"And that day may never come," said he, such mocking regret in his voice that she looked upon him with newer interest.
"Why, I really believe you want to go to America," she cried.
The eyes of Baldos had been furtively drawn to the curtain more than once during the last few minutes. An occasional movement of the long oriental hangings attracted his attention. It dawned upon him that the little play was being overheard, whether by spies or conspirators he knew not. Resentment sprang up in his breast and gave birth to a daring that was as spectacular as it was confounding. With long, noiseless strides, he reached the door before Beverly could interpose. She half started from her chair, her eyes wide with dismay, her lips parted, but his hand was already clutching the curtain. He drew it aside relentlessly.
Two startled women stood exposed to view, smiles dying on their amazed faces. Their backs were against the closed door and two hands clutching handkerchiefs dropped from a most significant alt.i.tude. One of them flashed an imperious glance at the bold discoverer, and he knew he was looking upon the real princess of Graustark. He did not lose his composure. Without a tremor he turned to the American girl.
"Your highness," he said clearly, coolly, "I fear we have spies and eavesdroppers here. Is your court made up of--I should say, they are doubtless a pair of curious ladies-in-waiting. Shall I begin my service, your highness, by escorting them to yonder door?"
CHAPTER XIII
THE THREE PRINCES
Beverly gasped. The countess stared blankly at the new guard. Yetive flushed deeply, bit her lip in hopeless chagrin, and dropped her eyes. A pretty turn, indeed, the play had taken! Not a word was uttered for a full half-minute; nor did the guilty witnesses venture forth from their retreat. Baldos stood tall and impa.s.sive, holding the curtain aside. At last the shadow of a smile crept into the face of the princess, but her tones were full of deep humility when she spoke.
"We crave permission to retire, your highness," she said, and there was virtuous appeal in her eyes. "I pray forgiveness for this indiscretion and implore you to be lenient with two miserable creatures who love you so well that they forget their dignity."
"I am amazed and shocked," was all that Beverly could say. "You may go, but return to me within an hour. I will then hear what you have to say."
Slowly, even humbly, the ruler of Graustark and her cousin pa.s.sed beneath the upraised arm of the new guard. He opened a door on the opposite side of the room, and they went out, to all appearance thoroughly crestfallen. The steady features of the guard did not relax for the fraction of a second, but his heart was thumping disgracefully.
"Come here, Baldos," commanded Beverly, a bit pale, but recovering her wits with admirable promptness. "This is a matter which I shall dispose of privately. It is to go no further, you are to understand."
"Yes, your highness."
"You may go now. Colonel Quinnox will explain everything," she said hurriedly. She was eager to be rid of him. As he turned away she observed a faint but peculiar smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Come here, sir!" she exclaimed hotly. He paused, his face as sombre as an owl"s. "What do you mean by laughing like that?" she demanded. He caught the fierce note in her voice, but gave it the proper interpretation.
"Laughing, your highness?" he said in deep surprise. "You must be mistaken. I am sure that I could not have laughed in the presence of a princess."
"It must have been a--a shadow, then," she retracted, somewhat startled by his rejoinder. "Very well, then; you are dismissed."
As he was about to open the door through which he had entered the room, it swung wide and Count Marlanx strode in. Baldos paused irresolutely, and then proceeded on his way without paying the slightest attention to the commander of the army. Marlanx came to an amazed stop and his face flamed with resentment.
"Halt, sir!" he exclaimed harshly. "Don"t you know enough to salute me, sir?"
Baldos turned instantly, his figure straightening like a flash. His eyes met those of the Iron Count and did not waver, although his face went white with pa.s.sion.
"And who are you, sir?" he asked in cold, steely tones. The count almost reeled.
"Your superior officer--that should be enough for you!" he half hissed with deadly levelness.
"Oh, then I see no reason why I should not salute you, sir," said Baldos, with one of his rare smiles. He saluted his superior officer a shade too elaborately and turned away. Marlanx"s eyes glistened.
"Stop! Have I said you could go, sir? I have a bit of advice to--"
"My command to go comes from _your_ superior, sir," said Baldos, with irritating blandness.
"Be patient, general," cried Beverly in deep distress. "He does not know any better. I will stand sponsor for him." And Baldos went away with a light step, his blood singing, his devil-may-care heart satisfied. The look in her eyes was very sustaining. As he left the castle he said aloud to himself with an easy disregard of the consequences:
"Well, it seems that I am to be a.s.sociated with the devil as well as with angels. Heavens! June is a glorious month."
"Now, you promised you"d be nice to him, General Marlanx," cried Beverly the instant Baldos was out of the room. "He"s new at this sort of thing, you know, and besides, you didn"t address him very politely for an utter stranger."
"The insolent dog," snarled Marlanx, his self-control returning slowly. "He shall be taught well and thoroughly, never fear, Miss Calhoun. There is a way to train such recruits as he, and they never forget what they have learned."
"Oh, please don"t be harsh with him," she pleaded. The smile of the Iron Count was not at all rea.s.suring. "I know he will be sorry for what he has done, and you--"
"I am quite sure he will be sorry," said he, with a most agreeable bow in submission to her appeal.
"Do you want to see Mr. Lorry?" she asked quickly. "I will send for him, general." She was at the door, impatient to be with the banished culprits.
"My business with Mr. Lorry can wait," he began, with a smile meant to be inviting, but which did not impress her at all pleasantly.
"Well, anyway, I"ll tell him you"re here," she said, her hand on the door-k.n.o.b. "Will you wait here? Good-bye!" And then she was racing off through the long halls and up broad stair-cases toward the boudoir of the princess. There is no telling how long the ruffled count remained in the ante-room, for the excited Beverly forgot to tell Lorry that he was there.
There were half a dozen people in the room when Beverly entered eagerly. She was panting with excitement. Of all the rooms in the grim old castle, the boudoir of the princess was the most famously attractive. It was really her home, the exquisite abiding place of an exquisite creature. To lounge on her divans, to loll in the chairs, to glide through her priceless rugs was the acme of indolent pleasure. Few were they who enjoyed the privileges of "Little Heaven," as Harry Anguish had christened it on one memorable night, long before the princess was Mrs. Grenfall Lorry.
"_Now_, how do you feel?" cried the flushed American girl, pausing in the door to point an impressive finger at the princess, who was lying back in a huge chair, the picture of distress and annoyance.
"I shall never be able to look that man in the face again," came dolefully from Yetive"s humbled lips. Dagmar was all smiles and in the fittest of humors. She was the kind of a culprit who loves the punishment because of the crime.
"Wasn"t it ridiculous, and wasn"t it just too lovely?" she cried.
"It was extremely theatrical," agreed Beverly, seating herself on the arm of Yetive"s chair and throwing a warm arm around her neck. "Have you all heard about it?" she demanded, naively, turning to the others, who unquestionably had had a jumbled account of the performance.
"You got just what you deserved," said Lorry, who was immensely amused.
"I wonder what your august vagabond thinks of his princess and her ladies-in-hiding?" mused Harry Anguish. The Count and Countess Halfont were smiling in spite of the a.s.sault upon the dignity of the court.
"I"d give anything to know what he really thinks," said the real princess. "Oh, Beverly, wasn"t it awful? And how he marched us out of that room!"
"I thought it was _great_," said Beverly, her eyes glowing. "Wasn"t it splendid? And isn"t he good looking?"
"He is good looking, I imagine, but I am no judge, dear. It was utterly impossible for me to look at his face," lamented the princess.
"What are you going to do with us?" asked Dagmar penitently.
"You are to spend the remainder of your life in a dungeon with Baldos as guard," decided Miss Calhoun.
"Beverly, dear, that man is no ordinary person," said the princess, quite positively.
"Of course he isn"t. He"s a tall, dark mystery."