CHAPTER VIII
ON BOARD THE "JUPITER"
A grey day at sea. The _Jupiter_ seemed to be slinking through the mistand drizzle, so still was the world of waters. The ocean was as smoothas a mill pond; the reflected sky came down bleak and drab and no windwas stirring. The rush of the ship through the glassy, sullen seaproduced a fictitious gale across the decks; aside from that there wasdead calm ahead and behind.
A threat seemed to lurk in the smooth, oily face of the Atlantic. Farahead stretched the grey barricade that seemed to mark the spot wherethe voyage was to end. There was no going beyond that clear-cut line.When the ship came up to it, there would be no more water beyond;naught but a vast space into which the vessel must topple and go onfalling to the end of time. The great sirens were silent, for the fogof the night before had lifted, laying bare a desolate plain. The shipwas sliding into oblivion, magnificently indifferent to the catastrophethat awaited its arrival at the edge of the universe. And she wassailing the sea alone. All other ships had passed over that sinisterline and were plunging toward a bottom that would never be reached, solong is eternity.
The decks of the _Jupiter_ were wet with the almost invisible drizzlethat filled the air, yet they were swarming with the busy pedestrianswho never lose an opportunity to let every one know that they are onboard. No ship's company is complete without its leg-stretchers. Theywho never walk a block on dry land without complaining, right manfullylop off miles when walking on the water, and get to be known--at leastvisually--to the entire first cabin before they have paraded half wayacross the Atlantic. (There was once a man who had the struttingdisease so badly that he literally walked from Sandy Hook to Gaunt'sRock, but, who, on getting to London, refused to walk from the Savoy tothe Cecil because of a weak heart.) The worst feature about theseinveterate water-walkers is that they tread quite as proudly upon otherpeople's feet as they do upon their own, and as often as not theyappear to do it from choice. Still, that is another story. It hasnothing to do with the one we are trying to tell.
To resume, the decks of the _Jupiter_ were wet and the sky was drab.New York was twenty-four hours astern and the brief Sunday service hadcome to a peaceful end. It died just in time to escape the horrors of apopular programme by the band amidships. The echo of the last amen wasa resounding thump on the big bass drum.
Three tall, interesting looking men stood leaning against the starboardrail of the promenade deck, unmindful of the mist, watching thescurrying throng of exercise fiends. Two were young, the third was old,and of the three there was one who merited the second glance thatinvariably was bestowed upon him by the circling passers-by. Eachsucceeding revolution increased the interest and admiration and peoplesoon began to favour him with frankly unabashed stares and smiles thatcould not have been mistaken for anything but tribute to his extremegood looks.
He stood between the gaunt, soldierly old man with the fiercemoustache, and the trim, military young man with one that was closecropped and smart. Each wore a blue serge suit and affected a shortvisored cap of the same material, and each lazily puffed at a verycommonplace briar pipe. They in turn were watching the sprightly paradewith an interest that was calmly impersonal. They saw no one person whodeserved more than a casual glance, and yet the motley crowd passedbefore them, apparently without end, as if expecting a responsive smileof recognition from the tall young fellow to whom it paid the honesttribute of curiosity.
The customary he-gossip and perennial snooper who is always making thevoyage no matter what ship one takes or the direction one goes, nosedout the purser and discovered that the young man was R. Schmidt ofVienna. He was busy thereafter mixing with the throng, volunteeringinformation that had not been solicited but which appeared to bewelcome. Especially were the young women on board grateful to thehe-gossip, when he accosted them as a perfect stranger to tell them thename of another and even more perfect stranger.
"Evidently an Austrian army officer," he always proclaimed, and thatseemed to settle it.
Luckily he did not overhear R. Schmidt's impassive estimate of thefirst cabin parade, or he might have had something to repeat that wouldnot have pleased those who took part in it.
"Queer looking lot of people," said R. Schmidt, and his two companionsmoodily nodded their heads.
"I am sorry we lost those rooms on the _Salammbo_," said the younger ofhis two companions. "I had them positively engaged, money paid down."
"Some one else came along with more money, Dank," observed R. Schmidt."We ought to be thankful that we received anything at all. Has itoccurred to you that this boat isn't crowded?"
"Not more than half full," said the older man. "All of the othersappeared to be packed from hold to funnel. This must be an unpopularboat."
"I don't know where we'd be, however, if Mr. Blithers hadn't thought ofthe _Jupiter_ almost at the last minute," said R. Schmidt.
"Nine day boat, though," growled the old man.
"I don't mind that in the least. She's a steady old tub and that'ssomething."
"Hobbs tells me that it is most extraordinary to find the east boundsteamers crowded at this season of the year," said Dank. "He can'tunderstand it at all. The crowds go over in June and July and by thistime they should be starting for home. I thought we'd have nodifficulty in getting on any one of the big boats, but, by jove,everywhere I went they said they were full up."
"It was uncommonly decent of Blithers not coming down to see us off,"said the elderly man, who was down on the passenger list as Totten. "Iwas apprehensive, 'pon my soul. He stuck like a leech up to the lastminute."
R. Schmidt was reflecting. "It struck me as queer that he had not heardof the transfer of our securities in London."
"I cannot understand Bernstein & Sons selling out at a time when theprice of our bonds is considerably below their actual value," saidTotten, frowning. "A million pounds sterling is what their holdingsreally represented; according to the despatches they must have sold ata loss of nearly fifty thousand pounds. It is unbelievable that thehouse can be hard-pressed for money. There isn't a sounder concern inEurope than Bernstein's."
"We should have a Marconi-gram to-night or tomorrow in regard to thebid made in Paris for the bonds held by the French syndicate," saidDank, pulling at his short moustache. "Mr. Blithers is investigating."
"There is something sinister in all this," said R. Schmidt. "Who isbuying up all of the out-standing bonds and what is behind themovement? London has sold all that were held there and Paris isapproached on the same day. If Paris and Berlin should sell, nearlyfour million pounds in Graustark bonds will be in the hands of peoplewhose identity and motives appear to be shrouded in the deepestmystery."
"And four million pounds represents the entire amount of our bonds heldby outside parties," said Totten, with a significant shake of hisgrizzled head. "The remainder are in the possession of our owninstitutions and the people themselves. We should hear from Edelweiss,too, in response to my cablegram. Perhaps Romano may be able to throwlight on the situation. I confess that I am troubled."
"Russia would have no object in buying up our general bonds, wouldshe?" inquired R. Schmidt.
"None whatever. She would have nothing to gain. Mr. Blithers assured methat he was not in the least apprehensive. In fact, he declared thatRussia would not be buying bonds that do not mature for twelve years tocome. There must be some private--eh?"
A steward was politely accosting the trio.
"I beg pardon, is this Mr. Totten?"
"Yes."
"Message for you, sir, at the purser's."
"Bring it to my stateroom, Totten," said R. Schmidt briefly, and theold man hurried away on the heels of the messenger.
The two young men sauntered carelessly in an opposite direction andsoon disappeared from the deck. A few minutes later, Totten entered theluxurious parlour of R. Schmidt and laid an unopened wireless messageon the table at the young man's elbow.
"Open it, Totten."
The old man slit the envelope and glanced at
the contents. He noddedhis head in answer to an unspoken question.
"Sold?" asked R. Schmidt.
"Paris and Berlin, both of them, Prince. Every bond has been gobbledup."
"Does he mention the name of the buyer?"
"Only by the use of the personal pronoun. He says--'I have taken overthe Paris and Berlin holdings. All is well.' It is signed 'B.' So! Nowwe know."
"By jove!" fell from the lips of both men, and then the threeGraustarkians stared in speechless amazement at each other for thespace of a minute before another word was spoken.
"Blithers!" exclaimed Dank, sinking back into his chair.
"Blithers," repeated Totten, but with an entirely different inflection.The word was conviction itself as he pronounced it.
R. Schmidt indulged in a wry little smile. "It amounts to nearly twentymillion dollars, Count. That's a great deal of money to spend in thepursuit of an idle whim."
"Humph!" grunted the old Count, and then favoured the sunny-facedPrince with a singularly sharp glance. "Of course, you understand hisgame?"
"Perfectly. It's as clear as day. He intends to be the crownfather-in-law. I suppose he will expect Graustark to establish an Orderof Royal Grandfathers."
"It may prove to be no jest, Robin," said the Count seriously.
"My dear Quinnox, don't look so sad," cried the Prince. "He may havemoney enough to buy Graustark but he hasn't enough to buy grandchildrenthat won't grow, you know. He is counting chickens before they'rehatched, which isn't a good business principle, I'd have you to know."
"What was it he said to you at Red Roof?"
"That was nothing. Pure bluster."
"He said he had never set his heart on anything that he didn't get inthe end, wasn't that it?"
"I think so. Something of the sort. I took it as a joke."
"Well, I took it as a threat."
"A threat?"
"A pleasant, agreeable threat, of course. He has set his heart onhaving the crown of Graustark worn by a Blithers. That is the long andshort of it."
"I believe he did say to me in the woods that day that he could put hisdaughter on any throne in Europe if he set his mind to the job," saidthe Prince carelessly. "But you see, the old gentleman is not countingon two very serious sources of opposition when it comes to thisparticular case. There is Maud, you see,--and me."
"I am not so sure of the young lady," said the Count sententiously."The opposition may falter a bit there, and half of his battle is won."
"You seem to forget, Quinnox, that such a marriage is utterlyimpossible," said the Prince coldly, "Do you imagine that I wouldmarry--"
"Pardon me, highness, I said _half_ the battle would be won. I docontemplate a surrender on your part. You are a very pig-headed youngman. The most pig-headed I've ever known, if you will forgive me forexpressing myself so--"
"You've said it a hundred times," laughed the Prince, good-naturedly."Don't apologise. Not only you but the entire House of Nobles havecharacterised me as pig-headed and I have never even thought ofresenting it, so it must be that I believe it to be true."
"We have never voiced the opinion, highness, except in reference to ourown great desire to bring about the union between our beloved ruler andthe Crown Princess of--"
"So," interrupted R. Schmidt, "it ought to be very clear to you that ifI will not marry to please my loyal, devoted cabinet I certainly shallnot marry to please William W. Blithers. No doubt the excellent Maud isa most desirable person. In any event, she has a mind of her own. Iconfess that I am sorry to have missed seeing her. We might have got onfamously together, seeing that our point of view is apparently uniquein this day and age of the world, No, my good friends, Mr. Blithers ismaking a poor investment. He will not get the return for his money thathe is expecting. If it pleases him to buy our securities, all well andgood. He shall lose nothing in the end. But he will find that Graustarkis not a toy, nor the people puppets. More than all that, I am not abargain sale prince with Christmas tree aspirations, but a veryunamiable devil who cultivates an ambition to throw stones at theconventions. Not only do I intend to choose my wife but also the courtgrandfather. And now let us forget the folly of Mr. Blithers anddiscuss his methods of business. What does he expect to gain by thisextraordinary investment?"
Count Quinnox looked at him rather pityingly. "It appears to be his wayof pulling the strings, my boy. He has loaned us something like sixteenmillions of dollars. We have agreed to deposit our public service bondsas security against the loan, so that practically equalises thesituation. It becomes a purely business transaction. But he sees farahead. This loan of his matures at practically the same time that ourfirst series of government bonds are due for payment. It will beextremely difficult for a small country, such as Graustark, to raisenearly forty millions of dollars in, say ten years. The Europeansyndicates undoubtedly would be willing to renew the loan under a newissue--I think it is called refunding, or something of the sort. ButMr. Blithers will be in a position to say no to any such arrangement.He holds the whip hand and--"
"But, my dear Count," interrupted the Prince, "what if he does hold it?Does he expect to wait ten years before exercising his power? Youforget that marriage is his ambition. Isn't he taking a desperate riskin assuming that I will not marry before the ten years are up? And, forthat matter, his daughter may decide to wed some other chap who--"
"That's just the point," said Quinnox. "He is arranging it so that you_can't_ marry without his consent."
"The deuce you say!"
"I am not saying that he can carry out his design, my dear boy, but itis his secret hope, just the same. So far as Graustark is concerned,she will stand by you no matter what betides. As you know, there isnothing so dear to our hearts as the proposed union of Dawsbergen'sCrown Princess and--"
"That's utterly out of the question, Count," said the Prince, settinghis jaws.
The count sighed patiently. "So you say, my boy, so you say. But youare not reasonable. How can you know that the Crown Princess ofDawsbergen is not the very mate your soul has been craving--"
"That's not the point. I am opposed to this miserable custom of givingin marriage without the consent of the people most vitally concerned,and I shall never recede from my position."
"You are very young, my dear Prince."
"And I intend to remain young, my dear Count. Loveless marriages makeold men and women of youths and maidens. I remember thinking thatremark out for myself after a great deal of effort, and you mayremember that I sprung it with considerable effect on the cabinet whenthe matter was formally discussed a year or two ago. You heard aboutit, didn't you, Dank?"
"I did, highness."
"And every newspaper in the world printed it as coming from me, didn'tthey? Well, there you are. I can't go behind my publicly avowedprinciples."
The young fellow stretched his long body in a sort of luxuriousdefiance, and eyed his companions somewhat combatively.
"Sounds very well," growled the Count, with scant reverence forroyalty, being a privileged person.
"Now, Dank here can marry any one he likes--if she'll have him--and heis only a lieutenant of the guard. Why should I,--prince royal andmaster of all he surveys, so to speak,--why should I be denied aprivilege enjoyed by every good-looking soldier who carries a sword inmy army--_my_ army, do you understand? I leave it to you, Dank, is itfair? Who are you that you should presume to think of a happy marriagewhile I, your Prince, am obliged to twiddle my thumbs and say 'allright, bring any old thing along and I'll marry her'? Who are you,Dank, that's what I'd like to know."
His humour was so high-handed that the two soldiers laughed and Dankruefully admitted that he was a lucky dog.
"You shall not marry into the Blithers family, my lad, if we can helpit," said the Count, pulling at his moustaches.
"I should say not!" said Dank, feeling for his.
"I should as soon marry a daughter of Hobbs," said R. Schmidt, gettingup from his chair with restored sprightliness. "If he had one, I mean.
"
"The bonds of matrimony and the bonds of government are by no meanssynonymous," said Dank, and felt rather proud of himself when hiscompanions favoured him with a stare of amazement. The excellentlieutenant was not given to persiflage. He felt that for a moment hehad scintillated.
"Shall we send a wireless to Blithers congratulating him on his coup?"enquired the Prince gaily.
"No," said the Count. "Congratulating ourselves on his coup is better."
"Good! And you might add that we also are trusting to luck. It may givehim something to think about. And now where is Hobbs?" said royalty.
"Here, sir," said Hobbs, appearing in the bed-room door, but notunexpectedly. "I heard wot you said about my daughter, sir. It may setyour mind at rest, sir, to hear that I am childless."
"Thank you, Hobbs. You are always thinking of my comfort. You may orderluncheon for us in the Ritz restaurant. The head steward has beeninstructed to reserve the corner table for the whole voyage."
"The 'ead waiter, sir," corrected Hobbs politely, and was gone.
In three minutes he was back with the information that two ladies hadtaken the table and refused to be dislodged, although the head waiterhad vainly tried to convince them that it was reserved for the passageby R. Schmidt and party.
"I am quite sure, sir, he put it to them very hagreeably and politely,but the young lady gave 'im the 'aughtiest look I've ever seen onmortal fice, sir, and he came back to me so 'umble that I could 'ardlybelieve he was an 'ead waiter."
"I hope he was not unnecessarily persistent," said the Prince, annoyed."It really is of no consequence where we sit."
"Ladies first, world without end," said Dank. "Especially at sea."
"He was not persistent, sir. In fact he was hextraordinary subdued allthe time he was hexplaining the situation to them. I could tell by theway his back looked, sir."
"Never mind, Hobbs. You ordered luncheon?"
"Yes, your 'ighness. Chops and sweet potatoes and--"
"But that's what we had yesterday, Hobbs."
A vivid red overspread the suddenly dismayed face of Hobbs. "'Pon mysoul, sir, I--I clean forgot that it was yesterday I was thinking of.The young lady gave me such a sharp look, sir, when the 'ead waiterpointed at me that I clean forgot wot I was there for. I will 'urryback and--"
"Do, Hobbs, that's a good fellow. I'm as hungry as a bear. But nochops!"
"Thank you, sir. No chops. Absolutely, sir." He stopped in the doorway."I daresay it was 'er beauty, sir, that did it. No chops. Quite so,sir."
"If Blithers were only here," sighed Dank. "He would make short work ofthe female invasion. He would have them chucked overboard."
"I beg pardon, sir," further adventured Hobbs, "but I fancy not evenMr. Blithers could move that young woman, sir, if she didn't 'appen towant to be moved. Never in my life, sir, have I seen--"
"Run along, Hobbs," said the Prince. "Boiled guinea hen."
"And cantaloupe, sir. Yes, sir, I quite remember everything now, sir."
Twenty minutes later, R. Schmidt, seated in the Ritz restaurant,happened to look fairly into the eyes of the loveliest girl he had everseen, and on the instant forgave the extraordinary delinquency of thehitherto infallible Hobbs.
The Prince of Graustark Page 8
