Beverly of Graustark

by George Barr McCutcheon

  CHAPTER XIII

  THE THREE PRINCES

  Beverly gasped. The countess stared blankly at the new guard. Yetiveflushed deeply, bit her lip in hopeless chagrin, and dropped her eyes. Apretty turn, indeed, the play had taken! Not a word was uttered for afull half-minute; nor did the guilty witnesses venture forth from theirretreat. Baldos stood tall and impassive, holding the curtain aside. Atlast the shadow of a smile crept into the face of the princess, but hertones were full of deep humility when she spoke.

  "We crave permission to retire, your highness," she said, and there wasvirtuous appeal in her eyes. "I pray forgiveness for this indiscretionand implore you to be lenient with two miserable creatures who love youso well that they forget their dignity."

  "I am amazed and shocked," was all that Beverly could say. "You may go,but return to me within an hour. I will then hear what you have to say."

  Slowly, even humbly, the ruler of Graustark and her cousin passedbeneath the upraised arm of the new guard. He opened a door on theopposite side of the room, and they went out, to all appearancethoroughly crestfallen. The steady features of the guard did not relaxfor the fraction of a second, but his heart was thumping disgracefully.

  "Come here, Baldos," commanded Beverly, a bit pale, but recovering herwits with admirable promptness. "This is a matter which I shall disposeof privately. It is to go no further, you are to understand."

  "Yes, your highness."

  "You may go now. Colonel Quinnox will explain everything," she saidhurriedly. She was eager to be rid of him. As he turned away sheobserved a faint but peculiar smile at the corner of his mouth.

  "Come here, sir!" she exclaimed hotly. He paused, his face as sombre asan owl's. "What do you mean by laughing like that?" she demanded. Hecaught the fierce note in her voice, but gave it the properinterpretation.

  "Laughing, your highness?" he said in deep surprise. "You must bemistaken. I am sure that I could not have laughed in the presence of aprincess."

  "It must have been a--a shadow, then," she retracted, somewhat startledby his rejoinder. "Very well, then; you are dismissed."

  As he was about to open the door through which he had entered the room,it swung wide and Count Marlanx strode in. Baldos paused irresolutely,and then proceeded on his way without paying the slightest attention tothe commander of the army. Marlanx came to an amazed stop and his faceflamed with resentment.

  "Halt, sir!" he exclaimed harshly. "Don't you know enough to salute me,sir?"

  Baldos turned instantly, his figure straightening like a flash. His eyesmet those of the Iron Count and did not waver, although his face wentwhite with passion.

  "And who are you, sir?" he asked in cold, steely tones. The count almostreeled.

  "Your superior officer--that should be enough for you!" he half hissedwith deadly levelness.

  "Oh, then I see no reason why I should not salute you, sir," saidBaldos, with one of his rare smiles. He saluted his superior officer ashade too elaborately and turned away. Marlanx's eyes glistened.

  "Stop! Have I said you could go, sir? I have a bit of advice to--"

  "My command to go comes from _your_ superior, sir," said Baldos,with irritating blandness.

  "Be patient, general," cried Beverly in deep distress. "He does not knowany better. I will stand sponsor for him." And Baldos went away with alight step, his blood singing, his devil-may-care heart satisfied. Thelook in her eyes was very sustaining. As he left the castle he saidaloud to himself with an easy disregard of the consequences:

  "Well, it seems that I am to be associated with the devil as well aswith angels. Heavens! June is a glorious month."

  "Now, you promised you'd be nice to him, General Marlanx," cried Beverlythe instant Baldos was out of the room. "He's new at this sort of thing,you know, and besides, you didn't address him very politely for an utterstranger."

  "The insolent dog," snarled Marlanx, his self-control returningslowly. "He shall be taught well and thoroughly, never fear, MissCalhoun. There is a way to train such recruits as he, and they neverforget what they have learned."

  "Oh, please don't be harsh with him," she pleaded. The smile of the IronCount was not at all reassuring. "I know he will be sorry for what hehas done, and you--"

  "I am quite sure he will be sorry," said he, with a most agreeable bowin submission to her appeal.

  "Do you want to see Mr. Lorry?" she asked quickly. "I will send for him,general." She was at the door, impatient to be with the banishedculprits.

  "My business with Mr. Lorry can wait," he began, with a smile meant tobe inviting, but which did not impress her at all pleasantly.

  "Well, anyway, I'll tell him you're here," she said, her hand on thedoor-knob. "Will you wait here? Good-bye!" And then she was racing offthrough the long halls and up broad stair-cases toward the boudoir ofthe princess. There is no telling how long the ruffled count remained inthe ante-room, for the excited Beverly forgot to tell Lorry that he wasthere.

  There were half a dozen people in the room when Beverly enteredeagerly. She was panting with excitement. Of all the rooms in the grimold castle, the boudoir of the princess was the most famouslyattractive. It was really her home, the exquisite abiding place of anexquisite creature. To lounge on her divans, to loll in the chairs, toglide through her priceless rugs was the acme of indolent pleasure. Fewwere they who enjoyed the privileges of "Little Heaven," as HarryAnguish had christened it on one memorable night, long before theprincess was Mrs. Grenfall Lorry.

  "_Now_, how do you feel?" cried the flushed American girl, pausingin the door to point an impressive finger at the princess, who was lyingback in a huge chair, the picture of distress and annoyance.

  "I shall never be able to look that man in the face again," camedolefully from Yetive's humbled lips. Dagmar was all smiles and in thefittest of humors. She was the kind of a culprit who loves thepunishment because of the crime.

  "Wasn't it ridiculous, and wasn't it just too lovely?" she cried.

  "It was extremely theatrical," agreed Beverly, seating herself on thearm of Yetive's chair and throwing a warm arm around her neck. "Have youall heard about it?" she demanded, naively, turning to the others, whounquestionably had had a jumbled account of the performance.

  "You got just what you deserved," said Lorry, who was immensely amused.

  "I wonder what your august vagabond thinks of his princess and herladies-in-hiding?" mused Harry Anguish. The Count and Countess Halfontwere smiling in spite of the assault upon the dignity of the court.

  "I'd give anything to know what he really thinks," said the realprincess. "Oh, Beverly, wasn't it awful? And how he marched us out ofthat room!"

  "I thought it was _great_," said Beverly, her eyes glowing. "Wasn'tit splendid? And isn't he good looking?"

  "He is good looking, I imagine, but I am no judge, dear. It was utterlyimpossible for me to look at his face," lamented the princess.

  "What are you going to do with us?" asked Dagmar penitently.

  "You are to spend the remainder of your life in a dungeon with Baldos asguard," decided Miss Calhoun.

  "Beverly, dear, that man is no ordinary person," said the princess,quite positively.

  "Of course he isn't. He's a tall, dark mystery."

  "I observed him as he crossed the terrace this morning," saidLorry. "He's a striking sort of chap, and I'll bet my head he's not whathe claims to be."

  "He claims to be a fugitive, you must remember," said Beverly, in hisdefense.

  "I mean that he is no common malefactor or whatever it may be. Who andwhat do you suppose he is? I confess that I'm interested in the fellowand he looks as though one might like him without half trying. Whyhaven't you dug up his past history, Beverly? You are so keen abouthim."

  "He positively refuses to let me dig," explained Beverly. "I tried, youknow, but he--he--well, he squelched me."

  "Well, after all is said and done, he caught us peeping to-day, and I amfilled with shame," said the princess. "It doesn't matter who he is, hemust
certainly have a most unflattering opinion as to _what_ weare."

  "And he is sure to know us sooner or later," said the young countess,momentarily serious.

  "Oh, if it ever comes to that I shall be in a splendid position toexplain it all to him," said Beverly. "Don't you see, I'll have to do alot of explaining myself?"

  "Baron Dangloss!" announced the guard of the upper hall, throwing openthe door for the doughty little chief of police.

  "Your highness sent for me?" asked he, advancing after the formalsalutation. The princess exhibited genuine amazement.

  "I did, Baron Dangloss, but you must have come with the wings of aneagle. It is really not more than three minutes since I gave the orderto Colonel Quinnox." The baron smiled mysteriously, but volunteered nosolution. The truth is, he was entering the castle doors as themessenger left them, but he was much too fond of effect to spoil a goodsituation by explanations. It was a long two miles to his office in theTower. "Something has just happened that impels me to ask a fewquestions concerning Baldos, the new guard."

  "May I first ask what has happened?" Dangloss was at a loss for themeaning of the general smile that went around.

  "It is quite personal and of no consequence. What do you know of him? Mycuriosity is aroused. Now, be quiet, Beverly; you are as eager to knowas the rest of us."

  "Well, your highness, I may as well confess that the man is a puzzle tome. He comes here a vagabond, but he certainly does not act like one. Headmits that he is being hunted, but takes no one into his confidence.For that, he cannot be blamed."

  "Have you any reason to suspect who he is?" asked Lorry.

  "My instructions were to refrain from questioning him," complainedDangloss, with a pathetic look at the original plotters. "Still, I havemade investigations along other lines."

  "And who is he?" cried Beverly, eagerly.

  "I don't know," was the disappointing answer. "We are confronted by aqueer set of circumstances. Doubtless you all know that young PrinceDantan is flying from the wrath of his half-brother, our lamented friendGabriel. He is supposed to be in our hills with a half-starved body offollowers. It seems impossible that he could have reached our northernboundaries without our outposts catching a glimpse of him at sometime. The trouble is that his face is unknown to most of us, I among theothers. I have been going on the presumption that Baldos is in realityPrince Dantan. But last night the belief received a severe shock."

  "Yes?" came from several eager lips.

  "My men who are watching the Dawsbergen frontier came in last night andreported that Dantan had been seen by mountaineers no later than Sunday,three days ago. These mountaineers were in sympathy with him, andrefused to tell whither he went. We only know that he was in thesouthern part of Graustark three days ago. Our new guard speaks manylanguages, but he has never been heard to use that of Dawsbergen. Thatfact in itself is not surprising, for, of all things, he would avoid hismother tongue. Dantan is part English by birth and wholly so bycultivation. In that he evidently finds a mate in this Baldos."

  "Then, he really isn't Prince Dantan?" cried Beverly, as though acherished ideal had been shattered.

  "Not if we are to believe the tales from the south. Here is anothercomplication, however. There is, as you know, Count Halfont, and perhapsall of you, for that matter, a pretender to the throne of Axphain, thefugitive Prince Frederic. He is described as young, good looking, ascholar and the next thing to a pauper."

  "Baldos a mere pretender," cried Beverly in real distress. "Never!"

  "At any rate, he is not what he pretends to be," said the baron, with awise smile.

  "Then, you think he may be Prince Frederic?" asked Lorry, deeplyinterested.

  "I am inclined to think so, although another complication hasarisen. May it please your highness, I am in an amazingly tangled stateof mind," admitted the baron, passing his hand over his brow.

  "Do you mean that another mysterious prince has come to life?" askedYetive, her eyes sparkling with interest in the revelations.

  "Early this morning a despatch came to me from the Grand Duke Michael ofRapp-Thorberg, a duchy in western Europe, informing me that the duke'seldest son had fled from home and is known to have come to the far east,possibly to Graustark."

  "Great Scott!" exclaimed Anguish. "It never rains but it hails, sohere's hail to the princes three."

  "We are the Mecca for runaway royalty, it seems," said Count Halfont.

  "Go on with the story, Baron Dangloss," cried the princess. "It is likea book."

  "A description of the young man accompanies the offer of a large rewardfor information that may lead to his return home for reconciliation.And--" here the baron paused dramatically.

  "And what?" interjected Beverly, who could not wait.

  "The description fits our friend Baldos perfectly!"

  "You don't mean it?" exclaimed Lorry. "Then, he may be any one of thethree you have mentioned?"

  "Let me tell you what the grand duke's secretary says. I have theofficial notice, but left it in my desk. The runaway son of the grandduke is called Christobal. He is twenty-seven years of age, speaksEnglish fluently, besides French and our own language. It seems that heattended an English college with Prince Dantan and some of our own youngmen who are still in England. Six weeks ago he disappeared from hisfather's home. At the same time a dozen wild and venturous retainersleft the grand duchy. The party was seen in Vienna a week later, and theyoung duke boldly announced that he was off to the east to help hisfriend Dantan in the fight for his throne. Going on the theory thatBaldos is this same Christobal, we have only to provide a reason for hispreferring the wilds to the comforts of our cities. In the first place,he knows there is a large reward for his apprehension and he fears--ourpolice. In the second place, he does not care to direct the attention ofPrince Dantan's foes to himself. He missed Dantan in the hills anddoubtless was lost for weeks. But the true reason for his flight is madeplain in the story that was printed recently in Paris and Berlinnewspapers. According to them, Christobal rebelled against his father'sright to select a wife for him. The grand duke had chosen a noble andwealthy bride, and the son had selected a beautiful girl from the lowerwalks of life. Father and son quarreled and neither would give aninch. Christobal would not marry his father's choice, and the grand dukewould not sanction his union with the fair plebeian."

  Here Beverly exclaimed proudly, her face glowing: "He doesn't look likethe sort of man who could be bullied into marrying anybody if he didn'twant to."

  "And he strikes me as the sort who would marry any one he set his heartupon having," added the princess, with a taunting glance at MissCalhoun.

  "Umph!" sniffed Beverly defiantly. The baron went on with his narrative,exhibiting signs of excitement.

  "To lend color to the matter, Christobal's sweetheart, the daughter of agame-warden, was murdered the night before her lover fled. I knownothing of the circumstances attending the crime, but it is myunderstanding that Christobal is not suspected. It is possible that heis ignorant even now of the girl's fate."

  "Well, by the gods, we have a goodly lot of heroes about us," exclaimedLorry.

  "But, after all," ventured the Countess Halfont, "Baldos may be none ofthese men."

  "Good heavens, Aunt Yvonne, don't suggest anything so distressing," saidYetive. "He _must_ be one of them."

  "I suggest a speedy way of determining the matter," said Anguish. "Letus send for Baldos and ask him point blank who he is. I think it is upto him to clear away the mystery."

  "No!" cried Beverly, starting to her feet.

  "It seems to be the only way," said Lorry.

  "But I promised him that no questions should be asked," said Beverly,almost tearfully but quite resolutely. "Didn't I, yet--your highness?"

  "Alas, yes!" said the princess, with a pathetic little smile ofresignation, but with loyalty in the clasp of her hand.