XIII
A NEW MAJOR OF HUSSARS
Carter admitted that in his present state of mind dawn was no more to bewelcomed than darkness. For hours on end now, he had been fightinggrimly and silently to the end that he might cast out of his heart, forall time, the love for a woman which had crept in. Sleep had dared notcome within range of that titanic struggle. Worn with the battle whichhad witnessed his defeat, he had just completed his cipher message,when, following a modest knock at the door, Josef entered complacentlywith the pent-browed peasant at his heels.
"If monsieur desires to send despatches," said the Hereditary Servitor,"he can make his arrangements with Johann here. Johann goes at once toVienna, via Schallberg. He is trustworthy and discreet. Can I be offurther service to monsieur? No? Then I shall go." Without waiting forany reply, he closed the door behind him as though upon a nervouspatient.
After giving the messenger minute instructions and a liberal gratuity,Carter dismissed him and the despatches from his thoughts. Later in theday he was to be reminded not only of them but of the evil leerbestowed by Johann at the munificent tip dropped into his horny palm.
From the window of his room Carter watched the stir in the camp. Inresponse to the first call from the bugles, the men were alreadybestirring themselves along the tent-marked company streets; someindustriously polishing belt plates and buttons; some tightening thelaces of their leggings, while still others, ruddy of visage, wereplunging close-cropped heads into buckets of splashing cold water. Atthe far end of the street, opposite his window, the over prompt werealready falling in. The sergeants picturesquely marked the points ofrest. The first sergeant was glancing over the bundle of orders he haddrawn from his belt, preparatory to roll call and the routine of theday.
The world beyond, the world of fields and woods and flowers, lookedfair; the sun had not yet dried the dew, and jaded as he was, Carterthanked God for all things sweet and pure. Something choked in histhroat. He welcomed the galloping approach of Zulka, who, shortly, drewup beneath his window. In a flash, the Count read the trouble in the NewYorker's face, but pretending not to, he touched his hat brim in precisemilitary salute.
"I've rare tidings for thee, my lord," and he vigorously waved anoblong paper in a melodramatic manner. "Given under hand and seal, asyour lawyer chaps would say."
"Just as soon as I can get this boot on," answered Carter in a tone hestrove desperately to keep cheerful. Having accomplished his taskwithout unreasonable delay, he picked up a hat and crop and descended tothe courtyard of the inn where the other was impatiently waiting withsome good tidings he found hard to contain.
"Read that, Cal," he said, as he thrust the papers into his friend'shands. Carter opened the document to be confronted with anincomprehensible jumble of letters in Latin,--a language he had promptlyforgotten the day of his graduation,--a lordly seal and, dearest of all,in an angular feminine hand, in subscription:
"_Trusia, Dei Gratia, Vice Regina._"
He feasted his eyes on the one word that for him blurred all the rest,"Trusia."
"Trusia" of the marvelous eyes. "Trusia" of the ensnaring hair. "Trusia"the beloved, the desirable.
"So you haven't forgotten your Latin, after all," Zulka was saying,leisurely dismounting from his horse.
"But I have," answered Carter. "What does it all mean?"
"Your commission, man. Major of the Royal Hussars. For the presentattached to Her Grace, as Aide. I congratulate you."
"Don't, Paul; not yet. It is going to be all the harder for me."
Zulka nodded his head gravely. "You'd better fight at close range. It isharder, but quicker."
He noted Calvert's riding costume at a glance and made a sudden resolve.
"Better take a ride, old chap. Get yourself in condition. I'm busyto-day. Borrow Casimir's horse--he's off for the morning. I thinkNatalie will be out on the road this way. She'd appreciate your escort,I'll wager. We creep a step nearer the city this morning, and asDivision Adjutant I'll have my hands full.
"Here, Casimir," he called to the equerry who was lazily swinging hisfeet over the edge of the porch on which he had seated himself, "lendMajor Carter your mount for this morning, can't you?"
"Gladly. Saral is the right sort and I guess bears him no ill will foryesterday's stampede."
Carter was about to mount when Carrick put in a solemn appearance fromthe stables.
"Some one has tackled the automobile with an axe, sir," he announcedruefully. "The wheels are left, and that's about all of the 'go' part."Carter turned wrathfully from the horse to follow Carrick back to theshed where the big car had been housed. With ready sympathy the twoyoung Krovitzers followed.
"It is dastardly," Paul remarked as he bent over and discovered that nota particle of the motive mechanism had been left intact.
"Count on me, sir," Casimir volunteered, "to help you ferret out therascals. Have you any idea who could have played such a shabby trick?"
While Carter had pretty definite suspicions he was not prepared justthen to announce them.
"The car is done for, certainly," he said gloomily. "No," he said as heturned indifferently away, "I don't know who did it, and thank you,Casimir, I don't care to. I don't think I would be justified in killinga man for breaking up even six thousand dollars' worth of property, butif I was certain just now who did it I feel I would be strongly temptedto wring his neck. Au revoir, gentlemen, I am not going to permit thisto spoil my ride." With this and a nod, he returned and, mounting thehorse, cantered out of view along the road to the castle.
The handsome bay pounded steadily ahead. The air was soothing soft witha thousand scents of forest and hill, of field and farm; kind zephyrsof morning touched his brow and eased his sorrows, while the sun, from abed of pearl-pink clouds, rose slowly before his eyes. Beyond andalongside of the already striking camp, on the right of the road, thewoods began again, leaving the open fields like an alternate square onsome mammoth checker board. More than one soldier gazed admiringly athis strong figure as he cantered past, while the sentries, doubtlessunder instructions, permitted him to pass unchallenged through thelines.
When he reached the spot where he had first seen Trusia--the place ofthe accident, he checked his horse to indulge in the sensations thescene awakened. He beheld again the marble beauty of the face; he feltthe wondrous softness of the skin, and once more his heart was entangledin the meshes of the fragrant hair as the loosened strands blew againsthis hot cheek.
Round the bend in the road, as then, he heard approaching hoof beats. Hemarveled that his heart should beat so high merely for the advent ofLady Natalie. In the indulgence of his dream, the suggested thudspresaged the coming of Trusia. He sat immovably upon his horse inmid-road, waiting. Every sense was aquiver, every nerve on edge.
A black horse swept into view as it first had in his fancy. It wasridden by Trusia. Saladin had not forgotten. As his mistress reined himin, his wide eyes shifted about distrustfully. A quiver ran beneath thesatiny flanks while his slender legs trembled. Carter made no effort toconceal his surprise, as he lifted his hat in salutation.
"Your Highness," he ejaculated.
"Yes," she laughed. "Why, aren't you disappointed? Lady Natalie is. Hermother found some unwelcome duty shirked which she insisted should beproperly discharged. I am her apologetic substitute. Besides I wished todiscipline Saladin to this place before he should acquire the habit ofshying at it. There, Beauty," she said patting his arching neck as hesnorted in pure ecstasy of terrified recollections. Calmed by hercaressing voice and the touch of her hand he stretched forth his head tonozzle the other horse in neighborly fashion.
"Natalie is a sweet girl, Major Carter," she said tentatively, givinghim his full title. "Am I forgiven for coming--in her stead?"
"On condition that Your Highness will do me the honor of riding withme--in her stead." He smiled his usual frank smile. "Besides," hepleaded, "it will take me some time to thank you for your kindness ingiving me my brevet. I know it is an honor
which many a man of Krovitchwould die to win."
She flushed as she answered him. "It was but a small return for what youhave suffered."
In silent assent to his invitation, she pointed her crop to a path amongthe trees, which might easily have escaped the observation of those notfamiliar with its existence.
"Right beyond the turn in the road is a bypath. Let us take that. Itgoes down into the heart of the wood, to the ancestor of forests. Thetrees stand there as if brooding over the lost centuries of their youth.The moss is as gray as Time himself. The only sounds, save the soughingsighs of the giant branches, are the chime of the waterfall and thechirping of birds. I love it," she said with sparkling eyes, "becausethose trees seem typical of the undying faith of the land, which for twocenturies has never lost hope and has never ceased working for the daywhich will soon crown our efforts. See," she pointed down the aisle ofoverhanging branches they were entering, "is it not magnificent?"
Side by side, comrades under the spell of the woodlands, rode Trusia andCarter, inhaling the fresh morning sifted through the leaves. A vista oftrees arose on either hand, each one seemingly more massive, more agedthan its fellow; some bowed in retrospection, some erect with hope andlooking skyward for the new star in their country's firmament.
A peace begotten of serenity settled on Carter's soul. He turned to lookat the girl beside him. The magic of the place had brought a refreshingexpression of content into her face. He noted the soft turn of hercheek, the inviting round chin and the steady splendor of the eyes. Thespell of silence was broken then. The wood sprites were routed by amodern girl. Feeling his eyes upon her, she turned to him, her lips halfparted in a smile.
"Is it not wonderful, all of this?" she said, caressing the leafymonarchs with a wide-spread gesture. "Do you have such forests inAmerica, such trees? Oh, I have heard of your California forests, whereroads are cut through the trunk of a single giant without destroying itslife. But it is the spirit of the woodlands, I mean. Do they breathetraditions?"
"Not to us, Highness. We are not their children. Perhaps the Indian whenhe bade them farewell could understand their counsels."
"You were a soldier," she said, as a suggested possibility caught her,"did you ever fight Indians?" Her eager face was almost as a child's whobegs a story.
"Sorry I can't oblige you," he laughed indulgently. "I engaged only theprosaic European from Spain."
"You fought in Cuba? Tell me about it."
So much as he modestly might tell, he related to her as they rode on.They were young, time was cheap and the tale was not uninteresting.
The labored heaving of the horses' shoulders brought them back to theirsurroundings. They were leaving the forest to mount a little hill uponwhose side a small hovel stood, which Carter some time in his need wasto bless.
"It's Hans's, the charcoal-burner's," Trusia said with surprise; "we'veridden ten miles, Major Carter, and scarcely faster than a walk. We mustturn back at once; my household will be filled with alarm. Please come,"she said earnestly.
Together they turned their horses about, and started the return journeyat a good ground-eating gallop. Mile after mile they canceled, occupiedin the thoughts the ride had awakened. She was silent, in the spell of anew obsession wrought by this man with his honest voice and stories ofthe new, strange land, from which he came. Carter, distressed thatpossibly he had caused trouble by his senseless prattle, was dutifullybent on getting her back to the castle with the least possible delay.Mentally he was attempting to frame a suitable and fitting apology tooffer her. Several times he cleared his throat, but she seemed sopreoccupied that he maintained silence.
Finally he achieved an explanation.
"I have been trying, Highness, to apologize, but really I can't. Youunderstand, don't you? I would be a hypocrite to say that I am sorry. Iam not. It must have been the magic of the place to which a year is as asecond quickly passed, so old is the forest."
"Have you been worrying about that all this time, my friend?" she saidwith a quick laugh, awakening from her revery. "You remind me of myduty," she added gently. "I was wool-gathering." She turned to discoverif he had in any measure divined her thoughts. Satisfied that he hadnot, she was content to talk of many things which would claim her time.Their conversation became gradually impersonal and general.
Once he had asked her why she had been so relieved at the answersconcerning the medal the Cockney wore. She hung her head for a momentanswering almost in a whisper, "It was Stovik's medal. I feared Carrickwas the king to whom I am to be married." Carter pursued the matter nofurther. To his regret he saw that they were fast approaching theentrance to the wood.
Bending forward suddenly she looked athwart his horse into the shadowsof bough and bush.
"Did you see him?" she inquired breathlessly.
"Whom? Where?" He pivoted about stupidly.
"Johann, the messenger," she answered, "who should have been inSchallberg two hours ago. There, he's skulking behind that white oak.Johann!" she commanded imperiously. Seeing that concealment was nolonger practicable, the fellow sulkily came from his hiding-place andstood, with sullen countenance, in the path beside them. "Find out whathe is doing here, Major Carter."
The messenger maintained a dogged silence to Carter's inquiries. Fearingthat some treachery was at the root of the matter, the American finallyasked whether the fellow had the despatches given him that morning. Withan evil leer Johann looked up at this, breaking his silence.
"Ja, Herr Major," he replied, "I have them all right, and your hushmoney, too." He jingled the coins in his pocket with insolentsignificance.
"He's surely drunk, but what does he mean, Major?" asked Trusia inbewilderment.
"I do not know, Highness," he replied tensely, "but if, as I suspect,some treason's afoot, I would suggest he be at once taken to the castlefor a formal investigation."
The man guffawed impudently. "You wouldn't dare," he said meaningly toCarter, "you wouldn't dare let Count Sobieska or Her Grace know what isin that letter."
Indignant at the suggestion that his message had been read Carterretorted: "We shall see, my man, for to Count Sobieska you go at once."
"All right," the peasant answered jauntily, with a satisfaction Carterthought was assumed, "if you are willing, I am. Come along," and with aleering wink he initiated the return castleward.
Trusia: A Princess of Krovitch Page 13
