"Where"s Bauer?" asked Rupert suddenly. "Where the plague can Bauer be?
He was my eyes. Here we are, cooped up, and I don"t know what"s going on."
"I don"t know where he is. Something must have happened to him."
"Of course, my wise cousin. But what?"
Rupert began to pace up and down the room, smoking another cigarette at a great pace. Rischenheim sat down by the table, resting his head on his hand. He was wearied out by strain and excitement, his wounded arm pained him greatly, and he was full of horror and remorse at the event which happened unknown to him the night before.
"I wish I was quit of it," he moaned at last. Rupert stopped before him.
"You repent of your misdeeds?" he asked. "Well, then, you shall be allowed to repent. Nay, you shall go and tell the king that you repent.
Rischenheim, I must know what they are doing. You must go and ask an audience of the king."
"But the king is--"
"We shall know that better when you"ve asked for your audience. See here."
Rupert sat down by his cousin and instructed him in his task. This was no other than to discover whether there were a king in Strelsau, or whether the only king lay dead in the hunting lodge. If there were no attempt being made to conceal the king"s death, Rupert"s plan was to seek safety in flight. He did not abandon his designs: from the secure vantage of foreign soil he would hold the queen"s letter over her head, and by the threat of publishing it insure at once immunity for himself and almost any further terms which he chose to exact from her. If, on the other hand, the Count of Luzau-Rischenheim found a king in Strelsau, if the royal standards continued to wave at the summit of their flag staffs, and Strelsau knew nothing of the dead man in the lodge, then Rupert had laid his hand on another secret; for he knew who the king in Strelsau must be. Starting from this point, his audacious mind darted forward to new and bolder schemes. He could offer again to Rudolf Ra.s.sendyll what he had offered once before, three years ago--a partnership in crime and the profits of crime--or if this advance were refused, then he declared that he would himself descend openly into the streets of Strelsau and proclaim the death of the king from the steps of the cathedral.
"Who can tell," he cried, springing up, enraptured and merry with the inspiration of his plan, "who can tell whether Sapt or I came first to the lodge? Who found the king alive, Sapt or I? Who left him dead, Sapt or I? Who had most interest in killing him--I, who only sought to make him aware of what touched his honor, or Sapt, who was and is hand and glove with the man that now robs him of his name and usurps his place while his body is still warm? Ah, they haven"t done with Rupert of Hentzau yet!"
He stopped, looking down on his companion. Rischenheim"s fingers still twitched nervously and his cheeks were pale. But now his face was alight with interest and eagerness. Again the fascination of Rupert"s audacity and the infection of his courage caught on his kinsman"s weaker nature, and inspired him to a temporary emulation of the will that dominated him.
"You see," pursued Rupert, "it"s not likely that they"ll do you any harm."
"I"ll risk anything."
"Most gallant gentleman! At the worst they"ll only keep you a prisoner.
Well, if you"re not back in a couple of hours, I shall draw my conclusions. I shall know that there"s a king in Strelsau."
"But where shall I look for the king?"
"Why, first in the palace, and secondly at Fritz von Tarlenheim"s. I expect you"ll find him at Fritz"s, though."
"Shall I go there first, then?"
"No. That would be seeming to know too much."
"You"ll wait here?"
"Certainly, cousin--unless I see cause to move, you know."
"And I shall find you on my return?"
"Me, or directions from me. By the way, bring money too. There"s never any harm in having a full pocket. I wonder what the devil does without a breeches-pocket?"
Rischenheim let that curious speculation alone, although he remembered the whimsical air with which Rupert delivered it. He was now on fire to be gone, his ill-balanced brain leaping from the depths of despondency to the certainty of brilliant success, and not heeding the gulf of danger that it surpa.s.sed in buoyant fancy.
"We shall have them in a corner, Rupert," he cried.
"Ay, perhaps. But wild beasts in a corner bite hard."
"I wish my arm were well!"
"You"ll be safer with it wounded," said Rupert with a smile.
"By G.o.d, Rupert, I can defend myself."
"True, true; but it"s your brain I want now, cousin."
"You shall see that I have something in me."
"If it please G.o.d, dear cousin."
With every mocking encouragement and every careless taunt Rischenheim"s resolve to prove himself a man grew stronger. He s.n.a.t.c.hed up a revolver that lay on the mantelpiece and put it in his pocket.
"Don"t fire, if you can help it," advised Rupert. Rischenheim"s answer was to make for the door at a great speed. Rupert watched him go, and then returned to the window. The last his cousin saw was his figure standing straight and lithe against the light, while he looked out on the city. Still there was no stir in the streets, still the royal standard floated at the top of the flag staffs.
Rischenheim plunged down the stairs: his feet were too slow for his eagerness. At the bottom he found the girl Rosa sweeping the pa.s.sage with great apparent diligence.
"You"re going out, my lord?" she asked.
"Why, yes; I have business. Pray stand on one side, this pa.s.sage is so cursedly narrow."
Rosa showed no haste in moving.
"And the Count Rupert, is he going out also?" she asked.
"You see he"s not with me. He"ll wait." Rischenheim broke off and asked angrily: "What business is it of yours, girl? Get out of the way!"
She moved aside now, making him no answer. He rushed past; she looked after him with a smile of triumph. Then she fell again to her sweeping.
The king had bidden her be ready at eleven. It was half-past ten. Soon the king would have need of her.
CHAPTER XIV. THE NEWS COMES TO STRELSAU
ON leaving No. 19, Rischenheim walked swiftly some little way up the Konigstra.s.se and then hailed a cab. He had hardly raised his hand when he heard his name called, and, looking round, saw Anton von Strofzin"s smart phaeton pulling up beside him. Anton was driving, and on the other seat was a large nosegay of choice flowers.
"Where are you off to?" cried Anton, leaning forward with a gay smile.
"Well, where are you? To a lady"s, I presume, from your bouquet there,"
answered Rischenheim as lightly as he could.
"The little bunch of flowers," simpered young Anton, "is a cousinly offering to Helga von Tarlenheim, and I"m going to present it. Can I give you a lift anywhere?""
Although Rischenheim had intended to go first to the palace, Anton"s offer seemed to give him a good excuse for drawing the more likely covert first.
"I was going to the palace to find out where the king is. I want to see him, if he"ll give me a minute or two," he remarked.