"Silence!" he thundered; "you will only lie." Then to the major he said, "I know no reason why I should explain my conduct to you."
"I can best explain this, I think," I said. "The Count von Nauheim had induced or compelled the Countess Minna here to leave your custody, and after some time she escaped from him. I was following, and by the happiest of coincidences we met. She will now remain in my care. Signor Praga was riding after me, and the Count von Nauheim came up soon afterward in search of the countess. Between Signor Praga and the count there is an old quarrel, and it was in course of arrangement when you arrived."
"Then you will return with me, countess?" said the officer.
"On the contrary, as I have already said, my cousin will remain in my charge," and I handed him the letter from Baron Heckscher.
He read it by the light of the moon, and we waited in silence till he had finished.
"You are to hand me an authority to your agents," he said as he folded up the letter.
"I have also to demand an explanation for the treatment I received on my arrival, as I understood, by your instructions," I answered sharply.
"It can all best be done at the house itself. My work is finished here, and I must set about this other matter of the Duke Marx without delay,"
he said. "Count von Nauheim has also an explanation to give me. We had better proceed to the house, Prince."
At this Praga showed signs of restiveness, while von Nauheim agreed eagerly.
"I have a word to say about that," exclaimed the Corsican, intervening.
"I have brought this fox to earth, and have no mind to see him slip through my fingers. Prince, you won"t forget our compact?"
"I shall be responsible for the count"s custody," put in Major Gessler.
"Maybe, but you have an unfortunate trick of letting your prisoners slip the leash," cried Praga bluntly. "I shouldn"t trust myself in that house again, Prince, if I were you. There may be more treachery there."
"Those are ugly words, sir," exclaimed the major hotly.
"They describe an ugly fact, major," returned Praga recklessly, with a shrug of the shoulders. "I am not concerned to pick my words to tickle your ears. If you don"t like them"--and he threw up his hands--"I can"t help it."
"I need not give you my a.s.surance, I trust, Prince von Gramberg," said the officer, turning to me, "that so long as I am at that house your personal safety and that of the Countess Minna will be absolutely secure."
"If I doubt it, you have only the acts of your own men to blame," I answered curtly.
"That can be explained. When the Countess Minna was taken away by this"--he was going to say gentleman, but subst.i.tuted--"by this count, I feared that some further plot might be afloat, and I left instructions that you should be detained until my return from my search for her. If my men exceeded their instructions in any way--I had only time to give them very hurriedly--I beg to tender you my sincerest apologies. But at least the countess here will tell you that while she was in my care complete regard was paid alike to her comfort and safety."
"Certainly I would trust Major Gessler"s word," said Minna.
"Will you return to the house?" I asked.
"Yes, if we have his word that we are to be at liberty to leave it. But I would rather go to Gramberg."
"I pledge you my word on that," said the major.
I reflected that we had better not go to Gramberg until I had had an opportunity of explaining the whole position to Minna, and in fact I had another plan in my thoughts.
But while this conversation had been taking place, and our attention had been engrossed, von Nauheim had stolen un.o.bserved to the place where Praga had tethered the horses, and, having cut the reins which tied the two together, he leapt on the back of his own and made off down the road at a hard gallop.
With a furious oath Praga ran to his horse, caught it cleverly, jumped into the saddle, and dashed after the fugitive in mad pursuit. The major told the man who was with him to follow, and we stood and watched the wild race as the three streamed down the hill from us at unequal distances, along a flat stretch of level road at the bottom, and then up a long incline beyond.
Praga was the better horseman or had the better mount, for we saw him gaining fast on the dark figure in front, and then as they neared the top of the incline we heard the report of a pistol shot, followed at a short interval by another.
A moment later the two leading figures pa.s.sed out of sight, and we were left to conjecture what had happened.
"Had you better not push on to the house?" asked the major. "I will ride back and see the result. It has an ugly look. I shall probably overtake you before long," and with that he wheeled his horse round and galloped off, leaving Minna and myself alone again.
CHAPTER XXV
"I AM NOT THE PRINCE"
"I think we had better return to that house," I said to Minna. "My horse is close here, and you can ride while I lead him. You must be worn out."
"I will do whatever you think best. I believe Major Gessler is to be trusted."
"Yes, I think so now. I have given him an order from those for whom he is acting that you are to be detained no longer."
"How did you find out where I was?" she asked. "I am longing to hear everything."
"You had better have some rest first. There is much to tell and a weighty decision to make. Let us start."
I led the way to where I had tied the horse, and, having unfastened the reins, I walked him up and down once or twice to see if he showed any signs of lameness as the result of his fall, and whether he was fit to carry the girl. He appeared all right and much the fresher for the rest, so I lifted her into the saddle, and taking the rein in my hand started on the return journey.
"You can tell me as we go along what has happened to you since the ball," I said.
"It has been a terrible experience, but it is simple enough to describe.
In the crowd at the ball I got separated from Captain von Krugen, and some one just like him came up and said we had better stand out of the throng a minute; and when we had moved away, he added that you wished me to be in the ante-room instead of the ball-room. I suspected nothing, of course, and went with him, and then some people came pressing round me, and some one said that as a matter of fact they had bad news to break to me--that you had met with an accident and were seriously hurt, and wished me to go at once to you. I did not hesitate an instant when I heard that, and so I fell into the trap. You don"t blame me?"
"Blame you for being solicitous about me?" I asked, turning and glancing up to her with a smile. "But it was a cowardly scheme. And had you not seen me in the ball-room?"
"Yes, of course, and I said so. But they told me it had happened only a few minutes before, and that you had been carried at once to the house of a doctor, where you were expecting me. They told me you might die, and at that I was so eager to get to you that I would have gone anywhere."
She paused again here, but this time I would not trust myself to look round.
"In this way," she continued, "I was lured into the carriage, and after that, of course, I was helpless. They took me to some house near Munich, and the place seemed alive with armed men. There, to my surprise, I found aunt Gratz, who told me that Marie had betrayed us all, and that I was in a trap. I felt at first glad in a sense, because I knew then that you were not hurt after all; but presently I grew angry, for she began to tell me all kinds of horrible things about you; I will tell you them some time. And when my anger pa.s.sed, I was nearly broken-hearted, for, as all our plans were known to the others, I was afraid, horribly afraid, of what might happen to you, and what mischief my foolish credulity might cause you. It was a time crowded with terror," she sighed.
"And after that?" I asked, wishing her to finish her story before I began mine.
"In the early morning Major Gessler sent word that we were to prepare for a journey, and then we thought of writing you. I should not have thought it possible, but aunt Gratz suggested it, and said that she was sure she could get it delivered to you. I wrote it then readily enough; but what I said I do not know--I scarcely knew at the time--it must have read like a wild, incoherent cry--for that"s what it was."
"How did you know you were coming to Landsberg? I have been much perplexed by your letter, why your aunt should have spoken in this way of me in regard to it."
"I am afraid I can give you the clew. She knew about Landsberg--she seemed to know everything; and from what I have heard to-night, she was acting in collusion with that man. His object was, as I now know, to let you have the clew where to follow us, so that he could draw you into a snare, for some object I am almost afraid to think of. But something happened to interfere with the plans."
"I know what that was. He learnt, probably from Major Gessler, that I was coming to Landsberg direct from Baron Heckscher, and probably there would be some special reference to him in the baron"s message."
"That may have been it. At any rate he came to us in a state of great excitement, declared that he had found out a plot to kill me, that you had communicated with him, and that we three were to set off at once to meet you at a place he named; I forget its name. I was suspicious at first; but when he declared that there was to be a clear-up of everything and a complete understanding between us all, and that all they had said about you was not true, and when aunt Gratz joined in persuading me, I consented. We got away secretly, and I was glad indeed to leave. They all appear to have known that with me your name was the one argument sure to prevail," she said softly.