The tidings braced us mightily. But the tonic effect was brief. Hardly had Terry said, "Thanks, Jones. You"ve been very quick," when we remembered that to-morrow would be a blank day. The newspapers would publish T. B."s advertis.e.m.e.nt to-morrow morning. It would then be read by the British public in the course of eggs and bacon. Those who responded at once, if any, would be so few that it seemed childish to think of calling for letters that same night.
"I suppose, if you go the rounds in the morning of day after to-morrow, it will be soon enough," Terry remarked to the ex-soldier, with the restrained wistfulness of a child on Christmas Eve asking at what hour Santa Claus is due to start.
I also hung upon Jones" words; but still more eagerly upon Captain Burns" expression.
"Well, sir," said the man, his eyes on the floor--I believe to hide a joyous twinkle!--"that might be right for letters. But what about the telegrams?"
"Telegrams!" we both echoed in the same breath.
"Yes, sir. When the managers or whatever they were had read the "ad.,"
they were of opinion there might be telegrams. In answer to my question, the general advice was to look in and open the boxes any time after twelve noon to-morrow."
Terry and I stared at each other. Our hearts beat. I knew what his was doing by the state of my own. He who would have sold his life for a song (a really worthwhile song) was eager to preserve it at any price till his eyes had seen the full results of our advertis.e.m.e.nt.
_Telegrams!_
Could it be possible that there would be telegrams?
CHAPTER III
THE LETTER WITH THE PURPLE SEAL
I invited Terry to breakfast with me at nine precisely next day, and each of us was solemnly pledged not to look at a newspaper until we could open them together.
We went to the theatre the night before (the first time Terry could endure the thought since his illness), and supped at the Savoy afterward, simply to mitigate the suffering of suspense. Nevertheless, I was up at seven-thirty A. M., and at eight-forty-eight was in the breakfast room gazing at six newspapers neatly folded on the flower-decked table.
At eight-fifty-one, my guest arrived, and by common consent we seized the papers. He opened three. I opened three. Yes, there it _was_! How perfect, how thrilling! How even better it appeared in print than we had expected! Anxiously we read the other advertis.e.m.e.nts of country houses to let or sell, and agreed that there was nothing whose attractions came within miles of our, in all senses of the word, priceless offer.
How we got through the next two and a half hours I don"t know!
I say two and a half advisedly: because, as Jones had six visits to pay, we thought we might start him off at eleven-thirty. This we did; but his calmness had damped us. _He_ wasn"t excited. Was it probable that any one else--except ourselves--could be?
Cold reaction set in. We prepared each other for the news that there were no telegrams or answers of any sort. Terry said it was no use concealing that this would be a bitter blow. I had not the energy to correct his rhetoric, or whatever it was, by explaining that a blow can"t be bitter.
Twelve-thirty struck, and produced no Jones; twelve-forty-five; one; Jones still missing.
"I ought to have told him to come back at once after the sixth place, even if there wasn"t a thing," said Terry. "Like a fool, I didn"t: he may have thought he"d do some other errands on the way home, if he"d nothing to report. Donkey! a.s.s! Pig."
"Captain Burns" man, your highness," announced my maid. "He wants to know----"
"Tell him to come in!" I shrieked.
"Yes, your highness. It was only, should he bring them all in here, or leave them in Mr. Carstairs" apartment below."
"_All!_" gasped Terry.
"Here," I commanded.
Jones staggered in.
You won"t believe it when I tell you, because you didn"t see it. That is, you won"t unless _you_ have inserted _the_ Advertis.e.m.e.nt of the Ages--the Unique, the Siren, the Best yet Cheapest--in six leading London journals at once.
There were eight bundles wrapped in newspaper. Enormous bundles! Jones had two under each arm, and was carrying two in each hand, by loops of string. As he tottered into the drawing room, the biggest bundle dropped. The string broke. The wrapping yawned. Its contents gushed out.
Not only telegrams, but letters with no stamps or post-marks! They must have been rushed frantically round to the six offices by messengers.
It was true, then, what the newspapers said: all London, all England, yearned, pined, prayed for houses. Yet people must already be living _somewhere_!
Literally, there were thousands of answers. To be precise, Captain Burns, Jones, and I counted two thousand and ten replies which had reached the six offices by noon on the first day of the advertis.e.m.e.nt: one thousand and eight telegrams; the rest, letters dispatched by hand.
Each sender earnestly hoped that his application might be the first!
Heaven knew how many more might be _en route_! What a tribute to the Largest Circulations!
Jones explained his delay by saying that "the stuff was coming in thick as flies"; so he had waited until a lull fell upon each great office in turn. When the count had been made by us, and envelopes neatly piled in stacks of twenty-four on a large desk hastily cleared for action, Terry sent his servant away. And then began the fun!
Yes, it was fun: "fun for the boys," if "death to the frogs." But we hadn"t gone far when between laughs we felt the p.r.i.c.ks of conscience.
Alas for all these people who burned to possess our moated grange "practically free," at its absurdly low rent! And the moated grange didn"t exist. Not one of the unfortunate wretches would so much as get an answer to his S. O. S.
They were not all _Nouveaux Riches_ by any means, these eager senders of letters and telegrams. Fearing repulse from the fastidious moat-owner, they described themselves attractively, even by wire, at so much the word. They were young; they were of good family; they were lately married or going to be married. Their husbands or fathers were V. C."s.
There was every reason why they, and they alone, should have the house.
They begged that particulars might be telegraphed. They enclosed stamps on addressed envelopes. As the moated grange was "rich in old oak," so did we now become rich in new stamps! Some people were willing to take the house on its description without waiting to see it. Others a.s.sured the advertiser that money was no object to them; he might ask what rent he liked; and these were the ones on whom we wasted no pity. If this was what the first three hours brought forth, how would the tide swell by the end of the day--the end of the _week_? Tarpeia buried under the shields and bracelets wasn"t _in_ it with us!
Terry and I divided the budget, planning to exchange when all had been read. But we couldn"t keep silent. Every second minute one or other of us exploded: "You _must_ hear this!" "Just listen to _one_ more!"
About halfway through my pile, I picked up a remarkably alluring envelope. It was a peculiar pale shade of purple, the paper being of rich satin quality suggesting pre-war. The address of the newspaper office was in purple ink, and the handwriting was impressive. But what struck me most was a gold crown on the back of the envelope, above a purple seal; a crown signifying the same rank as my own.
I glanced up to see if Terry were noticing. If he had been, I should have pa.s.sed the letter to him as a _bonne bouche_, for this really was _his_ show, and I wanted him to have all the plums. But he was grinning over somebody"s photograph, so I broke the seal without disturbing him.
I couldn"t keep up this reserve for long, however; I hadn"t read far when I burst out with a "By Jove!"
"What is it?" asked Terry.
"We"ve hooked quite a big fish," said I. "Listen to this: "The Princess Avalesco presents her compliments to T. B., and hopes that he will----"
but, my goodness _gracious_, Captain Burns! What"s the matter?"
The man had gone pale as skim-milk, and was staring at me as though I"d turned into a Gorgon.
CHAPTER IV
THE TANGLED WEB
"Read the name again, please," Terry said, controlling his voice.