes of the assailants was a herd of cattle, which they drove -straight through the camp to the mouth of the defile, overthrowing -tents and huts, and knocking down and trampling the startled soldiers -who tried to stop them. Behind the maddened cattle came the -insurgents, laden with everything in the way of food they could -possibly lay hands on, from live sheep to tinned delicacies sacred to -the Pasha himself. The Roumis had blocked the mouth of the defile, -leaving only a narrow passage, so as to make it easier to stop -fugitives, and this was held without difficulty by a rearguard, when -the main body of the assailants had passed through with their spoils. -The rearguard, unencumbered, fought its way back over the familiar -ground just before dawn, and when daylight came the whole force was -safely inside the Karakula lines, with remarkably few casualties to -report. -</p> - -<p> -The day was a grand one for all the occupants of the peninsula. -Maurice’s desire that the whole of the spoil should at once be placed -under guard and issued only as rations was unanimously scouted, and -the hunger-stricken people gave themselves up to a whole day’s -feasting, with its inevitable waste and excess. On the morrow they -realised their mistake, and agreed that what was left should be -strictly preserved, but this would barely supply their needs for a -week longer. Naturally the cry soon arose for a fresh foray, and the -men who had ranged themselves under the banner of Prince Romanos -demanded to be led once more against the Roumi camp. It was useless to -point out to them that the first attack had succeeded entirely because -it was a surprise, and that a repetition of the assault would now be -provided against. They ascribed the delay to pusillanimity on -Maurice’s part, and openly urged his rival to act in opposition to -him. As the question of food was once more becoming urgent, the two -leaders agreed at length that Prince Romanos should take his servant -Petros and one or two trustworthy men, and make a scouting expedition -through the defiles, to discover in what part of the camp -Jalal-ud-din’s commissariat was now located, and whether there was any -chance of raiding it successfully, either from the front, flank, or -rear. Having made his observations, he was to return and communicate -them to Maurice, who would then take command at Karakula as before, -while the picked force under his rival made a further attempt. -</p> - -<p> -The evening after the departure of Prince Romanos was an anxious one -for Maurice. He had sat up the night before with Wylie, who lay in a -kind of stupor during the daytime, but became violently excited during -the hours of darkness, calling loudly for Zoe, or holding imaginary -conversations with her, rebutting accusations of unkindness on her -part, which must presumably have been suggested by his own conscience. -Then he would imagine that an attack was imminent, and insist on -getting up and taking part in the defence,—a determination which it -required much tact and skilful humouring to combat. The early part of -the day had been spent in a mournful succession of funerals, the dead -drawn alike from among the wounded in the hospital and the -half-starved refugees, and the afternoon in the court-martial—or -rather, the trial before the Assembly—of a Skandalote who had been -caught stealing off to the Roumi ships, presumably with the intention -of carrying news. The man was defended by Lazar Nilischeff, who -asserted that he knew him well, and that his only object was to try to -buy some food from the sailors,—a defence received with ridicule by -the Greek portion of the Assembly, who declared unanimously for death. -Nilischeff’s followers declared with equal determination in favour of -acquittal, while the dynastic Slavs, on whose support Maurice could -always count, devised a compromise which placed him in a most -invidious position while apparently exalting his authority, by -desiring that the issue of life or death should be decided by him -alone. In the end, the man was remanded to prison, and Maurice turned -to the necessary but inevitably disagreeable task of superintending -the distribution of the evening rations to the refugees and sick. The -fighting men, who might be supposed to be endowed with some portion of -self-control, received theirs only once a-day, in the morning; but -experience had shown that the refugees had no idea of making their -supplies last out, but consumed at once what was intended to feed them -for twenty-four hours, and then wandered about with mournful -lamentations, or begged from their more provident companions. This -evening, however, the expectant throng was not confined to these -weaker souls. It appeared that the impression had somehow got about -that the absence of Prince Romanos betokened a foray that night, and a -consequent abundance of provisions on the morrow, so that from all the -nearer posts the garrisons had come in to demand that the food in hand -should at once be distributed to all alike, and delegates had arrived -from the Karakula lines with the same request. With his little band of -faithful men at his back, Maurice refused it absolutely. There was no -likelihood whatever of a raid that night. It might not take place for -three or four days, perhaps not at all, and it would be madness to -consume all the available supplies. The men were not sufficiently -ravenous to use force, but there was an ugly mutinous spirit among -them, which showed itself in the defiant raising of the cry, “Romanos -for Prince!” as they returned to their respective posts. -</p> - -<p> -The night passed without alarm, and Maurice rejoiced that the -monastery guard and the men at the nearest encampment were all Slavs, -since they felt a natural inclination to champion his cause against -that of Prince Romanos, and might be relied upon to warn him if any -treachery was attempted against him personally. There was no sign of -the scouting party in the morning, and Maurice hurried down to -Ephestilo to see Wylie, and returned to the usual daily routine, -issuing rations, judging small causes, and arranging for funerals, -while Eirene and Zoe visited the hospital. It was about mid-day that -the unmistakable sound of rifle-fire reached him, coming from the -direction of the isthmus. Seizing a glass, he ran up to the top of the -gateway. Did his eyes deceive him, or was the line of Roumi transports -shorter than before? He counted them; there were two less on the -horizon, and all were moving northwards. The sound of firing grew -louder; was it merely heavier, or was it approaching? The guards were -assembling in groups, looking, with almost stupid astonishment, in the -direction of Karakula, and discussing what the meaning of the sound -could be. Maurice ran down again, sent off a messenger to recall -Eirene and Zoe, and to warn the refugees to seek shelter round the -monastery, and leaving a small guard there, started for the isthmus -with the rest of his men. Before they had gone far, a breathless -messenger came toiling up the path in front and met them. -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, the Roumis have landed on the isthmus, and are inside the lines -of Karakula.” -</p> - -<p> -“Inside? But what has happened to the garrison?” -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, many of them had followed the Lord Romanos into the defiles, -and there was no time to recall them. There were some who remained, -but they were killed or driven back. And the Roumis have captured the -hermitage of Akri, for all the men there had departed.” -</p> - -<p> -“Akri lost?” cried Maurice. The blow was a heavy one, for the post -commanded both the lines of Karakula in front of it and the next line -of defence in the rear. “Is there no one left? Where is the picked -force?” -</p> - -<p> -“They are all gone across the isthmus, lord. When the message came -from the Lord Romanos, an hour before dawn, only the picked force were -summoned, but all the rest went also, saying they would get food for -themselves, since it was not given them.” -</p> - -<p> -“A message? to the force—not to me?” -</p> - -<p> -“I know not, lord. Gatso the fisherman brought it.” -</p> - -<p> -Maurice turned to the ex-brigand Zeko. “Find Gatso, if he is anywhere -inside the lines, and bring him to me,” he said. “Come on, the rest of -you.” -</p> - -<p> -As they hurried on along the precipitous paths, it became clear from -the sound of the firing that the inner line of defences was being -attacked, and when they reached them, crawling on hands and knees for -the last part of the way, they were a welcome reinforcement to the -defenders. The Roumis had not yet realised the full advantage given -them by the possession of the height of Akri, from which they could -have rendered the lower breastworks untenable, but their riflemen were -keeping up a heavy fire from cover in front. Maurice divided the men -who had come with him, sending parties away on both sides to reinforce -the weakest points, and taking the rifle of a man who had been killed, -settled himself at a loophole in the breastwork at which he had first -arrived, which was that commanding the chief path into the interior. -In the intervals of firing he questioned the men on either side as to -the events of the morning, of which their impressions were somewhat -hazy. The message brought by Gatso in the darkness, to the effect that -Prince Romanos had discovered a large provision-convoy, on its way -from Therma, halted outside the Roumi camp, and that he was about to -attack it immediately, had drawn away more than half of the Karakula -force, while the garrisons of Akri and other isolated points had -deserted <i>en masse</i>. They had crossed the isthmus and entered the -defiles without alarm, and those left behind had thought of nothing -but what was going on beyond the hills. Even the consciousness of -superior virtue could not keep them from grumbling as they gathered -round their fires and made coffee at dawn, and into the midst of their -grumbling came the volley which told them that the Roumis had landed. -During Wylie’s illness, a number of lazy men, who found it took them -too long to go round the marsh, had made a rough path across it with -hurdles and bundles of reeds, intending, of course, to remove these -stepping-stones at the first hint of a landing. They had not had time -to do so, however, and the Roumis, landing unobserved in the twilight, -had stolen up, and were inside the defences before their presence was -even suspected. Taken absolutely by surprise, the defenders fought -like heroes, and succeeded in keeping back their assailants -sufficiently to secure their own retreat on the second line, only to -discover that this disastrous morning’s work had been crowned by the -abandonment of Akri, up which two or three daring Roumis crept, to -find themselves, much to their elation, masters of the position. Until -they should occupy it in force, matters remained at a standstill, both -sides firing at each other from cover, and neither venturing to show -themselves. In this interval a diversion was caused by the entrance -into Maurice’s redoubt of the stalwart Zeko, dragging and pushing a -protesting Greek. -</p> - -<p> -“Gatso the fisherman, lord,” he announced, with a final shove that -cast his victim prone at Maurice’s feet. “I found him hiding in a cave -on the way to Ephestilo.” -</p> - -<p> -Gatso protested incoherently as he knelt that he had given his message -word for word. The Lord Romanos had indeed discovered a rich convoy, -only waiting to be attacked, and had despatched him with the news, -which he had duly delivered. Maurice interrupted him. -</p> - -<p> -“To whom were you told to take the news?” he demanded. -</p> - -<p> -“To the picked force, lord,” was the glib answer. -</p> - -<p> -“To them first?” Gatso declared with much invocation of saints that it -was so, but Zeko’s grip descended again on the back of his neck, and -changed his tune. “To—to you, lord, at the monastery,” he gasped. -“Oh, Holy Virgin, I shall be choked!” -</p> - -<p> -“Let him go, Zeko,” said Maurice contemptuously. “You see what he has -done,” he added to the other men. “Instead of delivering his message -as he was told, he has spread it broadcast, and by drawing the -garrisons from their posts, has brought about this defeat. What does -he deserve?” -</p> - -<p> -“Death, lord,” was the unanimous answer, and every man in the redoubt -looked ready to execute the sentence. But Maurice waved them back. -</p> - -<p> -“We have lost too many men to waste more,” he said. “You ought to be -shot, Gatso, but take this rifle and see how many Roumis you can shoot -instead.” -</p> - -<p> -There was a murmur of discontent, and Gatso himself showed no -particular gratitude; but he took the rifle and crawled to the -loophole, while Maurice set himself to work along the line and see -whether it was in immediate danger of being pierced at any other -point. Everywhere he found his men confronted by the Roumis, and shots -being exchanged at intervals. The enemy had already landed troops -enough to outnumber his force twice over, and he was hopelessly cut -off from his best men, who were all with Prince Romanos beyond the -isthmus. A determined rush on the part of the Roumis must break the -weak line. Perhaps they were waiting until night to make it, or -perhaps they were planning to make a second landing at disaffected -Skandalo, or in one of the smaller bays, and take him in the rear. He -thought of Wylie lying sick at Ephestilo, of Eirene and Zoe and the -other women practically defenceless at the monastery, and reflected -bitterly that he could not depend on the guards at the various -landing-places even to warn him of an attack unless he was in the -immediate neighbourhood. “We must certainly have either Wylie’s Sikhs -or some other force that we can trust, as a nucleus, before we can -hope to turn these chaps into soldiers,” he said to himself, and then -remembered that he was planning for a future which his short-lived -sovereignty would now never see. There was just the chance that Prince -Romanos, with his victorious force, might be keeping out of sight in -the defiles, intending to make a rear attack, when darkness fell, on -the Roumis who barred his way, in which case there would be more hope -of the stubborn defence, contesting each inch of ground, on which they -had relied, in the last resort, to awaken the tardy sympathy of -Europe. But when he reached the right-hand extremity of his line, -resting on the sea, a chorus of lamentation met him. The men not at -the loopholes were gathered round a dripping form, which they were -wrapping in their own clothes, and plying with coffee. -</p> - -<p> -“The only one escaped!” they told Maurice, with awe. “He saw the Lord -Romanos fall.” -</p> - -<p> -“Tell me,” said Maurice, and the fugitive sat up. He was a Greek from -the mainland, who had been foremost in pressing the claims of Prince -Romanos, but now he saluted Maurice as Prince. -</p> - -<p> -“You are left, lord,” he said. “The Lord Romanos is slain.” -</p> - -<p> -“Tell me,” said Maurice again, while a groan broke from the listeners. -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, I was one of those who went from Akri when the message came of -the spoil at hand. The Lord Romanos was angry that we had forsaken our -posts, but said he would make use of us before sending us back. Under -his orders we attacked the convoy, which was encamped in no order, -every cart having halted where it chose—an easy prey. But it was a -trap, and nothing more. In the carts, under the coverings, were -men—Roumis—and upon us, as we fought with them, came other Roumis -from behind, while in front the Pasha’s camp turned out at the alarm. -We saw that an ambush had been laid for us, and that death was at -hand, and every man sought only to slay as many of the accursed as -possible before dying himself. I saw the Lord Romanos struck down, -fighting with sword and revolver, and the accursed raised a mighty -shout. How I escaped I know not, but I found myself on the outskirts -of the fight, and the sea not far off, and life was strong within me. -Therefore I flung myself from the rocks, and sometimes swimming, and -again wading along the shore, I passed the hills and the isthmus, and -seeing the Roumis at Karakula, cast myself into the sea once more and -reached this place, which is now little better——” -</p> - -<p> -“Lord!” a panting herald of disaster burst into the group and -confronted Maurice, “the Roumis are firing from Akri, and the sons of -freedom fall fast. Is it your pleasure that they should hold the -breastwork until all are slain?” -</p> - -<p> -“I will come,” said Maurice. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch19"> -CHAPTER XIX.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE BITTER END.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Inside</span> the breastwork commanding the path the defenders were -crouching close under the loopholes to avoid the fire which was being -poured in by a strong body of riflemen posted on Akri. Several dead -bodies lay unheeded behind them, victims of the first volley, and most -of the men had received wounds. They met Maurice with a subdued cheer -as he crawled in among them. -</p> - -<p> -“You will not keep us here to be shot, lord?” they questioned him -eagerly. “You will give the word for us to dash upon the bayonets, and -kill as we are killed?” -</p> - -<p> -“You would be shot down before you could cover half the distance. No, -lie still, and don’t reply to the fire. Then they may think we are all -killed, and try to rush the breastwork.” -</p> - -<p> -But even as Maurice spoke, he remembered that the enemy on Akri could -pour in a volley that would kill all his men the moment they rose to -their feet, and he began to wonder whether he ought to withdraw them -one by one while the Roumis in front were still lying down and taking -long shots. If this line were pierced, the way would be open, with -only occasional obstacles, to the defences surrounding the monastery -itself, and when they were attacked, then it would indeed be the -beginning of the end. But could the line be held? “Oh, if only Wylie -were here!” he breathed, and started when one of the men laid a hand -upon his arm, and directed his attention to the dry stream-bed behind -a projecting rock which afforded a sheltered entrance to the -breastwork from the rear. There was Wylie, haggard and unshaven, -holding fast with both hands to the packsaddle of the mule on which he -was precariously perched, riding down towards the threatened point, -his guards accompanying him with sullen faces. The enemy on Akri -seemed to detect a reinforcement in the half-seen forms moving behind -rocks and bushes, and sent a volley in their direction for a change. -The mule was hit, and came down on its knees, the guards dragging -Wylie off just in time. Maurice crawled back to meet him, and found -him sitting upon a stone, hardly able to speak. -</p> - -<p> -“This is madness!” said Maurice. “Let them take you back at once.” -</p> - -<p> -“Akri gone?” asked Wylie, speaking slowly and with difficulty, and -paying no attention to his friend. “Send ten men with Mausers up -here,” indicating the protecting rock above him. “Just cover -enough—enfilade Akri—keep down fire.” -</p> - -<p> -Astonished and delighted, Maurice obeyed, leading the men up in -person, to find that from the summit of the rock they could indeed -obtain a side view of the top of Akri, and that the riflemen there -were absolutely exposed. A few minutes made a gratifying difference in -the state of affairs. The fire which had had such damaging results -ceased entirely, the few survivors of the Roumi marksmen crawling away -to huddle in the shelter of the ruins of the hermitage. Leaving his -men to hold the rock, Maurice descended it to report. -</p> - -<p> -“Thought so,” said Wylie. “Top of Akri slopes on that side—no cover. -They must bring up sandbags before they can fire again—won’t do that -till dark. Suppose you haven’t thought of sending for one of the -Maxims?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, indeed,” confessed Maurice. “Shall I take some of the men and -fetch it?” -</p> - -<p> -“Better. Not the one commanding the gateway—we may want that—the -other. Prolong the agony a bit while the ammunition holds out—they’ll -hardly face it. I’ll hold the fort here while you’re gone.” -</p> - -<p> -Divided between relief at this unexpected accession of strength and -anxiety for Wylie, Maurice departed on his errand. At the monastery he -found that Eirene and Zoe had organised a corps of messengers,—small -boys who were to bring periodical reports from the various possible -landing-places,—and that at present there was no sign of a Roumi -descent on any other point. -</p> - -<p> -“Good reason,” growled Wylie, when he returned with the gun and told -him of this. “They know that the paths leading to the monastery from -Skandalo and Ephestilo are practically impassable in the face of any -opposition at all. This path along the hills is the only hopeful one -for an army.” -</p> - -<p> -He spoke more easily, and now that the exhaustion caused by the rough -ride was over, something of his ordinary alert look was returning. -While Maurice was absent, he had directed the building of a rough -shelter, a mere framework of loose stones, for the men working the -Maxim, and it was now placed in position, commanding the path. -</p> - -<p> -“Pure bluff,” he remarked. “They are bound to break the line somewhere -if they keep on trying, but this gives us a slight moral advantage. -They know that we can wipe out a good many of them when it comes to a -final tussle, and therefore it may just make them willing to -negotiate.” -</p> - -<p> -“It’s come to that, then?” said Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -Wylie nodded. “I gather from the men that Christodoridi has played the -fool to some purpose. He has relieved us of more than half our -fighting men, with their rifles and ammunition, and those we have left -have been pouring out cartridges like water, to judge by the firing I -heard at Ephestilo. We can’t go on long at that rate. Our food may -hold out for two days, now that we have lost so many mouths, but not -longer. Therefore it would be as well to make use of the two days.” -</p> - -<p> -“It’s a little sudden,” said Maurice, almost apologetically. “Last -night the food was the only trouble.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, and might have been so still if Christodoridi had happened to -carry a piece of paper and a pencil instead of sending a verbal -message. You would have realised, if he didn’t, that his beautiful -halted convoy must be a trap. But it’s no good crying over wasted -casualties. I’ll stay here while you go back and settle things with -Terminoff and the rest. When you are ready, we must send a flag of -truce, I suppose.” -</p> - -<p> -“To suggest what?” -</p> - -<p> -Wylie looked up at him with approval. “You see, as I do, that it’s all -up,” he said, “but we’ll keep a stiff upper lip. Offer to surrender as -prisoners of war. The Roumis will probably accept, without for a -moment intending to keep the terms, but if we are once recognised as -belligerents, the Admirals must for very shame interfere if anything -in the way of a massacre is attempted. Let Terminoff go as envoy, and -tell him to communicate with the Admirals if he can, so as to get -their guarantee for the terms.” -</p> - -<p> -“Do you think they’ll give it? You imagine that there’s some faint -chance still?” asked Maurice incredulously. -</p> - -<p> -Wylie shook his head. “They won’t give it. But we preserve our high -moral attitude. Not that it’ll do much good to you and me, but it may -save the lives of some of those wretched refugees, and it may be of -some future service to the Emathian cause.” -</p> - -<p> -“Of which you have no reason to think kindly. Wylie, I won’t insult -you by asking you to forgive me for dragging you into this, but I will -say that if I had guessed how the Powers would behave, and the -Christians, I should have thought my own life was enough to throw -away.” -</p> - -<p> -“Can’t be helped,” said Wylie. “Luck’s been against us all through. -Well, ‘whirligig of time,’ don’t you know? A hundred years hence they -may be worshipping you and me with haloes on in every village of a -free Emathia.” -</p> - -<p> -“As martyrs?” said Maurice lightly as he turned away, but his mouth -set firmly when he had taken the path to the monastery. “No martyrdom -for you, if I can help it!” he said, addressing in his thoughts the -distant Wylie. “Eirene owes me something, and she may as well pay it -in this way as any other. And pay it she shall.” -</p> - -<p> -Arrived at the monastery, he summoned Dr Terminoff and the other -insurgent leaders to a council. He had thought that by this time he -knew the men with whom he had to deal, but it came upon him with a -shock that he was mistaken. Dr Terminoff, hitherto so obliging, so -ready to listen to reason, refused definitely to become the bearer of -the offer of surrender. He explained his position frankly. -</p> - -<p> -“It is quite possible,” he said, “that the Roumis may, under the -influence of the Admirals, repeat their former offer of immunity for -the common people if the leaders are given up. Our leaders have -throughout been Prince Theophanis, Prince Christodoridi, and Colonel -Wylie. I see no reason to put myself forward as a leader when I have -enjoyed none of the privileges of leadership.” -</p> - -<p> -“Perhaps you would prefer me to carry the offer in person?” suggested -Maurice, unable to keep a hint of sarcasm out of his voice. “Only I -fear that if the Roumis should refuse to recognise the flag of truce -and seize me, you would have lost your chief asset without any -equivalent.” -</p> - -<p> -The usual scene of disorder ensued. Every one saw that it was out of -the question for Maurice to go, but nobody wished to go himself. -Finally some one suggested that the task would be a suitable one for a -monk, and as the monks of Hagiamavra were known to have objected -strenuously to the selection of their monastery as an insurgent -stronghold, they might be able to obtain at least a hearing from -Jalal-ud-din. The Hegoumenos, when the matter was laid before him by a -deputation, was very naturally averse from compromising himself by -doing anything to help his unwelcome guests out of their difficulties, -but his objections were vigorously combated. If the insurgents -continued to hold out, the monks must starve with them; while if the -Roumis stormed the place, it was highly unlikely that they would be -spared in the general slaughter, so that it was distinctly to their -interest to bring about a settlement if possible. One of the officials -of the monastery and a lay brother were at length chosen by lot to -carry the proposal, which was signed by Maurice alone. The insurgent -chiefs, in their new-born zeal for self-effacement, would not put -their names to it, and he flatly refused to ask Wylie for his -signature. -</p> - -<p> -“Colonel Wylie is here as my servant,” he said, when the rest -objected. “Prince Christodoridi and I have been your only leaders. Now -I am left alone, but I need no one to share my responsibility.” -</p> - -<p> -This attitude was so surprising that it inspired Lazar Nilischeff and -his group with the suspicion that Maurice intended to purchase his own -safety by betraying the insurgents. They insisted on the English -stewards being called in and required suddenly to translate the offer -of surrender, that they might be sure it contained no conditions of -which they were ignorant, and they would not allow Maurice to hand it -himself to the two monks, lest he should give them secret -instructions. A month ago such behaviour on their part would have -filled him with disgust, but to-day he submitted to their exactions -with a patience that surprised them. They were like a wild animal in a -trap, he realised, snapping desperately even at the hand which tries -to release it. -</p> - -<p> -There had been some doubt whether Jalal-ud-din, once out of sight of -the Admirals, would recognise a flag of truce, but that run up on the -breastwork which was held by Wylie and dominated by the Maxim was -responded to by one from the Roumi line, and the two monks walked -boldly out into the open. Their high caps and black robes crossed the -space swept during the day by the fire of both parties, and -disappeared into the Roumi lines, and those left behind resigned -themselves to wait. It was not until after dark that the return of the -ambassadors was announced by the approach of a party bearing a flag of -truce, who left them midway across the open space and departed. The -two old men were much shaken by their experience, though they had -suffered no bodily harm. They had been taken before Jalal-ud-din -himself, who had thundered out a demand for unconditional surrender, -and refused even to listen to the suggestion of any other terms. -Permission to communicate either with the Admirals or with the Consuls -at Therma had been denied, but the only European in the camp, a -Hercynian whose status did not appear to be exactly defined, had held -out no hope of help from Europe. He would do his best to intercede for -the lives of any of the inhabitants of the peninsula who were not -taken with arms in their hands, but that was all; and the general -impression gained from this conversation was that Europe would not be -sorry to see the place swept clear by a general massacre, thus at once -punishing past defiance and saving future trouble. -</p> - -<p> -The truce was to remain in force until the next evening, to allow the -insurgents time to discuss their hard case among themselves, and -Maurice went down to the breastwork and carried Wylie off to the -monastery almost by main force, dexterously depriving him of his last -excuse by first sending for his possessions from Ephestilo. The hour -that followed, spent under the shelter of impending doom, reminded the -four who shared the recollection of an evening passed long ago in the -brigands’ camp. Zoe and Eirene had not been told of the severe -alternative which was all that was offered, but the prospect of -surrender, even as prisoners of war, was painful enough in its -destruction of all that they had lived for during the last few months. -Still, each kept up for the sake of the rest, pretending all the while -that it was for the sake of little Constantine, who clung to his -father with a determination that appealed to Maurice as a kind of -premonition, and could hardly be torn from him when bedtime came. -</p> - -<p> -Troubles began early the next day. Maurice was roused by Wylie’s voice -in the gallery, and going out, found him leaning on a stick and giving -orders to his guards, who looked thoroughly frightened. -</p> - -<p> -“What’s the matter?” asked Maurice, when the men had gone. -</p> - -<p> -“Matter enough. The Roumis have broken the truce and pierced our line -in the night. They are posted all along the deep gully between us and -Ephestilo.” -</p> - -<p> -“But there was no firing—no alarm!” cried Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“No need. Nilischeff and his men were holding a palaver, and they had -only to slip past.” -</p> - -<p> -“But we can turn them out?” -</p> - -<p> -“If we try it we shall have them on us along the whole line. No, -honestly I think it will be best to let them stay there for the -day—taking care they get no farther, of course—and make use of the -truce if they will let us.” -</p> - -<p> -“How? by trying to communicate with the Admirals again?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, that’s useless. By getting your wife and sister away.” -</p> - -<p> -“But, good Heavens! you say we are cut off from Ephestilo.” -</p> - -<p> -“By the direct path, but there is a longer way round. Zeko will take -them down all right.” -</p> - -<p> -“But not to-day. You have not warned the ships.” -</p> - -<p> -“As soon as it is dusk this evening. That will give us time to burn -the blue lights on the gateway, for they can’t get to Ephestilo by the -long way till to-morrow morning at earliest. Then Cotway will be ready -for them.” -</p> - -<p> -“But—old man, I know you’re doing your best for them, but do you -realise what it means—a night journey through these hills, with the -Roumis swarming in every direction? Wouldn’t they be better even -staying here?” -</p> - -<p> -“No,” said Wylie shortly. “You don’t know what Nilischeff and his men -were discussing in the night, but I do. They mean to save their own -wretched skins by handing us all over—all, mind—to the Roumis.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then let us do one piece of justice before our chance is gone, and -shoot the lot of them.” -</p> - -<p> -Wylie shook his head. “No; keep on the mask and anticipate them by -surrendering, when once the ladies are safe. I doubt if you would have -men enough behind you to do it, for one thing. Nilischeff has made -them believe that the enmity of the Powers is against us personally, -and that when we are once out of the way Thracia will step forward as -the deliverer favoured by all Europe.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t mind what he makes out about me,” said Maurice wrathfully, -“but to contemplate giving up women to the Roumis!—and this from men -who know what it means! Well, I will tell Eirene to be ready.” -</p> - -<p> -It was some time before he had the opportunity of speaking to his wife -in private, and when he called her she was at first too busy to -respond. Then she came out of her room looking annoyed. -</p> - -<p> -“I wish you wouldn’t speak so loud, Maurice,” she said. “You know how -difficult it is to get Constantine settled for his day-sleep, and he -always starts up when he hears your voice.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, he won’t be disturbed in that way much longer. You understand -that it’s all up with us here, Eirene? I think it is better that you -and Zoe and Con should be out of the way before all the business of -the surrender begins, so I shall pack you off this evening to -Ephestilo, where Admiral Essiter will send a boat to fetch you on -board the <i>Magniloquent</i>.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have never asked you to face any disagreeables that I was not -willing to share,” said Eirene. “I shall stay here with you, of -course.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think not. I am sorry to be obliged to speak plainly, Eirene. You -would not wish Zoe to be left as Con’s guardian?” -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice!” she cried quickly, but he went on unheeding. -</p> - -<p> -“The Admiral will protect you, and give you advice if you need it. You -will have the independent control of Teffany-Wise’s money, and no -doubt you will be able to use it more profitably for Con than for me.” -</p> - -<p> -“But you talk as if—something was going to happen to you,” she -faltered. -</p> - -<p> -“It’s extremely likely that something is. But that need not trouble -you. You will have Con to yourself, and can plan his future as you -like.” -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice!” Eirene took her courage in both hands, and went close to -him. “Has it seemed—I mean, you could not have thought that—that -when we had all those quarrels I—I didn’t care?” -</p> - -<p> -“We will say that you dissembled your love with remarkable skill,” -said Maurice, as lightly as he could. “Don’t imagine I blame you. You -ought never to have married me. We thought you knew your own mind, but -you were too young. I couldn’t give you what you had a right to -expect, and you couldn’t do without it, as you once thought you could. -I have been nothing but a disappointment to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, no!” she cried eagerly. “I have never repented—never. I would -marry you again to-morrow if—— Oh, Maurice!” struck by his lack of -response, “don’t say you have repented—all along!” -</p> - -<p> -“That I certainly have not. There have been times—— But it does no -good to talk about it. How could I help repenting, for your sake, when -I saw you struggling, chafing, hardly able to keep back the contempt -you felt for me?” -</p> - -<p> -“I wanted to bring out the best in you,” she said, choking back a -sob,—“to make you worthy of your birthright, not let you sink into a -mere country gentleman. Perhaps I have seemed unkind, but I meant it -for your good.” -</p> - -<p> -“I never doubted it,” he assured her; “but you see, I knew all along -that my good meant your ambition. The conjunction was unfortunate, but -it was not your fault.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are cruel!” burst from Eirene. -</p> - -<p> -“Am I? That was the last thing I intended. I hoped that when you -explained to Con that his father was a failure, you would at least be -able to say that he meant well.” -</p> - -<p> -“You will break my heart, Maurice. You loved me once; is your love -quite gone? Have I destroyed it? Oh, don’t answer me in that cruel -cold voice! Is there nothing I can do? I do care; I have always cared. -Let me do something to make you believe it. Maurice!” she laid her -hands on his shoulders, “ask me to stay with you, let me die with -you—just to show you have forgiven me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Certainly not. No, no!” as he saw the agony in her eyes, “there is -nothing to forgive. We both made a mistake, and it is about my only -piece of comfort that you will now have the chance of repairing it. -But as to doing something for me—there is one thing——” -</p> - -<p> -“Tell me. Let me do it,” she panted. -</p> - -<p> -“Insist on my sending Wylie to escort you to Ephestilo. Then I shall -not have his blood on my head.” -</p> - -<p> -“Colonel Wylie? But why not you?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because I can’t leave these poor wretches, whom I have led into this, -but he has nothing to do with them. It would take a load from my mind -if I knew he was safe. And he will be a good friend to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have never liked him——” began Eirene, but she interrupted herself -quickly. “No, I will do it, I will; but only for your sake, Maurice. -You understand that?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do, and I thank you. But, Eirene, you must put no more obstacles -between him and Zoe. She is not to be a pawn in your game any longer. -Is that quite clear?” -</p> - -<p> -“If it is another thing I can do for you, it is.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch20"> -CHAPTER XX.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">FUGITIVES.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -“<span class="sc">Maurice</span>, it isn’t true! You are not sending us away and staying -here yourself?” -</p> - -<p> -“My dear Zoe, it’s the only thing to be done. But I foresee that my -hair will be grey before it is done.” -</p> - -<p> -“But don’t you see that when we have held out so long—— Oh, Maurice, -we came for the sake of the cause, and we don’t want to forsake it -when it has failed. We don’t mean to go away and be saved without -you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Don’t you think I know that? But when the only thing you can do for -me is to go quietly——? There’s Con, you know. We couldn’t let the -little chap be killed without trying to save him, could we? And you -will have to help look after him, see that he doesn’t quite forget me, -don’t you know?” -</p> - -<p> -“I hate Eirene!” cried Zoe passionately. -</p> - -<p> -“No, don’t say that. She is awfully cut up—didn’t realise how near we -were to the end of all things, of course. I say, Zoe, you mustn’t -visit this on her. It’s not her fault really, and I want you two to -stick together. If you say to yourself—I mean, if you remember—if it -occurs to you, don’t you know?—that I—I cared for her, perhaps it -might make it easier.” -</p> - -<p> -“It won’t, because she has treated you so shamefully.” -</p> - -<p> -“At least she has promised to do the last thing I shall ask her, and -you won’t.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, Maurice, of course I will! Oh, what a shame! you have made me -promise. But, my dear boy——” -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice!” the curtain at the door was lifted, and Eirene came in, -very pale and quiet. “I want to know who is to go with us to-night. -They say that the way to Ephestilo is blocked, and that we shall have -to go round.” -</p> - -<p> -“Wylie thought Zeko would be the best man to command the escort,” said -Maurice, guessing that Wylie was within hearing; “and we shall pick -out six of our best men to go with him.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is not enough,” said Eirene imperiously. “I mean, we must have a -European. We may come on the Roumis anywhere. You must send Colonel -Wylie with us.” -</p> - -<p> -“Of course, the very thing!” said Maurice, with almost too ready -acquiescence. “I’ll tell him he is to go.” -</p> - -<p> -“I beg your pardon,” said Wylie, appearing in the doorway; “but I have -a voice in the matter, and I am not going. You will find Zeko quite -trustworthy, Princess, and he knows the way as well as I do.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is not fitting,” persisted Eirene. “Maurice, I decline to go -unless we are properly escorted.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your husband commands here, ma’am,” said Wylie sharply. “If it is his -order that you are to go, go you will.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not at all. Are you not teaching me to defy him at this very moment, -Colonel Wylie? I can quite believe you are capable of sending me away -by force, but I may remind you that if I chose to scream or struggle, -all your plans would be betrayed.” -</p> - -<p> -Wylie turned away impatiently. “You may say what you like, ma’am, but -I am not going.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not if I ask it, Wylie?” said Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“No,” was the gruff reply. “You are plotting to save me from whatever -happens to you, and I won’t have it.” -</p> - -<p> -“‘I will be drowned, and nobody shall save me,’” quoted Maurice, in a -perplexity so hopeless that it became humorous. “Look at it sensibly, -old man. Can’t you realise what a comfort it would be to me to know -that the girls had some one to look after them?” -</p> - -<p> -“I stay here to look after you.” Wylie was unmoved. -</p> - -<p> -“But you are on the sick list. Really, you wouldn’t add to our -fighting strength much, you know, and if we succeed in surrendering -before Nilischeff does it for us, your presence would complicate -matters horribly. You are a meddlesome foreigner, you see, without -even as much right here as I have. To make things easier—as a favour -to me——” -</p> - -<p> -“Don’t ask favours, Maurice; give your orders!” cried Eirene, her -voice high and harsh. “You realise, if Colonel Wylie doesn’t, that we -may never reach Ephestilo, and that we must not fall into the hands of -the Roumis. Do you see now, both of you? Neither Constantine nor Zoe -nor I—no descendant of John Theophanis—must fall into the hands of -the Roumis.” -</p> - -<p> -“Wylie, you see?” cried Maurice passionately. “How could I put such a -responsibility into the hands of Zeko?” -</p> - -<p> -“For God’s sake, don’t put it into mine!” cried Wylie in horror. “Go -yourself, and leave me here.” -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t, and you know it. Wylie, you must go. You are the only man I -can trust in a thing of this kind.” -</p> - -<p> -Wylie looked round him with hunted eyes, as though seeking a way of -escape. Then, with a groan, “All right. I’ll go,” he said. -</p> - -<p> -“I knew you would. Thanks, old man.” -</p> - -<p> -“And after all,” said Zoe, trying to keep her lips from trembling as -she spoke, “we may meet the party from the ship quite soon, and then -Colonel Wylie can come back at once to you, Maurice.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, of course. That I will,” said Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Only if you have handed them over safely,” said Maurice. “Don’t let -me see you again if you can’t do that.” -</p> - -<p> -“All right. We start as soon as it is dusk, then.” His voice had -regained its usual tones as he turned to Eirene and Zoe. “Put on -native shoes, and dark clothes, if you have them—handkerchiefs on -your heads instead of hats, like the women here. No luggage, of -course. I will give you the blue lights,” he added to Maurice. “You -must burn them on the gateway at half-hour intervals, without fail. If -the Emathians object, tell them it is a signal of distress, a last -appeal for help from the Admirals. You must keep our absence a secret, -of course. I will have the men we are to take with us put on guard, so -that they can get away without being seen.” -</p> - -<p> -How the hours of that dreadful day wore themselves away, none of the -people chiefly affected could have told. By far the most cheerful was -Maurice, over whom the impending doom hung most certainly. Eirene was -filled with a passionate remorse, which it was now too late to prove -save by the promptest acquiescence in anything her husband suggested, -and Wylie went about like a man under sentence of death. As for Zoe, -the active imagination which had played such a large part in her -history ran riot now in scenes and possibilities of horror, until she -could only restore herself to some measure of calmness by the sage -reflection that nothing in all her life had ever proved as terrible as -she had pictured it beforehand. The only humorous element in the day’s -doings was furnished by Zeko and his six men, who objected as strongly -as did Wylie to being sent out of the way of danger, and could only be -induced to go by the promise that they should return with him when the -ladies had been placed in safety. -</p> - -<p> -It was more difficult now to leave the monastery secretly than it had -been when the adventurers reached Hagiamavra, for the hills round it -were no longer solitary, but dotted with the huts and tents and -camp-fires of the insurgents and refugees, who were crowding closer to -this central point as the lines were tightened round them. Maurice was -naturally the chief object of interest to these people, and he -concentrated their attention on himself by preparing to start with his -guards, shortly before dusk, for the breastwork on which the Maxim had -been mounted the day before, to resume the defence as soon as the -armistice expired. The malcontents under Nilischeff, their occupation -gone by the loss of the line they should have defended, hung about -sullenly until he ordered them away to strengthen other weak points, -and begging women and wailing children, demanding vainly the food -which he had not to give them, watched the departure of the forlorn -hope. For that it was a forlorn hope there could be no doubt. The -Roumi seizure of the ravine between the monastery and Ephestilo had -driven a wedge into the heart of the defences, and no one knew better -than Maurice that at any moment he might be stabbed in the back by his -own men. But his business was to keep matters going somehow until the -morning, and then to obtain such terms as he could for the poor -starving people around. -</p> - -<p> -Through the open doors of the great gateway the monastery guards could -be seen sitting round their fire in the courtyard, Eirene and Zoe were -on the gallery to wave farewell to Maurice, and Wylie was clearly -visible in the background, doing something to the remaining Maxim. No -one could have imagined that they had any intention of leaving the -place that night, but in an hour all was changed. Slipping out one by -one from the small door at the side of the gateway, the fugitives -assembled in the shadow, while the fire in the courtyard was -diligently kept up by Armitage’s steward, who had volunteered to -remain for this special purpose, so that the light might continue to -be visible to the people encamped outside. He was also charged with -the care of the blue lights, the first of which shed a ghastly glare -about an hour later over the rugged landscape and the awestruck -upturned faces of the refugees. They interpreted it as a supernatural -portent of disaster, a sign of the divine wrath such as preceded the -fall of Jerusalem, and a chorus of mingled shrieks and wailing arose, -until the steward, much irritated, roused two lay brethren forcibly -from their slumbers, and sent them to calm the people with the news -that the terrible lights were the sign of safety rather than of ruin. -</p> - -<p> -The fugitives were well beyond the range of the light when the glare -first broke out. Zeko went in advance, to make sure of a path, since -to stumble over a sleeping refugee would have been to wreck all hope, -then three of his men, then Eirene, carrying little Constantine in a -shawl wrapped round her, and Zoe, to whom she resolutely refused -permission to share the burden, while the rear was brought up by -Wylie, walking feebly with the aid of a stick, and the other three -insurgents. The levels and plateaus were necessarily avoided, and the -way led down dry torrent-beds, and up steep hillsides covered with -thickets of sweet-smelling shrubs, where the only thing to be heard, -besides the soft footfalls of the party, was the chirp of the -grasshopper. There was no moon, which was an advantage in one way and -a drawback in another, but Zeko was well accustomed to finding his way -by the stars, and he led on almost without a pause until, halting on a -ridge after a specially exhausting climb, his followers became aware -of a sound which was not that of their own labouring breath. -</p> - -<p> -“Down! down!” hissed Zeko, and they crouched under the bushes from -which they had just emerged, while the guide beckoned Wylie to him. -Together they crawled forward, and were lost to sight for a time which -seemed interminable to the two women, who could now distinguish -clearly the sound of muffled footsteps on the other side of the ridge. -Constantine, who had been inclined to be unduly talkative in the -surprise of this night-journey, went to sleep in his mother’s arms -with a murmur of content, and they waited with what patience they -might, the guards lying round them, with itching fingers on the -triggers of their rifles. At last Wylie returned. -</p> - -<p> -“The Roumis are more enterprising than we thought them,” he said. -“They are evidently sending a force up to act against the monastery -from this side, so we shall have to change our route a little, and try -to cross their line of march when they have passed.” -</p> - -<p> -This meant a tedious working along the top of the slope among the -bushes, ready to drop down under their shadow at a word, thus pursuing -a course parallel with that of the advancing Roumis, but in the -reverse direction. After a while, the friendly ridge sank into a -confusion of hillocks and ravines, and here it was necessary to -proceed even more carefully, since any moment might bring them face to -face with Roumi stragglers who had taken a wrong turning in the dark. -The danger was so great that Zeko bore away gradually more to the -left, away from the line of march, despite the remonstrances of Wylie, -who urged that they were getting into a region neither of them knew, -and that it would be wiser to wait for a while, until the enemy was -quite out of hearing. But Zeko was so confident of his ability to find -his way, and so resolutely determined to keep moving, lest time should -be wasted, that he still pressed on, leading his unfortunate charges -such a dance, up hill and down dale, that it was with positive -physical relief they heard him at last confess he did not know where -he was, and that it would be well to wait for daylight before going -farther, lest they should run into the midst of the enemy. They were -now in a well-wooded, or rather well-bushed, ravine, and he suggested -that they should conceal themselves in the undergrowth and snatch what -rest they could. Wylie agreed perforce, for the long hours of -scrambling had told upon him so much that he could scarcely stand, and -he advised Zoe and Eirene to pull their head-handkerchiefs over their -faces, so as to save themselves from scratches, and work their way in -under the bushes. The guards were already doing this, and a sudden -exclamation, followed by a string of prayers in a strange voice, made -Wylie and Zeko angrily order silence. -</p> - -<p> -“It is a man, lord!” they answered, crawling out again and dragging -with them a dishevelled figure, who was gradually identified, when his -terror had a little subsided, as a goatherd named Mikhaili. His hut -was situated in these ravines, he told them, and thinking it was safe -from molestation by reason of its solitude, he and his family had -remained there instead of seeking refuge near the monastery, the more -so since they were able to live as usual on the produce of their -flock, which must have been given up into the common stock if they had -joined the rest. But this night they had not ventured to remain -indoors, for they had seen Roumis quite close at hand, and though they -were far too much terrified to watch them continuously, they could -hear them moving about, now in one direction, now in another. The hut -had escaped notice in the darkness, he thought, but he and his wife -and children were all hiding in the bushes, believing that it would -certainly be discovered when daylight came. -</p> - -<p> -“We seem to have blundered into the thick of them,” said Wylie, as -cheerfully as he could. “Who would have thought of their making night -marches all over the place like this? Well, we are quite hidden among -these bushes, so I hope you ladies will get what sleep you can. We -shall keep a good watch, so don’t be afraid.” -</p> - -<p> -Anxious only to give as little trouble as possible, Zoe and Eirene -obeyed, so far as lying down and trying to sleep went. But Zoe could -not sleep, tired as she was, for she felt convinced that Wylie was -keeping watch himself. At length she could bear the thought no longer, -and wriggled to the entrance of her burrow, so that she could get a -glimpse of him. As she had expected, he was sitting on a stone, with -his rifle between his knees, but something strange in his attitude -made her look at him more closely. He was crouched in a heap, his eyes -wide open and glassy, and his hands had relaxed their hold in complete -unconsciousness. Afraid to raise her voice to call Zeko, Zoe crawled -out of her hole and took the rifle gently away without disturbing -Wylie. He murmured a little incoherently when she tried to move him, -and in terror lest he should cry out, she ventured to speak softly, -hoping he would think he was in hospital again, and she a nurse. -</p> - -<p> -“Let me help you to lie down more easily,” she said in a low voice. “I -don’t think your pillow is comfortable, is it?” -</p> - -<p> -She could not have moved him if he had remained obstinate, but with -his own unconscious help she succeeded in getting him to lie down, -with the stone for a pillow, and covering him with the cloak she had -worn. Then she took the rifle, and set herself to keep watch in his -place, unable, even in the circumstances of the moment, to restrain a -bitter little smile at the thought, “How frightfully angry he would be -if he knew!” To her great joy she felt no inclination for sleep, and -she sat there, guarding the rest, and growing stiffer and stiffer with -the night cold, until the first faint streaks of dawn appeared, and -Zeko came crawling out from under the bushes. He expressed no surprise -at finding her on guard, after her low-voiced explanation that the -Lord Glafko was ill again. It was only suitable that women should keep -watch while their protectors slept; in fact, it was all they could do -to repay the kind care taken of them. Wylie was now in a natural -sleep, and it went to Zoe’s heart to let Zeko wake him, which he did -when she had crawled back into her burrow, but the few precious -minutes of grey twilight must not be lost if they were to pass safely -through this danger-zone. While Zeko went to the top of the hill to -see if he could distinguish where they were, Wylie woke the other -guards, and all were ready to start when the guide should return. -There was a moment’s pause while Mikhaili crept up with an offering of -goat’s-milk cheese, and a draught of milk in a leathern cup for little -Constantine, and while the rest were eagerly consuming the gift of -this Good Samaritan, Zeko, returning, drew Wylie aside and up the -hill. There was a look of awe upon the ex-brigand’s face which Wylie -did not understand until he had been bidden to kneel down and look -through a gap between two rocks. On the other side of the hill, -literally only a few yards from them, a number of Roumi soldiers lay -asleep. Whether they were an outlying picket or stragglers from the -larger force,—the confused way in which they were strewn about -favoured this supposition,—the fact remained that the two parties had -spent the night so near one another that a cry or an altercation in -one camp must have roused its neighbour. Zeko, in a heart-felt -whisper, vowed an extravagant gift of candles to the Prophet Elijah, -patron saint of hills, for his services that night, and he and Wylie -rejoined the rest. Mikhaili, warned of the nearness of the foe, and -invited to call his wife and children and accompany the fugitives, -refused to do so. Here they might hope to escape notice, he said, but -the way to Ephestilo would lead from one danger to another. He put -them in the right path—if that could be called a path which must -avoid all tracks, since the Roumis might be making use of them—and -they parted with mutual good wishes. -</p> - -<p> -The sleeping Roumis were passed in safety, and for a while the way was -uneventful, though rugged and difficult enough, while the bushes -lasted, so convenient for concealment. But they ended suddenly, and -the bare rocks made every movement of the party horribly conspicuous. -Still, even in this change in the character of the country there was -hope, since it showed they must be approaching the sea, and therefore -Ephestilo, and Zoe and Eirene shook off their weariness and pressed on -manfully. Thus they came to a height from which they could see the -blue waters, and a sigh of relief broke from them. But between them -and the sea there was still some distance to be traversed, and when -they looked down on the country that lay beneath them, their hearts -stood still. Everywhere twinkling darts of light as the sun sparkled -on bayonet-points, everywhere dots of scarlet which betrayed -themselves as red <i>tarbushes</i>. -</p> - -<p> -“A cordon!” burst from Wylie. “They are hemming our people in. This -means massacre.” -</p> - -<p> -“Down, lord, down!” cried Zeko, dragging Wylie to his knees. “There -are some of them behind us!” -</p> - -<p> -For a moment they waited with beating hearts, hoping against hope that -the figures on the sky-line had not been seen—a hope that was cut -short by the swish of a bullet and a shout of triumph that the range -had been found so nearly. Wylie raised himself sharply. -</p> - -<p> -“Roll these stones together,” he said, setting the example himself. -“We can hold out some time behind a sangar here.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, lord!” came in protesting tones from Zeko and his men. “The -accursed who are behind us cannot reach this hill for many minutes, -and it will shield us from their fire. Let us rather slay the women -and steal down towards the line of the miscreants in front. Then we -can throw ourselves upon them and kill many more than our own number.” -</p> - -<p> -“Be quiet!” said Wylie roughly. “Demo, that stone.” -</p> - -<p> -The man obeyed, without enthusiasm, and the loose rocks were piled -into a rough breastwork, through the interstices of which the rifles -could be fired. When it was finished, Zoe crept up to Wylie, her whole -frame vibrating with indignation. -</p> - -<p> -“You won’t let them touch us?” she panted. “If it has to be done, you -will do it yourself?” -</p> - -<p> -“Don’t—don’t ask me!” His voice was full of entreaty, but Zoe was -pitiless. -</p> - -<p> -“You must,” she persisted. “Why, from you—— You know,” she broke off -suddenly, “you hate us all.” -</p> - -<p> -“If I did, it would be easy enough to do it. You know well enough it -isn’t that. It’s—the very opposite.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then I have a right to ask you to do it. You promise?” -</p> - -<p> -“Good God, yes!” he groaned. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch21"> -CHAPTER XXI.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE BRITISH FLAG.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Crouching</span> behind the piled stones, Wylie tried to get a clear view -of the enemy attacking from behind, but they had found such good cover -that this was difficult. They were on a much lower level, which was -fortunate, since they had no mark but the stones, yet the broken -country afforded such facilities for concealment that they might at -any time climb unperceived to a higher point, and fire down into the -sangar. Everything depended on the most extreme watchfulness, so that -if they did gain one of the heights they might be shot before they -could shoot. Wylie looked round at Zoe, the tension of a few moments -before forgotten. -</p> - -<p> -“You have good sight,” he said. “Lie down on the seaward side, and -keep a look-out. Let me know if you see anything among the Roumis down -there to show that they have noticed us.” -</p> - -<p> -“If we fire, they must notice us,” said Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“If we don’t, the fellows behind will wipe us out,” said he. -</p> - -<p> -Without further objection, Zoe obeyed, lying flat at the edge of the -rock, her face supported on her hands, peering between two stones. At -present there was no sign of movement among the Roumis below, for a -solitary shot, even if they had heard it, was not likely to arouse -their suspicions. But as Zoe watched, the eight rifles behind her -crashed out simultaneously, and at once there was a scurrying in the -lines beneath, and an eager turning of eyes to the ridge. She warned -Wylie, and received his order to tell him the moment any man or men -began to scale the hill. But her next words gave him far different -news. -</p> - -<p> -“There is a steam pinnace coming towards the opening in the bay!” she -cried. -</p> - -<p> -“Better late than never!” said Wylie grimly. -</p> - -<p> -Bullets were flying overhead now from the unseen enemy behind, and -every few minutes a rifle or two cracked, as one man or another caught -a glimpse of the snipers. The Roumis in front were now evidently -persuaded that something out of the common was occurring on the -hill-top, and a small detachment was ordered up to inquire into it. -Warned by Zoe, Wylie transferred his whole force to that side, and as -soon as the Roumis began to mount the hill, they were met with so hot -a fire from the eight rifles that they withdrew hastily to seek cover -from which to take long shots. But the momentary transference of the -garrison had afforded the enemy behind an opportunity of establishing -themselves somewhat higher up, and one or two of their bullets even -entered the loopholes. One of the insurgents was hit in the arm, but -with a handkerchief tied round the injured limb he remained at his -post. -</p> - -<p> -“Have you anything that will make a flag?” asked Wylie of Zoe, without -turning round. “Handkerchiefs? Right. Then hold it up straight—don’t -show yourself, mind—and wave it towards the right. Our men can get -round the end of the Roumi line in that direction.” -</p> - -<p> -Seeing that, as he said, the cordon on that side was not complete, Zoe -took heart again, though when the bullets came whizzing through the -enclosure she had given up all for lost. She and Eirene unfastened the -kerchiefs from their heads, and knotting them and their -pocket-handkerchiefs together, she manufactured a small flag, and was -tying it to the stick which Wylie had used to help him on the march -when Zeko turned round and saw what she was doing. With a snarl of -fury he tore the stick from her hand, and lifted his rifle as if to -dash out her brains. Her involuntary cry made Wylie turn to see what -was the matter, and he seized Zeko’s arm. The brigand offered no -apology, but pointed for justification to the flag and to Zoe, pouring -out a bitter accusation which she was too much shaken to understand. -</p> - -<p> -“It’s all right,” said Wylie. “He thought you were trying to surrender -behind our backs—hoisting the white flag, you know. I’ll explain.” -</p> - -<p> -The scowl left Zeko’s brow gradually, but it was clear that his -objection to the flag remained. At length, with an air of yielding -gracefully to Wylie’s unreasonable demands, he pulled the bandage -roughly from the arm of the man who had been hurt, and applied the -flag to the wound until it was stained everywhere with blood. Then he -handed it back to Zoe with a grin, and she conquered her disgust -sufficiently to receive it and fasten it to the stick. It blew out -well in the wind, but this made it very difficult to hold, as she lay -behind the stones, alternately raising the stick erect and bending it -down to the right, with the sun beating on her uncovered head. It was -almost a relief when a bullet hit the stick—the flag served as an -excellent mark for the enemy in front—and broke it in two, the wind -immediately carrying the flag away. Noticing how hot the fire was -getting, Wylie moved to the front with three of his men, and told Zoe -to take her place with Eirene and Constantine in the most sheltered -corner. There they crouched on the ground, in what ought to have been -comparative safety, but it seemed a sort of imprisonment to Zoe, who -could no longer see what was happening, or watch for the first sight -of the relieving force. Moreover, the place, though the best they -could find, was not really safe. As she and Eirene sat huddled -together, a bullet entered at the loophole nearest them, passing -through the head of the wounded insurgent, who sprang up convulsively -and fell forward over the barricade, and striking one of the largest -stones, which it shattered. Constantine, who had been watching the -firing with intense interest, sprang into his mother’s arms with a -frightened cry as the flying dust and fragments of rock filled the -air. She drew the shawl about him, and he gave a little sigh as he hid -his face in her bosom. -</p> - -<p> -“Poor little Con!” said Zoe, when she could find her voice, “how tired -he is! Think of going to sleep in the middle of this firing!” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene looked up quickly. “Yes, of course he is tired—terribly -tired.” The vague anxiety left her eyes, and her voice grew stronger -as she repeated firmly, “It is just that. He is so tired.” -</p> - -<p> -“No harm done, I hope?” said Wylie, looking round. “Keep as low down -as you can.” -</p> - -<p> -They obeyed, comforting themselves with the thought that no other -bullet was likely to strike in the same place. But as Zoe watched, it -seemed to her that the bullets were coming now from a different -direction. One even came over the barricade from the back, and struck -the ground. The enemy were firing down instead of up. She called out -to Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, they’ve managed to get up there,” he answered in jerks, without -turning his head. “It was when that unlucky shot killed Demo.” -</p> - -<p> -Another man rolled over on his side, and his rifle clattered as it -fell. Zeko reached across and took away his cartridge-belt, displaying -to Wylie the few cartridges left, and muttering something which Zoe -understood to be a prediction that if the women were not killed soon -the Roumis would rush the sangar and get possession of them after all. -Wylie took out his watch, but the face was smashed. -</p> - -<p> -“Is your watch going?” he called to Zoe. “The sailors ought to be here -in twenty minutes. Zeko, find out exactly how many cartridges we have -left—for six rifles—and we will allot them accordingly. The Lady Zoe -will tell us as each five minutes passes. Don’t let the men fire more -than one at a time, unless there comes a rush.” -</p> - -<p> -Zeko made his calculation with an impatient grunt, and at Wylie’s -orders divided the cartridges into four parts, one for each five -minutes, while Zoe crouched with her watch in her hand, feeling that -minutes had never moved so slowly before. Divergent counsels appeared -to prevail among the enemy in front, for they fired only in a -half-hearted sort of way, but those behind, elated by their position, -took full advantage of it. It was impossible to lift a head above the -parapet without attracting a bullet, and Wylie and the two men in -front were exposed to their fire if they changed their place in the -slightest. Still, so long as they remained quiet, they could only be -hit by accident, and the persevering foes therefore transferred their -attention to the breastwork, trying to knock away the stones, and thus -leave the defenders shelterless. They succeeded best at the end -opposite to that at which Eirene and Zoe were crouching, where the -ridge was very steep, but as there was no attack on that side this did -no immediate harm. Through the opening thus made there came a sound of -distant music, which roused Zoe’s curiosity. Surely the rescuers could -not be bringing a band with them? Crawling forward a little, she saw, -as if in a stone frame, the advancing column. The officer at the head, -in whom she thought she recognised Lieutenant Cotway, was driving -before him a Roumi bugler, who was sounding the “Cease fire!” -spasmodically with all his might, admonished by frequent reminders -from behind. Close at hand walked a midshipman, displaying boldly, -even ostentatiously, a large-sized Union Jack, and some -five-and-twenty sailors in marching order followed. The slackness of -the fire in front was now accounted for, since Lieutenant Cotway had -evidently arrived at an explanation of some sort with the Roumis, -though its effects were only gradual, but so far the frenzied -exertions of the bugler did not seem to have penetrated to the -consciousness of the snipers at the back. Even if they did, the -column, climbing its painful path, would not come into sight until it -had all but reached the top of the hill, and it was only too probable -that until the truth was brought home to them by the actual sight of -the White Ensign, the enemy would prefer to assure themselves that the -bugler was playing tunes for his own delectation. -</p> - -<p> -“Ten minutes!” said Zoe, returning to her place, and Zeko reached -eagerly for the third supply of cartridges. As he did so, a bullet -struck the heap, and a violent explosion flung him backwards. Three of -his fingers were torn off, and he was much scorched, but even in his -agony what appealed to him most was the fact that save for two or -three cartridges in the magazines of the rifles not yet emptied, the -ammunition was gone. Zoe crawled to him to try and tie up his hand, -but he waved her away angrily, and did it himself with the other hand -and his teeth, then took out his knife and lay down to wait. But there -was little prospect now of the enemy’s trying to rush the breastwork, -for the sound of the explosion must have told them what had happened, -and they were not likely to trust themselves within stabbing distance -of the four bruised, scorched men who now alone remained. The front of -the sangar had been blown clean out, and the back, which stood on -level ground, was now no longer a wall, but a heap, affording next to -no shelter. Wylie took possession of the three undischarged rifles, -and trained them on one particular point, forbidding the men to fire -until he gave the word. Sooner or later the snipers would advance to a -height from which they could fire straight down into the place, and -unless they could be checked in this, there would be no one left to -save when the rescuers arrived. Presently the rifle he held went off, -and by the muttered exclamations of joy from the men, Zoe knew that -one of the enemy, at any rate, had fallen in the attempt to reach the -coveted spot. Then the other two were discharged simultaneously, and -Wylie turned savagely upon the culprits, who had wasted two precious -cartridges upon one Roumi. All that remained now was one cartridge -still in his rifle, and that was soon expended, not so successfully as -before, since the Roumi at whom he fired was only wounded. -</p> - -<p> -“Close in now, and shelter the ladies,” he said, and the men obeyed. -Wylie thrust his revolver into Zoe’s hand. -</p> - -<p> -“If we are all done for before the sailors get up,” he said, and she -understood, and laid it down beside her. The Roumis were on the height -now, but they had not got the exact range, and the bullets were -dropping beyond the group. Then Zeko sprang up and spun round wildly, -made a vain attempt to hurl his knife at the foe, and fell with a -horrible crash. Zoe hid her face. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, do it, do it now!” she entreated of Wylie. “I shall go mad if -this goes on.” -</p> - -<p> -“Quiet. Wait!” he said firmly. “I thought I saw—yes, there they are. -Here, here!” he shouted, putting his hands to his mouth. -</p> - -<p> -“Where?” cried another voice. “Yes, all right. Cease firing up there, -or I fire!” -</p> - -<p> -The firing ceased as if by magic, and Lieutenant Cotway hurried across -the piece of open ground, followed by his seamen. Mr Suter, with great -presence of mind, wedged the flagstaff into the heap of stones, and -held it up straight. -</p> - -<p> -“Only just in time!” said Wylie, getting up. -</p> - -<p> -“So it seems. Ladies not hurt, I hope? Well, you have made a good -fight of it. Sorry to be obliged to put you and your survivors under -arrest—Admiral’s orders. Is Prince Theophanis here? No? The old man -will be disgusted—hoped to get you all out of mischief at one blow. -Well, better toddle back to the boat with what we have got, for our -Roumi friends are not exactly charmed by our interference.” -</p> - -<p> -“Send the ladies on in front,” said Wylie. “We must look after our -poor fellows, you know.” -</p> - -<p> -Was the man frightened? wondered Lieutenant Cotway. His teeth -chattered and his face was white, and he leaned against the rock as -though he could scarcely stand. “Collapse, possibly,” the sailor said -to himself, and turned to offer his hand to help Eirene to rise. -“Sorry to meet you again in such circumstances, ma’am. Afraid you’ve -had a bad time? But once we get you on board it’ll be better. I’m -going to send you on ahead with Mr Suter while we rig up some sort of -contrivance for the wounded. Is that my young friend Con you have -there? Don’t wonder you are tired if you have been carrying him all -the way from the monastery. This man will take him for you.” -</p> - -<p> -The big sailor he indicated handed his rifle to a comrade and held out -his arms, but Eirene only clasped her boy closer. There was a furtive, -almost suspicious, look in her eyes. “No, no,” she said breathlessly, -“I will carry him. I am not tired. No one shall take him from me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Of course not,” said Mr Cotway soothingly. “I thought it might be a -relief to you, that’s all. You persuade your sister to rest if you get -a chance,” he added to Zoe. “One can see she’s had a pretty hard -time.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, yes,” said Zoe. “Oh, tell me,” she said anxiously, lowering her -voice,—the tall lieutenant was standing between her and the -rest,—“you are going to bring Colonel Wylie on board? You are not -going to—to shoot him?” -</p> - -<p> -The sailor repressed a laugh with difficulty. “Don’t be afraid, -there’s no deception,” he assured her. “‘We are here for all your -goods,’ don’t you know?” -</p> - -<p> -“But Maurice—my brother—can you save him?” -</p> - -<p> -“Can’t tell till I hear more about it. But the sooner you get on board -and pour everything into the sympathetic ears of Point Seven, the -better. He has been like a bear dancing on a hot plate the last few -days. He’ll strain the resources of the Concert to breaking-point if -there’s anything he can do. Got your ten men, Mr Suter?” -</p> - -<p> -The ten men were waiting, and Mr Suter, proud of his independent -command, led them off in fine style. As soon as they and their charges -had passed over the edge of the plateau, Lieutenant Cotway turned to -Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“I say, you must be wounded. What is it?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, merely fever. I’m afraid I must ask you to let one of your men -give me an arm down the hill. But there was one of our fellows I hoped -wasn’t dead.” -</p> - -<p> -Together they examined the bodies strewn about the ruins of the -sangar, but no life remained in any of them. To those acquainted with -Roumi methods of warfare, their disposal presented a difficulty, but -one of the two remaining insurgents suggested a cairn, and the corpses -were laid in the centre of the space which had witnessed their last -fight, and the stones piled over them. Then the man drew a circle -round the heap with his knife, and scrawled cabalistic figures inside -and outside it, muttering the while. “It is magic,” he said, as he -rose from his knees. “Even the accursed will not dare to disturb that -grave, and in the years to come the relics of the martyrs shall be -carried to a shrine worthy of them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your people seem to be full of spirit still,” said Lieutenant Cotway -as he helped Wylie down the hill, a sailor supporting him on the other -side; “but I’m afraid your cause is in a bad way. What’s your Prince -doing?” -</p> - -<p> -“He was proposing to surrender to-day, as being more dignified than -finding himself handed over by traitors on his own side,” said Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -Mr Cotway whistled. “Isn’t it slightly confiding to treat with the -Roumis without giving the Admirals a chance to see fair?” he asked. -</p> - -<p> -“Unfortunately the Admirals were at an Olympian distance, and the -Roumis in between. We simply couldn’t get at you. But there is just a -chance that you may be in time to prevent a massacre yet.” -</p> - -<p> -“With twenty-five men? Oh, I see, you mean the representatives of -Europe generally. Well, my orders are to escort the ladies on board, -but I think old Point Seven would agree that it was a case for -discretion. I shall send you aboard with Suter, and hold Ephestilo, -for fear our landing should be disputed. The Roumis will hardly yearn -for publicity.” -</p> - -<p> -“You will want a guide,” said Wylie thickly. -</p> - -<p> -“Well, I don’t intend to engage you for the post. One of your men -might do. I suppose there’s a straight road from Ephestilo to your -headquarters?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, but the Roumis are lying across it.” -</p> - -<p> -“They ought to know which side their bread is buttered by this time. -The Roumis won’t take any trouble to spare the susceptibilities of -their warmest friends, but they will probably not care to fire on -armed Europe. Ah, here we are on the level at last! Now we shall get -on faster. Take my arm again. Baines, go on giving Colonel Wylie an -arm on the other side. There are the ladies, I see. Why won’t Princess -Theophanis let some one else carry that heavy child? I suppose she -gave him something last night to keep him quiet?” -</p> - -<p> -“No. He talked a good deal till quite lately.” Wylie spoke with -difficulty. -</p> - -<p> -“Hope there’s nothing wrong, then. He seemed very quiet. I say,” as -Wylie stumbled, “what’s up? I don’t think you’ll get as far as the -<i>Magniloquent</i> this morning. Can you keep up till we get to Ephestilo, -or shall I send a man on to get some sort of litter?” -</p> - -<p> -“I can keep up,” declared Wylie, and he stumbled on between his two -supporters, and succeeded in reaching the outskirts of Ephestilo. The -inhabitants, who had forsaken their homes for hiding-places among the -rocks on the approach of the Roumis, were returning now, with a -pathetic confidence in the power of the little pinnace lying at the -rude quay, and the people whose house Wylie had occupied during his -illness met him and claimed him as a guest,—not, perhaps, without an -eye to the special protection this would probably involve. Leaving him -in their charge, Lieutenant Cotway hurried to the quay, from which -Eirene and Zoe were just embarking. -</p> - -<p> -“Tell the Admiral the whole state of things, Princess,” he said to -Zoe, for Eirene was too much engrossed with her boy to have any ears -for him. “I am staying on shore for the present, and keeping Colonel -Wylie with me, and I only hope we may be able to bring your brother -off safely to-night.” -</p> - -<p> -The short voyage from Ephestilo to the flagship was accomplished -almost in silence. Zoe was hastily conning over in her mind the facts -of the situation, and trying wildly to put them into the fewest words -that would suffice to move the Admiral to instant action. Mr Suter’s -usual flow of talk was checked. He and his crew were alike uneasily -conscious of the silent woman with the terror-haunted eyes, who sat -huddled by herself, clasping a bundle to her breast—an image of dread -that must have filled Zoe with foreboding had not her mind been fully -preoccupied with the effort to save Maurice from his impending fate. -They reached the ship at last, and the Admiral himself came down the -ladder to welcome them and help them to the deck. -</p> - -<p> -“I fear you have had a most unpleasant journey,” he said kindly to -Eirene. “Be sure that whatever we can do to make you forget it—ah, -what’s that? the baby got hurt?” -</p> - -<p> -“Mr Cotway said he was afraid there was something wrong with it, sir,” -said Mr Suter, in what he imagined to be a whisper. It roused Eirene -at once. -</p> - -<p> -“There is nothing wrong with him!” she cried, glaring round on the -officers. “He is all right—only frightened by so many strangers. He -always hides his face when he is shy—doesn’t he, Zoe? doesn’t he? You -know he does.” Her voice rose almost to a scream. “He will be quite -good when he is once alone with me—quite good.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, of course,” said the Admiral gently. “Bring him in here, and put -him on the bed. No, don’t be afraid; we will all go away. But you -would like the doctor, wouldn’t you?—just in case there is any little -scratch or bruise, you know.” -</p> - -<p> -He signed to the surgeon to enter the cabin, and came out, shutting -the door noiselessly. Then he turned to Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“Now what is it you want to tell me?” for she had been trying to -attract his attention ever since they arrived. “About your brother? -Dear me, a sad change since you were here last!” -</p> - -<p> -“The Roumis will hear of nothing but unconditional surrender,” said -Zoe breathlessly; “and Maurice is holding out in hope of getting -better terms, but he has reason to be afraid of treachery from some of -the men on our own side.” -</p> - -<p> -“Unconditional surrender? The Powers have made it plain to the Roumis -from the first that the rank and file of the insurgents were to go -free if they laid down their arms. Why did your brother not apply for -our mediation?” -</p> - -<p> -“The Roumis would let no one pass, and that Hercynian who is in their -camp, Gratrian Bey, sided with Jalal-ud-din.” -</p> - -<p> -“So I should imagine. Well, this must be looked into, even if it -breaks up the Concert. Ask Admiral Scartazzini and Admiral d’Anville -if they will co-operate with me in sending landing-parties on shore at -once,” he said to an officer. “What are the best roads into the -interior of the peninsula?” he asked Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“The one from Ephestilo is the nearest, but the one from Karakula is -the easiest to find. From Skandalo you can’t find your way without a -guide.” -</p> - -<p> -“But there are some of your party left to serve as guides? Still, we -won’t try Skandalo, for the Hercynians are guarding it. The Neustrians -had better start from Karakula, and the Magnagrecians and ourselves -from Ephestilo. Then I hope—— Well, what news?” as the surgeon came -out of the cabin. -</p> - -<p> -“The poor child is dead, sir.” -</p> - -<p> -“Dead?” cried Zoe and the Admiral together. -</p> - -<p> -“Hours ago. The merest bruise on the temple—from a flying stone, I -imagine. It must have been instantaneous. The mother is -distracted—refuses to believe it even now; but I think she must have -guessed.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch22"> -CHAPTER XXII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">CHANGES AND CHANCES.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -“<span class="sc">Now</span>, how’s that?” asked the surgeon, standing in front of Wylie and -looking at him triumphantly. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, gorgeous in the extreme,” was the languid reply. “Makes one feel -that a quiet grave would be preferable, don’t you know.” -</p> - -<p> -“Don’t talk about graves,” said the surgeon, with unexpected -fierceness. “Pluck up a little spirit, man! If you can’t stand being -dressed and put into a chair, how will you manage to receive -visitors?” -</p> - -<p> -“What visitors?” with a faint show of interest. -</p> - -<p> -“Well, one visitor—whom I imagine you’ll be glad to see.” -</p> - -<p> -“I hope,” said Wylie slowly, “that you haven’t let any nonsense I may -have talked when I was off my head——” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, don’t be afraid. I am discretion itself.” -</p> - -<p> -“I hope you have not given any one the trouble of coming here because -you thought I wanted to see them?” -</p> - -<p> -“Certainly not,” retorted the surgeon. “The reason I invited ‘them’ -was because I thought you didn’t want to see them, of course. I’m glad -you have modesty enough not to imagine that ‘they’ wanted to see you. -Anyhow, you need only look as sick and sorry as you do now, and -they’ll never want to see you again. Now do, for the sake of my -professional reputation, try to assume some faint resemblance to a -smile, even if you feel it not!” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, shut up!” groaned the patient. -</p> - -<p> -“Well, it’s not my fault if you don’t appreciate your blessings. Here, -drink this, and I’ll give you ten minutes or so to practise an amiable -expression in. Think you’re going to be photographed. ‘I know it’s -difficult, but try to look pleasant,’ you know.” -</p> - -<p> -The doctor had spoken with calculated guile, for it was only two or -three minutes after leaving his patient that he returned, ushering Zoe -up the verandah steps. To his great satisfaction, he saw Wylie’s face -light up as she went forward, her eyes suspiciously bright, and shook -hands with him. -</p> - -<p> -“Now you may have a quarter of an hour,” he said; “but mind, no -getting out of that chair. No experiments in walking by way of showing -the Princess how much better you are—you understand? I don’t want -testimonials of that sort.” -</p> - -<p> -He ran down the steps, and Wylie and Zoe were left alone. He turned to -her quickly. -</p> - -<p> -“You are in mourning. Who is it? not your brother?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh no, not Maurice. But it is—dear little Con.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not really? Poor little chap! I’m awfully sorry. How was it? Did he -get hurt?” -</p> - -<p> -“He must have been struck by one of the pieces of stone when that -bullet hit the rock, and it killed him at once. He was dead when -Eirene carried him all the way to Ephestilo. She guessed, but she -wouldn’t let herself believe it.” -</p> - -<p> -“What awful trouble for you both! I say, I am sorry,” said Wylie, with -awkward reiteration. “Poor thing! it must nearly have killed her.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think she would have died if it had not been for—what happened -afterwards,” said Zoe. “She sat in the corner of the Admiral’s cabin -with Con in her arms, and wouldn’t give him up, saying that she knew -he wasn’t dead, and he would be all right if they would only leave him -to her. She wouldn’t listen to any one, and it was a whole day and -night before she would even let me take him. But that was because a -messenger had come off to say that Maurice was dangerously -wounded—they feared mortally—and she must come at once. At first she -wouldn’t go. She said she had killed Maurice’s son, and that she -didn’t dare to meet him, and that her ambition had brought disaster on -them both, and if she went to Maurice, he would die too. She talked of -going into a convent and praying for Maurice, and never seeing him -again—and all the time the boat was waiting to take her on shore. It -was the Admiral who got her to see reason at last. Oh, he is a good -man, and so wise! He asked her how she dared add to the sorrow she had -brought on Maurice by refusing to go to him when he wanted her, and -said she would show her repentance much better by nursing him than by -keeping away and praying for him. Then he turned to me—so suddenly -that I almost jumped—and snapped out, ‘Do you get on your things and -go ashore at once. If Teffany’s wife forsakes him, at least he has a -sister.’ It was most frightfully clever,—horribly incongruous, you -know,—but he had read Eirene like a book. She cried out, ‘His wife -has not forsaken him! How dare you say so?’ and she let me take poor -Con out of her arms, and she went.” -</p> - -<p> -“And you had to stay?” asked Wylie pityingly. -</p> - -<p> -Zoe nodded. “I promised her that I would see to everything if she -would go. I knew Maurice wanted her more than me, of course.” -</p> - -<p> -“And was the little chap buried at sea?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Eirene wanted the Orthodox service. It was at Skandalo, and there -were horrible difficulties about it. Perhaps the Roumis made -themselves unpleasant, I don’t know—or perhaps the people only -thought the Roumis wouldn’t like one of us to be buried there. We were -stopped by a mob before we reached the cemetery, and the Admiral’s -flag-lieutenant had to go and parley with the priests. The sailors -were very angry, and wanted to burn the church down, but at last they -let us through peaceably. It was in the corner farthest from the -church, and I believe they had to buy the piece of ground outright. I -know they have hoisted the Union Jack on it, and they keep a sentry -there, so it is not Emathian ground after all.” -</p> - -<p> -“Poor little Con! that he should be the one to suffer—the first, at -least!” murmured Wylie. “But your brother—what had happened to him?” -</p> - -<p> -“He was parleying with the Roumis—Jalal-ud-din himself came out to -meet him. Maurice had both the Maxims mounted to sweep the path, and -the men well posted, so we really had something to offer, for he could -have killed hundreds of the Roumis before they could have reached the -position. But while the parley was actually going on, the Roumis got -round behind somewhere—no, I don’t think it can have been treachery, -for what good could it have done any one on our side to destroy all -chance of surrender?—and they fired suddenly into our men. Maurice -turned round when he heard the noise, and that abominable old wretch -Jalal-ud-din struck at him with his sword. He tried to stagger back to -his men, but the Roumis rushed forward and began a regular butchery. -In the middle of it the contingents which Admiral Essiter had sent -arrived, and it was only by threatening to fire on the Roumis that -they got them to stop. They had to stay up there, for all sorts of -outrages were happening, and they are still holding the ridge from the -monastery to Karakula. When they were moving the bodies, they found -Maurice under a heap of dead, all trampled—and slashed—and—and -horribly wounded. He was just alive, but they didn’t think he could -live even till Eirene came. But he is alive still—just alive—and she -is nursing him at Skandalo. Of course they can’t tell him about Con, -and sometimes he asks for him. Eirene never leaves him. She won’t even -let me take charge of him while she rests—but I don’t believe she -ever does rest. Sometimes I think she is trying to atone, and -sometimes that she wants to die, so as not to have to tell him. But -she won’t let me stay with him.” -</p> - -<p> -“And so you have time to waste on me?” Zoe started and looked at him -suspiciously, but there was not in his voice the hardness she had -learnt to dread. “Tell me, am I a very lamentable object? I can’t help -seeing the tears in your eyes when you look at me—and I don’t like to -think I am making you cry.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh no, it’s nothing of that sort,” said Zoe, jumping up and going to -the edge of the verandah. “I think you do your doctor great credit.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then what is it?” -</p> - -<p> -“You really mustn’t ask so many questions,” she said desperately. She -stood with her back to him, but he saw her dash for her handkerchief. -“Do you know,” with a gallant attempt to be arch and cheerful, “that I -had to tell them—make them believe—let them think that you and I -were engaged before they would let me come to see you?” She turned -hurriedly towards the steps. -</p> - -<p> -“Zoe!” his voice arrested her, and she paused reluctantly, still with -her back to him. “Zoe, come back—please come back. If you don’t, I -shall get up.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, you mustn’t!” The terrible threat brought her back at once, and -he captured her hand. -</p> - -<p> -“Dear, I would never have asked you to do it, but if you are willing -to stand by me and help me now, I can only be grateful.” -</p> - -<p> -“Only?” she said, but the tears flowed again, and spoiled the effect -of the question. She brushed them away hastily. “Willing to help -you—what a thing to ask!” she said. “I was only afraid you would not -let yourself be helped.” -</p> - -<p> -He drew her down into the chair beside him, and kissed the hand he -held. “Now tell me what the trouble is,” he said. -</p> - -<p> -A shudder ran through her. “Oh, don’t ask me!” she cried. “Let us be -happy together just for this short time.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is better to know. Tell me, dear, or—— No, it is a shame to ask -you. You would rather I got the doctor to tell me?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, no; I will tell you——” but she could not go on. -</p> - -<p> -“I must guess, then. Well, am I to be shot to-morrow?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh no, no! How can you?” -</p> - -<p> -“To be shot, then, but not to-morrow?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, don’t! I’ll tell you. Admiral Essiter and the Neustrian and -Magnagrecian Admirals have got into dreadful trouble for the action -they took, especially for stopping the massacre. Oh, I don’t suppose -it’s called that, but that’s what it means,—the Roumis have -complained, and ranged the other three Powers against them. Scythia -and Pannonia and Hercynia are threatening to withdraw from the -Concert,—I should think it would get on much better without them, but -at this moment England and Neustria and Magnagrecia are on their knees -to them to stay. Hercynia has even recalled its old ship already. -Admiral Essiter says it is only to get a relief crew really, but they -pretend that it is a token of haughty displeasure, of course.” -</p> - -<p> -“And where do I come in?” -</p> - -<p> -“Why, the line the Roumis take is that as the Admirals stepped in and -prevented their massacre—their policy of unconditional surrender, I -mean—the Admirals must see that they get what they demanded at -first.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, the leaders of the insurgents are to be given up, you mean?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, that’s what they want; and at present all are safe, you -see—you, and Maurice, and Lord Armitage, who is a prisoner on board -the Pannonian flagship, and Prince Romanos——” -</p> - -<p> -“Do they insist on the Admirals bringing him back from the dead?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, I forgot to tell you; he is not dead, of course. He was wounded -and left for dead, but a Greek from his own island found him—at -least, that is the story—and smuggled him away into Dardania. The -Prince and Princess are looking after him, and Professor Panagiotis is -hanging on his words, and making Europe ring with the history of our -blockade. But he has made Europe ring so often, and it doesn’t seem to -do any good. And Prince Romanos, who did so much harm by his rashness, -is safe with friends, and you and Maurice are prisoners, and any -moment the Government may order the Admiral to hand you over to the -Roumis——” -</p> - -<p> -“But there’s also the chance that the British Government may develop a -certain amount of backbone, and refuse.” -</p> - -<p> -“You mustn’t count upon it;” Zoe’s tears started afresh. “Scythia is -frightfully bitter against us, and she eggs the others on. They say -she refuses to consider any further measures until the prisoners have -been given up. And oh, do you know, Admiral Essiter says that after -the Therma massacres the Powers were practically agreed on giving -Emathia a constitution and releasing her from Roum, but that while -they were quarrelling as to whom they should choose for Prince we went -to Hagiamavra, and they all withdrew their assent? They say they can’t -allow reforms to be extorted by violence. So we really have done -harm.” -</p> - -<p> -“At least we did the best we knew how,” said Wylie wearily. “Don’t -trouble about it, dear. You have told me the worst now, and thinking -won’t make it any better. So we’ll forget it, do you see, and simply -be happy. You will come to see me as often as they let you, and then I -shall be happy, and I’ll try to make you happy. And as for the times -between—why, the first half of them I shall be busy remembering what -you said and how you looked, and the last half I shall be wondering -what you will say and how you will look the next time, and you can’t -imagine how quickly it will pass. There’s the doctor whistling -vigorously! Tell me quick—do you agree?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh!” sighed Zoe, “if you had only been like this before!” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, I’m weak and broken in spirit now, you see. No, dearest, forgive -me. I have been a brute, but I want to leave you a happy hour or two -to remember. Doctor, you promised us a quarter of an hour.” -</p> - -<p> -“And you have had thirty-five minutes,” said the surgeon. “Well, I’m -glad to see you seem to have profited by it. He was quite restive at -the thought of a visitor, Princess, but he looks much better now.” -</p> - -<p> -He escorted Zoe down to the quay and saw her on board the pinnace, -returning for a farewell visit to Wylie and the other sick and wounded -insurgents who were in extemporised hospital quarters at Ephestilo. -</p> - -<p> -“You’re a lucky chap,” he said, looking at Wylie narrowly as he spoke. -</p> - -<p> -“I know I am,” was the hearty reply, “and I’ll stick to it even if the -luck ends to-morrow.” -</p> - -<p> -“Princess Zoe has been telling secrets, I see.” -</p> - -<p> -“I made her. It’s better to know. Did you think I couldn’t stand it? -If one is to be offered up as a sacrifice to the unity of Europe, one -may as well be aware of the honour.” -</p> - -<p> -“It’s awfully rough on you and your Prince—the Englishman who calls -himself a Greek, I mean; not the flyaway chap that came aboard with -you off Skandalo.” -</p> - -<p> -“No,” said Wylie doggedly. “We knew what we were in for, and took the -risk, but it is rough on the women.” -</p> - -<p> -“There’s no one you could get to come here to look after them, I -suppose, in case——?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not a soul, I’m afraid. What about Armitage?” -</p> - -<p> -“His case comes under the Foreign Enlistment Act, I believe. He -doesn’t seem to have offered armed resistance.” -</p> - -<p> -“Still, he won’t be free to do anything, I imagine. Well, after all, -your Admiral will see that no harm happens to them, and if they wish -to stay to the end—it would comfort them, I suppose—how could we -object just because it made it worse for us?” -</p> - -<p> -“They won’t make it worse for you,” said the surgeon with conviction. -“They have grit, those two. Why, the way Princess Zoe came—no, I -forgot; it was not to be mentioned.” -</p> - -<p> -That the slip was premeditated Wylie could hardly doubt, but he could -not bring himself to let it pass. “You don’t mean that she saw me when -I was ill?” he said. -</p> - -<p> -“Since you ask, I do. But don’t tell her that I gave her away, or I -shall get into trouble.” -</p> - -<p> -“How could you bother her about me? It’s disgusting.” -</p> - -<p> -“Because you did nothing but call out for her, if you must know, and -beg her to forgive you. Nothing I could do would make you leave off, -and at last I thought she might at any rate help you to die quietly. -There was a norther blowing, so she could not get round from Skandalo -by boat, but she came across on a mule, and she and I sat up with you -a whole night. You didn’t know her, but her being there kept you quiet -and gave you your chance. Don’t look so sick. Most men would feel some -slight approach to gratitude.” -</p> - -<p> -“What is it to you what I feel?” demanded Wylie, so fiercely that the -doctor jumped. “No, don’t go off like that. If I am savage, just try -to realise what it feels like to have coals of fire not merely heaped, -but simply shovelled, on your head.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, I see!” said the surgeon sagely, and Wylie was left to his own -meditations. When Zoe came again, two days later, he had been promoted -to sitting up for the greater part of the morning, and he informed her -of the improvement with pride. She told him in return that Maurice had -recognised Eirene, and had been able to answer questions, but neither -his good news nor her own seemed to have much effect upon her mood. -She moved about the verandah, talking restlessly, and Wylie saw the -brightness of unshed tears in her eyes. It was not until he hinted -that the task of following her movements was bad for his head that she -came, full of compunction, to sit down beside him. -</p> - -<p> -“If I asked you to promise me something, would you do it?” she asked -impulsively, with her hand in his. -</p> - -<p> -“Not without knowing what it was.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not even for me?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not even for you. Would you if I asked for a promise?” -</p> - -<p> -“That’s different. You would be sure to want something horrid, while I -only want what is for your good. You have nothing to thank the British -Government for—nothing——” -</p> - -<p> -“Only my life—so far.” -</p> - -<p> -“That’s Admiral Essiter, not the Government. They are keeping you -prisoner here, with sentries outside, and calmly discussing whether -they shall hand you over to be killed—and yet I know you wouldn’t -escape if I found a way for you.” -</p> - -<p> -“What would you propose?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, you don’t mean that you would?” she cried joyfully. “I have so -many plans. They keep suggesting themselves all day and night. And -some of the officers would help, I am sure—Mr Cotway, at any rate, -and Mr Suter——” -</p> - -<p> -“And you would let Cotway ruin his career?” -</p> - -<p> -“But it is for you—for your life,” said Zoe, with an unconscious -selfishness which she recognised when she had uttered the words. “He -would wish to do it, rather than connive at a national disgrace,” she -added quickly. “They all say it would be that. Mr Suter said he should -throw up his commission if it happened.” -</p> - -<p> -“My dear girl, you really mustn’t lead these unfortunate youths into -romantic pitfalls of this kind. Has nobody told you that I am on -parole here? I gave my word as soon as I was able to sit up. The -sentry whose presence you resent so much is really only here for my -protection, in case of any kind attentions from our Roumi friends.” -</p> - -<p> -“Of course I have never suggested it to any of them,” said Zoe, after -a moment’s stunned silence. “I meant to have the plan all ready, and -to get your consent, before I sounded Mr Cotway. But I knew you -wouldn’t do it. It’s just like Maurice. Eirene wanted him to pretend -to be dead, and let himself be carried away in a coffin, to be buried -at home—I suggested it to her—but he wouldn’t. And the Powers go on -talking and talking—and the Roumis are getting frightfully -aggressive—and everything——” -</p> - -<p> -“Aggressive in demanding that we should be given up, do you mean?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes—and that the Admirals should withdraw their landing-parties. -They say it is the presence of the European forces that is keeping -Southern Emathia in a ferment, of course, and that Jalal-ud-din could -pacify the province in a week if he had it to himself.” -</p> - -<p> -“In the good old way, I presume. But, Zoe, I didn’t understand that -the Admirals were actually occupying the peninsula. I thought they had -Red Cross camps here and at Skandalo under the protection of the -ships’ guns, and just a few armed sailors as sentries.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe looked astonished. “Oh no,” she said; “there is a joint European -occupation—at least, on behalf of England and Neustria and -Magnagrecia. The Roumis have garrisons at Skandalo and Karakula, and -an entrenched camp near the monastery, but the Admirals are -administering everything. That is what makes the Roumis so angry. You -see, the expelled Mohammedans want to come back, but the Therma -refugees are in their farms, and daren’t return to their own homes, so -that there is an immense amount of pacification to be done.” -</p> - -<p> -“Jalal-ud-din is pressing the return of the Mohammedans, and the -Admirals are watching over the interests of the refugees?” said Wylie. -“It seems to me that we were not the only people who rushed in where -angels fear to tread. To snatch the Roumis’ prey from them when they -were flushed with victory——” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, that is what makes the other Powers so angry with our Admirals,” -said Zoe carelessly. “There have been riots at Therma, and Europeans -were attacked in the streets. All the Consulates are guarded by -troops.” -</p> - -<p> -“Roumi troops?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, troops of the different nationalities. A detachment of -Highlanders is looking after Sir Frank Francis.” -</p> - -<p> -“And the Powers are still talking? Zoe, if Admiral Essiter will take a -word of advice from a condemned criminal, give him this message from -me. Unless the Powers withdraw from Hagiamavra in a day or two, and -give us up, look out for trouble. Let him get reinforcements from -Malta, Egypt, anywhere he can, or the next Therma massacre will be of -Europeans, not of Emathian Christians.” -</p> - -<p> -“But do you really think there is danger? Every one says that the -Roumis are getting insolent and talking big, but that it only needs a -warship or two at Therma to make them sing small. And all sorts of -people are coming here to see the sites of our battles, as if it was a -show-place—horrid smart people, you know, flirting and having picnics -where our men were killed. The Princess Dowager of Dardania is at -Skandalo. I asked her to receive me, because I thought she might be -some help, and she was very gracious, but she would promise nothing. -She has Donna Olimpia Pazzi with her instead of her own -lady-in-waiting, who she says got homesick and had to be sent back to -Dardania. The girl looked at me with such an evil eye that I was glad -to take the opportunity of mentioning about you and me, you know, so -that she might see there was no need to be afraid for her dear -Romanos. The Princess quite beamed when she heard it——” -</p> - -<p> -“Zoe, do you know what they call that woman all over Europe? The -Stormy Petrel! I should have thought something was brewing even if you -hadn’t told me of the trouble in Therma. Give my message to the -Admiral at the first possible moment, or you will be sorry for it all -your life.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch23"> -CHAPTER XXIII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">AN UNHOLY COMPACT.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">The</span> lady whom Wylie had designated as the Stormy Petrel was sitting -in her private room in the house she had taken at Skandalo, busied, as -was usually the case in her hours of retirement, with the arrears of -an enormous correspondence. The mental activity of Ottilie, Princess -of Dardania, had increased, rather than diminished, with the passage -of years, and she had a finger in many obscure and incongruous pies, -besides taking a prominent part in all the more obvious developments -of standing political intrigue. The power, or the semblance of it, -which she thus gained was the sole joy of her life, and its one -drawback was the European reputation she enjoyed, which had a tendency -to scatter all the elements of a promising conspiracy as soon as she -began to show an interest in it. In Balkan affairs, however, she had, -as it were, a prescriptive right to take part, and many exalted -personages looked to her for their views on the subject. It was her -boast that she never employed a secretary. Every letter addressed to -her was opened by herself, and only unimportant epistles were handed -over to be dealt with by her lady-in-waiting. The post of this -attendant was no sinecure, and Donna Olimpia Pazzi, who was at present -filling it, looked pale and tired when she entered her mistress’s -presence. -</p> - -<p> -“Madame Theophanis desires to know whether you will receive her, -madame,” she said. -</p> - -<p> -“<i>Princess</i> Theophanis, my child. Who are we that we should remind the -unfortunate of their fallen condition?” The Princess spoke in a clear -raised tone, not without a suspicion of mockery, calculated to -penetrate into the anteroom beyond. “Beg her to give herself the -trouble of entering.” -</p> - -<p> -Donna Olimpia hesitated, then came close up to the writing-table. -“When will you allow me to return to Bashi Konak, madame?” she asked -hurriedly, almost inaudibly. -</p> - -<p> -The Princess frowned. “You must not be unreasonable. I thought you -agreed with me that it was safer you should not return while Prince -Christodoridi remained at the Palace?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, madame, but—— Oh, you cannot tell what I suffer! You know him, -yet not as I do. What fresh object may have captivated his fancy—at -whose shrine——” -</p> - -<p> -“Olimpia, this is childish.” The Princess spoke with severity. “I have -promised that all shall be well if you take my advice. Would you wreck -your whole future by this untimely jealousy? Be content: Prince -Romanos will love you much better when he meets you again after a few -weeks’ separation than if he had enjoyed your society the whole time.” -</p> - -<p> -The girl shook like an aspen as the Princess, leaning back in her -chair, watched with artistic pleasure the effect of the taunt. “We are -keeping Princess Theophanis waiting most cruelly. Will you be good -enough to bring her in, or must I go myself?” The tone cut like a -knife. -</p> - -<p> -“Pardon, madame!” murmured Donna Olimpia, retreating helplessly. In -another moment she ushered in Eirene, looking haggard and wasted in -her deep mourning. The Dowager Princess met her and kissed her -affectionately, uttering little cooing sentences of condolence until -the lady-in-waiting had retired, closing the door behind her. Then her -manner changed. -</p> - -<p> -“We will not waste time,” she said. -</p> - -<p> -“No, I can’t wait,” said Eirene nervously. “I have snatched these few -minutes while my sister-in-law is at Ephestilo, and Admiral Essiter’s -surgeon is sitting with my husband. I was obliged to come when you -sent word that you, and you alone, could show me how to save his -life.” -</p> - -<p> -“Exactly. You are wise. You realise that if Scythia, Pannonia, and -Hercynia continue to support Roum in demanding the surrender of the -insurgent leaders, the British Government will yield? I have a great -admiration for your British Government; it always knows when to -submit. And that ‘when,’ in this case, will be about the beginning of -next week.” -</p> - -<p> -“So I feared,” murmured Eirene, with dry lips. -</p> - -<p> -“Therefore, if anything is to be done, it must be done at once.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, yes; I know.” -</p> - -<p> -“You understand that I am not here as a philanthropist? You are -prepared to pay a price for your husband’s life?” -</p> - -<p> -“I would give mine if you asked it.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, that, I fear, has little marketable value. But would you give -your ambition, madame?” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene paused before answering. The words seemed to be wrung from her -at last. “Yes. I have no child now, to suffer.” -</p> - -<p> -“‘The children born of thee are fire and sword’”—the words, applied -to herself many years before, came to the Princess’s lips, but she -repressed them. “I am glad to see you are able to take a common-sense -view of the matter. Then, on that assurance, I will put affairs in -train.” -</p> - -<p> -“But won’t you tell me what it is you want me to do?” urged Eirene, as -the Princess turned again to her writing-table. “I am to renounce our -rights, of course—my husband’s and mine——” -</p> - -<p> -“I have not said so.” The Princess looked round. “What you will -renounce is the right of independent action. You will act as is -suggested to you; I can tell you no more at present. Of course you -will have the right to refuse the terms when they are submitted for -your acceptance, if you prefer it. In that case, naturally, I can do -no more, and I shall not be the person responsible for the death of a -very worthy, if misguided, young man, who was unfortunate enough to -take the advice of his wife rather than of older and wiser heads.” -</p> - -<p> -“Madame, you will break my heart!” panted Eirene. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh no, you mistake. If you should discover that your duty to your -ambition compelled you to sacrifice the life of your husband, then -your heart might break, but I think not. You would be upheld by a -sense of the stern nobility of your attitude, surely? Then farewell, -dear madame. I shall see you again soon? My kindest remembrances to -your brave husband. Olimpia!” -</p> - -<p> -Ushered out of the Princess’s presence, Eirene stood for a moment as -if dazed. The two cavasses from Therma, allotted to her partly as -guard, partly as spies upon her movements, gathered themselves up -lazily from the most comfortable resting-places they could find in -front of the house, and the sight of them recalled her to herself. -Hastily she picked her way back to the building where Maurice lay -under guard, up one steep street and down another, an incongruous -figure with her black attire and burning eyes among the many-coloured -and abounding life that thronged them. Sailors from the fleets jostled -the sight-seeing tourists of whom Zoe had spoken to Wylie, and the -inhabitants of the town were making hay while the sun shone as -zealously under the Roumi flag as when the Imperial ensign had floated -over their roofs. Nothing was changed in their busy, money-making -existence, everything in the life of the lonely woman who passed among -them like a reproachful ghost. -</p> - -<p class="spacer"> -* * * * * * * * -</p> - -<p> -“Eirene,” said Zoe, coming in one morning from marketing, “something -dreadful must be happening at Therma. I met Captain Bryson rushing -down to the quay, and he says all the warships are ordered there at -once, leaving only the <i>Dorinda</i> on guard here. Street-fighting, he -said, with the Roumi troops siding with the mob.” -</p> - -<p> -“I thought that was just what Graham Wylie prophesied,” said Eirene, -without interest. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, but I don’t believe he thought it would begin so soon. Oh, I -wonder whether the Admiral took his advice about asking for -reinforcements! I told him that very evening, but he only looked at me -in that pitying, smiling way he has, and wouldn’t say anything. -Eirene, you look frightfully tired. Do go out and get a breath of air, -and let me sit with Maurice a little.” -</p> - -<p> -“I am not tired——” began Eirene, but through the open door behind -Zoe she caught sight of a man approaching the house—the Princess -Dowager’s Dardanian servant, in all the bravery of the snowy linen and -shining embroidery of his native dress, and the sashful of murderous -weapons about his manly waist. In his strong brown fingers he carried -a note. Zoe must not guess that the veteran intriguer was in -communication with her sister-in-law, and Eirene made up her mind in -an instant. “I am more tired than I thought I was,” she said -languidly. “Maurice was very restless in the night. I am rather faint, -I think. I will walk up the hill and back again. Oh!” as the Dardanian -reached the door, “was that Maurice calling?” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe fled to the sick-room, tearing off her hat as she went, and Eirene -took the note from the messenger. It was very short. -</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p> -“Things have come to a crisis sooner than I expected. If anything is -to be done, it must be to-day.—O.” -</p> - -</div> - -<p> -“I will come,” she said, and with trembling fingers tied on the black -bonnet with its long fall of crape reaching to the ground, reminiscent -of the court mourning of her early days in Scythia, which had made -Maurice so anxious and uneasy when he caught sight of it once that the -doctor had fairly driven her out of the room. Together they had -concocted a myth concerning Eirene’s desire to show sympathy with the -families of the slain insurgents, which the patient’s dulled brain and -limited powers of asking questions had not yet been able to penetrate; -but Eirene had not ventured to appear in the bonnet again in his room, -though she scouted angrily the surgeon’s blunt advice that she should -consider the living husband before the dead child, and defer the -outward tokens of woe for the present. She did not herself realise the -actual satisfaction that her depth of crape gave her; it was in -accordance with her feelings and the situation, and she derived a -certain mournful pleasure from it. -</p> - -<p> -“I am glad you have lost no time,” said the Princess, when she was -ushered into her presence. “This affair at Therma renders your -husband’s position most precarious.” -</p> - -<p> -“Are the rioters demanding his death?” asked Eirene, almost in a -whisper. -</p> - -<p> -“Rioters? This is not a riot. It is an attack by Roumi troops on the -troops and Consulates of the three ‘Liberal’ Powers—the three Powers -which are protecting your husband. Jalal-ud-din remains passive. The -Scythian and Pannonian Consulates have so far escaped, and the -Hercynian Consulate has actually been saluted by the revolted troops. -There lies your danger.” -</p> - -<p> -“Hercynia has always been hostile,” murmured Eirene. -</p> - -<p> -“Hercynia is ranged on the side of Roum. If this outbreak is quelled, -Hercynia will act as mediator between her <i>protégée</i> and the -insulted Powers, and her first duty will be to show that Roum is more -sinned against than sinning. She will demand the instant surrender of -the Hagiamavra leaders.” -</p> - -<p> -“But they would not grant it, when Roum has allowed the Consuls to be -attacked.” -</p> - -<p> -“They would not, if there was a sufficiently strong party in the -Concert against it. At present the Powers are three and three, and -because Scythia and Pannonia and Hercynia know what they want, and -England is willing to obey any one who tells her what to do, they will -prevail. But if one of them is detached, England will gladly help to -form a majority on the side she herself prefers.” -</p> - -<p> -“And which of them is to be detached? and what is the price?” -</p> - -<p> -“I will tell you presently. It is some years now since you were in -Scythia, madame, but you will remember the characteristics of her -diplomacy sufficiently to be sure that in the unprecedented situation -arising out of your husband’s filibustering expedition she has not -forgotten her own plans for the future of Emathia. For the promotion -of those plans, it is necessary that Emathia should only be released -from Roum to come under the rule of a Scythian nominee.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your son Kazimir,” murmured Eirene involuntarily. -</p> - -<p> -The Princess frowned. “We are not concerned with personalities, -madame, but with facts. Let it suffice that the person chosen must be -possessed of certain qualifications to which your husband cannot -pretend.” -</p> - -<p> -“I know,” said Eirene wearily. “And therefore he is to retire in the -other person’s favour. Why not say so at once?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because that is not what is required of you. Your husband is not -recognised by Europe as a candidate. Therefore his withdrawal would be -the private act of a private person, and have no political -significance whatever. At the same time, it might have a slightly -invidious appearance for Scythia suddenly to propose the virtual -independence of Emathia under a prince of her choosing.” -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t imagine what you want me to do.” Eirene was wearied to -impatience. “Please say what it is, and let me go back to my husband. -Only”—with a sudden thought—“it is no use suggesting that Maurice -should become a puppet prince under the thumb of Scythia, for nothing -would ever induce him to do it.” -</p> - -<p> -“Dear madame, I know your husband and his prejudices. In this little -matter, you and I are going to arrange things for his good, for his -life’s sake”—the emphasis was significant—“without consulting him. -You will believe that it is with the keenest pleasure I tell you that -we shall also gratify, though, alas! only temporarily, the ambition -you have cherished so long.” -</p> - -<p> -“Madame,” said Eirene, with quivering lips, “my ambition is dead, and -you know it. It was for my child I cherished it, and it died with him. -No political success can be more than dust and ashes to me now. It is -for the sake of my husband’s life, and that alone, that I listen to -you.” -</p> - -<p> -The Princess shrugged her shoulders slightly. “Very well, let it pass. -To my suggestion, madame. If you agree, the Scythian Ambassador at -Czarigrad will definitely propose your husband as Governor-General and -Prince of Emathia, under the nominal sovereignty of Roum, but with the -guarantee of the Powers and owning responsibility to them. The Liberal -Powers will testify surprise, but will eventually joyfully agree. If a -popular election is demanded—well, we all know that these things are -managed somehow—he will be the person elected. I shall have the -honour of paying my respects to the Princess of Emathia in the Konak -at Therma.” -</p> - -<p> -“And the price?” -</p> - -<p> -“A mere nothing. A promise signed by your husband to resign his post, -for reasons of health, when he is required to do so by Scythia.” -</p> - -<p> -“He would never do it.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think he would, when he knew that the document would be made public -in case of his refusing.” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene flushed angrily. “You know I don’t mean that!” she cried. “What -Maurice promised he would do, of course. But he would never give the -promise.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then he will be handed over to Roum, and—shot.” -</p> - -<p> -“Madame, you ask impossibilities. Why tantalise me like this? My -husband would refuse the suggestion with scorn.” -</p> - -<p> -“Dear madame, did I not say that you and I would arrange the matter -for his good? He will sign the promise, but it is not necessary he -should know what it is.” -</p> - -<p> -“He would never sign it without reading it.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then he must think it something different from what it is. Madame, I -understand that your husband has something to forgive you. Have you -not the courage, the cunning, if you will, to play a slight trick upon -him for his life’s sake?” -</p> - -<p> -“He would never forgive me,” said Eirene, trembling. -</p> - -<p> -“He need never know, unless you tell him. Listen—the intimation that -his retirement is desired shall be conveyed to you first. I will not -do you the injustice to imagine that you cannot induce him—by urging -ill-health on your own part, if necessary—to take a step on which you -have set your heart. Once he has complied, the paper shall be handed -back to you, to be dealt with as you please.” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene caught at a straw. “But even if he did resign, the people would -at once elect Prince Romanos Christodoridi. He is the Pannonian -candidate, and the Greeks adore him.” -</p> - -<p> -“My dear friend, it is quite unnecessary for you to trouble yourself -about that young man. I know something about him that would make him, -if I even whispered it abroad, an impossible candidate. I assure you -that everything has been provided for. But I will make your task as -easy as I can. The preliminary to proposing your husband as candidate -must of course be the decision on the part of the Powers that he is -not to be handed over to Roum—that he is, in short, a free man. This -I will undertake to obtain at once, confiding in your honour. If I am -able to announce to you—and events confirm it—that his life is safe, -may I depend upon you to perform your part of the compact?” -</p> - -<p> -“But his life is all that I want. I don’t care now about his becoming -Prince.” -</p> - -<p> -“But I do. As I have already pointed out, his life depends upon his -being useful in the future.” -</p> - -<p> -“But if I drew back then—you don’t mean——” -</p> - -<p> -“I mean that if you were so foolish as to deny that you had entered -into this engagement—well, it is not beyond the resources of -diplomacy to discover that the illegal acts of which your husband was -guilty during his occupation of Hagiamavra were such as to place him, -after all, outside the pale of pardon. We are not to be played with, -madame.” -</p> - -<p> -“The—the pardon would cover Colonel Wylie and Lord Armitage, and all -who were concerned?” -</p> - -<p> -“Certainly. The Powers—except perhaps Hercynia—are not really -thirsting for the blood of these obscure individuals, you know! You -have decided to take action, madame—you have conceived a plan? Good! -In return, then, for the assurance I trust to be able to convey to -you, in two days at most, of the safety of your husband and his -associates, you will deliver to me a paper signed by him, containing -a solemn promise on his part to resign the Governor-Generalship of -Emathia, without assigning other than private reasons, whenever he -shall be required to do so by the Emperor of Scythia or his -representatives, in consideration of their good offices in bringing -about his release?” -</p> - -<p> -“You mean to make him impossible for ever as a candidate!” cried -Eirene. Then her indignation faded. “Well, it does not signify. After -all, it is for his life. But wait,” her tone was full of animation -once more. “It is possible that he will not be elected. Prince Romanos -has many supporters. Don’t be afraid,” noticing the Princess’s -expression; “Maurice shall offer himself as candidate, according to -our compact, and I will do nothing and say nothing to prevent his -succeeding. But if he fails, if Prince Romanos is elected, you can do -what you like with him, so you have said. Therefore the paper will be -of no further use to you. In that case will you give it me back?” -</p> - -<p> -The Princess considered the matter. “Yes,” she said, “I think I can -promise that.” -</p> - -<p> -“Swear it!” cried Eirene eagerly. “You have an icon of great sanctity -there, I see. Swear upon it.” -</p> - -<p> -“You ask a great deal, madame.” The Princess shot an angry glance at -this suppliant who was presuming to make terms with her, but she moved -across to the icon and kissed it. “I swear that if Prince -Christodoridi is elected, I will return the paper signed by your -husband to ‘you,’” she said, with an emphasis on the pronoun which -Eirene remembered afterwards. “But do not be afraid, the election will -be properly managed, and our friend Apolis will have no chance.” -</p> - -<p> -“I will give or send you the paper when it is certain that my -husband’s life is safe,” said Eirene. “I see how it is to be done. You -need not be afraid.” -</p> - -<p> -She went out with a pale face and set lips, determined on betraying -Maurice for his life’s sake, even arguing to herself that her action -was justifiable, since it involved the loss of her own ambition. But -on one point she had no illusions. Maurice would never forgive her for -setting his life above his honour. She returned home, and before going -into the sick-room chose out two sheets of black-edged paper and wrote -two letters, arranging the sentences carefully, so that when glanced -at cursorily, or seen upside-down, the wording appeared to be the -same. Taking these in her hand, with several loose pieces of -blotting-paper, she went into Maurice’s room. -</p> - -<p> -“Hush!” came softly from Zoe, who was sitting close to the door. “He’s -asleep.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, I’m not,” said a weak voice from the bed. “Eirene, I think you -might let Con in to-day. I feel as if I hadn’t seen him for years, and -he will be quite good.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, hush!” cried Eirene, in a voice that thrilled with pain. Then she -recollected herself hurriedly. “No, Maurice, you are not strong enough -yet. But I do want you to sign this letter if you feel fairly well. I -want Merceda to sell out ten thousand pounds of Mr Teffany-Wise’s -money, and pay it into our joint account.” -</p> - -<p> -“What! not had enough adventures yet?” groaned Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“This is not an adventure; it is a most excellent thing. Zoe, you -heard Admiral Essiter talking of the new idea the Constitutional -Assembly have started, to police the peninsula themselves, under the -Admirals?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, but I thought you didn’t care about it,” said Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, I have been thinking about it since. They only need money, -Maurice, and it would be a step to self-government. Let us lend them -this ten thousand.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t like taking such a step without consulting any one,” said -Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“You can consult the Admiral before doing it. It can’t be any harm to -have the money ready. And it would show that we really wished well to -the people, and didn’t care about them merely as potential subjects.” -</p> - -<p> -“I should like to think it over a little.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, but I want to do it at once!” Zoe frowned as Eirene’s voice rose -higher. “I have written the letter. Look, Zoe, that is all right, -isn’t it? Maurice will only have to sign it. You can read it to him if -you like, so as not to try his eyes.” -</p> - -<p> -“Just like Eirene!” thought Zoe as she read the letter through. -“Pushing her schemes exactly as usual, after all that has happened! If -Eirene won’t be satisfied unless you sign it, Maurice,” she added -aloud, “I suppose it can’t do much harm. You will have to sign the -transfer first, and then the cheque, before she can do anything with -the money.” -</p> - -<p> -“Of course. I only feel that one ought to be rather careful what one -does in present circumstances, for fear of adding to the Admirals’ -difficulties,” said Maurice, by way of apology to his wife for Zoe’s -chilling tone and dignified withdrawal to the window. “We will find -out exactly what Essiter thinks before taking any further step, but as -you say, it can’t hurt to have the money in the bank.” -</p> - -<p> -“Do be careful, Eirene! You will be giving Maurice the blotting-paper -to sign,” said Zoe sharply, as the papers fluttered from her -sister-in-law’s trembling hands. -</p> - -<p> -“Much more likely to spill the ink,” retorted Eirene, gathering them -up, and holding one in front of Maurice with a book to keep it steady. -The room was dim and his eyes weak, and neither he nor Zoe had the -faintest idea that the paper to which he had laboriously scrawled his -name was not the letter to the stockbroker, but the promise demanded -by the Princess. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch24"> -CHAPTER XXIV.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">THE WAGES OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">The</span> situation at Therma was “serious” in the opinion of the most -optimistic observers, “critical” in that of others. The Roumi troops -were irritated beyond endurance, so said their apologists, by the -action of the Admirals in saving the Hagiamavra insurgents from the -punishment they merited, and were still further incensed by the -importation of European soldiers to guard the Consulates. An indemnity -had been demanded by the three “Liberal” powers for the damage to -person and property sustained by their nationals during the rioting of -which Zoe had spoken to Wylie, and since settlement was deferred in -the old familiar way, it was thought well to act decisively, and seize -the Therma quays. This was the last straw. The international force -sent to take over the customs buildings was attacked by an armed mob, -largely composed of Roumi soldiers, led by their officers. Not -expecting serious opposition, and desirous of sparing Roumi -susceptibilities as much as possible, the Consuls had sent only small -detachments, and these were compelled to retreat down the quay, fired -at from windows and roofs, and sustaining many casualties. The British -destroyer lying in the harbour shelled the mob, and covered the -embarkation of the survivors, but could not protect either the -European or the Christian parts of the town. The fact that three of -the great Powers were to some extent in sympathy with the malcontents -made it impossible to arrange for a joint defence of the diplomatic -quarter, and the British, Neustrian, and Magnagrecian Consulates were -subjected to three separate sieges, in which the occupants suffered -severely, until their Admirals, arriving in haste, landed parties to -relieve them. When the sacred abodes of diplomacy were thus treated, -it was clear that no consideration for the homes of ordinary -Christians, whether Roumi subjects or foreigners, was to be expected. -The rest of the city was given up to rapine of all kinds; the ravages -of the massacres in the spring, which had been in process of being -repaired, were renewed, and anarchy reigned. Jalal-ud-din Pasha, -summoned by the Admirals to recall his soldiers to barracks, declared -his inability to restrain them unless the foreign troops whose -presence excited their ire were removed, and when this was indignantly -refused, relapsed into a benevolent neutrality. But unfortunately for -himself and his master, he had misread the situation. Outrages on -Emathian Christians were one thing,—Europe had endured them with more -or less equanimity for centuries; but to burn European officials in -their houses and shoot down European troops was something very -different. The insulted Powers hurried reinforcements to the spot -(those of England were already on their way, thanks to Admiral -Essiter’s appreciation of Wylie’s warning), and the Admirals were -given full authority to deal with the state of affairs. -</p> - -<p> -Nor was the vindication of the insulted dignity of Europe left -entirely to the sword. The Ambassadors at Czarigrad, who had debated -earnestly and fruitlessly for many months, labouring at a Sisyphean -task with a patience and lack of success that were little less than -pathetic, found a ray of light suddenly cast upon their path. The -Neustrian and Scythian Ambassadors arrived at the scene of their -discussions one morning in company,—a circumstance that in itself -aroused comment, since the representatives of the friendly and allied -nations had for some time been on opposite sides. The reconciliation -was emphasised when the Neustrian Ambassador, acting under instruction -from his Government, pointed out that the events now occurring at -Therma showed how unlikely it was that the Hagiamavran leaders would -receive fair treatment at Roumi hands, and proposed their immediate -release. The Scythian Ambassador, similarly instructed from home, -caused an immense sensation by seconding the suggestion, and it was -carried. The Magnagrecian Ambassador was thereupon encouraged to bring -forward the proposal, which had been shelved for so long, that Emathia -should be constituted an autonomous principality, under the merely -nominal suzerainty of Roum; but his Pannonian colleague, who had by -this time recovered from the shock of finding himself deserted by -Scythia, countered his plan with the suggestion that a Christian -Governor-General, approved by the Powers, but responsible to -Czarigrad, was all that was necessary. That this Christian Vali should -be a Roumi subject was of course a foregone conclusion, and he -believed that the Grand Seignior might be induced to reappoint M. -Nestor Skopiadi, who had already proved himself so zealous and capable -a ruler. This barefaced attempt to establish over again the hopeless -state of things which had ended with Skopiadi Pasha’s flight from -massacre in the spring was a little too much for the rest of the -Ambassadors, and the gathering broke up without expressing any -collective opinion, that its members might report to their respective -Governments the alternative proposals submitted to it. -</p> - -<p> -But at least the lives of the insurgent leaders were safe. The tidings -was brought to Skandalo by the <i>Magniloquent’s</i> steam pinnace, -carrying Admiral Essiter’s flag-lieutenant, who was charged with -despatches for the Magnagrecian commander at Ephestilo. He brought -also the Admiral’s own suggestion that he should offer to take Zoe to -Ephestilo with him, in case she might like to carry the news to Wylie -herself, and she accepted the invitation joyfully. While she was -getting ready, Eirene was summoned from the sick-room by the news that -the Princess Dowager of Dardania was inquiring for her. The creditor -had come to demand the payment of the bond, and Eirene took the -fateful paper from its hiding-place inside the bodice of her dress, -and went to face her. -</p> - -<p> -“I felt that I must come and bring my congratulations in person,” said -the Princess, in a tone loud enough to be heard by the flag-lieutenant -in the next room. “Well, have I kept my promise?” she asked, in a -lowered voice. -</p> - -<p> -“You are very good, madame,” said Eirene loudly. “Yes, and I will keep -mine,” she added, almost in a whisper. -</p> - -<p> -The Princess took the paper from her hand, and without ceremony opened -and read it. “Good!” she said lightly. “This is quite satisfactory. -Prince Theophanis is fully aware of the nature of what he has signed, -of course?” -</p> - -<p> -“You know he is not!” said Eirene indignantly. -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, well, sooner or later he will be. Good-bye, dear friend. So glad -to have had just this glimpse of you!” -</p> - -<p> -She rustled out, and the flag-lieutenant wondered why Eirene’s face -should look so tragic after a mere visit of kindly courtesy. But Zoe -came hurrying from her room, and the incident was forgotten. He had a -good deal to tell her as the pinnace carried them down the coast and -round the point and up again, for the Roumis had shown their -resentment at Scythia’s defection from their cause by attacking the -Scythian Consulate at Therma, the guards of which were not expecting -an assault, and while the occupants were rescued by a sortie from the -British Consulate, the place itself was looted and burnt. It was the -general opinion, he told her, that this change of front on the part of -Scythia portended the separation of Emathia from Roum, and its -establishment as an autonomous state under Maurice, insomuch that -various old and orthodox Mussulmans at Therma were already packing up -their goods, preferring transplantation to living under the rule of -the Giaour. This news troubled Zoe almost as much as the tidings of -the prisoners’ safety had rejoiced her, for it recalled to her Wylie’s -unbending attitude in the past, and she wondered, sick at heart, -whether he would again think it right to withhold from her, for her -own sake, all that she cared for. It was with fear and trembling that -she climbed the steps to the verandah, in the wake of the sentry, who -was beaming with sympathy for her good news. She did not quite see why -he insisted on going up first, and proclaiming, “The lady, sir, with a -hannouncement,” but when Wylie actually walked to meet her, leaning on -a stick, she understood. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, have you walked from your chair to the steps quite by yourself?” -she cried in delight. -</p> - -<p> -“Absolutely. How’s that for improvement? And I don’t mean you to enjoy -all the privileges of our engagement in future,” he said, stooping and -kissing her. “Why, Zoe, what’s the matter?” as he looked into her -face. Her tearful eyes, and the general air of agitation about her, -prepared him for the tidings she must be bringing. “Is it news, dear?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes. I have something—to tell you,” she broke out, stopping short, -and putting out her hands to keep him from her. -</p> - -<p> -“My dear girl, I can guess. Do these naval fellows think I can’t stand -a shock, that they send you to break it to me? Don’t trouble to say -it.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe gave a little shivering laugh, which sounded oddly in his ears. “I -must. I said I would,” she gasped, but she let herself be drawn into -his arms, and clung to him convulsively. “You won’t turn away from -me?” she besought him. “You won’t be different? Everything will be as -it has been till now?” -</p> - -<p> -“Turn away from you—because the brutes have given you such a thing to -do, poor little girl?” His tone was answer enough. “Here, let me say -it for you. They are going to hand me over to the Roumis, I suppose?” -</p> - -<p> -“No. They are going to set you free,” came from Zoe in a kind of wail, -and her fingers tightened their hold. -</p> - -<p> -“But you must be dreaming, my darling. Or am I dreaming? It is all -right—and you are <i>sorry</i>?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh no, no!” Zoe freed herself, and stamped her foot at him. “I was -only afraid—you might want to give me up. But you shan’t!” as she saw -the look she knew so well creeping over his face. “You promised that -everything should be as it has been, and I won’t give you up—not if -Maurice was made Emperor to-morrow! That was why I was glad when the -Admiral let me bring you the news—that mere gratitude might keep you -from throwing me over.” -</p> - -<p> -“Don’t talk about my throwing you over,” he said, more sternly than -she had heard him speak for a long time. “I might feel bound in honour -to release you from your promise.” -</p> - -<p> -“You couldn’t if I refused to release you.” -</p> - -<p> -“I must think what is the best thing to be done for you.” -</p> - -<p> -“The best thing? Ask Maurice. When I told him you and I were engaged, -he said it was the finest news he had heard for many a day.” -</p> - -<p> -“It would have been wiser to ask your sister-in-law.” -</p> - -<p> -“Worldly-wiser, perhaps! No, not even that. Have I been so -particularly happy and useful all these years, so conspicuously -successful in my influence on every one around me, that you want to -condemn me to it all again? I suppose you think that trouble is good -for me, since you are kind enough to let me be engaged to you as long -as you are expecting to be killed, and then, as soon as that strain is -over, go on to jilt me.” -</p> - -<p> -“You must let me think,” repeated Wylie, dropping into his chair. “It -is harder for me than for you.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe’s eyes flamed. “Harder!” she cried. “If you cared for me, it might -be.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not care?” he groaned. “It’s because I do care——” -</p> - -<p> -“It is not!” she said passionately, standing in front of him like an -accuser. “It is because you are afraid what people will say, or hint, -or think about you. You say it would be hard to give me up, but it -would be harder to say to yourself,—I don’t even ask you to say it to -me,—‘It was pride that kept us apart all these years, and I won’t let -it do us any more harm now.’” -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t argue with you, but I am going to try to do the proper -thing,” persisted Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Very well, then. I can’t go on pleading for myself with a man who -tells me plainly he doesn’t care what I say. But remember this: if you -throw me over now, you must never, never cross my path again, never -think of helping Maurice in his work. I could not stand seeing you, -meeting you—thinking of these few days when you could afford to let -me be happy, because you were going to die and I could not presume -upon it! And I suppose even you would hardly wish to cut me off from -Maurice, the only person I have left in the world?” -</p> - -<p> -“Zoe, Zoe!” His voice reached her as she walked away, and she paused, -but could not trust herself to turn round. -</p> - -<p> -“If you send me away now, it’s for ever,” she jerked out. -</p> - -<p> -“Let me think,” he entreated. -</p> - -<p> -“No, I won’t. Am I to go or not? You must make up your mind at once. -Oh, Graham, can’t you see—I can’t bear it——” -</p> - -<p> -“No, don’t go! I can’t give you up again. Forgive me, dearest. I -thought I was thinking of you, and it was myself after all.” -</p> - -<p> -White and trembling, Zoe allowed herself to be drawn back. “You must -never do it again,” she managed to say. -</p> - -<p> -“I won’t—it isn’t worth it. What does it signify if all Europe cries -shame upon me as a fortune-hunter, when it would make us both -miserable for ever if I wasn’t?” -</p> - -<p> -“Especially when my fortune is so very desirable,” said Zoe, regaining -calmness. “Plenty of hard work, with a little fancy fighting thrown -in, and a month or two of imprisonment under sentence of death as an -occasional variety.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are the fortune,” said Wylie. She shook her head. -</p> - -<p> -“That sounds very nice, but it isn’t true. My fortune is that I have -Maurice for a brother. That’s all you care about. You know quite well -it was not until you found you would lose him that you changed your -mind about giving me up. But don’t think I mind. I am glad that any -one should appreciate him properly. Oh, there’s the whistle! I must -go—and leave you to think of Maurice.” -</p> - -<p> -“Come here first.” She approached incautiously, and found her hands -seized. “Now tell me whether you really believe I care more about -Maurice than you?” -</p> - -<p> -“You will make me keep the boat waiting. I think you like me nearly as -much as Maurice, you know; well, almost—quite—as much. Oh, you are -hurting my wrists!” -</p> - -<p> -“Only when you try to pull your hands away. No, go on, that’s not -enough. I am not going to be libelled by you, at any rate, whatever -Europe may say. Maurice is my friend, and you think I care for you -just about as much as for him?” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, perhaps a little differently, you know.” -</p> - -<p> -“Only differently—not more? And you are satisfied?” -</p> - -<p> -“I am. But I shouldn’t be if I believed it.” -</p> - -<p> -Her hands had lain passive in Wylie’s, and she twisted them -dexterously away and hurried down the steps, laughing and blushing. -She knew he could not follow her, but he succeeded in reaching the top -of the steps, and his “Just wait till next time!” met her as she -turned to wave him farewell. The flag-lieutenant found it absolutely -useless to speak of politics to her during the return voyage. -</p> - -<p> -It was like coming out of the sunshine into cold shadow to return to -Skandalo. As soon as she entered the house, Dr Terminoff, who was in -charge of Maurice during the absence of the fleet, hurried out to meet -her. -</p> - -<p> -“Can you remain with your brother, madame, while I look after Princess -Theophanis? It has been necessary to inform him of the death of the -poor child, and we have had a very sad scene. She has quite broken -down, and I was obliged to get her out of the room.” -</p> - -<p> -“But think of spoiling the good news from Czarigrad by telling him -to-day!” cried Zoe. -</p> - -<p> -“Hush! he will hear you. Pray go to him, and if there is any rise of -temperature, tell me at once. He insisted that I should go to the -Princess, but I am anxious about him.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe took the thermometer and went into the sick-room, half hoping that -Maurice would be asleep. But he spoke to her as soon as she approached -the bed. -</p> - -<p> -“It was not Eirene’s fault, Zoe. I made her tell me. I told her she -absolutely must bring him in.” -</p> - -<p> -Zoe could not speak, but she laid her hand on his forehead for a -moment, and he went on. -</p> - -<p> -“I wish you—they—had told me before. I have been looking forward so -much—— I thought he would come and sit on the bed, and we should -have such talks together.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, he was so good and quiet.” Zoe commanded her voice with -difficulty. -</p> - -<p> -“But it is worse for Eirene than me. She had such hopes and plans for -him. He was to be all that I am not.” -</p> - -<p> -“He would have been exactly like you, and I’m glad of it,” said Zoe, -with fierce conviction. “And Eirene has no one but herself to thank -for the destruction of her hopes.” -</p> - -<p> -“Don’t, don’t!” said Maurice. Then, after a pause, “You have never -been able to be quite fair to her, have you, Zoe?” -</p> - -<p> -“At any rate, I can’t help seeing that but for her you two would have -been living quietly at Stone Acton—with Con.” -</p> - -<p> -“How can you tell? If his time was come—— And I suppose it is—it -must be—better for him. That was what Eirene said—that he could -never disappoint us now, that I need have no fear of treachery from -him, that he need never be afraid to meet my eye. What could she -mean?” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t know. Perhaps she didn’t quite know what she was saying. -Maurice, you say I haven’t been fair to her, and I confess that about -the time we came here I was very angry with her, thinking she didn’t -care for you at all compared with her ambition. But I believe she -does.” -</p> - -<p> -“You think it is necessary to tell me that? It would be a poor -look-out for me if she didn’t, since she is all that I have now.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, Maurice, don’t you count me?” -</p> - -<p> -“You have old Wylie, and it will be quite different. You’ll understand -soon enough.” Zoe felt insulted, for was it not her prescriptive -right, as a novelist, to understand the feelings proper to all sorts -of circumstances, without having experienced them? She could not quite -keep the injured tone out of her voice. -</p> - -<p> -“If you heard Graham talk, you would see that I couldn’t possibly -change, even if I was likely to,” she said. “Why, I told him just now -that he would be marrying me more for your sake than my own.” -</p> - -<p> -“And what did he say?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, of course he made a fuss. But really, you know, I feel that all -our future will be decided by yours. Have you thought at all——” -</p> - -<p> -“It is for Europe to decide.” Maurice spoke with a curious hardness. -“But if they nominate me Prince of Emathia, I shall accept it.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, Maurice, after all? I thought perhaps——” -</p> - -<p> -“You will bear me witness that I took this thing up because I thought -it right, not from any yearning for a throne for ourselves or—the -poor little chap. We started our enterprise at the wrong time, -possibly, but that’s neither here nor there. If it was right before, -it’s right now. And if there was no other reason, it has cost me too -much for me to give it up without good cause. Zoe, will you take a -message to Eirene for me? Give her my love, and ask how she is, and -say I want her to come and sit with me as soon as she feels up to it.” -</p> - -<p class="spacer"> -* * * * * * * * -</p> - -<p> -With a madness which suggested that the gods had determined upon their -destruction, the Roumi troops in Therma continued to devastate the -city with fire and sword, until the small European detachments were -hard put to it to hold their ground. More than this they were helpless -to do until their reinforcements arrived, for the Admirals were loath -to face the destruction of life and property which would be caused by -a bombardment, and waited in grim impatience. Meanwhile, the -newspapers of many nations at a safe distance asked, with piteous -reiteration, Are we really in the twentieth century? Is Therma in -Europe or in darkest Africa? Does the European Concert exist? and -similar rhetorical questions which neither needed nor expected an -answer. The British reinforcements were the first to arrive, but the -Power most injured was Neustria, whose Vice-Consul, with all his -family and staff, had been massacred at the beginning of the outbreak. -Therefore the British troops were landed and held in reserve on the -heights overlooking the city, until the arrival of the Neustrian fleet -under command of an officer of impressive seniority, and the next day -an ultimatum, in which the Magnagrecian Admiral concurred, was -despatched to Jalal-ud-din. It demanded, among other things, that he -should surrender for trial by an international commission those of his -soldiers who had been concerned in the murder of Europeans, and embark -the rest immediately for Czarigrad. -</p> - -<p> -As soon as the terms of the ultimatum became known, Pannonia withdrew -her ships promptly from the fleet threatening Therma, though her -Ambassador continued to attend the meetings of his colleagues at -Czarigrad, while Hercynia, in a more uncompromising spirit, retired -from all participation in the Concert and its doings. These -demonstrations of sympathy, it was imagined, stimulated Jalal-ud-din -to reply that the Powers had themselves to thank for the behaviour of -his troops, and need not look to him to get them out of their -difficulties. After this, he translated his words into action, so it -was asserted, by leading in person an overwhelming attack on the -dilapidated remains of the British Consulate. The Powers had had their -answer, and after an hour’s delay, to afford any peaceably disposed -persons an opportunity of removing beyond the bounds of the city, they -delivered their rejoinder in the form of a bombardment. When the -cannonade from the ships ceased, the British force already on shore -covered the landing of the other troops, and that evening the flags of -four nationalities waved on the ruins which had once been the city -walls, and their forces were only waiting for the subsidence of the -flames to penetrate the blocked streets. The knell of Roumi domination -in the two western vilayets of Emathia had sounded when Jalal-ud-din -Pasha surrendered, with his surviving troops, to the Neustrian Admiral -amid the ruins of his Konak. -</p> - -<p> -The heaps of rubbish which had once been Therma were still smoking -when Scythia flung another metaphorical bombshell into the -ambassadorial conference at Czarigrad. The discussions of that august -body were being carried on under difficulties, since there were lively -apprehensions of an outburst of Moslem fury, roused by the course of -events in Emathia, that would sweep away every Christian in the -capital, but the solemn farce of suggesting and considering the names -of candidates likely to be acceptable at once to the Grand Seignior, -and to one and all of the Powers, must be continued at all costs. The -mask was thrown off, however, when the Scythian Ambassador, without -previous consultation with his colleagues, proposed Prince Maurice -Theophanis as High Commissioner of Emathia. His wealth, and his -comparative success in the brief experiment of administering -Hagiamavra, were not forgotten, and much stress was laid upon the fact -of his marriage with a lady of recognised imperial lineage and lofty -connections. The other side of the case was presented by the Pannonian -Ambassador, who could hardly find words in which to exhibit the -absurdity of conferring such a distinction upon an upstart whose -claims had never been scrutinised, far less established, and who had -not only defied the Concert of Europe, but kept it at bay for months. -However, since topsy-turviness was to be the order of the day, he -would not pose as the one wise man in a world of fools, but would -propose, in opposition to Prince Theophanis, a candidate whose claims -were far superior, and his drawbacks no greater, in the person of -Prince Romanos Christodoridi. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch25"> -CHAPTER XXV.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">A CONTESTED ELECTION.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">If</span> Pannonia imagined that Maurice’s failure to secure a unanimous -nomination would lead to the withdrawal of his candidature, events -proved her to be mistaken. The present anomalous system of government -by an International Commission was not to be perpetuated until in pure -weariness Europe agreed to the partition of Emathia between her and -her great rival. Since neither party would withdraw its candidate, the -British Ambassador displayed the impatience and ignorance of the rules -of the diplomatic game characteristic of his nation by proposing that -the matter should be referred to the Emathians themselves for -decision. The <i>naïveté</i> and rashness of the suggestion brought -Scythia and Pannonia together in opposition to it, but in the absence -of Hercynia the other three Powers had a clear majority. There was no -excuse for foreign interference, since neither of the candidates -belonged to a reigning house, and the election of delegates could be -supervised by the European officers of the Gendarmerie already at -work. Moreover, the Emathians had already shown their capacity for -representative institutions by the way in which, under the noses of -their rulers but without their knowledge, they had elected delegates -to the informal assembly held at Bashi Konak under cover of the Prince -of Dardania’s Pan-Balkanic Games. The protest of the two Powers which -considered themselves specially interested, and aggrieved, was -therefore overruled, and a stern warning addressed to the various -Balkan states, which were one and all thrilling with indignation at -this new development of affairs, by which they were threatened with a -rival instead of the acquisition of territory they had demanded. The -Dardanian attitude alone remained perfectly correct, the Prince -managing to restrain the activities of his warlike subjects, even -while he allowed their tongues to wag. The question of Illyria was -still in abeyance, for there was no thought of complicating the -problems already clustering thick in the path of the new state by -adding to it an inaccessible highland largely peopled by -irreconcilable Moslems. At present the Illyrians were loudly putting -forward their claim to enjoy a republic of their own, but they would -soon forsake words in favour of aggressions on the territory of their -more civilised neighbours, and then Prince Alexis intended to act as -the mandatory of the European Congress which must be held for the -final settlement of Balkan affairs. If he once had the opportunity of -getting a footing in Illyria, there were innumerable precedents and -solid facts which made it extremely unlikely that he would ever be -turned out. -</p> - -<p> -Therma was now once more the cynosure of European eyes, for here the -delegates from the whole of Emathia were to meet for the purpose of -choosing their Prince. The city was rising like a phœnix from its -ashes, since the engineers of the four occupying Powers, seconded by -an army of labourers from all the eastern Mediterranean, had hardly -waited for the ruins to cool before they were at work upon the new -Therma. It was highly superior to the old Therma, of course,—in -sanitation if not in picturesqueness,—and the poorer fugitives who -returned to it wandered about disconsolately, unable to find rest for -the soles of their feet. Everything was so wide and clean and highly -whitewashed, and when they tried to erect their little huts and -lean-tos, in which they might have felt comfortable, in the spaces -which were one day to be public gardens, or clinging to the skirts of -the great new houses, unsympathetic soldiers came and cleared them -away, sweeping off the owners and their belongings to be disinfected. -Therma was to become the model city of the Egean, but its former -inhabitants could hardly be expected to appreciate the change. The -people who did appreciate it were the sightseers of the Old and New -Worlds, who flocked to it with enthusiasm, charmed with the -cosmopolitan population, the passing to and fro of soldiers of four -armies, the presence of the great warships lying in the harbour, and -an occasional glimpse of the diplomatists of European reputation who -were assisting at the birth of the new state. All these people lived -in tents at first, then crowded into the newly erected houses before -the plaster was even dry, and concealing deficiencies with precious -carpets and Eastern draperies bought from the faithful Moslems who -were shaking from their feet the dust of the faithless city and -escaping to more rigidly orthodox shores, held festivities as polyglot -and almost as unrestrained as those that follow a gold rush. -</p> - -<p> -Among the diplomatists who bent their steps towards Therma was one -whose advent proved singularly displeasing to the Dowager Princess of -Dardania, who had quitted Skandalo, in common with those more deeply -interested in the approaching election, for the larger life of the -reconstructed city. It was not the first time that Prince Soudaroff -had followed in her steps when she had been in charge of a negotiation -which she was carrying out with full satisfaction to herself, and she -resented extremely the idea that he was appointed to inspect, perhaps -to revise, her methods. Nominally, of course, he had no connection -with her, but as soon as she had heard of his arrival in the city, and -found his name in her visitors’ book, she knew that sooner or later he -would ask for a business interview. This time the request came very -quickly. He was the bearer of an autograph letter from the Empress of -Scythia to Princess Theophanis; would the Princess of Dardania advise -him as to the best way of presenting it to her, as he understood she -had maintained a strict seclusion since her recent bereavement? The -Princess gave him an appointment, and it was without surprise that she -remembered afterwards the total omission of any mention of the -Empress’s letter. -</p> - -<p> -“It does not strike you, madame, that we are in danger of being too -successful?” asked the envoy, after a few preliminary civilities -designed to allow Donna Olimpia to be safely despatched out of -hearing. -</p> - -<p> -“Too successful, Prince? How could that be?” -</p> - -<p> -“I find, madame, that the candidate we are supporting is too strong. -To-day I have examined the secret returns prepared for me as to the -predilections of the delegates, and I should say that Prince -Theophanis would be elected by an absolutely overwhelming majority. -The partisans of Prince Christodoridi are noisy enough, but his -behaviour at Hagiamavra, which brought about the final catastrophe, -has told against him with many.” -</p> - -<p> -“But so long as the candidate we favour is elected, how can it signify -whether the majority is small or large?” cried the Princess. -</p> - -<p> -“On the contrary, madame, it is of supreme importance that the -majority should be small. There have been cases before when a -<i>parvenu</i> prince, finding himself unexpectedly strong, has repudiated -the conditions on which he was raised to the throne. If Prince -Theophanis has practically the whole of Emathia at his back, he may -even venture to deny the authenticity of the document you hold, and -refuse to resign when called upon.” -</p> - -<p> -“He will not dare to break with his wife,” said the Princess eagerly. -“To deny his signature would be to expose her, and she is his link -with our court, besides being the inheritor of claims rather better -than his own.” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not for a moment expect him to denounce her as having practised -a fraud upon him, madame. But what if Princess Theophanis should -declare the document a forgery?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is impossible!” cried the Princess, in anxious protest. “It is in -her own writing, with his signature added.” -</p> - -<p> -“Still, handwriting has been counterfeited before to-day. You know -your own sex better than I do, madame, but I must own that a woman who -would deliberately deceive a sick husband, even for his advantage, -would not seem to me incapable of denying the deception in order to -set herself right in his eyes. I assume, as you say, that their -interests are identical, and that he has a high respect for her.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is possible,” she allowed unwillingly. “But who could foresee such -a thing? What more could I have done?” -</p> - -<p> -“Witnesses?” suggested Prince Soudaroff. -</p> - -<p> -“My lady saw her come, but knew nothing of her business. Indeed, I -could not have admitted her to the secret, for she is a strong -partisan of the Christodoridi.” -</p> - -<p> -Their eyes met, and Prince Soudaroff permitted himself a smile. “<i>The</i> -lady, I presume?” he said. “No, madame, I agree that it would not have -been prudent to complicate matters further in that direction.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then what is to be done? Shall I get Princess Theophanis here, on the -plea that you have doubts as to the authenticity of the document, and -make her swear to her husband’s signature?” -</p> - -<p> -He shook his head slowly. “I fear, madame, that so decisive an act -might lead to the Princess’s confessing everything to her husband, -which would be most disastrous at this juncture. The memory had better -slumber for the present. No, I think it would be advisable to detach -some of the Theophanis supporters.” -</p> - -<p> -“And allow Prince Christodoridi to be elected?” -</p> - -<p> -“Possibly; I do not know. To ensure that the majority, on whichever -side it is, should at any rate be very small.” -</p> - -<p> -“You would not think of exposing Prince Christodoridi at once, and -removing one obstacle altogether.” -</p> - -<p> -“And allowing Prince Theophanis an absolutely unanimous return? No, -madame. I must recommend you once more to cultivate patience. But I am -pleased to observe that our championship of the Englishman has already -created an uneasy feeling among the party which is always intensely -suspicious of our designs. If that feeling of uneasiness were to -deepen——?” -</p> - -<p> -“What do you want me to do?” -</p> - -<p> -“Madame, your promptness is admirable. Nothing, save to emphasise in -conversation the favour with which Princess Theophanis is regarded at -our court, the anxiety felt in the highest quarters to see her husband -successful—the efforts, indeed, that are being made to ensure his -election. You will know how best to disseminate the impression in the -most likely soil.” -</p> - -<p> -“You may trust me!” said the Princess. -</p> - -<p> -The first tangible result of this conversation was the presentation to -Eirene, with great ceremony, of the Empress’s letter. It was -accompanied by a most sacred icon, which had been specially blessed by -Father Serafim, the favourite miracle-worker of the day in Scythia, -and he had sent with it an assurance of his prayers for Maurice’s -success. The sensation caused by this embassy had hardly subsided, -when all the cosmopolitan circles of Therma were buzzing with the news -of a most extraordinary indiscretion on the part of Prince Soudaroff. -He had actually said—true, it was after dinner and in the presence of -only a few intimate diplomatic friends,—but he had said that Scythia -looked to Emathia under her new ruler to compensate her for the losses -and disappointments she had sustained in the Far East. Instantly all -the people who had been thunderstruck when the Scythian Ambassador at -Czarigrad proposed Maurice’s election nodded wisely at one another. -This was the explanation, then! No one had ever suspected Scythia of -acting on an impulse of pure philanthropy, and it was abundantly clear -that she had received ample guarantees from Prince Theophanis before -she put her interest in him to the test of publicity. When Maurice’s -supporters denied indignantly that he had given her any pledges, they -merely nodded more wisely still, and implied that the denial raised -their opinion of his political sagacity. -</p> - -<p> -The most keenly amused of his critics was Prince Romanos, who had been -one of the first arrivals at the resuscitated city, carrying one arm -in a sling, but more gay and debonnaire than ever, so bubbling over -with pleasure at meeting his friends again that it would have been -sheer cruelty to refer to the circumstances in which he had parted -from them. A violent flirtation with Donna Olimpia occupied most of -his time at first, but the Princess Dowager took a very strong view of -this amusement when it came to her knowledge, and practically forbade -him her house, so that his rivals were free to enjoy his society all -day long. -</p> - -<p> -“You are unfortunate in your backer,” he said one day, when Maurice -and Wylie had been discussing with considerable irritation the latest -Scythian manœuvre. “Now I cannot flatter myself that Pannonia -proposed me for any more exalted reason than to prevent your being -elected, but at least she lets me alone.” -</p> - -<p> -“Probably much better for your prospects,” growled Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“But certainly. Scythia’s fussy eagerness for your success can only do -you harm, while Pannonia’s wholesome neglect will bring me in -triumphantly.” -</p> - -<p> -“You seem very sure you are going to succeed,” said Maurice. -</p> - -<p> -“I am; absolutely certain. I feel it here,” he struck his chest. “I -will tell you why,” he lowered his voice mysteriously; “everything has -succeeded with me lately. I am in the—what do you call it?—line of -success.” -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t for the life of me see why you should succeed,” said Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -“Because I am not handicapped by the favour of Scythia, if for no -other reason. You cannot deny that Princess Theophanis was the -playmate of the Emperor’s sisters, or that the Scythian court is -showing the kindest interest in her. Now no one can say that I have a -wife at all, far less one connected in any way with royalty, so that -I stand upon my own merits—a poor foundation, perhaps, but less -slippery than the Scythian iceberg.” -</p> - -<p> -Not less perturbed than Maurice and Wylie by the unaccountable -benevolence of Scythia were the former’s supporters among the -delegates, who were now beginning to pour into the city. Most of the -men who survived the fall of Hagiamavra seemed to have contrived to -get themselves elected, and they gravitated naturally to the house -(little more than a broad verandah approached by steps and with some -cupboards beneath and in the rear), which was the headquarters of the -Theophanis cause. Here Maurice and Wylie were generally to be found, -with Dr Terminoff, and Professor Panagiotis when he could spare time -from his wire-pulling, and the delegates became accustomed after a -time to see Prince Romanos there also. This friendly association of -the two candidates, which at first revolted their sense of propriety, -began to recall the days at Hagiamavra, over which a glamour was -already tending to gather, and the delegates applied themselves to -well-meant efforts for perpetuating the happy state of things that had -reigned there, quite oblivious of the fact that an arrangement which -had not even answered particularly well temporarily might be a -disastrous failure if adopted in permanency. To their practical minds -it seemed now quite beside the question to determine which of the -candidates had the greater right on his side; the important thing was -to compose an unhappy family feud in such a way that all parties -should, if possible, be satisfied. Early one morning a number of them -invaded the verandah, and when Maurice had been established in his -chair in their midst, and coffee and cigarettes brought in, the -spokesman demanded one more assurance that he was not in any way -pledged to Scythia in the event of his being elected. -</p> - -<p> -“It is not that we doubt the Prince’s word,” said the old man; “but we -desire to treat the Lord Romanos with all fairness, and we have a word -to say for him to-day.” -</p> - -<p> -Prince Romanos, leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his hand, -smiled, and acknowledged the kind intention lazily. -</p> - -<p> -“The Lord Romanos is the younger man, and unmarried,” pursued the -spokesman. Prince Romanos started involuntarily. “Let him marry the -sister of the Lord Mavrikios, and they two shall be next heirs after -him and his wife.” -</p> - -<p> -“My sister is already betrothed, with my full consent, to the Lord -Glafko here,” said Maurice, keeping a grave face. A look of dismay -went round the assembly. -</p> - -<p> -“Yet another prince!” muttered the spokesman. “There were two kings in -Sparta, but who ever heard of three?” -</p> - -<p> -“I am the Prince’s servant, and desire no more,” said Wylie. -</p> - -<p> -The old man’s face cleared. “But it is beneath the dignity of the Lady -Zoe to wed a servant. Will the Lord Glafko stand in the way of this -excellent arrangement?” -</p> - -<p> -“Certainly not, if the Lady Zoe prefers it,” said Wylie heartily. -“Shall I go and tell her so? But I suppose I am not the proper person. -Would you like to represent it to her?” he asked the spokesman, who -hesitated, but recovered himself quickly. -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, lord; how could I put the thing as it should be put? Let the -Lord Romanos himself ask her, for who should plead his cause better -than he himself?” -</p> - -<p> -Again the rest applauded, and Prince Romanos seemed to shake off a -certain hesitation, and looked round laughing. -</p> - -<p> -“I take you all to witness that I am sent on this errand without my -consent. One does not go by choice to propose to another man’s bride. -But if I have your moral support——? The ladies are at home, Prince?” -</p> - -<p> -He disappeared indoors, and the assembly awaited his return -breathlessly. When he came back, he was still laughing. -</p> - -<p> -“The Lady Zoe says she would not marry me if I were the only man in -the world,” he said. “Well, you will at least bear witness that it was -not I who refused, but she.” -</p> - -<p> -The delegates assented sadly, and the spokesman propounded, without -enthusiasm, an alternative plan. -</p> - -<p> -“Let the Prince and his wife adopt the Lord Romanos as their son.” -Maurice winced painfully. “Then he may take part in the government -while they live, and reign after them.” -</p> - -<p> -“The idea is not a bad one,” murmured Professor Panagiotis, who had -come in almost unnoticed, and taken his place beside Maurice. But -Prince Romanos laughed boisterously. -</p> - -<p> -“My dear good friends, I hope Prince Theophanis will live a hundred -years, but I do not propose to be kept out of my inheritance as long -as that. No, what I want is to be Prince of Emathia at once. He wants -the same. Therefore we must fight it out.” -</p> - -<p> -The assembly subsided into silence, and suggested no more schemes that -day. But in the evening, when the delegates were gone, and Dr -Terminoff had joined the party on the verandah, the Professor recurred -to the second one. -</p> - -<p> -“I could wish that Prince Christodoridi were willing to waive his -present claims in view of recognition as hereditary prince, and -eventual successor,” he said. -</p> - -<p> -“No doubt you could,” said Prince Romanos. “But what have you ever -seen in me, my dear Professor, to make you imagine me a model of -patient unselfishness?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nothing, I confess it,” said the Professor emphatically. “But I -should like to see our forces united. As it is, Scythia and Pannonia -have every chance of ruining our hopes, and they are already taking -advantage of it. Nilischeff is proclaiming loudly that Prince -Theophanis is the mere instrument of Scythia, and he influences many -votes.” -</p> - -<p> -“And you have already lost so many that if he votes for me, I shall be -elected?” said Prince Romanos. “Come, this cheering prophecy gives me -courage to make a modest proposal of my own. Let us face the situation -without disguise. Emathia is Slav, is Greek. We should probably -disagree about the proportions, therefore I will not go into details. -Rightly or wrongly, the Slavs entertain a preference for you, my -friend,” to Maurice, “the Greeks for me. I speak roughly, of course, -but that is the general idea. The Slavs occupy the high ground in the -interior—speaking roughly again—the Greeks the low country nearer -the sea. Therefore Emathia is capable of division into two provinces, -the population of one predominantly Greek, of the other predominantly -Slav. Let us determine to divide her thus. Whichever of us succeeds in -the election will be Prince of Emathia, and mouthpiece of the Powers, -but he cannot dispense with the other. I have no liking for your -rugged hillmen, you have no sympathy with my brilliant elusive Greeks. -Therefore, if I become Prince, I will place you in charge of the Slav -province and the scattered Slavs in the low country. If you succeed, -give me the care of the lower province and the Greeks dwelling in the -upper.” -</p> - -<p> -“But you are merely perpetuating the racial cleavage which has done -all the mischief!” cried Maurice, as Prince Romanos stopped short with -gleaming eyes. -</p> - -<p> -“I think not. There would be one army, one judicial system. Colonel -Wylie will give us the benefit of his Indian experience in organising -them. The plan could not of course be worked unless we were bound by -the closest friendship, but we have been through much together——” -</p> - -<p> -“The plan would checkmate Scythia,” said the Professor sharply. -</p> - -<p> -“I could not suggest it to any one possessing less nobility of -character than Prince Theophanis,” said Prince Romanos, not without a -hint of malice. “His zeal is so entirely for the sake of Emathia that -I can do so without being misunderstood.” -</p> - -<p> -“It sounds excellent now, when we expect to succeed,” said Wylie. “The -question is, how it will look to us if we fail. What do you say, -Prince?” -</p> - -<p> -“The Prince will say that if it is for the good of Emathia, he will -agree to it,” said Prince Romanos boldly. -</p> - -<p> -“Very likely,” grumbled Wylie. “I am not the person to judge. It takes -a poet to think of a thing of this kind——” -</p> - -<p> -“And a fool to agree to it?” said Maurice. “But if it will give the -strength we need for the struggle against disruption? After all, it -would only be doing on a large scale what we tried on a small one at -Hagiamavra.” -</p> - -<p> -“Where it was not exactly successful,” said Wylie. “Oh, I know it’s -ideally desirable, but these things want ideal people to carry them -out.” -</p> - -<p> -“There is no idea of binding ourselves by a hard and fast agreement,” -said Maurice, as Prince Romanos laughed and bowed. “It must be -understood that the thing is purely tentative. If the man in -possession finds that the other is not working loyally with him, or if -the other—the under dog—finds he is thwarted in his pet schemes -without good cause, either may terminate it. We must have arrangements -for talking things over thoroughly together at frequent intervals, of -course.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then you agree?” cried Prince Romanos joyfully. “Welcome, then, my -colleague! You observe that I at once claim for myself the part of -upper dog—what is that you say, top dog?—and proceed to constitute -my cabinet. Prince Theophanis my Prime Minister, my Protector of -Slavs, my second self; Colonel Wylie my War Minister; Professor -Panagiotis my Foreign Secretary, Press Censor, Director of Public -Education and of my political conscience; Dr Terminoff, Minister of -Public Health. This day week the Prince of Emathia will claim your -services, gentlemen.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch26"> -CHAPTER XXVI.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">PAYING THE BILL.</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">By</span> a majority of thirty-three, Prince Romanos Christodoridi was -elected High Commissioner of Emathia. This result caused no surprise -at the Theophanis headquarters, where hope was practically extinct -from the moment that a pencil note was received from Professor -Panagiotis shortly after the opening of the poll:— -</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p> -“Treachery. Nilischeff has demanded that he and his followers should -be allowed to vote in favour of union with Thracia. Informed that this -is not the question before the delegates, he declines to vote at all. -He influences seventy-eight votes.” -</p> - -</div> - -<p> -The abstention of these delegates, all Slavs, coupled with the adverse -voting of those who had been led to believe that Maurice was merely -the tool of Scythia, turned the scale in favour of Prince Romanos, and -led to much lively mutual recrimination afterwards. This ceased only -in presence of the astonishing sight of the defeated candidate shaking -hands with his successful rival, and promising him all the help he -could give in his arduous task. The world, as represented by the -diplomatists of Europe and the sightseers, looked on cynically, as at -a formal ceremony that meant nothing whatever, but the unsophisticated -Emathians accepted the scene in good faith, possibly considering that -the experiences of Hagiamavra gave them a more intimate knowledge of -the two men than that enjoyed by the politicians. -</p> - -<p> -It was a day of surprises, and not the least of them fell to Zoe’s -share. She was standing on the verandah in the afternoon, awaiting -eagerly the return of Maurice and Wylie with full details of the -defeat, when a carriage drove up to the door, and a slender -black-robed figure descended. It was Donna Olimpia Pazzi, and when she -saw Zoe looking down at her she made her an eager sign. -</p> - -<p> -“Please don’t call the servants. It is you I am come to see,” she said -breathlessly, and hastened up the steps. “I have brought you a book -and a message from the Princess,” she went on, still in the same -hurried way. “No, not the Princess Dowager—my own Princess, Princess -Emilia—a book of poems, which she submits with humility to your -matured judgment—they are her own, of course—and hopes that your -friendship will justify her boldness. That was my excuse for getting -leave to come, but I had something to say to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes?” said Zoe. “Do sit down. Is anything the matter?” -</p> - -<p> -“I will not sit down,” said the girl, with something like defiance. -“Forgive me——” she broke off hastily. “I am in great trouble, and I -must tell some one. You will not betray me?” -</p> - -<p> -“Certainly not,” said Zoe, much surprised. “Your secret will be safe -with me.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is not my own secret only, but I can trust you. Last week you -refused a proposal of marriage from the Prince—from Romanos -Christodoridi?” -</p> - -<p> -“Most certainly I refused him, though I have no idea how you heard -anything about it.” Zoe spoke coldly. “I regarded his proposal as an -insult, since he knew I was already engaged.” -</p> - -<p> -“It was a greater insult than you imagined. He is my husband.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your husband—married to you? When? How long——?” -</p> - -<p> -“At Bashi Konak, when he was there wounded. In my Princess’s private -chapel, by her chaplain. She was present, and the Princess Dowager.” -</p> - -<p> -“But by Latin rites—and you are a Roman Catholic, too? But the Greeks -would never forgive him! It is impossible for him to be Prince.” -</p> - -<p> -“He is Prince, and you will not betray him, because you have promised; -nor shall I, because I am his wife—his most unhappy wife. But I could -not let you continue to think you had refused him, when he was mine -already.” -</p> - -<p> -The curious perverted pride in Donna Olimpia’s voice as she drew up -her head haughtily made Zoe wonder, and she felt half repelled, half -pitiful. “I don’t understand,” she said. “You are married to him; you -have got what you wanted, then, I suppose? Then why are you not -happy?” -</p> - -<p> -“How can I be happy?” the girl’s voice was choked. “He cannot -acknowledge me, or the Greeks would howl him out of Emathia. The -Princess promised me—the Princess Dowager, I mean—that he should not -be elected. Then I was to meet him in Paris, where his father would -not trouble him, and we should be left in peace. She brought me away -from Bashi Konak because she said the secret could never be kept if we -were seen together, and it must not come out until we were both safely -away from Emathia. Then he came here, and she has hardly let me see -him—even in her presence. And now he is Prince, and he can’t claim me -after all.” The tears flowed fast. -</p> - -<p> -“Then claim him,” said Zoe, rather unsympathetically. -</p> - -<p> -“And destroy his position? Never! I did not want him to be Prince, but -he wishes it, and I dare not cross his will. If he had been defeated -in the election, it would not have been my fault, and I could have -comforted him. But now he would never forgive me if I betrayed him.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, really,” said Zoe with some impatience, “so far as I can see, -there are only two things that you might do. You can make the marriage -public and claim him, or you can go back to Bashi Konak and keep out -of his way.” -</p> - -<p> -“You say that, knowing what he is?” cried Donna Olimpia. -</p> - -<p> -“But, speaking as one woman to another, there is one thing you can’t -do,” said Zoe earnestly. “You can’t stay on here unless the marriage -is recognised. I say that, knowing what he is, as you say. Go back to -Magnagrecia if you like—to Bashi Konak at any rate—but don’t stay -here.” -</p> - -<p> -“You think he will find himself compelled to follow me, and so ruin -his own cause,” was the suspicious reply. -</p> - -<p> -Zoe started angrily. “I was speaking to you for your good,” she said. -“Knowing Prince Romanos, I should think it highly unlikely—— No, I -won’t say it. But surely you see that you must protect yourself? He -won’t do it. I can’t quite make out what part the Princess Dowager has -been playing. You don’t think she deceived you deliberately?” -</p> - -<p> -“I think not, but one cannot tell—with her. I don’t believe she -wished my husband to be Prince, or why take such pains to promote our -marriage?” -</p> - -<p> -“I think you are both merely pawns in her game,” said Zoe. “At any -rate, you can’t feel any confidence in consulting her. If it suited -her, she would sacrifice you without a qualm. That’s what I always -feel about her.” -</p> - -<p> -“You know that she has your brother also in her power?” said Donna -Olimpia suddenly. “I know it, because she told me so once, to comfort -me. I did not want my husband to be Prince, but neither did I wish him -to suffer the humiliation of being defeated by Prince Theophanis. ‘Be -tranquil,’ she said; ‘Prince Theophanis will not reign. A word from me -would make him impossible.’” -</p> - -<p> -“Then you think she has brought about his defeat?” cried Zoe -indignantly. Donna Olimpia shook her head. -</p> - -<p> -“No, and I will tell you why. The hold she has over him is something -connected with a paper. When we were at Skandalo, Princess Theophanis -visited her twice, in great trouble. They talked very low, and I heard -nothing in the anteroom until the end of the second visit. Then they -seemed to have come suddenly close to the door, where the icon hangs, -and something was said about Prince Christodoridi’s being elected, but -I could not hear distinctly. Then I heard the Princess Dowager say -something about ‘the paper signed by your husband,’ and Princess -Theophanis said, ‘I will give you the paper when my husband’s life is -safe,’ or words like that.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well?” said Zoe breathlessly. -</p> - -<p> -“Then on the day we heard that the prisoners were to be released—I am -certain of it, because the English naval officer told me the news when -he brought a packet of letters and telegrams addressed to the Princess -at Therma—she went out without me, to congratulate Princess -Theophanis. When she came back, she locked a large envelope up in her -desk. Before she did it, she took out a paper that was inside it, with -a deep mourning border, read it through, and put it back again. I saw -her.” -</p> - -<p> -“The day the flag-lieutenant came?” said Zoe. “But Maurice had only -signed one paper then—a letter to a stockbroker—and he could hardly -manage that. That was black-edged, I know, but there was nothing in it -that could get him or anybody into trouble. Unless Eirene had added -what she wanted the money for—but even then—— No, I don’t see what -it could have been.” -</p> - -<p> -“You won’t mind my interrupting you for a moment, Zoe?” said Eirene, -coming out of the house, “but I saw that you had Donna Olimpia here, -and I wanted her to take a note back to the Princess for me. You will -be sure to give it her at once, won’t you?” she asked of the girl. “It -is very important.” -</p> - -<p> -“Without fail, madame,” said Donna Olimpia, with a certain excitement -in her tone. Neither she nor Zoe could help noticing the change in -Eirene’s appearance. It was as if years had fallen from her in a few -hours, and for the first time since Constantine’s death she actually -smiled as she went back into the house. -</p> - -<p> -“I can’t understand it,” said Zoe breathlessly; “but I think there -can’t be a doubt that you would be better away from the Princess. I -must write and thank Princess Emilia for her book; shall I mention -that you are longing to return to her?” -</p> - -<p> -“Am I to leave my husband at the Princess Dowager’s mercy?” -</p> - -<p> -“If you stay here, she has a weapon continually at hand with which to -attack him. Once you are at Bashi Konak, he cannot approach you -without acknowledging his marriage.” -</p> - -<p> -“Princess, I am torn asunder. I will try to go—and yet I cannot -resolve to leave him to himself. While I am in the same city, even -though I don’t see him, I can watch over him a little, but if I go -away, who knows into what toils he may fall?” wringing her hands with -a hopeless gesture. -</p> - -<p> -“Think about it,” said Zoe soothingly. “Would you like my brother or -Colonel Wylie to speak to him?” The unhappy girl shrank away. “They -would never take advantage of what you have told me, you know; but I -see that it would put them in a very awkward position. Well, if you -think of anything I could do—— Don’t forget my sister’s note.” -</p> - -<p> -Donna Olimpia caught up the note, and hurried away, almost without a -farewell. She found that her mistress had returned from witnessing the -public proclamation of Prince Romanos, to which she had not been -permitted to attend her, and she received a sharp rebuke for staying -out so long. But the sight of Eirene’s note turned the Princess’s -thoughts into another channel. -</p> - -<p> -“Insolent!” she muttered, for though impatience might be one of her -own failings, this did not make her any more tender towards it in -others. “Well, if she will have it, she shall!” -</p> - -<p> -Going to her desk, she took out Eirene’s paper in its envelope, and -enclosed both in another envelope, which she addressed to Prince and -Princess Theophanis, as if it contained an invitation. Then she called -her Dardanian servant. -</p> - -<p> -“You are to give this into the hands of Prince Theophanis and no one -else,” she said. “Ask him to open it at once, and to send a message by -you that he has received it safely. Go first to the Place de l’Europe -Unie—you know where his seat was on the platform—and if he is no -longer there, follow him to his house. Lose no time.” -</p> - -<p> -The man obeyed with alacrity, seeing his chance of settling a bet -which he had made on the subject of the election with a compatriot -employed at the British Consulate and detailed to guard Prince -Theophanis. His own sharpest dagger, and the compatriot’s largest and -most highly ornamented revolver, had been the stakes, and both would -now adorn his girdle. He swaggered out with immense importance, almost -knocking down a quiet gentleman who had just alighted at the door as -he did so. Prince Soudaroff looked after him uncertainly. If the man -had been going in the direction of the Theophanis headquarters he -would have ventured to stop him, but the great square in front of the -site marked out for the High Commissioner’s palace was the common -rallying-ground this afternoon, and he let him go on. The flush of -gratified resentment had hardly died from the Princess’s cheek when -she received her visitor. -</p> - -<p> -“And the next step?” she said eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -“Patience, madame, patience! You must remember that we do not wish to -perpetuate the present unsettled state of affairs. No, let the -Emathians perceive the advantages of a settled government, -perhaps—who knows?—begin to find them press a little hardly; then -will come the opportunity of discrediting the temporary ruler, and the -necessity of supplying his place immediately. But we must be prepared -to prevent Prince Theophanis from stepping into the vacant place. I -presume the document which you hold contains no limitations as to -time?” -</p> - -<p> -“None whatever,” said the Princess, concealing beneath a mask of -absolute certainty the sudden alarm she felt. -</p> - -<p> -“Since the task was in your hands, madame, I knew it would be well -carried out. Still, I think, if I may say so, that in view of your -constant journeys, the time has come when the document would be safer -in my possession than in yours.” -</p> - -<p> -“I’m afraid I can’t agree to that,” said the Princess, with a smile of -which her practised opponent detected the hollowness. “You see I have -promised Princess Theophanis not to let it out of my hands unless it -becomes necessary——” -</p> - -<p> -“To produce it? Quite so. The promise is given. The mind of the -Princess Theophanis is at rest. The promise has done its work; let it -pass,” he waved his hand. “You will at any rate permit me to inspect -the document, madame? If I should retain it, disregarding your -protests, no blame can attach to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Fie, casuist!” said the Princess playfully. -</p> - -<p> -“You flatter me, madame.” -</p> - -<p> -“But I could not think of such a thing!” -</p> - -<p> -“I await the document, madame.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is useless, Prince.” -</p> - -<p> -“Madame, here I am. Must I say that I do not leave the house without -that paper?” -</p> - -<p> -“But I cannot give it you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Cannot, madame? Why not?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because I have returned it. I swore that I would.” -</p> - -<p> -“You have returned it? to Princess Theophanis?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes—at least to her husband.” The triumph in her tone did not escape -Prince Soudaroff, but it was not with sympathy that his eyes gleamed. -</p> - -<p> -“At least, madame, you took the precaution of having it photographed -before parting with it?” -</p> - -<p> -“No—I am sorry.” The Princess was startled at last. “I never thought -of that.” -</p> - -<p> -“I also am sorry, madame. Do you perceive what you have done? For the -gratification of a moment’s malice you have wrecked this great -scheme—deliberately thrown away the results of the labour of years. -Could you not have been satisfied with sending this priceless paper to -Princess Theophanis? Then we might have procured its return by -threatening to reveal everything to her husband. But no, you must send -it direct to that most impracticable of men, of whom one can only say -that he will take the course the least in accordance with prudence and -calculation—an honest, single-minded fool! He will probably make it -public forthwith.” -</p> - -<p> -“No,” said the Princess, with an inspiration born of dismay, “he will -keep it secret—to shield her. Go quickly and play upon his feelings. -You will promise secrecy if he will. Otherwise you will make public -the conduct of his wife.” -</p> - -<p> -“I will try,” said Prince Soudaroff, a hint of hope in his tones. “But -remember, madame, you have failed—grievously. You know the penalty.” -</p> - -<p> -“You will disown me to save yourselves? Oh, quite so! But I have been -disowned before this, Prince, and you have been glad to ask for my -help again.” -</p> - -<p> -“I hardly think that Prince Kazimir is likely to ask for your help -again, madame,” was the biting reply with which Prince Soudaroff took -his leave. He chose a somewhat roundabout way to Maurice’s house, for -he was anxious to think out the best means of dealing with the -situation. The nettle must be grasped boldly, for the slightest sign -of weakness would draw attention to the insecurity of his position. To -his disgust, there was standing at the Theophanis door a highly ornate -carriage and pair,—one of those which had taken part in the state -procession round the city,—which from the cavasses and other -attendants attached to it he knew to be that of the British Admiral. -It was with the fervent hope that the presence of the distinguished -visitor would have prevented Maurice from opening the Princess’s -envelope that he asked for admittance, to find Wylie and Zoe -entertaining the flag-lieutenant in the verandah. -</p> - -<p> -Fate was against him, as he realised the moment he heard that Admiral -Essiter was being received by Prince and Princess Theophanis in -private. The Dardanian had followed Maurice home from the square, and -caught him up just as he reached his own door. He opened the letter as -he mounted the steps, and Zoe saw his face change. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, Maurice, what is it?” she cried. “Not the black-edged paper? Oh!” -with a sudden thought, “you don’t say that Eirene gave the ten -thousand pounds to the Princess?” -</p> - -<p> -“What does it mean?” said Maurice, bewildered. “What do you mean? What -black-edged paper?” -</p> - -<p> -“Donna Olimpia told me just now that the Princess had a black-edged -paper, signed by you, which Eirene had given her to save your life; -and I knew you had signed nothing but the letter to Merceda. But it -was such a small sum, comparatively——” -</p> - -<p> -“This is worse. That could only have discredited the Princess. This -discredits us—me.” He laid it before her, and Zoe, after reading it, -rose superior to her natural jealousy in a way that showed she had -learnt something since her engagement. -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice, you must take it to Eirene, and have it out with her at -once. It mayn’t be as bad as it looks. Perhaps she will be able to say -something to explain—— At any rate you must settle it with her -before you speak to another creature, or things will never be right -again between you.” -</p> - -<p> -“That’s true. I will. And you might as well tell Wylie how it is when -he comes in. He’ll have to know why I can’t stay in Emathia as we -agreed to do.” -</p> - -<p> -He went into Eirene’s sitting-room, and she started up to meet him, -but turned white at the sight of the paper in his hand. -</p> - -<p> -“What does this mean, Eirene?” he asked, laying it on the table, and -she bent over it and pretended to read it, for the sake of gaining -time. -</p> - -<p> -“She swore on the icon to give it back to me,” she murmured at last. -It was not what she had intended to say, but all the arguments that -raced through her mind seemed utterly futile. -</p> - -<p> -“Perhaps she agreed with me, that when one is disgraced it is as well -to know it,” he replied. -</p> - -<p> -“It was to save your life.” -</p> - -<p> -“At the cost of honour.” -</p> - -<p> -“It was the only way. I do care for your honour, Maurice, you know it, -but when it was a choice between that and your life——” -</p> - -<p> -“It would have been more—regular—to leave the choice to me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah, but I knew which you would choose. Oh, Maurice, don’t look at me -like that! I killed Constantine. Was I to kill you too?” It was the -first time she had mentioned the child’s death since she had broken -the news of it to him, and he realised the intense feeling which had -forced the words from her lips, and left her standing like a culprit -before him, supporting herself by the table. He strove for calmness. -</p> - -<p> -“No, I suppose it could hardly be expected of you,” he said. -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice!” she flung herself at his feet, “don’t look at me in that -way! What is the good of talking quietly when your eyes are killing -me? Say what you like—curse me; I deserve it.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, for Heaven’s sake, get up!” he groaned impatiently. “I don’t want -to be hard on you, Eirene. Don’t talk nonsense about cursing. But -really, life is not so excessively delightful that one cares to think -one has bought it at the price of honour.” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene rose and stood before him. “You have your remedy,” she said, -very quietly. “Put the whole blame on me. Deny your signature. Send me -away—only forgive me first. I will never utter a word of complaint, -and I will always pray for you.” -</p> - -<p> -“You forget that I did sign the thing, after all. Do you want me to -cover one baseness with another? No, we will go home quietly, and drop -out of sight.” -</p> - -<p> -“There is no need for your future to be ruined. I will go—as you -cannot bear to see me. Zoe will take care of you—and Graham Wylie.” -Her voice trembled, but she fought down the rising tears. “You trust -them; they have not deceived you. You will have your work, and I shall -have my punishment. Perhaps when I am dying——” -</p> - -<p> -“Nonsense!” cried Maurice, driven to exasperation. “There is no need -for heroic measures. If you will think a moment, you will see it is -impossible for me to stay here after this. Our Emathians are brave, at -any rate. Well, Scythia spreads a whisper that I saved my life by a -disgraceful compact with a Scythian agent. What influence should I -have after that? I could not deny it, and you may be quite certain -that I shan’t.” -</p> - -<p> -“Maurice,” said Zoe’s diffident voice at the door, “Admiral Essiter -and his flag-lieutenant are here. Shall I say you are really too tired -to see them?” -</p> - -<p> -“No!” cried Eirene, waking suddenly into fiery energy. “Bring the -Admiral in here, in here—at once, Zoe. Maurice, I forbid you to say -a word! Leave this to me.” -</p> - -<p> -Poor Admiral Essiter, perceiving on the threshold that he was -intruding upon a domestic difference, wished heartily that he had not -thought of following up his official visit of congratulation to Prince -Romanos with one of condolence to the defeated candidate. He knew -something of Eirene by personal experience, and more by report, and -the sight of the black-edged paper on the table suggested to him that -she was about to separate from Maurice owing to his ill-success in the -election, and that he had been pitched upon to assist at the final -arrangements. For all the magnificence of his appearance, and his -natural coolness, he came very near retreating ignominiously, and -Eirene saw it. -</p> - -<p> -“Come in, please, and shut the door,” she said imperiously. “I wish to -make a confession in your presence, sir. I have forged my husband’s -signature to that paper.” -</p> - -<p> -“Really, Eirene!” said Maurice indignantly. “My wife is not quite -herself, Admiral. I signed the paper with my own hand. She doesn’t -know what she is saying.” -</p> - -<p> -“Of course not—very natural,” murmured the Admiral soothingly. “This -is rather an inconvenient time, isn’t it? You would rather I called -another day?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, no!” cried Eirene. “You are to stay. Don’t mind what my husband -says.” -</p> - -<p> -“But I must pay a little attention to him in his own house, mustn’t -I?” said the Admiral, in the genial voice which had so many times -averted a break-up of the European Concert. “You can speak frankly to -me, Teffany, you know. If there is anything I can help to arrange, you -have only to say so. If not, I go, seeing nothing and remembering -nothing.” -</p> - -<p> -“If nothing else will satisfy my wife——” began Maurice unwillingly. -</p> - -<p> -“Nothing will,” said Eirene, with such determination that her husband -and the Admiral alike bowed to it. -</p> - -<p> -“Then may I suggest that we should sit down?” said the arbitrator -pleasantly, drawing forward a chair for Eirene. “This is not a -court-martial, is it?—merely a little friendly talk. You were going -to tell me something, Princess?” -</p> - -<p> -“I want you to know,” said Eirene, leaning forward in her chair, with -her hands clasped rigidly on her knee, “that I have deceived Maurice -and disgraced him——” -</p> - -<p> -“Eirene! You will make the Admiral think——” cried Maurice, but the -Admiral held up his hand. -</p> - -<p> -“One at a time, please. We will hear the Princess first. You deceived -your husband, ma’am—for his good, of course?” -</p> - -<p> -“Of course,” said Eirene, unconscious of sarcasm. “I made him sign -that paper, when he thought he was only signing a letter.” -</p> - -<p> -“You had better see it,” said Maurice, handing the document across the -table. The Admiral read it with astonishment. -</p> - -<p> -“This has never left your own possession, I hope, Princess?” -</p> - -<p> -“I wrote it for the Princess Dowager of Dardania, and she has had it -till now. She has great influence at the Scythian Court, and she got -the Emperor to save Maurice’s life, in return for that. I knew he -wouldn’t like my doing it, so I had to mislead him about it.” Eirene’s -tone was impenitent. -</p> - -<p> -“And your feeling is that if the existence of this document should -ever be asserted, you would be unable to deny it?” asked the Admiral -of Maurice, who nodded. “Well, it seems to me that it is at least as -discreditable to Scythia as to you—more so, in fact. They can hardly -have intended ever to make it public. It was to be a weapon held over -you, I presume.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes. I was to get him to resign without mentioning it, if I could,” -assented Eirene, charmed with the Admiral’s penetration. “And it has -saved his life, and if I could have helped it he would never have -known anything about it. But I know it is just the kind of thing he -will never forgive——” -</p> - -<p> -“Eirene!” cried Maurice, stung beyond endurance. “Can’t you see that -it is not the thing itself, but your having done it, that is so -horrible?” -</p> - -<p> -“And so,” said Eirene, looking very straight at the wall to keep her -tears from overflowing, “I am going to take all the blame, and go away -to a convent, and never see him again.” -</p> - -<p> -“Come, come!” said the Admiral reprovingly. “We don’t do things of -that sort in England, Princess, off the stage—or at least we don’t -talk about doing them. You have treated your husband very badly, and -I don’t wonder he feels it, but there’s no need to make things worse.” -</p> - -<p> -Eirene drew herself up, and the Admiral noted with secret satisfaction -that Maurice moved nearer her involuntarily, and that his voice was -very chilling as he said, “My wife and I can settle that between -ourselves, Admiral. But if you think there is anything to be done -about this paper——” -</p> - -<p> -“You would like to approach the Princess Dowager about it, perhaps? We -might frighten her with the threat of making it public. But I fancy -she is merely a tool. What I should like would be to get at the person -behind her.” -</p> - -<p> -As if in answer to the aspiration, Zoe opened the door and came in, -closing it carefully. “Maurice, Prince Soudaroff is here, and is very -anxious to see you. I told him the Admiral was with you, and he said -he was come about a paper. Do you think it could be——” -</p> - -<p> -“The very man I should have chosen!” said the Admiral. -</p> - -<p> -“Bring him in, Zoe,” said Maurice, taking his stand resolutely beside -Eirene, with his hand on her shoulder—a point that Prince Soudaroff -noted immediately as he entered. His decision had been reached the -moment he learned that the Admiral was closeted with Maurice and -Eirene, and he did not wait to be addressed. The Princess Dowager must -be thrown over. -</p> - -<p> -“I have come on rather a painful errand,” he said. “There is a -document in existence, I understand, affecting the honour of Prince -Theophanis. How it was fabricated I hardly know, but I have a horrible -fear that a certain exalted lady of our acquaintance has been meddling -with politics again. These little irregularities will occur, one must -regretfully admit, when ladies interfere in things they know nothing -about.” -</p> - -<p> -“The document embodied a certain engagement, to be carried out if -Prince Theophanis was elected?” asked the Admiral, who had the paper, -face downwards, in his hand. -</p> - -<p> -“Exactly. And I fear the absurd thing has been made the means of -causing some little pain to Princess Theophanis? Ah, I was afraid so. -Really, a woman can be very cruel when her affections are concerned, -and of course the lady of whom I speak imagined she was acting in the -interests of her son.” -</p> - -<p> -“Which was a pure delusion?” said the Admiral. -</p> - -<p> -“Absolutely. The idea was puerile.” Never was a lie uttered more -unflinchingly like truth. -</p> - -<p> -“And the promise wrung from Princess Theophanis had no effect whatever -in obtaining her husband’s release?” -</p> - -<p> -“How could it? Admiral Essiter will hardly imagine that we should -traffic with an affectionate wife for the life of her husband at the -price of a piece of paper?” -</p> - -<p> -“I could hardly credit it. Then this document is quite valueless?” The -Admiral spoke casually, but he had produced a match-box from -somewhere, and as he spoke he lighted the paper he held. He saw, if -neither of the others did, Prince Soudaroff’s involuntary start -forward, instantly checked, to snatch it from destruction. “I think,” -he went on, in a business-like tone, as he crushed the last flaming -corner, “that it would be as well to have a record of the facts, -signed by all of us, for reference in case of need. The lady Prince -Soudaroff has mentioned might try to repeat her game on some future -occasion. Otherwise, of course, I must safeguard the interests of -Prince Theophanis by laying the whole affair before my colleagues, but -I should prefer to keep the matter between ourselves.” -</p> - -<p> -“I should prefer it infinitely,” said Prince Soudaroff—on this -occasion, probably, with truth. -</p> - -<p> -“Is Colonel Wylie acquainted with the facts?” asked the Admiral of -Maurice. “Yes? Then he might act as secretary.” -</p> - -<p> -“I will fetch him,” said Maurice, and Wylie was called, and wrote out -a very uncompromising, if not wholly literal, history of the case. -When Prince Soudaroff had signed it and taken his leave, the Admiral -laughed. -</p> - -<p> -“If Colonel Wylie would be good enough to make another copy, to be -laid up in the Theophanis family archives,—which in view of the -uncertainty of life in these regions had better be represented by the -Bank of England,—I should feel more at ease,” he said. “Otherwise, if -the <i>Magniloquent</i> shared the fate of the <i>Maine</i> one night, you would -be as badly off as ever.” -</p> - -<p> -Wylie set to work on the copy, and Zoe remained to help him, while -Maurice escorted the Admiral to his carriage. When he returned to the -verandah, Eirene was awaiting him at the top of the steps. -</p> - -<p> -“Am I to go, Maurice?” she asked him. -</p> - -<p> -“Go? where?” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t know. To some convent in Scythia, I suppose.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not with my consent.” -</p> - -<p> -“But do you forgive me?” -</p> - -<p> -“Would you do it again?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, Maurice!” she hid her face on his shoulder. “If your life -depended upon it?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not even then. Not without asking me, at any rate.” -</p> - -<p> -“But that would mean not doing it. Don’t make me promise!” -</p> - -<p> -“I must. Eirene, we have hard work before us, and we ought to be -shoulder to shoulder. You mustn’t make me feel that there’s a danger -of your working against me, for any reason whatever. Only tell me -before you do things. I think you’ll find that it’s happier for both -of us.” -</p> - -<p> -“I will,” she murmured. “And look, Maurice, I scribbled this down just -now, and I want you to have it put into proper form. Is it too dark -for you to read it? It is to say that I give up my right of dealing -with Mr Teffany-Wise’s money. It has done more to separate us than -anything.” -</p> - -<p> -“It has.” He sighed involuntarily. “If it hadn’t come between us—— -Still, it has helped to free Emathia. But we will only deal with it -together in future, dear.” -</p> - -<p class="end"> -THE END. -</p> - - -<h2> -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES. -</h2> - -<p> -Sydney C. Grier was the pseudonym of Hilda Caroline Gregg. -</p> - -<p> -This book is part of the author’s “Balkan Series II.” The series, in -order, being: <i>The Heir</i>, <i>The Heritage</i>, and <i>The Prize</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -<b>Alterations to the text</b>: -</p> - -<p> -Note: minor spelling and hyphenization inconsistencies (<i>e.g.</i> -thunderstruck/thunder-struck, rank-and-file/rank and file, etc.) have -been preserved. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Title Page] -</p> - -<p> -Add brief note indicating this novel’s position in the series. See -above. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter VI] -</p> - -<p> -Change “You <i>musn’t</i> be so doleful” to <i>mustn’t</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter IX] -</p> - -<p> -“detention in the <i>court yard</i>” to <i>courtyard</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter XIV] -</p> - -<p> -“it may be necessary any day to to get all our forces together” delete -one <i>to</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter XVI] -</p> - -<p> -“there was no <i>gurantee</i> of even temporary safety” to <i>guarantee</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter XX] -</p> - -<p> -“for the poor starving <i>peeple</i> around” to <i>people</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter XXI] -</p> - -<p> -“<i>Wyllie</i> transferred his whole force” to <i>Wylie</i>. -</p> - -<p class="end"> -[End of Text] -</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HERITAGE ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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