The Princess Dehra

by John Reed Scott

  XXI IN THE DUKE'S LIBRARY

  The Princess managed so well that by a little after eleven o'clock thecard games were over, and she, laughingly, had escorted Armand to his owndoor and received his promise to retire at once.

  Then she went to her apartment and dismissed all the attendants excepther maid. To-night she must ride as a man, so she donned a close-fittingdivided skirt, high boots, and her Blue Guard's jacket, and topped itwith a long military overcoat that came almost to her spurs.

  Colonel Moore met her at a side entrance, and they hurried across thecourtyard and over the bridge to where, a little way down the avenue,were waiting De Coursey and Marsov, with Jessac and the horses. They hadthought to send the old man in a carriage, but he would have none of it;so they let him have his way, when he assured them he could ride twicethe distance without fatigue--and he proved it that night.

  In calm persistence of purpose Dehra was a typical Dalberg; she haddetermined that the Archduke should not expose his life in Lotzen'scastle, and so she was assuming the risk, without the least hesitation;just as the same Dalberg spirit sent the Archduke to recover the Book,heedless of the peril entailed. And so now, after a word of inquiry as tothe general arrangements and the time required to reach the postern gate,she made no further reference to the business in hand. Instead, shechatted with Moore as unconcernedly as though she rode for her pleasure,and not upon a desperate mission where death was likely waiting for themall.

  There was no moon, but the stars burned with double brilliancy in thewonderful mountain heavens; the road lay fair before them; and far off tothe front the lights of Lotzen Castle beckoned. And as they crossed thevalley, the lights gradually grew fewer, until presently there was butone remaining, which Jessac said was the big lamp on the bridge in frontof the gate-arch, and which always burnt until sunrise.

  A little way from the Lotzen road they met Colonel Bernheim, alone. Hebent forward in sharp scrutiny.

  "Thank God, Moore, you persuaded her not to come!" he exclaimed, as theydrew up.

  The Princess' light laugh answered him, and he actually cried out indistressed disappointment, and forgot the eternal salute.

  "I wasn't to be persuaded, Colonel," said she. "Is everything arranged?"

  This time the salute came.

  "The dispositions are made as Your Highness ordered," he answered.

  She thanked him, and he rode beside her to the cross-roads.

  "I must leave you here.--Heaven keep you safe this night," he ended, withbroken voice.

  She reined over close to him and held out her hand.

  "My good Bernheim, nothing is going to happen to me," she said; "but ifthere should, it will be for you and Epping to seat the Archduke where hebelongs, and to confound Lotzen and his satellites--promise me."

  The Colonel's face twitched, and his eyes glistened, and for a moment hebowed his head on his breast; then he leaned over and kissed hergauntlet.

  "As God reigns, it shall be done, my mistress," he said; "and though Ihave to kill Lotzen with my own hand."

  Instead of taking the road to the Castle they continued up the valley alittle way, to where a narrow brook tumbled noisily across the track,eager to reach the foaming Dreer. Here Jessac dismounted, and, leadinghis horse, turned upstream. There was no path, and the starlight availednothing in the heavy timber, yet the old man never hesitated, winding hisway among the trees and around the rocks as readily as though it wereday. After half a mile, the ground began to ascend sharply; almostimmediately he halted, and at his direction they turned the horses overto the orderlies, and followed him on foot.

  "The postern path, such as it is, is yonder," he said, and a few stepsbrought them to it, just where it ended its plunge down the bald side ofthe hill from the Castle that now towered almost straight above them, amass of black forbiddingness respoussed against the sky-line by thereflection of the gate-way lamp.

  Colonel Moore made a last appeal to the Princess to abandon her purposeto accompany them, and was good-naturedly overruled, and peremptorilyordered to lead on.

  "Would you have a Dalberg retire with the enemy in sight?" she ended.

  The postern path was now no path--only a narrow, water-washed gully; yet,even so, it was the only means of access to the summit from thatside,--or indeed, from any side save in front--elsewhere the tangle ofbrambles and the rocks, with the almost perpendicular elevation, madeascent practically impossible by daylight, and absolutely impossible bynight. In fact, this way had long been abandoned, and the present courselay close under the wall, and over the moat by a narrow foot bridge, andthen along it to the road just below the main gate. Jessac had notventured to use it, however, because it was exposed to the light of thelamp, and so was in full view of the porter on duty in the tower.

  It was rough climbing, and half way up Moore called a halt, to give thePrincess a short rest; then they went on, stumbling, slipping,scrambling, trying to go quietly, and yet, it seemed, making noisesufficient to wake every one in Lotzen Castle.

  But at last they reached the top, and the Princess leaned against thewall, breathless and trembling from the unaccustomed exertion.

  Moore raised his hand for silence. In the intense calm of the night, thelightest noise would have echoed trebly loud, yet the only sound theyheard was the splashing of the Dreer among its rocks, in the fog strewnvalley far below. He drew out his watch, and after much looking made outthe time.

  "It's after one o'clock," he whispered; "when Your Highness is ready----"

  "I'm ready now," said she, and turned at once to the gate.

  "Quiet, man, quiet!" Moore cautioned, as Jessac's key scraped into thelock, and suddenly turned it with a loud snap. The old man pushed thedoor back slowly; the arch was twenty feet through, and the darknessimpenetrable; but he entered unhesitatingly, and the others with him,Moore's hand on the Regent's arm.

  "Can you find the stone without a light?" he asked.

  "Easily, sir! ... here it is--stand back, my lord, or it may hit you ...there!"

  There was a slight creak, and Moore was sensible of something swinging upby his face.

  "It's open, sir," said Jessac; "but best not show a light until we areinside, it might be seen in the courtyard--I'll go in first--bend low oryou'll strike your head."

  The Adjutant took Dehra's hand and having located the stone and theopening, he guided her through. Jessac closed the stone into place andthen, by the light of Moore's electric torch, he showed them how it wasso balanced that by pressure at the top (from without) or at the bottom(from within) it would swing around parallel with the floor.

  The passage was large enough for two of them to walk abreast and withoutstooping, and extended through the heart of the wall, about a hundredfeet, until opposite the keep, as Jessac informed them; here it narrowedto half, and by a dozen stone steps descended below the level of thebailey, and thence under it to another set of steps leading up inside thewall of the keep.

  Thus far they had come rapidly and without incident. Suddenly a drove ofrats, blinded by the light and squeaking in terror, ran among their feet,and the Princess instinctively caught up the skirts of her long coat,and, with a little shriek of fright, tried to climb up the side of thepassage.

  The cry, slight as it was, let loose all the echoes of the vault withappalling resonance; instantly Moore extinguished the torch and laid hishand on her arm.

  "What a fool I am!" she exclaimed in a whisper; "now, I've spoiledeverything."

  "Not likely," he assured her; "the castle is asleep and the walls arethick, but we best wait a bit."

  Presently the rats commenced to squeak again, and to scurry about, andthe Princess beginning to tremble, he switched on the torch and motionedJessac to proceed.

  Treading as lightly as one of his own mountain cats, the old fellow wentswiftly up the stairs, and when the others reached the top he was not tobe seen. Moore shot the light down the passage; thirty feet away, if thedraft were
correct, were the stairs that ended at the library; when theyreached them, Jessac was on the landing signaling to come on.

  He drew the Colonel over to the big stone.

  "There used to be a crack along the edge here," he said, very low, "whereI could listen, and also see a very little, but it seems to have beenclosed. Shall I swing the stone, sir?"

  Moore hesitated. What lay behind the stone? His last look at the librarywindows, from far down the hillside, had shown no light within; yet wasit really so, or was it only that the curtains were drawn? If thePrincess would but consent to remain here, at least until he had gone inand inspected. He glanced at her uncertainly, and she read his mind, andshook her head.

  "I follow you," she said.

  With a sigh, he adjusted his mask; she and De Coursey and Marsov did thesame.

  "Does the stone move easily?" he asked.

  "It did when I used it, sir," said Jessac.

  "Can you open it only a trifle at first?"

  "No, my lord, once started it must make its swing."

  "And if there be something in the way?"

  "There never used to be, sir; it was always kept clear."

  "Then pray Heaven it is so still." He loosed his sword and shut off thetorch. "Open!" he ordered.

  "It seems to hold, sir," said Jessac presently; "I can't move it--may Ihave the light a moment?... Now, I'll try again."

  They heard him pushing; gently, then harder, finally with all hisstrength.

  "I can't do it, my lord," he said; "it's either out of balance or hasbeen closed on the inside."

  The Princess gave an exclamation of alarm.

  "What!" said she impatiently, "it can't be opened?--we have failed?impossible, it must be opened--try again, Jessac."

  "May be it's only jammed," said Moore; "come, I'll help you."

  But still the stone refused to stir--suddenly it moved a verylittle--caught--moved a little more--caught again--then wrenched itselffree, with a grinding scrape, and swung slowly around.

  They heard it collide with something; the next moment came a terrificcrash of shattering glass, and the resounding clatter of a metal tray.

  Moore ground back an oath.

  "Close the stone!" said he instantly, "quick, man, quick!"

  But though it seemed to take an eternity to shut down, there was not theslightest sound, or other indication that any one had been aroused.

  "What shall we do?" he asked the Princess; "that din must have beenheard; shall we wait and risk another try, or escape now by the posternbefore we could be cut off?"

  "We will risk another try," said she, at once. "Give the word wheneveryou wish."

  For himself he was well content; his fighting blood was up, and heremight be his opportunity to have it out with Lotzen, so he settled backto wait, harkening for the sound of any one coming by the passage; thelocation of the broken glass would tell the Duke instantly the cause, andhis first act, naturally, would be to send a party around to interceptthem; though, being a stranger in his own castle, he might not know ofthe secret way, in which case the accident would have no materiallyadverse result save, possibly, to startle those within hearing from asound sleep.

  And while they delayed, Moore gossiped in whispers with the Regent,hoping to divert her, if only a very little, from the heavy strain shemust be under--the blackness was enough, in itself, for a woman toendure, without the danger. And he marvelled at her calmness and ease,and the light laugh which came at times.

  "It's good of you, Colonel," said she finally, "but I think I'm pastfearing now. I was horribly afraid at first, and the rats almost made mefaint with terror, but now I'm sort of dazed, dreaming, automatic,whatever it is--when the reaction comes, there likely will behysterics--but that shan't be until all this is ended--it's this inactionthat is the most trying."

  Moore touched Jessac.

  "How long have we been waiting?" he asked.

  "Well on to half an hour, sir."

  "Then swing the stone."

  This time it moved instantly and noiselessly. Moore put his head throughthe opening and listened;... save for the ticking of a clock, somewhereacross the room, there was perfect quiet.... Suddenly it chimed twice;when the last reverberation had died, he stepped carefully inside; thePrincess and the others followed.

  The library was as dark as the passage; with a touch of warning to theRegent, Moore pressed the torch and flashed the stream of white lightaround the walls--fortune favored them; the room was unoccupied, andevery door was closed. Then the light struck the iron safe, and thePrincess, with the faintest exclamation of apprehension, grasped herAdjutant's arm and pointed at it. If the Book were in it, their visitwould be barren; there was neither opportunity nor means to break inside.For the first time, the idea of failure touched her--she had been so fullof assurance, so confident that once in the Duke's library and successwas certain. Even when Moore suggested a safe she had waved it asideheedlessly. Her mind had been centered on the desk--that the Book mustsurely be in it. The light reached the big, flat-topped one in the middleof the room; with a quick spring she was at it, and Moore beside her.

  Swiftly they went through the drawers--nothing ... nothing ... nothing... ah! a bundle in black cloth--she tossed it out and fairly tore loosethe strings--a glance was enough--leather--metal hinges--the Book! theBook! at last!

  In an agony of delight she flung the cloth around it.

  "Come!--come!----"

  A shrill whistle--the doors were thrown open wide; in bounded three men,a lighted candelabra in each hand, and behind them a dozen more withrifles leveled. At the same moment, the Duke himself stepped from behinda curtain, and closed the stone into place.

  At the whistle, De Coursey, Marsov and old Jessac had sprung to Dehra'sside and, with Moore, ranged themselves around her--and now they stoodthere, five masked figures, swords drawn, the center of a circle ofimpending death, every man ready to fling himself upon the guns andchance it, but restrained because of her they were sworn to guard.

  The Duke gave a chuckling laugh.

  "Altogether a very striking picture," he remarked, with a wave of hishand around the room; "the candles--the masks--the swords--the guns--theattitudes;--it is a pity, Cousin Armand, you cannot see it as I do."

  "He thinks I am the Archduke," Moore whispered to the Regent; "let himthink it."

  "Your coming to-night was a surprise," the Duke was saying, "I admitit--I had not expected you before to-morrow at the earliest--mycompliments on your expeditiousness." He drew out a cigarette and lightedit at one of the candles--then flung the box over on the desk; "helpyourselves, messieurs, la derniere cigarette," he laughed with sneeringmalevolence.

  "Keep perfectly still," Moore cautioned, very low. "If it come to theworst, I'll try to kill him first."

  "Did you address me, cousin?" Lotzen asked; "a little louder, please--andkeep your hand outside your coat; the first of you who tries for hisrevolver will precipitate a massacre--even poor marksmen can't well missat such a distance, and on the whole, these fellows are rather skilful."He smoked a bit in silence, tapping the splintered glass on the floorwith the point of his sword. "Behold, cousin, my preservers--a decanterand some slender Venetian goblets; queer things, surely, to decide thefate of a Kingdom. But for their fall, you would have won. Now----" heglanced significantly toward the ready rifles. "Yet, on the whole, I wishyou had waited until another night--it could have been done elsewhere somuch more neatly--before you got here--or saw that, the package in theblack cloth. You came upon me so suddenly, I had time only to takeyou--and now that I have you, frankly, cousin, I'm at a loss how todispose of you--and your good friends.... Come, I'll be generous; chooseyour own way, make it as easy as you like--only, make it."

  A slight stir caused him to turn. Madeline Spencer, in a shimmering whitenegligee, was standing in the doorway.

  "Ah, my dear, come here," he said; "this is altogether the best point ofview for the picture: 'The End of the Game' is its title--is it not,cousin?"

&n
bsp; In this woman's life there had been many scenes, strange, bizarre,fantastic, yet never one so fiercely fateful as was this. And for onceshe was frightened--the flickering candelabra held aloft--the leveledguns--the masked group around the desk--the lone man leaning nonchalantlyon a chair, smiling, idly indifferent, as much the master of it all as apainter, brush poised before his canvas, able to smear it out at a singlestroke.

  He held out his hand to her. She shook her head, meaning to go away; yetlingering, fascinated and intense. Armand Dalberg was yonder--on thebrink of the grave, she knew. Once she had loved him--still loved him,may be--but assuredly not as she loved herself, and the power of wealthand place. Nor could she save him even if she try; so much she knewbeyond a question, so, why try.

  The Duke faced his prisoners.

  "Come, cousin mine, what shall it be: swords, bullets, poison? Timepasses. You have disturbed me at an unseemly hour, and I must to sleepagain.... No answer, cousin? Truly, you have changed; once your tonguewas free enough; and it's not from fright, I'm sure; that, I willgrant--you're no more afraid than am I myself. However, if you won'tchoose, I'll have to do it for you.... You came by the secret passage,and by it shall you return--part way--bound, but not gagged, it won't benecessary; please appreciate my leniency. Then, while you are lyingquietly there, the revolving stones shall be sealed so tight that mortalman can never find them. Is it not a fine plan, cousin, to have beendevised so quickly; and are you not proud of the mausoleum that you, apoor, unknown American, will have: the titular castle of Valeria's newKing?"

  At first, the Princess had been cold with terror--the muzzles of loadedrifles at ten paces, are not for women's nerves; but as the Duke talkedshe grew calmer, and the fear subsided, and anger came instead. And evenas he seemed to take a devilish pleasure in grilling his victims withrage-provoking words, so she let him run along, to dig his own grave thedeeper.

  Now she stepped out from the group, and dropped her mask.

  "Which cousin do you think you have been addressing, my lord of Lotzen?"she asked, taking off her hat.

  The commotion in the room was instant; but the Duke stayed it with anangry gesture. His men were foreigners, and free of any sentiment beyondthe sheen of gold.

  "So, you little fool," he laughed, "you have dared to come here, too! Doyou fancy that even you can save your upstart lover?"

  "If you mean His Royal Highness the Archduke Armand," said she, veryquietly, "he needs no saving--he is not here."

  There was but one person in all the world whose word Ferdinand of Lotzenwould accept as truth: he knew the Princess Dehra never lied. And now hesprang up.

  "Not here!" he cried, "not here!"

  She turned to her companions.

  "Messieurs, will you do me the courtesy to unmask?"

  The Duke ran his eyes over the four, and shrugged his shoulders.

  "I thank you, messieurs," said he, "I shall not forget you, believe me Ishall not.--But where, cousin, is His Royal Highness the ArchdukeArmand?" (sneering out every word of the title). "Did you lose him on theway?--or is he skulking in the passage."

  Dehra laughed scornfully. "You change front quickly; a moment since youdoubted his courage no more than your own. This is my own adventure;neither the Archduke, nor any one else in Dalberg Castle, is aware ofit."

  Lotzen bowed. "My thanks, cousin, for that last bit of news--I know thebetter, now, how to dispose of you and your friends."

  The Princess walked over and sat on the corner of the desk.

  "Am I to understand, my lord, that you would attempt to restrain me andmy escort from leaving this castle?"

  "Those who enter a residence with criminal intent, and are apprehended inthe act, can hardly expect to escape unscathed. You have overlooked thefact, doubtless, that the privilege of high justice still attaches tothis domain, though long since unexerted. Just what that justice will beI have not decided--enough, at present, that you are prisoners awaitingsentence, and since none will ever seek you here, I can let eventsdetermine when and where it will be pronounced."

  And Dehra understood just what was in his mind.

  "Which is another way of saying, cousin, that when you have killed theArchduke or made him prisoner, it will be time enough to pass judgment onus."

  The Duke gave his chuckling laugh.

  "Your Highness has the wisdom of a sage," he said; "and I advise you toemploy it during your sojourn here, in ascertaining just what attitude islikely to be the best for yourself, after the American hasbeen--eliminated."

  And now the anger, which had been burning hotter and hotter, burst intoflame.

  "Do you fancy, Ferdinand of Lotzen," she exclaimed, striking a chair withthe flat of her sword, "that I would venture into this den without firsthaving made ample provision for our safe return? Around this place, atthis moment, stretches a cordon of three thousand soldiers with orders tolet no one pass the lines, and if by sunrise I have not returned, to takethis Castle by assault and show no quarter. Colonel Bernheim is incommand. I fancy you will admit that he will execute the orders."

  "I will," said Lotzen.

  "And if you doubt as to the troops, you can send and----"

  "I will admit the troops also, cousin."

  The Princess put the cloth-wrapped book under her arm and stood up.

  "Then, if you will clear the doorway, we will depart."

  "Not so fast, my dear," he smiled; "you seem to have missed the fact thata written command is quite as effective as an oral one; therefore, youwill oblige me by taking of the paper and ink on the desk beside you, andinditing to Colonel Bernheim an order to withdraw instantly all thetroops to Porgia, and himself to join you here--but first, you will favorme by returning that bundle to the drawer where you got it."

  The Princess glanced uncertainly at Moore, hesitated, then handed thebundle to him, and turning to the desk wrote rapidly for a fewminutes--read over the sheet, and held it out to the Duke.

  He took it with a bow, and went back to his place.... The order was clearand unequivocal, almost in his own words, indeed. Her ready acquiescencehad amazed him--now doubt came, and then suspicion--was he beingoutwitted? Had she provided for just such a contingency? He read theorder again--then put it in its envelope and went toward the corridordoor. He would have to chance it.

  "One moment, cousin," said the Princess; "you may as well know that theonly effect of that order, or any other, save from my own lips, will beto bring the assault forthwith, instead of at sunrise. It's for you tochoose which it shall be."

  He turned and regarded her contemplatively; and she spoke again.

  "What is the profit now in restraining us? You have been playing for aCrown--you have lost;" (pointing to the book) "but why lose your life,too--though, frankly, as to that, save for the nasty scandal, I have noconcern."

  His face hardened. "There could be a few lives lost here before sunrise,"he answered.

  She smiled indifferently, though her heart beat faster at the threat; shehad risked everything on her firm conviction that his cool, calculatingbrain would never be run away with by anger nor revenge--and the test wasnow.

  "Assuredly, my dear Ferdinand," said she, "you can have us killed--andthen the sunrise."

  But he stared at her unrelentingly, and fear began to crowd upon herfast.

  "Have we lost?" she said very low to Moore. "Have I brought you all todeath?"

  "It depends on the next minute," he replied; "if we live through it we'resafe. He will have quit seeing red then."

  And Madeline Spencer saw that he was hesitating; swiftly she went to him,and taking his hand, spoke to him softly and with insistent earnestness.

  Gradually the frown faded; the fell look passed; at last, he smiled ather and nodded.

  "We win," said Moore.

  The Duke turned toward the corridor door and gave an order; the men drewaside into line, rifles at the present. Then he bowed low to thePrincess.

  "Since I know I may not do the honor myself," he said, "I pray you willacc
ept my Constable as my substitute.--Captain Durant, escort Her RoyalHighness the Regent to the main gate."

  Durant stepped forward and his blade flashed in salute. Dehraacknowledged it with her own, then snapped it back into its sheath.

  "Lead on, sir!" she said very graciously, and gave him her hand.

  Without so much as a glance at the Duke, she passed from the room; and onthe other side of her went Colonel Moore, sword in one hand, thecloth-wrapped book in the other.

  When they had gone, Lotzen dismissed every one with a nod, and sittingdown drew Madeline Spencer on his knee.

  "You're my good angel," he said; "you came at the psychological moment;another instant and I would have sent them all to the devil."

  She slipped her arm around his neck, and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

  "And then the sunrise," she whispered, with a shudder.

  He caught her to him.

  "And even Paris is better than that, my duchess!" he cried; "Paris oranywhere, with you."... Presently he laughed. "I should like to seeDehra's face when she opens that book," he said.

  Madeline Spencer sprang up, pointing to the clock.

  "We are wasting time," she exclaimed. "Don't you see that we must go toDornlitz this very night--that, now, to-morrow will be too late."

  "You're right!" he said; and, with wrinkled brow and half-closed eyes,sat, thinking--then: "We may not use a special train, for we must godisguised; but the express for the South passes Porgia at four o'clock;we will take it; if it's on time we shall be in Dornlitz at seven in theevening, which will allow us an hour to get to the Summer Palace--aftereight o'clock not even I would be admitted, in the absence of the Regent.Should we be delayed, as is very likely, we can go out early thefollowing morning. The American won't know we left here, and will not bein any state to return--and even if he is, it's not probable he willleave before late to-morrow night, which will bring him to the Capitalabout noon--long after we have been in the library and got the Book." Hestrode to the door and shouted into the corridor for Durant...."Captain," said he, "have the fastest pair and strongest carriage beforethe door at once. Madame and I are off instantly for the Capital; but seethat no one in the Castle knows it; close the gates, and let none depart.In half an hour, send four of your trustiest men to cut the telephoneline, in various places, between Porgia and Dalberg Castle; keep it cutall day, and prevent, in every way possible, any messages reaching theCastle. If the Regent, or the American Archduke, leave by train beforeto-morrow night, wire me immediately. Do you understand?--then away....Come along, Duchess, only ten minutes to dress!"

  With a laugh he swung her up in his arms and bore her to the doorway,snatched a kiss, and left her.