"There will be rooms and food and wine ready for you, gentlemen, in a few minutes. Captain Markart, you must rest here for to-night, for your horse"s sake as well as your own. I suppose your business will wait till the morning?"
"My orders were to lose not a moment in communicating it to you, sir."
"Very well. You"re from his Majesty?"
"Yes, sir."
"The King comes first--and I dare say your affair will wait, Zerkovitch?"
Zerkovitch protested with an eagerness by no means discreet in the presence of a third party--an aide-de-camp to Stenovics!--"No, sir, no--it can"t wait an--"
The Prince interrupted. "Nonsense, man, nonsense! Now go to your room.
I"ll come in and bid you "Good-night."" He pushed his over-zealous friend from the room, calling to Peter Va.s.sip to guide him to the apartment he was to occupy. Then he came back to Markart. "Now, Captain!"
Markart took out his letter and presented it with a salute. "Sit down while I read it," said the Prince, seating himself at the table.
The Prince read his letter, and sat playing with it in his fingers for half a minute or so. Then a thought seemed to strike him. "Heavens, I never told Peter to light fires! I hope he has. You"re wet--and Zerkovitch is terribly liable to take cold." He jumped up. "Excuse me; we have no bells in this old place, you know." He ran out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Markart sprang to the door. He did not dare to open it, but he listened to the Prince"s footsteps. They sounded to the left--one, two, three, four, five, six paces. They stopped--a door opened and shut. Markart made a mental note and went back to the fire, smiling. He thought that idea of his really would please General Stenovics.
In three minutes the Prince returned. "I did Peter injustice--Zerkovitch"s fire is all right," he said. "And there"s a good one in your room, too, he tells me. And now, Captain Markart, to our business. You know the contents of the letter you carried?"
"Yes, sir. They were communicated to me, in view of their urgency, and in case of accident to the letter."
"As a matter of form, repeat the gist to me."
"General Stenovics has to inform your Royal Highness on the King"s behalf that his Majesty sees no need of a personal interview, as his mind is irrevocably fixed, and he orders your Royal Highness to set out for Germany within three days from the receipt of this letter. No pretext is to delay your Royal Highness"s departure."
"Perfectly correct, Captain. To-morrow I shall give you an answer addressed directly to the King. But I wish now to give you a message to General Stenovics. I shall ask the King for an audience. Unless he appoints a time within two days, I shall conclude that he has not had the letter, or--pray mark this--has not enjoyed an opportunity of considering it independently. General Stenovics must consider what a responsibility he undertakes if he advises the King to refuse to see his son. I shall await his Majesty"s answer here. That is the message. You understand?"
"Perfectly, sir."
"Just repeat it. The terms are important."
Markart obeyed. The Prince nodded his head. "You shall have the letter for the King early in the morning. Now for bed! I"ll show you to your room."
They went out and turned to the left. Markart counted their paces. At six paces they came to a door--and pa.s.sed it. Four farther on, the Prince ushered him into the room where he was to sleep. It was evident that the Prince had made personal inspection of the state of Monsieur Zerkovitch"s fire!
"Good-night, Captain. By-the-way, the King continues well?"
"Dr. Natcheff says, sir, that he doesn"t think his Majesty was ever better in his life."
The Prince looked at him for just a moment with a reflective smile. "Ah, and a trustworthy man, Natcheff! Good-night!"
Markart did not see much reason to think that the question, the look, the smile, and the comment had any significance. But there would be no harm in submitting the point to General Stenovics. Pondering over this, he forgot to count the Prince"s paces this time. If he had counted, the sum would have been just four. Monsieur Zerkovitch"s fire needed another royal inspection--it needed it almost till the break of day.
"The King"s life hangs by a hair, and your Crown by a thread." That was the warning which Lepage had given and Zerkovitch had carried through the night.
XII
JOYFUL OF HEART
The storm had pa.s.sed; day broke calm and radiant over the Castle of Praslok; sunshine played caressingly on the lake and on the hills.
Markart had breakfasted and paid a visit to his horse; he wanted to be off by nine o"clock, and waited only for the Prince"s letter. He was returning from the stables, sniffing the morning air with a vivid enjoyment of the change of weather, when he saw Sophy coming along the road. She had been for a walk. Her eyes and cheeks glowed with exhilaration. She wore her sheepskin tunic, her sheepskin cap with its red c.o.c.kade, and her short, blue skirt over high boots. She walked as though on the clouds of heaven, a wonderful lightness in her tread; the Red Star signalled the exaltation of her spirit; the glad sound of the trumpet rang in her heart.
Her cordial greeting to Markart was spiced with raillery, to which he responded as well as his ignorance allowed; he was uncertain how much she knew of the real situation. But if his tongue was embarra.s.sed, his eyes spoke freely. He could not keep them from her face; to him she seemed a queen of life and joy that glorious morning.
"You"ve recovered from your fright?" she asked. "Poor Monsieur Zerkovitch is still sleeping his off, I suppose! Oh, the story"s all over the Castle!"
"It"ll be all over the country soon," said Markart with a rueful smile.
"Well, after all, Monsieur Zerkovitch is a journalist, and journalists don"t spare even themselves, you know. And you"re not a reticent person, are you? Don"t you remember all the information you gave me once?"
"Ah, on the terrace of the Hotel de Paris! Much has happened since then, Baroness."
"Much always happens, if you keep your eyes open," said Sophy.
"If you keep yours open, nothing happens for me but looking at them."
She laughed merrily; a compliment never displeased Sophy, and she could bear it very downright.
"But if I were to shut my eyes, what would you do then?"
He looked doubtfully at her mocking face; she meant a little more than the idle words naturally carried.
"I don"t think you"ll give me the chance of considering, Baroness." He indicated her costume with a gesture of his hand. "You"ve entered the service, I see?"
"Yes, Captain Markart, the King"s service. We are brethren--you serve him, too?"
"I have that honor." Markart flushed under her laughing scrutiny.
"We fight shoulder to shoulder then. Well, not quite. I"m a gunner, you see."
"Minus your guns, at present!"
"Not for long!" She turned round and swept her arms out towards the lake and the hills. "It"s a day to think of nothing--just to go riding, riding, riding!" Her laugh rang out in merry longing.
"What prevents you?"
"My military duties, perhaps, Captain," she answered. "You"re lucky--you have a long ride; don"t spoil it by thinking!"
"I think? Oh no, Baroness! I only obey my orders."