She drew aimless figures in the dust with her riding-crop. There was no sense in her giving any name. Probably they would never meet again.
And yet--
"I am Hildegarde von--von Heideloff," giving her mother"s name. He was too nice to frighten away.
The hesitance over the "von" did not strike his usually keen ear. He was too intent on noting the variant expressions on her exquisite face.
It was a pity she was dark. What a figure, and how proudly the head rested upon the slender but firm white throat! After all, black eyes, such as these were, might easily rival any blue eyes he had ever seen.
(Which goes to prove that a man"s ideals are not built as solidly as might be.)
"It is rather unusual," he said, "to see a woman ride so early; but you have the right idea. Everything begins to wake, life, the air, the day. There is something in the dew of the morning that is a better tonic than any doctor can brew."
"Take care! If you have no confidence in your wares, you must not expect your patients to have."
"Oh, I am a doctor of philosophy, also."
"That is to say," she observed, "if you lose your patients, you will accept their loss without a murmur? Very good. May I ask what you have come so far to study?"
"Nerves."
"Is it possible!"--with a smile as fleet as the wind.
He laughed. This was almost like an American girl. How easy it was to talk to her! He tried again to catch her eye, but failed. Then both looked out over the lake, mutually consenting that a pause should ensue. He did not mind the dark hair at all.
"Do you speak English?" she asked abruptly in that tongue, with a full glance to note the effect.
"English is spoken to some extent in the United States," he answered gravely. He did not evince the least surprise at her fluency.
"Do you write to the humorous papers in your country?"
"Only to subscribe for them," said he.
And again they laughed; which was a very good sign that things were going forward tolerably well.
And then the miserable fellow of a smith had to come out and announce that the stranger"s horse was ready.
"I"ll warrant the shoe," said Bauer.
"You haven"t lost any time," said Max, his regret evident to every one.
The girl smiled approvingly. She loved humor in a man, and this one with the yellow hair and blue eyes seemed to possess a fund of the dry sort. All this was very wrong, she knew, but she wasn"t going to be the princess this morning; she was going to cast off the sh.e.l.l of artificiality, of etiquette.
"How much will this shoe cost me?" Max asked.
"Half a crown," said Bauer, with a sly glance at the girl to see how she would accept so exorbitant a sum. The princess frowned. "But sometimes," added Bauer hurriedly, "I do it for nothing."
"Bauer, your grandfather was a robber," the girl laughed. "Take heed that you do not follow in his footsteps."
"I am a poor man, your--mm---Fraulein," he stammered.
"Here"s a crown," said Max, tossing a coin which was neatly caught by the grimy hand of the smith.
"Are you very rich?" asked the girl curiously.
"Why?" counter-questioned Max.
"Oh, I am curious to know. Bauer will tell it to every one in Barscheit that you overpay for things, and from now on you will have to figure living on a basis of crowns."
It is worth any price to hear a pretty woman laugh. What a fine beginning for a day!
"May misfortune be kind enough to bring you this way again, Herr!"
Bauer cried joyfully, not to say ambiguously.
"Listen to that!" laughed the girl, her eyes shining like the water in the sun. "But he means only to thank your generosity. Now,"--with a severe frown,--"how much do I owe you? Take care; I"ve only a few pieces of silver in my purse."
"Why, Fraulein, you owe me nothing; I am even in debt to you for this very crown." Which proved that Bauer had had his lesson in courtier-ship.
The a.s.sistant soon brought forth the girl"s restive filly. Max sprang to her aid. How light her foot was in his palm! (She could easily have mounted alone, such was her skill; but there"s the woman of it.)
"I am going toward the Pa.s.s," she said, reading the half-veiled appeal in his blue eyes.
"Which way is that?" he asked, swinging into his own saddle.
"That way," nodding toward the south. After all, there could be no harm; in two or three hours their paths would separate for ever.
"Why,"--delightedly,--"I am going that way myself."
Old Bauer watched them till they disappeared around a turn in the road.
He returned to his forge, shaking his head as if confronted by a problem too abstruse even for his German mind.
"Well, he"s an American, so I will not waste any pity on him. The pity is that she must wed old Red-nose."
It would have been if she had!
So the Princess and Prince Charming rode into the country, and they talked about a thousand and one things. Had she ever been to France?
Yes. To England? She had received part of her education there. Did she know the Princess Hildegarde? Slightly. What was she like? She was a madcap, irresponsible, but very much abused. Did she know Mr.
Warrington, the American consul? She had seen him on his morning rides. Wasn"t it a fine world? It was, indeed.
Once they stopped at a farm. The girl refused to dismount, bidding Max go in and ask for a drink of milk. Max obeyed with alacrity, returning with two foaming goblets of warm milk.
From time to time the princess stifled the "small voice." It was wrong, and yet it wasn"t. What worried her was the thought that Betty might take it into her head to follow, and then everything would be spoiled. Every now and then she turned her head and sighed contentedly; the road to rearward was always clear.
"Follow me!" she cried suddenly, even daringly.
A stone wall, three feet high, ran along at their right. The foreground was hard and firm. Pressing the reins on the filly"s withers, she made straight for the wall, cleared it, and drew up on the other side. Now, Max hadn"t the least idea that the horse under him was a hunter, so I might very well say that he took his life in his hands as he followed her. But Dandy knew his business. He took the wall without effort. A warm glow went over Max when he found that he hadn"t broken his neck. Together they galloped down the field and came back for the return jump. This, too, was made easily. Max"s admiration knew no bounds. It was a dangerous pastime in more ways than one.
At eight o"clock they turned toward home, talking about another thousand and one things.
"It has been a delightful ride," suggested Max, with an eye to the future.