"Georges!"
"That"s what I say, my dear--"
"Georges!"
"There, dear, I won"t tease. Hark! What is that?"
Madame de Morteyn leaned over the parapet.
"It is Jean Bosquet. Shall I speak to him?"
"Perhaps he has the Paris papers."
"Jean!" she called; and presently the little postman came trotting up the long stone steps from the drive. Had he anything?
Nothing for Monsieur le Vicomte except a bundle of the week"s journals from Paris. So Madame de Morteyn took the papers, and the little postman doffed his cap again and trotted away, blue blouse fluttering and sabots echoing along the terrace pavement.
"I am tired of chess," said the old vicomte; "would you mind reading the _Gaulois_?"
"The politics, dear?"
"Yes, the weekly summary--if it won"t bore you."
"Tais toi! ecoute. This is dated July 3d. Shall I begin?"
"Yes, Helen."
She held the paper nearer and read: ""A Paris journal publishes a despatch through l"agence Havas which declares that a deputation from the Spanish Government has left Madrid for Berlin to offer the crown of Spain to Leopold von Hohenzollern.""
"What!" cried the vicomte, angrily. Two chessmen tipped over and rolled among the others.
"It"s what it says, mon ami; look--see--it is exactly as I read it."
"Are those Spaniards crazy?" muttered the vicomte, tugging at his imperial. "Look, Helen, read what the next day"s journal says."
His wife unfolded the paper dated the 4th of July and found the column and read: ""The press of Paris unanimously accuses the Imperial Government of allowing Prim and Bismarck to intrigue against the interests of France. The French amba.s.sador, Count Benedetti, interviewed the King of Prussia at Ems and requested him to prevent Prince Leopold von Hohenzollern"s acceptance. It is rumoured that the King of Prussia declined to interfere.""
Madame de Morteyn tossed the journal on to the terrace and opened another.
""On the 12th of July the Spanish amba.s.sador to Paris informed the Duc de Gramont, Minister of Foreign Affairs, that the Prince von Hohenzollern renounces his candidacy to the Spanish throne.""
"a la bonheur!" said the vicomte, with a sigh of relief; "that settles the Hohenzollern matter. My dear, can you imagine France permitting a German prince to mount the throne of Spain? It was more than a menace--it was almost an insult. Do you remember Count Bismarck when he was amba.s.sador to France? He is a man who fascinates me. How he used to watch the Emperor! I can see him yet--those puffy, pale eyes! You saw him also, dear--you remember, at Saint-Cloud?"
"Yes; I thought him brusque and malicious."
"I know he is at the bottom of this. I"m glad it is over. Did you finish the telegraphic news?"
"Almost all. It says--dear me, Georges!--it says that the Duc de Gramont refuses to accept any pledge from the Spanish amba.s.sador unless that old Von Werther--the German amba.s.sador, you know--guarantees that Prince Leopold von Hohenzollern will never again attempt to mount the Spanish throne!"
There was a silence. The old vicomte stirred restlessly and knocked over some more chessmen.
"Sufficient unto the day--" he said, at last; "the Duc de Gramont is making a mistake to press the matter. The word of the Spanish amba.s.sador is enough--until he breaks it. General Lebuf might occupy himself in the interim--profitably, I think."
"General Lebuf is minister of war. What do you mean, Georges?"
"Yes, dear, Lebuf is minister of war."
"And you think this German prince may some time again--"
"I think France should be ready if he does. Is she ready? Not if Chanzy and I know a Turco from a Kabyle. Perhaps Count Bismarck wants us to press his king for guarantees. I don"t trust him. If he does, we should not oblige him. Gramont is making a grave mistake. Suppose the King of Prussia should refuse and say it is not his affair? Then we would be obliged to accept that answer, or--"
"Or what, Georges?"
"Or--well, my dear--or fight. But Gramont is not wicked enough, nor is France crazy enough, to wish to go to war over a contingency--a possibility that might never happen. I foresee a snub for our amba.s.sador at Ems, but that is all. Do you care to play any more? I tipped over my king and his castles."
"Perhaps it is an omen--the King of Prussia, you know, and his fortresses. I feel superst.i.tious, Georges!"
The vicomte smiled and set the pieces up on their proper squares.
"It is settled; the Spanish amba.s.sador pledges his word that Prince Hohenzollern will not be King of Spain. France should be satisfied. It is my move, I believe, and I move so--check to you, my dear!"
"I resign, dearest. Listen! Here come the children up the terrace steps."
"But--but--Helen, you must not resign so soon. Why should you?"
"Because you are already beaten," she laughed, gently--"your king and his castles and all his men! How headstrong you Cha.s.seurs d"Afrique are!"
"I"m not beaten!" said the old man, stoutly, and leaned closer over the board. Then he also laughed, and said, "Tiens! tiens!
tiens!" and his wife rose and gave him her arm. Two pretty girls came running up the terrace, and the old vicomte stood up, crying: "Children! Naughty ones! I see you coming! Madame de Morteyn has beaten me at chess. Laugh if you dare! Betty Castlemaine, I see you smiling!"
"I?" laughed that young lady, turning her flushed face from her aunt to her uncle.
"Yes, you did," repeated the vicomte, "and you are not the niece that I love any more. Where have you been? And you, Dorothy Marche?--your hair is very much tangled."
"We have been lunching by the Lisse," said Dorothy, "and Jack caught a gudgeon; here it is."
"Pooh!" said the old vicomte; "I must show them how to fish.
Helen, I shall go fishing--"
"Some time," said his wife, gently. "Betty, where are the men?"
"Jack and Barbara Lisle are fishing; Sir Thorald and Lady Hesketh are in the green boat, and Ricky is rowing them. The others are somewhere. Ricky got a telegram, and must go to Berlin."
"Tell Rickerl von Elster that his king is making mischief,"
laughed the vicomte, "and he may go back to Berlin when he chooses." Then, smiling at the young, flushed faces, he leaned on his wife"s arm and pa.s.sed slowly along the terrace towards the house.
"I wonder why Lorraine has not come?" he said to his wife. "Won"t she come to-night for the dance?"
"Lorraine is a very sweet but a very uncertain girl," replied Madame de Morteyn. She led him through the great bay-window opening on the terrace, drew his easy-chair before his desk, placed the journals before him, and, stooping, kissed him.