CHAPTER XXIII
PINGARI'S
Nine o'clock of a rainy night, on the steep, winding road that climbedthe mountain-side from the walled-in city to the crest on which stoodthe famed monastery of St. Valentine,--nine o'clock of a night fraughtwith pleasurable anticipation on the part of one R. Schmidt, whoseeager progress up the slope was all too slow notwithstanding theencouragement offered by the conscienceless Jehu who frequently beathis poor steeds into a gallop over level stretches and never allowedthem to pause on the cruel grades.
Late in the afternoon there had come to the general post-office aletter for Mr. R. Schmidt. He had told her that any message intendedfor him would reach his hands if directed to the post-office. Since hisarrival in the city, three days before, he had purposely avoided themain streets and avenues of Edelweiss, venturing forth but seldom fromthe Castle grounds, and all because he knew that he could not go abroadduring the day-time without forfeiting the privileges to be enjoyed inemulation of the good Caliphs of Baghdad. His people would betray theirprince because they loved him: his passage through the streets couldonly be attended by respectful homage on the part of every man, womanand child in the place. If Bedelia were there, she could not helpknowing who and what he was, with every one stupidly lifting his hatand bowing to him as he passed, and he did not want Bedelia to know thetruth about him until she had answered an all-important question, ashas been mentioned before on more than one occasion in the course ofthis simple tale.
Her letter was brief. She merely acquainted him with the fact that shehad arrived in Edelweiss that day from Ganlook, twenty miles away, andwas stopping at the Inn of the Stars outside the city gates and halfway up the mountain-side, preferring the quiet, ancient tavern to thestately Regengetz for reasons of her own.
In closing she said that she would be delighted to see him when it wasconvenient for him to come to her. On receipt of this singularlymatter-of-fact letter, he promptly despatched a message to Miss Guile,Inn of the Stars, saying that she might expect him at nine that night.
Fortunately for him, the night was wet and blustering. He donned arain-coat, whose cape and collar served to cover the lower part of hisface fairly well, and completed his disguise by pulling far down overhis eyes the villainous broad-brimmed hat affected by the shepherds inthe hills. He had a pair of dark eye-glasses in reserve for the crucialtest that would come with his entrance to the Inn.
Stealing away from the Castle at night, he entered the ram-shackle cabthat Hobbs had engaged for the expedition, and which awaited him notfar from the private entrance to the Park. Warders at the gate lookedaskance as he passed them by, but not one presumed to question him.They winked slyly at each other, however, after he had disappeared inthe shadows beyond the rays of the feeble lanterns that they carried.It was good to be young!
The driver of that rattling old vehicle was no other than the versatileHobbs, who, it appears, had rented the outfit for a fixed sum,guaranteeing the owner against loss by theft, fire or dissolution. Itis not even remotely probable that the owner would have covered theground so quickly as Hobbs, and it is certain that the horses neversuspected that they had it in them.
The mud-covered vehicle was nearing the Inn of the Stars when Robinstuck his head out of the window and directed Hobbs to drive slower.
"Very good, sir," said Hobbs. "I thought as how we might be late afterlosing time at the city gates, sir, wot with that silly guard and the--"
"We are in good time, Hobbs. Take it easy."
The lights of the Inn were gleaming through the drizzle not more than ablock away. Robin's heart was thumping furiously. Little chills ranover him, delicious chills of excitement. His blood was hot and cold,his nerves were tingling. The adventure!
"Whoa!" said Hobbs suddenly. "'Ello, wot the 'ell is--"
A dark figure had sprung into the road-way near the horses' heads, andwas holding up a warning hand.
"Is this Mr. Schmidt's carriage?" demanded a hoarse, suppressed voice.
"It is," said Hobbs, "for the time being. Wot of it?"
Robin's head came through the window.
"What do you want?"
"Some one is coming out here to meet you, sir. Do not drive up to thedoors. Those are the orders. You are to wait here, if you please."
Then the man shot away into the darkness, leaving the wayfarersmystified by his words and action.
"Wot am I to do, sir?" inquired Hobbs. "Most hextraordinary orders, andwho the deuce is behind them, that's wot I'd like to know."
"We'll wait here, Hobbs," said Robin, and then put his hand suddenly tohis heart. It was acting very queerly. For a moment he thought it wasin danger of pounding its way out of his body!
Below him lay the lighted city, a great yellow cloud almost at hisfeet. Nearer, on the mountain-side were the misty lights in the windowsof dwellers on the slope, and at points far apart the street lamps, dimsplashes of light in the gloom. Far above were the almost obscuredlights of St. Valentine, hanging in the sky. He thought of the monks upthere. What a life! He would not be a monk, not he.
"My word!" exclaimed Hobbs, but instantly resumed his character ascabby.
A woman came swiftly out of the blackness and stopped beside the cab.She was swathed in a long gossamer, and hooded. The carriage lampsgleamed strong against the dripping coat.
"Is it you?" cried Robin, throwing open the door and leaping to theground.
"It is I, M'sieur," said the voice of Marie, Miss Guile's French maid.
Bleak disappointment filled his soul. He had hoped for--but no! Hemight have known. She would not meet him in this manner.
"What has happened?" he cried, grasping the girl's arm. "Has she--"
"Sh! May we not speak in French?" said Marie, lowering her voice aftera significant look at the motionless cabman. "He may understandEnglish, M'sieur. My mistress has sent me to say to M'sieur that shehas changed her mind."
"Changed her mind," gasped Robin.
"Yes, M'sieur. She will not receive you at the Inn of the Stars. Shebids you drive to the end of this street, where there is a garden witha Magyar band, and the most delicious of refreshments to be had undervine-covered--"
"A public garden?" exclaimed Robin in utter dismay.
"Pingari's, sir," said Hobbs, without thinking. "I know the place well.It is a very quiet, orderly place--I beg pardon!"
"So he understands French, eh?" cried Marie sharply.
"It doesn't matter," cried Robin impatiently. "Why, in heaven's name,did she select a public eating-house in which to receive me?"
"If M'sieur chooses to disregard the wishes of--" began the maid, buthe interrupted her.
"I am not accustomed to meeting people in public gardens. I--"
"Nor is my mistress, M'sieur. I assure you it is the first time she hascommitted an indiscretion of this kind. May I put a flea in M'sieur'sear? The place is quite empty to-night, and besides there is the driveback to the Inn with Mademoiselle. Is not that something, M'sieur?'
"By jove!" exclaimed Robin. "Drive on,--you! But wait! Let me take youto the Inn, Marie. It--"
"No! I may not accept M'sieur's thoughtful invitation. Bon soir,M'sieur."
She was off like a flash. Robin leaped nimbly into the cab.
"Pingari's, driver!" he said, his heart thumping once more.
"Very good, sir," and they were off at a lively rate, rattling quitegaily over the cobble-stones.
Pingari's is the jumping-off place. It stands at the sharp corner of anelbow in the mountain, with an almost sheer drop of a thousand feetinto the quarries below. A low-roofed, rambling building, once used asa troop-house for nomadic fighting-men who came from all parts of theprincipality on draft by feudal barons in the days before real lawobtained, it was something of a historic place. Parts of the structureare said to be no less than five hundred years old, but time andavarice have relegated history to a rather uncertain background, andunless one is pretty well up in the traditions of the town, he may betaken in nicely by shamele
ss attendants who make no distinction betweenthe old and the new so long as it pays them to procrastinate.
As a matter of fact, the walls of the ancient troop-house surround whatis now considered the kitchen, and one never steps inside of themunless he happens to be connected in a somewhat menial way with thegreen grocer, the fish-monger, the butcher or the poultry-man. Thewonderful vine-covered porches, reeking with signs of decay andtottering with age, are in truth very substantial affairs constructedby an ancestor of the present Signor Pingari no longer ago than theNapoleonic era--which is quite recent as things go in Graustark.
Hobbs drove bravely into the court yard, shouted orders to a couple ofhostlers and descended from the box. The Magyar band was playingblithely to the scattered occupants of the porches overlooking theprecipice.
"'Ere we are, sir," said he to the Prince, as he jerked open the doorof the cab. "Shall I wait, sir?"
"Certainly," said Robin, climbing out. "I am a long way from home, mygood man."
He hurried up the steps and cast an eye about the place. There were noladies unattached. As he was about to start on a tour of investigation,a polite person in brass buttons came up to him.
"Alone, sir?" he inquired pityingly.
"Quite," said Robin, still peering into the recesses.
"Then come with me, if you please. I am directed to escort you to onewho is also alone. This way, sir."
Robin followed him through a door, down a narrow hallway, up a flightof stairs and out another door upon a small portico, sheltered by aheavy canvas awning. Two men were standing at the railing, looking downupon the impressionistic lights of the sunken city. The Prince drewback, his face hardening.
"What does this mean, sirrah? You said--"
At the sound of his voice the two men turned, stared at him intentlyfor an instant and then deliberately strode past him, entered the doorand disappeared. The person in brass buttons followed them.
A soft, gurgling laugh fell upon his ears--a laugh of pure delight. Hewhirled about and faced--one who was no longer alone.
She was seated at the solitary little table in the corner; until now ithad escaped his notice for the excellent reason that it was outside thepath of light from the open doorway, and the faint glow from theadjacent porches did not penetrate the quiet retreat.
He sprang toward her with a glad cry, expecting her to rise. Sheremained seated, her hand extended. This indifference on her part mayhave been the result of cool premeditation. In any event, it served tocheck the impulsive ardour of the Prince, who, it is to be feared, hadlost something in the way of self-restraint. It is certain--absolutelycertain--that had she come forward to meet him, she would have foundherself imprisoned in a pair of strong, eager arms,--and a crisisprecipitated. He had to be content with a warm hand-clasp and a smileof welcome that even the gloom could not hide from his devouring eyes.
"My dear, dear Bedelia," he murmured. "I had almost given you up. Threelong days have I waited for you. You--"
"I have never broken a promise, Rex," she said coolly. "It is you whoare to be commended, not I, for you see I was coming to Graustarkanyway. I should not have been surprised if you had failed me, sir. Itis a long way from Vienna to this out-of-the-way--"
"The most distant spot in the world would not have been too far away tocause an instant's hesitation on my part," said he, dropping into thechair opposite her. "I would go to the end of the world, Bedelia."
"But your personal affairs--your business," she protested. "Can youneglect it so--"
"My business is to find happiness," said he. "I should be neglecting itindeed if I failed to pursue the only means of attaining it. You arehappiness, Bedelia."
"What would you sacrifice for happiness?" she asked softly.
"All else in the world," he replied steadily. "If I were a king, myrealm should go if it stood between me and--you, Bedelia."
She drew back with a queer little gasp, as if suddenly breathless.
"Wait--wait just for a moment," she said, with difficulty steadying hervoice. "This night may see the end of our adventure, Rex. Let us thinkwell before we say that it is over. I know, if you do not, that a greatdeal depends upon what we are to say to each other to-night. You willask me to be your wife. Are you sure that you appreciate all that itmeans to you and to your future if I should say yes to that dearquestion?"
He looked at her intently. "What do you know, Bedelia?"
"I know that you are the Prince of Graustark and that it is ordainedthat you shall wed one whose station is the equal of your own. You mustthink well, dear Rex, before you ask Bedelia Guile to be your wife."
"You know that I am--" he began, dully, and then burst into a mirthlesslaugh. "And knowing who I am, why do you not leap at the chance tobecome the Princess of Graustark? Why not realise an ambition that--"
"Hush! You see how well I considered when I advised you to think beforespeaking? You are now saying things that are unworthy of you. You areforgetting that it is my privilege to say no to the am in search ofhappiness. I too--"
He stood up, leaning far over the table, a penetrating look in his eyes.
"How long have you known, Bedelia?"
"Since the second day out on the _Jupiter_," she replied serenely.
He slowly resumed his seat, overwhelmed by the sickening realisationthat his bubble had burst. She had known from the beginning. She hadplayed with him. She had defied him!
"I know what you are thinking, Rex," she said, almost pleadingly. "Youare thinking ill of me, and you are unjust. It was as fair for me as itwas for you. We played a cautious game. You set about to win my love asyou saw fit, my friend, and am I to be condemned if I exercised thesame privilege? I was no more deliberate, no more reprehensible thanyou. Am I more guilty of deceit than you?"
He gave a great sigh of relief. "You are right," he said. "It is myturn to confess. I have known for many days that you are not BedeliaGuile. We are quits."
She laughed softly. "I rather like Bedelia. I think I shall keep it asa good-luck name. We have now arrived at the time for a profoundcontemplation of the results of our experiments. In the meantime, Ihave had no dinner. I trust that the Prince of Graustark has dined solightly that he will not decline to share my repast with me. It hasalready been ordered--for two."
"By jove, you--you amaze me!" he exclaimed.
"Please remove that dreadful mackintosh and touch the bell for me. Yousee, I am a very prosaic person, after all. Even in the face ofdisaster I can have a craving for food and drink. That's better."
In a sort of daze, he tapped the little table bell. A waiter appearedon the instant.
"Give us more light, waiter," was her command, "and serve dinner atonce."
The lights went up, and Robin looked into her soft, smiling eyes.
"It doesn't matter," he whispered hoarsely. "I don't care what happensto me, Bedelia, I--I shall never give you up. You are worth all thekingdoms in the world. You are the loveliest, most adorable--"
"Hush! The eyes of your people are upon you. See! Even the waiterrecognises his prince. He is overcome. Ah! He falters with theconsomme. It is a perilous moment. There! I knew something wouldhappen, poor fellow. He has spilled--but, all is well; he has his witsagain. See! He replenishes from the steaming tureen. We are saved."
Her mood was so gaily satiric, so inconsequential, that he allowed awondering, uncertain smile to banish the trouble from his eyes as heleaned back in the chair and studied the vivid, excited face of thegirl who had created havoc with his senses. She was dressed as he hadseen her on board the _Jupiter_ during those delightful days on deck:the same trim figure in a blue serge suit and a limp white hat, drawnwell down over her soft brown hair, with the smart red tie and thenever-to-be-forgotten scent of a perfume that would linger in hisnostrils forever and forever.
"Do you think it strange that I should have asked you to meet me herein this unconventional way instead of at the Inn?" she inquired,suddenly serious. Again the shy, pleading expression stole into he
reyes.
"I did think so, but no longer. I am glad that we are here."
"Mrs. Gaston is inside," she informed him quickly. "I do not comealone. An hour ago the Inn became quite impossible as a trysting place.A small party from the Regengetz arrived for dinner. Can you guess whois giving the dinner? The great and only William W. Blithers, sir, whocomes to put an obstinate daughter upon the throne of Graustark,whether she will or no."
"Did he see you?" cried Robin.
"No," she answered, with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "I stole outthrough the back door, and sent Marie out with one of the porters tohead you off. Then I came on here. I didn't even stop to change mygown."
"Hide and seek is a bully game," said he. "It can't last much longer,Bedelia. I think it is only right that we should go to your father andtell him that--everything is all right. It is his due. You've solvedyour own problem and are satisfied, so why not reveal yourself. Thereis nothing to be gained by further secrecy."
She was watching him closely. "Are you, after all is said and done,sure that you want to marry the daughter of William Blithers, in theface of all the bitter consequences that may follow such an act? Thinkhard, my dear. She is being forced upon you, in a way. Mr. Blithers'money is behind her. Your people are opposed to the bargain, for thatis the way in which they will look upon it. They may act very harshlytoward you. The name of Blithers is detested in your land. His daughteris reviled. Are you sure that you want to marry her, Re--Robin?"
"Are you through?" he asked, transfixing her with a determined look."Well, then, I'll answer you. I do want to marry you, and, more thanthat, I mean to marry you. I love--"
"You may tell me, Robin, as we are driving back to the Inntogether--not here, not now," she said softly, the lovelight in hereyes.
Happiness blurred his vision. He was thrilled by an enchantment sostupefying that the power of speech, almost of thought, was denied himfor the time being. He could only sit and stare at her with propheticlove in his eyes, love that bided its time and trembled withanticipation.
Long afterward, as they were preparing to leave Pingari's she said tohim:
"My father is at the Inn, Robin. I ran away from him to-night because Iwanted to be sure that our adventure was closed before I revealedmyself to him. I wanted to be able to say to him that love will findits way, no matter how blind it is, nor how vast the world it has totraverse in search of its own. My father is at the Inn. Take me to himnow, Robin, and make the miracle complete."
His fingers caressed her warm cheek as he adjusted the collar of thelong seacoat about her throat and chin. Her eyes were starry bright,her red lips were parted.
"My Princess!" he whispered tenderly. "My Princess!"
"My Prince," she said so softly that the words barely reached his ears."We have proved that Love is the king. He rules us all. He laughs atlocksmiths--and fathers--but he does not laugh at sweethearts. Come, Iam ready."
He handed her into the cab a moment later, and drew the long deepbreath of one who goes down into deep water. Then he followed afterher. The attendant closed the door.
"Where to, sir?" called Hobbs from the driver's seat.
He received no answer, yet cracked his whip gaily over the horses'backs and drove out into the slanting rain.
Hobbs was a dependable fellow. He drove the full length of the streettwice, passing the Inn of the Stars both times at a lively clip, andmight have gone on forever in his shuttlecock enterprise, had not theexcited voice of a woman hailed him from the sidewalk.
"Stop! _Attendez_! You! Man!"
He pulled up with a jerk. The dripping figure of Marie ran up frombehind.
"My mistress? Where is she?" panted the girl.
"In heaven," said Hobbs promptly, whereupon Marie pounded on the glasswindow of the cab.
Robin quickly opened the door.
"Wha--what is it?"
"Yes, Marie," came in muffled tones from the depths of the cab.
"Madame Gaston returns long ago. She is beside herself. She is like amaniac. She has lost you; she cannot explain to--to Mademoiselle'sfather. Mon dieu, when he met her unexpectedly in the hall, he shouts,'where is my daughter?' And poor Madame she has but to shiver andstammer and--run away! _Oui_! She dash out into the rain! It isterrible. She--"
Bedelia broke in upon this jumbled recitation. "Where have we been,Robin? Where are we now?"
"Where are we, Hobbs?"
"We are just getting back to the Inn of the Stars, sir,--descending,you might say, sir," said Hobbs.
"Drive on, confound you."
"To the Inn, sir?"
"Certainly!"
The door slammed and the final block was covered in so short a timethat Robin's final kiss was still warm on Bedelia's lips when thegallant cab rolled up to the portals of the Inn of the Stars.
"Did you ever know such a night, sir?" inquired Hobbs, as the Princehanded his lady out. He was referring to the weather.
CHAPTER XXIV
JUST WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED
Even the most flamboyant of natures may suffer depression at times, andby the same token arrogance may give way to humility,--or, at the veryleast, conviction.
Mr. Blithers had had a trying day of it. To begin with, his wife rakedhim over the coals for what she was pleased to call his senselesspersistence in the face of what she regarded as unalterable oppositionon the part of the Cabinet and House of Nobles. It appears that he hadexperienced a second encounter with the Ministry only the day before.After sleeping over the results of his first visit to the CouncilChamber, he awoke to the fact that matters were in such a conditionthat it behooved him to strike while the iron was hot. So he obtained asecond hearing, principally because he had not slept as well over it ashe would have liked, and secondarily because he wanted to convincehimself that he could parade their ancient halls without feeling asself-conscious as a whipped spaniel.
He came off even worse in his second assault upon the ministry, forthis time the members openly sneered at his declarations. As for hisprogress through the enchanted halls he was no end worse off thanbefore. It so happened that he arrived at the castle at the very hourwhen the ladies and gentlemen of the royal household were preparing tofare forth to the tennis courts. He came upon them, first on theterrace, then in the entrance, and later on was stared at with evidentcuriosity by white flanneled and duck-skirted persons in the loftyhalls. He wished that he was back at Blitherwood where simplicity wasnot so infernally common.
He made the mistake of his life when he gave to his wife the details ofthis second conference with the Cabinet. He did it in the hope that asympathetic response would be forthcoming. To his surprise, she merelypitied him, but in such a disgustingly personal way that he wondered ifhe could ever forgive her.
"Can't you appreciate what I am doing for Maud?" he argued, almosttearfully.
"I can appreciate what you are doing _to_ her," said she, and swept outof the room.
"It's bad enough to have one stubborn woman in the family," said he tohimself, glaring at the closed door--which had been slammed, by theway,--"but two of 'em--Good Lord!"
And so it was that Mr. Blithers, feeling in need of cheer, arranged alittle dinner for that evening, at the Inn of the Stars. He firstinvited his principal London lawyer and his wife--who happened to be_his_ principal--and then sent a more or less peremptory invitation tothe President of the Bank of Graustark, urging him to join the party atthe Regengetz and motor to the Inn. He was to bring his wife and anyfriends that might be stopping with them at the time. The bankerdeclined. His wife had been dead for twenty years; the only friends hepossessed were directors in the bank, and they happened to be having ameeting that night. So Mr. Blithers invited his secondary Londonlawyer, his French lawyer and two attractive young women who it appearswere related to the latter, although at quite a distance, and thenconcluded that it was best to speak to his own wife about the littleaffair. She said she couldn't even think of going. Maud might arrivethat very night and she certainly
was not going out of the hotel withsuch an event as that in prospect.
"But Simpson's wife is coming," protested Mr. Blithers, "andPericault's cousins. Certainly you must come. Jolly little affair toliven us up a bit. Now Lou,--"
"I am quite positive that Lady Simpson will change her mind when shehears that Pericault's cousins are going," said Mrs. Blithers acidly.
"Anything the matter with Pericault's cousins?" he demanded, inclinedto the bellicose.
"Ask Pericault," she replied briefly.
He thought for a moment. "If that's the case, Lou, you'll have to come,if only to save my reputation," he said. "I didn't think it ofPericault. He seems less like a Frenchman than any man I've ever known."
Mrs. Blithers relented. She went to the dinner and so did Lady Simpson,despite Pericault's cousins, and the only ones in the party whoappeared to be uneasy were the cousins themselves. It is safe to saythat it was not the rain that put a dampener on what otherwise mighthave been an excessively jovial party.
Stupendous was the commotion at the Inn of the Stars when it becameknown that one of the richest men in the world--and a possiblefather-in-law apparent to the crown,--was to honour the place with hispresence that night. Every one, from the manager down to the boy whopared potatoes, laid himself out to make the occasion a memorable one.
The millionaire's table was placed in the very centre of thedining-room, and plates were laid for eight. At the last minute, Mr.Blithers ordered the number increased to nine.
"My daughter may put in an appearance," he explained to Lady Simpson."I have left word at the hotel for her to come up if by any chance shehappens to arrive on the evening train."
"Haven't you heard from her, Mr. Blithers?" inquired the austere lady,regarding the top of his head with an illy-directed lorgnon.
They were entering the long, low dining-room. Mr. Blithers resented thescrutiny: It was lofty and yet stooping. She seemed to be looking downupon him at right angles, due no doubt to her superior height and tothe fact that she had taken his arm.
"We have," said he, "but not definitely. She is likely to pop in on usat any moment, and then again she's likely not to. My daughter is avery uncertain person, Lady Simpson. I never seem to be able to put myfinger upon her."
"Have you ever tried putting the whole hand upon her?" inquired herladyship, and Mr. Blithers stared straight ahead, incapable of replying.
He waited until they were seated at the table and then remarked: "I amsorry you got splashed, Lady Simpson. You'd think they might keep theapproach to a place like this free of mud and water."
"Oh, I daresay the gown can be cleaned, Mr. Blithers," she said. "I amquite ready to discard it, in any event, so it really doesn't matter."
"My dear," said he to his wife, raising his voice so that diners atnearby tables could not help hearing what he said, "I forgot to tellyou that we are expected to dine with the Prince at the Castle." Thenhe wondered if any one in the room understood English.
"When?" she inquired.
"Very shortly," said he, and she was puzzled for a moment by the stonyglare he gave her.
Lord Simpson took this opportunity to mention that he had takenreservations for the return of himself and wife to Vienna on the nextday but one.
"We shall catch the Orient Express on Friday and be in London byMonday," he said. "Our work here is completed. Everything is inship-shape. Jenkins will remain, of course, to attend to the minordetails, such as going over the securities and--"
"Don't you like that caviare?" asked Mr. Blithers with some asperity.
"It has a peculiar taste," said Lord Simpson.
"Best I've ever tasted," said Mr. Blithers, spreading a bun thickly.Pericault's cousins were fingering the champagne glasses. "We've gotsherry coming first," said he.
"Everything satisfactory, M'sieur Blithers?" inquired the _maitred'hotel_ softly, ingratiatingly, into his left ear.
"Absolutely," said Mr. Blithers with precision. "You needn't hurrythings. We've got the whole evening ahead of us."
Lady Simpson shivered slightly. The Pericault cousins brightened up.There was still a chance that the "dowagers" would retire early fromthe scene of festivity.
"By the way," said Simpson, "how long do you purpose remaining inEdelweiss, Blithers?"
For the first time, the capitalist faltered. He was almost ready toadmit that his enterprise had failed in one vital respect. Themorning's experience in the Council Chamber had shaken his confidenceconsiderably.
"I don't know, Simpson," said he. "It is possible that we may leavesoon."
"Before the Prince's dinner?" inquired Lady Simpson, again regardinghis bald spot through the lorg-non.
"Depends on what my daughter has to say when she gets here," said healmost gruffly. "If she wants to stay for a while, we will remain. Idon't mind saying that I have a curious longing for Wall Street. I amat home there and--well, by George, I'm like a fish out of water here."
His wife looked up quickly, but did not speak.
"I am a business man, Lady Simpson, not a philanderer. I'd like to takethis town by the neck and shake some real enterprise into it, but whatcan you do when everybody is willing to sit down and let tradition lookafter 'em? I've put a lot of money into Grosstock and I'd like to seethe country prosper. Still I'm not worried over my investment. It is asgood as gold."
"Perfectly safe," said Lord Simpson.
"Absolutely," said the secondary London lawyer.
Pericault's comment was in French and not intended to be brief, but asMr. Blithers was no longer interested, the privilege of completing hisremarks was not accorded him. He did say _Mon dieu_ under his breath,however, in the middle of his employer's next sentence.
"As I said before, everything depends on whether my daughter wants toremain. If she says she wants to stay, that settles the point so far asI am concerned. If she says she doesn't want to stay, we'll--well, thatwill settle it also. I say, waiter, can't you hurry the fish along?"
"Certainly, sir. I understood M'sieur to say that there was no hurry--"
"Well, pour the champagne anyway. I think we need it."
Two hours later, Mr. Blithers looked at his watch again. The party wasquite gay: at least fifty percent disorderly.
"That train has been in for an hour," said the host. "I guess Mauddidn't come. I left word for the hotel to call me up if she arrived--Isay, waiter, has there been a telephone message for me?"
"No, M'sieur. We have kept a boy near the telephone all evening,M'sieur. No message."
"I also told 'em to send up any telegram that might come," he informedhis wife, who merely lifted her eyebrows. They had been loweredperceptibly in consequence of the ebullience of Pericault's cousins.
The vivacious young women were attracting a great deal of attention totheir table. Smart diners in the immediate neighbourhood appeared to bea trifle shocked. Three dignified looking gentlemen, seated near thedoor, got up and left the room.
"We really must be going," said Mrs. Blithers nervously, who had beenwatching the three men for some time with something akin to dismay inher soul. She had the sickening notion that they were members of theCabinet--lords of the realm.
"All right," said Mr. Blithers, "Call the cars up, waiter. Stillraining?"
"Yes, M'sieur. At this season of the year--"
"Call the cars. Let's have your bill."
Pericault's cousins were reluctant to go. In fact, they protestedshrilly that it was silly to break up such a successful party at suchan unseemly hour.
"Never mind," whispered Pericault softly, and winked.
"I'll leave 'em in your care, Pericault," said Mr. Blithers grimly."They are _your_ cousins, you know."
"Trust me implicitly. Monsieur," said Pericault, bowing very deeply.Then he said good-night to Mrs. Blithers and Lady Simpson. Thesecondary London lawyer did the same.
Out in the wide, brilliantly lighted foyer, a few late-stayers werewaiting for their conveyances to be announced. As the four departingmembers of th
e Blithers party grouped themselves near the big doors,impatient to be off, a brass-buttoned boy came up and delivered atelegram to the host.
He was on the point of tearing open the envelope when his eyes fellupon two people who had just entered the hall from without, a man andwoman clad in raincoats. At the same instant the former saw Mr.Blithers. Clutching his companion's arm he directed her attention tothe millionaire.
"Now for it, Bedelia," he whispered excitedly.
Bedelia gazed calmly at Mr. Blithers and Mr. Blithers gazed blankly atthe Prince of Graustark. Then the great financier bowed very deeply andcalled out:
"Good evening, Prince!"
He received no response to his polite greeting, for the Prince wasstaring at Bedelia as if stupefied. The millionaire's face was very redwith mortification as he turned it away.
"He--he doesn't recognise you," gasped Robin in amazement.
"Who?" she asked, her eyes searching the room with an eager, inquiringlook.
"Your father," he said.
She gave him a ravishing, delighted smile.
"Oh, it is so wonderful, Robin. I have fooled you completely. That manisn't my father."
"That's Mr. Blithers or I am as blind as a bat," he exclaimed.
"Is it, indeed? The one reading the telegram, with his eyes stickingout of his head?"
Robin's head was swimming. "Good heaven, Bedelia, what are you--"
"Ah!" she cried, with a little shriek of joy. "See! There he is!"
One of the three distinguished men who had been remarked by Mrs.Blithers now separated himself from his companions and approached thecouple. He was a tall, handsome man of fifty. Although his approach wasswift and eager, there was in his face the signs of wrath that stillstruggled against joy.
She turned quickly, laid her hand upon the Prince's rigid arm, and saidsoftly:
"My father is the Prince of Dawsbergen, dear."
* * * * *
A crumpled telegram dropped from Mr. Blithers' palsied hand to thefloor as he turned a white, despairing face upon his wife. Thebrass-buttoned boy picked it up and handed it to Mrs. Blithers. It wasfrom Maud.
"We were married in Vienna today. After all I think I shall not care tosee Graustark. Channie is a dear. I have promised him that you willtake him into the business as a partner. We are at the Bristol.
"Maud."
THE END
The Prince of Graustark Page 23
