Jarvis, the executive, was now in action.
He had emptied the trunk as she was talking, tossing out fascinating feminine mysteries of lace and silks, with a nonchalance which brought a twinkle into the dark eyes. He turned again.
"Hurry, now--call up the clerk downstairs. Tell them to look out for Rusty and send him up here."
More delicate symphonies of Parisian architecture were thrown on the floor, and Warren had taken out his pocket-knife.
"h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo," called the Princess. "I"m expecting a man."
"A colored man," was Warren"s parenthesis.
"Yes,... a colored man ... to get some bundles. He will come right to the desk ... please send him up at once ... It is very important."
The Princess observed Jarvis" attempt to bore a hole in the side of the trunk. He was laboring diligently, until the blade snapped.
"Confound it!"
"Why are you doing that?"
"I must breathe, you know ... Now, how can I cut a hole in the blessed thing?" He scratched his forehead in a quandary.
The Princess brought him her shears from the dresser. In a few minutes he had made two openings which seemed to satisfy him, but it had been no easy task.
"What time does the boat sail?"
"Nine o"clock."
"Good. That will give Rusty time to get aboard with these trays and my baggage. Let me see, it is a quarter of six now--how quickly the dawn has slipped in!"
There was a knock on the outer door, and Jarvis again disappeared behind the bathroom portal, with instinctive caution.
At a call from the Princess, the door opened after she had slid back the upper bolt. The girl stepped back abashed at the appearance of the excited negro. Rusty rolled his eyes, suspiciously taking in the contents of the room.
"Whar"s Ma.r.s.e Warren?" and his voice was hoa.r.s.e. Jarvis stepped into view. "Lawd bless you, Ma.r.s.e Warren. I done thought dat Marc.u.m got you dis time."
"Never mind what you thought. Help me wrap up these trays. We sail for Europe in two hours."
Rusty gasped, shot another big-eyed look at the beautiful girl and then at his master.
"Two hours--good Lawd!--you mean WE?"
The Princess was holding out a steamer rug in silence.
"Yes, Rusty, you and I. Here, give me a hand with this rug," and with the aid of his servant he made a quick job of the bundling. "Now, take these--with our baggage from the Belmont--to the steamship _Mauretania_ of the Cunard line. Buy accommodations.... Mind, you won"t see me until after we get out to sea. You stay in your stateroom and sit tight until you hear from me."
He took out his wallet.
"You understand now? Cunard line. You can find it some way--just take a taxi, and get there as fast as you can. The clerk at the hotel will get the tickets over the telephone, and you can pay him when you settle for the whole bill, with that other money I gave you. Now, get hold of this money, and keep hold of it. No gin now, Rusty!"
He turned around, and observed the amused surprise on the face of his fair companion.
"I beg your pardon.... This is Rusty;--Rusty, this is the Princess of Aragon...."
Rusty bowed.
"Howdy do, Mrs. Princess!"
"There, that will do. Is it all clear for you now?"
"Ya.s.sir. I takes everything to the steamboat--gets accommo--accommo--wall, I knows what you means, Ma.r.s.e Warren, if I cain"t spell it. I gets them things for us and Mrs. Princess."
The girl reddened under the beaming smile, but Jarvis quickly interceded.
"Not for the Princess; just for us two. What"s the name of the boat?"
"The _Mary Tania_!"
"That"ll do. Now be off, and don"t get left behind."
As Rusty made his exit with the bulky bundle, the Princess smiled: "Good-by, Rusty," and he bobbed his head with a broader grin than ever as he disappeared down the corridor toward the elevator.
"Time nearly up," muttered Warren, as he took off his coat. "Pardon the disrobing--but I"ll be more at ease in my shirt-sleeves. It"s a stingy little room to spend three hours in. I"ll lie this way, with my head toward this corner. Remember, this trunk must not go into the hold of the ship--have it marked "Wanted" and "This End Up." I"ll take the shears along and cut another hole from the inside if it gets too suffocating."
The girl walked to the table and picked up the revolver, which she held out.
"You"d better take this, too."
"How do you know you can trust me now?"
There was a veiled irony in her retort, although it was accompanied by a smile: "I don"t. I have to take that chance. I have no other choice at this late hour."
"You must have a pretty good reason for it in the back of your head.
But what about this ghost? I may never hear the sequel. At least give me some food for thought during my travels in the dark."
"Are you afraid?"
"Lord, no! I merely wanted to know. Well, I"ll wait. But, now, honest Injun, as we say down in Kentucky, are you a really, sure-enough princess?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"Oh, I don"t know. Somehow you are not quite like what I thought a princess would be.... I mean, you"re different from the popular conception of a royal person. Your English is so perfect."
"I learned it in an English boarding-school."
"Your informality--for it has been put to a severe test these last few hours,--your adaptability,--you have more understanding, more sympathy, more heart."
She turned away and tilted a haughty chin.