by Louis Tracy
CHAPTER IV
THE WHITE CITY
Alec was sound asleep when the Orient Express rumbled over the Danubefor the last time during its slow run to the Near East. He was arousedby an official examining passports, which he was informed would berestored in the railway station at Delgratz. He disliked the impliedsubterfuge; but it could not be helped. Austria, gracious to travelerswithin her bounds, excepts those who mean to cross her southeasternfrontier. There she frowns and inquires. If it was known that a Delgradowas in the train, he would have been stopped for days, pestered byofficialdom; and possibly deported.
A curious element of safety was, however, revealed by newspaperspurchased at Budapest. The various factions in Delgratz had declared atruce. The Delgrado partizans had telegraphed an invitation to PrinceMichael to come and occupy the throne, and the Prince, or some wiserperson, had sent a gracious reply stating that his matured decisionwould reach Kosnovia in due course. The National Assembly was stillcoquetting with the republican idea; but, in the same breath, avowed itspatriotic impartiality. In a word, Delgratz wanted peace. Toward thatend, the Seventh Regiment continued to occupy the Black Castle, theremainder of the troops stood fast, and the citizens pulled down theirbarricades.
Oddly enough, the Paris correspondent of "The Budapest Gazette" pointedout that Prince Michael's son was playing polo in the Bois during theafternoon of Tuesday. The journalist little dreamed that Alec wasreading his sarcastic comments on the Delgrado lack of initiative atBudapest at midnight on Wednesday.
The train was about to cross the River Tave (Delgratz stands on thejunction of that stream and the Danube) when Stampoff appeared. TheAlbanian servant accompanied him.
"Leave everything to Bosko," said the General. "We must display nohaste, and he will smooth the way through the customs."
"I suppose you don't want me to ask any questions?" laughed Alec.
"Better not. Do you still adhere to your program of last night?"
"Absolutely."
Stampoff took off his hat, pointed through the window, and said quietly,"There, then, God willing, is your Majesty's future capital. I wish tocongratulate your Majesty on your first sight of it."
Beyond a level stretch of meadowland rose the spires and domes andminarets of a white city. The sun, not long risen, gilded its gracefulcontours and threw the rest of a wondrous picture into shadow so sharpthat the whole exquisite vista might have been an intaglio cut in thesapphire of the sky. The Danube, a broad streak of silver, blended withthe blue Tave to frame a glimpse of fairyland. For one thrilling momentAlec forgot its bloodstained history and looked only on the fair domainspread before his eyes. Then the black girders and crude latticework ofa bridge shut out the entrancing spectacle, and he was conscious thatStampoff had caught his hand and was pressing it to his lips.
The gallant old Serb meant well, for he was a patriot to the core; buthis impulsive action grated. Perhaps it was better so. Alec, bred in asociety that treated such demonstrations with scant respect, wassuddenly recalled to earth, and the business that lay before him seemedto be more in keeping with the modern directness of the railway bridgethan with daydreams founded on a picturesque vision of Delgratz.
The city, too, lost its glamour when seen from those backdoor suburbsthat every railway in every land appears to regard as the only naturalavenue of approach to busy communities. The line turned sharply alongthe right bank of the Tave and ran past tobacco factories, breweries,powder mills, scattered hovels, and unkempt streets. Here was no sun,but plenty of bare whitewash. Even Alec, accustomed to the singularlyugly etchings of Paris viewed from its chief railways, was completelydisillusioned by these drab adumbrations of commerce and squalor. TheTave was no longer blue, but dull brown with the mud of recent rain. Noteven the inhabitants were attractive. They were not garbed as Serbs, butwore ungainly costumes that might have passed unnoticed in the Bowery.He was irresistibly reminded of the stage, with its sharp contrastsbetween the two sides of the footlights, and in the luggage net near hishead reposed that melodramatic sword, still wrapped in brown paper.
The train slowed, and Stampoff went into the corridor. He came backinstantly. "The station is guarded by troops," he muttered. "Some of theofficers may recognize me. Perhaps we ought to separate."
"No, no," said Alec. "Let us stick to the other passengers. I am thereal stranger here, and they can look at me as much as they like."
It was, indeed, easy to concede that Alexis III. was a man apart fromhis people. Swarthy old Stampoff, Prince Michael Delgrado, the pink andwhite Julius Marulitch, even the olive skinned, oval faced Beliani,might have mingled with the throng on the platform and found each hisracial kith and kin; not so Alec. His stature, his carriage, his faircomplexion tanned brown with an open air life, picked him out amongthese Balkan folk almost as distinctly as a Polar bear would show amongthe denizens of an Indian jungle. Moreover, every man of importancewore some sort of uniform, whereas Alec was quietly dressed in tweeds.
Thus, he drew many eyes, and evoked many a whispered comment; but nevera man or woman in that crowded terminus harbored the remotest notionthat he was a Delgrado. There were guesses in plenty, wherein he rangedfrom an English newspaper correspondent to a Greek Prince, the latterwild theory originating in the discovery of his name on the passport.Stampoff was ignored, and all went well till Bosko, laden withportmanteaus, led the way to the exit.
Alec, swayed by a desire to please his father, carried under his arm thesword of Ferdinand VII. The customs officials at the barrier allowed theparty to pass; but a shrewd visaged officer standing just outside eyedAlec's package.
"What have you there?" he asked, probably more anxious to exchange aword with this distinguished looking stranger than really inquisitive.
"A sword," said Alec.
"And why are you carrying a sword?" said the other, who seemed hardly toexpect this prompt reply in the vernacular.
"It is a curiosity, a veritable antique."
"Ha! I must see it."
"Come with me to Monsieur Nesimir's house and I will show it to you."
The suspicious one became apologetic, since Monsieur Nesimir wasPresident of the National Assembly.
"I pray your pardon," he said. "Any friend of the President passesunchallenged. But these are troublous times in Kosnovia, so youunderstand----"
"Exactly. Brains are far more useful than swords in Delgratz to-day, andthis, at the best, is but a gilded toy."
Stampoff was already inside a closed carriage, and Bosko was holding thedoor open for Alec, who gave the driver clear instructions before heentered. The vehicle rattled off, and Stampoff swore bluntly.
"Gods! I thought there would be a row," he growled. "That fellow isCaptain Drakovitch, I remember him well; he is all nose."
"I shall appoint him sanitary inspector," said Alec, sniffing.
Stampoff laughed. Now that they were fairly committed to Alec's scheme,he was in excellent spirits. "By the patriarch! you certainly believe inyourself, and I am beginning to believe in you!" he vowed.
But his faith was rudely shaken when Alec insisted on sending his owncard to Nesimir. "That is a mad thing," he protested. "He will refuse toreceive you and hand you over to the guard."
"On the contrary, he will hasten to meet us. Curiosity is the mostpotent of human attributes. Even Presidents yield to it. At this moment,in all likelihood, he is struggling into a frock coat."
Alec was right. A portly person, wearing, indeed, a frock coat, a sash,and peg top trousers, appeared in the doorway of the presidentialmansion. He also wore an expression of deep amazement. He glanced fromthe tall smiling youth to the diminutive General, on whom his eyes dweltsearchingly.
"Yes," said Stampoff abruptly, speaking in French, "I am Paul Stampoff,shorn of his fleece. This is the King," and he nodded to Alec.
"The King!"
"Alexis III., grandson of Ferdinand VII., and son of Michael V."
Nesimir hastily ordered a servant to close the outer door. As itha
ppened, the President's military guard was stationed at a gate on theother side of the main courtyard, and no one could be aware of thevisitor's identity, except the man who had taken Alec's card, while he,probably, was unable to read Roman script.
"Your Excellency will doubtless permit our baggage to be placed in thehall?" said Alec, using the most musical of all the Slavonic tongueswith fluency.
The President, in that state of trepidation best described by the homelyphrase, "You could have knocked him down with a feather," seemed tocollapse utterly when he heard the stranger talking like a native.
"Certainly, your--certainly. I don't understand, of course; but I shallgive directions..." he stuttered. "You have come by train,from--er--from the west? You have not breakfasted? A cup of chocolate?Ah, yes, a cup of chocolate. Then we can discuss matters. The Assemblymeets at ten, and I am very busy; but I can give you half an hour,Monsieur----" he looked at the card in his hand,--"Monsieur----"
Then he gave it up. He simply dared not pronounce the name; so, withhospitable flourish, he ushered the two up a broad staircase and into aroom.
While climbing the stairs he recovered sufficiently to tell thedoorkeeper that the gentlemen's portmanteaus were to be brought withinand no one admitted without specific permission. Once in the room heclosed the door, stood with his back to it, and gasped at Stampoff withone word:
"Now!"
"As soon as you like. I am famished. I ate but little en route, becauseI detest German cooking," said Stampoff, on whom Alec's methods weretaking effect.
"But----"
"Ah, you wonder why his Majesty should appear without ceremony? Well, hequitted Paris on Tuesday night, an hour after Prince Michael hadabdicated in his favor."
"Abdicated!" wheezed the President.
"Our friend takes too much for granted," broke in Alec, smiling andunembarrassed. "My father could not vacate a throne he did not occupy.He merely resigned his claims in my favor. Kosnovia should be governedby a constitutional King, and the power to choose him now rests solelywith the honorable house of which you are chief. If that is your view, Ishare it to the uttermost. It is reported in the press that the men whomurdered King Theodore and Queen Helena have declared their allegianceto the Delgrado line. My reply is that I refuse their nomination. If Iam elected King by the representatives of the people, I shall have muchpleasure in hanging every officer who took part in the infamy of theBlack Castle. But--it is an early hour for politics. You mentionedbreakfast, Monsieur le President?"
Fat and asthmatic Sergius Nesimir was not the man to deal with a candidadventurer of this type. It occurred to him that he ought to summon helpand clap the soi-disant King and his henchman into prison. But on whatcharge? Could any royal pretender put forth more reasonable plea? AndKosnovia is near enough to the East to render sacred the claims ofhospitality.
"One moment, I beg," he stammered. "Why has your--why have you come tome? What am I to do? The Assembly----"
"The Assembly seems to favor a Republic," said Alec. "Be it so. Thereare certain arguments against such a course which I would be glad of anopportunity to place before members. If you introduce me, they will giveme a fair hearing. Let a vote be taken at once. If it is opposed to amonarchy, I am ready to be conducted to either the railway station orthe scaffold, whichever the Assembly in its wisdom may deem best fittedto national needs. If it is in my favor, I am King. What more is thereto be said?"
"What, indeed?" growled Stampoff. "Why so much talk? Let us eat!"
Poor Nesimir! He had the unhappy history of his country at his fingers'ends, and never before had Delgrado or Obrenovitch striven for kingshipin this kid-glove fashion.
"Breakfast shall be served instantly," he said, trying vainly to imitatethe cool demeanor of his guests. "But--you will appreciate thedifficulties of my position. I must consult with the ministers."
"I hope I may call your Excellency a friend," said Alec, "and I shall beever ready to accept your Excellency's counsel; but on this exceptionaloccasion I venture to advise you. Let none know I am here. In thepresent disturbed condition of affairs there must be almost as manyhidden forces existing in Delgratz as there are men in the Cabinet. Whypermit them to fret and fume when you alone have power to control them?I promise faithfully to abide by the decision of the Assembly. Should itfavor me, your position is consolidated; should it prove adverse to mycause, you still remain the chief man in the State, since the world willrealize that it was to you, and you only, I submitted in the firstinstance."
"By all the saints, that is well put!" cried Stampoff. "Now, Sergius,my lamb, a really good omelet, something grilled, and a bottle of soundKarlowitz--none of your Danube water for me!"
The President surrendered at discretion. Alec's appeal to his selfimportance was irresistible. He was excited, elated, frightened; buthappily he was strong enough to perceive that a chance of obtainingdistinction was within his grasp, and he clutched at it, though withpalsied hands.
So it came to pass that when the hundred and fifty members of theNational Assembly gathered in the great hall of the convention, nonethere knew why a tall, pleasant faced young man should be sitting in thePresident's private room, and apparently not caring a jot who came orwent during the half-hour's lobbying and retailing of political gossipthat preceded the formal opening of the sitting.
But there was an awkward moment when Nesimir, pale and shaken, enteredthe chamber through the folding doors at the back of the presidentialdais.
"Silence for his Excellency the President!" shouted a loud voiced usher,and all men looked up in wonder when they discovered that the youthfulstranger was standing by the President's side. The session was to be asecret one. Press and public were excluded. Who, then--
"Gentleman," said Sergius Nesimir, and he spoke with the slowness of illrepressed agitation, "I have a momentous announcement to make. Thishonorable house has almost committed itself to the republican form ofGovernment----"
"Gentlemen, here stands Alexis Delgrado" Page 75]
"Definitely!" cried a voice.
"No, no!" this from a Senator.
The President lifted a hand. In other circumstances, the interruptionswould have provoked rival storms of agreement and dissent from the manygroups into which the Assembly was split up; but now there was anelectric feeling in the air that their trusted chief would not broachthis grave question so suddenly without good cause. And--who was hiscompanion? Why did he occupy the dais?
"I ask for silence," said Nesimir. "The fortunes of Kosnovia tremble inthe balance. You will be given ample time for discussion; but hear mefirst. I have said that the republican idea has been mooted in allseriousness. We, in common with the rest of humanity, have beenhorror stricken by recent events in our beloved land. Our reigningdynasty has been blotted out of existence. There is no heir of theObrenovitch line. Were we, the representatives of the people, to declarein favor of a King, we should naturally turn to the other royal house ofour own blood. We should send for a Delgrado. Gentlemen, here standsAlexis Delgrado----"
He could go no further. A yell of sheer amazement came from all parts ofthe crowded chamber. Ministers, Senators, Representatives, joined inthat bewildered roar. Those who were sitting rose; those in the backbenches stood on the seats in order to gaze over the heads in front.Men shouted and glared and turned to shout again at one another; butthrough all the turmoil Alec faced them, smiling and imperturbable, and,at what he judged to be the right moment--for that volcanic outburstmust be given time to exhaust itself--he placed his one hand on thePresident's shoulder and with the other signaled his desire to be heard.
Again he placed implicit confidence in the all powerful element ofcuriosity. He knew full well that these emotional Serbs could not hearhis name unmoved, while the extraordinary racial difference betweenhimself and every other man in the Assembly must have made a strongappeal to their dramatic instincts. And again was he justified; for themere expression of his wish to address them was obeyed by an instanthushing of the storm.
<
br /> "My fellow countrymen," he began, "you whom I expect to count among myfriends ere this day is out----"
Another wave of sound ran through the hall. Men still wondered; buttheir hearts were beating high, and a new note had come into theirvoices. He was speaking their own language, speaking it as one to themanner born, speaking it as no Austrian could ever speak it, sinceharsh, dominant German can never reproduce the full Slavonic resonance.Alec, but yesterday Joan's typical idler, had fathomed some uncharteddeep in the mysterious art of swaying his fellow men. He realized atonce that this rumble of astonishment was the very best thing thatcould have happened. He waited just long enough for the sympatheticmurmur to merge into nods and whisperings, then he continued:
"It is true that I am here as a Delgrado. I come as a candidate, not aclaimant. It rests with you whether I shall remain among you as AlexisIII., King of Kosnovia, or go back to my father and tell him that ourpeople are anxious to try a new form of Government. Of course," and hereAlec beamed on them most affably, "there are other alternatives. You mayelect to put me in jail, or throw me into the Danube, or swing me from agibbet as a warning to all would-be monarchs and other malefactors. Butthere is one thing you cannot do. You can never persuade me to wade to athrone through the blood of innocent people! And that is why I am here,and not in the company of the wretched conspirators now skulking behindthe walls of the Schwarzburg."
Then a hurricane of cheers made the windows rattle, and a deputy fromthe Shumadia, "the heart of Kosnovia," a bigchested, deep voicedforester, sent forth a trumpet shout that reached every ear:
"Hola! That's a King! Look at him!"
From that instant Alec was as surely King of Kosnovia as the GermanEmperor is King of Prussia. Of course, he had to talk till he washoarse, and wring strong hands till he was weary, and Stampoff had tomake more than one gruff speech, and eloquent Senators and Deputies hadto proclaim the inviolate nature of the new constitution, and Alec hadto sign it amid a scene of riotous enthusiasm. But these things were theaftermath of a harvest reaped by half a dozen sentences. The Shumadiaman's simple phrases became a formula. Men laughed and said:
"Hola! That's a King! Look at him!"
In time it reached the streets. The people took it up as a popularcatchword. It whirled through all Kosnovia. Those who had never seenAlec, nor heard of him before they were told he was King, adopted it asa token of their belief that the nation had at last obtained a ruler whosurpassed all other Kings.
But that was to come later. While Alec was listening to the plauditsthat proclaimed his triumph, Stampoff growled at him from behind thehalf-closed door:
"Gods! You've done it! And without a blow! Never was Kingdom won soeasily. God bless your Majesty! May you live long and reign worthily!"
Good wishes these; but in them was the germ of an abiding canker. Whatwould Joan say? He had taken a sleeping car ticket from Paris and hadstepped into his patrimony with as little anxiety or delay as wouldherald a royal succession in the oldest and most firmly establishedmonarchy in Europe. What of the goddess with the great gray eyes, clearand piercing, who knew all the thoughts of men's hearts and the secretsof their souls? What of her warning that she would drive her chosen onesby strange paths through doubt and need and danger and battle? Which ofthese had he encountered, beyond the vanished phantoms of idle hourspassed in the cozy comfort of the Orient Express? "Never was kingdom wonso easily!"
Well meant; but it rankled. That ominous line of Vergil's came to hismind. _Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes_ (I fear the Greeks even bringinggifts). Truly the Greeks were come speedily, carrying in full measurethe gifts of loyalty and dominion. Yet he feared them. A whiff of peril,pitfalls to be leaped, some days or weeks of dire uncertainty, men to bewon, and factions placated, any or all of these might have appeased thejealous gods. But this instant success would shock Olympus. It cried forcontrast by its very flight to the pinnacle.
None suspected this mood in the chosen King. He charmed these volatileand romantic Serbs by his naturalness. He seemed to take it sothoroughly for granted that he was the one man living who could rulethem according to their aspirations, that they adopted the notionwithout reserve. The morning passed in a blaze of enthusiasm. Alec,outwardly calm and hale fellow with all who came in contact with him,was really in a state of waking trance. His brain throbbed with ideas,words that he had never conned flowed from his lips. Thus, when asked tosign the constitution, he wrote "Alexis, Rex," with a firm hand, andthen looked round on the circle of intent faces.
"Gentlemen," he said, "I hereby pledge myself to our land. When I amdead, if my successor shows signs of faltering, make my skin into adrumhead for the cause of Kosnovia!"
At the moment he really did not know that this was borrowed thunder, andassuredly the Kosnovians did not care. Already his utterances were beingretailed with gusto. Before night, every adult inhabitant of Delgratzwas likening their marvelous King, fallen from the skies, to a drum thatshould summon the Serbs to found the Empire of their dreams.
He was asked if he would not order the Seventh Regiment to evacuate theBlack Castle so that he might take up his quarters there.
"There is no hurry," he said. "The place needs cleaning."
A review of the troops stationed in other parts of the capital wasarranged for the afternoon in the beautiful park that crowns thepromontory formed by the two rivers, and it was suggested that he shoulddrive thither in the President's carriage.
"I would prefer to ride," said he. "Then the people and I can see oneanother."
A number of horses were brought from the late King's stables and Alecselected a white Arab stallion that seemed to have mettle and be up toweight. Soldiers and civilians exchanged underlooks at the choice.Selim was the last horse ridden by the ill fated Theodore, and, afterthe manner of Arabs, he had stumbled on the level roadway and the royalequestrian was thrown.
During the procession, while passing through the densely packedWassina-st., Selim stumbled again and was promptly pulled back almost onhis haunches. At that very instant a revolver was fired from the crowdand a bullet flattened itself on the opposite wall. The would-beassassin was seized instantly, a hundred hands were ready to tear him toshreds, when the King's white horse suddenly pranced into the midst ofthe press. Grasping the man by the neck, Alec drew him free by mainforce.
"Kill him!" yelled the mob.
"No," cried Alec, "we will put him in the recruits' squad and teach himhow to shoot!"
Throughout a long day he displayed a whole hearted abandonment to thejoy of finding himself accepted by the people as their ruler that didmore than a year's session of the Assembly to endear him to them; butthe seal of national approval was conferred by his action next day, whennews came that Lord Adalbert Beaumanoir was a prisoner at Semlin!
Naturally, the telegraph wires had thrilled Europe during every hourafter ten o'clock on Thursday morning, but the thrills felt in Germany,Russia, and Turkey were supplemented by agonized squirming on the partof official Austria. That an upstart, a masquerader, a mountebank of aKing, should actually have traversed Austria from west to east, withoutever a soul cased in uniform knowing anything about him, was ill toendure, and the minions of Kosnovia's truculent neighbor swore mightyoaths that no bottle holder from Paris or elsewhere should be allowed tofollow. So Lord Adalbert Beaumanoir was watched from Passau to MariaTheresiopel, and telegrams flew over the face of the land, and Alec'sBritish ally was hauled from the train at Semlin soon after dawn Friday.
Captain Drakovitch, anxious to atone for his prying of the previous day,brought circumstantial details to his Majesty Alexis III., who wasbreakfasting with Nesimir, Stampoff, and Ministers of State. There couldbe no doubting Beaumanoir's identity, since his baggage was on thetrain, and Drakovitch had made sure of his facts before hurrying to thePresident's house.
"Has Austria any right to arrest a British subject merely because hewishes to enter Kosnovia?" asked Alec, looking round at the assembledgray-heads.
"None whatever," sa
id Nesimir.
"It is an outrage," puffed the War Minister.
"She would not dare act in that way on any other frontier!" cried he ofthe Interior.
"What, then, is to be done?" demanded the King.
"Make the most emphatic protest to Vienna," came the chorus.
"Through the usual diplomatic channels?"
"Yes--of course."
"But that means leaving my friend in prison for an indefinite period."
Eloquent shrugs expressed complete agreement.
"Has it been the habit of Kosnovia to accept tamely such treatment atthe hands of Austria?" inquired Alec, looking at the President.
"I fear so, your Majesty. We are small and feeble; she is mighty in sizeand armament."
"So was Goliath, yet David slew him with a pebble," said Alec, rising."Come, Captain Drakovitch, you and I will call on the AustrianAmbassador. Stampoff, will you kindly arrange that a regiment of cavalryand six guns shall parade outside the station in half an hour's time?You might also ask the railway people to provide the necessarytransport, though I hardly expect it will be needed. Still, we ought tomake a show, just for practice."
Several faces at the table blanched.
"What does your Majesty mean by these preparations?" asked Nesimir.
"Preparations--for what? Surely we can inspect our own troops and testour own railway accommodation," laughed Alec. "As for the AustrianAmbassador, I intend to make an emphatic protest through the usualdiplomatic channel. Isn't that what you all agreed to?"
He went out, followed by Drakovitch. In five minutes they wereclattering through the streets accompanied by a small escort, whichAlec would have dispensed with if it was not absolutely needed to cleara passage when once Delgratz knew that the King was abroad.
Neither the Austrian nor Russian representative had recognized the newregime as yet. Each was waiting to see how the other would act; so Baronvon Rothstein viewed with mixed feelings the arrival of his royalvisitor. But he met him with all ceremony, and began to say thatinstructions might reach him from Vienna at any moment to pay anofficial call.
"Quite correct, Herr Baron," said Alec cheerfully. "I am a novice atthis game; but I fully understand that you act for your Government andnot for yourself. That fact renders easy the favor I have to ask."
"Anything that lies in my power, your Majesty----"
"Oh, this is a simple matter. A friend of mine, Lord AdalbertBeaumanoir, who was coming here from Paris to visit me, was arrested atSemlin this morning. There is, or can be, no charge against him. Some ofyour zealous agents have blundered, that is all. Now, I want you to goto Semlin in a special train I will provide and bring his Lordship herebefore----" Alec looked at his watch--"It is now nine--shall we say?--byeleven o'clock sharp."
Von Rothstein was startled, and he showed it. "But this is the first Ihave heard of it," he said.
"Exactly. That is why I came in person to tell you."
"I fear I cannot interfere, your Majesty."
"Is that so? Why, then, Herr Baron, are you Minister for Austria atDelgratz?"
"I mean that this matter is not within my province."
"Surely it must be. I cannot allow my friends to be collared by Austrianpolice for no reason whatsoever. This passport question concernsKosnovia, not Austria. The action of the Semlin authorities is one ofbrigandage. It can be adjusted amicably by you, Herr von Rothstein. Doyou refuse?"
"I fear I cannot do what you desire, your Majesty."
"Ah! That is a pity! In that event, I must go to Semlin myself andliberate Lord Adalbert."
"I don't quite understand----"
"Is my German so poor, then?" laughed Alec.
"I mean, of course----"
"You think I am bluffing. Do you know the word? It is American for apretense that is not backed by action. I intend nothing of the kind.Either you or I must start for Semlin forthwith. If I go, I take with mea bodyguard sufficiently strong to insure my friend's freedom. I am notdeclaring war against Austria. If any jack in office in Kosnovia actslike these Semlin policemen, and a Kosnovian official refuses to putmatters straight, by all means let Austria teach the offenders a sharplesson. She will have my complete approval, as I hope I have yours onthe present occasion."
"But, your Majesty, such action on your part does really amount to adeclaration of war!"
"Ridiculous! Austria seizes an inoffensive British gentleman merelybecause he travels from Paris to Delgratz, I appeal to you, the Austrianminister, to go and release him, and you refuse; yet you tell me I ammaking war on your country if I rescue him. The notion is preposterous!At any rate, it can be argued later. I have sufficient cavalry and gunsassembled near the station, and I hope to be in Semlin in twentyminutes. Good morning, Baron."
"Your Majesty, I implore you to forego this rash enterprise."
"It is you or I for it!"
"Let me telegraph."
"Useless. That spells delay. You or I must go to Semlin--now! Which isit to be?"
The Austrian diplomat, pallid and bewildered, yet had the wit to believethat this quiet voiced young man meant every word he said. He reasonedquickly that the freeing of a pestiferous Englishman at Semlin couldhave no possible effect on Austria's subsequent action. She might pleaseherself whether or not the threatened invasion of her territory shouldbe deemed a cause of war, while to yield for the hour robbed thisextraordinary adventurer of the prestige that would accrue from his boldact.
"I will go, your Majesty," said he, after a fateful pause.
"Good! Permit me to congratulate you on a wise decision," said Alec. "Ishall wait your return in patience until eleven."
"And then?"
"Oh, then--I follow you, of course."
Baron von Rothstein thought silence was best. He drove to the station,and did not fail to note the military preparations. His special quittedDelgratz at nine-twenty A.M. At ten-forty A.M. it came back and Alec methim and Lord Adalbert Beaumanoir on the platform.
"Sorry you were held up, old chap," was the King's greeting. "Some ofthese frontier police are fearful asses; but Herr von Rothstein rushedoff the instant he heard of your predicament, and here you are, onlyfive hours late after all."
"Wouldn't have missed it for a pony, dear boy," grinned Beaumanoir."There was a deuce of a shindy when three fat johnnies tried to pull meout of my compartment. I told 'em I didn't give a tinker's continentalfor their bally frontier, and then the band played. I slung one jokerthrough the window. Good job it was open, or he might have beenguillotined, eh, what?"
"No one was injured, I hope."
"Another fellow said I bent his ribs; but they sprang all right underthe vet's thumb. Tell me, why does our baronial friend look so vinegary?He chattered like a magpie in the police bureau, or whatever it iscalled, at Semlin."
"Lord Adalbert wishes me to explain that a disagreeable incident hadended happily," said Alec to von Rothstein.
"I am not sure that it has ended, your Majesty," was the grim reply.
"Well, then, shall we say that it has taken a satisfactory turn? Yousee, my dear Baron, I am quite a young King, and I shall commit manyblunders before I learn the usages of diplomacy. But I mean well, andthat goes a long way,--much farther than Semlin, even beyond Vienna."
