The Princess Dehra

by John Reed Scott

  XX THE PRINCESS TURNS STRATEGIST

  The Archduke put up his field glasses and, turning to the Princess, wavedhis hand toward the open country, and around to the Castle behind them.

  "So, dear," he said, "this is home--the Dalberg aerie and its feedinggrounds. I like them well. And particularly do I like the way the nestitself has been kept up to the time in comforts and appointments."

  "Do be serious, Armand," she protested; "haven't you any sentiment! Lookat the wonderful blue of the Voragian mountains; and the shifting shadowson the foot-hills; and this spur, and Lotzen's yonder, trailing out fromthem like tendrils of a vine; and the emerald valley, streaked throughthe center by the sparkling Dreer; and the fair lands to the south, asfar as eye can carry, and yet farther, league upon league to thesea--yours, my lord, all yours--the heritage of your House--the Kingdomof your Fathers."

  "You have forgot the loveliest thing in all the landscape," said he, "theone thing that makes the rest worth while."

  She sprang from him. "No, sir, not here on the wall in view of the baileyand every window; confine your sentiment at present to the inanimateportion of the landscape."

  He went over and leaned on the parapet beside her.

  "I fear I have quite too much sentiment," he said; "I have alreadyexpended far more than you would believe--on the Castle, and themountains, and the valley, and all the rest. Now I'm done with it, exceptfor animate objects; the business we have in hand promises to besufficiently occupying. Yonder is the Book; and how to get it, andquickly." He leveled his glasses at Lotzen Castle and studied it a longtime.... "A pretty hard proposition," he remarked. "Have you ever been init?"

  "Unfortunately, no; but Major Meux has been Constable here for two years,and surely must have been there often--yonder he is now, by the gatetower."

  The Archduke caught Meux's glance and motioned for him.

  "Major," said he, "can you give us an idea of the plan of Lotzen Castle?"

  "I can do better than that, Your Highness, I can show you a plan, drawnto scale and most complete. I came upon it in the library only last week.It's more than a hundred years old, but I think it is still in effectaccurate."

  "I wonder how it happens to be here?" said the Princess, with thepeculiar curiosity of a woman as to non-essentials.

  "At the time it was made Lotzen was also a Royal Castle," the Constableexplained; "it was very natural to deposit the draft here with the King'sown records."

  As they crossed the main hall, they chanced upon Colonel Moore, and,taking him with them, they went into the library--a great, high-ceilingedroom, on the second floor of the keep, the walls hidden by massive, blackoak cases, filled with books and folios, in bindings of leather stampedwith the Dalberg Lion--and from a shelf in a dark corner the Constablebrought a small portfolio, made to resemble a book, in which the draftwas folded.

  "This is admirable," the Archduke remarked, examining it with the trainedeye and instant comprehension of the engineer officer; "it could not bedone better now.... See, Dehra, it is the whole fortification, as plainas though we were on the high tower, here--" indicating on the draft.

  "I suppose so," she smiled; "but to me it looks only like a lot of blacklines, flung down at random and with varying degrees of force; sort of anembroidery pattern, you know."

  Armand, bending over the sheet, did not hear her.

  "What did you make out of this, Major?" he asked; "there seems to benothing on the key to explain it--might it be intended to indicate asecret passage from the second floor of the keep to the postern?"

  "That puzzled me also," said Meux, "but your explanation, sir, seems verylikely.--Possibly old Jessac might know something; he has been here formore than seventy years, as a boy, and upper servant, and steward, andnow as sort of steward emeritus and general reminiscer; and he has thelegends and history of this castle at his tongue's end."

  "Yes," said the Princess, "if anyone know, it's Jessac, and I think heserved for a time in Lotzen Castle--have him here, Major, if you please."

  The old man came, tall, slender, shrivelled of face, white and thin ofhair, yet erect and vigorous, despite his almost four and a half scoreyears. They raised men, and kept them long, in the tingling, snapping,life-giving air of the Voragian mountains.

  "Don't kneel, Jessac," the Regent exclaimed, giving him her hand.

  He bent and kissed it with the most intense devotion.

  "My little Princess! my little Princess!" he repeated; "God is good tohave let old Jessac see you once more before he dies." Then hestraightened, and, turning sharply toward the Archduke, scanned him withan intentness almost savage. Suddenly his hand rose in salute. "Yes,you're a man, and a Dalberg, too--the finest Dalberg these old eyes eversaw."

  And Armand understood, and went to him, and took his hand, and held it.

  "Every one loves her, Jessac," he said, "but none quite as you and I."Then he drew him over to the table. "Do you know the interior of LotzenCastle?" he asked.

  "As I know this one, my lord--I lived in it for twenty years in my youngdays; even now I could go blindfolded from gate to highest turret."

  "Is this plan accurate now? See, here is the gateway, and this is thekeep."

  "I understand, sir."--He studied it for a little while, following thelines with his finger, and muttering brokenly to himself, under hisbreath. "Yes, Your Highness, it's about the same, except that here is anouter building for servants, and here a storehouse; and the arrangementof the rooms in the main part is some different, particularly on thesecond floor, where several have been made out of one; but the stairwayand hall are still as they always were. Indeed, sir, there has been smallchange or improvement since long before the present lord's father died.Duke Ferdinand had never visited it for more than a score of years, untila few weeks ago, just a little while before our gracious master wascalled----"

  The old man was garrulous; so far, age had not missed him; and here theArchduke interrupted.

  "Jessac," he said kindly, "you have made all that very clear; now can youtell us if there is any secret passage in the castle?"

  "One, sir," was the prompt answer; "leastwise, I know one, there may beothers."

  "And it?"

  "From the library to the postern gate, near the west tower--this is it,sir," indicating the line on the plan; "many is the time I've used it,his lordship being absent, when I wanted to get out at night; indeed,sir, there is a key to the postern still here, as well as duplicates toalmost every door. They were not surrendered when King Henry gave theplace to the late Duke--all the locks had been changed shortly beforethat. Would Your Highness care to see the keys?--they are in the armory."

  "Bring them here," said the Constable quickly.... "I know by experience,sir, that if Jessac get you into the armory, you won't escape for hours;he has a story for every piece in it, and wants to tell them all."

  The old man came back, a dozen large keys jangling; and laid them on thetable.

  "This is to the postern," he said; "it's smaller than the others, so itcould be carried more easily, you know, sir--these brass tags, sir, showwhere they belong."

  The Archduke looked them over.

  "I don't see the key from the library to the secret passage," he said.

  "There is none, sir; the big stone in the middle of the side wall of thelibrary, and the one on the right just inside the postern arch, revolvewhen pushed at the upper edge--this way, Your Highness," and hedemonstrated, using a book as the stone.

  "Thank you, Jessac," said Armand, with a smile and a nod of dismissal;"we may want you again to-morrow. I'll keep the keys," and he swept theminto a drawer of the desk.

  Then the Constable withdrew, and for a while Armand and Moore studied theplan, and went over the problem confronting them; and which, thoughgreatly simplified now, was still difficult and delicate beyond anythingeither had ever been obliged to solve. Perilous it was, too--but thatneither regarded for himself; and Moore would gladly have ass
umed italone could he have insured thereby the Archduke's safety.

  Through it all the Princess watched them, harkening carefully to what wassaid, and saying a few things herself, mainly in the shape of questionswhich showed that, even if to her the draft did resemble an embroiderypattern, she was astonishingly apt at following the discussion. But whenArmand remarked that he would make the attempt that very night, sheinterposed promptly.

  "Wait until to-morrow," she urged; "take at least one night's rest; youneed it; and the extra day may disclose something as to the situation inLotzen Castle."

  "To-night is the proper time," said the Archduke; "we may not be expectedthen; we shall be most assuredly to-morrow; it's our one chance for asurprise."

  "And with our dear cousin that chance is no chance, as you are very wellaware," said she; "he knows you are here, and why you are here, and he isready for you this instant. No, no, dear, it's simply your naturalimpetuosity, which I came along to moderate; and here is my first veto:not to-night." She put her hand on his arm. "Please, Armand, please;don't you understand--I want to be sure of you a little longer; the dayyou enter Lotzen Castle may be our last."

  Moore turned quickly away--and the Archduke looked once into the softeyes, and at the adorable smile; and the eyes and the smile conquered, aseyes and smile always will when the one woman uses them, as the one womanalways can, if she try.

  "I ought not to let you persuade me," he said, with a half serious shakeof his hand, "but--you're pretty hard to resist. At least, you won'tprohibit my riding over toward the Castle, and having a look at it now,in broad day, if I promise not to venture inside nor very near."

  "On the contrary, I should like to go with you; come, we will all go--youtell the Ambassador, and I'll get Helen and Elise," with a nod and asmile at Moore.

  "A reconnaissance in force!" the Archduke laughed, when the Regent hadgone; then he ordered the horses, and he and Moore went off to get intoriding uniform.

  A wide, macadamized avenue wound sharply down from the castle to thevalley, where the roads were of the soil, soft and sandy. Once there, thesix loosed bridle and sped away across the level country; nor drew reinbut thrice until they came to the forks, where the road to Lotzen tookoff for its mile of tortuous ascent.

  Here they halted, and Armand and Moore scanned through their glasses theCastle and its approach; and by riding a very little way up toward it,they were able to see the postern gate, which was on the edge of the hillabout a third of the distance around from the bridge, and was approachedby a narrow, rain-washed, boulder-strewn path, leading almost straight upthe side of the acclivity. The moat ran only across the front, the almostsheer descent on the other sides of the wall having been deemed, even inthe old days, quite sufficient protection against assault.

  "Well," said the Archduke, as he shoved the glasses back into their case,"thank God, we have old Jessac to tell us how to find that posternpath--and, Colonel, before we start, it might be wise for each of us tomake his will, and to say good-bye to his lady, for, of a truth, it isgoing to be a rather serious business."

  They rode back by way of Porgia, the garrison town, five miles down thevalley. It was also the railway station for both Castles, though someyears before, King Frederick had run a track over as close as possible toDalberg, so his own train could always be at hand to hurry him away. Andthere it had brought the Regent that morning, and was now waiting, readyfor instant use.

  A regiment of Uhlans were at drill on the edge of the town, and thePrincess waved her cocked hat to them as she cantered by. The Colonel incommand answered with his saber, while from two thousand lusty throatswent up a wild cheer of passionate devotion.

  Armand reached over and patted her on the arm.

  "Surely, dear, the soldiers love you," he said.

  "They seem to,"--then out flashed the smile again; "but there is only oneI'm sure of," leaning over close.

  "You little temptress!" he said, "I've a great mind to prove it now."

  She laughed merrily. "You may--but catch me first;" and as her horse hadthe heels of his, she never let him get quite on even terms, no matterwhat the pace.

  "Come, dear," he said, "I'll promise to wait until we are at the Castle."

  "As you wish--but the bend in the road yonder would have hid the others,and there I was--but until the Castle, then."

  And when Armand promised double punishment later, she tossed her head,and told him she was always ready to pay for her crimes--and sometimesrather willing.

  As they turned from the valley road into the avenue, they came face toface with the Duke of Lotzen and Count Bigler, both in full uniform.

  The Princess was passing on, with a curt return of their salutes, whenthe Duke drew around in front of her.

  "Your Royal Highness and myself seem to be unfortunate in our visits toeach other," he said; "I missed yours the other evening, and now you havemissed mine."

  "You have been to Dalberg Castle?" she asked. He bowed. "For my call ofceremony upon the Regent."

  She reined aside. "You are not on the Regent's list, sir," she said; "ifyou wish to save your dignity, you would best not present yourself untilsummoned."

  "I assumed it was restored by your own informal visit," he smiled.--"Willyou not honor Lotzen Castle, also?--and you, too, cousin Armand!"

  But neither answered him by so much as a look, and with a mocking laughhe went on, saluting the American Ambassador with easy formality, andbestowing upon Mlle. d'Essolde a leeringly suggestive smile, that madeMoore frantic to strike him in the face.

  The Princess' toilet was finished very early that evening, and then shesent for her Adjutant.

  "Colonel Moore," said she, motioning him to be seated, "I am resolvedthat the Archduke shall not venture into Lotzen Castle to-morrow night,and therefore, I am going myself to-night; will you go with me?"

  Moore's amazement deprived him of an immediate answer.

  "But, Your Highness!--" he stammered.

  "It is quite useless to protest; I'm going; if you do not care to escortme, I shall get Bernheim."

  "Let me go alone," he urged.

  "No."

  "And the Archduke, what of him?" he asked.

  "The Archduke stays here, serenely ignorant of it all."

  "He will never forgive me----"

  She cut him short. "Very well, monsieur, you are excused--be so good asto send Colonel Bernheim to me at once--and I trust to your honor not tomention the affair to any one."

  He had done all he dared; more, indeed, than he had fancied she wouldtolerate. A subordinate may not argue for long with the Regent of aKingdom, however sweet-tempered she may be.

  "Your Highness misunderstands," he said; "if you are determined to go,there is an end of the matter; naturally, your Adjutant goes also."

  She smiled. "Now, that is better--and I'm glad--and we will take DeCoursey and Marsov, and slip away at midnight, with old Jessac for guide.The secret passage opens into the Duke's library, we get the Book andretire."

  "Vault and all?" Moore asked.

  "You don't remember the draft, Colonel, there isn't a vault."

  "Doubtless, however, there is a safe."

  She waved her hand impatiently. "It will be time enough for that when weget there."

  "And if we can't find the Book in the library?" he persisted.

  "Then we will seek it elsewhere--it's just that contingency which sendsme. If I were sure it is in the library, I might let the Archduke go."

  "Yet will you not take some precaution for your own safety, in event ofLotzen overcoming us?" Moore asked.

  "I can't bring myself to believe that he would venture to harm theRegent, but, if he should, these," pushing two papers across to him,"ought to be sufficient."

  "Your Highness is a strategist," said the Colonel, when he had read them."I have nothing to suggest; and I'm ready now to go with a more willingspirit and a lighter heart."

  She held out her hand, and flashed him the smile, usually reserved forArmand, alone.r />
  "And we will save the king, Ralph--you and I; and give him the Book, andspeed him to his crowning. I leave the details to you, to see the others,and instruct and caution them; remember, for the Archduke to get theslightest suspicion would ruin everything. It will be for me to see thathe retires early to-night. Now, do you, yourself, seek out Bernheim andsend him to me quickly."

  "My good friend," said she, acknowledging Bernheim's stiff militarysalute with one equally formal, "I need your aid in a matter of peculiarimportance and delicacy--and which must not, under any circumstance, beknown to any one in the Castle, and above all not to His Highness theArchduke--not a whisper of it, Colonel Bernheim."

  Bernheim's answer was another salute, but he could say as much with it,in an instant, as some men in an hour of talk.

  "Here are two sealed orders," she continued; "immediately after dinneryou will ride down to Porgia; there, not before, you will open the oneaddressed to yourself, and deliver the other to the Commanding Officer ofthe garrison. For the rest, the orders will speak for themselves."

  Once more, the martinet's hand went up.

  "Yes, Your Highness," he said; "but how am I to go without getting leavefrom the Archduke?"

  "I will get it for you--you need not say anything to him--just go----Ah!there he is now--Armand," said she, when he had greeted her, "I want toborrow Colonel Bernheim for a little while after dinner, may I have him?"

  "Take him," said the Archduke, with a smile at his Aide; and whenBernheim had gone: "but why don't you borrow me instead?"

  "Because, sweetheart, one doesn't need to borrow what one has," sheanswered, and gave him both her hands.